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A
cruiser bicycle is a bicycle designed for riding on roads
and paths in comfort and style over performance. Handlebars
are straight or curved back, facilitating an upright riding
position. Large, padded seats are the norm. Shock absorbers
are common, both on the wheels and on the seat post. Cruisers
have either a single gear or simple and minimal gearing,
often through hub gearing. Instead of lever-operated brakes,
they are often equipped with coaster brakes. Typical examples
include the Schwinn Stingray, the Orange Krate, and the
Apple Krate. These bikes are becoming increasingly popular
today as a faster-than-walking way to get around town.
A couple of interesting variations on cruisers popular
right now (at least on the San Francisco Peninsula) are
the retro Schwinns, which are designed to look like they
came straight out of the 1950s, and weird little fixed-gear
bikes with tiny wheels and very long posts. |
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Vulcan,
in Roman mythology, is the son of Jupiter and Juno, and
husband of Maia and Venus. He was god of fire and volcanoes,
and the manufacturer of art, arms, iron, and armor for
gods and heroes. Vulcan's analogue in Greek mythology
is the god Hephaestus. He is also called Mulciber ("softener")
in Roman mythology and Sethlans in Etruscan mythology.
His smithy was believed to be situated underneath Mount
Etna in Sicily. At the Vulcanalia festival, which was
held on August 23, fish and small animals were thrown
into a fire. Vulcan's shrine in the Forum Romanum, called
the Volcanal, appears to have played an important role
in the civic rituals of the archaic Roman Kingdom. Vulcan
was the father of Caeculus. |
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