You have to love it when actual experts embrace the Internet and decide to “give it all away”.  In the bicycle world, Sheldon Brown was the prime example.  Mark Bittman seems to be today’s cooking populist.  For harmonica, it’s got to be Adam Gussow.

It almost doesn’t matter what Adam is teaching.  His style is addictive.  Equal parts authority and humility.  Both inspiration and instruction.  His Youtube lessons are some of the best that I have received on any topic.

Does every little knowledge niche have an Internet icon?  If I hadn’t picked up the harmonica, I never would have “met” Adam.   He only exists to a tiny bubble of enthusiasts - that is, thousands and thousands of Youtube viewers.

Who else should I know about right now?  Who is giving the best lessons on the Internet – in any subject?

When you are on your bike, food=fuel.  So, I thought that it’s not too out-of-bounds to pass along a few portable recipes, too…

3×5 Bread – a 100% whole wheat, no-knead, multi-purpose bread dough

I have been making and tweaking this bread recipe for years now.  Although “no-knead” bread recipes have been everywhere recently, I was originally inspired by the book “No Need to Knead” by Suzanne Dunaway .  This book includes several excellent recipes for focaccia, ciabatta and french loaves.

But, my goal was different.  I wanted a bread with only four primal ingredients- 100% whole wheat flour, water, yeast and salt.  It had to be easy to make.  It had to be tasty.  It had to be soft and moist.

And the recipe had to be easy to remember.  It’s called ”3×5″ bread because you use 3 measures of water to 5 measures of whole wheat flour.  A measure can be any amount you like.  I use a 1/2 cup measure for one loaf, but the recipe can be easily scaled up or down using a different sized measure.  So for a 1/2 cup measure…

• Put 3 measures of warm tap water in a mixing bowl.  Sprinkle a teaspoon of yeast on top.  Stir it in.
• Put 5 measures of whole wheat flour in the bowl.  Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt on top.  Stir it all up.  The dough will go from liquid, to ragged, to a loose ball.
• With wet hands, shape the dough into a smoothish ball and set it back in the mixing bowl.
• Cover the bowl and keep it in the fridge overnight.  Or longer, if you like.  If you are in a rush, you can let it rise on the countertop for 4-6 hours.
• When you are ready to bake it, gently scoop the dough out of the bowl and shape it into a loaf.  The dough will be really loose and sticky.  You will probably want to handle it with wet hands.
• Place the dough on a baking sheet sprinkled with oatmeal or coarse cornmeal.  Bake for one hour at 375 degrees.  That’s it!

You can use it for sandwiches, but even better…

Cinnamon Rolls!  Make one batch of dough as described above.  After it rises, roll it out thinly on an oiled surface.  Sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar, but leave a 1-inch margin on the side.  Roll it up using the margin to seal the roll.  Cut it into rings with a serrated knife.  Place them in a baking pan.  Sprinkle with more sugar.  Bake at 375 degrees for 1/2 hour.

The Swobo “Otis” is the best new bike design I have seen in a while.  Modern without looking trendy.  Classic without looking retro.  Utilitarian and stylish.  Nice going, Ms. Yaeger!

If I wanted to spend $700 on a bike, I would send it right to you.  However, I just can’t do it.  Sorry.

For Lookabout readers only, here’s a secret formula:

Mountain Bike from the 90′s + Three Speed Coaster Brake Hub = “Otis”

Yup.  Salvaged 80′s road bikes inspired a generation of Fixies.  Salvaged 90′s mountain bikes will launch a fleet of Three-Speeds.  Here’s why:

• Horizontal drop-outs - Get your beautiful chain tension with no derailer.
• Rugged steel frame – Re-space your rear triangle.  Dent your frame.  Watch it rust.  It’s indestructible!
• 94% as minimalist as your Fixie - One cable for the shifter is all that’s required.
• Maintenance-free gears – Tired of spinning-out on downhills?  Shift up, why dontcha?
• Back-pedal Coaster-Brakes - Feel 8-years old again.

P.S. to Brad Quartuccio:  In Issue #3 of Urban Velo you hint at a “hare-brained” project involving a three-speed hub.  Let us in on the secret, guy!

Tell you what.  I’ll go first.  And describe how I made it…

1.  Buy a three speed hub. 

I tried to purchase the SRAM 3-speed/coaster-brake hub specified on Swobo’s bike, but it was out of stock.  So I picked up the Sturmey Archer version for about the same price.  The SRAM hub has a little bit wider gear range, but you do what you can with what you got.  And, it’s not like Sturmey Archer is some oddball brand.  They basically invented the internal gear hub.

2.  Get a rim

I suppose that you could buy a rim, but you should be able to find a wheel on a junk bike that has a decent rim on it.  Look for something aluminum a reasonably straight.  You can cut the spokes off with a wire cutter.  Once the most of the spokes are cut, there will be no tension on the spokes and you can unscrew the nipples with a screwdriver.

3.  Buy Spokes and Nipples

Believe it or not, this was the hardest part.  I used this calculator to figure out my required spoke length, but Sheldon Brown also links to a few others.  If you can’t find your parts in the included lists, you have to carefully measure the flange diameters of your hub and the inside diameter of your rim to the nearest millimeter.  Luckily, three-speed wheels and hubs are symmetrical, so you only need to find calculate and purchase one length of spoke.

