Cycle 365

The bicycle in daily life

Never Before

Posted: May 09, 2021 Under: Challenge of the month By 4 Comments

Never before – in this year – did I get a picture of dandelions going to seed. So soon. Spring is whizzing by. I think early spring when things are just starting to bud is my favorite time of year, the time when I would like to stop time.

Never before have I shown you the contents of my cargo bag or what I have mounted on my handlebars.

In the left side zipper pocket I have the ffp2 mask, a pen, chapstick and some mad money. Not enough for G2 to bother about.
The right side zipper pocket contains a rain cover for the cargo bag.
I use what I think is a bottle holder for my sunglasses – I put them there when I stop for pictures. They are bifocal which is good for reading the navigation on my phone, mounted on the handlebars.
The main contents of the bag varies. I often have the little Gorillapod, sometimes a change of glass for the sunglasses, keys, my camera and other miscellaneous items, depending on the weather – sometimes a fleece jacket, for example. This little bag accommodates an amazing amount of stuff.
The mirror on my handlebars is new. Until now I have always ridden without one.
On the right side is my phone which I use for navigation – even though I know the paths and roads around here pretty well, I still like to have the map in front of me. A power pack is attached to supplement my phone battery. The obligatory bell is within easy reach of my thumb.

In addition to the basics above I will often carry a pannier for extra rain gear, a bigger tripod, picnic etc. Janos carries the tools. When I ride alone I just hope I don’t need the tools. I hate to admit that since we have been together I have never changed a tire myself and probably don’t know how to any more.

I figured if Greg can take a picture of SPEED, I can do SLOWNESS. It is also something I have never photographed before. I got some curious looks from passersby.

Slowness
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I'm a US born ex-pat, having lived most of my adult life in Munich, Germany. Cycling and photography are my favorite things.

4 response to "Never Before"

  1. By: gregblood Posted: May 9, 2021

    Okay, I see no reason to wait until the end of the month to make this announcement: The winner of the award for “Greg’s Favorite Suzanne Photo” for the month of May is the one titled “SLOWNESS.”

  2. By: Bill Stone Posted: May 10, 2021

    Very nice! (1) I see we carry the same little Gorillapod. (2) You are a right-thumb bell-ringer while I’m left-thumb in that regard. (3) Gotta ride with a mirror! (Plus good reflectie.) (4) And I second Greg on the “slowness” photo, although you should be thankful his vigilant Hastings police force wasn’t around to roust you and conduct a vagrancy arrest.

  3. By: Bill Stone Posted: May 10, 2021

    PS: Good luck with that “no tools” and “forgot how to change a flat” stuff! Assuming I ever get the story posted, you will see that you would have been in big trouble in the middle of nowhere on Saline Valley Road a few days ago!

  4. By: NancyG Posted: May 10, 2021

    I love this post!! Needless to say but I say — I agree with SLOWNESS as a fave photo. I do carry tools (making my trunk bag a lot more full than yours), and do know how to change my tire when flat, but it takes me forever with the Bike Friday setup. I can more easily change someone else’s tire ;’-). Though I carry the tools, my plan it to usually call Susan to come get me! If far from home I will struggle, take my time and change my flat — or try for a bike shop is close enough. So, I have fatter tires that are much more flat resistant ;’-) and I have not (knock on wood) had a flat in a long time.

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