Apres-Cycling: the Wine Bottle Massage

I know what you're thinking. "What, don't you own a rolling pin?" Well of course I do. But I use it for printmaking, so it lives in my studio. Luckily, what I lack in baking paraphernalia, I make up for in empty wine bottles. It's not that I drink a lot of wine, but that I tend to keep the empties for years - using them as flower vases and such. So when I came home holding my thighs today and my eye searched for something rolling pin-like, a tall bottle from a Spanish red fit the bill.

It's been a while since my legs felt this tight after a ride; I have low gears on my bikes and use them. But after two long, climbing-intensive rides a couple of days apart, a massage was in order.

There are different ways to go about doing this on your own, and here is what I do: I sit on the floor with my legs stretched out in front of me. The massage can be done on bare legs or over clothing, such as loose pajama bottoms (just not anything made of thick fabric, like jeans). I hold the bottle firmly, in one or both hands (there is no second handle as you would have on a rolling pin, but it still works okay), and move it in a gentle rolling motion up and down whatever muscles feel tight, in long strokes, at an even pressure. I use light to medium pressure, but others press harder - whatever feels right. Also, some prefer to sit on a chair, rather than stretched out on the floor. Try it both ways and see what feels better. If you need to do the back of your legs and don't have anyone to help, you can do it yourself standing up. A little awkward, but doable. Either way, this simple leg massage technique works surprisingly well on stiff, achy, or even just tired leg muscles in a fairly short amount of time. I have even seen cyclists do this during rides - using their mini bicycle pumps.

Of course if you have an unopened bottle of wine, you could combine the bottle massage with a glass of its contents for that extra bit of relaxation. A versatile product to keep on hand.

Pink & Orange Inspiration

I'm in the mood for something bright and colourful
and there's nothing more uplifting
than the vibrant combination of pink and orange!

Melissah xox

Images via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Check out Coastal Style on tumblr and Pinterest

Beach Wedding

 

Thinking of getting married sometime soon?

Then I love the idea of a beach wedding - simple and relaxed surrounded by beach, ocean, friends and loved ones. I got married on Cable Beach in Broome but if you feeling a little more adventurous why not consider the Caribbean! J.Crew choose the gorgeous island of St Lucia for their Spring wedding shoot and it's just stunning. Such a dreamy location guarantees a perfect wedding! My pick of these pretty colour palettes is the aqua and mint shades - the perfect compliment to the tropical water.

Melissah xox

J Crew images via Chic Coastal Living, all others by Coastal Style

Check out my other blogs Scrapbook and Country Style Chic

Monday Mailbox: What is a High Nelly?

Monday Mailbox is a weekly post dedicated to questions received over email. Here is one, for a nice change of pace:

It's been fun discovering what to call different styles of bikes through your blog... diamond frame, step-through, loop frame, mixte, truss frame, Frascona curve! But what exactly is a High Nelly?

I have wondered about this myself, especially about the term's origin.

Used predominantly in the UK and Ireland (and not very common anymore), in a general sense "High Nelly" describes upright bikes. More often than not, the term refers specifically to women's bikes, and particularly to vintage ones. So, for instance, an old fashioned loop frame with swept-back handlebars up higher than the saddle might be called a High Nelly - similar to what an omafiets is to the Dutch. 

But in Northern Ireland last summer, I was treated to a more detailed explanation. I was told that originally, "high nelly" referred to a specific style of a woman's bicycle frame, where the head tube was extended considerably past the height of the seat tube. This ensured that the handlebars could be set up as high as possible, for a fully upright and ultra-ladylike position. Apparently, only frames thus constructed are true high nellies. 

Interestingly, in manufacturing its popular Lady's Tourist model, some time in the 1940s Raleigh switched from the original extended headtube design to one where the headtube was more or less level with the seat tube. The measurements of my 22" 1973 DL-1 frame are almost identical to the measurements of my 22" 1936 Lady's Tourist frame, save for this aspect and the resulting difference in posture. So, going by the explanation above, only the very early Lady's Tourists can be considered high nellies, whereas the later DL-1s (as well as most other post-war English 3-speeds) are not. And according to the same definition, lots of modern bikes can be considered high nellies, since extended headtubes are now quite popular.

Unfortunately, I cannot find any written information about the origins of the term, so I can't cite my sources beyond "conversation with collectors." And sadly, who exactly this Nelly was, for whom I assume the style of bicycle was named, remains a mystery. 

