Riding the Pilen: a Multitude of Impressions

Since the Pilen give-away contest is happening before a final review will be published, I wanted to write up a separate post about its ride quality. It's funny that even though I should know better, I am still fooled into thinking that I "know" a bike based on the way it looks, and this was the case here. "A swan frame," I thought, "this will be just like my Austrian bike." But the Pilen is a completely different bicycle. Moreover, my impression of its ride quality differs from others' impressions, which apparently may be a factor of my size. But let me start from the beginning.

As described before, the bicycle is a 56/58cm frame with 700Cx50mm tires, which makes it a pretty large bicycle for a person my size. Since I am barely tall enough to ride it, I have the saddle almost all the way down. I also lowered the handlebars as much as I could. The bars are flared out quite a bit - almost placing the hands in a mountain bike style position - and having them set high felt unnatural. In the position shown, the saddle and handlebars feel more or less fine, though personally I prefer bars that are more swept back.

What I like best about the Pilen is its remarkable stability. Traditional Dutch bikes tend to have a light front end, which can make the steering feel difficult to control for those who are not used to it. Though I love the ride quality of Dutch bikes, I too remember being taken aback by the light steering when I first tried them. In comparison, the Pilen is extremely well balanced. It is a very easy bike to control and it handles predictably. I keep switching between the Pilen and my vintage Gazelle, and the Gazelle always feels shaky after the Pilen.

The wide, cushy Schwalbe Big Apple tires offer another advantage. Potholes or road shock of any kind are a non-issue; the bike just rolls over uneven terrain and I don't feel a thing.

The surprising downside for me when riding the Pilen, is my experience with speed and acceleration. I am finding this hard to put into words, but let me try: When I attempt to ride the bike at the speed I am accustomed to, it is as if I feel a resistance. I have to push harder in order to keep it going fast, and this puts a strain on my legs. My first thought was that the gearing must be too high, because it feels better to start it in 1st gear, whereas on my other 3-speeds I am fine starting in 2nd. However, as soon as I accelerate, not only do I quickly find it necessary to switch into 2nd, then 3rd gear, but I also soon begin to max out the 3rd gear. This makes no sense, because the Shimano hub used on the Pilen is not spaced any closer than the 3-speed hubs I use on my other bikes; I should not be running out of gears. Even more odd is that I feel the strain in my legs regardless of what gear I am in and how fast I am going. According to the Co-Habitant's computer, I did manage to get the Pilen up to 17mph. But this was more effortful than on my other upright 3-speed bikes.

I shared these impressions with Todd of Clever Cycles - who is one of the North American retailers stocking these bikes and therefore has experience with them. Todd suggested it was possible that the bike is "overbuilt" for me - meaning that the tubing and the wheels are specced with a rider larger and heavier than me in mind. Though I have heard the "overbuilt" theory before (mainly when it comes to Surly bikes - which also seem to be best enjoyed by heavier riders), to be honest I found the idea improbable. I thought it was more likely that I needed to keep playing with the saddle and handlebar positions, or change the rear cog after all.

Then something happened to suggest that Todd may be on to something: A woman who is taller and heavier than me was over for a visit, and she wanted to try the Pilen. She did, and she absolutely loved it. She called it zippy and fast. She asked me what I thought of the bike, and I told her my honest impressions, but her impressions were totally different. She is not a stronger cyclist than I am. But the Pilens's size seemed just right for her and she looked a lot more natural on the bike than I do. She has tried a lot of other bikes at this point, including several Dutch bikes and the Rivendell Betty Foy, so she does have a solid basis for comparison. She preferred the Pilen's ride quality to all of these.

Now I was seriously intrigued. I asked the Co-Habitant to ride the Pilen. He is just over 6' tall and weighs over 200lb. He raised the saddle and took the bike for a spin. He loved it and wanted to keep riding it. He thought it was nimble and a bit faster than his Pashley Roadster. He loved the cushy tires. He could not relate to my feedback at all and did not sense anything odd about the gearing.

