The Harmon Sutton Family

Harmon Harold Sutton was the son of Bert Alva and Nellie Gertrude (Knight) Sutton. His obituary was published in the Iola Register [Allen County, Kansas] on April 3, 1945

Harmon Harold Sutton was born in Wichita, Kans., April 2, 1902 and passed away March 24, 1945, at the age of 42 years, 11 months and 22 days at his home in Compton, Calif. He moved with his parents to Iola in 1905 where he lived until manhood.

On August 21, 1920, he was united in marriage to Florence M. Wilson who passed away January 7, 1924. To this union two sons were born. James H. Sutton, age 23 years, now attending Merchant Marine Officers Training School at Alameda, Calif., and Kenneth Wilson, age 21 years, now deceased.

On May 14, 1925, he was married to Marjorie Rogers of Moran, Kans., and to this union two sons were also born, Robert Eugene, age 18 years, now serving in the U. S. Navy, and Donald Earl, age 8 years.

The surviving relatives are his wife and three sons, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. B. A. Sutton of Iola, and two sisters, Mrs. W. H. Saling of Long Beach, Calif., Mrs. Gerald Curtis of Wichita, Kans.

He was a good husband, and an affectionate father, and a friend to all who knew him.

Published immediately beneath the obituary for Harmon Sutton was that of his son:

Kenneth Wilson Sutton was born in Iola, Kansas, November 20, 1923, and was killed in action December 14, 1944. He was serving his country with the 7th Army under General Patch and was a S-Sgt. Of the 36th Division, 143 Inf., Co. L.

Kenneth moved with his parents to Compton, Calif., in 1937 where he attended school and entered the U. S. Army in February 1943. He trained at Camp McCain, Miss., and was later sent to Ft. Jackson, South Carolina, before going overseas in April 1944. He served in Italy and France and it is presumed he fell in action near Strassburg, Germany.

The Sutton family plot in Highland Cemetery, Iola, Kansas. The three stones in front are for Harmon, his wife, and their son.

HARMON H. / 1902-1945

FLORENCE M. / WIFE OF / H. H. SUTTON / 1899-1924

S/SGT. KENNETH W. SUTTON
NOV. 20, 1923 – DEC 14, 1944
CO. L 143 INFT. 36 DIV. 7th ARMY
FELL IN ACTION
IN FRANCE

Obituaries and tombstone photos were obtained September 10, .. on a visit to Iola, Allen County, Kansas. I have no information on James H. Sutton or the two children from Harmon's second marriage, Robert Eugene and Donald Earl Sutton.

Musical flowers

Bigleaf Snowbell, Styrax grandifolius

We encountered this beautiful shrub on a wildflower rescue. It's a tricky area. On one hand, it's very near a creek so houses are probably not going to be built directly on top of it. On the other hand, (1) you never know, and (2) high amounts of soil runoff might kill everything here anyway. So we are just taking some of the plants.



The shrub was near this little stream. The water goes underground around the middle of the picture, and reemerges just out of the shot on the right.


I'm 98% certain that this is Bradbury's Bergamot, Monarda bradburiana. (It's not in flower yet, so I can't be 100% sure.)

A few more shots of the Bigleaf Snowbell:



Gorgeous! I got such a charge when I first spotted this plant. ("Come look! What is it, what is it, what is it?!")

The flowers look as though they should be wonderfully fragrant... they had a light scent but I wouldn't exactly call it pleasant.



A similar shrub is American Snowbell (Styrax americanus). That plant has smaller leaves and fewer flowers per raceme.

Warnings of Failure

Among cyclists I know, many ride steel bikes and a good number have experienced frame failure of some sort. Really, I hear stories about it all the time. One woman described pedaling through town when suddenly her bicycle felt wobbly and loose. Turned out the seat tube had cracked, just above the bottom bracket. Another had a similar experience with his first bike: The downtube detached right at the bottom bracket joint and he had a bad fall. I have also heard multiple accounts of snapped chainstays.




Anecdotes like this make me think about frame failure in relation to frame material. We know that steel bends, whereas carbon fiber snaps. Steel fails gradually, whereas carbon fiber fails suddenly and catastrophically. And this is why we consider steel a safer material for frame construction. But what I am wondering is: How does this difference translate into real world experience?






What gets me about the stories of steel frame failure, is that the cyclists never see it coming. From their point of view, these too are sudden failures. In reality, I do not doubt that the failures were in fact gradual - but save for checking for evidence of stress with a loupe before every ride, how does the cyclist benefit from that gradualness?




Based on my limited experience test riding roadbikes, I am not attracted to carbon fiber frames. I prefer the ride quality of steel and titanium. But I am not sure I share the safety concerns about (quality) carbon fiber frames that some voice. Sure, in theory the frame can fail suddenly and catastrophically. But in practice, how would this differ from the gradual failure of steel that to the cyclist feels equally sudden?

