Niko Rosvall

 Sometimes when riding bicycle for long periods of time, I start to think very mundane things again and again. Seems like that I can find something new in them. Something different. Something not so mundane.  Those mundane things of everyday life start to feel mystical. Things like falling leaves, shiny asphalt after the rain or things like railroads. Railroads in particular. They are symbols of what we have left of our true freedom. An illusion of freedom. Think about it. Train can only go where the rails go. In some sense, we humans have similar limitations. Our lives are restricted by an arbitrary rules and regulations. You're as free as the society lets you to be. Human is like a locomotive on a railroad. Well enough of that, let's continue... This time my ride took me on new roads to places I've had not seen before. The weather was beautiful. It was an early morning. Quiet countryside roads lead me from small village to another...until... House and a story I saw an old

 I have been riding several "test rides" on my newly built fixed gear bicycle. One particular ride was thought-provoking. It wasn't that long, only around 120 kilometers. I found myself on an old bridge which is more than 100 years old. I stopped there and started thinking how different life must have been back then. In some sense it's probably not have been that different, but at least the pace of life has been much different what we're used to. My bicycle is in the old bridge, behind you're seeing the new bridge used today by cars and trucks. Think about it for awhile. We used to travel by foot and with horse and carriage. Of course on horseback too. Nowadays you may travel 80 kilometers in an hour. That kind of travelling was not possible nor it was needed on regular basis. Living was more local. Small towns connecting people Back in history big cities were not that common. Often they were far away and to travel to them would have been days and days of trav

 Winter is finally passing us here in Finland. During the hardest winter I built a new bicycle. It's a fixed gear bicycle which I will be using for my upcoming adventures. I decided to use a porteur front rack and a porteur rack bag. It easy to have tools, extra clothes and whatnot with you on a front bag. I can always add a saddle bag if I need more gear with me (for longer rides). I also like front loaded bicycle more. Gearing is 46x19 which is pretty perfect for me. You can keep fast enough speed, yet it's not too hard for your legs. I use both brakes too to save my legs.  The frame is Fuji Feather 2021 and crankset is made by Condor. Cranks are 144 BCD which I prefer. The 19 tooth gog is hold in place with a Dura Ace lock ring. At the moment I use Continental GP 5000 tyres. My preferred saddle nowadays is Ritchey Classic. Pedals are basic Shimano SPD pedals. Chain is standard Izumi track chain. Why fixed gear? I've been riding fixed gear bicycle for years and I think it