Fenderbot and Sanding a lot

Hello and Welcome,
Spring is here at last :)  I have been busy cleaning up the front and back lawns and trying to get the shop/garage organized. The weather has been pretty nice as of late. And I have managed to take a few short bike rides. I wanted to do a post about installing the PDW Fenderbot reflector taillight . Somehow I never got around to it, my sincere apologies for that. And I would also like to talk about the performance (or lack there of) of the Fenderbot light.

Above: Let me start by saying I installed this Fenderbot unit for looks. The idea was to build a bike with the classic touring bike look. The Fenderbot was the only new fender mount taillight I could find. It is Not Very Bright and I would not recommend this as your only rear light. When I ride this bike (day or night) I will have a flashing Ze'Fal taillight mounted on one of the seat stays or clipped onto the tool bag.

Above: Save the card the Fenderbot comes mounted on and use it for a template to make you marks for drilling the mount holes in your mudguard or fender. You can also use the template for proper drill bit selection if need be.

Above: Here I have made my marks with a Sharpie for my mount holes. You will need to make sure your holes are high enough so the taillight will clear any strut mounting hardware. After taking a measurement I made sure to cut my template so that the holes would be high enough. This way I could rest the template on the wrap around strut mount when making my marks.

Above: To avoid the bit skirting around damaging the beautiful Velo Orange hammered fender while I am am trying to drill the holes I use a small scratch awl to make an indent in the center of my marks. These indentations will make it much easier to keep the bit "on target" while I am drilling.

Above: Here I am using the template to check my drill bit size.

Above: Fearing the bit might hang up or bind I chose to drill a smaller hole first, then re drill with the finish size. Quite a while back I was re drilling the holes in a rear bicycle rack mount to fit a larger old seat post clamp bolt. I was using a high speed DeWalt 8 amp drill and it bound up. I did not have the piece secured, and when it spun the piece it felt like it damn near took one of my fingers off. Fortunately it just hurt like hell, no real damage done.

Above: This is what the Fenderbot looks like mounted from the inside of the fender. The bottom nut shown is the wrap around strut mount.

Above: The "not so bright" Fenderbot tail light mounted on my Velo Orange hammered rear fender. It's not really hammered, it is more of a hammer effect :)

Above: Here is the L.L. Bean Bike finished. After adding the white piping I realized I had subconsciously built something very much like (in looks anyway) to the Parliament. Eventually I removed the wrench graphic from the fork blade. You may have noticed for the "test ride" I have another taillight clipped onto the Minnehaha Barrel Bag (tool bag).

Above: The Zebrakenko is pretty much ready for primer, just a few tiny hard to reach spots to finish sanding. It has not really been warm and dry enough to paint yet anyway. But now the weather is much better so I will be priming it this week.

I am considering leaving the head and seat post lugs unpainted and polished. I will see how shiny I can get them before I decide. I am really not sure if I should polish the lug with something or just clear coat it. I am open to suggestions. I am thinking about building another classic commuter. Or possibly a fixed gear bike, sort of a "Mixey Fixey"

The mixti frame is by far the most difficult frame I have ever sanded. Nooks and Crannies are fine if your talking about English Muffins. On bicycle frames they are just a pain in the @$$. I will not be sanding another mixtie frame any time soon. I may even look into paint strippers. Although I really do not like using any more chemicals than I absolutely have to.

This is what I hope was the last snow of the season. It did not stick, and within hours was just an unpleasant memory. I did some fast repairs on a new friends Department Store rigid mountain bike. I did not bother with pics although maybe I should have. It was cosmetically "pretty mint". Mechanically "not so good". It did have the old thumb shifters which I consider a plus. Department store twist type grip shifters are always problematic crap anyway.
That is pretty much all I have for now. So until next time, Please Ride Safely! And remember to always..RESCUE, RESTORE and RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh

The Detroit RedWings have made the playoffs for the 22nd consecutive season! Well Done Boys!
A Special THANK YOU to those of you have been checking out Hugh's Online Bike Shop. The link to Hugh's Online Bike Shop is located on this page in the right column near the top, just below the followers / members. You probably noticed that I am now adding word links to components, tools and supplies ect. ect. that I mention in my blog posts. Like the Store these links are powered by amazon.com . I am doing this to make it more convenient to purchase things that interest you on the blog. Also if you are new to bicycle work, and you are not sure what I am talking about? You can click on the word link just to see some examples of what I am referring to. I look at this as a positive change and I hope you do too.
Thanks, Hugh

Tropical Green

 

Loving these fresh and vibrant colour. ~

it brings a little taste of the tropics to your beach house.

