Gothamist has an update on the closing of the Brooklyn Banks... Doesn't look good. Some people are even saying it shouldn't be re-opened as a park!
The city has made up its mind. Come December, the Brooklyn Banks will be boarded up and transformed into a construction area for the Brooklyn Bridge rehabilitation project, Scott Gastel, spokesperson for the city Dept. of Transportation told Downtown Express.
Read the rest of the story here.
click to enlarge
Nick from Charge and Surface just sent me an exclusive sneak peek of some preliminary shots of the forthcoming Surface clothing line. Included are images of their hoody, jersey, jacket, pants and all the color options. Above is their hoodie. It's made of a breathable, stretchy (in both directions), water resistant tough material they called "snugflex", it is brushed on the inside like fleece. Lycra cuffs... Nice tight hood, brown or black and a price of £59.99.
click to enlarge
The windbreakers are water resistant, made of Pertex. Lycra internal cuffs. Packs down into small pocket. They're available in purple, lime and black and will retail at £49.99.
click to enlarge
The jerseys come in short sleeve and long sleeve. They feature a pocket in the back and longer sleeves. Perfect on or off the bike.
click to enlarge
The "Hydrophobic" Wool Jacket is the most technical garment, taped seams, fully waterproof, storm flaps, lycra cuffs. But made to look fairly casual with no zip seals. Gray wool is the only color available and retails at £119.99. The pants are made from a water-resistant material and are quick drying with a slim cut. They retail at £54.99 and come in gray or black. The same material is being used in their shorts, which retail at £49.99.
click to enlarge
Surface's clothes come in various colors.
For more information, keep watch on Charge's site and follow them on Twitter!
Previously:
Charge Surface
BFF polo tournament- paris 2009 -clip HD (v.02) from Uolmo on Vimeo.
Mr. Brent Barbur from the Bicycle Film Festival just sent me over a video from the 2009 Paris BFF Polo Tournament. Footage looks great and everyone had a blast I'm sure. I still think traveling to other cities to meet other cyclists, ride around and coming together for a communal event is one of the best things to do as a cyclist. Whether it's polo, doing tricks or group rides, our community is worldwide and the BFF helps facilitate that. Great job on the video guys!
Remember, the 2009 Bicycle Film Festival is making its way over to Denver next. Be sure to check it out!
Fixed Gear Extravaganza just got in their stickers. Pretty sharp. Follow the Extravaganza here.
Alexis of Thought You Knew sent me some information on their forthcoming TyK Calender for 2010. The calender features Ladies PinUps and Men's SuperHeroes as the theme and gets pretty creative as you can see from these teaser pics.
All proceeds of the sales go to support the Sadie Hawkins Style Ride via Chicago Women's Health Center. More info here.
For more details on the calender, head over to Thought You Knew
Charge's Surface clothing line is getting closer to production. Tom just got some samples of the soft goods in the mail and is really stoked on them. He's one of 3 riders for urban cyclist clothing line. The other riders are Chris Akrigg and Juliet Elliot. Future riders to come and more information to follow.
The only pics I could find are swiped from Bike Magic and for now, the above picture will do!
Here are some details that Bike Magic doesn't have, for those interested.
1. "Hydrophobic" Wool Jacket:
Colours: Grey wool only
Sizes: XS-XXL
RRP £119.99
2. Pertex Windcheater Jackets
Colours: Purple, Lime, Black
Sizes: XS-XXL
RRP £49.99
3. "Snugflex" Tech. Zip Hoodie
Colours: Brown, Black
Sizes: XS-XXL
RRP £59.99
4. "Liquistretch" Tech Short
Colours: Grey, Black
Sizes: 28" - 38"
RRP £49.99
5. "Liquistretch" Tech Trouser
Colours: Grey, Black
Sizes: 28 - 38"
RRP £54.99
Click the image for full-resolution
Any more? I had to make a new post, the last image was getting too big! NYC's is coming up too, just awaiting details.
Previously:
Halloween 2009 Alleycats
Harry, the man behind the NY Bike Jumble and the provider of content for Tears for Gears as of late is selling a beautiful 57cm Cimatti Campagnolo Cambio Corsa 1940's road bike on eBay. This is pure sex on two wheels. If vintage (read, 60 years old) roadies are your thing, check it out!
It ends in less than a day, so you can probably get a good deal on it! Like what you see? Check out the full gallery here!
Via Tears for Gears
WNW is a community space in the heart of L.E.S. brought to the NYC cycling world by DQM, Trackstar, Livestrong and Nike. It's at Trackstar's space (the flier had me confused for a second). Tonight is the opening party, from 7-9 at 231 Eldridge.
WNW is a pop-up installation within Trackstar that works as a companion to the STAGES show. Open Weds – Saturday, 10/22-11/22, WNW is all dedicated to cycling and art in New York. It’s a place for the community to get a sense of what LIVESTRONG and the Lance Armstrong Foundation are about and to connect with people who are stoked on cycling and art.
They will be serving free coffee and donuts every morning for riders headed to work, offering free flat fixes and teaching classes on bike stuff like wheel building and headset installation. There will be weekly rides visiting all five boroughs of the city that will leave from WNW. The London to Paris film will also be screened here.
The Stages begins at Deitch on October 31st and runs through November 21st.
Previously:
The Bikes of STAGES Exhibition at The Armory
Stages09 New York
TCB Courier: Pizza + Candy from Joe Lumbroso on Vimeo.
Yes, this has been everywhere, but this still merits the re-re-re-re-post.
Sounds like a similar idea the Snap! guys have going on in Brooklyn, but in SF. TCB's rates, delivery zone and general goodness can be found right here, at their snazzy site.
Love the video guys. Keep it up!
Follow TCB on Twitter too.
Jason from Affinity just put up a nice post about Tomity, Kalavinka and Affinity. Head on over and read about it on the Affinity blog.
I know a lot of you guys ride the DMR Wingbars so listen up!
DMR's site announced last week the following recall:
SAFETY RECALL - DMR Alloy Handlebars (25.4mm) sold since June 2009
Partridge Green, West Sussex - DMR Bikes, a subsidiary of Upgrade Bikes Ltd, today announced a voluntary recall of the DMR COLOURED ALLOY WINGBAR sold since June 2009.
The handlebar can crack or break, posing a possible fall hazard to the consumer. We have identified a potentially serious safety issue with the latest batch of the 25.4mm anodized alloy Wingbar. It only affects the Coloured Alloy 25.4mm DMR Wingbars sold since June 2009.
Don't worry though, it doesn't affect these:
• DMR Alloy Wingbar – 31.8mm with ‘classic graphics’
• DMR Alloy Wingbar with ‘classic graphics’
• DMR Cro-Mo Wingbar with a brace
• DMR Heat treated Cro-Mo Wingbar
• Any DMR bar fitted to a DMR complete bike
Thanks for the heads up Jason!
If you're in Boston this Friday, be sure to check out the Superb Bicycle grand opening party. A ton of events are planned, including a hot bike contest.
This Friday at East River Bar in Brooklyn. $5 at the door, dope prizes, goldsprints, silent auction and all proceeds going to help Mike "Grandma" McFadyen. Be there!
Previously:
Help Out Mike "Grandma" McFadyen
Hailing from Missouri with production at Super Rat Machine in Kansas, Tree was one of the first companies to make a splined BMX sprocket. The Tree Lite splined sprocket was what saved BMX cranks on fixed gears for me. I know I'm not alone on this either because half of Tokyo is also riding these sprockets. Anyone I know who has switched to a BMX drivetrain is also riding one. It's probably the simplest solution for the complex problem of riding a bolt-on sprocket; make it splined!
Pic by Andy T.
I've had mine on since July and it's given me zero issues. The last set up I had with the Profile race cranks and Volume Krull looked nice and performed well enough, but I felt that the Tree was a more elegant solution.
Pic by Andy T.
Since I ride a larger bike, I like the way a bigger sprocket looks. Currently, the Tree Lite on my Bruiser is a 42t. If I had a 30t on, it would probably look dainty on the bike; don't be mistaken, these things are beefy. It's made from 5/16" thick 7075 aluminum and with a unique cross-section, the Lite sprocket looks like a piece of art. The splined version weighs only 96 grams for a 30t too. Not bad.
Most people are riding more compact tooth count now, partially due to the scarcity of the 42t sprockets; Milwaukee sold out in hours! With a 33t ring up front, you could easily ride a 12t ot 13t cog in the back and with 38c tires, come in around 74 gear inches or so.
Sprocket Making Video from andy chapman on Vimeo.
The only negative thing I can say about the Tree Lite sprocket, isn't really a bad thing as much as it is the nature of being a small company and funding your own production; availability. Dans Comp usually has some 28t sizes in stock, but the larger sizes are really hard to find. Maybe it's possible to have your LBS contact Tree directly? I don't know but if you can get your hands on a higher-tooth count ring, do so because it's a legit product.
With other companies like Profile making their splined sprocket, it will come down to the aesthetics and design of the sprocket itself. That's another thing Tree has going for it, the design of the ring is nicely proportioned. Hell, they know all about sacred geometries, as seen by their older Flower of Life shirt.
Tree certainly innovated the BMX industry with their design and now the fixed gear community has another re-appropriated product to use. In the future, more companies will follow suit with the idea and it's all thanks to Tree. I commend Tree on their innovation and look forward to see what else they come up with.
Pic by Andrew Curry
Ace Metric is a new track bike shop in Orlando, Florida. It was started by a group of friends with the intent to offer the Orlando area a bike shop embedded in the fixed gear culture. If you're in Orlando on vacation or if you live in the area, swing through and say hi to the guys.
Mike is also throwing an alleycat and trick comp soon, so definitely go to that! I'll post the flier once I receive it.
Loop Magazine's second issue has been released in Japan. It features an article on Peel Sessions, Brooklyn Machine Works and Mishka. Jeremiah from Hold Fast also made the cover with his new Brooklyn Element! Nate even made the flier for the launch party.
One thing's for sure, Tokyo has love for Brooklyn! Now I gotta find a place in NYC that has a copy.
Arik Roper is the man. His work has blessed many album covers from many many great bands over the years; Sleep and High on Fire are just a few. He's having an opening event at Fuse Gallery this weekend. Here's a few of the pieces that will be on display. I'll be there!
Brimming with delicate, surreal imagery, Arik Roper’s The Hidden Dimension examines alternate states of being that exist within and beyond everyday awareness. These realms unfold as everyday consciousness is interrupted through dreams or other capacities. Exploring these transcendent elements, Roper’s paintings and drawings feature epic landscapes of the mind, natural artifacts from the past and future and other cerebral peculiarities.
Arik Moonhawk Roper
The Hidden Dimension
Exhibition: October 24 through November 28, 2009
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 24th, 7 to 10 pm
I've been meaning to post this chain lube for a while but never got around to it. After seeing a pic of it on Hunky Dory, I had to (thanks Mike!). Chain-L is a nicely-branded, high-performance chain lube from New England (Westchester maybe?)
At Interbike a year ago, I snatched up a sample bottle and used it up in a month or two. I wanted to buy more, but at $12.00 per 4oz bottle, it's a little more than I like to spend on lube. The price is probably why they chose a Chanel-inspired label!
More information:
In a word, it’s oil. More specifically, Chain-L is a blend of extreme pressure (EP) lubricants in a high film-strength mineral oil base, formulated to provide the maximum possible lubrication to the tiny bearings that make up a chain. Chain-L also contains rust inhibitors and other additives to improve its longevity and wet-weather performance.
Check it out at their site here.
Remember that Kalavinka x Adidas Samba that everyone seemed to hate on? Well, maybe not everyone. Hell, I liked them, but that's besides the point.
Adidas remodeled their Samba for fixed gear riding and even though Highsnobiety doesn't mention that in their post, the designers at the Adidas tent told me these Madsaki shoes are part of a larger fixed gear pack that's due out any day now.
Some improvements made to the shoe were a stiffer sole, extra padding at the toe box and a Velcro lace cover to reduce lace wear. They had Kalavinka design one pair and Madsaki design another. To go with each shoe are a series of cut and sew items as well. I took some pics, but Flickr seems to be down at the moment. Everything I saw at the Adidas tent looked legit though, so you'll have to take my word on it! No word on US-distro, although they did tell me these will be available in the States.
Keep watch here for future posts as events warrant.
If you're into track racing, then match sprints need no introduction. Here's an introduction anyway, from Al, the race organizer:
Depending on racer turnout it will either be 2 or 3 racers competing at a time. This is not a drag race where you kick it from the gun, rather it is a match sprint where you stalk your opponent with the intention of surprising him/her with an explosive sprint or tricking them into a premature sprint and using their draft until you choose to pass them before the finish line.
Examples:
Pumped yet? Here's the location where they're being held.
Be there!
In case you missed it, Freshness has a feature up on the bikes of the Stages09 exhibition at The Armory in NYC. Make sure to swing through because this will be one of the last chances to see the bikes before they're auctioned off. If you miss this, you can always check out the Stages09 show at Deitch from October 31 through November 21.
Stages09 Artist Bikes At The Armory
643 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10065
Previously:
Stages09 New York
With last year's calender a huge success, Mishka asked Ellen Stagg to come back to shoot the 2010 calender. It's available for pre-order now and this Thursday is the official opening party at their store on 350 Broadway in Brooklyn. I'll be there early before Peel Sessions, so be sure to swing through!
Ellen will also be exhibiting more of her erotic photography at the space, so don't miss out!
Previously:
Mishka 2009 Calender NSFW
Sexy Sushi just made a post on his blog outlining how he shot Toku's portrait for Loop magazine. The shots are a bit old, but the explanation of how he lit the subjects to capture the mood of Shiba Friday is pretty cool. I think that's what Google translate said anyway!
Reminds me of what Tak does when he shoots us at Peel. Low light and minimal flashes. Be on the look out for Peel, Mishka, Affinity and other NYC people and places in the new issue of Loop. It should be out shortly!
Catch the rest of the shots here.
Click the image for full-resolution
Well, here it is, the 2009 Halloween Alleycat post. It's a big one. Sorry if I missed anyone! If I did or If you've got one in your city that you want to see posted here, email me the flier and I'll add it.
click for higher-resolution
I've been looking for this photo for weeks! The organizers of the CMWC Tokyo had a construction crane on the last day to take a group photo. So many people!
Anyone have a link to a higher-resolution image? I'll host it here, regardless of size. I'm in there, top left, standing by myself. The neon orange fork really pops.
via Cyclehawk
I mentioned this earlier today and figured I'd post it up. Milwaukee is now making the Stout chainring guards in blackened steel. Steel will last longer and grind on more surfaces. It's gonna spark like hell too! The machined lines really show nicely and the finish is spot-on!
This is a prototype, so the production batch should be done soon.
Nasty, the fastest fixed gear freestyle rider on Earth (my opinion) has a new fork on his Fuji. It's the W-Base Do a Trick 700c fork. Full specs here on the W-Base site. Is that a threaded top cap? Interesting...
Nice looking ride! Remember to always take drive side pics of your bikes! Even when it's left-hand drive...
;-)
Via Fix Pack!!!
Artcrank is coming to SF this weekend! Be sure to check it out.
ARTCRANK San Francisco 2009 is set for Saturday, October 24 at the Chrome Messenger Bags retail store. Admission is free, and all posters are $30. Best of all, Chrome and ARTCRANK will donate $4.00 for every poster purchased to Bikes To Rwanda.
Anthony Cozzi just sent me a sneak peek of his new print, Dead Wheelie. Looks good man! I dig it! Info below:
Dead Wheelie is an 18" x 24" screenprint, has an edition of 56 and will be $30 at the show.
Why isn't this show coming to NYC?
iMinusD, the San Jose-based track bike boutique just got in the first shipment of Milwaukee Bruiser goods; the S700 forks! Check out their blog for future updates and as always, we're so stoked for the success of the Bruiser. Thanks to everyone who has purchased one!
iMiNUSD Track Boutique
112 Paseo de San Antonio
San Jose, CA. 95112
P.001.408.287.2310
F.001.408.287.2316
Well looky here. Global Gutz has a Fundraiser Cup up in support of the Tokyo Bike Messenger Association. Another way to donate to the CMWC host city.
(The image looks a little blurry, click it for a clearer, full-resolution image)
Thanks for the heads up Mario!
Previously:
Sugino & Nitto for the CMWC
The Nike Sportswear LIVESTRONG Collection just posted images of the new LIVESTRONG Air Zoom Tiempos. This city is Austin, co-branded by Lance's shop, Mellow Johnny's
Nice heel accents too with Austin Texas printed on the shoe. Would be nice if it were in 3m. Maybe the other cities will have this too?
Nicely detailed. Accented stitching and Mellow Johnny's branding.
The Air Zoom Tiempo Austin Texas will be available at select Nike Sportswear retailers; Mellow Johnny’s and 21 Mercer on October 24th, 2009. Three more shoes, collaborated with cyclists from Paris, Berlin and San Francisco will be available in early November.
More at Nike Sportswear
Previously:
Stages New York
One of the ways the TKBMA is recouping their financial loss from hosting the CMWCs this year is by selling the CMWC branded components. Blue Lug just got in all the limited red-anodized parts.
Show your support by buying these! Tokyo is in the hole a great deal of money and we need to help them out!
Speaking of the Revival, one of the brands that came on to support the crew is Race Face. You've heard of them before if you ever mountain biked and there's one thing that's for sure with this fixed freestyle stuff, MTB and BMX equipment hold up the best to the abuse we dish out.
The guys at Race Face sent me two sets of bars, two stems and a pair of cranks!
The stuff looks really legit and don't worry, you can flip the ring around if you don't like the anodizing. The cranks are an external bottom bracket system with a steel spindle. Should hold up well. 130bcd so I can run one of the new steel Milwaukee Stouts! Once I heal up, I'll be putting this stuff on the Bruiser and thrashing it to hell. Thanks guys!
Previously:
Race Face is Supporting the Revival
Velo Swap is a massive swap meet in Denver Colorado. It's this weekend, the 24th of October and bike shops from all over will be there, including Mobius Cycle. If you're in the area, pick up some tickets now!
(I secretly just love this picture and would have posted it regardless of the event!)
Picture via Mobius Cycle
Vancouver! You guys get to be the home base for the Revival World Premier. Wayne and Tom's masterpiece is nearing completion and on November 8th, they're ready to present it to fixed gear riders all over. These guys are the most genuine people ever who had a vision and the motivation to produce a film in months, not years. Big ups to the whole crew and thanks for asking me to be a part of it!
Details below:
November 8th, 2009
Vancouver, BC
The Rickshaw Theater
254 East Hastings
Screening at 9:30pm
The Chari & Co x Steven Alan flannels are in stock and ready to buy. A lot of nice detailing in these, setting them apart from your run of the mill flannel. To see all the details, head to the Chari Blog. Kai, it's been a while man!
Description below.
Chari & CO. teamed up with Steven Alan in the form of a flannel riding shirt. The shirt includes “a long tail to cover your ass and a Velcro-fastened rip-open chest pocket that’s been relocated to a messenger-bag-friendly position.” Other details, ribbed cuffs and a rear hunting pocket for travel storage (big enough to fit a magazine or water bottle) The collar can be buttoned up to “protect-ya-neck” from the cold. Dyed to match ribbed cuff and collar… Slim fit, exposed side seams to keep shape. This shirt is 100% cotton - made in the USA and is available in RED and GRED flannel for $185.
I know Empire seems like it's been dormant, but it hasn't. Between Crihs doing the 42 Below Ride, various injuries and a dead scooter (R.I.P. baby), the guys have been battling all kinds of unforeseen setbacks.
Now that summer's gone and the cold winter months are right around the corner, Luke is keeping it fresh with some pics from production this summer. Head on over to see a few shots by Andy T. and me wearing the most ridiculous Mishka shirt ever.
Mike Martin's clothing line, Martin Clothing, has landed at Blue Lug in Tokyo. Nate, Luke and I got to see the goods when Mike was in NYC a few months ago.
It's really nice. Not cycling clothing as much as clothing for cyclists. Legit details all over and hand made in burrito and hills central, San Francisco.
Mike, if you need some testers in NYC, let me know!
Looks great man!
Previously:
Martin Clothing
Livestrong Stages is making its way to NYC. Head over to the site to see a great video showcasing the background on the event and be sure to catch it on October 31st!
Details below:
From October 31 through November 21, Stages will be on display at Deitch Projects in New York.
Artists:
Cai Guo-Qiang
Rosson Crow
Jules De Balincourt
Dzine
Shepard Fairey
Futura
Andreas Gursky
KAWS
Geoff McFetridge
Yoshitomo Nara
Catherine Opie
Os Gemeos
José Parlá
Raymond Pettibon
Lari Pittman
Richard Prince
Ed Ruscha
Tom Sachs
Kenny Scharf
Eric White
Christopher Wool
Dustin Yellin
Aaron Young
Open to the public: October 31 through November 21, 2009
489 Broome St New York, NY 10013
T : 212.343.7300
Gallery hours: Tue-Sat, 12-6pm
info@deitch.com
http://www.deitch.com
Stages09.com
via DQM
Patrick at Pedal Consumption got the inside scoop on Leaf Cycles new fixed products. They've produced a freestyle frame, a spider, chainring and other goodies. These integrated bars look great. Head over to Pedal Consumption to see the rest from the OZ-born Leaf Cycles.
Japan has a ton of bicycle companies. Add the popularity of fixed gears to the mix and you've got an abundance of cycling products. Starf*ckers has been making fixed gear goodies for a good while now and recently, they teamed up with Motherf*ckin' Bored to produce some nice track hubs.
More images at Starf*ckers and you can pick them up here, at the shop!
Probably the biggest news I got hold of this weekend was the NS Bikes Analog. They're releasing a complete bike (pictured above, specs below) and still having the option to purchase the frame or fork (below). Looks good so far. Specs and images via NS Bikes.
ANALOG COMPLETE BIKE
The Analog is a complete bike based on the Analog aftermarket frame and fork. It's a pure fixed gear freestyle bike, it is not a traditional track bike! It's strong enough to trick, but still very light. The bikes is built around a frame with the same geometry as the aftermarket Analog frame and uses the same tubes as our dirt jumping frames. The fork is also made by NS and it's geometry and overall function correspond with the aftermarket Analog fork. The bike is fitted with out with a nice selection of parts and has is in essence, a radical no-compromise trick-track bike that can also function as a great bike for high-speed everyday commuting. We made sure that this new bikes gets the same attention to detail and the same focused design as all our other products.
Specs:
Frame: NS Analog OEM, full cromoly
Fork: NS Analog OEM, full cromoly
Headset: Prestine, loose ball
Stem: NS Quark
Handlebar: NS Mint, cut to 580mm
Grips: Martin Soderstrom Slim
Brakes: Tektro R510A with 289A levers
Bottom bracket: TH, square taper
Crank: Lasco, 165mm w/ 42T CNC chainring
Chain: KMC 510HMX
Cog: 16T (16T freewheel included)
Rims: Jalco
Hubs: Joytech
Spokes: CN Steel Black
Tires: Kenda Kwick Trax, 700x38C
Seatpost: Octane One, 27.2
Saddle: Velo
Pedals: Odyssey Twisted PC
Colour: Black
Weight: 10 kg
Geometry:
S: Seat Tube=510mm, Top Tube=580mm, Head Angle=72.0 deg
M: Seat Tube=540mm, Top Tube=595mm, Head Angle=72.5 deg
L: Seat Tube=570mm, Top Tube=610mm, Head Angle=73.5 deg
All sizes: Seat Tube angle 73.5 deg, Chainstay 405mm, BB height 287mm
MSRP: 659 Euro
ANALOG FRAME
The Analog is our all-new premium level tricks frame. It has many of the features that we used to make the lightest dirt jumping frames on the market: the Majesty and Suburban. You will get an ovally machined headtube for weigh saving, our really special high-end tubeset with offset multi butting (this means that the tubes are round from the outside, but inside you will find a lot of complex thickness changes). The tubing is 100% cromoly made by Tange Japan, and what's most important, trick specific geometry. This means you can run 38x700 tires, you can barspin and still have a crisp geometry. Like all our frames, the analog has a super clean minimalistic design. This Analog is designed to be used with a short reach stem (40-60mm) and will handle just about any abuse that you can dish out. You can build the Analog frame into a radical trick-track bike that can also function as a great bike for high-speed everyday commuting.
Geometry
S: Seat Tube=510mm, Top Tube=580mm, Head Angle=72.0 deg
M: Seat Tube=540mm, Top Tube=595mm, Head Angle=72.5 deg
L: Seat Tube=570mm, Top Tube=610mm, Head Angle=73.5 deg
All sizes: Seat Tube angle 73.5 deg, Chainstay 405mm, BB height 287mm
Seat Tube: 27.2mm, Euro BB 68mm, 120mm hub spacing
Weight: 2.2kg (M size)
MSRP: 349 Euro
ANALOG FORK
Our RNS and Fundamental forks are a common sight in loads of trick-track bikes, so we decided to take these products one step further and make a fork specifically designed for fixed gear trick bikes. You will get a lower axle to crown height than on MTB forks to keep your steering sharp, but at the same time you will still be able to barspin with this fork on the Analog frame. Even though the fork is built to withstand serious abuse, the weight remains nice- we used all our knowledge from the dirt jumping fork line when building the Analog. You get triple butted legs, multi-butted CNC steer tube, a threaded steer tube with alloy top cap and our full heat treatment process that takes place after welding.
Geometry:
Height 405mm
Rake 26mm
Weight: 1.1kg
MSRP: 139 Euro
I feel like I missed so many things happening this weekend while I was in Maryland for my brother's wedding.
Jeff from All-City sent me an email showcasing the new All-City products for 2010. Looking really nice.
Love the cog too. All-City delivers as always!
Sad but true. No date yet on when it will close.
The city plans to use the internationally known Brooklyn Banks skate park as a staging area during the Brooklyn Bridge reconstruction, which is starting later this year and will last until 2014, said Ralph Musolino, a district manager for the city Parks Dept.
Via Downtown Express
Color me stoked! Profile has their new splined 144bcd spiders in stock now.
Along with 49t 144bcd rings to match. Hell, these rings are so nice, they'd even look great on your 'going fast' bike.
More ring sizes and bcds coming in soon! Along with these new 3/8" axles which are bomb-proof! Hell yes!
To order, go to your LBS and have them order them for you. Profile is in the middle of redesigning their fixed site and that will be the quickest way. They'll also be in the webstore along with a no-boss 165 crankset on Tuesday.
Speaking of the Bicycle Film Festival, Rapha made a limited run of BFF hats for the 2009 year! They came out really nice with embroidered details on a Rapha cotton biretta.
See more pics and purchase one over at the Rapha site!
Don't worry, they're only $22.50
BFF PARIS
OCTOBER 15 - 18
JEUDI 15 OCTOBRE
VISITE DU VELODROME d entrainement national a l’INSEP, en presence des champions de l Equipe de France de piste.
WELCOME DRINKS at Au Passage- 22 Cour Des Petites Ecuries Paris 10
VENDREDI 16 OCTOBRE
VÉLO FILMS
L'entrepôt - 7/9 rue Francis de Pressensé 75014 Paris
19:30 | PROGRAMME 1 - WHERE ARE YOU GO
21:30 | PROGRAMME 2 - Urban Bike Shorts
23:30 | PROGRAMME 3 - BMX Programme (hosted by Cream)
AFTERPARTY - 23:00-05:00
SAMEDI 17 OCTOBR E
L'entrepôt - 7/9 rue Francis de Pressensé 75014 Paris
10:00 | VÉLO POLO - Qualifiers
23:00 | BIKES ROCK LE REGINE - 49 Rue de Ponthieu
DIMANCHE 18 OCTOBR E
10:00 | VÉLO POL O - Finales
19:00 | FÊTE DE CLÔTURE DU FESTIVA L - Au Passage
22 Cour Des Petites Ecuries Paris 10
Fish&Chips 1st Anniversary Event ~Trailer3~ from 2ROAD on Vimeo.
Here's another Fish & Chips promo video. Yso rolling through NYC. Man, I already miss summer!
Previously:
Fish & Chips 1 Year Event Promos
Not to plug Andy again, but his new post is great. From Tomity to Harajuku girls and bikes in the middle.
Andy over at Fyxomatosis and I were talking chainrings last night and he brought to my attention that he can make the Fyxo rings in any BCD, 5, 4 or 3 bolt. 151, 144, 130 or even 110. Here's a 110 he made recently. Hell, they'll even make them up to 96t!
They also have the ability to make a Nuovo Record inspired profile.
If you're into this idea, contact them. The finishes that are available are raw, polished and anodized.
Mine's held up great!
Previously:
How Flush is Yours?
Fyxomatosis and Milwaukee
Chari & Co just got in some more of those clever-little valve adapter keychains called the Bullet. Pretty smart idea. Pick em up today at Chari & Co!
It's been over a year since the Paris-based Cyclope first opened their doors. On top of maintaining a storefront and a blog, the Parisian company has teamed up with Veja to produce a fixed-gear inspired shoe.
They used a classic silhouette as a precedent, pulling details from the cycling shoes of the 70's and 80's but made it casual enough to wear everyday. The toebox is reinforced with a vegetable-tanned leather yoke and the sole boasts a thickness of 25mm. Like most collaboration shoes, these are limited. Only 384 pairs will be made in one colorway. To be released in January 2010.
Via Highsnobiety
Pure Norwegian black Reynolds metal! Not bad. Good geometry for a street track bike. Straight from Tjøme, Norway comes Viking Cycles. Their $599 frameset comes in 5 color choices and 5 sizes. Hand-brazed lugged steel and stamped track ends. Did I mention Reynolds tubing?
I do wonder what their decals and headbadges will end up looking like. They totally need them because if they don't, the framesets will be lost in the sea of steel track frames on the market.
If you're interested, they're taking preorders now.
I think this is the first Rapha jacket that I would wear. They took their popular Fixed Jacket and made some changes to it, resulting in the Bomber Jacket. With materials like Schoeller® 3xDry® and Cordura® shoulders, you can expect a high-tech and durable jacket. Made for "life both in the bar and on the bike", the Bomber sounds like your go-to garment for the fall and winter.
Nice colors too!
It's a sad truth that with the highest density, NYC still falls behind 5 other US-cities and 2 Canadian cities in the ranking for "best to bike in". Nice design on the chart, horrible bike though!
Via GOOD.is
I posted this Peacock Groove 'Bad Penny' a little while ago.
Well, to help fund their future projects, they've decided to put it up on eBay.
I can't wait to see what this beast fetches! Just look at the plating on the tied and soldered spokes! Thanks for the heads up Randall. Keep building beauties!
Previously:
Patinae Peacock Groove Pista
Memorial Bike Ride To Raise Funds For Alzheimer’s Association
Held in memory of Podium’s founding father, Winston Dunlap, Podium Distribution’s first annual Winston Ride will be held on Sunday, November 15th in Los Angeles’ South Bay. The event will consist of a series of three rides—a six, a fourteen, and a thirty five mile option to fit all rider levels. All proceeds generated form the ride will go to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Winston Dunlap lost his battle with Alzheimer’s last year, which prompted his son Brian Dunlap to create an event designed to build awareness around the debilitating and still incurable disease.
“We spent a huge part of our childhood racing and riding BMX which my dad was a huge supporter of,” says Podium VP Brian Dunlap. “I felt like creating a fun event that everyone can participate in would be a great way to honor my father’s life and help raise some funds for Alzheimer’s research.”
The Winston Ride will take place at Sangria on Hermosa Beach Pier at 9am on Sunday, November 15th.
More information available at PedaltoPodium.com
Milwaukee is getting the 2nd round of Bruisers in tomorrow. They've already listed them on the site, so head over and claim yours. First come, first serve.
Turn around times are listed here and as always, there's a lifetime warranty on the frame and fork and a 20% parts discount on a build. Not bad!
As I mentioned earlier, for this edition of Asphalt, Laek House and Prolly is Not Probably teamed up with Brooklyn-based Hold Fast to give away not one, but two sets of Hold Fast FRS straps.
Head on over here to read all the rules!
Urban Velo has a great photo gallery up on their blog from last weekend's Los Marcos Melee.
They're all so good. I wanted to post them all. You'll have to head over to see the rest.
The Architect's Journal has a nice article on a new book entitled Crap Cycle Lanes.
Description below:
Architects come up against short-sighted planning on a daily basis – not least when they get on their bikes
This charming book provides pictures of dozens of half-hearted, incompetent and dangerous cycle lanes. Crap Cycle Lanes is available from the Eye Books website, Amazon or any good bookshop. The book was inspired by the Warrington Cycle Campaign and all royalties go to the Cyclists Defence Fund.
Looks pretty good. Anyone got similar stories or pictures? Post them in the comments!