Next I took the Pilen over to "cycler," of Biking in Heels. She and I are roughly the same height and weight. She loved the looks of the bike (as do I), but found the ride quality odd. Without my having said anything in advance, she had similar things to say about the gearing feeling too closely spaced as I have expressed above. She also found the "cockpit" configuration to feel unnatural compared to her own upright bikes (a Raleigh Sports and several DL-1s).

At this point, I am not sure what to conclude, or whether it is even appropriate to make any conclusions. I've tried to describe things as they are. It seems likely that the bike is indeed built with taller and heavier riders in mind, and that it handles differently for those riders. I cannot say via direct experience, as I can't magically enlarge myself and try it both ways. The two heavier persons who have test-ridden the Pilen in my presence were enthusiastic with their feedback, and witnessing this makes it clear that sometimes it is a matter of matching up the right bike with the right owner. Your thoughts on this are welcome. Have you felt that some bikes were overbuilt or underbuilt for your body type?

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The Speeding Bullitt of Somerville

Sometimes Somerville really is a village. On my way home last Friday, I discovered the Co-Habitant, Somervillain and Brian P. engaged in what appeared to be an impromptu bike-testing party, after having crossed paths on their way home from work. The many other cyclists who rode by craned their necks with interest, because of course none of these were "normal" bicycles. Somervillain had his Bike Friday tandem, which he was riding alone. The Co-Habitant had his Pashley. And Brian P. had his Bullitt cargo bike. My own arrival on the swan-frame Pilen complemented the scene nicely. The sun was setting over the Peter Forg Manufacturing Co., bathing the street in that magical golden light. I had wanted to try Brian's cargo bike, and now was my chance.

The bike is a Bullitt "Milk Plus" model, made by Larry vs Harry. It is a Danish cargo bike, based on a traditional "long john" design - similar to a Dutch bakfiets, but with a longer and narrower cargo platform. Larry vs Harry market the Bullit as being fast and sporty in comparison to other cargo bikes. The bike is 245cm (96.5") long, 45cm (18.5") wide, and it weighs 24kg (53lb) unloaded.  It has a 20" front wheel and a 26" rear wheel. Detailed geometry specs and blueprints are available here.

The frame is heavy-duty welded aluminum.

The frame is described by Bullitt owners as extremely stiff. I like the part where the main tube branches out to form the platform - there is something visually appealing about this junction.

The (optional) cargo box is plywood. It can be used to carry cargo or passengers and comes with a water-resistant cover.

The bike is equipped with disc brakes.

And an 8-speed IGH drivetrain. See here for complete specs.

The wide double kickstand keeps the bike unquestionably sturdy and is easy to activate.

Brian bought this bicycle from Splendid Cycles in Portland, OR, and they installed a dynamo hub with the Supernova E3 headlight and tail light.

He also replaced the stock racing-style saddle with a Brook Flyer, and he says that that the sprung saddle works well with the stiffness of the frame.

He replaced the stock mountain bike-style handlebars with North Roads,

and added a modified Civia rack from Calhoun Cycle with a set of Dutch panniers.

I found the overall look of the modified Milk Plus Bullittt extremely attractive and was looking forward to trying it. It felt well-balanced as I was walking it, which gave me hope.

The saddle is quick release and smooth to operate; I was able to adjust the saddle height myself.

The stem is also quick release, making it possible for different riders to adjust handlebar height to their tastes.

I was able to step over the Bullitt's top tube while wearing a skirt without having to swing my leg around the back; the standover height is similar to that of a large mixte. I was comfortable and ready to ride the bike... which, unfortunately, was not so easy! The main problem is that the Bullitt needs to gain momentum in order to become stable. When just starting or going slowly, the long front end fishtails wildly and the bike is difficult to control.

After a few shaky starts, I did manage to ride the Bullitt down the street and pick up some speed, only to falter when attempting to come to a stop. Luckily, the bike was easy to hold up once it started to fall over to the side, so I did not outright crash it into the ground. Not wanting to damage somebody else's shiny bicycle, I did not make further attempts. Not pictured here, but Somervillain tried the Bullitt as well with similar results- false starts, then finally getting it going, then dumping it when attempting to stop at the end of the street. There is a learning curve.

