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Dakine Posada Skull T-Shirt
May 1, 2009
Every once in a while I get obsessed with something. Lately it seems to be T-Shirts. I wear one basically everyday and now that it is summer I seem to have more than usual. The Dakine Posada Skull shirt is probably the best design I have seen on a shirt in a long time. It could be that I am just really impressed with the moustache on the skull, or maybe it all just reminds me of my time in Mexico, either way this shirt has got it going on.
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Planet Bike Global Cooling T-Shirt
April 30, 2009
Planet Bike is really into what they do, so much so that 25% of profits go to cycling advocacy. So when I got this great Global Cooling Machine T-Shirt I was shocked to find out that it only costs $10. Man, that is cheap, or should I say inexpensive. I still can't really figure out how they do it, not only on this shirt, but on all there stuff.
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Go ride a bike, we got ya covered
April 29, 2009
With the warm weather here or looming close by, this is the time to get on your bike and ride. BicycleSmile has you covered in terms of reviews, so now you just have to look in one place. The forums are alive and slowly growing, any people who register and post before the end of May will have the chance to win a Dakine hoody and gloves, so what are you waiting for.
For all those wondering what you can expect to see in the next few months, here is a sneak peak of upcoming reviews:
Harlot Hawkeye Shorts
Harlot Murray Shorts
Reverse Gear Mulga Top
Reverse Gear Moonah pants
Planet Bike Aries Gloves
Fuji RC 29'er
Dakine Covert Glove
Dakine Split Roller Bag
Dakine Posada Skull Shirt
Schwalbe Marathon Supreme Tires
...
Alright it is just supposed to be a sneak peak right? Go sign up for the forums and check back tommorrow for some great reviews.
Harlot Vaya Grande T-Shirt
April 28, 2009
A t-shirt is a T-shirt, right? Well yeah kinda. But the Harlot Vaya Grande shirt is printed on a nice American Apparel cotton shirt. I personally like the fit of AA stuff, so for me that is a bonus. Although I hear a lot of stuff about these shirts running small on sizing, I find that I wear a large in all shirts, these are just more fitted.
Read the full review >>
Mountain BIke Build: Part Two
April 27, 2009
Last week I had mentioned taking a frame to the powder coaters, and in the end I decided on white as the colour. This will go with the fork which will be a SR Suntour Axon werk ELD. The list is slowly growing, but the forks are coming straight from Taiwan, so it may take longer than I would really like. Here is a list of parts so far:
Frame: Marin Eldridge Grade
Fork: SR Suntour Axon werk ELD
Cranks: Sr Suntour XCR FX
Bar: Norco Jubei flat bar
Stem: Ritchey WCS 4 Axis
Hubs: Shimano Deore
Rims: Mavic XM 317
Grips: Oury
Brakes: Avid BB7
In the end it should be a nice (relatively) light weight cross country bike that I may do a few races on, or if I am feeling ambitious the XC8.
A night on two wheels: Part Two
April 24, 2009
Tim dropped of a CD filled with photos from both his check point atop of the hill and Amanda at their house. I will try to edit a little video together at somepoint, but looks like it was mighty windy up there on the hill.
A night on two wheels: Part One
April 23, 2009
Last night was our first Alleycat of the year and it was a blast. We had 21 people race and had a great bunch of volunteers. Special thanks to Rob, Logan, Tim, Amanda, Finnegan, Keira, Emily, and The Bike Doctor crew for working the check points. There were some twists and turns that even saw 2 racers strip down to nothing and go for a 5 minute ride, just to gain a 5 minute time bonus!
Once again Barrett Russell took first place. He training regiment of smoking a pack a day paid off. Matt Walker was a very close second and Bud Fogal placed third.
Great sponsors as well. Dakine hooked us up with some great prizes as well and I think everyone went home with a prize once again.
Look ma, no brakes
April 22, 2009
For the last year I have been riding my fixed gear bike brakeless. It was easy enough to get used to, although on one or two occasions I have had very close calls. The problem with going brakeless is skidding through tires. I have had my current tires on for just over a year, so really I cannot complain, and they have held up surprisingly well. In my infinite lazyness I never got around to rotating the tires. The Schwalbe Stelvio held up amazingly well, and to be honest I was truely pressing my luck on it this last week, trying not to skid at all. The Stelvio is now gone though, what tire should I get now.....
Mavic A719 Rims
April 21, 2009
For years I have ridden on wheels that have been mediocre at best. Every month trueing the wheel as it would always go out of true. If it was my mountain bike it was because I hit a rut, my commuter hit a curb, and so on. It kinda gets to be a pain, and can be expensive if you do not know how to true your own wheel. When I was building up my touring bike I decided to go all out and get a completely bombproof rim. I went for the Mavic A719, and wow have I ever been impressed.