A splash of this colour is sure to brighten up your home!

Melissah xox

Moodboard by coastal Style, images via Pinterest and Coastal Living

Wham Bam Thank You Lamb!

So, did you know that Mary had a little lamb? No, seriously. That there once was an actual girl, named Mary, who kept a diminutive pet sheep? The girl in question (Mary Sawyer, to be precise) lived in Sterling Massachusetts in the 1800s. And according to historical scholars, some time in 1830 she brought her pet lamb to school - an act that caused such mirth among the other children, that a local poet was inspired to immortalise it in verse. On the Sterling Town Green, a statue now stands commemorating the event.

This statue also marks the halfway point and only control stop of the New England Randonneurs Populaire - a timed 107 km ride that heralds the official start of the local brevet season.

"But at least take a picture next to the Lamb!" someone exclaimed when I mentioned there would be no pictures on this ride. A kindly volunteer did the honors. My few lucid memories of the Populaire revolve around the stone rendering of the famous Victorian pet.

Having already done two "Permanents" earlier this month (this one and this one), I hoped the official Populaire would not be anti-climactic. I needn't have worried.

Some notes, while it's all still fresh and I am too tired to feel self-conscious:

I must remember that rides with similar overall elevation gain can be very different. The climbing on this one was intense and draining, even though the elevation gain (3813ft over 68 miles) was the same as in the previous (easier!) 100Ks I did this year.

But perhaps much of that had to do with how I did this ride. Straight through, minimal stopping, really pushing myself to get it done. Particularly on the return leg, I just basically raced through the course, inasmuch as I am capable of such a thing. I do not know what possessed me to do it this way; I certainly did not have to as there was plenty of time left before the cutoff. But it felt in the spirit of the event: Everyone seemed focused on making good time. I finished well (for me), certainly better than expected. But it was tough. At some point, everything was a blur, attempts at conversations became babbling nonsense.

For some of the time I rode in a group. This proved a novel experience compared to previous group riding. While the group's average speed was similar to my own, their rhythm did not match mine - a situation I found extremely difficult to deal with. I tried a few times to cycle ahead of the group, so as to go at my own pace. This did not work, as they'd always catch me. Falling behind did not work either, as I'd eventually catch up, yet again be unable to pass them. I seemed destined to ride in this group and adapt to its rhythm; it was as if a magnetic field held us together!

The start of the Boston brevets is in a middle-of-nowhere location - an airforce base some distance from my house. By the time I got home, I had ridden 105 miles, and felt every single one of them. A Century is not quite a casual distance for me, yet. This is disappointing.

Because of the Boston Marathon bombings and their aftermath, the Populaire took place one week later than initially planned. The 200K brevet is next Saturday, not leaving much time for further training. Considering how I feel after this ride, I am not sure it is a good idea to embark on the 200K so soon. But I will see how I feel mid-week.

Finally... Despite this depriving me of photo opportunities, it felt good to put in an effort and try to make decent time. By mid day it was all over, and afterward I felt oddly over-emotional. I wasn't happy, or sad, or proud or frustrated exactly. Rather, it was as if so many miles and so much intensity packed in a fairly short time was too much for my system to cope with. But in a good way... I think.

My thanks to the New England Randonneurs for putting on this event, and to the wonderful volunteers who made it happen. I hope to see you again this summer.

Coastal Calm

Why This Room Works

This room’s quiet palette allows the little details an opportunity to shine: graceful printed pillows and striped chairs, a reflective mercury lamp, silvery candlesticks and shining glass lanterns. High and low furnishings – a leather bench that doubles as a coffee table and ottoman, and a grand mirror that acts as a second window – keep the space from feeling stagnant. A scattering of faux coral adds natural whimsy.

Coastal Calm - Get The Look

Loving these glass lanterns from Pottery Barn

 

 

 

Melissah xox

Images via Pottery Barn Source : Vicky' Home

Check out my other blogs Scrapbook and Country Style Chic