I understand the concept of having to get the bike up to speed in order to achieve stability. But unless I am missing something, this seems at odds with using it in stop-and-go traffic - which is what I thought cargo bikes are designed for... In any case, some riders may find operating the Bullitt more intuitive than others.

The Co-Habitant pretty much was able to ride it, though he described the same fishtailing sensation and said that he'd need a lot of practice to feel comfortable with it in traffic.

Brian handles the bike like a pro, making it look extremely easy. He reports having been able to ride it pretty much on the day it was assembled - sticking to local streets initially, then venturing into heavier traffic.

Looking at these pictures, it occurs to me that perhaps people with beards take to the Bullitt faster than people without. Based on our very scientific sample size of n=4 at least, that seems to be the case.

At this point, Brian has had the Bullitt for just over 2 months and enjoys it tremendously. It is indeed supposed to be faster and more maneuverable than other cargo bikes, once you get the hang of the handling. Brian lives atop of an insane hill that I would hate to tackle every day even on a roadbike. He finds the Bullitt manageable when cycling up it. Typical commuting speed is about 10mph, or faster with no cargo. Normally, Brian uses the Bullit to pick up his son from daycare and for groceries. He has also done a camping trip on it once, which he will soon describe on his website. When I asked Brian for critical feedback, he replied that the size made the bike unwieldy to walk - for example, when strolling with someone else on the sidewalk. There is also no good way to secure valuable items on the bike, making multi-trip shopping difficult. These issues are of course common to all cargo bikes.

The Bullitt Milk Plus with Brian's modifications is dashingly handsome, and just the right size for the kind of cargo we'd need to carry. If I could ride it, I'd be seriously fantasising about it. But while I can see myself quickly getting used to the Christiania trike I tried earlier, realistically speaking I cannot imagine feeling comfortable enough with the Bullitt to ride it in traffic. The slow-speed handling is just too quirky for me. Reactions to the Bullitt seem to greatly depend on individual bike handling skills and preferences. For those who can handle it, the Bullitt is a unique cargo bike option in the combination of speed, agility and load capacity it offers. But I would strongly recommend test riding this bike before buying.

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Red and Blue, Old and New: Fun with Bike Comparisons

A couple of days ago I visited "Cycler" from Biking in Heels, asking her to test ride the Pilen I am reviewing and tell me what she thinks. While we were at it, we also compared the geometry of the Pilen to that of her modified vintage Raleigh Lady's Sports - the charming bicycle described here.

Unlike the traditional English roadster (which is similar to a Dutch bike), the Sports model is a zippier bicycle with somewhat more aggressive angles and a more leaned-forward posture. It made sense to compare it to the Pilen, which is also somewhat more aggressive than Dutch bikes.

Placing the two bicycles side by side, we did notice some similarities. The seat tube angles, front end geometry and bottom bracket heights were fairly close - at least in comparison to those of Dutch bikes and English Roadsters. The Pilen has a slightly more relaxed seat tube and a higher bottom bracket - but the extent of this is minor when compared to the more relaxed Dutch bikes and Roadsters with their high bottom brackets. The Pilen however, has a longer wheelbase than the Raleigh Sports - not to mention that it is dramatically larger.

When looking at this picture, consider that the saddles of the two bicycles are set to roughly the same height. Now notice the amount of seatpost showing on the 21" (53cm) Raleigh Sports compared to the 22" (56cm) Pilen Lyx (see here for a close-up of the Pilen's seatpost). Despite the 3cm difference in their frames, the actual size difference between the two bicycles is considerably greater. This is because the Raleigh has 26" wheels with 35mm tires, whereas the Pilen has 700C wheels with 50mm tires - raising the Pilen's frame higher off the ground. Wheel and tire size are definitely something to be aware of when determining the actual size of a complete bicycle. The frame size alone is fairly limited information.

Cycler and I are similar in height (she perhaps 1/2" shorter), and we prefer similar bicycles for transportation - both of us especially in love with the ride quality of the classic Raleigh DL-1. It was therefore informative to learn that she had a similar reaction to the Pilen as I did. On the other hand, two other (taller) persons who also tried the bike had very different reactions. I will write about that in more detail at a later stage, but suffice to say that there is a bike out there for everyone. It is amazing to me how many variations exist of the traditional upright step-through design; I never tire of learning about the similarities and differences between them.