They guys at Outlier have been very busy lately. New products in the works, a pop-up shop in Williamsburg and researching new materials. Today, they re-issued their popular Waxed Cotton Cap. I have one and it's the the nicest cycling cap I own. The quality and material is top-notch. Read up below:
Most cycling caps are designed to last a season, our Waxed Cotton Cap is made to last beautifully for many seasons to come. The water resistant waxed cotton fabric protects you from the wind and rain and builds a rich character and texture as it ages. The double lined, made in New York City construction both gives it the right insulation to get you through those brisk autumn and winter rides and results in a far more durable cap. The grosgrain banding and bengaline lining will mold to your head shape over time make for a cap that might just age better than you. Made in collaboration with our friend and master milliner Victor Osborne, we've just slightly touched up the cut for this autumn by deepening the darts ensuring it fits better under your helmet and looks great both on and off the bike. Available in Navy, Army Green, Black and Stone Blue. Made in New York City for exceptional quality.
$60 USD
See more colors and more information at Outlier.
Last Friday Mike "Grandma" McFadyen was involved in a bad wreck. Without disclosing too much information, he's laid up in the hospital with a punctured lung, spinal damage and other serious injuries. Luckily he was wearing his helmet.
To help aid in supporting him, the NYC community has set up a relief fund and an auction. Details are on the flier.
Mike, get well man and everyone please, ride safe!
Julius Reeves took this shot of Tony Fast doing an air-to-fakie on the volcano in Philly. You can't miss it in the new COG magazine either, it's right on the inside cover!
Looks good T-bone!
Two pink bikes in one day? Yes. I couldn't let this build go by without posting it. Alan from Cycling WMD caught a nice auction on Craigslist this past weekend. He drove over to look at the bike and got the full tour of the seller's stable and collection. Really great write-up over at his blog, so head over and read up about it!
Great build. 1979 with Super Record (With Corsa Record brakes?) and Cinelli bits. Enjoy the ride man!
Sasha had an unfortunate experience with his Nagasawa a while back. Rust had taken over his chainstays, fork crown, head lugs, bottom bracket, seat tube and downtube. While most people would have just thrown the frame away, Sasha contacted Nagasawa who replaced the tubes that were damaged and even reinforced the delicate Keirin frame for street riding. Seriously, his bike has gussets! He also added cable guides!
For more information, check out Sasha's explanation here and the full Flickr set here.
Previously:
Dead Nagasawa!
I know it's been posted everywhere already, but I like to post events the week of. Check this out Reno!
Details below:
Oct. 17 Kick-off party/race with half of our proceeds going towards Reno bike project (local bike co-op)
Objective: Have fun and raise money for both companies and get some more people to recognize Reno as a bike culture city.
Cost: $10 for race or $5 for premier (all racers get free entry to the movie)
2:00pm- Alleycat race based on the routes we use for our day to day law and food deliveries
4:30pm- Bike polo tourney/skid comp
6:00pm- Premier Of Bootleg Sessions Vol. 3 (thanks to Burd)
8:00-?? After Party at The Broken Spoke
Coming Soon
Nov. 14 Great Reno Harvest Alleycat with almost all proceeds going to St. Vincents shelter/ Evelyn Mount Food Drive/ Great Basin Food Co-op
Objective: Raise Money and food to feed the homeless and needy families in reno especially with thanksgiving and christmas coming up,
Cost: $10 or canned food good for Race or $5 or canned food for Movie (all racers get free entry to the movie)
(Details will be posted Oct 1st)
Dec. 12 Skids For Kids Alleycat with all proceeds going to homes with children in need aswell as children hospitalized with severe illness
Objective: Raise money and toys to give to kids in need and just spread the holiday spirit with the children and their families.
(Details will be posted Nov 1st)
if you come to all three races you'll be entered into a raffle to win such prizes as..
A Brand new Alien Frame Fork & Headset
White Indistries ENO polished HUbset with 17t cog and Lockring
and much much more..
Swansea Bookworm Alleycat 03.10.09 HD 720p from progressive media on Vimeo.
Fixed Gear Whales is coming off their first alleycat. Check out the full race report here and be on the look out for future events as well!
After posting about the Desired Hearts x Volume collaboration last week, the guys throwing the event send me the official flier. Sounds like a rad time.
Rock the Republic is a 3-day (Oct.15-17) music and art festival in downtown Bryan, which is adjacent to us in College Station. They are calling it a "Spectacle of Sight and Sound". There are tons of different live band playing, all of them being from Texas. There is also a stomp competition, a benefit walk, and slam poetry. The cycling events are the main events for Saturday the 17th. There is an alley-cat race starting around 2 pm, followed by live music during the bmx and fixed freestyle comps. The map for the race will be posted sometime this coming week on Third Coast Fixed. The local 20" guys are building I think 3 quarter pipes, a wedge, a grind box, and they will be bringing their huge lake jump ramp also.
The Fixed freestyle comp prize is the one of a kind Volume Cutter. There is also multiple bags, gift certificates, clothing, other components, and a Fuji Track frame for the race and BMX comp. Most of the clothing and two of the bags are being made here in Texas by small independent companies. i.e.: DUAL, EYESORE, Black Gold Cycling, Double A Caps, Subzersive Cycling, The Byke Project.
LONDON TO PARIS from Amazing Grace on Vimeo.
You might have caught a premature post I made this morning about the London to Paris video up on All or Nothing Productions, because of scheduling conflicts, I had to take it down. Well, if you didn't catch it, here it is again with more information!
'London to Paris', directed by Grace Ladoja, documents 10 riders from all over the world making the track bike journey from London to Paris to meet Lance Armstrong as the Tour De France 2009 comes to a close. Made in association with Nike Sportswear's CTRS project, the film's NYC premiere is set for late October 2009...for stages09.com
About the shoe/ Nike
“Eight hand-picked bicycle riders from around the world came together this Summer for one cause: LIVESTRONG. Each cyclist created their own version of the Nike Air Zoom Tiempo, a footwear style based off of the popular soccer shoe, but newly adapted specifically for city cycling. Bonding over color swatches and carbon frames, seven of the eight guys took on their own challenge, a journey across the European countryside on fixed gear bikes. The crew rode from London to Paris to attend the STAGES art show with Lance on June 26th, where just a few hours earlier he completed the last stage of the Tour de France.
London to Paris, 220 miles, 3 days, fixed gear bikes...What’s the worst that could happen?”
Milano Fixed has some pics up of last night's Joyride opening night. Head on over and checkem out!
King Kog just got in some new tees. XS-XL sizes and $15. While you're there, pick up a new issue of COG magazine too!
The Texas-based lifestyle brand, Desired Hearts has posted a teaser image of their collaboration with Volume bikes.
From the looks of it, it's a gold-painted Cutter. Looks interesting. Will be cool seeing the progress of this collaboration. If you're interested in the frame, you gotta win the freestyle comp, Ride the Republic, during the Rock the Republic festival coming up next week!
Friday, October 9th is messenger appreciation day. NYC has a bunch of events to celebrate. Rad flier Dan!
All you photographers out there; you may want to get in on this. The Red Bull Illume is an international photography competition focusing on extreme sports. It's not about shooting someone going the biggest, it's about shooting a beautiful photograph of something sport related.
Even though It doesn't have fixed gears or track bikes as a category, I'm sure you can find another sport to pick!
More information can be found here. There's also some amazing shots in the Gallery section.
Edit: Nick from Redbull commented that there is a category where fixed gear shots could be entered, so shoot away!
I just received an email from Brad Serls regarding a friend and fellow cyclist that took his own life recently due to overwhelming depression. To help out he's selling the remaining prints from his photography show I posted about a while back and sending the proceeds to Beyond Blue, an Australian organization that raises awareness of depression.
My thoughts are with his family.
You can see the remaining prints here, at his Flickr set.
NYC skate / sneaker / clothing shop Dave's Quality Meat has a new website. DQM New York launched recently and they've got their new lookbook up on the front page. Bros, Bikes and Beer. Just the way I like to spend my Fall weekends.
... and don't forget, Saturday DQM will be re-stocked on the Nike CTRS City Tiempos. Get there soon because they didn't get a lot!
COG Magazine 07 is shipping! Expect to see it was your LBS within a week or so. If you don't have a LBS that stocks COG, ask them 'why not?' and if they still won't, head over here to the webstore and pick a copy up!
upskirt shot
Wow. The painters really turned those forks around! Semi-gloss looks good too.
detail of the 'B' cutout
The BMW Clusterforks are back from the painters and ready to be sold. Check out the BMW blog for more information!
Previously:
BMW Clusterfork
Carnival
Carnival sits above W-base in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. When we pulled up to W-base, I thought Carnival was their storage space. It took me a minute to realize it was another shop. (What tipped me off was the work station on the porch above W-base's storefront.)
It's hard to think of two bike shops stacked on top of each other, sharing the same building lot and surviving in today's market, but Carnival's interests lie in vintage track and road bikes, Italian and Japanese.
Italian road and track bikes
After visiting a lot of shops, I was surprised to see some bikes in my size range. The Italian track bikes remain a luxury item for bike enthusiasts in Tokyo. With Keirin frames literally being a dime a dozen and in all the right sizes, I saw very few Italian steeds rolling around. This Faini was Super Record-equipped and adorned with pantographed components. Dialed-in to perfection and just my size. Too bad it wasn't in my budget!
frames from the ceiling
Once again, the every inch of space is utilized to the fullest. Frames hang from the ceiling and the displays are jam-packed with vintage and modern track bike components. Carnival's collection is pretty dense. It took me a while to browse through everything the first time I visited it and even the second and third times I went up to see the shop, I was finding that I kept overlooking things.
tons of wheels
With wheels ranging from "No-Record" Campy hubs, to early Dura Ace and modern fixed, you have plenty of options on how to build your next bike.
151 bcd Campagnolo inch-pitch
I think I saw more Campy Inch Pitch in Tokyo than I have seen anywhere else. The admiration for Italian componentry was insane. So much NOS Campy porn to be had!
anodized components
Like many shops in Tokyo, Carnival has launched their own branded components. Cranks, saddles and even their own frames are spread throughout their shop; and of course, all the anodized fixed bits you could ask for. People in Tokyo must keep their bikes pretty clean; I couldn't imagine having an anodized lockring. In two weeks of riding, you wouldn't even be able to see the coloring!
street-culture
Tokyo and American street culture are everywhere in the shop. Posters, stickers, t-shirts, hats and shoes are all over. Little trinkets make the space and the friendly staff were always smiling.
Once again, when you're in Tokyo next, make sure to swing through Carnival!
Previously:
Tokyo Bike Shop: Dreamworks
Tokyo Bike Shop: Sexon Super Peace
picture by Rip Zinger
One of the days that I was healed up enough to ride, Rip Zinger set up a meeting with Nike Japan to do some shooting of me riding throughout Tokyo. I was still injured at the time and wasn't really feeling like riding, but Rip is a world-renown photographer and I couldn't pass up the opportunity!
picture by Rip Zinger
A nice little wallride spot I found. We only got one run in at it though.
picture by Rip Zinger
Traffic was dense in Tokyo. Comparable to NYC.
picture by Rip Zinger
It's actually legal to ride on the sidewalk there too. Sometimes it's the only way to get to a spot.
picture by Rip Zinger
Found a nice bank in Shibuya with a pretty steep hip. I got a nice 3 tap off it and a flared out 180 on another bank, a few blocks away.
picture by Rip Zinger, click for full-resolution
This sidewalk made a nice little hip. Perfect for blasting a 180 out of it.
Thanks so much for your time Rip! Come back to NYC and we'll hang out!
see it bigger here
Andrew Gura is a Los-Angeles based director and photographer. He's been experimenting with Anamorphic video by using his beautiful track bikes as subjects. This first one is of his Carlton flyer track frame.
see it bigger here
Here's his properly-built, period-correct Pogliaghi pista. Such a nice bike!
See some of his videos here and keep watch for an edit of these two bikes shortly!
Speaking of polo! Across the world at the same time as Los Marcos is this! LOVE the flier!
Rollapaluza roller-race / Polopaluza bike polo Event - Saturday 10th of October 2009
Rollapaluza:
Roller-race sprint event in 't Vonderke Eindhoven. Where it all started back in the days, now back with a new formula. Saturday 10th of October. Pure adrenaline, sweat, beers and tears. Young and old, everybody is welcome to join. There're lots of prizes to win!
Rollapaluza roller-racing
Time: 20:00 - 02.00h
Fee: EUR 5,-
Polopaluza: Eindhoven bike polo tourney
Hereby we proudly invite you to Polopaluza bike polo tournament. Blood, sweat, beers, and nice prizes are on the way. Everyone is welcome, but only 12 teams can join this tourney... First come, first serve!!
Polopaluza bike polo. (powered by Fuccit)
Time: 12.00 - 18.00h
Fee: EUR 15,- (incl. dinner + roller-race)
What we nee from you is:
1. Your team name
2. Name of 3 players
3. Reachable e-mail address + telephone number
Sign up now! *link to Fuccit.
Location: Café 't Vonderke - Lodewijk Napoleonplein 9 - Eindhoven
More info here!
I just got an email from Cyclic! In Amsterdam, telling me of an event that's springing up this weekend!
A hobby and meeting of two creatives that has got out of hand > turned exhibition event next weekend in Amsterdam.
We (Vera & Cheryl) are two biking buddies that thought a diy exhibition about cycle culture would be fun to organise for the biking community here in Amsterdam.
cyclic! is a bicycle » art » media happening celebrating cycling culture. Exhibiting bicycle inspired artwork, design, performance, film screening, styling and a meet up & ride.
One of our exhibiting artists is Mat the Horse whose work I discovered on your blog.
artists exhibiting/performing » Bitches in Control, Brent Humphreys (Project le Tour), Cafe Velo, Erosie, fotoduda, Gabriel Kousbroek, Kapitein Roodbaard (Amsterdam Fixxxed), Lovelilalee, Magieke Jansen, Matthew The Horse, Oorbeek, Vera van de Nieuwenhof, Wheels-on-Fire,Tim Ayres, Vindersloon, Zelda Beauchampet.
It's that time again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VIVA LOS MARCOS!!!
From Los Marcos:
IT THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN! WONTON DESTRCUKSHIN Y MASSIVA AMOTS OF POLLO DESEND ON OVER LOWAR MANHATTA AND BUSHWIK. YOU INFIGHTED TO PLAY O YOU INFIGHTED TO WATCH. YOU DEFINITALY INFIGHTED TO PREPARTY. PREPARTY IS FAVRITE PASTIM OF LOS MARCOS (AXCEPT EL MARCO MALO - HE HAS BAD ALLERGY TO IT) - KARAOWOOKIE!
Threatening postcards!
Polocat!
Be there!
Future Tense is ON this Friday in Seattle!
To top things off, ZLOG and crew have set up a raffle to win a Leader track frame. All proceeds go to support the Revival as Wayne and crew tours Europe, filming riders!
All for a good cause so get your asses out there!
Brooklyn Machine Works have been very busy over on Powers street in Williamsburg. They've been hashing out a new 700c trick fork and finally, the first batch is heading out to the painters. With so many forks on the market currently, it's nice to see some unique details. I dig the 'B' logo cutout on the fork ends and the taper of the blades. Overall, it's a really nice fork.
They also display the clearance the only way you should, with calipers. None of this "it'll clear some obscure tire".
Expect a nicely proportioned fork that will clear almost any frame and tire combo with a 410mm ass to cunt clearance. Not too heavy either, weighing in at 1360grams. Price? $175, handmade in the USA.
Lookin good guys!
Read up more here at the BMW blog.
One of the new bikes in Affinity's 2010 lineup is their lugged, steel road bike.
The 212 has a lot of vintage features, including internal cable routing, a chromed straight-blade fork, lugs and chain stays.
The framesets will retail for $675.00. Be sure to check out the full spec sheet here.
This particular build was equipped with SRAM Red, which will be offered as a higher-end option. Ultegra or any other group will also be an option. If you want a vintage group, time to start hunting on eBay! I'd put a late-90's Chorus group on it.
Check out more pics here. MASH and Macaframa rider Massan even stopped by for a cameo.
When I was in Tokyo, Yohei was telling me about Ducus One's new trick bike. Durcus One is W-Base's house brand and so far they've made an alloy track bike and a 24" bmx cruiser. Their trick bike is the new installment in their stable. The details look really nice. I dig the integrated seatpost clamp and the lopped-off seat stay and chain stay ends. Thanks for sending over the pics man!
But who will ride this thing? None other than Marco. This dude is one of the most talented riders I've seen in person. Super fast, aggressive and smooth as hell. He's got ups too! As you can see, he's already rocking the new Hold Fast production models I gave him. Keep ripping man!
Anorak here has a dual meaning. It can either apply to a male with strong, almost obsessive interests in a subject or a rain jacket.
Fixed Gear London has been busy. When they're not trying to find where Ted fell asleep the night before, they're busy doing thangs. Whether it's working on a new collaboration with Vans or making a sick new rain jacket, these guys (and gals) stay busy.
I missed the Dice and Dice exhibition in Tokyo, so I couldn't see this in person, but rumour (British spelling) has it that they'll be of the highest materials and a good pricepoint.
Can't wait to see the full piece guys!
TJ just sent this over. I know what I'm listening to this weekend! From Actual Pain:
Several weeks ago I was in a record store in San Diego on tour with my band and my friend Nick who works there was playing this amazing old sounding goth band, who as it turns out was not old but new and actually from San Diego called Blessure Grave. I picked up one of their LPs and got a copy of their newest demo to listen to on the rest of our trip. Randomly a few weeks later, I contacted them about this mixtape I've wanted to do for a while now, and they literally had it done _that evening_. That's not to say that the mix lacks substance (it's an hour and twenty minutes) or quality, I think it says that these guys are very serious about the art, and is about to leave a legacy that spreads faster than the plague.
1. Siouxsie & The Banshees - "Sin in My Heart"
2. Play Dead - "Pleasureland"
3. Agrimensor K - "Principio Y Fin"
4. Sol Invictus - "Raven Chorus"
5. Theatre of Hate - "The Hop"
6. Spizz Energi - "Mega City 3"
7. Fur Bible - "Headbolt"
8. Above the Ruins - "Song of the Wolf"
9. Wire - "On Returning"
10. UK Decay - "Mayday Malady"
11. Paralisis Permanente - "Quiero Ser Santa"
12. Death in June - "To Drown A Rose"
13. Brave New World - "Barriers"
14. Artery - "Afterwards"
15. Crisis - "Afraid"
16. The Cultural Decay - "Brave New World"
17. The Gun Club - "The Stranger in our Town"
18. Six Minute War - "Weatherman"
19. Christian Death - "Electra Descending"
20. No More - "Suicide Commando"
21. Screamers - "Need A Head-On"
22. Ministry - "I'm Falling" (Alternate Mix)
Link to the mixtape
http://coattails.org/radio/darklands.mp3.zip
Dreamworks is one of those shops that uses every square inch of its space to display vintage bike components.
Literally, it was probably only 200 square feet, if that. There was so much cycling component history behind glass and hung on the walls I thought I tripped and fell into the Smithsonian.
I'm a detail-oriented person. When I stepped foot inside the space, I was immediately immersed into the world of classic bike porn. I just realized I didn't even take a picture of the storefront or the space itself because I was so distracted by all the stock!
It was also one of the few shops that had an extensive Campagnolo collection
Along with some beautifully machined drillium components.
This wall had all the Concors you could want.
Even a LV custom and the highly sought-after Concor Sprint with lumbar-support.
Bibendum was there too, guarding the Nitto bars!
So much NOS Campy goodness sitting in shelves. The interesting thing about the Japanese track components is their homage to the Campy and other Italian companies. The MKS pedals were right next to the Super Record pedals, showing you the precedents.
No shop in Japan would be complete without the small work area. Not many shops in the US would be building bikes like this, but in Japan, the process of bike building is a revered tradition. It almost looks like the owner here is preparing for prayer.
NJS Keirin frames being displayed.
Including this Reynolds 753 Uno!
Dreamworks is exactly that. A bicycle shop built around dreams. Make sure you check it out next time you're in Tokyo!
Bike Reviews were also at Interbike this year, reviewing the various models of fixed gears on showcase. A great number of these bikes are marketed at the first-timers, offering a bike with everything a new rider would want. Color-coordination (well, mostly white) and minimalist designs.
The two recent fixed gear bikes they reviewed are the Cinelli Mystic Rats Bootleg and the Globe Roll. I'm not sold on either bike, but I can see what the companies were going for. At least the Globe has an interesting spin on a head badge!
Head over to Bike Reviews to check out more coverage from Interbike.
Brooklyn Machine Works has been long-time friends with the owner of Element Skateboards. So it was only natural for them to produced a co-branded complete bike for the fixed gear freestyle crowd. Along with a clothing line, the Brooklyn Element will be released shortly. Expect full builds coming solid. Wide rims, strong cranks, big tires. The whole package.
Here's Jeremiah's current build.
... one of the guys behind Hold Fast, Brooklyn wanted to support the local grassroots scene. Jeremiah gets better every time I see him. Keep ripping man!
Meanwhile, across the globe, Toku is ripping on another Element. Dialed build, adorned with the best fixed gear freestyle equipment and ready to rip Tokyo apart. Oh yeah, is that a mid-BB? Look for that as a possible option too!
Toku's one of the best riders in Japan. His moves are quick and dialed. Not to mention super fast. Expect big things from both these riders!
Previously:
Brooklyn Element Prototype
Pharrell Williams presents Element X Brooklyn Machine Works
Check out the Cyclesomatic events happening this coming week. Looks like a blast, so don't miss out! All the information can be found at Bike Friendly OC. All the fun begins tomorrow at 8:30pm.
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff is proud to announce Cyclesomatic, a week long bicycle festival in North Oak Cliff from October 2nd to the 11th. Events will include a history-themed group ride, bicycle competitions, Bike to City Hall, Biketoberfest! in Bishop, an Urban Bazaar, a “Kiddical Mass” Ride, Bike to School Day, BBQ, Bands, Bicycle Films at the Texas Theatre, Art Bike Shows, and guest speaker councilwoman Angela Hunt. New Belgium brewery is sponsoring part of the week, and we’re coordinating efforts with DART, BikeDenton, the Oak Cliff Bicycle Company, the Cube Creative, Eno’s Tavern, and more.
Flying Coffin has been one of my favorite clothing companies since Jason first rolled out his designs a few years ago. They're always on point with the graphics and he always picks the best artists to design graphics for him.
That being said, my boy JP drew this Electric Wizard inspired graphic entitled Supercoven. Catch the rest of the line here, at their webstore. Lookin good as always man!
I just completed my review of my trip to Japan on the Mishka Bloglin. Head on over and check it out!
These jerseys are pretty rad. New from Rotterdam Fixed Gear. Limited to a 30 piece order, in a club cut, not a race cut, so head over now and get on that pre-order list! Only €30!
I miss the 'Dam. Really wanna head back. It's been a while!
If you missed the Nike City Tiempo pack the first time around, the shoes are being reissued on October 2nd at select Nike retailers. If you do get the chance to order a pair, you should go up a size, since they run kinda small. I really want a pair of the London and Tokyo colors.
Dennis was out in full force this year, covering Interbike through a series of browser-crashing posts at Fixed Gear Gallery. His most recent post has a ton of pics from Brooklyn-based Affinity's 2010 line up.
I think it's rad that Stoned Tone donated his work bike to the booth. That's what a NYC messenger's bike looks like. Worn out in all the right areas. Seriously, the top of the stem!
Be sure to head over to the site to see the rest of Affinity's fixed gear line for 2010, including a Profile and Hold Fast decked-out Cyclone prototype.
Affinity also just relaunched their website and blog. Jason posted his Tokyo and Interbike recap earlier today, so go check it out!
No, not John Holmes, just good old fashioned bicycle races in Prospect Park!
Shiba 180 transfer by Andy White
When I was in Tokyo, I got to meet the Track Cunt himself, Andy White of Fyxomatosis. Andy's a great guy, always has his camera in hand and a smile on his face. Really great meeting you Andy!
Head over to Fyxomatosis for a sneak peek at his Tokyo Trip!
... and I think I found a video from the same line.
Another Seattle event this weekend:
PJ works for Raleigh USA, and is a solid individual, so any help would be appreciated. He had brain surgery after a head injury last December. Somewhere along the line he lost his sense of smell and taste. It's messed with his life in a major way. He rides with the Dead Baby Bike Club too.
More info can be found at Go Means Go.
More epic radness brought to you by the Zlog Crew in Seattle. Looks like a blast. Z knows how to throw bike events. This weekend. Be there.
Jeff at All-City just posted some pics of Mike Carney's Dropout build. Dig the french gray color and the white fork. Looks crispy!
Mike Carney's Bike Check from vincent shim on Vimeo.
And in case you missed it, here's Mike's bike check he did while I was in Tokyo.
144bcd splined spider
So I was gonna wait to post these pics up when I got them all on my bike, but since I'm all hurt and have yet to unpack my bike and since Profile already has them up on their site, I figured I might as well post them.
Wanna still run a track ring on your Profile Race Cranks? These two options will let you do that. A Profile splined spider, like their old school joints, but splined to make riding fixed much easier. No more loctite on the sprocket bolt, no more slipping.
144bcd track ring
Perfect for your track bike or your fixed gear freestyle rig. 130bcd rings coming soon too. These rings are beefy as hell.
true 3/8" axle
Profile beefs up their track axles with a proper 3/8" axle. Simple swap out the old one with the new 3/8" and good luck trying to break it!
Like I said, the splined sprockets for BMXs will also be applicable to the fixed riders. They'll come in larger sizes too and all the standard Profile colors.
Previously:
Profile Splined Sprocket
Just one of the many new Profile goods to be released shortly. The introduction of splined sprockets is a huge step for the company IMO.
From Profile:
We rolled out the Chrome Moly Gun Drilled Hollow bottom bracket spindles about halfway through last year to great response. If people liked CrMo GDH, then they’re probably going to love Titanium GDH spindles. Also shown is our entry into the spline drive sprocket sweepstakes. Made from 7075 with a hardened CrMo insert, they are strong as well as light and enable you to run cranks with no sprocket bolt bosses. This prototype is a 25t, but expect us to have all the popular sizes when they hit retail.
Profile Fixed sent me some other goodies that I'll be putting on the Bruiser this weekend. Once they're all set-up, I'll be posting pics.
Hold Fast was at Interbike, they're now big in Japan and the top riders all over are riding them. What else could they ask for? Oh, a new website which is up and running!
Seriously, when Jeremiah started working on this, almost a year ago, I would have never thought the Hold Fast FRS would inspire so many people worldwide to re-evaluate their foot retention. Congrats guys, the new site looks great!
By the way, Japan is itching for distro!
Picture by Takuyu Sakamoto
I worked really hard with the guys on re-designing the new Spetsnaz Mark III. Longer sleeves, tighter fit and we lengthened the back to cover your ass crack when you're in the drops. It's still waterproof and has nice pockets and vents. Two colors, red and black. Read up below!
Picture by Takuyu Sakamoto
When we released the Spetsnaz Mark I jacket, we never thought it would become a stalwart piece amongst the cycling enthusiasts. The combination of functionality and form made the Spetsnaz a popular choice for city riders, couriers and weekend warriors alike. Clean lines, simple design and sturdy construction have made this jacket a perfect shell for any situation. Whether you are bee-lining it through city traffic on a bike or just feel the need to look good, the Spetsnaz Mark III jacket offers a little something for everyone. Currently on it’s third incarnation, the Spetsnaz Mark III features a fully breathable and windproof nylon material which is waterproof up to 10,000 mm of pressure. It also features more streamlined cuts optimized for riding, arm vents just in case you get smelly, and a drop tail to shield your ass from the elements. In short, this jacket could withstand the rigors of riding through a tsunami without compromising looks.
Picture by Takuyu Sakamoto
Currently the Spetsnaz Mark III jacket is available at 350 and retails for $209.99. Mishka will offer a 20% discount on said item for anyone who rides their trusty steed to the store.
Mishka 350
350 Broadway
Brooklyn, New York
I tell you what, I've lost so many auctions on eBay trying to acquire a vintage pair of cycling shoes. Sure, I love clipless, but sometimes I don't want to swap my pedals out just to do park laps and honestly, I like the security of double straps when I'm doing park laps on my Merckx Pista. After seeing companies come out with vintage-inspired cycling shoes and either fail on the stiff sole or price-point categories, I was relieved when Quoc of Quoc Pham contacted me and offered to send me a pair of his hand made shoes.
For £90 you get a pair of these beautiful shoes. Full leather upper, rubber sole, stiff insole and reflective accents. The profile fits my feet perfectly and they fit in toe clips with the same vintage silhouette you'd expect from a pair of traditional cycling shoes. Throw on your wool tights and socks and head out on your ride. They do fit true to size, so no guessing. I wear a size 12 in most shoes and the size 46 fit just right.
These shoes are comfortable. No awkward duck-walking like you have with clipless road cleats. Overall, I'm very pleased with this product and will post a full review after I heal up and am able to ride my bike more. For the money, this is by far your best option! You'd be hard pressed to find a better constructed shoe.
To read up on the background of Quoc Pham, head to his site and to check out the availability of the shoes, check out the collection here. As of now, the black leather fixed shoe is all that's available.
Be sure to check out the lacing diagrams on the website to ensure you get the best experience from the shoes.
Bike gangs will run rampant through the pre-war streets of Charleston, SC. This looks like a lot of fun. I used to surf in Chucktown growing up. Such a beautiful city. Would be epic to race there! Nice sponsors list too.
October 24th, be ready!
The GOrilla Kilroy has launched and what better way to launch a new bike than to hit a massive triple 3 set.
Can't wait to see more of this! Big ups Wonka! Follow his adventures over at Fixed Gear Switzerland!
I hung out with Rip a lot in Tokyo. Such a rad dude. Always riding with his camera in hand and taking us to clubs and spots to ride. He's got an opening in Tokyo on Wednesday at the Slope Gallery.
Be sure to check it out if you're in Tokyo! Seeing these pics of NYC makes me glad to be home. Looks great Rip! Keep it up and dude, email me when you see this!
Ok it took some time between Japan and the Outlier crew being in Vegas for Interbike, but there is only one clear winner here. Tons of insane crotch blowouts, but damn Chunks, you are out of control. That's right more pants for Chunks. If not for his sake then for the sake of the riders behind him. Enjoy them man and let us know how they last... And a special thanks to everyone who posted.
CHUNKS stand up and claim your prize! Email me man!
Previously:
Prolly and Outlier Workwear Pant Giveaway
I just sat here and browsed all the photos that Incase took of the CMWC. It's really worth the time, they captured a ton of great shots. Head on over and check them all out here! Their blog also contains some nice write-ups.
and while you're at it, check out the CMWC Flickr pool here.
TJ, you fucking killed it. SO LEGIT. Actual Pain's Fall line is available for sale now on their website. Head on over because these are super limited.
In fact, I'm glad I got the Lavey's Daughter shirt in time! You know it won't last.
David Rowe was the director behind Fast Friday. He's now got his sights set on L.A. Introducing the first teaser for David Rowe’s new film documenting Los Angeles’ fixed-gear cycling community: TO LIVE AND RIDE IN L.A.
To Live & Ride In L.A. [Teaser A] from TRAFIK on Vimeo.
Keep watch on their site for more updates.
Who doesn't love whitewalls? Pair them with a great tire like the Fyxation Sessions and you've got a nice tire with treads perfect for city use.
The new Sessions are designed with the same aggressive wrap-around tread, pinch flat protection and Kevlar rolling protection as the all color Session 700 tires. The Session 700 will be available in a brown with whitewall and a black with whitewall and will begin shipping in October.
Also be sure to check out the new Bike Tires 101 posting on the Fyxation blog. It answers all the questions you've probably had about the Sessions tires.
KYOTO LOCO 2009: The Road to CMWC, Tokyo from Eli Tokyo Jitensha-Jin on Vimeo.
I finally got to meet Eli in Toyko. Great guy. Looks like he was behind the lens once again for all the madness that ensued with Kyoto Loco. Make sure you watch this film to the end!
I just uploaded my pictures from last night to my Flickr.
I spent all day Saturday in bed. When everyone got back from the Keirin races, they decided to take me to the hospital. My foot had gotten much worse and I was certain it was broken.
For the most part, my foot is ok. It was dislocated and when I re-set the bones, it may have caused a small fracture. Nothing I can really do. They wrapped me up with a splint after the xray and I was on my way to go drink.
We had a great time and once again, big ups TOKYO! Big ups WBASE and BIG THANKS TO MILWAUKEE for sending me!
SHIBA FRIDAY 9.25 from Fixy Life on Vimeo.
Such a great time. Proper song too. Much smaller crowd this night, which was nice. It was a perfect way to end my trip to Tokyo. I was finally riding better, since most my injuries had healed up. My ankles were both bruised still, so I wasn't trying to go crazy. At the end of the night I fell hard on my foot, fucking it over pretty well. I had a bone poking out, which I popped back in place.
So I went to the hospital tonight with Tak, Yohey and Sada. 1 Hour in the ER and a small amount of money when compared to US healthcare to find that my foot is fractured and I'll be off the bike for a bit. Small fracture in the big toe bone and a minor dislocation. If I hadn't popped it back in place at Shiba park, It would have been a painful night.
Tomorrow is my last day in Tokyo. Most of which will be spent traveling to the airport and packing. See you in NYC next week!
