"Miscellaneous" via BikeBlogCollection in Google Reader

Penny Farthing Freestyle

2012-05-24T17:24:33Z

Freestyle with helmets under bowler hats

From Mark Tyler and taken during the 114th Victoria Day Parade. See another photo of these two on Experience Cycling’s site.

New Seattle Landmark: Bicycles

2012-05-24T14:02:40Z

At 3422 Harbor Ave SW, where CycleU and a couple cat ladies are housed sits this new neon sign announcing that bicycles are available.

They are in the new bike shop and in the ‘hood, cause that’s where the Beach Drive bike path starts under the W. Seattle Bridge, across the street from the Nucor Steel Plant.

As we rode by, the workers had just finished installing it and we’re wiping the dust off with rags. Haven’t driven across the bridge in a while, but expect you can see it from a car too.

Meet me at the bicycles sign. It’s a nice ride along the beach. Keep going past Lincoln park and up into the hills where you’ll find a 22% grade called the Col de Roy.

View New Seattle Landmark: Bicycles in a larger map.

Bike Mount for Android

2012-05-23T19:40:21Z

Finally a mount for Android

The Bike Mount for Android is in on test and functions just like the iPhone mount, but for the ‘droids. It’s shock and waterproof. Mounts to the bar and your phone will function like a bike computer with your favorite flavor of bike app. With the right liner, the mount works with

Samsung Galaxy SII
HTC Desire HD / HTC EVO 4G / HTC Inspire 4G
Samsung Galaxy S / LG Optimus 2X
HTC Sensation

This mount, like the iPhone version, are meant for the commute and casual ride. If you’re on rough or off road, get the HD mount to better secure it to your bike.

I use an iPhone exclusively on my bike now, including just riding, touring, and training. Using the Bike Brain app, Google, and Aperture 3, make photo ride maps like this.

The mount I’ve got is a factory sample and they’re not in the States yet. Expect the same pricing as the iPhone at $59.99 and available from us and Think Biologic.

Attn: Feed Readers UPDATE

2012-05-23T17:34:41Z

All,

Apologies again for sending you gigantic images in your feed reader. The issue is now resolved and if you’re still seeing the giant images or video, please refresh or clear the cache. The cache will update itself in the next few hours and after we start posting again. We hope our bug didn’t blow through too much of your data plan or bandwidth.

So what happened was, we rolled out RWD images – they adjust to the size of the mobile screen – and RSS choked on the code. After a day spent traversing the DOM to replace width/height attributes inline, we’ve solved it.

I’ve been writing about RWD and living through days like this on G+. Read more about it here.

Now we’ll resume our regular programing with a video that features a cranky old Brit bike builder who in the first few seconds says

When we were riding there were only 5 speeds and we only rode 4. Now they’ve got 21 speeds and you don’t know what gear you’re in.

Like hey back in the day, you got ONE image size. That’s it. No adaptive/responsive shit. We push the web tech here like we do on our bikes. Sometimes it breaks.

Attn: Feed Readers

2012-05-22T18:39:20Z

We’re aware of the gigantic images in feeds issue and working on a fix. Sorry for blowing out your browser. You can see what we’re doing with those images on our mobile view and they’re regular sized on the desktop.

Big Wheels Keep On Rolling: Surly Pugsley

2012-05-22T14:37:05Z

Mario E sends his regards from somewhere in New Mexico on this big-wheeled bike.

Living large on a bike with big wheels

The marketing of these bikes is so convoluted, I don’t know what they’re calling them now, but that’s a Surly Pugsley. It’s used for snow, dunes, trails, and whatever else you want to roll over.

Also see this bamboo cargo bike spotted at Sea Otter with Surly’s clown shoe rims.

Clown shoes on a bamboo bike

Surly are the stoners in the bike industry that keep their shit together just enough to release something as ridiculous and cool as that.

Keirin Training

2012-05-22T06:08:09Z

Keirin training 1994, image from Numerius’ flickr page.

Get Out the Way Gingerbread Man!

2012-05-21T20:48:19Z

Back in the day, Gingerbread men paid attention to the road and heard someone yell, “RIDER BACK.”

Now it’s all about them.

SSCX in the Mist with RWD Images

2012-05-21T20:45:26Z

Our mobile readers may have already noticed that we started serving RWD images today like these of a Redline SSCX in the mist at Sea Otter.

Front

The images are widescreen and will fill the screen of your phone or tablet in portrait or landscape mode. To see it on your desktop, click through to the mobile version.