Read the full review >>
Mountain Bike Build: Part 1
April 20, 2009
It has been a year now since I have had a 26" wheel mountain bike and it is time to get rolling again. I have decided to build a nice geared cross country mountain bike. The frame I am going to be using is a Marin Eldridge Grade frame made out of double butted Columbus Nemo tubing. I am going to take the frame in today to get sand blasted and powder coated. Other parts I will be using are a Ritchey WCS 4 Axis stem, 95 mm long, and a anodized green flat bar stock from a Norco Jubei 2 29er.
The complete build will be done in a bout a month, still deciding on all the other parts to use, but will have a post each monday to update on its progress.
Planet Bike Sport Spot Light
April 17, 2009
When you are looking at getting a light for your bike there is one main decision that must be made. Do you want to see or be seen? This is important because for the most part, depending on the answer, you will end up in two very different price catagories. The Planet Bike Sport Spot almost falls in between, but for the most part you are just trying to be seen with this light.
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Sea Otter Classic
April 16, 2009
It is that time of year again, the Sea Otter Classic. It has almost become a rigt of Spring in the cycling community, a sign that cycling is finally back from a winter hiatus. This years event at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Monterey, California looks to be the biggest yet, with an estimated 10,000 participants. This is a big change from its humble beginnings in 1991 with 300 participants.
The great thing about the Sea Otter Classic is that it has something for everyone. I know that sounds like a cheesy marketing term, but they really do. We are talking everything from a kids egg hunt to professional road, mountain and downhill racing. That is a pretty wide spectrum of stuff. If you are lucky enough to be one of the 50,000 fans out in Monterey this weekend, enjoy. The event starts today April 16 and runs through to Sunday.
BicycleSmile Forums Beta V1.0
April 15, 2009
Well this has been in the works for a while and finally we have a simple version to put out there. Yep, we now have forums! Now I imagine the reason people like forums is that they can ask a lot of questions to a lot of people, or they can show off their mad skill to a lot of people, or something like that. Well you can ask away and show off all you like, but it may take a bit to grow a forum so please be patient and we will slowly grow. So now all you have to do is register for the forums and you can start posting.
Patagonia Finn Shoe
April 14, 2009
When I started looking for a shoe to do both city and distance cycling with, I wanted something that would work well both on and off the bike. I find that there is a time and place for clipless pedals and shoes, but for the most part I want a regular shoe with the stiffness of a cycling shoe. This way I can get on and off the bike and do what ever I want without changing shoes. The Patagonia Finn seems to be that ideal shoe. The stiff sole makes it great for cycling but the footbed makes it great for walking in.
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Cycle Ball
April 13, 2009
I have been playing bike polo recently and have been loving the pace and flow of doing something more technical on a bicycle. I must, however, be living in some kind of bubble up here in Canada, because I had no idea there was such a sport as Cycle Ball. From what I gather ths sport has been around since 1893, and is popular in Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Soccer on a fixed gear bicycle, now I gotta try this.
RIDE A BIKE YOU'D BE HOME BY NOW
April 9, 2009
As commuters were mired in the typical Friday rush-hour traffic logjam, members of an organization calling itself CRIMANIMALZ [krim-an-i-muhlz] have taken to two of Los Angeles' busiest freeways on bicycles in a flash mob-type protest aimed at raising questions about transportation. Weaving in and out of choked traffic, cyclists surprised frustrated motorists with a spirited sprint on the region's most clogged and polluted arteries.
CRIMANIMALZ was created out of rider reaction to the Santa Monica Police Department’s crackdown of Santa Monica Critical Mass, a bicycle ride with as many as 300 participants that meet on the first Friday of the month. Ignored in large for over two years, Santa Monica Police officers issued 32 citations, many erroneously, at the Santa Monica Critical Mass ride on November 2nd of 2007. Critical Mass participants voiced their outrage at the City of Santa Monica Council Meeting a few weeks later. Some participants convened as Council of N, a secret group that privately discussed the police harassment. Council of N talked with city officials and Santa Monica Police Chief Timothy J. Jackman, but talks led nowhere.
You can find out more about CRIMANIMALZ here
Alright, now I need to get on my bike and ride, who's with me?
Vancouver Scene
April 8, 2009
A few weeks back I had the chance to escape the long cold winter that was gripping the Canadian prairies and head West to Vancouver. I used to live in Vancouver and in all honesty I hardly rode my bike. I lived so close to the bus stop that it seemed like the logical choice to take, and avoid cycling through all the traffic. Now I am older and wiser and realise that Vancouver has some of the best city cycling outside of Amsterdam.
There are bike lanes, bike paths along the water, and cycling corridors. These cycling corridors are my favorite. They are parallel to major road routes, usually just one block off, and make it easy to cycle at a good rate of speed with out having to be worried about too many cars. You are still on a road way, but to inhibit the use of cars they have installed roundabouts at the intersections, and in many sections cars are not allowed to enter, this keeps it to local traffic only.