I wanted to buy the spokes at Cyclemania, but they were $1/each!  BikeStop had them at $20/pack of 50.  What can you do?

My nipples came from Back Bay Bike.  They were a dime each.  That’s my price!

4.  Build a Wheel

I’m not going to go into detail on this topic, because I’m really not qualified.  But, I will say this:  Don’t be scared.  It’s not that bad.

Have you ever tried to straighten a warped wheel?  It’s much easier than that.

I used Sheldon’s page and Jobst Brandt’s book as a guide.  It took me three tries to get it laced up right.  Maybe an additional two hours to get it tensioned and true.

You can do it.  They have Brandt’s book at the Portland Public Library.  Don’t have a truing stand?  Improvise!

5.  Install the Wheel

This turned out to be harder than expected.  My hub was spaced smaller than my bike’s rear triangle.  However, with a bar-clamp and some gentle persuasion, I was able to re-space the rear triangle to match.  Good old steel.  Nothing beats steel.

6.  Install the Chain and Shifters

I ran the chain to the smallest chainring for carrying 30 pounds of Kid Fink and some groceries up Munjoy Hill.  You might want to use the second chainring.

After that, you just set up the shifters.  The instructions that come with the hub are very good.  If you read Japanese, they might be even better.

7.  That’s it.  Go cruising!

I wanted so badly to get the Target Like-A-Bike, that I was willing to overlook all kinds of details.  Like the fact that it was way, way, way too tall for my 2-year-old son.  To fit him, we needed a “low-rider”.

But, with a little perseverance we could get that thing lowered, right?  Besides, it’s made of wood!  In the worst case, couldn’t we just saw it off?

In the end, the easiest approach was to change out the very nice wheels (wooden rims with 12-inch pneumatic tires) for some small, cheapo lawnmower wheels.  I was able to get everything I needed at Maine Hardware.  A pile of nylon spacers and some 6-inch wheels did the trick.

Or, you could probably get even better parts at McMaster-Carr.  These rubber tired wheels (Part No. 2331T11) would work just fine.  A couple of nylon spacers (Part No. 94639A081) will allow you to step up from the 1/4-inch axle provided to the 1/2-inch bore on the wheels.  Add some washers (Part No. 90295A187) to center your new wheel in the bike frame, and it’s ready to go. 

The bike has been sitting in the corner of the living room all summer, waiting for Kid Fink to get up the nerve to try it out.  This was the week.  We rode in the driveway, down to the store, and down the hill.  “Zooming!”

Pants.  Trousers.  Slacks.  You know what I’m talking about?  Greasy cuffs.

It’s a perennial problem for commuters.  If you (like me) wear your work clothes on your bike, how do you keep your cuffs out of your chain?

Big spenders splurge on new pants with sewn-on straps.  Trend setters are rockin’ their knickers.  Nerds like me resort to reflective Velcro.  The Retro rider eschews Velcro and opts for the real feel of steel clips.  As a last resort, I roll ‘em up so the world can check out my black socks and hairy legs.  Sexxy! 

I want something inexpensive and minimal.  Last week I found these steel springs in an industrial catalog.  Do they keep me clean?  Yup.  Do they look good?  You decide.

P.S.  Anybody have a lead on an attractive and inexpensive chainguard?  This German-engineered setup seems really tidy…

I admit it.   I covet my neighbor’s saddlebag.    Brooks, Carridice, Gilles Berthoud - it doesn’t matter.   I want one.

Seriously.  A saddlebag would make my commute way more awesome.  They are just the right size for lunch and a toolkit.  Maybe even a raincape.  I don’t like messenger bags.  They can be sweaty and clumsy.  And panniers, no matter how useful, make even the sleekest bike look stodgy.  Trunk bags?  Uh-huh.  No-way.  I need a saddlebag.

Supposably, these olde bags are poised for a comeback.  Like the triumphant handlebar basket, saddlebags are classic, simple and stylish.  Why have they fallen so far out of fashion?  Why are they only sold by “retro” bike shops in the US?   Why are they all made in the UK?  Why am I so cheap that I can’t pony up the $100 to buy one?

Bah.  I’ll make my own out of the junk in my basement.

It starts with this bag.  Perry gave it to me years ago.  It was a factory reject.  It is stamped “Banana Republic”.  I assume that it’s from Honduras.  I chose this bag because the leather straps on the top flap provide a nice place to hang the bag.

Most saddles don’t come with bag loops anymore, so we have to get creative.  I found a couple of long eyebolts and fastened them to the saddle rails with Jubilee clips.  (Those are hose clamps to you and me.)

The nice thing about this arrangement is that you can angle and position the bolts anywhere to fit the bag you want to use.  A couple of nuts and an oversized washer acts as a stop at the end of the bolts.

Here’s what it looks like from the side.  The large rear pocket stores the shoulder strap.  It also is accessible while riding, so it’s perfect for maps and snacks.  Not too bad!

UPDATE:

Lou found this link to another DIY saddlebag conversion.  More complicated, but also more attractive.