Big ups to CMWC, Shiba crew, YO!kohama Fixed Gear, Wbase, Fish & Chips, Homework, 3Bancho and all the others who rode with me this trip. I'm already missing you all! Keep riding and keep killing it! Marco, Nasty and Toku need to come to NYC!
Fixy Life is a great guy, so make sure you follow his blog!
flat fix komazawa park session from jun iwai on Vimeo.
This day was a lotta fun. Met up with a really great crew of people and rode to Komazawa park, which was probably the jankiest ramps I've ever ridden. Metal edges everywhere, holes in the deck. Tetanus shots waiting to happen!
Here's a video from Flat Fix.
Table Ted
Very Berry has some pics on his Flickr from a skatepark jam we had the other day.
Prolly 180
After the session, I got in a wreck with Joe from BMW and had a tennis-ball sized welt on my leg. Shit hurt! Injury number 2 of the week... I iced it down at AMPM and we rode back to Wbase. More pics to come!
SHIBA FRIDAY 9.18 from Fixy Life on Vimeo.
Such a great time last Friday! Sorry the post is so short, so expect a full recap next week!
Picture by Starfuckers
Tokyo! I will see you Friday at Shiba Friday!
I've uploaded some pics from the past two days to my Flickr. Be sure to checkem out!
Yesterday we rode around with a big group of people, catching lines through traffic, wheelies, hitting spots right off the street, skid sliders and just hauling ass around the different neighborhoods. Got to meet Andy of Fyxomatosis, Eli from Japan, numerous other people and a ton of the Tokyo trick riders. Big ups!
So I've packed all my stuff and am going to bed. Flight leaves in the morning for the CMWCs. I'll be gone until the 28th but I'll try to post some updates throughout my trip to Japan.
Ride/Relax!
Prolly is not Probably and Outlier are giving away a pair of the new Outlier Workwear Pants to the best picture of crotch blowout.
Here's how to win:
- Find a pair of your jeans or any other pants you've blown out and leave a picture of it in the comments (see below for instructions).
- Definitely include any pants that have been sewn multiple times and just generally really destroyed.
- Tell us how long it took before your pants were blown out.
- How did happen (points go to humorous mishaps).
- That's it.
The winner will be announced Saturday September 19th.
How to embed images in the comments.
I've enabled the IMG tag. What you'll want to have is something like this:
Hit up the BFF website to see when it comes to your city!
I met Ricky about a month ago through Nate. He was visiting from Leeds and was in NYC to ride BMX. We hung around for a bit, shot the shit and rode a popular spot in Brooklyn. Really nice guy. Kills BMX. Like to the point where you feel uncomfortable riding a silly fixed gear around him ya know? He was totally cool about it though and showed a real interest in track bikes. He even said hadn't seen people do 180's down stairs on fixed gears before.
That brought about him talking about track bikes. He said he and his friends were really into riding them and come to find out, he's got a company now. Feather Cycles just launched and he's got his first two frames posted.
Throughout the years, I've always found that the people who are humble about their work, well, usually outshine everyone. Ricky is totally that kind of person. I had no idea he was such a great welder or craftsman.
Seriously, the bikes look good man. Real good. Totally digging the head badge too. If you're interested in setting up an order, hit Ricky up here.
Jeremiah, from Hold Fast, was out taking pictures with us the day we filmed the Hold Fast Promo video.
That day ruled so hard.
Here are a few of the pics and you can check the rest here, at his Flickr.
Previously:
Hold Fast Promo 1
Here's the press release from the forthcoming Steven Alan and Chari & Co project and I must say, this looks so proper:
Steven Alan has been known for his highly regarded American made woven shirts for over a decade now, offering a seasonal array of plaids and stripes to eager customers and buyers alike. Prominantly featured in Barneys New York, United Arrows Japan, Ron Herman Los Angeles, in addition to Steven’s eponymously named boutiques, his collection is a peflectly dishevled play on traditional menswear.
Chari and Co. NYC has quickly become the foremost bicycle boutique in Manhattan, focusing on vintage and new Track bikes from all around the world. Located on a small block on the Lower East Side, their space is a well curated mix of hard to find bicycles and parts, along with a tightly edited selection of mostly bike-inspired clothing.
For this collaboration, Steven donated a small run of 100% Pima Cotton t-shirts to Chari and Co. NYC, allowing them to “rescue” the shirts from the sale bin, and offering Ken and Yuki an empty canvas to brand the garments as they saw fit.
Available in two primary colors (Blue and Red), the shirts feature a slim fit, Chari and Co.’s black tag on the seam, and a tonal screen print of the Chari and Co. logo on the back.
Look for more Steven Alan / Chari and Co. goods in the next month.
Via the Chari Blog
Yeah yeah yeah, I know, you've already seen this. The new Fixed Magazine is out now. If your LBS doesn't carry the hard copy, you can download the pdf here, at their site.
Along with Wonka making like 30 cameo appearances, there's a NYC-by-numbers piece by me and a nice article on the Revival. Tom Briggs, of Skitch clothing talks about what brought the project about and the initial cancellation that almost ended the film. What hit me the best was the line about how and why people work on video projects in the first place. Tom sums it up pretty well:
"I remember watching bmx videos as a kid and thinking it would be amazing to be a part of a project like that. I guess that idea never really died and that's what got us here today."
Well put man! Be on the watch for more Revival updates at the Skitch blog.
For the first time since their opening, Mission Bicycle Company has decided to sell their Valencia Frameset online. To properly kick it off, they're offering $100 off through the rest of the month. More on the frameset:
The 2009 Mission frameset was designed by celebrated local frame builder Emmanuel Eng right here in San Francisco. We think it's about the most durable, lightweight, and nimble steel frame you're gonna find anywhere at an affordable price.
Picture by Takuyu Sakamoto
Affinity is one of the many bicycle companies that will be unveiling 700c trick bikes this year at Interbike. Their bike, the Cyclone has a curved seat tube and an "A" bridged gusset. Some unique features that give it it's own flare.
Picture by Wilis
Nate was riding one last night at Peel Sessions. More information to follow. Affinity also has a steel track bike with a traditional geometry, a steel road bike with chromed lugs and an alloy track bike with integrated seatpost / mast.
Mosher, the recent NYC transplant and back-flip extraordinaire has a nice page in the new Volume catalog. Nice wallride homie! Photo by Ted Power.
Via Skitch!
I'm flying out to LA tomorrow morning to help the Mishka guys run this. If you're around, come say hey (and bring me a Budweiser tallboy!)
Seattle! Heads up. In case you're living under a rock, the BFF is in your city this week!
Once again, Harry has organized a Bike Jumble in NYC. This time, it's in Manhattan, on 4th St. between ave B and C. Be sure to check it out this Sunday. A lot of great deals were had at the Brooklyn Bike Jumble, including Jack's Jack Taylor!
Previously:
Brooklyn Bike Jumble
Cantgoslo made a few more t-shirts for Fall. The LOVE park one is so dead-on. Last time I was at LOVE park in Philly, I said to myself "someone should make a velo shirt out of the LOVE iconography". Glad to see it happened!
The NJS SIN shirt is pretty good too. Basically how I feel about the hype NJS bikes and components get over here in the States.
;-)
Seen at Pedal Consumption
Mash
Gazetta
Gazetta color option
Supercorsa Road
Supercorsa Pista
Of course I'm omitting all the carbon and aluminum road bikes and the Vigorelli, but here's the Cinelli fixed gear model line for 2010. Well, all fixed but one; I had to post that gorgeous Supercorsa road frame! The Supercorsa Pista is a perfect model for the vintage crowd and the Gazetta is addressing the "brightly colored" market with 4 colors; gray, purple, green and yellow.
Overall Cinelli does it again! Thanks for the catalog Ben!
Tak came out and shot some portraits of Peel Sessions riders and their bikes last week. Captures the crowd and the environment perfectly. Click the image to see it high-res.
We'll be out there this week, just like every week, so if you're around, swing by!
Clawing at the walls!
He got to check out the Bicycle Film Festival in Zurich, Eurobike and celebrated his birthday with friends. Have fun man!
Pics by I am Barnie
One more nice bike of note from Bianchi's forthcoming line. The Pista Via Condotti brings back the classic Celeste color on a steel pista. Minimal branding, retro-grouch decals and a partial-chrome rear triangle too. Nothing special for a fork, which is disappointing (I hate those forks) and the components list is still the same as the Pista, minus an upgraded saddle and a front brake.
The Pista Via Brera is another addition to the Urban Fixed line. Complete with front and rear brakes and a townie bar set-up. I wonder what it would take to bring a nice crowned fork and some lugs onto a Pista? Hell, even selling just a frameset. Would be a nice, classy and affordable bike.
Bike as is, $799 retail.
Mishka has released their first Fall '09 delivery for the new line, Born Under a Bad Sign, to their webstore. If you don't have a local stockist, you can head to their online shop and pick up some goods. The flannels as always are on-point and all their cut and sew stuff shows a new side of the Brooklyn-based label.
Everyone loves cycling caps. I sure do and so does BMW. They just got a new batch of hats made and in limited quantities. So just like everything they make, get one now, before they sell out!
Outlier has been looking for a photographer for a while now; someone who can capture the light and energy of New York City, where their garments are hand made. That photographer is Björn Wallander.
Check out the rest of the pics here. I know the ladies are swooning...
Fixé Magazine has finally been released. The French publication puts an interesting spin on track bikes and fixed gears.
So far so good!
Pick yours up now at your international book stand, or at Cream. Also be sure to follow their blog here!
Via Shoes-Up
Today is 090909. Most likely nothing strange will happen, but who knows! In Hinduism it's considered to be complete, perfect and divine.
H+Son has finally released spy pics of their trick rim, the EERO (air-o). These rims are 22mm wide, 43mm deep and are made to take a beating.
Details:
Wider profile to fit bigger tires
Heavier than Formation Face with thicker walls
Made of 6061 aluminium alloy
Priced lower than Formation Face
Welded and smoothed joint just like FF, the strongest rim joint possible
43.33333333333333333333333mm high
Out soon!
Shit, if they were 28mm wide, I'd be all over them. The increased depth would totally help with a rear wheel's durability. Who's gonna make a 43mm deep and 28mm wide rim? Someone?
Bladanks SESH from Anson Wellington on Vimeo.
Anson is BMW's 24" ACL rider. Dude's super smooth and goes big all the time. We've ridden a few times and his vibe is always positive. Really pushes people to do their best. Here's a new web-edit he did for Brooklyn Machine Works.
THANKS LUKEY
Bike Thief vs Street Justis from triple on Vimeo.
FUCK YES. Street justice. The thieves in NYC have been running wild the past few weeks.
Story Urban Cyclist:
Here's the story. I was having brunch on first ave and first street with a a couple of friends including Alfred .It was a pretty sunny day and a good there was a good amount of pedestrian traffic .Nothing unusual. Alfred went out to make a call and spotted someone looking over his bike. Nothing unusual ,he got a hot ass cannondale with hot ass wheels.the guy was average looking,had a helmet and a bag.looked like your average joe casual biker.Suddenly this dude gets on his knees and pulls out a drill.At first Alfred thought he wanted to steal his wheels,until he saw the drill.Is this what it has come out to?!people stealing bike with drills?Anyways as he was getting ready to drill the ulock,Alfred comes in the restaurant and yells,!yooooo someones trying to steal my bike,lets go get him.and let me tell you this ass hole tried stealing the wrong bike.first it was a bike messengers bike and second it was Alfred's bike and the motherFkr got a temper sometimes.so we roll out to this dude and start pounding him.my first instinct was to get my U lock and bang on him,but my bike was already locked up so , we bumbrushed this dude and started pounding him.Everybody is watching and wondering why this dude is being plumeted ,but at that point we don't give a fuck.we had to make sure this asshole dosen't do it again.me personal i have had 2 bikes stolen,in like a month apart.fuck that shit.he did't even look like a bike thief!so while pounding him i reach out to put my phone in my pocket and realized i had a camera on my wait.i pulled it out and captured the second half of the beating!
Sorry it's so hard to read, but you get the idea.
I fully support this, unlike the u-lock justice video, this guy deserved what he got. Note that the guys who jumped him, didn't over-do it. They landed a few kicks and one or two punches. The guy wasn't bleeding or banged up. Just enough to send a message. DON'T STEAL BIKES. Cops won't do anything and this guy will think twice about stealing bikes.
Juliet and Posy are featured in this month's i-D Magazine. The photos were shot in Jack's loft in Bed Stuy during their last trip to NYC by Sam. The three girls had a blast when they were here and I'm sure they'll be returning soon.
More information is here.
In celebration of Dallas' new track bike shop, Transit Bicycle Co., some people are throwing Track and Field day. It's coming up on September 13th, from noon to sunset.
More information:
Pedallas
Transitbikes
Fixeddallas
Is it Halloween already? Well I'm already getting fliers in my email box. Here's one from Chicago!
180 out of the bank
Tak was kind enough to ask me to shoot some pictures for an editorial on Brooklyn for LOOP Magazine. He took portraits of the Peel Sessions crew and Jeremiah and I at the McCarren pool bank.
full cab gap into bank
Here are some out-takes.
thanks TAK!
I'm down in North Carolina for the weekend and was planning on taking this time to be away from the internet. On the drive down, I got an email from Jeff at All-City showcasing their new Sheriff Star hubs. So here I am, posting them up. Although I'm pretty sure they've already made their rounds on the blogs.
Now don't be confused, these aren't the delicate Corsa Record Pista hubs, these are a new breed of fixed gear freestyle hubs. Bolt on axles and beefy! Jeff doesn't give us an ETA, but expect them to be at Interbike this year! I dig em man! Hopefully I can test a pair out.
More pics are at the All-City blog.
In case you've been trying to get onto Kingkog.com recently and saw that it's temporarily down, you should know the shop is still there and they're just experiencing technical difficulties. For the time being, head over to their new King Kog Blog for store updates!
King Kog Bicycles & Accessories
455 Graham Ave Brooklyn, Ny 11222
347-689-2299
Shop hours M-F 12-7, Sat & Sun 12-6
Tomorrow night! 6pm at Hellyer. Be there! Brought to you by San Jose Fixed and Hellyer Velodrome.
I can't remember the last time I was up at 6:30am. Could you imagine being woke up by the anti-doping drug testing committee? Sheeesh.
Via Animal NY Via Lance's Twitter
Alex
Brad Serls joined up with some of Perth's bike crews and put on a photographic exhibition.
Kaspa
You can check out the rest here and if you're interested in prints, there are still a few available.
Starf*ckers has pics of their new saddles up on their Flickr. They'll be dropping soon, so keep watch on their blog for more details as events warrant.
Previously:
Starf*ckers Saddles?
Head on over here to find out how you can win a set of Black ELVS Velocity B43s!
Brought to you by Laek House, Velocity and Prolly is not Probably!
Since there is some confusion about where to donate (not required) on Get Better Gabe, here's the link!
Head on over to South Florida Fixed to catch a lil Q&A we set up a few weeks ago.
I talk about bikes, beer, city planning and haters.
click to enlarge
This film really is going to be a Revival for fixed gear riders world wide. You guys make it home safe ok? I had a blast!
Images via Tron, Blayne and Wayne on the Skitch Blog.
I know this has been everywhere but I still wanted to post it and say congrats to Tyler. He's been ripping hard for a while now and I'm glad to see him getting hooked up! Here's his Leader 729 Trick Star frame.
Here's the bike in action! Nice 180 bar on a bank. One day I caught shit for saying a 180° bunnyhop was a 270°. "It's either 180° or 360° John!"
Follow him here at (b)logging miles.
Outlier once again drops the premium goods on the cycling world. I cannot speak highly enough of their products. At first, when they made their cycling hats, they wouldn't fit my head. The next run they decided to make a size large, which fits perfectly. It's such a nice hat and fits like a tailored cycling hat. The wool breathes great and I don't sweat buckets like a cotton cap, even in the Summer. Read up below as Outlier describes their new Nailhead Cap.
This is literally the good stuff. Stuff is a word that can mean just about anything, but its first use as a noun was to describe the worsted wool fabrics that medieval knights stuffed under their suits of armor. Nailhead is one of our favorite worsted wools around. Its subtle pinprick pattern gives it an incredible depth of texture, and as a fine suiting fabric it tends to be made from the softest and longest wool fibers available. That makes it one of the best performance fabrics in the world, but you'd never know since it tends to be used in expensive men's suits and nothing but. We snatched these fabrics from our favorite Brooklyn warehouse determined to find a better use for this quality stuff than the upper class ghetto of office armor and take it back to the streets.
Wool sometimes has a bad rep for being itchy, course and over-warm, but that's only because the good stuff always gets snatched up for suiting fabric. The finer wools breathe better than cotton, and wick moisture into the inner core of their actual fibers. This means they cool you in the summer, keep you warm in the winter and always feel drier to the touch than other fabrics, no matter how wet it is outside. It makes for an incredible cap.
The Nailhead Collection uses our classic cycling cap design done with master milliner Victor Osborne. We line our caps with a bengaline fabric that molds to your head over time, as does our high quality grossgrain banding. Because it's a lined cap, it costs twice as much to make, the lining is essentially a second cap sewn inside the first. But for that added cost you get a cap that should last way more than twice as long, and fit great for all the years you own it. As always we produce our garments in New York City for exceptional quality.
Urban Velo has released issue #15. Pick it up at your LBS, or read the pdf here. This publication has come a long long way and I really love what Brad and Jeff are doing. Keep it rolling guys!
Previously:
Urban Velo 14
Urban Velo 13
Urban Velo 12
Urban Velo 11
CMWC TOKYO 2009 PROMO II: TKBMA Gives Some Advice from Eli Tokyo Jitensha-Jin on Vimeo.
In this video the Tokyo Bicycle Messenger Association gives some helpful tips. I cannot wait to go. Who's gonna be there? London? West Coast? Oz? Be sure to watch this video and read below as Eli Tokyo Jitensha-Jin gives some tips:
TKBMA (The Tokyo Bike Messenger Association) is putting the final touches on their preparation for CMWC (Cycle Messenger World Championship) 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. For those of you planning to come, we hope you've already registered online and have gotten yourself some plane tickets.
A lot of good advice for your visit to Japan can be found at cmwc2009.com (click on the English button). This video includes some other useful info. Like how to use one of Tokyo's many old style "squatter" toilets. Also:
*Nudity is illegal, so keep your clothes on.
*You can bring your bike on trains and subways, but only if it's in a "rinko" bag (cloth bicycle transport bag) or a box.
*You can drink the tap water.
*You must ride on the left side of the road.
*You need to be careful of "mama-chari" (grandma/housewife bikes) which most people in Japan ride. Many mama-chari riders don't pay attention or follow basic traffic rules and are a real danger to themselves and others.
*You can find cheap and fun ready-made ninja food at convenience store located everywhere (all open 24hrs).
*In September the weather will be quite warm and humid. But, bring some rain gear if you have some, because typhoons and sudden rain are fairly common.
*It's legal to drink on the streets and just about anywhere in public, but please be responsible and don't drink and ride.
I'd also like to include some of my own advice:
*Tokyo's streets are insanely confusing. Unless you plan to always be riding around with a local, a good map is a must. I think the only bilingual map worth its weight is "Tokyo City Atlas" published by Kondansha International. You can buy it at Amazon.
*Legally, foreigners must have their passports on them at all times. Unless you live here, in which case you must have your foreign registration ID card with you at all times. It's possible for foreigners to wind up spending a night or two in jail simply for not having their passport on them. But, the police are really really nice here for the most part and are good at giving directions if you need them.
BOIKZMOIND Trailer from Xynthetic on Vimeo.
A new project from the UK is brewing. Read up below:
This is the official trailer for our forthcoming fixed gear bike film 'BÖIKZMÖIND'.
Shot in Bristol, UK with a near army of fixed gear cyclists, the film will focus on the culture and social aspects of the scene here in the South West.
This trailer which premiered at the second 'No Gears' night at Bristol's Cube Cinema on Monday 31st August 2009, represents the first footage to be shown from hours of material gathered so far.
The full film will be released sometime in 2010.
Shot on a JVC Everio HD3 with a Century Optics Wide Angle Lens and various mounts for on bike filming as well as a JVC Everio HD5 with JAG35E DOF adapter and 50mm f1.4 Canon Lens.
Directed by Gavin Strange ( jam-factory.com )
Filmed & Edited by Jonny Clooney ( makinov.com ) & Gavin Strange
Music is 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' by Edvard Grieg
This took me a second to gather what was going on. I talk a lot about innovation on this blog and I personally when I see someone try something new, it really gets me stoked! Now, I've never seen a lacing pattern like this. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, just stating that I've never seen it. If you have, by all means, share it with us!
Gods Cogs are ISO 6-bolt cogs with an interesting spin on lacing. The wheel shown here is 32h lacing, 12-8-12. The production runs will be 36h, 12-12-12 lacing. The hub is laced to a Dodici rim.
Ok, all you industrial design / engineering heads, lemme know if you think this will be stronger than a 36h wheel laced 4x!
Really rad idea. Keep it up guys!
Remember the Mongoose Chris Akrigg was riding in his One Gear No Idea video? Well, here it is! The 2010 Mongoose Maurice. I love the name.
Previously:
One Gear No Idea
Alex took the gold at the NY State Track Championship's Cat 1,2,3 Mens Keirin. Way to go man!
Picture via Tak's blog on Urban Cyclist.
Previously:
Alex and the Quest for G
Andrew LaCorte Takes Gold
Quest for G
Meet Alex
Midway
Chrome has launched their new line of cycling sneakers.
Saipan
From their site:
We wanted tough shoes we could wear every day – not just on our bikes. Here they are: shoes built to work well in all kinds of situations, with quality materials, solid construction, and simple style.
Kursk
With details like gusseted tongues, taped and weather-proof seams, Texon board in the front of the shoe for added rigidity, urethane crash padded heel, and weatherproof 1,000 denier uppers, the sneakers should hold up to any use.
Arnhem
You can see more of the colorways here, at their site. They retail for between $70 and $90. I can't help but notice they look like Chuck Taylors and Chukka boots. If they had more ankle padding, I'd pick up a pair. Regardless, they're much better than their first shoes! If you're going to Interbike this year, lemme know what you think of them!
This Saturday, August 29th Mishka will be celebrating the release of our Fall 2009 collection with a monster of a party and you’re all invited. Bands, Djs, drinking, dancing & of course goodie bags for the attendees. A raucous time will be had by all!
All you need to do is RSVP for admission by clicking this link.
Vice & Colt 45 Present The Mishka Fall 2009 Release Party
Bands: Lemonade & Screen Vinyl Image
DJs: Nick Catchdubs & Lauren Flax
Visuals: The Vidiot
Glasslands
289 Kent Ave
Brooklyn, NY
Doors at 11pm
ADMITTANCE BASED ON CAPACITY!
I normally despise BMX bars on fixed gears. I'm more of a wide-ass 31.8 clamp 2" riser kinda guy. I will say this though, after seeing Puckett kill shit on his bike this summer, they kinda grew on me. Volume now has some 4" chromoly bars for fixed gears. These are the best looking fixed gear / bmx minis I've seen; I'll still ride my oversize downhill bars though. Cheers to Volume for addressing a market niche. Look, they even plugged Hold Fast.
Trickster Specs:
Clamp size: 22.2 mm
Rise: 4"
Width: 22"
Backsweep: 6°
Upsweep: 4.5°
COLORS: Black & White
Via Volume Fixed
Alex took the Silver at this year's Master Track Nationals. He also was chosen as one of the 8 athletes to partake in the Quest for G. Thousands of applicants, 16 chosen and 8 final contestants. Watch the episode here.
I think it's safe to say they made the right choice! If you're in NYC this weekend, head out to Kissena to see him tear the track apart!
Previously:
Andrew LaCorte Takes Gold
Quest for G
Meet Alex
Delta is by far my favorite artists. Not graffiti or street artist, just artist. I met Boris Tellegen in Amsterdam about 6 years ago. Prior to that, I had found his work in a Dutch architecture magazine. He went to industrial design school and began to explore 3D tessellations and installations.
These are some pics from his and Dalek's exhibition.
Although both artists’ work appears to have similarities with its underlying geometric themes, it is diametrically opposed “Marshall’s use of straight line and colour is all to do with the “super flat” surface and the ambiguity of the exaggerated optical perspectives, while Tellegen’s focus is on surface, texture and shadows,’ said curator Paul Jones in a recent interview with DESIGN WEEK ‘While I have exhibited both artists within larger group shows, I thought this two-man show would challenge and stimulate viewers’
Amsterdam based Boris Tellegen will be showing an impressive body of new works including canvases, collages and some new 3D sculptural wall pieces from his evolving ‘diversion’ series..
..and juxtaposed will be a selection of American artist James Marshall’s meticulous geometric paintings, including a large scale, site specific installation painted during a recent residency at the gallery.
Such amazing work!
Via Arrested Motion
No handed 540 rollout by Condition NYC
I think your splines are a bit off homie!
Late night smokes by Condition NYC
All these pics look super relaxed and chill. Don't let them fool you though. Peel tonight was in-fucking-sane. We got a bunch of palettes and plywood and build another ghetto kicker. Wonka had some mechanical problems when 180'ing off it, Torey hit his head after pulling massive air, my wrists are killing me and we got some sick-ass lines for the Revival.
Seriously, thanks so much Brooklyn for throwing it down proper tonight. Such a good time. Thanks for coming out!
More pics and video will follow. Keep watch for some nice extras in the Revival too!
The Brooklyn Element small prototype. A few things need to be tweaked and Jeremiah will be testing it out and giving BMW proper feedback. Looks good. A lot better than the Gangsta track in my opinion!
Nice gusset detailing.
Hold Fast, the first, the best, fuck the rest.
The BMW signature track ends.
Still embodies the Brooklyn Machine Works building style!
I'm stoked to see how this bike ends up!
Jeremiah, part of Hold Fast has one of the OG Gangsta Tracks. Before most people were riding fixed, his bike was being thrashed on the streets of Brooklyn. Now he's testing out one of their new unicrown forks and soon, as in this week, he'll have a fresh new Brooklyn Element. Joe captured this great shot of him over the coping!
I can't wait to see it in person.
Edit: Very funny guys!
Via BMWBlog
Previously:
Pharrell Williams presents Element X Brooklyn Machine Works
Brooklyn Element
Wow! Now that's gold. Not that cheap gold-colored anodizing. Legit gold-plated Phil Wood 3.5 series track hubs have arrived at Mobius Cycles.
Hold Fast continues to develop their product and identity. These new colorways are for sale now. They also made some improvements to the straps, making them better than ever. I've been riding these new ones for 2 weeks now and I'm confident these are the best foot retention system for fixed gear riding. Commuting, freestyle, bombing hills, bombing traffic, whatever. They're seriously the best foot retention I've used.
Lookin good guys! Head over and checkem out at their site.
DELCO KING SUP. Tom Lamarche kills every bike he rides. One of the few.... Name someone who can kill a fixed gear 700c, 26", 24", 20". Kid destroys everyone.
Edit: Yes, I know there are people better than him. It's still very impressive.
Pics via Tony Fast
Bicycle magazine Urban Velo has just sent their issue #15 to the printers. Keep watch for it shortly and remember, you can subscribe to the print edition here and the digital pdf podcast here.
Previously:
Urban Velo 14
Urban Velo 13
Urban Velo 12
Urban Velo 11
Leader's 729trk frame
Leader bicycles have introduced their version of a freestyle frame, called the Trick Star. It's the same geometry as a their 725TR track frame with a 75.5 STA and a 74 HTA when combined with their S803 fork's 44mm rake. They don't list the atc on their S803 fork, although I'm assuming it's somewhere around the 377mm mark. The frame is the first over-sized steel fixed gear Leader has made. It also sports a rather unique gusset at the head tube cluster.
Their site does not list the weight of the frameset.
shown with the wheel rotated
Along with the Trick Star frame, they designed a unicrown fork. It has a 36mm rake and 380 atc.
shown barspinning a 23c tire
Due to the tight clearances here on their own frame, it's hard to say whether or not their fork will barspin on other frames. Looks a little tight for a 23c tire. 380 atc doesn't offer a whole lotta wiggle room on other, non-Leader frames with a 1 1/8" steerer.
Ideally, I think you'll want a larger tire in the front. I know myself and others actually ride a wider tire on the front end than the rear.
Check the Trick Track thread for more information.
Stevil Kinevil has launched his new blog, All Hail The Black Market into the World Wide Web. Be sure to check it out and follow it for all the goodness you know Stevil for.
The holding page for Asphalt is now up. Laek House and I will be launching the contest in a week so keep watch.
We'll continue to put on future contests with a few brands in the forthcoming weeks.
Giant tries to address the fixed gear freestyle crowd by releasing a "tarck'd out" Bowery frame. Complete with a small saddle, short stem and 3-piece cranks. Is that an Imperial sprocket ripoff? Is the sprocket splined? Or are they selling the bike with Loctite and a locking washer for the sprocket bolt? The Champion du Monde stripes are a subtle detail too.
Companies need to pay attention. Nothing screams "throw me down some stairs" like an Aluminum frame. Why not make a 4130 frame? I know some people swear by alloy for tricks, so that's not a total fail and I'll give them credit on nailing the aesthetic of the 700c trick bikes.
They addressed just about everything. If it had a unicrown fork and was made from chromoly, it'd probably sell really well. It's obviously a new model, since the only place that has it online is Cadence 120, including the Giant website. I'm assuming it'll be showcased at the Giant booth at Interbike this year.
Here's their description:
"Giant's Bowery FMX might have been born in the velodrome but it was definitely raised in the BMX world. This fun city steed boasts an aluminum frame and chromoly fork for a light, responsive ride that can take on whatever the urban landscapes has in store for you. This sweet rig is ready for whatever tricks you can throw down, too, with stiff 3-piece chromoly cranks, a BMX-style saddle and a stubby stem with riser bars. And, the fast-rolling 700c wheels with Michelin tires can handle drops, jumps and fast bike-lane ripping. There's even a thick wrap around the top tube to protect you as well as this sweet frame while it's locked up."
Bike-lane ripping... lulz
Death Pedal and Pedal Consumption have created a relief fund for Patrick and Jake's stolen property. Hit up the Death Pedal store and the money earned from the DVD sale will be donated. Or hit up the Pedal Consumption relief fund here and help the guys recoup.
Jeff at All-City just posted some pics of their signature trick frame, the Dropout, on their blog. Check the rest of the prototype colors out here.
On another note, I found out this weekend another BMX company will be producing a trick frame. They're taking a similar approach in that the frame and fork are designed together. I can't say who it is yet, but expect details to follow...
Turning Tricks - Week 3 from KrEEEstowfUr on Vimeo.
Chris comes out to Peel Sessions every week. He has a trials background and picks up new moves frequently. To document his progress as a fixed gear rider, he has started a new series called "Turning Tricks". Heh.
Check out his progression here at his Vimeo page.
Bike Shorts X is approaching. $100 to the best bike-themed film. Not bad right? Get out your cameras and start shooting. The deadline for entries is September 20th with the premier on September 27th at Public Assembly in Brooklyn.
More information is here.
GNARCOTIX X IMINUSD PROMO from Gnarcotixsf on Vimeo.
The Gnarcotix guys made a little promotional video for the rim-company, IminusD.
The CMWC is in Tokyo this year. Along with the messenger races, which you should register for now, there are art shows and other cycling-inspired events. Kao Art Rush is one such event. T-Shirt designs from around the world.
Check out the information here.
Who's going? I'll be there!
The third teaser is now up for the forthcoming project outta Vancouver, Murder of Couriers. Neil and Tom are doing a kick-ass job!
Previously:
Murder of Couriers
Be there! Lemme see your warface!
Andrew "Cupcake" LaCorte, a member of Affinity's racing team took the Gold medal at the US Masters Nationals in Colorado! He's riding a Mavic IO front and a Comete rear on the new Affinity Kissena frame.
Andrew wears the stars and stripes again! Check out the custom Mishka x Affinity racing kit.
Marius aka Alex Farioletti took the Silver! You remember reading about Alex right? Way to go guys! Who would have ever thought that Kissena Velodrome would spawn such beasts! Goes to show it's all about talent.
180 off the column hip
Wonka came out to Peel tonight with the new Gorilla prototype.
bunnyhop barspin
... and proceeded to kill it. Blasting the hip of the column with a big 180 and just going off.
Pics by Andy T.
Tony Fast Pro Model pic by Andy T
Milwaukee just announced via their blog the creation of their online gallery of Bruisers. If you send them in your pics of your build, they'll post them to the Galley and their Flickr. In addition to posting them, they'll also send you a 20% discount code to be used on their webstore. Not bad right?
I know there's a ton out there! The smalls and mediums have sold out.
More information is here, at the Macablog!
Luke got me into the The Accüsed a few years ago. The self-proclaimed kings of Splatter Rock have released the Curse of Martha Splatterhead. If you're into black, thrash, death or any other kinda metal, go pick up this album now from Southern Lord!
Luke used "You Only Die Once" off Maddest Stories in this video from 2 years ago.
Thanks to Happy People Don't Complain for the heads up!