Underdressed for Your Bike??

from a recent email (published with permission):

"Weirdest experience this morning! Was about to go for a ride on my gorgeous Abici, then caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and thought better of it. I was working from home and looked a mess! Stained cargo pants, old T-shirt, ratty ponytail, ugh... Do you ever feel underdressed for your bike?"

Okay, that's pretty funny. And I admit I've felt the same. On a day to day basis I could be wearing anything, depending on what I am doing - from a business suit to paint-stained rags. And when it happens to be the latter, I do feel self-conscious getting out there on a nice bike for the whole world to see me all disheveled. Not self-conscious enough to actually go and change, mind you. But enough to make a mental note to dress better next time.



Could it be that all the so-called "cycle chic" imagery is getting to us, so that we actually feel pressure to dress up on our bikes?



It's possible. But I think the more likely explanation, is that traveling by bicycle can make us more self-aware and self-conscious, simply because we are more visible. Sure, we can hop in the car wearing old sweats with our unwashed hair up in a bun, drive to pick up some milk, and no one will be the wiser. But on a bike we will be observed. If we ride in the same neighbourhood as we live and work, we may not want our acquaintances, romantic interests, or colleagues to see us in that state.



Then again, it may simply be the bike. Owning an elegant, civilised bicycle can make us want to follow suit. And maybe that's not such a bad thing.

Bird Eye Blooms

The very cool flowers of Gilia tricolor, bird's eyes.

Manifest's Destiny: Thoughts on Utility Bikes and the Oregon Manifest Challenge

image via Jonathan Maus/ BikePortland.org

The Oregon Manifest took place over last weekend, and it was fascinating to follow. Having now become an annual tradition, this event is a competition among framebuilders - a "constructor's design challenge" - for creating the ultimate utility bike. What's a utility bike? You are not the only one who's wondering. Not only does everyone seem to have a different idea of the meaning of this concept, but the Manifest's parameters have shifted over time as well.

image via scurvy_knaves

In the first couple of years of the competition, most of the participating framebuilders submitted some version of modified racing bikes or French randonneur or porterur inspired bicycles: aggressive diamond frame bikes designed to carry a front load (I believe the requirement was a case of beer). Only some of the entries were equipped with proper lights, fenders and other basics. This approach was criticised for taking into account the needs and abilities of only a small portion of cyclists, and for not being sufficiently condusive to everyday use.

image via Jonathan Maus/ BikePortland.org

But the entries were radically different. Nearly all framebuilders submitted some version of a cargo bicycle - ranging from contemporary versions of long-tails, to long johns, to front load box bikes and tricycles resembling small houseboats. Electric assist was used on what seemed like half of them. Mixte or step-through designs on some.

image via Jonathan Maus/ BikePortland.org

With this in mind, it is somewhat ironic that this year's competition seems to have garnered even more criticism than I recall in previous years - and mostly from transportation cyclists. All weekend long there was exchange about it on twitter that has been summarised in this post by Dave Feucht on Portlandize - the gist of it being that the winning entries suffer from lack of real-world applicability, making the Oregon Manifest "irrelevant." Personally, I would not go that far.But - with the disclaimer that I did not actually attend the show and formed impressions based on photographic evidence - my personal view is that this year's competition went too far into the opposite direction from which it started.

image via Jonathan Maus/ BikePortland.org

Most of the designs I see in the show's documentation are so convoluted that I hardly know where to look, let alone how to operate the bikes. From side-cars, to bags suspended like hammocks, to complicated locking systems, to frames that look like they are designed for an acrobat, it seems to me that many framebuilders focused on bells and whistles rather than actual utility. It also seems like many of the builders worked in a vacuum - trying to design a cargo bike from scratch instead of taking into consideration the perfectly good, time-tested models that have been out there for decades.

image via Jonathan Maus/ BikePortland.org

I suspect the judges felt this as well - because the winning entry was fairly simple in comparison to the others. But I agree with Portlandize that an integrated stereo and carbon fiber lock box for your lunch do not make a bicycle a "car replacement."

image via Jonathan Maus/ BikePortland.org

There were a few bicycles in the show that - to my eye - were both simple and utilitarian, such as the Quixote/CleverCycles collaboration, the Rock Lobster bike, and the entry from Geekhouse. And my personal favourite in the show was the long tail + front loader by Retrotec/Inglis Cycles (above). The low step-through makes it accessible to everyone, regardless of gender and choice of clothing. The X-tracycle-based design and extra boards placed low in the rear allow for enormous loads as well as passengers, and the front utility rack allows for more cargo still. The design is harmonious and classic and the bicycle looks approachable to a moderately skilled cyclist - which I think is an important factor many builders tend to undermine.