Downtube

RWD is the web designer/dev de rigeuor and for those into that, read more about what we’re doing in a G+ post. Everyone else, please just enjoy the images formatted for your device and our commitment to content. After we get our mobile site how we like it, a rev is coming to the desktop that’s focused on being more readable.

Oh and that’s a custom spec Redline. I’ll race on it this Fall when Cross season starts.

It’s Your Ride

2012-05-21T17:53:58Z

The film spins a visual ballad between the two cyclists experiencing the city in their own unique ways. Both cyclists are city dwellers who amidst the chaos of the concrete jungle have created a private and peaceful psychological space as they traverse the streets. They are both alone and yet they are both very much aware of each others presence. The film speaks to the harmony with one’s environment that can be found while riding a bicycle in a city and the synchronistic connection we can have with those we have not even met.

Built at NXNEi Poster

2012-05-21T15:42:59Z

Built at NXNEi 12 poster

A poster announcing our trip to Toronto and the next stop for Built. See you there. We’re talking about the web, making things, the bike, and riding all over.

If you’re there too and got something you want to share, we’re still accepting talks.

Thanks to Dahn for the artwork.

Watch for Zebras While Cycling

2012-05-21T14:26:11Z

A street person asleep in the bike lane under 99, along the Seattle waterfront

Seen many street people in my rides, but one asleep in the middle of the lane was different. Like a human sharrow.

Just Riding Along: Snap, Crackle, Pop!

2012-05-20T14:18:25Z

A risk analyst likely has a formula to determine the rate of failures based on amount of bikes ridden and for how long – we’ve got a fleet of bikes at Hugga HQ and ride them almost daily.

What I know is after two ride-stopping failures in a week, I’m even more diligent about checking my equipment before a ride. Like a pilot of a plane; especially when I’m heading out for a long ride or race. Both of these failures are unusual, but they happen. In the past year, I’ve been in two races where I rode through the shrapnel of an exploded tire.

First a fork cracked at the tip.

Crack starts middle of the fork at the tip

Maybe it was from stresses induced by the roof-top rack or something else happened either when riding it or when it was manufactured. Heard it snap and carbon makes a very distinctive crackling sound when it goes.

Then this tire sidewall ripped apart. Never seen that happen before.

Did a snake bite that?

We were just riding along and POP! That fork is out of warranty and Reynolds doesn’t make them anymore. I’ve shared the tire photo with the manufacture and remembered the “tubeless incident” from last year.

DeLorean Bicycles

2012-05-19T14:05:08Z

Seems like some investors noticed too how car companies we’re selling bikes and attached an infamous car brand to a bike, in this instance DeLorean. I didn’t see 1.21 gigawatts mentioned anywhere in the marketing copy, but they are road bikes with hydraulic disc brakes. With the 11-speed, electronic shifting, and the right training, you can probably hit 88 miles and hour.

Aside from the name, the story here is stainless steel from Sarto. Not an easy material to work with and probably 1/2 the cost of that build in Italian labor and $5,500.00 price tag.

Note: a bike like this, or an over-the-top Cross bike, a good local builder can make you.

The DeLoreans were shown earlier this year at NAHBS. If these sell, maybe another investor group could make a Tucker bike that was a cruiser shaped like a torpedo and had a crazy, directional headlamp on it.

Bike to Work 12: Ride with the Mayor

2012-05-19T00:03:08Z

Mayor McGinn and a yellow vest guy

Rode with the Mayor of Seattle to celebrate Bike to Work Day this morning. Got out a bit late for the 7:45 AM meet time, so TT’d over on the Soma Tradesmen.

Strava this workout!

At each commuter station, asked the attendants to just toss the schwag in the buckets.

A well-traveled bag

Then at City Hall we heard speeches and met other commuters like these two with bike style.

Outrageously photogenic couple

Hung out with the Cascade crew and they unveiled their new Eco-Totem.

Mr. Cascade

After coffee with SeaBikeBlog, introduced myself to Neodandi (though not dressed for it), rode back, and saw the Trippy Space Van.

Fashion in Pioneer Square

Also a cyclist with a Travoy Trailer.

See the rest of the photos light boxed on G+ or Flickr.

Bicycle Turn Signals

2012-05-17T23:24:44Z

On left/right

Spotted this LED turn signal prototype on a bike in a rack yesterday. It’s for bicycle running and turn signals.