Um. Can I has? They'll match my ASLK CGER MXL Merckx perfectly! Just kidding, seems you have to be a National Road Race Champion to score these beauties. They're a special product for Rapha Condor's Kristian House.
Even if you can't get the red and blue gloves, you can still "cop" the Grand Tour Gloves here.
via Rapha
damn ginger kids
If you've got pictures of your Bruiser, post the URL in the comments and I'll add them to the post!
After months of work, Velo Cult has finally launched their website. It's filled with bike porn in the museum and littered with stunning bikes for sale in their shop.
Even if you can't drop loot on the bikes, their tshirts and jerseys are really nice and affordable.
Site looks really nice guys. Good job!
Velo Orange, the purveyor of fine bicycle components and frames have just released some pictures of their new Mixte model. Perfect bike for your lady friend!
Here's what they have to say about it:
A few VO Mixte frame prototypes have arrived. As with most prototypes there are a few small problems, fork bend, missing cable guides, etc, but overall they look great.
Details:
* Around $700 including fork
* Lugged double butted chromo frame.
* 50cm, 54cm, 57cm sizes
* 700c wheels
* Extra long reach brakes
* 38mm max tires
* Were shooting for Jan 2010 delivery.
Head over to their blog for more detail shots.
It's no secret that Vivalo is building the new Kinfolk frames.
The details and quality of these frames are remarkable. Right down to the subtle nuances that separate Kinfolk from other steel-bike manufacturers.
Kinfolk teamed up with Carnival Tokyo to co-brand this build.
I think it came out pretty well. There would be a few things I'd change if it were my bike, but it looks good!
Mishka's lines keep getting better and better. This season is entitled 'Born Under a Bad Sign' and features artwork from Arik Roper once again! They did a series of tees with artist's renditions of the Zodiac signs. Roper did the Taurus, which is my zodiac sign. Here's the press-release:
Mishka Fall 2009: Born Under a Bad Sign Lookbook!
We know it hasn't felt much like Fall these last couple of days here in NYC, but truth be told it's right around the corner. With that said, we present our latest lookbook. Shot by Marley Kate, you can now check out our Fall '09 styles from cut and sew to tees, caps, and beyond. We're proud to say that this is our favorite Fall line to date.
The first drop of this collection will be available in-store on Friday, August 21st at our Brooklyn shop.
Мишка
350 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
J/M/Z to Marcy Ave.
G to Broadway
L to Lorimer
Originally from Massachusetts, Matt W. Moore has brought his fine-tuned, self-proclaimed "Vectorfunk" style back to the state with a well rounded body of work. His signature style canvas work, a departure from the norm into watercolor and collage work, as well as a small series of prints are hanging in the gallery. In conjunction with the traditional works, Matt has come together with Open and Traitor Cycles to present a series of five hand-painted frames, a cycling cap and t-shirt. Please visit the project's micro-site for a more in-depth look and to purchase select pieces of the Momentum project.
Visit Momentum Site.
Show hangs from August 15th, 2009 to September 15th, 2009.
"The bike project and other skate/snow/surf projects are ideal. I’m working with brands I have a lot of admiration for. I’m immersed in the culture; painting a bike is native to me - I ride every day. I want people to ride these bikes, not hang them up because they‘re scared to ride them. I do plenty of work that can be only hung up. Shred this bike for 10 summers, then hang it up and say it had a life."
Matt W. Moore / Arist & Designer
"The time and effort to which Matt and Zack have put into this show speak volumes of their love for what they do. This is obvious to anyone who has stepped foot in Open or has been in the presence of Matt’s art. We hold the work done at Open Bicycle, Chorus Gallery and Matt in the highest regard and are thrilled to have been asked to be a part of this."
Joe / Traitor Cycles
"Seeing a project go from conversation to completion is always great, especially when the outcome reaches a level far beyond what we all first imagined. We hope everyone enjoys it as much as we have."
Zack & Joshua / Open & Chorus
One of the nicest guys in the NYC fixed community was involved in a terrible accident while he was on vacation in San Francisco recently. It happened moments after he and his girlfriend arrived. He's pretty banged up and to help him with medical costs, we've begun to collect donations for him. Seriously, Gabe is one of the nicest guys I've met and is at just about every bike event here in NYC.
Help him out. It doesn't have to be much, every little bit helps!
If anyone helps Jake and Patrick out with their bikes, I'll send you something nice. Seriously. This is LOW!
Details below:
Patrick's Bike
* Frame: Pista Concept 2007 (white)
* Front Wheel: Phil Wood Low-Flange (silver), H Plus Son (gold), DT Swiss Spokes (black)
* Rear Wheel: Phil Wood Low-Flange (silver), H Plus Son (gold), DT Swiss Spokes (black)
* Headset: Stock Cane Creek (black)
* Stem: Thomson Elite 50mm (black)
* Handlebars: Nitto B-201 Riser Bars (black)
* Seatpost: Thomson Elite (black)
* Saddle: Sam Marco Supercorsa (black)
* Cranks: Sugino 75 (black)
* Bottom Bracket: Sugino 75
* Chainring: Sugino 75 - 44t (black)
* Pedals: Odyssey Twisted PC (black)
* Toe Straps: Hold Fast
Jake's Bike
* Frame: 3Rensho (purple-metallic)
* Front Wheel: SPIN Tri-Spoke (white)
* Rear Wheel: Chub Hub (black), H Plus Son Formation Face (black)
* Headset: Campy NJS (silver)
* Stem: Dura-Ace (silver)
* Handlebars: Syntace Pursuit Bars (silver)
* Seatpost: Thomson Elite (silver)
* Saddle: Sam Marco Rolls Ti (white)
* Cranks: Sugino 75 (silver)
* Bottom Bracket: Hatta
* Chainring: Sugino 75 - 49t (silver)
* Pedals: MKS Sylvan (silver)
* Toe Straps: Cadence Double (black)
Other Items Stolen
* Jake's custom Freight Baggage (black) bag that contained a digital and film camera and a $400 Patagonia jacket (black)
* Ryan’s shoulder bag containing 10 Macaframa DVD’s and Go Means Go shirts
* Dodici Veloce frame (pink/chrome) w/chrome fork
* Leader 721TR Track Frame/Fork (white)
*They are offering a reward, so if you have helpful information please contact us or e-mail them at patrick@pedalconsumption.com
Coming up on August 22nd at 8:30 PM is the the Beer Car Alleycat in Austin. It's going to include drinking, side events and all around good times. Drinking is a part of the race since this race is the spiritual successor to the "Too drunk to fuck race" that happened a while back. All cyclists and spectators are welcome.
Date/Time/Place: August 22nd, 8:30 PM, Lamar Ped. Bridge
Entry Fee: $5
Race, and Side events including Footdown, Skid Comp. and Track Stand Chug.
Winners get shirts and whatever else I can scrounge up.
CW&T are architecture graduates who've begun designing bicycle components. Hrmmmm sounds familiar. The Blockhead Stem is their first product. It's made from solid 7075 aluminum and is licensed under Creative Commons.
It's heavy, but indestructible. If you're interested in getting one, head over here. The guys were kind enough to offer a 25% discount to the first 5 orders too! Simply use the code: agoodword
Jeff at All-City gave me the heads up on their new trick bike called the Dropout. It's got 990 mounts, is constructed of 4130, has an integrated headset, a 400mm atc fork and will clear bigger tires. Seems like he learned his lesson from watching Milwaukee's Bruiser get ripped off, so he's holding back on the Geo sheet. Looks good man. I wanna see some spy pics! Email me! I promise not to show anyone.
Keep watch at the All-City blog for future details as events warrant.
Kyle at Tracko just posted these images of the new bike stuff available at Urban Outfitters. Looks like they're "going for it". It'd be better suited to have an actual mechanic working there to repair the Republic bikes. Maybe offer some classes? A majority of people who have never worked on their bikes before are probably more likely to break something, or strip out the threads on another component.
I'm all for making bicycles accessible to the public. Maybe UO will take this hint and set up something a little less fashion-focused and more education-focused? Or not. Is that the role of your LBS? Two sides to the story I'm sure.
Image via Orange 20's Flickr.
Previously:
Urban Outfitters F41L?
Andy, Chris and I drove down to Philly today for a much-needed Slow Sunday. I haven't been since we were filming for Bootleg Sessions 3 and even though we only rode 2 spots, the 90-degree weather killed us all.
There were some great lines pulled today.
And Tom killed a massive gap 3 times. Seriously, you have no idea how long this is. Andy has more pics up on his Flickr, so checkem out!
Catch up with the ladies Affinity crew and join us on our summertime group rides. We’ll be heading around the city exploring different spots each week. This weekend we’ll be heaing to Fort Tildon Beach. The ride leaves sunday at 10:30 fromthe shop. Call the shop or email if you have any questions.
Mishka Summer Sale! 15-40% Off now with additional 25% Off Discount Code
The Mishka Summer sale continues but this time they're offering you an extra 25% off already reduced prices though their online store!
Simply enter the discount code: BASS when checking out to receive an additional 25% off!* Online Only
Code may not be applied to items in: Actual Pain, Secret Base, Online Exclusives, Odds & Ends & Toys/Kaiju sections. Everything else is game!
Hurry because that thing you had your eye on and were going to wait for a sale... well it's probably gone.
Shirts and shoes are 25% off now at DQM...
"with savings this big, you're going to need a bigger boat!"
If you don't know who Massan is, then get familiar. He's one of the most powerful riders out there and the only person who makes bombing hills on a track bike look like snowboarding down a mountain. His recent introduction to Macaframa was a hit, showcasing his super smooth and strong riding.
Between traveling all over and riding through the streets of NYC, he's found time to make a blog. Be sure to follow him here.
Seattle heads up! This Friday is Future Tense. Make sure to roll through. If you don't know what Future Tense is, then watch that Vimby short I posted yesterday.
Originally from Massachusetts, Matt W. Moore is bringing his fine-tuned, self-proclaimed "Vectorfunk" style back to the state with a well rounded body of work this weekend. Matt will be showing his signature canvas work, a small series of prints, as well as presenting a project in part with Open and Traitor Cycles - a series of five hand-painted frames, a cycling cap and t-shirt.
Matt is in the middle of a global gallery takeover, you can see images from his last show in Sao Paulo, Brazil here and expect to see him cross the Atlantic for a show this fall. Opening Reception is SATURDAY at 8pm.
Check out the Chorus site, www.chorusgallery.com and Matt's site, www.mwmgraphics.com for more information.
Handpainted frames, prints, t-shirts and caps will be available for purchase on Open's site, Monday Aug 17th, along with the photo and video recap.
Previously:
MWM for Open
Duke Riley, the artist who did my Behemoth tattoo, has an event in Flushing-Meadows, Queens this Thursday. It's not a normal "gallery" event either, it's a naval battle footfight. Duke and his minions constructed boats from the reeds in the neighboring park and will set them assail in the reflecting pool outside the Queens Museum of Art at 6:30 on the 13th of August.
Looks so epic! Good job Duke!
Duke Riley has always been interested in the space where water meets land within the urban landscape and is known for art work that is an idiosyncratic mix of performance art, sailor’s craft and historical re-enactment. Upon QMA’s invitation for an artist residency, Riley’s life-long fascination with the culture and topography of waterfronts, and proclivity for margins - of society, history, etc. - were immediately focused on the decommissioned World’s Fair Ice Rink adjacent to the museum. The sight of the vast oval arena, a sea of refrigeration tubing and white sand, brought an instant association with ancient Roman coliseums that were flooded to stage violent naval battles or Naumachia for the delight of spectators in the Empire’s effort to distract the masses from societal collapse by indulging them with free bread and extravagant spectacle.
Sasha has an ongoing series entitled Seen on the Street: NYC Bikes and Riders. It's a great little set he's been compiling over the past few months; candid bicycle photographs and the people who ride them. This one in particular stuck out tonight. Full spandex, sneakers and no helmet on a GT Pulse. Really amazing shot and I figured with all the female T&A floating around on the blogs lately (just playing Zack!), maybe the female readers would like to see some boy butt. Albeit spandex butt.
Downtown Edit 1 from tbm on Vimeo.
It's cool to see more and more cities spawn fixed gear scenes. One such city is Orlando. The blog of the 407 is 407 Fixed Gear and they just posted a new video to their site.
I also added them to the Connections page, so make sure you check them out!
More information to come at COGmag.com. Stoked on this! Wish August would be over already!
Heads up riders! Here's a little update to the giveaway I mentioned last week on my Twitter. Keep your eyes peeled to the Laekhouse blog and here for more details.
Asphalt Giveaway Coming Up Soon
I’ve been working on organizing a giveaway series with John Prolly and it is coming to fruition within the next week or so. Named Asphalt, it’s a giveaway series showcasing of some of our favorite brands and friends.
We’re kicking it off with a set of B43s graciously donated by Velocity that I have finished in black ELVS. I know there have been questions floated as to whether there will be a production ELVS B43, and honestly, I can’t really give an answer yet. For the time being, these ELVS B43s are unique, perhaps now and forever.
pics by Andy T
Well, here it is. Joe from BMW and Pharrell present the Element & BMW project. I'm so stoked for BMW. The new bike looks great. The clothes aren't that bad either! Big ups guys!
Also, I had no idea Pharrell was so fucking funny to watch. HAH!
Previously:
Brooklyn Element
Before the SF Premiere:
Before the premier:
Race: 12pm @ The Island at the Embarcadero
Trick comp: 4pm @ The Island
More over at No Cassettes.
Kyle at Tracko just posted that Selle Italia is re-issuing the Turbo saddle. I am so pumped on this move, as if you can't tell already, the Turbo is my favorite saddle of all time I've spent a lot of money looking for a comparable saddle to ride on my Bruiser and it's been a long disappointing road. Selle finally did it and It looks identical to the OG body too!
Now, who's got these in stock? I need one ASAP!
THANK YOU KYLE. Big ups man!
Via Keirin Cycles
All you fixed gear riders who wanted to run Profile cranks, but didn't like the wider q-factor, Profile has answered your calls. I've been riding their 5 1/4" Gun-Drilled Spindle for a few weeks now and it's so much better than the standard bb spindle. You can set them up with just a cone against the cup and no spacers now. Doing so leaves about a 3/8" between the crank arm and my chainstay, drastically shortening the q-factor.
Edit:
Grab one here at Profile Fixed under the options for spindle length.
You may have seen the promotional graphic for Light Lane flying around the internet not too long ago. Well, Alex Tee and Evan Gant of Altitude Inc took all the positive responses to their project to heart and have since developed a prototype. The video above shows the product in the beta stage.
Pretty rad idea.
Susan, the wife and muse of the best bike blogger ever Fat Cyclist passed away last night. If you read his blog, then you're aware of her struggle. If you don't read his blog, now's a good time to head over and give him your condolences. I wish you the best man. We're all thinking about you.
Chrome has leaked a few sneak peak photos of their forthcoming messenger sneaker line. A cross between Chucks and Chukka boots, the sneakers come in either high or low-top silhouettes. Not sure on how stiff the soles are, or what pricepoint to expect them in, but you can most definitely gettem at Open in September.
Brought to you by High Snobiety.
Edit: Updated information from Open.
The shoes have a tab on the sole which assists in getting into toe clips, a Propulsion Plate that stiffens up the sole and will come in around $70 to $90
Dallas, TX heads up! Next Monday, August 10th is "Monday Ride". Be sure to show up.
Chari & Co has been speaking with Kashimax for 10 months now working on an exclusive 5 Gold Saddle. The black patent and white patent saddles will be released on August 17th, exclusively at their store in the LES.
2pm 08.08.09 Staten Island Ferry Terminal BE THERE!
Man, this shit is going to be nuts. Riding in Staten Island is no joke!
Stussy LV in conjunction with LVFIXED.com present their first-ever Track Bike Showoff. For the increasingly large fixed gear community in Las Vegas, the event will allow riders to gather for the all-day bike exhibition on August 8th, 2009. The show starts at 12:00 pm (registration begins the night before at 8 pm on Friday) with winners awarded at 8:00 pm with over $500 USD in cash and prizes.
Stussy x LVFIXED.com presents Track Bike Showoff
Saturday, August 8th, 2009
Starts at 12 pm
4480 Paradise Road Suite 350
Las Vegas, NV
I never realized Boston has so many frame builders until this past weekend. It's not that I doubted it, I just had no idea. We were talking about smaller companies starting up and gaining success. Geekhouse is definitely one of those companies. I've dug their bikes for a while now and one day, maybe I can find an excuse to talk to Marty about a CX or hell, maybe a touring bike.
With their new success and busy schedules, they're also starting up a CX team. Check out the sneak preview of the caps here.
... and I also meant to post this about a month ago. New Geekhouse track ends and fork dropouts. Nice!
Major Lazer "Pon De Floor" from Eric Wareheim on Vimeo.
Switch and Diplo are Major Lazer. If you haven't heard their debut LP, "Guns don't kill people, lazers do", then go out and get it. If you're a cheap ass, download the Mishka Keep Watch X mixtape. It's really good and FREE!
Here's their first music video, which is slightly NSFW and also up for a VMA! So head over to MTV and vote!
Hell yes.
Just look at that route! Rumble is one of the most brutal races in NYC and also one of the most fun. It's located exclusively in the Bronx (the Burrough with hills) and usually claims a few riders to injury and fatigue. Rumble VI looks like it'll come in around 35 miles or so.
I'm down to pre-ride this weekend. Here are the checkpoints in Google Maps. Who's down? Definitely taking the road bike!
Crihs is doing quite well on the 42 Below Ride. He's always updating his Twitter with times and average speeds. He just made a quick little post to the Empire blog and I agree man, I get anxious to return home when I'm away from NYC for too long!
Keirin Cycles from keirin cycles on Vimeo.
Here's a video of the recently-opened Keirin Cycles in Miami. Nike and Thomas walk you through their shop and speak a little about its intent. Nice Paramount in there along with a lot of other bike porn. If you're in town, swing by:
Keirin Cycles LLC.
235 A 9th Street
Miami Beach Florida 33139
(305) 531 6684
...and the video credit goes to Joe Perrin
Man, I'm sure glad Jeremiah had the idea to invent a new form of foot-retention for urban fixed gear riders. Otherwise, none of these other companies would have used their own creativity to develop something like it. I guess I should have continued to censor my Flickr pictures. In the end, I guess it's a good thing. Some people like the simplicity of these other straps, but we found that velcro alone doesn't last and can actually deteriorate over time.
The difference is, HOLD FAST have been in the works for over 8 months and are continuing to change with each version. They're just as simple as the others, but made to last longer. These straps have been tested by people who go big on their fixed gears and HOLD FAST is hand made in Brooklyn. You know if they last in Brooklyn, they'll last anywhere.
CNNMoney.com has an editorial up on stereotyping people based on the bikes they ride. Geekhouse was named the "hipster" wheels. I didn't get to make it over to their shop this weekend, but met Marty at the NYC BFF this year. Great dude. Love his bikes. Next time I'm in Boston, I'll have to swing by man!
Orange 20 has some photos on Flickr from a project that has been in the works for a while now. Brooklyn Machine Works has teamed up with Element to produce the Brooklyn Element.
At a recent press release in LA, Pharrell and Joe premiered the new line and the new and improved Gangsta Track. I heard from the guys at BMW that they were making revisions and even developing a unicrown fork and the first prototype looks great.
Products break. It's bound to happen. I've broken my share of things and have slowly begun to dial in my bike over the past 2 years to match my riding. I've said it before and will say it again, wheels are the hardest thing to keep rolling. So far, there have been a few rims that have held up for me and many that haven't.
Kyoichi recently cracked his Chukker and all hell broke loose on his Flickr page!
It's tough to say whether or not it's "ok" to blast products online. Sure, people do it in other cycling sports, but with this Freestyle Fixed thing evolving so quickly, it's tough to say whether or not it's helpful. We want to encourage companies to make new products and believe it or not, it's a huge risk for them to experiment. I think both Kyoichi and Velocity handled this well in the end.
Ben from Deep Fried Graphics did a series of installation illustrations for Hold Fast. Still riding mine and I still stand by them!
If you're in Glasgow, then be sure to attend this:
Celebrating their 2nd anniversary as well as their 20th exhibition, Glasgow’s Recoat will host their “Spin on This” exhibition later next month. The bike-centric exhibition brings together a number of their friends and close associates to create various bike-themed pieces which include old Tour de France portraits, DIY bikes, bike storage solutions and photography among other mediums. The artists participating include Will Barras, ilovedust, SUMS, DERM, WASTE, Blackcloud, Jam Factory, REKOR, SYRKUS, Pone, Thomas Deeprose and Russell Dempster. The exhibition begins on August 7th, 2009 and runs until September 6th, 2009 with special grab-bags from sponsors given out on the August 7th opening night.
Recoat “Spin on This” Exhibition
Friday, August 7th – Sunday, August 6th
Recoat Gallery
323 North Woodside Road
Glasgow
G20 6ND
Well, here they are. Straight from the Phil Wood website via their Twitter account.
Our ISO track hub is now available! The front hub has a larger flange than our high-flange track hub, and the rear has 120mm spacing and in 32 or 36 spoke hole configurations. Provided with the rear hub are six Phil Cog retention bolts. They are Grade 8/Class 8.9 with a minimum tensile strength of 150,000 psi.
The hub is offered in a single-fixed, double-fixed, fixed-freewheel, and fixed-freewheel (White Industries freewheel-specific) configuration. Cogs are available only in 1/8″ and in 16-19 teeth. We strongly recommend using Phil ISO track cogs with our bolts due to bolt fitment.
These are currently not listed in our web store.
Please call us at (408) 298-1540 to order.
A rear, double-fixed ISO track hub.
Previously:
Phil Wood ISO Track Hub?
The 2009 NACCCs are this weekend in Boston. If you live in the Northeast, you have NO EXCUSES. You better be there! Come find me and we'll enjoy a beer. You can also lecture me about how I should "get a bmx" if you want...
Here's the schedule. Since I'm not a messenger, I won't be racing. So if you're in the same boat as me, come ride the many skatespots in Boston with us!
Friday
14:00-22:00 - Registration and Art Show hosted by Red Bull and 4th Wall Project @ 4th Wall Project
22:00 - Welcome Scramble Alleycat
22:00-2:00 Welcome Party
Saturday
10:00-12:00 Open Forum
12:00-16:00 Sprints/Skids/Side Events & BBQ
16:00-22:00 Polo Tournament (Allston Polo Courts)
17:00-19:00 Billiards Tournament @ Flat Top Johnny's (Cambridge, MA)
20:00 Alleycat
22:00-2:00 Party@ Harpers Ferry (Allston, MA)
Arm Wrestling/Dancing/Tetris Competitions @ Harpers
Sunday
10:00 - 18:00 Work Simulation (Details TBA)
20:00-1:00 Awards Party @ The Middle East Downstairs (Cambridge, MA)
2:00 The Hustle/Cee-lo Throwdown
via fixedgearlondon
You lucky dogs. CTRs / DQM / NYC reppin hard! Congrats guys!
via bikewire
Sneakers, bringing cyclists together worldwide. Who'da thought?
Thomas and Devin are throwing this race and just sent me an email with the details. I'll be posting it again, since August 22nd is a ways off...
Coming up on August 22nd at 8:30 PM is the the Beer Car Alleycat in Austin. It's going to include drinking, side events and all around good times. Drinking is a part of the race since this race is the spiritual successor to the "Too drunk to fuck race" that happened a while back. All cyclists and spectators are welcome.
The time and info are all on it but I'll recap it here.
Date/Time/Place: August 22nd, 8:30 PM, Lamar Ped. Bridge
Entry Fee: $5
Race, and Side events including Footdown, Skid Comp. and Track Stand Chug.
Winners get shirts and whatever else I can scrounge up.
Also there will be spoke cards! I hate races without spoke cards.
Check out what MWM just submitted to Open for their installation entitled Momentum at the Chorus Gallery!
MWM is on a roll at the moment - Wired loves his work and did you see his custom Mini Cooper? He continues to push his graphic look onto new forms. Take his upcoming show at Open’s Chorus Gallery, “Momentum,” which explores his graphics against a series of Traitor track bicycle frames. “In part with Open and Traitor Cycles, Matt will be presenting a series of five hand-painted frames, a cycling cap and some other soft goods. In conjunction with the frames, Matt will be hanging some of his signature canvas work.” We’re fans.
Read up at Selectism.
Anyone know anything about these? Kore has a new saddle out called the Retrobu. Obviously they're being marketed to the fixed gear crowd; they come in a ton of colors. More retro-shaped saddles aren't a bad thing, I just wish someone would get it right. I was excited to see the Soma Tabos at first, but after riding one, I didn't like the synthetic leather. It was way too slippery. I love the Grunge saddles, but shipping from the UK can be a pain sometimes. I wish Selle Italia would just re-issue the Turbo already!
This Thursday between 7-10pm at 350 Broadway in Brooklyn, Mishka will be hosting a gallery event entitled Cursed Scrolls. They will be showcasing French's work. I've been a fan of French for some time now and when I found out he was doing some shirts for Mishka, I was pumped. I can't wait to catch this.
This shirt will also be available at the event and I'm sure it'll sell out quickly.
See ya there!
I first posted the trailer to this Black Metal documentary a while back on the old URL and thanks to JD, I can now post the updated Trailer. Complete with probably the best Burzum song ever as the soundtrack.
In 1991, Norwegian churches started to burn down, just after an underground circle of metal musicians had formed. The film reveals the true story behind the music, murders, and church burnings, and shows what happened to these young men, who tried to change the world using music, art, and violence. Ultimately, they lost control of what they had created.
Read up more over at the Until the Light Takes Us website!
If you're in SF and would like to see it. Make sure you catch it over at the Roxie Theater from July 31st - August 6th.
Yes. You heard me right. Velo Orange has a nice posting giving us a sneak peak at a new product in development; a threadless bottom bracket. Have an old Swiss or French frame and having a hard time finding a bottom-bracket with the right threads? Don't wanna fork out for a custom Phil? Or maybe your Cinelli's threads are stripped. Well, this could be the answer.
From their blog post:
We're going to try it on a few frames before ordering, but the quality looks great. The bearing are big sealed cartridges with serious weather seals. The body and cup are alloy with nice machining. The axle is chromo steel, but not hollow. As for the colors, we can have that changed; maybe lime green?
If all goes well we should see these arrive in about 3 months. The first shipment will probably be 107mm, 110mm, and 113mm lengths. We don't have final pricing yet, but I would guess they will run around $75.
The reason why this is so interesting to me is because it was a simple idea, taken to a manufacturer to address a specific problem. Less than a month later, there's a sample to be tested. If I had the resources, I'd be machining some stuff up as we speak!
Also, check out these awesome polished and eyeletted box-section VO rims!
pic by Laali
Torey is using his new-found free time to start a blog which he calls "WRAHW"; It's pronounced "Raw" before you ask. One of his first features is an interview with Tyler Johnson. It's pretty in-depth too so be sure you read it. I found this interesting in particular:
On your Myspace you have the statement, “I ride track bikes not 700CMX”. Do you think that the term 700CMX is odd? What would you name all of this, which we do, if you had the choice?
No that is just my little joke. I am not into the look of 700cmx bikes at all. I think that it is great that companies are taking an interest into our riding etc, but for me I do not want to ride a mtn bike that is fixed.. I think by now I have proven the extra beefiness is not truly needed. I ride an aluminum frame and carbon fork and I love it.
As for the term 700cmx I think it is ingenious. I also like the term fixed freestyle. It fits and makes sense.
I think that's good and all man, but the main difference between the materials are their points of tolerance for catastrophic failure. Steel will crack and you'll be able to tell in time to replace the frame or fork. Aluminum and Carbon fail catastrophically, giving no warning. All that stands between your face and the ground sometimes is a split second.
There's a reason why BMXs aren't made from Ti, Alloy or Carbon...
I'm personally blown away that your Trek has lasted you that long. That being said though, it seems like you've only recently begun to really leave the ground (although I can't really say, since I'm just basing this comment off BLS and other footage) and that could have something to do with the cracked frame. As you and the sport progresses, I think we'll see a switch to steel. Once you begin doing wallrides and big-ass 180's off kickers, the materials will begin to fail.
Anyway, kind of a side-note. I think Tyler is one of the hardest riders out there and I'll be interested to see how his future bikes hold up to his abuse. This post is in no way an attack at him because I'd love to be able to land some of the amazingly techy lines he pulls one day.
What do you guys think?
Keep ripping man and Torey, nice job!
Edit: Just realized I didn't actually link your blog Torey, sorry!
Bike Snob has a nice little article in the NYTimes and I've got a few quotes too. It's worth the read so head over and check it out.
John Watson, a bike blogger and fixed-gear enthusiast in New York City who goes by the nickname Prolly, said he was originally dismayed by the darts being thrown at his crowd. “At first I hated it,” Mr. Watson said. “You don’t know who this guy is, but he thinks he can take a look at your bike and make character judgments off of it.”
Over time, however, Mr. Watson gained respect for the Bike Snob. The two have exchanged cordial e-mail messages. “After you get used to his rantings, it’s a pretty amusing blog,” Mr. Watson said. “He actually takes the time to sculpt his postings every day.”
...It's a shame that they didn't use the quotes where I threatened his life at the hand of a Profile Race crank and sprocket battle ax!
Just got a nice package in the mail from Colby at Macaframa. Thanks duder! Stoked on the tall-boy coozie, stickers and shirt. Even more stoked on the ability to do this!
Check out this video as Plastician reflects on his 7 years over at Rinse.fm. Rinse is celebrating their 15th Birthday on the 31st. If you like what you hear here, hit up his show tonight!
Nice jacket!
Previously:
Plastician this Wednesday NYC!
Fixed gear tricks, not prostitutes!
Chi-town, heads up. Prizes and good times for sure. Keep it up guys. Someone send me some video and pics!
Very unnecessary. I'm not sure what happened, but taking a ulock to someone's face and head is way over the line. Seriously?
A car is one thing, but a person's face? From the Youtube page it seems as if the cyclist ran into the Asian man in the cross-walk. The Asian man tried to pick a fight with the cyclist and the cyclist just lays it out on him. Wow.
This video was uploaded Sunday and I'm sure it'll make the rounds soon enough.
"i made a pit stop in a starbucks somewhere on the lower east side and i saw this bike messenger and an old asian guy getting into a fight because they ran into each other at the intersection. the old guy just wouldn't leave the bike dude alone, so the bike dude totally let him have it, POW! KRYPTONITE LOCK TO THE FACE LIKE 3 OR 4 TIMES! Dudes face was actually bleeding hard core for like the next 20 minutes, but i bounced soon after. Crazy, and oddly enough the very next day i saw another fight in the street between two women and titties were flyin in that one, unfortunately i did not have the camera, bummer. Enjoy."
Bike Carnival 2009, ファンタジーレース,Fixed trick Jam ダイジェスト（not official） from ryo ubota on Vimeo.
I know, I know, It's 12 minutes long, so be patient because there are some bangers in there, particularly from Teppei (11:40!) and Toku. I feel like the US is a whiles off from throwing an event like this. Look at all those riders having fun. Pretty dope set up.
Timing in the video breaks down as so:
00:11 ファンタジーレース 準決勝 (Keirin)
01:43 Fixed Trick Jam 準決勝
05:14 ファンタジーレース 決勝 (Keirin)
06:55 Fixed Trick Jam 決勝
I can't wait to go to Japan. I still need to line up a place to stay while I'm there. Anyone in Tokyo got a couch or a floor I can sleep on?
Via Starfuckers
Gina's friend Camilla Candida Donzella designed some summer tank tops and tees for King Kog.
Check out Tron playing dispatch at the recent Courier Classic. Tron, congrats, that checkpoint sucks! I sat there for a few hours last year too!
Mike Martin from MASH and I got lunch today down the block from my office. After he showed off his baller-ass Cinelli x Mash low pro, he handed me one of the SAG and MASH collaboration bags. Very nice of him. He told me he'd hand it over as long as I didn't put any pics of him on the internet. Well, I kept my promise and I can't thank you enough man! I'll post a proper review later on, but it's safe to say already that this bag fits worlds better than the SAG AF1.
Really impressive details throughout. It's great to see companies producing thoughtful bags with urban riders in mind.
Big ups guys! Mike and Greg from Mishka were interviewed on Fangoria recently. What's Fangoria? CLICK THE LINK to find out! It's a really great interview on the background of the brand. Peep into their demented minds!
“MISHKA started shortly after Greg stayed over Mikhail's house in Brooklyn. Greg had just got back from Europe and had purchased a very obscure Black Metal record from a band called Sacrifyx. A band who, it is rumored, died in a plane crash the night after recording their Black Metal opus. The rumor also claimed they buried a powerful prayer to Satan on the record. So of course the boys decided to play the record backwards. Soon after, a gateway opened up in Mikhail's bedroom. What happened after that not to many people are certain, but soon after MISHKA was born!”
Milwaukee just got in a shipment of TREE Lite Splined sprockets. These are harder to get than just about any other modern BMX component and will solve your slipping-sprocket bolts problem if you're riding BMX cranks on your fixed gears. Gettem fast, because they'll disappear quick!
