GI Bike

I am not what anybody would call a "war buff."  And I don't get into the jingoistic self-congratulations that mark too many commemorations of armed conflicts and their combattants.  

On the other hand, I do understand that war cannot be separated from history, and that many valuable lessons can be learned from studying the strategies and mistakes of various military leaders, as well as the effects war has on people who aren't directly involved in the fighting.  And, I must say, it does make me a little sad to realize that most World War II veterans are dead or dying.  It's something I realized today, when I saw a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.  A few veterans were present; I think the median age was around 92 or so.

In thinking about the 71st anniversary of the deadliest attack this country would experience until the ones on 9/11, I looked at some images of--you guessed it--military bikes and soldiers on bikes.

The US Armed Forces never designated official bicycle patrols for World War II.  However, soldiers, sailors and airmen used bicycles in a variety of ways during the war.  Here is a patrol in Hawaii:

From The Liberator

They are riding official US Army bicycles made by Westfield Manufacturing Corporation, a.k.a., Columbia.  Here is one, close-up:

Some of the bikes were painted entirely in olive drab, as this one was.  Others had blacked-out hubs, handlebars, cranks and other parts that would have been chromed prior to the war.

Huffman Manufacturing Co (a.k.a. Huffy) made a nearly-identical model that was also commissioned by the Army.  However, Huffy did not make a women's model, as Columbia did.  Columbia also made a folding version of the bike.

Not surprisingly, the Japanese also made extensive use of bicycles during the war (which, technically, began in 1931, when they invaded Manchuria).  Here is a Japanese bicycle patrol in the Phillipines:

From Hyperwar

Perhaps even less surprising is the fact that the British armed forces used bicycles in warfare--or that Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) made a folding bike for the troops.

Interestingly, before the War,  BSA bicycle components were the ones most widely used by racers, including those in the Tour de France.  And, yes, the company is the same one that made BSA motorcycles, which were the world's most popular before Japanese makers took most of their market.

Lights, Santas, Snow And Bikes

I hope I'm not beating  the Christmas bike theme to death.  But I found an image I simply couldn't resist posting:

From Cyclepath Cycle & Snow, Kelowna, BC, Canada

Although it was intended as a Christmas display, I could see it in many other settings. 

I clicked on to the shop's "staff" link and found this:

From The Telegraph (UK)

 

 

 All right, that was a joke.  But whatever happens, I hope their--and your--holiday season rides don't end up like this:

From Johns Bikes, Bath, UK

Windy Bike Rides In The City

The wind grew stronger throughout the day.  Late this afternoon, the stretch of Crescent Street that leads to the Queensborough (59th Street) Bridge had become a veritable wind tunnel.  So had some of the surrounding streets.  But in others, the air was as calm as it is in an airliner's cabin.

That is one of the interesting quirks of urban cycling.  On the open road, when the wind is blowing, it's either in your face, at your sides or at your back.  And the wind at your side can, if it's strong enough, impede your progress as much as a headwind if you're riding "Deep V" rims.  When you're cycling in the woods, the trees and sometimes the hills or rock outcroppings block at least some of the wind.  At least, in the time I spent riding in the woods, I never found the wind to be as much of an issue as it can be on the road.

But I think that the effect of the wind is at its least predictable when riding asphalt rivers through concrete canyons.  I wonder why that is.

Now, my commute today wasn't more difficult than usual.  At least, it couldn't have been as difficult as what these guys faced:

Triangle Spokes Group: New Bikes For Poor Kids In North Carolina

There are very few things that make more kids happier than finding a bike under the Christmas tree.  Of course, for many--especially in these economic times--such a thing seems out of the bounds of possibility.

Someone I know in North Carolina has sent me word about a charity that's doing something for kids whose parents (or whoever is raising them) can't afford to give them bikes for Christmas.

Triangle Spokes Group is named for the "Research Triangle" of Raliegh-Durham-Chapel Hill, which is the organization's home base.  This is the sixth year TSG is giving away bikes and helmets to needy kids in their area.  Their goal for Christmas 2012 is 500 bikes and helmets.  They're able to get a bike and a helmet for $70 from Huffy.  What that means, of course, is that they need money, which can be donated through their website.

If any of you know of organizations in your own area, or some other, that's doing similar work, please leave a comment with your contact information.

One thing that my involvement with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts has shown me is that it's the small, locally-based organization that are most effective in helping.  When I went to the Rockaways, I saw groups from various schools, colleges, universities and houses of worship (including the Sikh Temple of Queens, as well as various unaffiliated individuals, helping people who said they hadn't seen anyone from the Red Cross or FEMA.  So I am especially pleased to see an organization like TSG doing what it's dooing.

An After-Work Ride On A Late Fall Day

It seems that fall, as we normally think of it, has come late to this area this year.  Perhaps it has to do with Hurricane Sandy and the subsequent nor'easter, as well as the mild October weather that preceded them.

When I say "fall has come later", I'm thinking about the kind of light and the feel of the air.  Also, I'm thinking about the trees (the ones that are still standing, anyway), which seem to have shed their leaves later and have not taken on the sere, wizened facades so many of them have by this time of year.

Maybe the lateness of the season is one reason why Tosca was so enjoying this part of an after-work ride:

Admit it:  You're not above taking a roll in the leaves.  Tosca is a fine traveling companion; she's entitled.

As she so frolicked, I noticed that the house directly in front of us is for sale:

For decades, members of the Steinway family lived here, in the Astoria Mansion.  At one time, part of their piano workshop was housed on the grounds.  When that business grew (i.e., when Steinway pianos came to be regarded among the world's best), they had to build a bigger factory a few blocks away.

Michael Hiberian died about a year and a half ago after living all of his 82 years in the house.  He'd put the house up for sale a few months before breathing his last in it; now his son is trying to unload it.  At the time the house was put on the market, it had a potential buyer at $5 million.  But that deal fell through, and the current owner is looking for $3 million.

I've never been inside, but from what I'm told, it's even more impressive there than from where I stood.  The problem is that it's in, ironically, what might be the least desirable location in Astoria.  When the house was built, it was surrounded by meadows that rolled into the bay.  The house, on  the highest hill in the area, had some expansive views, to say the least.  But now the house has an even better view of the Con Ed powerplant along the shore--and the bridge to Rikers Island.  Also, in the area around the mansion are warehouses and a cement plant.

Anyway, from there, I continued to ride along the water, past LaGuardia Airport and the World's Fair Marina, to a waterfront area I hadn't seen before--at College Point.

My bikes just love waterfronts and sunsets!