Both on or left/right

Waiting for the Amgen Tour of California

2012-05-17T19:21:53Z

People don’t understand how much work it takes for a sprinter to get close enough and actually have a shot at the win. – Creed the Water Carrier

Lot of this, riding along looking at each other

People don’t understand what the sport takes, besides those ingrained in it, cause the sport is so poorly shown and managed these days. We’ve reached the epoch of boring, when we’re profiling the domestiques. It’s so predictable and played out, the last minute is all I’m watching of the Giro and the ATOC.

Just Tell Me Who Won and is Winning

There was a time, when there was a media drought and we’d lap up any cycling coverage. Now by the power of the Internets, we’ve got streams, live Twitter coverage, with countless blogs, sites, and coverage; including dedicated work like the quote above from Podium Insight.

More like this

Photo: amgentourofcalifornia

Post Lance we’re back to hour-long recaps that are more likely to get pre-empted by bull riding or an ESPN wannabe news hour. Watching the stage last night, Phil and Paul have either lost it or are calling it like Big Time Wrestling with an entirely scripted narrative. Zabriskie and his nuts are so bored, he did a little attack. While Paul bellowed about how Dave could win and Phil scrambled to put the words together, they cut to the rearward facing camera and you can see the peloton reacting. Dave wasn’t going to win, didn’t think he was, and he’s done that move since he was a junior; including at every ATOC he’s raced in.

So before this gets int a bitter old dude, snarking the sport, let me say that I love racing and the bike so much, I publish independent media about it. I’ve also spent decades racing.

In person, at the local level, the sport is a wonderful and engaging as ever; especially Cross because of the crowds. I’m sure the cities that the Tour rolls through are thrilled.

It’s on TV where we’ve got a problem and I blame the directors and management. Race radios and specialists like Cavs. How tightly Vaughters wears his argyle socks is more interesting than Zabriskie going up the road or Creed carrying water bottles.

Seriously, there’s more action at a Charity Fondo than the ATOC.

Faced with declining viewership or TV time, other sports would convene to figure out what to do, like a shot clock, to reengage or make it compelling. What cycling does, is just plod along, never the master of its own destiny and hoping for a savior like Lance. Also that their house of cards built out of lies doesn’t come crashing down from another set of subpoenas.

No More Lances

Tip: Lance is a yellow-banded, ascended hero, that viewers will never see again. We’ve got to enrich the sport and not the personas. Also take management and the directors to task for their performance. They’re not creating a drama on the road for us to watch. It seems like they’re just fulfilling contractual obligations for their sponsors and setting up VIP tents for old guys to fantasize that they’re connected to the sport with Chris Carmichael.

There was a time, when Pro racing was controlled chaos – 3 - 5 breaks on the road, a stud like DuDu (Google it) would go on suicide attacks and occasionally win. We had no f’ing idea what was going on, until the GC was announced by the officials.

The Columbian climbers would ascend like little birds, then crash on the descents, and a race was anybody’s game to win. Now at the Giro it’s about Cavs destiny to take a controlled sprint, show us his hot girlfriend, and demand apologies when he doesn’t win.

Second tip: Create a new narrative for us to latch onto by working to disrupt Cavs. As large as his ego is, you know he’s a fragile little manchild. Break his spirit on the next climb before the intermediate sprint by purposefully attacking the shit out of him and pronounce you’re going to do so. Call it Operation Cave In.

Finally, the ebb and flow of this sport and its popularity will continue, but not before we hit another low, if racing like we’re seeing continues.

Fixed Gear Trends: Looks Cool

2012-05-17T18:41:11Z

A Sole bicycles in the window at Charley+May in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood. Charley’s is a gift gallery “celebrating modern design for you and your home.” They’ve sold half a dozen and stocked them cause the owner thought they looked cool.

How much is that fixie in the window?

I spotted the Sole’s on a ride I do midweek in Seattle.

Couple of fixies and a pig

Meanwhile at the PSFK Conference a single-speed belt drive with a handlebar that flips sideways wows the crowd. Graham Hill says he designed it for Schindelhauer and it’s a folding bike. Speed lifters have solved the “awkward in a hall” problem for years in Europe, but the audience doesn’t know that or that they bike isn’t actually folding.

They just think the bike looks cool, like the buyer for Charley+May does.

Ride Then Relax

2012-05-17T17:07:43Z

A PRO like Mathowie rides then relaxes with flip flops.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

A Peloton of PoPo

2012-05-16T19:44:19Z

On a regular route, passed a line of police on bikes. Their peloton continued around the next bend and out of the camera’s view. Didn’t ask what they where doing, but it was militaristic and precise.

Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.