One of the UK's heaviest Dubstep hitters is preparing to destroy NYC this Wednesday! Plastician has quickly made his mark on the world Dubstep scene. With various mixes (like Mishka's Keep Watch), as well as for Rinse.fm including a studio mix which is crucial, he's thrown down some of the sickest beats to grace Dubstep to date! His Kosheen / Guilty 12" is a must have too!
Check him Wednesday, at Santos Party House!
My red-bearded brother on the left coast, Josh Hayes will be riding the Take's new 700c trick bike; the Streaker.
Josh kills it harder in Macaframa than Nate kills Suburus or bats. Big ups man! Put your drops back on those pretty NJS bikes and welcome to the dark side!
Empire's BFF trailer will be playing at the SF BFF this weekend. Check out Saturday's Program 7 for all the ation and be sure to get there early!
Check out these shots Luke just posted too!
Ben just posted the new Freeman Transport caps and pouches to their site. Check em out here. Really admire what these guys are doing.
Superior product, handmade and built in the US. Stand up guys too. Keep it rolling over there dudes!
This Friday!
The Midnight Keirin Club is an informal bicycle street racing club. Meeting every other Friday, the club runs a variety of short format races from 200m drag races to 1 mile "alleycrits" circuits in secluded areas within NYC. Racers ride fixed gear brakeless bicycles and compete for bragging rights and occasional prize pots.
This Friday, July 17, the Keirin club will be holding an alleycrit circuit at 1030pm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The course starts at McGuiness Blvd and Clay St. This week will be a 3 lap of a 1/3 of a mile circuit course. Gentleman's stakes: no buy in, no prize pot, just bragging rights. Side wagering amongst racers encouraged.
It seems as though there's been more talk about Eddy Merckx bikes on this blog as of late, so apologies. Jeremy runs a site called Tears for Gears and was responsible for cracking the Merckx serial number system a bit back. His site is littered with incredible information and he too has a strong love for Merckx bicycles.
After I got my MX-Leader, we were discussing MAX (MXL's predecessor) and he informed me that he would be uploading a catalog from 1992. Very informative, so head over and read his site.
Pre-order yours here and if you're lucky, you'll find a golden ticket for a free DC x SE PK Ripper!
My friends Em and Mark have launched BICI planning. BICI stands for Bicycle Infrastructure Change and Innovations--Inc and is offering their services as bicycle planning consultants.
“We started BICI because we saw it as a logical extension of the work we did at the grassroots, community level, and the success we had empowering more people to ride bicycles,” co-founder Mark Simpson says. “Now that public institutions are recognizing the increased number of everyday-cyclists, we hope to lead them as they attempt to achieve institutional sustainability goals, and accommodate the needs of their cycling constituencies.”
Read up more over at their site, here!
A picture I took of Wilis' Marinoni last winter made its way into the NYTimes' blog, The Moment, as part of an article called the Purist.
I love the way track bikes look after a year or so on the streets of NYC.
Wanna go for a ride in a new city or even your own but don't have anyone to drift off of? Hit up Bike Pal, a new social site that allows you to locate a riding buddy! Pretty cool concept. If anyone uses it, lemme know how it goes in the comments!
That's right tomorrow is the official jump-off for the 09BFFSF!
The late Sam Mockbee established the Rural Studio in 1993 along with fellow architect D. K. Ruth. Sam passed away in 2001 but the spirit of the Rural Studio lives on to this day. Snakebit is a documentary on Sam Mockbee and his Rural Studio.
Image via Bootsnall
The Rural Studio gained recognition for recycling materials into homes for the local population. One of the more famous examples is the Rural Studio community center which used old car windshields for the fenestration and façade.
Caspa and Rusko have brought a lot of much-needed energy to the dubstep scene over the past few years. They're no Kode9, Mala, D1, Bar 9, Loefah or even Vex'd but along with Skream, Plastician and others, Caspa and Rusko seem to be changing dubstep's sound.
Some hate it. I like it. I saw D1 a while back at Dubwar and people weren't really dancing. It wasn't emotional in the sense that people wanted to talk to you or dance with you. It was however moving in a very deep and dark way. The bass reverberated the floors and each beat made your chest reverberate. It was a completely new experience for everyone at the time but I don't see dubstep moving in that direction so much anymore.
When Rusko KILLED Studio B a bit back, it changed the way I looked at dubstep. I can only imagine how people are reacting to Caspa's newest Essential Mix. Banging shit man. Keep it up!
Caspa’s Ghostly Intro
Deadmau5 & Kaskade ‘I Remember (Caspa Remix)’ (Mau5trap)
Sub Scape ‘Nothing’s Wrong’ (Dub Police)
Emalkay ‘Angie Got Stoned’ (Dub Police Dub Plate)
Skream ‘Dutch Flowerz (Rusko Remix)’ (Tempa Dub Plate)
Mungo’s Hi Fi ‘International Roots Feat. Earl 16 (LD Remix)’ (Dub Police)
Mala ‘Eyes’ (Dub Plate)
Emalkay ‘When I Look At You‘ (Dub Police Dub Plate)
Trolley Snatcha ‘Scattah’ (Dub Police)
Caspa ‘Riot Powder’ (Sub Soldiers / Fabric)
Caspa ‘Table Cloth’ (Sub Soldiers Dub Plate)
Sub Scape ‘Dominent Species’ (Dub Police Dub Plate)
Benga ‘Descending’ (Tempa Dub Plate)
Emalkay ‘Metropolis’ (Dub Police)
Nneka ‘Heartbeat (Chase & Status Just Brought A Guitar Mix)’ (Sony/BMG)
Skream Clap Your Hands‘ (Dub Plate)
The Others ‘Dot 2 Dot’ (Dub Police Dub Plate)
Caspa ‘I Beat My Robot’ (Sub Soldiers / Fabric)
The Others & N-Type ‘Circuit’ (Dub Plate)
Sub Scape ‘Clear My Throat’ (Dub Police Dub Plate)
Trolley Snatcha ‘The Future’ (Dub Police)
Rusko ‘Cockney Thug (Caspa’s Sub Soldier Remix)’ (Sub Soldiers)
Benga ‘Mini Moto’ (Tempa Dub Plate)’
LD ‘King Of Kong’ (Dub Police Dub Plate)
D1 ‘Pitcher’ (Dub Police Dub Plate)’
La Roux ‘In For The Kill (Skream’z Let’s Get Ravey Remix)’ (Polydor)
Chase & Status ‘Saxone’ (Ram)
Depeche Mode ‘Wrong (Caspa Remix)’ (EMI)
Coki ‘Goblin’ (Ringo)
Sub Scape ‘Wrong Number’ (Dub Police)
Kutz ‘Trash City’ (Dub Plate)
Chase & Status ‘Mad House’ (Dub Plate)
Caspa ‘Louder VIP’ (Sub Soldiers)
Caspa ‘Marmite’ (Sub Soldiers / Fabric)
Caspa ‘Terminator’ (Sub Soldiers)
Caspa ‘Terminator (Trolley Snatcher Remix)’ (Sub Soldiers Dub Plate)
Prodigy ‘Take Me To The Hospital (Rusko Remix)’ (Take Me To The Hospital)
TC ‘Where’s My Money (Caspa Remix)’ (D-Style)
Emalkay ‘Explicit’ (Dub Police)
Trolley Snatcher ‘Circles’ (Dub Police Dub Plate)
Skream ‘Metal Mouth’ (Tempa Dub Plate)
Emalkay ‘Battle Suit’ (Dub Police Dub Plate)
Prodigy ‘Warriors Dance (Benga Remix)’ (Take Me To The Hospital)
Search & Destroy ‘Day Break’ (Destructive)
Distance ‘Menace’ (Chestplate Dub Plate)
The Others ‘100 Dollar Bills’ (Dub Police Dub Plate)
Caspa ‘Ready Eddy’ (Sub Soldiers Dub Plate)
Matty G ‘Turf Warz’ (Dub Police Dub Plate)
Caspa Feat. Dynamite MC ‘The Takeover’ (Sub Soldiers / Fabric)
Grand Puba ‘Get It (Caspa’s 80Eighties Remix)’ (Scion / AV Project)
Caspa ‘They Like It Low’ (Dub Plate)
Vista ‘Poupee (J-Kenzo Remix)’ (Dub Plate)
Search & Destroy ‘Blue Mantra’ (Destructive)
You can get the mix here or here.
Previously:
Rusko Jahova
“We all started doing tricks on these bikes because it was how we were getting around the city,” said John Watson, 28, an architectural intern who lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. “The benefit to these bikes is that you don’t have to go home and get your ‘trick bike.’ You can just stop and ride a little bit.”
No, I'm not lying! Here it is... Read the whole thing here!
...and an audio slideshow.
The Bruiser frames and forks just arrived! The first 5 are being sent to get painted ASAP!
You can still order a Bruiser frame here for $489 - Lifetime warranty. Rider developed and designed. Multiple colors available and one bad-ass bike!
*Edit: I forgot to mention, if you order a Bruiser fork in black now, it'll ship out first thing...
Gshock's Web Magazine has information for a new gallery show opening today. If you're in Tokyo, be sure to catch it!
"History of Japan design for bikes"
2009.7.10 Fri. - 2009.7.26 Sun. [closed on Mondays]
11:00 - 19:00
IID GALLERY
organized by R bike, Silk Cycle
cooperated by Katakura-Kogyo, 5 LINKS, IID
IID GALLERY pleased to announce the exhibition about history of Japanese bicycle design, specially focused on Silk Cycle. Keirin started at 1948 and aimed to hold the official race at Tokyo Olympic Games. Japanese manufacturer didn't have any ideas about materials and processes to make competitive track racer. But craftsmen developed "Katakura Silk" the original track racer for the Olympic by themselves after trial and error. The exhibition shows the origin of the hand-made track racer through the frame for Tokyo Olympic Game. And, at the same time, Japanese folding bikes which is developed by the bicycle transporting culture will be exhibited.
So we had to move Peel Sessions because of the Giglio Fesival. All these people drive to Williamsburg and park all in the spot. It wasn't a big deal, there's a huge lot around the corner so we got a bunch of sod-pallettes and plywood and made a bank against the fence. Shortly after, we made a wedge. Wonka 3 hopped off it after he 180'd it and I got some pretty crazy air off it as well. Here's Andy tucked a good 4' off the ground at least.
Video will come shortly and Andy was taking pictures as well. He's got some bangers, so keep watch!
NO CASSETTES RED BAND TRAILER from FonsecaFilms on Vimeo.
This shit is rad. Fonseca, pat yourself on your back man. Project looks legit as hell!
In other news, No Cassettes is up for pre-order, so get on that!
Kyle at Tracko was kind enough to scan in an interview with Bike Snob in the current issue of Fader. Snobby, you're giving too much away!
Let's get drinks again soon...
Milwaukee just got in the Sessions tires in Black. Really great tires. Checkem out here.
Previously:
Fyxation Session
This bike reminds me of one of the old hacked-up ballon-tire beach cruisers that early mountain bikers used to thrash old fire trails on back before mountain bikes were a staple of the cycling world. Really really rad. Text and pics below by Core77. Be sure to catch the launch party at the Apple Store in SoHo. 3pm...
Today, Core77 proudly introduces a limited edition bicycle--named the "Dutch Master"--celebrating New York bike culture and a heritage of local manufacturing.
The Dutch Master is based on the beloved Worksman cruiser frame--a workhorse foundation used throughout the New York delivery community, and manufactured in Queens, New York for over 110 years. Core77 customized the frame, fitting it out with a carefully curated set of components, each with its own story.
The bike was hand-built by KT Higgins, a Brooklyn-based ex-bike messenger (infamous for her crash in the movie Pedal), and proprietor of Bushwick Bike Shop, her one-year-old bikeshop in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn.
NYC, keep on the look out for Jun's bike. Information is in the flier!
Pretty interesting interview with Mike Martin and Yoshi Onodera up on Hypebeast. Head on over to read it.
"Having met a few years ago in Japan during the Tokyo leg of the Bicycle Film Festival, the last
two years have seen a furious exchange of ideas and countless samples as bag makers SAG and world famous fixed gear collective MASH SF set out to create the absolute best riding backpack around. We caught up with MASH SF’s Mike Martin and SAG’s Yoshimasa Onodera as they gave us a little background about both themselves, the bag’s execution and general thoughts on the increasing importance and popularity in riding."
Ok, that's it. I quit.... Seriously? I mean. It's kind of cool that "fixies" will be accessible and I'm GLAD they come with brakes. Just seems like all this snowballed so fast. But at the end of the day, bike culture is more important than car culture and people are going to, for the first time ever, ride a bike because it's cool and because it's transportation. That's what's most important. The cooler it is, or hipper, to ride bikes, the better off we'll all be!
Here's the interface for designing your bike at Urban Outfitters. Read up on Republic Bikes here.
thanks T-Bone!
Hold Fast just updated their blog with a really informative post on how to install their straps. My only input would be that I've found at Step 3, it is better to re-thread the strap through the entire sandwich clip, not just one part.
Add another contender to the 700c trick fork parade. The Italian frame builders, Riding in Circle has just released their trick fork for 95 Euro. Looks like the missing link between a 700c straight blade track fork and a unicrown like the Milwaukee Bruiser's.
Previously:
S&M Rigid 26" Fork
Forks!
MKE 700c Unicrown Fork
Fritz has a whole ton of pics up from the 4th's Bombing Down Broadway and Dan gave us some stats from his computer:
time 38:36
avg 21mph
max 30mph
Geared at 50:19
that puts the winning time at about 37 minutes.
Fast shit man!
Chris Cali took first. He dropped the pack by over a minute. Big ups man!
Tracko worked with Yanco pads to design and co-brand some chalk bags. Similar to the Freight Baggage road soda, these will not only attach to your bike, but also will attach securely under your saddle rails, or onto your belt.
Looking good man.
The Bicycle Film Festival is heading your way guys! Pick up tickets for Friday's showings and you'll get to see the BFF-exclusive Empire trailer.
It'll make you wanna ride your bike for sure!
Well, here it is. The information I've been saying for months now that I would post. I've gotten a ton of emails over the past few month about the foot retention system I am using. There's a bit of a back story here, but last year I started riding with Jeremiah. We rode a lot. Every weekend and when you spend that much time with people, you talk a lot about what you'd improve on your bike.
We were breaking toe clips almost every day. All it takes is one mis-calculated barspin and you're spending the next 10 minutes switching it out with a new one. Eventually, we sat down and talked about what to do. Jeremiah knew that people would want adjustability. I wear a lot of different shoes and I'm sure you do too. One of the gripes with Power Straps is you can't adjust them. Jeremiah also knew that they'd have to be durable.
A few days later and he had a prototype. There's no toe clip, because you don't need them. With two areas of adjustability and a unique wedge-profile, your feet don't slide forward. Adjust them to how you see fit with a set of BMX or MTB platforms. They're great for gaps / stairs and drops. When you take off, your foot is wedged in tightly. I've come unclipped so many times doing gaps. With these, that's not an issue.
I've spent the last 5 months or so riding these and I would never go back to toe clips and straps on my Bruiser. Ever. The newest version is by far the best and they're now available to the public. Jeremiah and Rob hand make these in Red Hook, Brooklyn and are two stand up guys. The retail is $55 shipped to the US and if you're interested in ordering a pair, hit up their email.
Their website is up, along with their blog, although a little underdeveloped, but you can also read the thread on Trick Track and Jeff at Bike Jerks made a nice post about them as well.
I got a nice little package from Kareem at Death Pedal today. Some stickers and the DVD. As soon as I got home, I popped it in and watched it. What I admire most about the project is the different kinds of riding. There are guys gapping stairs and guys doing skid tricks. Kareem even tracked down Innes Brunn, the renown artistic cyclist to put things in perspective.
My favorite clip is the kid who tries to gap the 10 set. Looks like that hurt man!
Overall the video turned out great. It's pretty rad seeing people still getting stoked on riding their fixed gears and track bikes however they want. I do have to ask though, what the hell is up with the ball in the cup game?
If you haven't ordered your copy, pick one up here!
Previously:
Death Pedal Pre-Order
Death Pedal ATX
Velo Cult Shop Check
Death Pedal Paris pt. Deux
Death Pedal Life of Tom
Long Beach Death Pedal Premier
Death Pedal Paris!
Death Pedal X FRSH
Death Pedal pt. 2
Death Pedal
I met Matt a while back at Affinity. He's actually riding one of the older prototypes and has been riding it for a few years now. I think I first saw some Dienasty shirts at Affinity around the same time. Since then, he's been working on dialing in a few designs.
Lookin good man! If you're in NYC, swing through Affinity and swoop some! If you're not in NYC, you can always hit up the web shop!
Wow. Never thought I'd see this! Pedal ID has created a limited edition toy of their track bike kits with Transformers iconography all over it. What I fail to see here is Megan Fox running in slow motion though. Come on guys! Get it right! That's what is bringing people into the theater in the first place. Slow motion boobies and explosions!
Ichigo from SAG just sent me some information about a forthcoming SAG product called SAG for Kidz. SAG teamed up with Flake to make a small (no pun intended) run of their messenger bags scaled down for kidz. The bags have some unique features like a skateboard flap and a special pattern over the SAG logo. Now all the young groms can have the same messenger bags as the older kids.
Available now at the PBI SAG webstore.
I would also like to thank PBI for offering to sponsor Prolly is not Probably. Thanks Ichigo!
Justin Keena, who shot a ton of pics of this year's Grand Theft Velo just relaunched his website. Head on over to check it out. Lookin good man!
Previously:
Grand Theft Velo Via Keena pt. 2
Grand Theft Velo Via Keena pt. 1
Sean Milnes Pics
THE REVIVAL/KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON from morehartfilms on Vimeo.
Mr. Briggs from Skitch just sent me an email with the new Revival trailer linked. Check out what Tom has to say about it!
Due to the trip being cancelled last month Wayne has taken it upon himself to create a short precurser video to the main video project. Basically the short video will be out in November and is title The Revival presents Keep On Keepin' On. The project focuses on Seattle and Vancouver while the main Revival video that will be out early next year will be more broad and include both west coast and east coast riders. We were really bumbed about having to cancel the trip last month so suddenly and felt that it would be good if we put out something sooner rather than later and that's where Keep On Keepin' On came from.
Lookin good guys! Tyler, you're a fucking maniac. MANIAC!
Previously:
The Revival Tour is No More
the Revival
Urban Velo #14 is now live online for your viewing pleasure. Make sure to check it out here. Some great content as always. Carney's rail makes an appearance and I'm gonna try the penny spanner trick. Looking good as always guys!
Previously:
Urban Velo 13
Urban Velo 12 Out Now!
Urban Velo 11 Article
Just a heads up to my Architecture Intern readers. Since no one told me until today, NCARB requires that you register with them before July 1st 2009 (tomorrow). If you do not, then you lose all your hours. ALL OF THEM. It's called the Six Month Rule. So head here and register. Then pay the $285 or you're screwed!
Here's another look at the aforementioned collaboration between Chari & Co and Steven Alan. From their description over at Style.com, it sounds like the project is going to be pretty legit. More information will be posted here as events warrant. Read up below:
The latest riding enthusiast to try his hand at bike-friendly gear? Steven Alan. Alan's new flannel riding shirt—designed in conjunction with Lower East Side track-and-fixie mecca Chari & Co.—has a long tail to cover your ass and a Velcro-fastened rip-open chest pocket that's been relocated to a messenger-bag-friendly position. There are also sweatshirt-style ribbed cuffs on the sleeves, sturdy snaps on the placket, and what's being called a "hunting pocket" zippered into the back. Unless your cycling is a lot different than our cycling, we're thinking this is more for a banana, an MP3 player, and a portable pump than for, say, upland game—but then again, who are we to tell you how to roll?
About $220, available in October; stevenalan.com
Previously:
Steven Alan and Chari & Co
Wow. Bridgestone / Anchor really blew me away with this. Seriously. Their 10th Anniversay marks the release of the RNC7 Pro, a steel road bike equipped with Dura Ace and beautiful half-lugs.
Their site, although in Japanese seems to say that through re-examining the stresses found in OS tubing, they found that it added uneeded weight and drag. The solution? They made molds by pumping oil to the tube to form the unique shape which enabled them to attach the tubes without lugs. A technique they used on their MTBs back in the '90s. Really rad. I want one!
Calgary Bike Polo in Alberta, Canada is throwing their second-annual Polo tournament and is offering a $1,500 first place prize! It begins July 10th and ends July 12th with Gold Sprints once it gets dark out.
Check out Calgarybma.com for more info!
You have no idea how insane this race is. I'd lay it all on the table and say that there is no other alleycat in any country / city across the world that can touch the shear chaos that goes down during this:
-NYC traffic [check]
-TONS of tourists in town [check]
-Broadway being all f'ed up this year [check]
-Fireworks [check]
-Holiday traffic [check]
-50+ riders [check]
-NASTY hills uptown [check]
-Drunken idiots everywhere [check]
You down?
Keep watch for updates!
Wow. I guess it really has been two years since No Brakes opened up in the ATL. I've yet to make it down there but got to meet a few of their crew during Monster Track '07. Good people and their Flickr page always has the newest builds and products up.
To celebrate their 2-year anniversay, the people at NB have a whole weekend of stellar track bike events planned. Check out the schedule below:
July 10 - Our 2 year Anniversary Party & Alleycat | We're Moving into a new space!
July 11 - The next Pro Race Track Event at Dick Lane Velodrome
July 12th - Atlanta's 1st VeloCity!
Check out more info here!
I remember two years ago when Tom started riding for SAG. He had these bright pink double straps that were just prototypes at the moment. That was when everyone was going apeshit for Toshis and to see something different was refreshing.
Well, now SAG has released their iconic doubles in 4 colors; white, black, neon pink and green. They've made some improvements and you can get them here at PBI for $65 USD. Not bad!
Soap 180 pivot on bank
Last night was the beginning of Shark Week in Philly. To start the weekend off proper, Tony and Drew threw the first Water St. Sessions Trick Comp. Looks like a lot of people showed up and some dude named Soap and Wonka stole the show.
Wonka bank to wallride
Looks like a blast. Check out the rest of the pics here at Gar1s0n's Flickr.
Previously:
In Philly They...
Water St. Sessions Going Off!
Philly Bootleg Crew at Vimby
Water St. Sessions
Tokyo To Osaka test from Noah Tsutsui on Vimeo.
Not much info on this video project. Seems like he's a guy from SF who's momentarily in NYC shooting a project about his journey to Tokyo and Osaka.
Am I on point here? Or way off? Anyway, that's my morning commute. Delancey is one of the funnest streets to smash on in the morning. Nicely shot guys!
Either way, check out the Tokyo to Osaka website.
Wanna show some Brooklyn Love without wearing the chewing gum team jersey? Check out these new jerseys from Shmaltz Brewing Co.
Shmaltz Brewing Company is excited to announce that Retro Image Apparel Company will release cycling jerseys featuring the Coney Island Lager(TM) and HE'BREW Beer labels. Inspired by the label artwork of Coney Island Lager(TM), Retro Apparel CEO Roger Mallette launches his ambitious new line of Micro Beer Cycling Jerseys this month. For more information, please see the attached press release.
Shmaltz's Art Director Matt Polacheck is also set to participate for the second year in the "Design, Drink and Be Merry: The Craft Brew Art Movement" exhibition this Saturday, June 27, 2009 at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading, PA. He will contribute an art piece including a two-part series showcasing different stages of the label designs for Rejewvenator (2009), Coney Island Human Blockhead(TM), and Coney Island Freaktoberfest(TM). A selection from his piece can be seen in the attached press release.
I'm really glad to see this shoe with no collaborative logos and in black leather. The shape is great for riding and with a black body, almost looks like an old-school cycling shoe. Granted it's a sneaker, so don't expect a super stiff sole, but for $90 and an accessible outlet, Adidas is trying! Next time, stiffen that outsole / insole / sole up guys!
From Adidas:
Whether you’re pegging the fun-meter on an all-city ride, or just kicking back and setting the gears to coast, the Adidas Zeitfrei shoe laces you into a premium snug, quill-pedal fit with a stylish perforation design for breathability.
Available at Shop Adidas.
Thanks Burd!
Previously:
Adidas Zeitfrei in 4 Hours
Zeitfrei Inaugural Release Information
The Complete Ride Bike Preview
Complete Ride Zeitfrei Preview
These are looking promising. Toeclip holes and they even look a different profile than the Odyssey PCs. Loose ball or cartridge bearings? These guys are rolling out the products!
Previously:
Precedents not Knock-offs
Starf*ckers Saddles?
Fiyah
Update on the Bruiser frame:
Word from the factory...they are due to ship next week!
Sorry for the delay, but in an effort to maintain a 42mm chainline with 400mm chainstays and still give you enough room for 38c+ tires we had to re-engineer the bottom bracket area and consequently pushed delivery back a bit.
We would love to show you what we've done, but since the latest heist of our drawings, we aren't so forthgiving anymore. You'll have to trust us.
Thanks to everyone who pre-ordered; we really appreciate your patience.
Via Bens Blog
As promised, Outlier and Prolly is not Probably teamed up to give away a pair of Outlier Summer Shorts via a Father's Day photo contest. If you recall, the rules were simple. Sign into Twitter and post a picture of your dad before fathers day. Tag the picture with #OPFD and wait. We sifted through all the pictures recently and there were some choice submissions! But only one winner.
After careful review of all the photos that were uploaded, we chose @reportemergency's picture of his dad holding a chimp and his boys taken on a Polaroid.
Enjoy those shorts man!
Previously:
OPFD Summer Shorts Giveaway!
Oh hell yes. Limited edition Brooks Saddles! This is rad. First COG now the NACCCs. Not to mention Greg Ulgade killing it with the artwork.
Who's going? Mr. Fast and I will be there... be very afraid!
Previously:
COG and Brooks
Japan-based Loop Magazine has been tailing the No Cassettes crew for the past few weeks documenting the final days of production of the SF-based project.
Here's a sample of some shots they took during this time period and make sure to head over to the No Cassettes blog to check out more! Also keep watch next week for the final trailer.
Jason from Affinity was in Japan last week to hang out with the W-Base crew and launch his new XS Low Pro.
Check out a full write up over at the Affinity blog including a Keirin race, some chick, a visit to Kalavinka and some words on Shino.
Looks like a lotta fun man!
Thank you Charles. Thank you for writing a great article about bike riding in NYC without complaining, or bashing anyone or anything. Cheers.
Read the full article now because I'm not sure how long they keep their articles up online over at the Huffington Post. This captures the spirit of the editorial...
But this journey is not one that can be undertaken in a car - you'd miss the details, the human scale, and the pace of life as you fly by. Even walking won't do - you won't be able to cover nearly enough ground. To really get to know New York, you've got to ride a bicycle.
picture by Sasha
And across the world, people in Brisbane were taking part in Global Gutz as well! Results for the world-wide race are up here. Good to see some NYC heads finishing it up first in the US.
So here we are. A whole ton of pictures from the past 5 days. Jeremiah wall bonk at the Peel Spot on Elliot's my little pony bike.
Jeremiah also makes HOLD FAST straps in Redhook, Brooklyn. These are what I've been riding for the past few months and am in LOVE. Be sure to keep watch here, as we try to sell some more.
Tom Mosher is like an excited lap dog. He loves Tony. He also rides for Volume bikes and began Trick Track.
Here's Tom, Jake and Torey in McCarren park. Madness ensued there so we'll fast forward to the BFF Goldsprints after party.
James Newman tearing it up. Luke Stiles took first that night. Cyclehawk held it down!
Tarck pile outside. I was so drunk, I unlocked my bike and the stack fell!
Onto the next morning at the BFF09 Street Festival. I met up with Freeman Transport. Really amazing products. The internet does not do their handywork justice. I got to ride the Gravel Racer and if I didn't already have a stuffed stable, I'd look into getting one of these!
Here's Wonka, being Wonka.
Burd and Luke looking green.
Wilis raced in the Bridge Battle and got filthy.
The judges at the Track Bike events. Who thought it was a good idea to give those 3 a megaphone? Eric Puckett took first place at the freestyle and Tom and Wonka tied the Bunnyhop, maxing out at 25 1/2".
... and last but not least, Sean smilin!
You can find the rest over at my Flickr.
Aakash Nihalani working on finishing up the piece!
Will Sherman from Animal NY took some pictures of the artshow, Joyride for the Bicycle Film Festival. You can check the rest out tonight in person at the Anonymous Gallery at 186 Orchard Street, or here at the Animal gallery.
Wonka's piece is pretty rad. That's his old beat-to-shit Iro.
Taliah Lampert, as always, delivers!
I've been working with Mike Jones and Mikhail at Mishka for a few weeks now on this logo. They finished it up last night and I'm beyond stoked on it. Thanks duders. I also wanna thank everyone who's ever told me I look like a Viking, because that was the inspiration. Big ups guys! Expect some more related news to come shortly!
Flying Coffin's new Summer line will be released June 22nd in their webstore and should be making its way to your local stockists shortly.
Looks great man. Keep it up! Loving the new play on the Bonegram shirt!
WTF is OPFD? Outlier | Prolly Fathers Day! Duh.
Without our dad's we wouldn't be here riding our bikes. So in honor of our dad's Outlier and Prolly Is Not Probably are teaming up Brooklyn style to create #OPFD, the Father's Day Contest to win free shit shorts. That's right, Father's Day basically marks the start of summer and we are giving away a pair of Outlier's Summer Shorts.
Step 1:
Cut a hole in the box.
If you don't have a twitter account, get one.
Step 2:
Follow @JohnProlly and @OutlierTailored
Step 3:
Use all your resources to come up with the best picture of a dad you can find. Bonus points if it involves bikes, cracks us up and all around creativity. But really anything goes, the winner is whichever photo we think we like the most.
Step 4:
Post it to your twitter account and use the hash tag #OPFD in your post (That stands for Outlier Prolly Father's Day.) This is how we track all the pics.
Step 5:
That's it. On Father's Day we pick the best one and if you've won we'll send you a direct message on Monday. Best picture will get posted and you'll win a pair of the Outlier Summer Shorts. Easy.
If you're on the fence about coming to NYC for the BFF2009 and you're undecided about where to stay, check out the ACE Hotel. Great location, relatively inexpensive rates and hey, just look at what they're offering you to stay with them!
Hrrrmmmmm. Book your flight and COME!
Previously:
Ace Hotel Open
Speaking of the BFF NYC, I just got the heads up that Selle San Marco is once again producing a limited saddle for the film festival. The first one offered: NYC! In blue suede. Looks nice! Will definitely be grabbing one this year! Check it out below:
Collect all 5! heh
In the immortal words of Shang Tsung, "It has begun!"
Here's the deal for the 2009 BFF NYC in case you've been under a rock for the past few weeks.
Tuesday June 16
9:30 PM after a little ride around the area, we're all heading to Bar Matchless at 557 Manhattan Ave in Brooklyn for a benefit show.
There is a $10 cover but the drinks are 2 for 1. All cover fees + 1/2 the bar and all tips are going to the bartender Juliet who got in a wreck and is all beat up. More details to follow. This is not an official BFF event, so don't get confused. It's just a weekly hangout for a lot of the NYC kids. So come meet some people!
Wednesday June 17
6:00 PM | Bikes Rock
South Street Seaport
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
The Teenagers,
and Special Guests - FREE
After Party - Studio B - DJ Set by The Teenagers
Thursday June 18
6:00 PM | JOYRIDE - art show
After Party at Lit
Then, after you go to JOYRIDE, swing through the PEEL SESSIONS!
8:30 PM - 11:00 PM The weekly Peel Sessions in Williamsburg - afterparty to follow
Friday June 19
7:00 PM | Program 1 - Where Are You Go -
World Premiere
9:15 PM | Program 2 - Repeat of Program 1
11:15 PM | Program 3 - Repeat of Program 1
10:00PM | After party at Public Assembly with Goldsprints
Saturday June 20
12:30 PM | BFF Bike Parade
1:00 PM | BFF Street Party
1:00 PM | Program 4 - Mountain Bike Screening
3:00 PM | Program 5 - The Third Wheel - World Premiere
5:00 PM | Program 6 - I Love My Bicycle -
The Story of FBM Bikes - World Premiere
7:00 PM | Program 7 - Urban Bike Shorts
9:15 PM | Program 8 - Repeat of Program 7
11:15 PM | Program 9 - Repeat of Program 7
10:00 PM | After Party Extravaganza at CSV
Sunday June 21
12:00 PM | Polo Jam
1:00 PM | Program 10 - Sunday Bike Shorts
3:00 PM | Program 11 - 7 Deserts
5:00 PM | Program 12 - Fun Bike Shorts
7:00 PM | Program 13 - Down by the Weep Hole: The Story of the Stupor Bowl - World Premiere
9:15 PM | Program 14 - Keirin Queen/Onna Keirin Oh - Buy Tickets
Closing Party TBA
TO BUY YOUR TICKETS FOR ALL EVENTS CLICK HERE!
Wonka Rail from John Prolly on Vimeo.
