[Leica] Photo bikes

[lrzeitlin at aol.com]

	While I can’t claim to be a camera expert, I have a lot of experience with bicyces. For a number of years I biked ten miles to and from work every fair weather day. It's not that I'm an eco-freak but just that I was willing to trade a half hour ride each way for the hassle of auto traffic and parking. My son and I were members of the Golden Apple bicycle club and took long rides through the countryside on Fall weekends. When we were younger and more fit, my wife, a less dedicated biker, and I would occasionally take our bikes on vacations to National Parks and the Blue Ridge Parkway. I still bike around the Adirondack foothills near my home. As you can guess, I have definite opinions on suitable bicycles for casual riding and associated photography. Here is some hard learned advice to would be photo-bikers: 
	First, unless you have a very good suspension system on a bike, any container or bag attached to the frame will be subject to jolts and severe vibration unless you are on the smoothest of roads. Particularly bad are bags attached to a carrier over the rear wheel. Suspension systems are designed to ease the ride for the rider, not the bike itself. If you carry a camera on your bike trip, keep it in a small day bag or pack worn on your back. Clearly weight is important so get the lightest equipment you consider adequate.
	Second, bikes are low security vehicles. In many venues you cannot leave a bike unattended for more than a few minutes and expect it to be there when you return. In several decades of riding, I have had entire bikes stolen, wheels removed, and expensive components snatched, even through the bike was tethered to a rack or lamp post by a presumably unbreakable lock or cable. A bicycle thief wielding a chain cutter can steal a bike in 15 seconds. Moral - do not leave your new Leica in a bike pack while you relieve yourself in a pissoir.
	Third, bikes have no weather protection. If it rains, you will get wet. Your camera should be able to handle dampness and the container should be waterproof.
	All that being said, I've found that the best film cameras are small P&S types. I used to use a trusty Rollei 35, then experimented with a number of less costly P&S cameras before settling on a relatively weatherproof Olympus Infinity Twin. That's the one with two lenses, a 35 mm and a 70 mm. Now that the photo world has gone digital, I carry a venerable Canon 780 Elph P&S. It takes clear, sharp pictures and is cheap enough so I won't cry if it gets stolen or damaged. Of course, if you want to take really great photos while biking, carry the best equipment you can afford but be very, very watchful and have good insurance.
	Finally, folding bicycles are the Devil's invention. Bikers cherish bikes with stiff, light weight frames. Most folding bicycles have neither. Multiple joints in the frame encourage a definite wiggle. If not immediately, then after a season's modest use. The hinges welded to the crossbar and downtube are heavy and the strain they impose on the bicycle's frame means that it must be constructed of thick walled tubing. This makes the frame heavy for its size. The total weight of a good road or mountain bike is 20 to 24 lbs. Most folding bikes weigh in on the far side of 30 lbs, often as much as 35 or 36 lbs. In addition, most folding bikes have small wheels, 16" to 20". This gives a bone jarring ride on all but the smoothest roads. Sure, they fold up into compact packages but the purpose of a bike is to ride, not to store. After a few wiggly, bumpy rides on a hard to control folder, the average biker will call a cab instead.
	That's not to say that all folding bikes are bad. Some are very good.  Moultons, DaHons and Bike Fridays are examples. But they are quite expensive. A lot of precision maching goes into making joints that won't loosen, attached to lightweight high tech frames to keep the weight down.
	If you keep to paved roads buy a bike without suspension. Suspensions add weight and are desirable only for off road riding. Bikes are available with rust resistant aluminum frames. Most of the components are aluminum as well and, if given a reasonable amount of care and periodic lubrication, they will hold up as long as you desire. I have two Raleigh bikes over 35 years old. The first made with all aluminum frames The bikes have a lifetime frame guarantee. I wish I had one too.
	If you have a little more money or less space, I recommend a Montague folding bicycle. This is essentially a standard bike where the front half of the frame pivots around the seat tube, the tube that goes from the seat to the pedals. I believe that Dahon distributed them for a while. A modification of this bike is the one designed by DARPA for Special Forces, Paratroopers, and Marines. A civilian version costs about $650, weighs 29 lbs, and folds into a package 3 ft by 3 ft by 1 ft. Unfolded, you have a 24 speed mountain bike with 26" wheels. Large bike dealers carry them or they can be ordered from Montague at www.militarybikes.com. For those who don't need to drop their bikes from airplanes, slightly less rugged versions are available at lower prices.

Larry Z