image via Jonathan Maus / BikePortland.org

Finally, I agree with the comment on Portlandize that the Field Test part of the challenge - a 50 mile on and off road course over a mountain - is not representative of how a typical person in North America would wish to use a heavy-duty utility bike. It was a relevant test when the randonneurstyle bicycles were prevalent among the entries, but not for bikes like these - the whole point of which is to carry much more than is pictured, but over shorter distances.With all the talk of "car replacement" in the guidelines, a huge cargo-style family bike seems to not have been what the organisers of the Oregon Manifest had in mind.

image via Jonathan Maus/ BikePortland.org

There are many varieties of utility bikes out there and perhaps events such this would do better if they picked one and stuck to it, optimising all the aspects of the competition - including the field test - for testing that particular style of bicycle. There is a world of difference between randonneuring bicycles and long-johns, and a competition that is vague enough to include both - and then make them race against one another - is bound to evoke criticism.



"Identity before destiny" might be a motto to consider for next year's Oregon Manifest. And one could say that the same issue faces the utility bike market in North America at large. What do we mean by "car replacement?" Are stereos and electric assist must-have parts of the equation, or is it about ease of operation and hauling capacity? And is it reasonable to expect such a bicycle to win a 50 mile race?

Shifter Placement on a Mixte: an Aesthetic and Functional Challenge

I've been asked to describe how the shifters are set up on my mixte, but I hesitate to write about it, because I don't necessarily recommend this method. My handlebar setup consists of inverse brake levers, elk hide grips covering the entire handlebar, and bar-end friction shifters mounted upon "thumbies" up toward the front. The rationale here was to leave as much of the handlebar area uninterrupted as possible, allowing for a variety of hand positions. It works nicely in that context, but it is not for everyone - which brings me to the issue so many have written to me about: There seem to be few options for mounting gear shifters on a mixte with upright handlebars that are both elegant and convenient. Personally, I find my own setup not entirely elegant: Too many cables up front. And it's not entirely convenient either: The levers can only be reached when the hands are in the aggressive forward position on the bars. But what other possibilities are there?



One alternative is to move the shifters closer to the edges of the handlebars, so that they are near the brake levers. This placement is more convenient if that is the position where you tend to hold your hands the most, and since I've been using my own mixte more and more as a city bike I am considering switching to something like this. The problem, however, is that placing the shifters here interrupts the handlebars and limits potential hand positions: It will not be possible to slide my hands back and forth along the bars the way it's possible on my current mixte set-up. Also, it's essential to get the angle of the shifters just right, and doing so does not always result in attractive placement. Finally, both with my current set-up and with the set-up pictured above, there is something messy-looking to my eye in having so many cables sprouting from the handlebars. I have not been able to find a way to make handlebar-mounted shifters look attractive.



A potential way to clean up the handlebar setup from the "messy cables" look while keeping the shifters within reach is to opt for bar-ends. I tried this prior to my current setup, but quickly discovered that this works well only with the wide Nitto Albatross bars used by Rivendell, and ideally on a bike with a long virtual top tube and/or with the handlebars raised high. Otherwise, you may discover that the bar-end shifters will poke you in the knees to the point where it could interfere with pedaling on turns. That is exactly what happened when I tried them on my small sized mixte with narrow Porteur bars.



If none of these methods appeal to you, you can go the vintage route - one possibility being to mount the shifters on the stem. However, generally this is not recommended for a number of reasons. Some claim that mounting the shifters in this spot is dangerous, because they could potentially "impale" you if you fall forward on your bike. To me this seems rather far-fetched: After all, it's common to have bruises on your thighs from bumping into bar-end shifters, yet no one claims they are dangerous. I think the real reason stem shifters are disliked is that they are considered to be a symbol of lower-end bikes: In the '70s, stem shifters meant that a bike was marketed for amateurs who held their hands mostly on top of the handlebars and were unable to reach downtube shifters.



But while downtube shifters offer elegance and simplicity, removing the second set of cables from the handlebars entirely, most cyclists who are looking for an upright mixte find them difficult to use. In order to shift gears, you have to remove you hand from the handlebars are reach quite a ways down. Particularly if you are sitting upright, this is inconvenient - not to mention beyond the skill level of some cyclists.

As far as aesthetics go, a mixte frame is a challenge to set up, because the twin lateral stays already add a degree of visual complexity to the looks. If you add a cluttered handlebar set-up to that, it can get pretty messy. In vintage photos and in handmade bicycle shows, the cleanest looking mixtes tend to be set up either as single speeds, with hub gearing, or with single chinrings - ensuring that there is, at most, only one shifter to deal with. But in practice, most mixtes today are set up with derailleur gearing and either double or triple chainrings - presenting an aesthetic and functional challenge.

While I cannot offer a solution that would suit everyone's tastes, I wanted to share the methods I know of and the pros and cons of each, as I see them. How have you set up the shifters on your mixte, and are you happy with them in terms of user-friendliness and looks?