I can't tell you guys how long I've heard Ed say he's going to do this rail. It's been months. He did one the other day with some BMX videographers for an unsaid BMX commercial (more to come?) and yesterday he hit this rail with ease on the first try. When I got my camera out, he ate shit at least a dozen tries until landing this.
Big ups man!
This Sunday, if you're in NYC early for the Bicycle Film Fest be sure to swing through Wilis' birthday event at East River Bar.
Chain Cover Tutorial by Kareem Shehab from Killa Kareem on Vimeo.
You may have seen this picture floating around and if you haven't NOW YOU HAVE!
Check the video above to see Kareem of Death Pedal giving you a tutorial on how to make one of your own. Pretty rad idea. Kareem's a busy guy and with all that he's got going on, I'm glad he can find time to do this kind of thing.
Big ups man!
Wanna support his efforts? Go over now and buy Death Pedal for $20! If you hop on this early, as in before June 25th, you'll get free domestic shipping.
Previously:
Death Pedal ATX
Velo Cult Shop Check
Death Pedal Paris pt. Deux
Death Pedal Life of Tom
Long Beach Death Pedal Premier
Death Pedal Paris!
Death Pedal X FRSH
Death Pedal pt. 2
Death Pedal
Here's the agenda NYC. I wanna know who's coming? It starts Wednesday night with Bikes Rock! We're planning a special Peel Sessions Thursday night after the Joy Ride art show. Details below!
JOYRIDE
Curated by Brendt Barbur, Joseph Ian Henrikson, Tanya Arakawa Rosenstein.
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Collective Hardware - 169 Bowery at Delancey St. +Map
Puffin Room - 435 Broome St. at Broadway. +Map
Sara D. Roosevelt Park/The Pit- Chrystie St. and Broome St. +Map
186 Orchard St. +Map
Hungry March Band - 6:00pm at The Pit. +Map
AFTER PARTY- LIT - 10:00pm - 4:00am - 93 2nd Ave. +Map
Aakash Nihalani • Agathe Snow • Aiko • Alfred Bobe and Shane Bovel • Alessandro Zuek Simonetti • Amy Bolger • Amelia Shaw • Andrew McClintock • Artus De Lavilleon • Ashira Siegel • Benedict Radcliffe • Robert S.L. Waltzer • Bradley Baker • Brian Vernor • Camilla Candida Donzella • Cecily Upton • Cheryl Dunn • Chiara Clemente • Chris Stain • Chris Uphues • Chris Thormann • Dana Goldstein • Daniel Leeb • Daniele De Lonti • David Komurek • Ellis Gallagher • Ed Glazar • Erik Foss • Falcon Duran • Fast Eddie Williams • Fumie Ishii • Gaia • Giftcycle • Greg Ugalde • Graffiti Research Lab • Herman Mao • I LOVE DUST • Jacques Ferrand • James Newman • James Jean • Jessica Findley • Ji Lee • Joe Stakun • Jonas Mekas • Jud Turner • Julia Chiang • Kelsey Brookes • Kenzo Minami • Kenny Scharf • Kevin Foxworth • Lauren Silberman • Leo Fitzpatrick • Lisa Romans • Made in Queens • Marc Sich • Marco Mucig • Martha Cooper • Maripol and Lino • Massan Fluker • Matteo Di Nisio • Maya Hayuk • Mike Giant • Nathaniel Freeman • Nesta Mayo • Paolo Bertocchi • Patrick Trefz • Peter Sutherland • Rajan Mehta • Rich Jacobs • Ryan Humphrey • Scott Campbell • Silver Warner • Steve MacDonald • Stuart Semple • Suzette Lee • Takuya Sakamoto • Taliah Lempert • Tristan Eaton • William Robbins & Jeffrey Robbins • Wonka • Yatika Starr Fields
Postcard artwork:
Treatzone and Ramblin Worker
I'm only guessing due to this post on the Chari & Co blog. The label is right there in your face. Looks like they're working with Steven Alan on a 'flannel riding shirt'. Looks good so far. It'll be interesting to see if the cut is any different. Flannels are tough to ride in. They have to be super-thin for me, or I get too hot too fast. Anything with quilting or lining tends to be too much, even in the dead of Winter.
More details to come!
Chorus Gallery is proud to present Chris Piascik. Chris is not only riding one of my old Bruiser protos, but he's also an, illustrator, graphic artist and the Cambridge funny man.
Text from OPEN / Chorus:
Aside from being a stand-up guy, he is amazingly motivated. His day-to-day is filled with 8 hours of diligent work at Alphabet Arm, graphics for his line Print Brigade, and a nightly sketchbook illustration, which he publishes here. Check out his site for more!
Good job man!
Gorilla in Paris teaser 1/4 from GORILLa Bicycles. on Vimeo.
GOrilla commissioned Renaud Skyronka to make 3 edits of the GOrilla tour through gay Paris. This is the first of 3. Keep watch on GOrilla's blog for more.
Assia Baudi Di Selve worked on an article for iO Donna magazine (anyone got a link?) in the May issue about NYC bike messengers and the culture surrounding them. I wish I could read it, but I see a ton of familiar faces in these pages. Feel free to translate for all of us if you're an Italian reader!
(Just kidding, I know that's a lot of text!)
Thanks Fritz!
June events in Seattle brought to you by...
www.gomeansgo.org
www.bikebloc.com
www.emeraldsprints.com
www.zlogblog.com
Jeff from All-City gave us a little preview last night of his new and improved track end for the All-City Big Block frame. Well now he's unleashed the beasts and has a full page of wonderful photos and even a price!
I've intentionally only posted one image to encourage you to travel over to the midwest and check it out!
Previously:
Big Block Track End
What do we have here? I was browsing the Flickr group "SS/FG Bicycles" when I came across this new track bike company, Superfluo Concept. At first I thought they were miniatures. Obviously, at second glance, they're aluminum track bikes. Nice colors! and look, matching caps.
Not much on their site, so I'd suggest emailing them here with any questions.
You've seen a lot of Nasty! in the recent months. Kid's got the banginest full cabs on a fixed gear I've ever seen. Super fast and NASTY! style. Well now he's got FTC style too. The Japanese branch just picked him up! Congrats man!
Via 100% Hardcore
To pair with the launch of the City Tiempo in a few days, Nike has teamed up with Undefeated to create a CTRS concept store in LA. Each City's rider who gave Nike imput on the shoe got to pick a bike of their choice to represent their city. The riders then got to keep one bike for themselves and raffle off another to store patrons. Kyle at DQM chose BMW, I wonder what the other city's riders chose?
As you can see, it's yet to open, so expect updates soon!
Via High Snobiety
Previously:
Nike Tiempo City Pack
DQM Brooklyn Machine Works Giveaway
Nike Air Zoom Tiempo Cycling Sneaker pt. 1
Outlier's hustlin! More Summer drops. I loved their last hat collaboration with Victor Osborne and just now they released a Summer version.
Read up below:
We created the Summer Storm cap with the aim of making something as refreshing and unexpected as a summer thundershower. We started with an elegant Zegna wool suiting, but made it completely waterproof and breathable. It's laminated with a membrane that allows moisture vapor to escape, but blocks water droplets when raining. So you get the best of both performance and class.
Unlike traditional cycling caps, it's a lined cap. The supplex lining we use has a soft handfeel like traditional cap lining, yet is quick drying and completely breathable. The lining also means it's a lot more durable than your average cap, with a much more finished look and feel.
As with all our caps, we work with the master milliner Victor Osborne to get a precise fit. A small is 21.5 inches naturally and stretches to 22.5. A medium is 22.5 inches naturally and stretches to 23.5. A large is 23.5 inches naturally and stretches to 24.5. A traditional look with a modified four panel construction made in New York City
And the Summer shorts just dropped too! WSDIA modeling now? Lookin good guys!
Previously:
Outlier Summer Editions
Outlier Shorts Preorder
DAMN!
Velo New's own Ben Delaney had a shattering experience with a post-recall Mavic R-Sys front wheel. Who says blonds have more fun?
Jeff at All-City's stokometer is off the charts right now with his new production model Big Block track end. Lookin good man! Let's see the rest of them pics dude.
This story seems to be repeating itself quit frequently. If drivers knew they could face a prison sentence for assault with a deadly weapon, maybe they'd think twice about using their car to attack cyclists. A friend of mine had a driver chase after him with his SUV and when he went to get onto the pedestrian path, the driver DROVE UP THE PATH after him. Cops eventually came out and the driver claimed my friend had hit his car, damaging it. Which was false. The cops took the driver's side and issued my friend a ticket for fleeing the scene.
Rewind a bit; the driver DROVE up the pedestrian path to block my friend's path. The safety zone for pedestrians in this city. What should the NYPD do to drivers engaging in this behavior?
My answer: BURN EM.
OctoPIST-n-SKquID entered the NACCC Chrome artist bag contest. Here are their entries, be sure to check them out. I'm blown away. Such talent. Really awesome man!
KEEP YA HEAD UP!
After months of working on this urban-renewal project, the City of NYC has opened High Line Park to the public. Really amazing use of the old elevated subway line. It seems like a long long time ago that Diller Scofidio + Renfro won the design competition. But it's finally open!
If you're unfamiliar with the project, head over to theHighline.org site. Attached are a few details I really love and one of the winning design renderings.
Coverage via Inhabitat
So I watched Bootleg Sessions 3 last night and I have to say, I'm impressed. The caliber of riding has increased ten fold. Everyone's moving faster and even the 'new jacks' who only started riding within the last few months are really picking up steam.
It had a fun and spontaneous feel to it and along with some new faces, the old heads were back at it full steam. Even Killa Kyle from Tracko made a cameo! It's always refreshing to see Sam Miller ride and Tom LaMarche has what I'm calling the longest nose mannie on a fixed gear to date in his section!
I'm also super impressed with the editing and super stoked to see 4 come out next year!
Get your copy here NOW and check out the winners for the pre-order contest!
And the Bootleg Sessions v.3 pre-order prize winners are...
Profile Racing Hubs - Jorge Herrera
Milwaukee MKE Bruiser Fork - Kevin Phomma
Velocity Rims from TrickTrack.org - David Miyachi
Mishka Pack - Jonas Fridolfsson
3Bancho Pack - Kristopher Kanaly
Sup Clothing pack - Telford Crisco
Very Masa cap - Alexander Osuna
So there you go. To the winners, you will be contacted soon. Congrats!
Check out this sprint series race that's going on in Munich on the 13th. 1st Bavarian Sprints!
Head to Cheese on Wheels for more information.
Looks like Ted's keeping busy. He's just rolled out a new bike for Poppy. Check out her blog post here.
Via Juliet's blog.
Previously:
FGLDN & 14 Bike Co Frame by Ted James
When you get the new COG Magazine, check out Ed Glazar's new handy work! No picture can ever capture the Brooklyn Banks properly, but Ed does a good job at it.
Brooklyn Machine Works just relaunched their website. Big improvement with lots of white space and accurate geometry specs. They also have the 50cm frame on the site now.
Lookin good guys!
My boys at OPEN in Boston are doin' big thangs. I'm beyond stoked for these guys, who have built their shop from the ground up and in the short time they've been OPEN, they're growing exponentially!
Check out this update from Zack
We are super stoked to share that we have formed a relationship with Freeman Transport, and are currently stocking soft-goods and very shortly, frames. As of now, we are the only shop formally working with them, which will yield some interesting projects down the road...
As well, our relationship with Traitor Cycles has been going great - there are a decent number of them moving around Boston, and Joe @ Traitor is a great dude to work with! We have a killer project with them in the works...
We're also stoked to announce that we are working with three of the most exciting young frame builders in the Northeast who happen to represent the various methods of steel construction quite well - Icarus (Fillet Brazed), Geekhouse (TIG Welded) and Royal H Cycles (Lugged). As the exclusive dealer of these three bright and innovative builders, we work with clients thought the entire process of designing their dream bikes, from in-depth fittings to component specification. By mid-next week, we will have frames from each of them in the shop for sale.
If you're in the NYC area, head on over to Dave's Quality Meat to learn how you can win this Brooklyn Machine Works Gangsta Track. The entry fee? One LIVESTRONG bracelet!
Information here!
Previously:
Nike Air Zoom Tiempo Cycling Sneaker pt. 1
Bootleg Sessions v.3 has dropped from Ride/Relax Productions on Vimeo.
Bootleg Sessions is now shipping!
Yes. Burd is actually rolling!
14 Bike Co. from ODGE WONG on Vimeo.
Back in March I posted a picture from a 16mm video shoot with Super Ted. If you recall, it was a nasty wall ride. I know I was looking forward to the video and now here it is, almost 4 months later. Seems as though the video is promoting the new Shop 14!
Really dig it though, very different from the run-of-the-mill web edits. Now go scramble for some 16mm cameras kids, you know you want to!
Previously:
Super Ted in 16mm
Don't miss it! Trust me, last year was epic. Expect a ton of fun!
And while you're at it, head over to the Bicycle Film Festival's website to check out the schedule for your city! NYC, you better BUY YOUR TICKETS!
This past weekend Doug D from Hardcourt Bike Polo rolled out to this monster gap I've been eying for months with me. It's a pretty decent distance to travel with only about a 14-inch elevation drop over the 11-feet of distance required. On top of that, you have to clear the edge of the second loading dock or your wheels are proper fucked. Here's a better picture of the gap itself.
Drew at Milwaukee used it for the Bruiser page on the Milwaukee site.
Thanks to Doug and the Empire crew for capturing it!
Keep watch for the video when Empire drops!
Kyle at Tracko posted images of the a new project that Nike is working on with fixed gear cyclists world wide a bit back. More recently, Kyle at DQM was kind enough to get Nike to hook me up with a pair of the shoes. My initial thoughts on them are; ABOUT TIME!
The shoe's insole rests on a hard, almost rigid material similar to chipboard, which stiffens them up considerably. Pairing that with a high-density outsole and a new insole, the City Tiempo is one of the stiffest sneakers I've worn. Here's a shot of the shoes on, sans high socks.
It has a deep heel which holds your feet just right, giving you support and reducing annoying rubbing.
The long indoor soccer like tongue can be tucked into the laces, or left out.
Expect a full review after I put some miles in them and remember, 100% of the profits generated from the LIVESTRONG collection goes directly to the Lance Armstrong Foundation!
DavesQualityMeat is also raffling off a Brooklyn Machine Works Gangsta track right now with ever purchase of a LIVESTRONG bracelet.
Previously:
Reappropriation: Shoes
Matt Lingo is a photographer living and working in LA. He's spent a lot of time documenting the local fixed gear scene in San Diego and has just compiled and finished a book entitled This City Can't Swallow Me.
Here's his description of the project:
"A fixed gear bicycle is a bike with a cog that doesn't have a freewheel mechanism meaning as long as the back wheel is moving, the pedals are moving. Although traditionally used strictly on a velodrome track, more and more riders are choosing these brakeless bikes for use on the road. They have a unique style of riding through traffic that I've tried to capture in this body of work."
Head over and check out some of his shots here! and keep watch on his blog here.
Voise Productions is a new film project outta Vallejo California. Click on the image above to see their mission statement and check out one of their clips below.
オ ンセイcotm2 from Voise on Vimeo.
Lookin good guys! Keep it up.
Outlier just announced their pre-order for their Summer Shorts. I was over at their place the other day and saw them in person. Very legit. Cinch straps, so no need for a belt. A carabiner loop for your keys, a ulock will fit in the pocket and won't pull them down. Really nicely made with details that will last.
Once we had the first sample made, it clicked immediately, these fabrics would make killer swimsuits too. And then we knew what had to happen, we were going to make sure these shorts would double as a swim trunks and all we needed to do was figure out how to make everything dry fast enough. Our core fabrics are quick drying already, but we needed to work on the pocketing. It took some trial and error but we tracked down some amazing woven supplex, and it was on. We had a pair of shorts that not only looked and felt great, but they dried out faster than our old swim trunks.
Read up here about the pre-order and you'll also find more pictures.
Brooklyn Machine Works is in Jeff Staple's newest endeavor, Reed Pages.
Check out the entire issue here online.
Not bad! Bianchi is never afraid to address market shifts. I saw something similar at Interbike this year sans color coordination. The Pista Via Brera addresses the city fixed crowd's desire for a traditional steel townie-influenced fixed gear. All it needs is a fork with a proper crown and a front basket or rack. Maybe a bell too. As always, the guys over at Urban Velo are on top of the game with some more information on the new Bianch Pista Via Brera.
I have to thank my dear friend Joel, aka Lamour Supreme, for this belated birthday present. When he said "I have something for you", I suspected it'd be some limited edition toy he splooged on worth millions in Japan. When I saw him 2 weeks ago, he brought out a portfolio and handed me a piece of paper.
It's the original Demon On A Track drawing!!!!
I just got a frame for it and am beyond stoked. This is the best birthday present anyone's ever given me. So bad ass man!
THANK YOU!
Finalllllly got this bad rainbow boy completed. Still dialing it in and getting the fit just right, so I can't really give a good report about how it rides.
Definitely not stoked on the tires either, but they'll have to do. Eventually I'd like to put a basket on the front and maybe a longer stem. Or hell, even drops!
Build list:
-61cm Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra SLX New frameset
-Nuovo Record: Headset, front and rear derailleurs, brake calipers, levers and pantographed downtube shifters
-Nuovo Record hubs 36h to Mavic MA4 rims.
-Superleggera Pedals, Cinelli clips and Cinelli straps
-Super Record: non-fluted cranks, pantographed rings and bottom bracket.
-Corsa Record (I know I know...) seatpost
-Concor saddle
-Cinelli 1a Panto'd stem
-Cinelli Priest bars
Previously:
Belgian Beauty
COG magazine is giving away three custom laser engraved Brooks Swallow to the winning team of their first annual COG invitational bike polo tournament.
It's this weekend!!! June 5-7 in Milwaukee, WI USA
Why is it that everyone COG does is so dialed? Must be a Milwaukee thing!
Beautiful!
Biggest of big ups to Bike Jerks and Freeman Transport for this trailer of the forthcoming Stupor Bowl movie. Where will you be able to see this gem? NYC of course! At the Bicycle Film Festival!
So get your tickets and get amped!
DEATH PEDAL ATX Premier and Grand Opening of Fast Folks Cyclery from John Rensho on Vimeo.
More and more videos keep coming outta the wood work. This comes from the Third Coast! Puckett's got a nice line in the Trick Comp section, so be sure to watch it all.
The Austin Texas Death Pedal premier. Great job Dan. Thanks for the heads up.
Previously:
Velo Cult Shop Check
Death Pedal Paris pt. Deux
Death Pedal Life of Tom
Long Beach Death Pedal Premier
Death Pedal Paris!
Death Pedal X FRSH
Death Pedal pt. 2
Death Pedal
Look at all that previous coverage. Kareem's been busy!
Juliet Elliott - A stop-frame film from Charge Bikes on Vimeo.
Nick from Charge just sent me this new video featuring everyone's favorite fixed gear hesher chick, Juliet. Very cool project. Jose Martinez has been doing this a lot lately too. Multi-sequenced pictures brought in as a movie.
Lookin good as always!
Superb Bicycle is the new face of Cambridge Bicycle. If you're in the area, swing through! It's been a 2-year-old face-lift in the making. Expect their new urban biking boutique to be open shortly.
NO CASSETTES DONALD ARRODONDO from FonsecaFilms on Vimeo.
Look out for one last trailer before the final No Cassettes film drops in 3 weeks.
Previously:
No Cassettes and Tom Mosher
Nice Line from Fonseca Films
New Fonseca Edit
No Cassettes Mix Tape
This past weekend was Shiokaze 09, the fixed gear weekend in Japan. If you do a quick search on Flickr, you can find 100's of pictures, but I liked this one of Fixika from Starf*ckers the best...
I know it's already been posted everywhere, but there's something I want to emphasize here...
Look, everyone is into this new cool thing called fixed gears and it seems like in the past few months, we're seeing more and more people express their love for it in various ways. Some people blog, some photograph, some videotape, some write articles, some build, some create and some market. It's really great and we need to support this! Hell, if you have an idea, run with it!
This project is the by-product of real man hours. That man is "Super" Ted James. I've yet to meet Ted, but one day I'd hope to. As always, I extend a welcoming hand to NYC anytime Ted!
14 Bike Co is a recently opened shop in London. Super Ted is building 14 bikes for the shops 14 riders. Those chain gang guys and gals are slowly receiving their frames at the mo' [how's that for vernacular slang?] and even though that's not the final fork [in fact, that's an aftermarket fork], Ted's busy designing and cranking away at these bikes. You can see more pictures here and follow their updates here, at their blog.
Ted, FGLDN and 14 Bike Co, I commend you. GREAT JOB!
Velo Cult Shop Check by Kareem Shehab from Killa Kareem on Vimeo.
Kareem from Death Pedal did a bike shop check for Velo Cult in San Diego. We seriously need more of these. It's great to see new shops opening up across the world and documenting their roots and rise is always something I'll support. Great job man! Keep them coming!
Also be sure to pre-order Death Pedal here for $20 bones!
I can't believe I've gone through with it, but I am now twittering. Follow me here to keep up on what's going on in NYC!
They're in stock and ready to go!
Wish I had a beer right about now...
Previously:
Milwaukee Bar Ends
In 4 hours, the collaborative effort between Adidas and Hypebeast will be released to the Hypebeast online store. Only 100 pairs were made: 50 went to friends and family and the other 50 are to be sold online. I was lucky enough to have Hypebeast send me a pair and have been riding in them for a bit now. What I can say about the shoe is that they fit better than most Adidas shoes I've tried on recently.
In my recent quest for a stiffer outsole / insole, I've tried on a ton of sneakers. Most of the Adidas that I tried on were super wide at the heel and ankle, while being too narrow at the toebox. These actually fit consistently. They fit into toeclips rather easily and have reflective accents all over. The laces tuck inside a flap on the tongue to avoid being snagged by your drivetrain. Some improvements I've suggested to Adidas is to stiffen the sole. As of now, it's a pretty grippy surface that holds well on platforms and track pedals, it just needs to be a bit stiffer to make longer rides comfortable.
Even though Hypebeast and Solebox have said they aren't cyclists, these shoes are a good first attempt at branding an Adidas shoe into the fixed gear market.
Previously:
Zeitfrei Inaugural Release Information
The Complete Ride Bike Preview
Complete Ride Zeitfrei Preview
The Complete Ride
This looks like a ton of fun. Harry organized a day-long bike swap called the Brooklyn Bike Jumble. It's this Sunday, so be sure to head out and hang out!
Information below:
On May 31st, JJ Byrne Park and the Old Stone House will host the 1st Brooklyn Bicycle Jumble, New York's only outdoor bicycle flea market and celebration of New York City bike culture.
At this one-day-only-event, private, non-professional vendors will be on hand to sell bicycles, bicycle components, and clothing to the public.
If you're looking for kid's bikes, cruisers, BMX, mountain, racers, fixed gears, or any wheeled, pedal-powered machine, or any part for one, come to the Brooklyn Bicycle Jumble.
Human Traffic x Shoe Biz SF x Onitsuka Collaboration. from Human Traffic Productions on Vimeo.
Human Traffic is proud to present an all new shoe. The shoe is a collaberation with San Francicso's own Shoe Biz, and Onitsuka Tiger. The shoe is based on the ‘66 Mexico, which features a series of notable features as it situates itself as a reflective, all-vegan shoe for fixed gear riders. The initial look includes a mesh overlay with 3M underneath on the typically sleek ‘66 Mexico style. Stay tuned for more details on availability.
For more information on the collaberative shoe, visit:
ShoeBizSF.com
To learn more on Human Traffic, an our coming film, visit:
HumanTrafficSF.com
Previously:
Human Traffic x Shoe Biz x Onitsuka Tiger
BMX company, the Take have just introduced a new street fixed gear marketed towards the 'freestyle' crowd. Not bad looking. It's gusseted and has an over-sized downtube. They're a little self-conscious about the brake bridge, but I don't mind it. I do think the track ends and rear triangle are a little too thin. Beef that sucker up. Anyway, what's the geometry guys?
Via Tracko
Attention all NYC heads! Come out on Friday night for Midnight Keirin Club.
RULES:
(1) Track bikes only, no brakes. GOOD working mechanical order. THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS! In the past, poorly maintained bikes have resulted in concussions ahem. you know who you are
(2) Helmets STRONGLY suggested. Not mandatory, but seriously, if you are going all out this is something you should think about.
(3) YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU. Your conduct affects your safety, the safety of other racers and the overall enjoyability of the event. Respect that.
(4) Everyone who races helps out. You want the course clear of pedestrians and fair warning of traffic, don't you? well one good turn....
(5) Cash buy in, winner takes. There will be a separate pool for each race and a secondary pool for second chance at glory aka repechage.
There will be two races this Friday. (1) Miss and Out (2) 200m drag.
Each race is $5. Buy back in is $2. Please come correct, no whining. If you aint got $5 to stake, then you need to be delivering some burgers, not hanging out.
There are no sponsors. This is a strictly From the Street, For the Street type event.
Location - check comments tomorrow at 7pm!
This is definitely one of the best seasons Brooklyn-based 'streetwear company' Mishka has produced to date. I fucking love the Roper and French shirts and the plaids look on point too. Not to mention my homie Lamour Supreme's Swamp Thing-influenced Bear Mop! Their summer line is available now, so head over and check it out!
Can't wait to see the other shirts Roper designed for them!
LISTEN TO SLEEP ALL DAY!
Alex over at Straight Chain has an update on the new 700c trick bike, the UTB by a new company called Vigore. It looks almost identical to a Gangsta track, except there's a brake bridge on the fork. The welds look very beefy and smooth and overall, the bike looks like a tank!
Head over to see the rest of the pics.
Thirdcoastfixed.com will be launching shortly. Be sure to catch it when it does. Video is pretty good. Some fixed first timers in there. Fakie bar hop to slider is the banger and it's in the first 10 seconds!
If ya gotta ask where the Third Coast is, YA SLEEPIN!
It's up! A huge noticeable difference too. The rear end is shorter [hell, I need a 1/2 link in there I think!], the standover is muuuuch better and believe it or not, I think it's lighter.
Previously:
It Glows
Bruiser Preview 2
Bruiser Preview
Awesome mural!
Keena finally up'd the remaining pics from Grand Theft Velo 3 earlier this week. Some real gems in there, so check them out here!
OPEN!
Stair and sidewalk gap to street
Ledge hop to gap
Previously:
Grand Theft Velo Via Keena pt. 1
Grand Theft Velo'd
Grand Theft Velo III
I was lucky enough to test out some of these tires via Bens Cycle and Fyxation. A few others tested them out and we all had pretty much the same things to say about them...
People are pretty opinionated about their tire of choice. Some swear by Gatorskins, others are lifelong Vittoria Rando supporters and yet, there are still multiple companies making new tires all the time. No one seems to be addressing the "trick" market though. Right now I'm pretty stoked on these for one simple reason; traction that wraps the sidewalls.
Ever ride home in the rain to be alarmed by something and when you whip into a hockey stop, your bike kicks out from under you, landing you on your ass and your bike in the street? Well, I've done it a few times and it's no fun. I've ridden in the rain multiple times on my commute on the Session tires and because of the directional tread that wraps the sidewall, it has great traction.
They also don't wear down from daily skid use. Their high TPI (120TPI) and Kevlar-enforced,beefy sidewalls ensures you won't get any pinch flats as well. Not to mention, compared to other urban tires, they're pretty light.
Right now they come in a 28c, which is more like a 32c and hopefully a 38c or a 40c to follow. The pricepoint is right up there with other premium tires, which is to be expected. I can be honest though, they have lasted weeks longer than other tires I've ridden recently. They don't loosen up or weaken after weeks of riding like others do. I went through 2 Randos in the time a Sessions tire lasted on the rear wheel.
Keep watch on the Bens Blog for more updates!
Justin from Human Traffic just gave me a heads up regarding a forthcoming collaboration between Onitsuka Tiger, Shoe Biz and his film project, Human Traffic.
Here are his own words!
Our family Shoe Biz is in the midst of launching a collaboration with Onitsuka Tiger. The shoe based on the ‘66 Mexico features a series of notable features as it situates itself as a reflective, all-vegan shoe for fixed gear riders. The initial look includes a mesh overlay with 3M underneath on the typically sleek ‘66 Mexico style.
Stay tuned for a web edit for the all new exclusive, Onitsuka Tiger, Mexico 66', which will be features Riders from "Human Traffic" and a sneak peak into what what "Human Traffic" has in-store. Expect to see us rockin' these joints when they drop, June 1st, Exclusively at ShoeBizSF.
No, not Metallica, Metallico!
Rounded-end drop bars for your track bikes. Pretty nice. Not sure about US distro or shipping, but you can head over and check out the site and see for yourself.
The combination of the stem and the bars on this Nagasawa are sexy as hell. Good job!
Mishka Memorial Day Weekend Sale Extravaganza! 35-50% Off!
With Summer right around the corner we're making way for new stock, higher temperatures and longer days.
Starting today, Friday, May 22nd and going all weekend through Monday both online and at our 350 Broadway location we'll be offering 35%-50% off a wide selection of merchandise. Hats, Jackets, Tees, Hoodies and most things in-between will be marked down as we make way for summer. We'll be re-stocking previously out of stock product as well so if you missed out the first time around this may be your last chance to pick up that shirt or hat you couldn't get your hands on.
As an added incentive, customers shopping at our 350 Broadway location who spend 75.00 will get a free pair of socks and customers spending 150.00 or more will receive a free Mishka pillow of our choice. This is for in-store customers only, while supplies last.
In addition, this Friday those of you who come by the store will get first crack at our Summer '09 line already in-store!
Be sure to follow us on Twitter as we'll also be announcing 1-day discount codes and specials in addition to the already marked down prices to our followers for the duration of the sale!
So fire up the BBQ and get ready as this weekend will be long, but the dog days will be way longer! See you this weekend!
Мишка
350 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
Friday & Saturday: 12-8pm
Sunday: 12-6pm
Monday: 12-7pm
J/M/Z to Marcy Ave.
G to Broadway
L to Lorimer
Riding in Circle has a new website. Their blog is live, as is their store where you can purchase tshirts and bikes.
Check out these frames!
43-year-old Graeme Obree is planning on regaining his previous hour-record. Amazing. If you aren't aware of Obree's previous UCI-scorning career, make sure to rent the Flying Scottsman. It'll give you the run down and complete history of his cycling career.
This bike fucking rules too. Reynolds 653 not fucking carbon fiber. I've always said, it'd be so rad if professional cyclists got up on some nostalgia and rode steel frames. I'm rooting for ya man!
Via Bikeradar
Straight from the brewer's mouth...
Available at the end of June...
Bruiser Fork AM - Aftermarket
$154.99
4130 Heat Treated Chromoly
Weight - 1300g w/300mm Steerer
1-1/8" One-Piece Fully CNC'd Steerer
990 Brake Mounts with Removable Studs (plugs included when not using studs)
400mm Axle to Crown
32mm Rake
6mm Dropouts
Stainless Beer Mug Badge
Black ED Coated Inside and Out for Full Rust Proofing
Your Choice of Solid Color (excluding pearl coats or metalflake)
Lifetime Warranty
We do it proper!
My good friend and the person I've bought a few bikes from, Sasha is selling his Guerciotti GPS7200 Pista "project" and parts. He got this frame years ago. Recently, the frame had top and down tubes replaced and the frame and fork aligned by Bilenky in Philadelphia. Frame is 58cm ctt, 57.5cm c-c top tube.
Believe me, if it were a tad bigger, I would have bought it by now. All it needs is a strip / paint job and it's ready to roll. Beautiful project. The pantographed stem and chainring is worth over $200 alone.
He wants $620 for NYC locals, or $650 shipped within the continental US.
If you're interested, email me and I'll connect you.
Jeff at All-City just wrote up a good review on their forthcoming track frame, the Big Block. Head over to the All-City blog to check it out.
Oh yeah and how about some white cranks?
I think The Chosen Few says it best...
The time has come
All the chosen time to put down your bongs
Take up a knife end all life
Legalize drugs and murder
Satanas Luciferus we pledge these souls to you
Now Satans slaves, your lives weren't saved
Die now in the shadow of the pentagram
Or, snap backs might be more your steez. Coming soon!
Check the Zlog Boutique!
And make sure to check out Future Tense.
Griffin Studio has a new project in the works with Charge Bikes. Keep Watch for a release in August!
Previously:
Griffin Messenger Bag
Arik Roper, the man behind the some of the album artwork of Sleep, High on Fire, Earth and others has a new book out called Mushroom Magick. I missed the opening party last Friday, which I'm bummed about, but the book is now available!
Roper also did a recent collaboration with Mishka, which will be available shortly!
WORLD FAMOUS!
Tony and Tom's Eurotrip is covered in the new issue of Fixed Mag! Some amazing shots and sequences in it. Including the proper way to bar hop a fixed gear; catch it in the air!
Check out the whole issue online here for free!
Tony, heal up buddy!
If you're into doing tricks on your fixed gears and live in London, make sure to meet up with the Trixie guys and gals every week. It's every Tuesday in Spitalfields, East London. If anyone wants to find out more details check www.londonfgss.com. For coverage of this event, be sure to check out4416!