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Cycling Partners and Sketchy Rides

When describing my lone bicycle rides over the past two years, I was often told that, all romance of "the lone cyclist" aside,  I won't improve if I don't ride with others. With all my might I resisted this idea. But, big surprise: It's true. Having finally gathered enough courage to start cycling with others, I notice that I tend to ride further, put in more effort, and generally push my limits more when I am egged on accompanied by other cyclists - particularly those who are better than I am. Luckily, finding stronger cyclists to ride with is easy, since by roadie standards I am terrible. But finding stronger cyclists to ride with whom I feel comfortable with and who won't outright laugh at my ineptitude? Not so easy at all.

That's why I was grateful when Jim A. (the owner of this bike) invited me to join him on a ride. Given that Jim is a bicycle mechanic and a life-long cyclist, I knew that I would embarrass myself on this ride despite his description of it as easy-going. But Jim is such a nice guy, that I was okay with that.

I was also looking forward to seeing his Sketchy bicycle.

A-ha!

Sketchy bikes are made by Mike Salvatore, a framebuilder at Seven Cycles. I only had my point-and-shoot camera with me, so no good photos this time. But Susan of Twelfth Bike has lots of beautiful pictures of her pink one here. Jim's bike is brown.

So my loaner Seven and Jim's Sketchy are essentially related and possibly built by the same person. They even have a family resemblance, including the curved stays.

However, the Sketchy is steel, not titanium. Next time I'd love to try this bike.

Despite a minor injury a few days ago, I felt good and was ready for our easy-going ride... which, by the time I got home, ended up being 50 miles. That is the longest single ride I've taken on the Seven so far, and it's safe to say that any remaining anxieties I had about its handling have been alleviated. Apparently, a racing bike with 23mm tires can be comfortable for 50 miles: I have no hand, neck, back, or any other pain what so ever. And apparently it can do 30mph downhill on a criminally pothole-ridden road without anything terrible happening to the fork or wheels. Good to know!

I am also generally more confident on the bike. Last time I was at the Ride Studio Cafe we lowered the handlebars so that they are now a couple of cm below the saddle. Since the frame is too big for me, this was accomplished by placing all the spacers above the stem and flipping the stem over so that it points down. The tall stack of spacers looks funny, but I am glad to have the handlebars in this position.

So, how terrible am I compared to Jim? Unfortunately, it's hard to say! He is so polite that I have no way of knowing to what extent he was taking it easy for my sake. The ride ended up being longer than we planned and more strenuous than I anticipated - which is good! I am starting to understand that I need other people to motivate me, push me, and help me improve as a roadcyclist. 

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First Group Ride!

Yesterday, I went on my first group ride. Yes, there were only three of us and we're all friends. But those who were reading this blog last summer understand what an accomplishment this is for me.

Ever since I began to ride a roadbike, I've been whining about wanting to learn how to ride in a group... yet refusing to go on group rides. Yes, it was paradoxical. But you see, I wanted to learn the skills of riding in a group, while at the same time being afraid of it - convinced that I would perish in a high speed crash, images of the most gruesome bicycle race pile-ups flashing through my mind. I toyed with the idea of joining the women's training rides offered by a local cycling team, but ultimately the entire summer passed and I did not do it - opting for solitary rides and occasional rides with the Co-Habitant instead. I had to be coaxed into joining yesterday's ride, and I did try to back out as usual... but in the end something just clicked in my head and I went. And I'm very glad. Yes, I know you told me so!

My cycling partners were the Co-Habitant on his nearly-finished Surly Cross-Check (notice the fenders!) and our neighbour Somervillain on his vintage 650B conversion.

I was on my Rivendell Sam Hillborne. How happy he was to be out amidst the cherry blossoms!

Though we were riding different bikes, the aesthetic was amusingly similar. We all had candy-coloured frames with fat tires, cantilever brakes, aluminum fenders, leather saddles, classic bar wrap, and even twined water bottles. All three of us were also wearing wool. We looked like a team of eccentric bicycle obsessionists. The plan was to go on a roughly 40 mile loop - starting on the Minuteman Trail, then going through the hilly parts of Lexington, and arriving in Concord, MA - where we would stop before returning along a similar route.