At major intersections cyclist have ther own easy to reach button to change the lights, a nice change if you have ever had to deal with sensors underneath the pavement that just don't sense bicycles. Vancouver is a dream city to cycle in. Distances are short, lots of things to see and do, and not too many major hills. I need to get back soon.
Planet Bike Protege 9.0 Computer
April 7, 2009
In the city I have no desire to know how fast or how far I am going, but once I hit the highway I like to know these things. The Planet Bike Protege 9.0 all the basics plus a few more goodies to keep track of. It has a four line display screen so most things are there at a glance, up to five pieces of data at once, with out having to push a button and scroll through screen after screen. all in all you have a chance to see current speed, speed comparator, ride time, trip distance, dual odometer (for 2 wheel sizes), average speed, maximum speed, clock, and temperature.
Read the full review >>
Cannondale Closes American Factory
April 6, 2009
Well it was probably just a matter of time after Dorel purchased Cannondale in February of last year. But that time has now come. Cannondale Bicycle Corporation announced the other day that they will no longer be producing frames from their factory in Pennsylvania. Cannondale bicycles will now be made at a factory in Taiwan. This will cut some 200 jobs from US operations and cost 4.5 million to make the move, but is seen as a money saver in the long run and is expected to save 4 million a year.
Cannondale had been seen as a company that made high end aluminium frames, but as production has slowly moved overseas, and low cost bike models have been made, it is clear that they are taking a dramatic change in philosophy. Gone are the days of "Hand Built In The U.S.A." which they had been known for. It remains to be seen if the future bikes to come out of Taiwan will have the same care and details that the US builders put into production.
Cinelli x Mash Fixie Update
April 3, 2009
Great news for Cinelli fans who got their first taste of the collaboration with MASHSF and liked what they saw at Interbike 2008. The prototype track bike was made production-ready over the winter and the first finished framesets are just weeks away from shipping. We now have even more details and photos to share:
The MASHSF X Cinelli fixie bike is an all-new design built from the ground up, unlike previous collaborative art bikes that were designed around existing models. The bike features pursuit track geometry, monochromatic paint scheme and a retro-Classic Cinelli crest logo on the head tube. The first shipment to the US will consist of 100 framesets.
The graphic design is by Benny Gold, one of the best-known designers on the street and skate scene, who has worked with Adidas, Nike, Burton and other leading trademarks on the West Coast. Benny Gold is an independent graphic designer specializing in logo design and apparel graphics. He is best known for his work with Huf and Mash. Benny created the original identities for both brands. "The custom paint and frame stickers are meant to resemble the shape of the Mash lighting bolt and give the bike a feeling of speed. Cinelli’s classic head badge worked perfect for the collaboration. Unfortunately they did not have the artwork for the crest anymore, so I had to redraw the entire thing."
This will be a limited edition run. Only 1,000 framesets will be produced and distributed worldwide. The price is confirmed at MSRP $850 US for frame, fork and headset. In the US, bikes will be available through Cinelli Authorized Dealers.
You can find out more about the collaborative entities here:
Mash
Cinelli
Benny Gold
Pedal 4 Pasos
April 2, 2009
This June four cyclist will be making the trek from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. This is not our average bike tour though. Matthew "Gus" Gusul, Cody McNalley, Genevieve Perreault-Murphy, and Anne-Marie Jamin will cover the 5000 kms in three months, at the same time raising awareness and funds for Primero Pasos, a non-profit providing healthcare and education in rural Guatemala.
Pedal for Pasos has partnered with Change for Children, this way all donations that are raised will receive a tax deductible, charitable receipt. You can also donate directly to Primero Pasos to help support them. By supporting this journey you will be helping out a great cause and great people, Primero Pasos works with over 15,000 mayan residents.
A Novel Idea
April 1, 2009
I have done MySpace and Facebook, but I will admit that I have not really jumped on the Twitter bandwagon just yet. There are only so many hours in the day to update people on what is going on. The boys at Banjo Brothers, along with Minneapolis writer Ian Pratt, may make me a convert. Tomorrow, starting at 8 a.m. and concluding at 4:00p.m., they will release a piece of cycling-themed micro-fiction, via Twitter. The fictional story, which takes place in Minneapolis, will be released in 16 installments of 140 characters each.
“The marriage of cycling and art is a natural. The cycling community as a whole has a long history of being passionate about music and artistic expression. Recently, cycling-centric, events like Artcrank, which showcases bicycle-inspired original artwork and the Bicycle Film Festival, which now has spread from the United States to nine countries, continue to grow in popularity,” says company co-founder Mike Vanderscheuren. “We think the micro-fiction project will be intriguing to our cycling demographic and in the process of enjoying the story, we suspect these same customers will become more familiar with our products,”
Ground breaking? Could be. And to make it even more appealing it will come in at only 2240 words. That's easy reading. So stop by and see what all the hype is about. To read the story you can subscribe to or follow the Banjo Brothers’ Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/banjobrothers.