Here's a pic of Ric doing a nose mannie.
Photo by Farid Tejani of Creative Exposures.
Previously:
4416
Ok, this is why a small, local company with a direct link to manufacturing makes sense. Outlier has heard your cries for a skinny cut pant and here it is!
Different body types need different clothing, and at Outlier, they are out to make clothing that fits all sorts of cyclists shapes.
The OUTLIER Climber pants are a full on reengineering of slim cut pants for a cyclists world. The innovative vertical yoke removes most of the traditional stress points that cycling generates in a garment, allowing for a free range of movement. The curved waistband is higher in the back to keep certain areas hidden and lower in the front to allow you to lean forward and ride in comfort. The spread back pockets are easy to access and positioned so you don't sit on them while riding. Cut slim for comfort, form and aesthetics.
Made with Outlier's 4Season Lotus fabric, these pants have four-way stretch which allow full movement on and off the bike. Quick drying, breathable, water and grease resistant to keep you crisp and comfortable in any situation. Made in New York City and available in Black and Slate Gray at www.outlier.cc for $180.
Here's the new Bruiser prototype, prior to the head badge being polished.
My new frame just got coated with a special material used to coat knives. I believe it's similar to the Tungsten DLC coating. The whole frame is coated, inside and out! In durability tests, the coating has outlived the knife itself. Pretty burly shit!
Should be here next week and the productions models shortly after!
This is what I'm talking about. Spot looks legit as hell. Man, I gotta make it out to SF soon.
Cyclezine.net has a great review on the new shop co-owned by Sarah Murder and Ian English, two notable cycling figures in the SF area. It shares the block with Mission skateboards which influences some of their stock. Aside from the obvious bike stock, the shop is littered with old-school bmx bits, skate parts, dvds, shoes and other things for you to drool over.
Thanks for the write-up and pics man!
Hypebeast sent me some new information on their collaborative efforts between themselves, Solebox, Adidas and Bianchi. Read up below!
To help usher in their all-new cycling-inspired footwear offering, the Zeitfrei, leading sportswear company Adidas has aligned itself with two well-known entities in the sneaker and street culture realm. Men's centric streetwear and fashioned-based website Hypebeast and popular Berlin-based sneaker boutique Solebox have both been brought on board to each design their very own version of the Zeitfrei. The shoes, which will debut later this month, include an added bonus with the inclusion of exclusive one-off complete show bikes on behalf of famed Italian bike company Bianchi, that match the aesthetics of each respective Zeitfrei design.
From a technical standpoint, the Zeitfrei features low-profile construction. Various technical elements have been incorporated into the shoe's design knowing full well the necessary traits that riders require every time they set out into the streets. The shoe's perforated upper allows for ventilation in addition to having a reflective layer beneath to allow for a minimalistic and subdued yet functional design, which can offer performance properties when required. The same reflective material is also seen ever so slightly hidden via mesh on the heel. Additional reflective materials are seen on the embossed heel logo and as a stripe around the foxing band. The laces can be neatly and safely tucked away into a neoprene pocket which also houses the logos for both Hypebeast and Solebox. In this particular release, the suede tongue features a laser-etched number to denote the shoe's particular place among the 100 total pairs produced. The outsole features two distinct treads while the forefoot design allows for improved pedal feel and grip. Rounding out the innovation is a design which offers the conventional look of vulcanized construction with the added rigidity and comfort of a cupsole. The relatively stiffer outsole of the Zeitfrei offers a good compromise between performance and everyday comfort and wearability.
With each partner releasing their own final product exclusively through their own mediums, the shoes will begin their release over a one week period starting on Saturday, May 23rd at Solebox (in-store only). Hypebeast (online only) will launch their version the following week on Friday, May 29th at http://store.hypebeast.com. As an added bonus, Solebox has included an SKS Solebox Air Champ Pro Air Pump with the sale of each pair of shoes. Hypebeast and their retail package includes a cycling cap, Cordura messenger bag and a carry-all sling bag. Only 50 pairs will be available for retail with another 50 pairs being sent to friends & family.
The special one of a kind Bianchi bicycles will be made available for showing throughout Bianchi outlets following the sale of the shoes. At the conclusion of the tour, the bikes will be auctioned off for charity.
Solebox x adidas "The Complete Ride" Zeitfrei Release Information
Date: Saturday, May 23rd, 2009
Time: 12:00 pm CEST
Location: Nuernberger Strasse 16, 10789 Berlin, DE
Price: €110 EUR
Sizes: US 8 - US 12 (full sizes only)
Includes: SKS Solebox Air Champ Pro Air Pump
Hypebeast x adidas "The Complete Ride" Zeitfrei Release Information
Date: Friday, May 29th, 2009
Time: 2 pm NYC | 11 am LA | 7 pm London | 8 pm Berlin | 2 am Hong Kong (Saturday the 30th)
Location: http://store.hypebeast.com
Price: $198 USD
Sizes: US 6.5, US 7 - US 12 (full sizes only)
Includes: Cycling Cap, Cordura Messenger Bag, Canvas Carry-All Bag
Once my pair of Adidas gets in the mail, I'll be doing a review on them for everyone. Looks like a promising project and the bikes look well thought out and built properly.
Previously:
The Complete Ride Bike Preview
Complete Ride Zeitfrei Preview
The Complete Ride
Alex, in his Quest for G left for LA on Sunday to begin the program. Just in time for his departure, the Affinity crew hooked him up with their Kissena track frame. The aluminum track bike is a perfect track machine and suitable for street use as well.
They previewed the frame at Interbike this past year and it will be available for pre-order shortly! More details to follow through their site and I'll also post the updates. No idea on pricing at the moment, so keep watch.
If I'm not mistaken, the size shown is a large.
Previously:
Interbike 2000Hate
Freeman Transport's got a new project on the horizon. Entitled the Gravel Racer, this single speed touring bike comes in two models, the basic and the delux. The patinae on the fork is amazing. It looks like copper, but they used gun bluing and ferric browns to achieve the same rich coloration.
You can also purchase the waxed canvas and leather saddle bag for $75 from Freeman directly.
Text via Freeman Transport:
Nathaniel’s great-great-grandfather was an inventor during the Industrial Revolution. His contributions include many but perhaps his most controversial – the sites for the Colt .45.
In his honor we've built a bicycle with a finish similar to that gun, richly patinaed with gun bluing and ferric browns, sealed with tree wax and ready to age. It comes with or without couplings, stainless steel lugged rack, chain guard and fenders, and can be built fixed or coaster braked and is perfect for commuting or general transport.
Head over to Arkitip to see more shots of this beauty.
Wow. You've gotta be kidding. 37 riders? Incredible! And to think it all started only 2 years ago.
Tyler Johnson - Seattle
Yama - Osaka
Yu - Osaka
Kango - Osaka
Mike Carney - Mpls
Anthony Veblen - Mpls
Bob Garzon - Mpls
Bradley Kayne - Mpls
Jeff Frane - Mpls
Jesse Hilliard - Mpls
Burd Phillips - Indpls
Shawn Wolf - Indpls
Kyle Kelley - L.A. (filmed in Indpls)
Tom Mosher - Toronto
Chris Clappe - Seattle
Zach Hoffner - Seattle
Andrew Allender - Seattle
Tanner Monmaney - Honolulu
Justin Taylor - San Marcos, TX
Sam Miller - Vancouver
Sam Allgood - Salt Lake City
Tony Fast - Philly
John Prolly Watson - NYC
Tom LaMarche - Philly
Dre Reyes - Singapore
Oscar Khan - London
Chris Celia - London
Gus Mallet - London
Juliet Elliot - London
Mikey Meek - London
Andy Ellis - London
Odge Wong - London
Ted James - London
Jason Smith - Bloomington, IN
Jeremiah Jones - NYC
Chris Wielk - NYC
Nate Gogol - NYC
via the Bootleg Blog
Outlier does it again. Read up on their newly released Tropical Wool Cap.
Earlier this spring, biking on the edges of Brooklyn we stumbled on an incredible stash of surplus tropical wool suiting. Never ones to let things go to waste, we snatched it up and turned it into the OUTLIER Tropical Wool Caps. Tropical wools are nothing like the heavy ichy stuff you think of when you think wool. These are the same fabrics that you'll find in a $3000 summer suit and they make for a midweight cap with a fantastic look, fit and feel. Lets hope we can keep finding more of this stuff!
The OUTLIER Tropical Wool Cap is made in collaboration with our friend and master milliner Victor Osborne and designed with the highest attention to detail. We started with Italian tropical wool suiting, known as the finest cloth in the world and graded in terms of a Super number. The higher the number, the finer the wool. These caps are all made from Super 80s or better, which means they will have similar performance qualities to our premium merinos. Perfect for riding across town and still looking refined and sophisticated on your next date.
The Super 80s are available in black and navy for $75.
The Highgrades are available in a dark blue nailhead and a light gray/blue for $90.
Fit wise, a small is 21.5 inches naturally and stretches to 22.5. A medium is 22.5 inches naturally and stretches to 23.5. A large is 23.5 inches naturally and stretches to 24.5. A traditional look with a modified four panel construction, fully lined and made in New York City for style and quality.
As a continuation of the previews for their new collaboration entitled, "The Complete Ride", Hypebeast has released more information today.
Looks like they're doing collaboration bikes with Bianchi. A D2 Pista and a Bianchi Pista have been matched to the colorways of the sneakers Solebox and Hypebeast worked on with Adidas.
Here's the information from Hypebeast's post:
With the previews of the Hypebeast | Solebox x adidas “The Complete Ride” Zeitfrei behind us, here’s the final piece to the project which ties together the whole Zeitfrei concept as Bianchi participates with two special offerings. Both bikes are inspired by their respective sneaker colorways as well as taking different routes in execution. The Solebox version based on the Bianchi CroMo steel Pista (which resembles the company’s 2010 flathandle Pista offering) is of a more timeless nature while the Hypebeast version is based on the Pista butted Aluminum frame and features modern and contemporary design with a more performance driven aesthetic. Following the completion of “The Complete Ride” project, they will be showcased through various Bianchi mediums before ultimately being auctioned off for charity.
Solebox x adidas x Bianchi
Frame: Bianchi Pista butted CroMo steel
Fork: Bianchi butted CroMo steel
Stem: RC Alloy
Handlebars : RC Flat Alloy 540mm
Crankset: Truativ Touro track 48 t.
Chain: KMC Z610H Red
Sprocket: 16 t.
Wheels: Alex track Solo
Tires: Maxxis
Seatpost: RC Alloy
Saddle: San Marco
Pedals: MKS Track with clips
Hypebeast x adidas x Bianchi
Frame: Bianchi Pista butted Aluminium
Fork: Oval carbon
Stem: RC Alloy
Handlebars: RC Carbon drop bar
Crankset: FSA Carbon Track 49 t.
Chain: KMC Z610H Silver
Sprocket: 16 t.
Wheels: Vision Track Carbon
Tires: Vittoria Pista
Seatpost: RC Carbon
Saddle: Fizik Aliante
Pedals: MKS Track with clips and straps
Previously:
Complete Ride Zeitfrei Preview
The Complete Ride
Be sure to keep watch on the GOrilla blog for more updates as ya boy travels through the EU shredding his new GOrilla frame!
Big ups man!
If you're free from June 25th through August 21st, love touring and are aching to ride from NYC to LA, then this is for you! The Bicycle Film Festival and 42 Below Vodka are seeking 42 cyclists to do just that!
Oh yeah, read the fine print at the bottom... Getting paid to ride your bike for two months. Sounds awesome.
I got an email from the guys at Skitch regarding the cancellation of the Revival tour. Read up below:
Due to many unforeseen circumstances we have had to make the difficult decision of canceling this months Revival tour. We would like to stress that this does not mean in any way that we are canceling the video. Production will still continue and it is still our goal to put out one of the best fixed gear dvd’s of all time.
Logistical issues with a few people who were scheduled to participate forced the cancelation of the tour. We felt that it would jeopardize the quality of the final product if we attempted the tour with so few people as well as committing to the originally slated July release date.
The release date will be pushed back but in its place we are hoping to release a precursor to the official Revival film, entitled The Revival Presents: Keep on Keepin’ On, which will feature west coast riders from both Vancouver and Seattle. The release date has not been set in stone for this short either but we are looking at late summer or early fall possibilities.
To anyone who was planning to come out and ride with us while we were in your city we apologize, we’ll just have to catch you next time. We would also like to thank everyone who has been supporting the Revival and watched the trailer; this video will be for all of you.
The Revival
Guys, if you wanna still roll though NYC sometime this summer, may I suggest coming for the Bicycle Film Festival?
This weekend brings the 5th-annual Bicycle Fetish Day. Last year was a great time and my fingers are crossed that the weather will hold out.
The City Reliquary Museum & Civic Organization is proud to present
The 5th Annual Bicycle Fetish Day
This Saturday, May 9th 2009 from 12-6PM
On Havemeyer St. Btw. Grand St. & Metropolitan Ave.
In Williamsburgh, Brooklyn, NYC
If you're coming from the City, here's the location. It's in the middle of Williamsburg on one of the most scenic blocks in the area.
Previously;
Bicycle Fetish Day 4
Looks like an awesome time. A ton of events, sponsors and hopefully a bunch of kids will show up. Fonseca will also be previewing the "No Cassettes" video.
Rumble in the Jungle Alley Cat Race Pre Show Video/No Cassettes Sneak Peak from FonsecaFilms on Vimeo.
Previously:
Film-maker Being Filmed
No Cassettes and Tom Mosher
Nice Line from Fonseca Films
New Fonseca Edit
Broakland Tradeshow Edit
No Cassettes Mix Tape
I'm sure everyone knows the Giro D' Italia begins in less than 8 hours. Who's playing hookie tomorrow to eat a bagel, drink a coffee and watch the team time trial?
Not me. Oh well...
Check out the latest posting over at Metal Inquisition for the greatest cross-cultural analogy ever! Well done chaps, well done.
44:16 is the gearing I ride on my Milwaukee Bruiser and it's a pretty good city gear. 4416 is a new blog hailing from the UK. Focusing on bicycle adventures and design, their site is attempting to add another perspective on the UK's cycling scene.
Keep Watch on their updates of local events and events to follow.
A new user-submitted bicycle gallery website has just been launched. Based in Oz, Boutique Cycles not only shows fixed gears, but also gems like this Chrome Kuwahara. Beauty!
Head on over and submit that special bike of yours.
Lookin good guys!
Good job guys!
Macaframa has re-upped their blog with a new layout, updated rider bios and a preorder page. Head over now and place your order for the limited-edition 2 disk set!
Zach from Trackstar got a date with Jennifer Love Hewitt! Well, not really, but he is in the same paper-space as her. Close enough. Maxim is known for covers showcasing young Hollywood babes in revealing clothing. Although I think technically, Zach is wearing less clothing. Or at least more revealing clothing.
Click the image to see his snuggle berries!
Via Laekhouse Via Hardcourt Bike Polo
When I saw Book of Black Earth last month, TJ and I were talking about music when he let it slip that Fenriz was doing a mixtape for Actual Pain. Well, here it is and here's a lil something from the man himself:
Fenriz, April 30th
“Every time I heard this “Total Eclipse” by Alan Parsons, I thought “I gotta use this in a mix, it’s got that perfect space Odyssey 2001 vibe, kinda like the long version of the intro to Celtic Frost’s “Into the Crypts of Rays”. It’s cold.
So I go from cold to beautiful but still lo fi sad/melancholic on the “Without Reason” track from Pegase. One of the best songs I heard last year. To tie it up to Christian Death, I needed a middle song, a bridge. and I found that in “Nowa Aleksandira” by Siekiera, like is it punk, is it new wave, is it goth…and the tempo works well with the previous Pegase track..and so comes the Romeo’s Distress, long time favourite of mine since I discovered it in the 80s, a DJ favourite of both me and Einar from INFERNÖ/BEYOND DAWN, VIRUS etc. The whole album is a scorcher.
Then since the tape should only be 30 minutes long, I needed a short link to something more metal, and after Christian Death I’d have to go with Septic Death or Rudimentary Peni, i thought. I got that rudi-track from a fellow music freak from Australia (hi Andrew) and that track is so instant. Before the behemoth of “Sight of the Wise” with Sacrilege. Everyone plays their 1st album, I usually go on about the 2nd one as the rifforama on it is priceless – it was hard to get into as a kid but that album is the gift that keeps on giving. I get totally lost in it. Then to just continue the WHAT IS IT style, i blast the first track of the Sindrome demo from 87/88, this was the vocalist of Chicago gods Devastation’s new band, and one of the most professional demos of the 80s. I’ve been playing it for 21 years straight!
So, as a weird break and link to both the eerie intro AND the organ on the before mentioned Sacrilege track, I shoot in one heavy psalm that a master DJ here in Oslo burnt me, totally obscure vinyl oldie… and it continues with the intro to the recently discovered “At the Mountains of Madness” by Blackfeather, thanks to Peter in Wolf 359 for showing me that shocker from 1971.
SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE, FENRIZ, APRIL 2009”
Download the mix here
Today kicks off Bike Month NYC. All of the events are on the May Bike Month NYC 2009 website. Make sure you catch some of the events near you!
And don't forget the 3rd Ward Green Bikes Birthday Block Party!
Now have Bootleg Sessions profiles up. Chris and Jeremiah both have improved so much in the past few months and are now on the roster for Bootleg Sessions 3.
Jeremiah briefly touches on the HOLD FAST project he's been working on. It's been awesome being a part of the process and I can't wait for it to launch!
Masssssive! Mishka keeps its stronghold over the best fucking dubstep producers with their latest Keep Watch mixtape. This time they harnessed the absolutely mind blowing power of Plastician!
BOOOOOM
Previously:
Mishka Presents Keep Watch 7
Keep Watch 6
Keep Watch 3
Jeff Underwood, owner of Continuum Cycles in the East Village has an interview up on Gothamist. Gothamist, with their typical cynical and snarky postings about cyclists was the last place I'd expect to see a bike shop and owner profiled. It's a good interview, so head over and check it out!
Urban Velo just released issue 13 online. The cover story is about Monster Track X. This paired with the usual UV content makes for a great read. Well done guys!
Remember, ask your local bike shop to carry the publication. It's free!
I actually got a few emails from people asking how the new Outlier Merino hoodies fit. Well, the Brooklyn-based company released a few pics of Austin Horse wearing one to show just that. In all honesty, especially in this freakishly early warm weather we've been having, I'm over cotton. I've been wearing merino boxers and the Outlier merino wool shirt as much as possible lately.
Wool doesn't always mean itchy, scratchy and hot. Merino breathes better than cotton and due to its wicking nature, keeps you cooler when it's hot out.
Beautiful job guys!
Previously:
Outlier Merino Wool Hoodie Preorder
Outlier Merino Wool Shirts
Sticky gloves!?
Velo City 2009 tour shirts. One for each city!
Be sure to catch it when it comes to your city.
Big ups to the guys at Cycle Hawk.... keeping it moving. One crank at a time.
Yes. Yes. YES!
We need a Velodrome in NYC. Manhattan, specifically! Please, developers, please, investors, get behind this movement!
Kissena has a ton of history, but it's not a proper track by the EU standards, much less the rest of the US. If you're wondering why I'm bringing this up again, the NYTimes ran a story on Kissena's opening day...
Pic by Gary Berger
Previously:
Bring it Back!
I personally am stoked for this shop. Henry, the guy who I bought my Corsa Extra from and his business partner Tony are opening a new shop in Park Slope May 1st. You can never have enough grass-roots support for a cycling scene in any city, much less Brooklyn. Can't wait to see it guys!
The times are tough. We all know how the economy is taking its toll on small businesses worldwide. That's not stopping Kinfolk Bicycle Co. who just launched their website and preorder site yesterday.
Check out that headbadge! Frames look great. Good job guys!
If you ride a track bike, live in NYC and have never raced at a velodrome before, this weekend's your chance! It's opening weekend at the local track. To make the trip to Kissena more manageable, the guys at Affinity have organized group rides out to Queens Saturday and Sunday.
Good lookin out guys!
Be there ON TIME. That means no late night drinking the night before!
Velocity just informed me that the Chukkers will be available in limited quantities around the end of May. Sorry to say 'limited' on a bike blog, but that's the truth!
I'm sure they'll go into full-speed production shortly after. Mine's held up great. No complaints! For what it's worth, I'm riding Profile hubs laced 4x with butted spokes. The argument with the butted spokes is that the butted ends absorb the shock, not the rim.
Again, wheel lacing arguments are as old as anything in the cycling world, but that paired with 35c and larger tires seems to hold up quit well. I weigh over 200 lbs too.
After many people asking him to reissue Bootleg Sessions 1, Burd took the initiative to do just that. You can now order your copy here!
The riding in this is still impressive, even though it's almost 2 years old. Some classic lines from the heavy-hitters of the fixed gear trick scene. Remember this?
Hell yes. I fucking love days like this. All kinds of bikes. All kinds of bike riders. Booze. Music. Games. BOOOM! On top of that, there will be more Empire clips!
Details below:
3rd Ward’s Green Bikes Birthday Block Party, May 3, 2 to 8 p, FREE admission
Good things come in threes. So on our 3rd Anniversary in Brooklyn, we announce Green Bikes! Starting in May, when you sign up for a 3rd Ward membership you get a free bike!
To celebrate we're throwing a massive block party right outside our door. We’ve taken over Stagg Street for a day filled with:
* bike competitions
* films & performances
* music videos from Moviehouse
* a photobooth
* badminton
* drinks
* BBQ
* live screen-printing
* free workshops
Live Music from The Wild Yaks, Pterodactyl, Afuche, Lam, DJ Drew Heffron and DJ Clay Franklin.
Compete in a drag race, bring a t-shirt for live screen-printing, take a workshop or just come for the fun!
This is an Official NYC Bike Month event and includes partnering organizations: Make Music New York, Moviehouse, Transportation Alternatives, NY Bike Share, Empire, Goldsprints and more.
RSVP events@3rdward.com
Ollie Magazine ran a feature on Mishka, the Milwaukee Bruiser and Me in the new issue this month. There are a bunch of other NYC riders in the issue so be sure to pick a copy up!
Previously:
Mishka in Ollie
Mishka and Empire in Ollie
My good friends Colin and Hugo were in the NY Daily News today. The article focused on their growing business, SNAP! Delivery. I've posted about them before and as of recent months, they've been getting some good press!
Head over and read the article here.
Add another 26" Rigid fork to the Market. S&M just announced their Pitchfork. 435mm blades with a 33mm rake. Obviously intended for rigid 26" bikes, but will surely be reappropriated by the 700cmx crowd. Handmade in the USA too. White or Black are the colors available.
No word on availability.
from their site:
All you MTB's out there, the call for a reliable 26" fork has been answered. Introducing 26" Pitchforks, same quality as a regular Pitchfork. Just oversized for your big ass wheels.
If you're in Minneapolis around the first of May, make sure to swing through the One on One Studio and see Stevil's gallery show. I went to see his work at Invisible last fall and it's something you outta not miss!
All you photoshop wizzes and photographers, get your cameras out and take some shots for the Swobo Intern B Photo Contest.
Photos are due on May 15th and the winner will be displayed on Guyswhocuttheirownhair on May 16th.
All the details are on the flier!
Tom Boonen of Belgium won the 2009 Paris-Robaix. The 259 km race snakes its way across slippery cobblestones and as always, there were a ton of crashes today.
If you've never seen A Sunday in Hell, make sure you watch this classic 1977 film documenting the treacherous race in 1976.
Macaframa - Fixed Gear Teaser from vas entertainment on Vimeo.
DVD out this May. Only a few weeks until I get to make an animated GIF of Nate scorpion kinging a Suburu! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
Sending this out to help Pablo!
As many of you now know, our friend Pablo is currently being detained in Richmond on bogus charges and faces possible deportation because his citizenship was never naturalized.
We have an awesome lawyer but we need money for his retainer ASAP! Benefits will follow but we need cash now so that the lawyer can start working on his case for his impending court date.
The cycling community in New York is amazing and I know that we can come together on this.
Thank you!
Tony's creation from last year's Bicycle Film Festival made it to the cover of Bootleg Sessions 3. This was one of the most epic bike piles I've seen. There are bikes from all over the US in that pile. Seattle, Indianapolis, Philly, New Mexico, SF, NYC and Toronto.
From what Burd's shown me, the BLS 3 footage looks pretty fucking remarkable.
Pic by Jose Martinez via Bootleg Sessions
Joel is the man. I met him through the NYC Fixed Gear scene after seeing his artwork everywhere. Eventually I introduced him to Mike and Greg at Mishka and since then, he's done literally oodles of projects with them. From a giant Cyco Simon head, to a Boogieman and now he's showcasing his latest design at their retail shop this Friday at 7pm.
The Mongolion has been posted here before and here's its final incarnation. Pretty impressive man!
Via the Bloglin.
If you live in Boston and have not checked out OPEN yet, get your ass over there on Saturday. Events start as early as 10am and go on till the wee hours of the morning on Sunday.
at 7pm on Saturday, the Chorus Gallery opens with work from Justin Keena on display.
9pm is the Macaframa premier
and from 10pm on is bike fun in the form of a crit, rounds of footdown and tricks.
If you don't live in Boston or can't make it to the events, you can still check out OPEN's webstore!
Laek House just printed up another batch of the "If you steal..." stickers. Head over now and get them while they last. $4 shipped internationally... or FREE with a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
Laek House
Stickers Yo
807 Willoughby Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11206
All City keeps cranking out the essentials for Urban fixed gear / track bike riders. Some words from Jeff at All City regarding his new 130 BCD Chainrings:
They come in 42, 43, 46, and 47 teeth. Are made from the same 7000 series alloy as our 612 rings, are strong as heck, and best of all cost about half of what other “messenger” rings cost. If you’ve been wanting a new ring for your 130BCD crankset but didn’t want to spend more than the arms cost for a new ring, these lovelies are the answer.
Jeff, when you guys gonna come to NYC and really go All-City?
As I mentioned before, Tony and Drew down in Philly have started a weekly trick meet up entitled the Water St. Sessions. Held in South Philly, the Water St. Sessions is very much like the Peel Sessions; it gets people together to work on tricks.
If you live in Philly, make it out. Every Thursday night 8pm Mifflin at Water St.
Chari & Co just got in the Incase Courier Collection.
I wanna check out that hip pack. If it fits my Topeak pump, I'm game!
These guys get in so much new shit, it's mind-boggling!
After all the trouble I had looking for rims that held up to the kinds of abuse we're putting on them, Velocity has answered the call.
My Deep Vs have been through hell and somehow, they're still rolling. The only problem is, they aren't wide enough for wider tires. A 35c rolls off the bead with no hesitation. Now, with the Chukker, it looks like I'll be able to run even bigger tires.
Good job guys!
Now the real test is if they'll hold up for Wonka... Every other spoke on his rear wheel has stress fractures like this, indicating rotation and pressure given on the same side. Pretty impressive. I've never seen this before. Even on mine. But then again, I'm not 180 bunnyhopping 7 stairs.
Open is opening officially on April 11th in Boston. This is a big move for Zach and Josh and Regardless of the negative connotations with 'track boutiques' in major metropolitan areas, Open Bicycle is striving to fill a niche market.
How do you shake such connotations? You open a shop that focuses on the bicycle as a form of transportation and a work of art. Make a spot where people will want to hang out and learn about bikes, not just a shop where you feel unwelcome. It's really important for a local bike scene to have a shop where you're welcome to ask questions, work on your bike and soak in some of the knowledge.
Here in Brooklyn, Affinity has filled that niche and in Boston, Open is attempting to fill the same demand.
Open is also supporting the local art scene in Boston by forming the Chorus Gallery and Superbe Design. They'll have different galley events and art openings throughout the year.
This isn't a track bike boutique. Open also carries a line of internal 2 and 3 speed townies bikes a la townie bars, fenders and coaster brakes. Need a different kind of ride in your life? Talk to the guys there and they'll help you out.
Keep Watch next week for future updates as events warrant. OPENing is April 11th!
I'm stoked for the guys. Build-out looks great.
I know this is a bit dated but is this a trick bike or TRACK bike? Who knows?...
Most companies are getting into this because it's a hot market but their bikes are prancing the line of track machine and trick machine. Geometry is a bitch to work out and as we've seen before, the tendency is to go for a parallel geometry, which makes for a horrible street and trick ride.
Which one is it? Hard to tell as of now. Subrosa has some pics up now on their site, so head over and checkem out.
Via the Come Up.
[yes I read that blog]
Well if the NYC wealthy haven't heard of Rapha before, they sure have now. The NY Times has been covering cycling a lot recently and now there's an article on cycling wear that stabs at Central Park roadies and their parade-esque kits; pointing out other, classier outfits for City bikers.
They even got a quote from Snob!
In an e-mail message, Bike Snob NYC said he was impressed with a “Fixed Jacket” that Rapha sent him to try. “It’s excellent,” he wrote. “It’s durable, the fit is good, and the pockets are in the right places.” The blogger added, “They’ve done a great job of not only evoking cycling history but also capturing a ‘soulful’ aesthetic that appeals to certain riders.” Still, he admitted: “As a cyclist, I understand it, but personally I sometimes find it off-putting. It’s a little rarefied for me ... I don’t want to feel like I need to be worthy of my clothes.”
The Fixed Jacket is indeed a nice garment. But I'll stick with this...
Milwaukee just announced their pre-order has launched for the MKE Bruiser. Make sure to read everything on the page, rather than asking questions here. Trust me, they've spelled it all out for you!
Can't wait till the new frames are in. Mine's held up lovely.
Dave Trimble's Red Hook Criterium made it to the front section of the NY Times. Read up here.
Best quote of the article:
“The cobbles got dicey,” he said. “A lot of slipping and a lot of near falls.”
We've seen the Vallie Components hubs and before that, the Level components hubs. Well, Charge bikes is now making a bolt-on cog hub. I have to be honest, I'm pretty intrigued by these. Is this the face of street track to come?
After stripping the threads out on my Paul hub last year, it sucks to ruin a nice hub. Looks like the bolt-on design eliminates that possibility and also makes it easier to swap out cogs.
Seriously, just a torx wrench! Makes much more sense than carrying a chain whip + lock ring tool around!
Just make sure you torque those bolts like you do your chainring bolts; every other one...
Thanks Juliet!
DAMP is a forthcoming cycling company out of Sweden. Titanium craziness. That fork rules!
My friend Richard gave me the heads up. He was just at their shop checking everything out. Not sure on the pricing.
More info:
D.A.M.P. Palt 2.0 track frame/fork
Seamless 3/2.5 Aero Space Grade Titanium
Double butted main triangle
Oversized tubing
Head tube for non-integrated headset (1-1/8")
English BB shell
Weight: 1450g (3,19lb)
Available in 52-54-56-58-60
on order.
The 2009 Red Hook Criterium is an unsanctioned race through a desolate post-industrial part of Brooklyn. Brakeless track bikes are mandatory for riders. The field will be a mix of semi-professional cyclists, bike messengers, and urban cyclists. The race consists of 16 three quarter-mile laps featuring several hairpin turns, a fast sprint through the parking lot of a chain retailer, a cobblestone stretch, and a sprint finish. Start time for the race is 11pm on Saturday night, and assuming a 2-minute lap time, will last roughly a half-hour. Bus and automobile traffic on the course, even if kept to a minimum, is a near-certainty.
The first person to cross the finish line at the completion of 16 laps will take home $300. The second place finisher will receive a $150 prize, and the third place finisher will pocket $50. Additionally, the first rider to complete the first and eighth laps will receive a prime, or prize, to be announced on race day.
Immediately following the race will be a house party where the podium presentation and distribution of prizes will take place.
March 28th, 2009, Registration at 9:00 pm, Race Start: 11:00 pm
Entry Fee: $10. Prizes: 1st place - $300 | 2nd place - $150 | 3rd place - $50
@ 65 Dikeman St & Richardson
Rules: Brakeless track bikes AND HELMET required
On Saturday, March 28 the 2009, the Red Hook Criterium will take place and will be be filmed as a competitive sporting event. The film will be produced by Kalim Armstrong (Orange Bikes Take Manhattan, Messenger) and John Hoppin, with assistance from Daniel Leeb (Cinecycle). The race organizer is David August Trimble, and the race director is Al Barouh.
Multiple HD cameras will be set up to film the race. At least one helmet cam will follow race action firsthand. Additionally, a surprise helmet cam shooter may be in town to cover the race. We will have a camera at the podium presentation immediately following the race. Live race commentary and analysis will be provided by John Hoppin and Michael Green (bikeblog NYC).
This project is made possible by the Bicycle Film Festival family, a festival showcaseing films featuring the bicycle in 39 cities annually. The Proud Sponsors of the Red Hook Criterium are the Coffee Den, Katherine’s Homemade Granola, Zafeiropoulou, Trimble Racing, Sam Trimble Design, Taki’s Express, and Roo Design.