Any nervousness I had about the ride dissipated as soon as the three of us set off in city traffic on the way to the Minuteman Trail. I expected this to be stressful - keeping pace with the others while paying attention to cars and negotiating treacherous intersections - but instead it was easy. Easier than cycling in traffic alone and easier than cycling in traffic with just the Co-Habitant. I still need to think this through in order to understand why, but possibly because three cyclists really do constitute a group in the eyes of motorists and are thus given more space. Maybe. Whatever the reason, it was great.

For the first part of our ride, we went in an unchanging single file procession - with the Co-Habitant first, Somervillain second, and me last. We cycled fairly closely behind one another, which I did not find problematic. It took me some time to get used to the rhythm with which Somervillain started from a stop, and to time my own starts the same way so that I wouldn't run into him. But otherwise, it was all very intuitive. I did not have trouble pacing myself to maintain the same speed consistently. And I also liked it that they hand-signaled every move they would make on the road. When we cycle alone, the Co-Habitant and I don't do this - which sometimes results in miscommunication.

We went along the Minuteman Trail at 14-16mph, then headed for the hills in Lexington. We've had an especially long winter and rainy spring this year, and I had not done major hills like this since last Fall. I was physically unprepared for them. I also forgot how steep and long this one particular hill was. We began climbing it, and almost immediately I was spinning in a low gear and my speed dropped to 7mph. I just couldn't do any better. It was at this point that we dispersed, so that the stronger riders would not lose momentum. Somervillain took off uphill and the Co-Habitant followed him at a slower pace, but still faster than me. I eventually made it, but the climb was such a huge shock to my system that even the downhill decent that followed made me unable to catch up with them. As soon as the distance between us decreased, came another uphill and I would lose them again. While I found this frustrating, I also appreciated having a true sense of the differences in our abilities. And I certainly preferred them going ahead to slowing down for me - that would have made me feel excruciatingly self-conscious.  We cycled over a series of hills in a similar style - the distance between us decreasing on the descent, then increasing again on the ascent - until finally the elevation changes lessened and we were able to cycle in a single file again. I did not have trouble keeping up on flats and mild hills, so that was a relief. The day had been beautiful and sunny up until then, but now it started to rain, which was a relief as well. The raindrops cooled me down.

We stopped in the Concord town center to have lunch and coffee. The sun came out again by then, and the small town looked ridiculously picturesque - blue skies, green grass and cherry blossoms everywhere.

We filled up our water bottles.

And Somervillain showed us his clever iphone-charging system.

The socket is built into the light mount and derives its power from the dynamo hub. He made it himself. I don't own an iphone, but still want this on my bike!

At some point in the course of the ride, the Co-Habitant's brakes suddenly became stronger, solving his brake dilema. Looks like they just needed to wear in.

My writing skills are not strong enough to make the canti-comparison conversation that followed sound interesting, but I'll show you Somervillain's Mafac brakes.

And my Tektro brakes.  After a thorough examination of my bike, we may now have a diagnosis for my complaint about the drivetrain fussiness: bent derailleur hanger, possibly. So I will have to take care of that.

After the town center, we cycled a bit further and stopped by Walden Pond.

Even with lots of people there on a Sunday, it is still such a quiet, meditative place.

We chose a slightly less hilly route home, and the return part of our loop was more casual. We switched places in line frequently, and at times cycled in a cluster instead of a procession - all of which I was fine with. I got a sudden burst of energy on the way back and did not feel tired.

It is fair to conclude that my first group ride was a success. I enjoyed cycling in a procession at a controlled speed, and I did not have problems riding in close proximity to the others. I guess my sense of incompetence in this respect was exaggerated. The losing them on hills aspect I will have to work on, but I think it is to be expected given the differences in physical strength between us.

I looked up the schedule for the women's training rides this summer, and the first one of the season is this Tuesday - tomorrow! Before I lose my nerve, I think I need to just force myself to show up. Will make my best effort - now off to shop for a certain required accessory!

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