I got the new Mishka Keep Watch mix on Monday and am just now getting around to listening to it. All I have to say is this; Trouble and Bass kills it. So good. Bassline, Dubstep and general goodness mixed into a 35 minute mashup.
Download it here!
or listen to it on Mishka's DOOMbox here.
A bit back I posted about Fourteen Teeth, a RSS stream of all the fixed gear bike blogs. Christian, the founder just emailed me about Pedal Room, kind of like Velospace but with ambitions of being more of a community.
Check out the upcoming features section here.
pics by Miha Matei
My good friend Devotion just finished up his first frame. The complete bike is stunning and definitely a noble steed worthy of his already insane stable. All of his builds seem effortless and completely comfortable. Read below as he describes what went into this work of art...
picture by Miha Matei
The build of the bike was very much inspired by British "club racers" and "all-rounders" of the 50's and 60's. Being my first frame, I liked the idea that a single bike could be built to be ridden with a number of intentions. British racers used to ride geared/fendered bikes to the track, often carrying a spare set of track wheels on fork mounted "sprint carriers" and then convert it to a "path racer"...only to re-install the fenders, brakes and other bits before heading home.
Knowing that I will never part with this first frame, I wanted a versatile build that I could set up in a number of ways for the rest of my life. The clamp-ons and 120mm rear spacing mean I can set it up as a fixed-gear, 5 or 10 speed with relative ease. Truth be told, I just wanted an excuse to gather all of the cool old Campy bits. While it does have fender clearance, it's more of a vintage racing bike (traditional racing geometry of 73 degrees parallel) than a vintage rando bike.
Wanna see more? Check out his gallery here.
Empire is full throttle [or at full cadence if you will]. Luke and Crihs have been filming non stop with a series of talented videographers helping out. On top of working with Brooklyn-based Outlier on a Merino tee, they're preparing for the series of friends who're due to come to NYC this Summer.
Jason from SF was in town and Luke went out shooting with him. We all watched the footage the other day at Luke's place. He uploaded a still to the Empire blog, so check it out!
Outlier has launched their 100% Merino Tee this morning and it's $75. The tee is an ultrafine grade 188 gram, 17.5 micron Merino fiber from the high alps of New Zealand and constructed right here in NYC.
Outlier hooked the Empire riders up yesterday and so far, everyone's stoked. Check their site for their first Merino Wool garment.
A few words from Outlier regarding Merino Wool:
If you're not already familiar with Merino it may be counter intuitive to think about wearing wool next to your skin in the summer heat and still feel cool and dry. But here is why we love Merino wool and you will too.
Our Merino wool is grown in the high alps of New Zealand. These Merino sheep flourish in extreme environments where the land is rugged and free from low lying brush. This allows the Merino's fleece to be super clean and soft, creating the purest and highest quality Merino wool fibers in the world.
Cyclists have known about merino for ages. The classic wool cycling jerseys were all made with merino and the best still are. Long before the era of synthetic fabric, wool was one of the top performance fabrics used in the world of outdoor sports. Even Edmund Hillary wore wool garments on his preeminent climb of Mount Everest. Today, wool is top among performance fabrics for it's refined and improved features.
Wicking, odor resistant, breathable, temperature regulating, quick drying, lightweight, flame retardant (just incase!), washable, soft and super comfortable, Merino wool is completely natural and one of the best performance fabric available.
Here's how it works: Merino fibers have a complex structure with a hydrophobic exterior (water repelling) and a hydrophilic interior (water holding). This makes the fabric dry to the touch yet wicking moisture away from the body at the same time. Combined with your body's ability to create heat, the fabric dries much faster creating a cycle of moisture evaporation. Not only that but it's also odorless and stays that way by being naturally anti-microbial. This means odor doesn't bond to the material because bacteria can't find a solid environment to grow on.
It's temperature regulating because it wicks and stays dry when hot yet generates a very small amount of heat when completely wet through a natural chemical reaction. So when it's hot, you feel dry and comfortable, but when it's cold outside, it holds in your heat creating more.
Merino wool, like anything else, comes in different grades or classes known as Ultafine all the way up to Strong grade. We only work with Ultrafine, Superfine and Fine Merino Wool, so no worries about itching or being uncomfortable. The grades we work with are based on micron measurements (how fine the fibers are in diameter). For example our Empire Merino Tee is a 17.5 grade (the finest available on the market), whereas our hoodies are 19.5 grade (for more structure).
If that's not enough, you can wash and dry it without the extreme shrinkage factor. It'll shrink, but similar to the same amount a cotton tee would and then relax out with wear.
All of this tells you that we're not just creating another garment the same as everyone else. We're selecting and refining our material for the way we think is best for cycling. Our first Merino product is simply a Tee. But as you've just read, it's not quite that simple.
Thanks for the heads Tracko!
Check out this video of Austin Horse, bike messenger and alleycat slaughterer, giving his 2 cents on health care.
Maybe if insurance was cheaper or, gasp, FREE the "young invincibles" would be insured. Ever think about that CNN?
All the girls who came over from London have done a pretty great job at blogging their trip to NYC so far. So good in fact that they skipped out on the Matchless 2 for 1 night so that they could.... blog.... about their day.
I'm speechless. I would never compromise Matchless' 2 for 1 night to blog. Where else could I let out the air from Nate's tires?
Anyway, check out their write-up from yesterday and keep watch on their blog for more updates!
Also, Jessica x Yoshi at Fatlace has some more coverage from last Sunday
Chari & Co posted some pics of Wonka riding his CIOCC-built Gorilla trick bike.
Lookin good kid! Doesn't look like you waited 24 hours though....
Ed Wonka got hooked up with a Gorilla yesterday. He'll be riding their new handbuilt trick bike. Good job kid!
I snapped a pic of it at Affinity yesterday.
Epic nose mannie left our boy Tom in a bad place. Hope you get better soon man! Still come up, i'll put pegs on my bike and ride you around!
I should have shaved!
Get out and pick up the new issue of Ollie Magazine. There's a lot of great pics / articles [In Japanese] on Monstertrack and the different "Punk" inspired brands. Mishka was chosen as a NYC brand. We're all stoked. Thanks so much!
Tom, sucks they misspelled your last name!
Here's some pics of the aforementioned Deeper V [aka the B43] from Velocity. Who's going to go a whole 1mm or 1 whole cm deeper than this? I agree that they need to be wider though...
Everyone should ride polished aluminum disk wheels!
thanks Chris John!
So somehow with my busy schedule I'll be adding posts to Profile Fixed's website. I'm still blown away at how supportive Profile has been with all of this. Really great products and really great people. Grassroots support!
Thanks again guys!
They also just got XML / RSS too, so add them to your reader!
Wait till you see what's in store for the future...
As per yesterday's entry on TrakTION, Bike Snob made a pretty good post today. Make sure you head over and read it. I'm not saying I agree with him 100% (Ed Repka designed that shirt FOR Mishka btw), but it's worth reading. Even a Feetbelts plug! Congrats guys. Once Snob pokes at you, you're destined for fame.
Read TrakTION's apology here. As I said. Keep it positive and Ride/Relax.
I had to close comments on the previous post because the Russians got wind of it and sent their spam bots over!
Has it really happened already? Fixed gear bike blogs being syndicated? I guess so. Prolly is Not Probably was selected along with a few other blogs to be on the homepage of Fourteen Teeth. Checkit out here.
Mike Martin, half the brains behind the MASH brand has branched off into cycling gear; Martin Clothing. Awesome man. Glad to see something new! Mike's always been really great to us East Coasters. He's a really fucking rad guy and I'm stoked for him. Seriously. Big ups man!
Hello,
We are Martin of San Francisco. After a decade of collaborative work with Nice Collective, we have produced an imaginative synthesis of modern cycling culture and photographic aesthetic. Clean lines, simple ideas, and thoughtful execution has brought these two worlds together in our new line of apparel.
Family is our foundation and friends our inspiration. Martin welcomes collective interaction and is excited to share “our” like-minded vision.
-Michael Martin
Mike, lemme know if you need anyone on the Right coast to test some out....
You remember Alex right? Well, it seems he was chosen from 1000's of applicants to be on Gatorade's new web-series, Quest for G. Alex is in LA right now with 15 other athletes preparing for boot camp.
Way to go man!
Watch the intro video here!
Kevin, aka Demoncats, has just upped some of his Monster Track X pics. Head over and checkem out. Who's this jackass making the Egyptian hand signals?
Also, DELCO!
Urban Velo has released issue 12 on their website. Grab the PDF file here and read up!
Keep in mind, your LBS should have issues for free and if they don't talk to them about getting some in!
Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm restructuring the Connections format of Prolly is Not Probably. I get a ton of link requests from people and rather than adding all these links to the front page, I decided to make a sub page.
If you've requested a link exchange in the past, I'm in the process of adding the links now. If you'd like a link exchange, email me!
Once again, Mishka dropped a banging Keep Watch mixtape. This time they picked Skream, a dj/producer from Croydon, UK. Skream's first few eps and full lengths are some of the most influential dubstep tracks to date.
Download the Keep Watch 6 here!
Be sure to keep tuned into Urban Velo's coverage of the 2009 North American Handbuilt Bicycle Show. I really really admire what those guys do. A proper grassroots magazine with reader-submitted material and exclusive coverage of great bike events!
Keep it up guys!
Laying it all down. Don't be a dweeb and only do one event. DO THEM ALL. I don't wanna see trick kids show up only to do the Stunts on Sunday. Why not try Goldsprints Friday? Or hell, the race on Saturday?
Monster Track X Schedule.
THURSDAY
Monster track Peel Sessions
Meeker at Jackson, Brooklyn under the BQE
9pm-?
Jackassery on fixed gears, beer, dodging skaters and general goodness. Followed by a bar afterwards.
FRIDAY
Party at 3rd Ward
3rd Ward
195 Morgan
in BROOKLYN
9p-3a
$5 at the door. Anyone can ride for FREE.
Open Goldsprints Qualifier and Rad Ride/Hawt Hoopty Contest (sponsored by Continuum)
SATURDAY
Registation will start around 1p. Race will be around 4p. If there are more than about 200 racers I'm going to get picky about who is racing, so register early (or pre-reg at Continuum today or Friday, see Fritz).
SUNDAY
Sprints Stunts and Brunch
Boneshakers
134 Kingsland Ave
BROOKLYN
noon til dark
Sprints will be in the area. will be a couple of formats (drag race, street "keirin", etc.)
Stunts at the Peel Spot
And now, some Electric Wizard....
CANT FUCKING DIE
Starting Friday February 27th and continuing on for the next three weeks, Mishka will be hibernating in the cozy atmosphere over at UBIQ in Philadelphia, where we’ll escape the elements and forage for cheesteaks. UBIQ is a long time supporter of the brand and invited us over to set up shop in their fine establishment, and like any good houseguest we’ve brought a little something over for our friends…
Open Bicycle Opening Soon! from open bicycle on Vimeo.
Open Bicycle Shop, opening soon!
I've posted about Razzle camouflage multiple times in the past; 1,2 and 3 previous posts.
Now the RISD Fleet Library has an exhibition and lecture series on the WWI camouflage.
"Razzle dazzle" was a form of camouflage used by the US and UK during WWI. Its intent was to cause miscalculation in estimation of the ship's speed and direction. The visual rangefinders of the time were easily fooled by the contrasting and overlapping geometric patterns. The markings of such camouflage have since then made their way into different forms of artistic expression. Now I'm not sure that artists pulled from 'razzle dazzle' as a form of precedent, but the similarity is striking. Here is a beautiful image of such camouflage patterns. Unfortunately, there were no color images of these war ships.
Jeff over at Bike Jerks has been documenting a small company's preparation for the NAHBS.
The company is Peacock Grove and check out the latest from them!
Including this gnarly disk wheel!
I wish I was going to the NAHBS this year, but unfortunately, MONSTER TRACK X is this weekend!
Hey Polo heads, Profile just made some 48h Profile Polo hubs. At the moment, I'm considering a 48h Hubset, especially if I keep trashing my wheels!
By the hands of a rent-a-cop as he's trying to cross the finish line for the Tour of California. More info at the MashSF blog and Arkitip. As Matt points out, it reminds me as well of the NYPD officer who bodychecked a Critical Mass cyclist.
If you live in NYC and need to re-up your wardrobe, or your vans have holes all in them from riding all the time, swing though DQM starting today for major price reductions.
No brakes, no rules [except no brakes], no mercy. THE NYC ALLEYCAT is upon is. Who's gonna take it this year? February 27th - March 1st!
The party Friday night is going to be at 3rd Ward. Goldsprints Open Qualifier plus Rad Ride/Hawt Hoopty competition. Prizes for Best in Show, Best Messenger/Work Bike, Blinded By the Light, and Hawt Hoopty. Judges from among NYC's most knowledgables.
Saturday is the race! Following the race, the goldsprints finals.
Sunday is brunch, provided by Boneshakers, then sprints and stunts!
Even if you hate tricks, come out and watch people hurt themselves! .
Keep your eyes and RSS readers peeled on the Charge blog for the Fixed 3 Podcast today!
Mishka and Empire were featured in the new issue of Ollie magazine as part of the "NYC style". It looks like the article pits SF vs LA vs NYC with regards to style and bikes.
Pretty cool. I'm guessing that Ollie says NYC is just more metal and punk than the other cities?
Mishka just released the DART New Era for sale on their site. Head over to swoop!
Mishka, the Brooklyn-based bad boys of sci-fi, metal and obscure references have released their Spring '09 look book. I'm really digging the Manson shirt and the plaids.
There are some other goodies I've seen at the design office that will sell quickly! Including ladies' wear. The tights look pretty fucking crazy!
SHOP 14 / TOKYOFIXEDGEAR from TFG on Vimeo.
Shop 14 just opened last weekend. I saw a ton of pictures on Fixedgearlondon's Flickr and now there's a video. Look at that shop!
The center casework is nicely executed and is complemented by the beautiful bikes and components. Bangin job fellas! I see some Profile Fixed jams there too.
After the initial release of the geometries, we got a ton of feedback and have addressed those concerns with a new prototype geometry. Bens Cycle has uploaded the new specs on their blog.
What we did was:
-shorten the seat tubes by approx. 2cm each on the Small and Mediums
-this lowered the stand-over and the TT length on the Small model
-we mirrored the BB gusset at the DT / HT
-fixed the wonky cable guides
-recessed the 990 mounts
I've ridden the bike for 2 weeks now and am looking forward to the new prototypes and eventually the production models!
Hopefully these new small prototypes will fit the smaller riders out there. Expect more notices as events warrant.
What seems like ages ago, I posted Independent Fabrication's winning submission to the Handmade Bicycle Show. Granted it was 2007, but I always say it's amazing how far this track bike culture has come in such a short time.
Open Bicycle just posted about Bodega's newest side-project, Fourth Wall.
What is Fourth Wall? Well check it out:
The Fourth Wall Project was created to enable artists to show multidisciplinary works in a span of several locations and capacities. Building on recent cultural endeavors in Paris, where unutilized developed spaces are temporarily transformed into galleries, cafes and community centers, The Fourth Wall Project seeks to create culturally relevant exhibitions all the while giving lifeless buildings the exhuberance of activity. We curate based on our neighborhood, socio-economic climate, excellence in craft and purity of execution. Through examining the artists’ daydream, we may see ourselves more clearly.
Ever wanna see where Burd and Shawn live but you've never had a reason to go to Indianapolis? Well, now you've got a pretty damn good reason. The 5th Annual Handmade Bicycle Show has come around again. This year, it has landed in Indianapolis.
The guys have also organized a Macaframa premier. Come see Nate go into the back of a Suburu again! It never gets old! Haters never die!
One way or another, I'ma try to make the drive out.
The Bicycle Film Festival keeps growing and growing each year. Be a part of this growth, make a bike movie! The deadline is March 7
Enter the Ninth Annual Bicycle Film Festival! This annual event's looking for films with a bike-related theme. Any style's acceptable: animation, experimental,narrative, documentary and music videos are all a go.
The Bicycle Film Festival travels to over 20 cities around the world, including Paris, London, Tokyo, New York -- and Sydney. Last year, more than 100,000 people attended the festival. The BFF is a lot of fun and includes rock shows, block parties, film screenings, and art shows. The Bike Film Fest is expected to be a huge success in 2009. All cities have been selected and dates for NEW YORK are June 17-21. All other dates will be set within the month.
My good friend Ellen Stagg has made it to the cover of Time Out magazine's Singles Issue. Go pick up a copy today and try your best to woo her. Ellen has done extensive editorial work and also maintains an erotic website called Stagg Street [NSFW]. She's the talented girl behind the lens of the Mishka Calender [NSFW] as well.
Way to go Ellen!
So much for keeping this under wraps. The Chinese Government released this pic of the real reason why the TVCC went up in flames!
Via Curbed.
All City, you're doing it proper. Now tell me where I can buy those double plastics in Large?!
I ride Dimension plastic clips with my Twisted PC pedals and the Toshi / MKS doubles are always slipping. Makes it a pain to get in the clips sometimes. These look like they solve that problem!
When I met first met Nate, he didn't like "East Coast Riding". He was into skids and rollouts. Ever since he's been coming out to Peel Sessions and riding on the weekend, he's slowly been saying he wants a trick bike. He rode Jeremiah's BMW and was amazed at how much fun it is to ride a bike meant for a beating.
Since getting my Milwaukee, we've been actively discussing the changes that will need to be made. I only had a few critiques of the large frame, but wanted some more critique on the small and mediums. Tony Fast is riding a small frame in Philly, but I wanted some local feedback.
I pulled a few strings, sold my soul and got Nate and Chris a prototype.
The guys rode the bikes for the first time tonight and after dialing in the fit a bit, both acclimated pretty quickly. Nate even surprised all of us...
Nate's a Hater pt. 2 from John Prolly on Vimeo.
This was after an hour and me telling Nate to "humor me and try a 180". One SFr's been converted. Who's next?
More pics here.
FremontFixed.com race "SEVEN" from Fremont Fixed on Vimeo.
Really nice trailer for the forthcoming Seven race!
2/13-Future Tense
2/15-Race of Shame
2/15- Council of Doom Screening, featuring select Bike Shorts from NYC.
More information over at Emerald City Bike Bloc.
Part of Rem Koolhaas' CCTV Olympic center, the TVCC building has literally been burnt to the ground. Read up on the incident over at the Times. This part kills me!
At the same time, people were still shooting off fireworks from the sides of the roads, adding to the seeming chaos in the city.
Pic by David Gray/Reuters
Check out the Feetbelts Myspace. They just reupped their stock, so read below for details.
These straps were created from recycled seat belts.Hardware included. Finally putting cars to a good use.
Cost: $20
US Shipping: $5.00
Email us for international orders.
New orders after February 05, 2009 will include hardware and some new features and colors, check the blog post!
WE can match any lettering color to any strap color listed below.
LETTERING COLOR AVAILABILITY:
Blue
Yellow
Scarlet Red
Burrito Brown
Green
Orange
STRAP COLOR AVAILABILITY:
Black
Gun Metal Blue (Shiny Blue)
Rent-A-Cop Blue (Greyish Blue)
Ruby Red
Burgundy
Brown
Dark Grey
The guys at Mishka are having a Gallery opening at their space!
Come check it out.
350 Broadway, Brooklyn NY
7pm - 10pm
Saturday, February 7th
Delugan Meissl Associated Architects' newest project recently opened in Stuttgart, Germany. When high-end architecture and high-end automobile manufacturers come together, you can expect things of great beauty and engineering. When the automobile maker is Porsche, you can expect nothing less than perfection.
I'll let the images speak for themselves. Via WorldArchitectureNews.
Austin Horse took the Stupor Bowl! This makes 2 of the 3 big winter-time alleycats. THE most important Alleycat for NYC heads is in a month. Monster Track! Who will win it this year?
Big ups to the Minneapolis guys for throwing down! Pics by Deplaqer
Michael Green has been running Bike Blog NYC for 5 years now! Congrats man!
Today I spent a good 6 hours riding the new Milwaukee Bicycle Co fixed gear. It's the most stable bike I've ever ridden. No rear triangle flex, no overlap and a solid front end makes it handle like a Beast. After I got over the initial shock of having a top tube again, I began to throw the bike around. The steep HTA [74.5°] and the longer top tube really increases maneuverability with spin tricks. 180s are easier and anything with a g-turn initiation feels much sharper.
We rode from Williamsburg over to Chinatown, down to DUMBO and further southwest to Red Hook. I rode all day, doing 180's hitting gaps and all the normal riding we go through and not once did I feel uncomfortable with its movements.
I'm sold. Seeing this project come to life has really made me stoked to ride! Still not sure on availability or pricing, so don't ask. Once I find out, I'll post the information.
Pics below and bigger here.
All City looks like they're getting close to creating an actual street Track / Fixed Gear groupo! Congrats guys, the pewter / black components really pop out. Toestraps, double cages, pedals, hubs, grips... all you need is a bar and stem combo and maybe a frame?
Can't wait to see the "next drop". I heard it's something to ride...
Kevin, over at COG sent me this beautiful issue #05 last week but I've been so busy at work, I'm just getting around to posting it. Looks great guys! Keep it up! The artwork on this one is where it's at.
Hugo from Snap! delivery was featured in the NYtime's fashion section today. The article was about reviewing the different brands of bike lights. Read up here and I've pasted the 1st page below.
AS more commuters ride bikes, more cyclists put themselves in danger. Should riding across the Williamsburg Bridge at night really be a deadly adventure sport? From 2007 to 2008, the New York City Department of Transportation recorded a 35 percent increase in the number of commuter cyclists, and an observational study released by Hunter College last fall found that the majority of city riders don’t obey safety rules.
While state law requires the use of white headlights and red taillights when riding between dusk and dawn, 45 percent of cycling fatalities in New York City still occur during low-light hours, according to Transportation Department statistics.
“It’s great that the number of cyclists in New York City has doubled over the past six years,” Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan said. “Since we have more riders on the street, it’s even more important that they share the roads, stay safe and be seen.”
Today, commuter cyclists have just as many options in bike lights as they do avenues down which to careen and curve—potentially unseen. But not every bike light is built to survive city riding, and if you intend to remove the flashers every time you slip into the office or stop for coffee, be forewarned that bigger isn’t always better, especially when it comes to convenience. Hugo Giron, a New York City courier and the founder of the Brooklyn-based bike-messenger service Snap Delivery, tested five sets of headlights and taillights during his 6 p.m. to midnight shifts.
The frames just got in!
To test out the ride, Drew built it up with MKE polo cranks, some mini bars, brakes [front and rear] and some saddle just for the pictures. That is raw steel, no paint, so expect some COLOR! Keep in mind this is not my build, it's just to evaluate the bike's geometry.
I'm putting Thomson bits, 2" riders, SOMA Tabo, Sugino 75s and my Profile wheelset on mine. YES you can barspin with a front brake. YES there will be an option available without brake bosses and NO I do not know when they will be available for purchase.
Mine is going to paint tomorrow. Will post updates once it's in my hands!
and Excess was kind enough to Photoshop out the brakes to give you a better idea...
The next time you want to stay in NYC and would like to avoid Times Square, check out the Ace Hotel. There's everything from a simple 200sqft "Bunk" suite up to a 700sqft "Loft' suite. Their branding and design is spot-on. Really trying to attract the younger tourists!
One slight correction; the Ace Hotel will be opening in March. They are taking reservations now however!
A new Japanese magazine is dropping on the 30th along with a launch party! Check out more information here.
Profile Fixed will be pushing through a series of new fixed components this Spring. Get ready! To hold you over till the big drop, they recently posted a "How To" tutorial on how to overhaul your hubs.
I've been riding my hubs for over a year and haven't had to touch them, so I don't know what all this "overhaul" talk is about!
A Minneapolis-based architecture firm City Desk Studio just put a Skyway up for sale on Craigslist. Via Curbed Via Greg.org.
Looking at this prefabricated beast reminds me a lot of my Thesis project completed back in 2004. It wasn't based on the idea of a private get-away as much as it was geared for a solution to Hurricane and Disaster-relief; specifically Hurricane Isabel-damaged Cape Hatteras. Remember, this was before Katrina and prior to the prefabricated design movement we have today.
My premise was that as long as we are inhabiting barrier islands in a permanent way, there will always be billions in property damage due to shifting tides and erosion. Not to mention Hurricane damage. In order to properly inhabit an island, we need a domicile that shifts with the context.
The Shift House's intent was to "lightly occupy" a coastal region based on a prefabricated infrastructural framework.
There's more to it than that, but its basically the premise. Seeing massive, transportable architecture really blows me away!
If you own a company in Brooklyn, NY and are always looking for a messenger service locally you probably can't find one. That's because there hasn't really been a Brooklyn-based messenger service. If you want a package picked up in Greenpoint and brought to Brooklyn Heights, you have to pay the Manhattan companies extra for going over the bridges.
Snap! is a delivery service based in Williamsburg that can and will deliver anything for you. They're a messenger-run and operated company, so you know you're supporting the little guys. They are equipped with a cargo-bike and multiple riders on-call.
Their rates are below:
2 hour service within Brooklyn, Queens, or Manhattan: $8 + $1 per mile from destination
1 hour rush service: $15 + $1 per mile from destination
45 minute Direct Rush service: $20+ $1 per mile from destination
Interborough Service over any bridge: $30 for 2 hour service, $40 for 1 hour service, $50 for 45 minute direct rush service
Oversized Packages (over 20 lbs): + $10
Contact them here to set up an account!
If you wanna get an in-depth look at who / what / where Mishka is at the moment, head over to Sneaker Freaker for a recent interview they did with the brand.
There's even a DART plug in there!
Guys, come on! Seriously. What is it with people these days? If you didn't take a picture yourself, chances are, you shouldn't put it on a shirt unless you get clearance from the photographer. If you're making money off the clothing and you aren't paying the person who took the photo. SHAME ON YOU.
Support your local artists, support photographers, support local musicians! support your friends! Why are people always doing this kind of stuff? We're all a grassroots community still so why are people selling out their community?
Case in point.
Merge stole a photo from Mr. Zeta on Flickr and put it on a shirt which they're selling. Their legal disclaimers also claim that everything on their site is their property. I also see a John 3:16 drop on that page. Come on... seriously? Mr. Zeta did NOT give them permission either!
via Macablog.
Risto of Sahtel magazine in Estonia just shot me this email about this Macaframa premiere! It's awesome seeing people building up their scenes worldwide. Sahtel did an article a bit back on MASH where Jonathan Burkett blasted fixed gear tricks. Since then I haven't really seen any new issues here in the States. I happened to pick a copy of it up at Trackstar a while back and it's definitely a top-notch production. Are you guys expecting to release more issues to the US?
Anyway, enough rambling, here's the information!
Just wanted to give a shout that we will screen/premiere Macaframa in Tallinn, Estonia next Thursday 15th of Jan as part of Simpel Session Film Festival.
Simpel Session is an annual BMX and Skate street contest here in Tallinn Estonia. It's one of European biggest events of it's kind and considered as one of the best in the world by many.
Whole SS09 event will be also broadcasted live through Mpora.tv
Support grassroots companies both new and old in the Boston area. The good fellas at Open Bicycle have the following information on Jacob's second installment.
Saturday’s race is being thrown by Jacob of Jacobs Bicycles, with sponsorship coming from Outlier, Trash Bags, the BBMA, and us here at Open Bicycle. Because the beer/burrito/dj combo platter was a hit at our Poker Run, PBR, Chipotle and Brek.One will be served up again! Race details are below the flyer:
Saturday January 10, 2009
Location: TBA - Registration, Betting & Party will all be at the same location.
Registration & Betting: 3pm-7pm (Entry: $10, Bets: increments of $5)
Race Time: 7:30pm
After Party: 7pm - 2am
Email them with any questions
Check out these new prototype Soma saddles; word is that they'll be released in a limited run of 6 colors. Really taking the throwback steez from the old Stingray banana seats! Soma's recently stepped their game up with saddles too, re-upping the classics under new monikers and at a 1/2 the price of their NOS counterparts.
Finally, people are making new / old saddles again!
Ed Glazar has re-upped his website. Check out his web portfolio for some great NYC cycling photos. You can also see a few pics from Ed in the new Cog Photo Issue.
If that's not enough, check out his Flickr here as well!
The Brooklyn bike family continues to grow and grow. Gina recently moved her old King Kog storefront from Marcy ave to Graham ave literally one block from my apartment. I went over this morning to take a few pics. The space is a lot bigger and now has a work stand. Not sure who'll be wrenching there, but it's a big improvement. They'll be getting in more stock in the near future so swing by when you're in town!
455 graham ave
brooklyn ny 11211
www.kingkog.com
I have to admit, this past year ruled. I was looking through some old pictures that Luke finally got around to developing when it dawned on me; we're all into this fixed gear trick thing and it's still so young. Where will we be next year? Who knows. But I agree with Zlog, this year's Bicycle Film Fest was awesome. We got to ride with some straight rippers from all over the country and even a Canadian! Everyone is developing their own styles of riding and their own approaches. It doesn't matter if you're a hill-bomber riding a track bike or a 700cbmx rider doing 180's, we're all in this for the same reason. It's fun!
May next year one-up this past year and I hope everyone sticks with this sport. Let's all push it to the next level!
... and yes Snob, more macro pr0n to come in the future.
The OG track bike alleycat is back. NYC holds it down proper. Monstertrack will never die. Get ready. Ulgade's artwork is bananas. BOOM!
Introducing Kai.
Empire has some updates, including a new rider profile.
As the youngest of the bunch Kai is focused primarily on high school and laying the foundation for his future, but he rides as much as he can. He races at Kissena and Trexlertown with Somerville Sports, and makes it out to Peel Sessions when he can. Kai rides fixed mostly, but also rips on his Brooklyn Machine Works BMX.
Like many of the Empire riders, Kai is a photographer and dabbles in film making by documenting his friends and the time they spend together.
Be sure to stay tuned for future updates!
Fixed Mag has dropped their second issue online. View it here for free!
Check out the article on Philly's heaviest hitters as well!
For all who complained earlier about the last Chari & Co sale not applying to their online store, looks like someone was reading your comments.
Chari & Co are having a huge online sale with items up to 40% off.
Swoop for the holidays!
So sayeth the Trackstar. December 10th through the 12th, head over to NYC's one-stop track-shop with some kind of hair on your face and receive 20% off.
Just don't pull a Scott Tenorman.
If you live in NYC or are just here for the week visiting, come by the Peel Sessions every Thursday night in Brooklyn. It's under the BQE in Williamsburg at Jackson and Meeker. We usually meet around 8:30 rain or shine [well, in the dark most of the year] or so and then we'll head out to a neighborhood bar around 11:30 typically. It's intent is to give people an environment to practice the various tricks on fixed gears, meet other riders and socialize.
A lot of great people have rolled through in the past and I want to encourage more great people to come through.
I've added this flier and the important information in the About section of the website.
It feels like it's been ages since I first began talking to Milwaukee Bicycle Co. about doing a Fixed Gear bike designed for the ever-evolving freestyle rider. We've logged in many many Gmail conversations over the past few months and finally, the fruits of our labor have begun to ripen.
Here it is, well part of it anyway, the new MKE 700c Unicrown Fork. I can't really go into to much detail about the specifications because it's a prototype, but I can say that it fits on my Gangsta Track fine and even gives me more clearance for barspins than the stock one did. It's designed for a steeper HTA, so the bike handles a bit differently, but in a good way. It is not as long as the Black Market or DMR forks because it's designed specifically for a 700c wheel. Not a rigid 26" bike.
Within the next few weeks, you'll see the second installment of this project. I can't wait. Milwaukee has been great about supporting this evolving sport. Their ability to change their products based on rider feedback will set this bike apart from the rest.
Ride / Relax!
A while back, I posted about Kanye West buying a Cinelli Vigorelli from Trackstar. Soon afterwards, the internet kinda went nuts and more photochops started popping up all over. Well, there's been little media coverage regarding the subject and it wasn't until recently that press photos emerged showing his new ride, a Gangsta Track.
Now there's this.
At around 13 minutes into his interview, an MTV reporter asks him about his Brooklyn Machine Works that he recently got while on tour. Kanye had the following to say about it:
"I feel very much like my life is at risk when I ride it"
He then went on to state that:
"You would really hope that your businesses would run like a fixed gear. When you pedal, it moves."
Don't worry Kanye, you're not a poseur.
It's a pretty good interview and at least he's being honest about his new experience with it.
I won't say anything... just read it here.
I've also copied the text and took a screen shot here on my Flickr. I really want to have a beer with that dude.
!!!!!!!!
Jonathan at WeShouldDoItAll is a hustler. I met him 4 years ago here in NYC and he was just starting his own company. Fast forward to the present and WSDIA is a well-known design firm. They just re-upped their site so if you're never been, now's your chance to be introduced to their award-winning work!
I just wanna say that I never thought I'd see my home state of North Cak turn blue!
I stumbled across this today.
Cartograms are graphic representations of a map with some altering variable applied to the land mass of a specified area. Check out these Cartograms from last night's election. Really beautiful in a grotesque way.
The Nation speaks! It was like NYE in Union Square and Times Square! People everywhere! Massive celebration!
pic by chicken kid
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