September 2010 Archives

Byron’s across the pond riding bikes with people rocking some solid accents. I’m sure there will be more coming, but check the photostream to keep up with his adventures.

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

Nice tee as well.

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We’re en route to London with Dahon Mu Unos and will ride all over that town, including a Mobile Social with Mission Workshop and past The Crossing

watch for us there — we’ll wave. Then we visit Moulton for a factory tour and test rides. They’re celebrating 90 years.

Brilliant! As a bike commuter that’s been snake-bit with a double flat before (and generally carries one tube), this would be awesome to have around town. I know a couple shops have built their own, but this is the nicest implementation I’ve seen.

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Photos from Ignite bikes at Interbike with a green screen, live broadcast, and a studio audience. We’ll have video in a few weeks and will announce the dates for our next Ignite.

Gary Fisher — Trek Bikes

Gary needed no slides. He just riffed for 5 minutes and looked fabulous

Steve Gluckman — REI

A lifetime of cycling with REI

Jessica Meek — Globe Bikes

You don’t need a car, really, just a bike

Left Las Vegas with a marvelous Mobile Social: police escort, jogging models, alley cats, freak bikes, big wheels, music, and a family too. We made a slideshow of the best photos.

Watch now on YouTube or download and sync to iTunes, your iPod, iPhone. Subscribe to the Huggacast Feed for more episodes.

iPhone

iPhone users can download and watch now and access our Huggacasts via the iTunes Store on a Wi-Fi or cellular network.

I’ve just finished editing the first batch of images from the 2010 Cross Vegas race. The men’s elite race was fast and furious—these guys really duked it out and it all came down to a finish line sprint. While Cross Vegas is never muddy and isn’t terribly technical (aside from the one set of barriers and the set of stairs) it’s a great race with an incredibly spectator-friendly circuit.

The first set of images can be found here on Flickr. Updated: Women’s Elite set up here.

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Francis Mourey, Française des Jeux pro and French national champion, had a pretty good week here in the states, claiming a wet, wet Starcrossed title as well as conquering Cross Vegas, both times aboard a new Lapierre carbon CX bike equipped with Di2 electronic shifting. I got to look his bike(s) over before the rain started falling at Starcrossed. What I like about CX bikes is the detail in the set-up, from the factory as well as the rider’s personal touches.

I’m in Vegas at least 3 times a year and have done so for the past five years. Conferences and trade shows bring me there and it’s always work. To say, “I hate Vegas” is too mild. I just go numb. It’s like the drudgery of a chore you do as a teenager:

Yes, Dad, I’ll mow the lawn. Then go to Vegas and get my expense reports into payroll while cleaning my chain and watching a webinar on social media.

Walking across a mile-wide, barren parking lot to get demo bikes

I’ve always ridden in Vegas. I travel with a bike most everywhere. Rode the Strip by myself, Red Rock Canyon, Lake Mead, and the outskirts of the city in huge bus lanes with those workers who hand out smut. Those rides led to group rides with Bros and then hundreds of us in Mobile Socials (MoSo).

Free Hugs Less Hate

Hard to fully hate-on Vegas when cosmetology students with perfect hair, hopped up on happy, notice your shirt screened with BIKE HUGGER, and all squeal “we’re huggers too!” They were out on the Strip giving free hugs and mobbed us during a pre-MoSo reconnaissance ride. This was my first indication that our MoSo was starting to think differently.

Hugs for Bike Huggers

I love Ritchey stuff. The bar positions just work right for me. I went from the Carbon Streem to the Wet White Logic for my new bike, but maybe I didn’t wait long enough. The Wet Red is HOT!

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Ugh! I’m in Seattle! Byron and the gang are in Vegas taking care of “business”. I’m bummed I missed this one - more to come I’m sure.

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Interbike - some people loath it, some love it. Regardless, consensus is that Brook Watts puts on a great race and has made CrossVegas one of the highlights of the week.

Todd Wells crashes into first step, Tim Johnson nearly runs him over

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For us racer-types, getting your hands in the drops comfortably without hitting our forearms is a bit of a problem with a lot of bars - especially when you are really pulling on them in a sprint. Some guys (including old favorite Marcel Wust) would run track bend bars on road bikes to make that position more comfortable. Zipp looks like they have an offering that solves for that without sacrificing the “tops” position. Looks pretty cool.

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First known Interbike 2010 casualty, “Avo’s bike got smashed when we forgot to take the bikes off the roof rack before entering garage 2 of Circus Circus.”

Bro! Was that your demo bike for all to see?

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For our first Ignite Bikes, we’ve got quite a line up of speakers and presentations, including:

• Livestrong Challenge — Chris Brewer, Livestrong
• Path to Better Biking — Tim Blumenthal, People for Bikes
• Lifetime of Cycling — Steve Gluckman, REI
• Economic Myths of Building for Bicycles — David Lowe-Rogstad, Substance
• Materials, Design, and Sustainability — Nona Varnado
• Cocktail Parties — Jason Swihart, Mellow Clutter

Intermission: Leaving Las Vegas

• Beyond the Bubble — Amy Walker, Momentum
• Awesomeness — Byron, Bike Hugger
• Unknown Preso from Mystery Speaker — Beta Brand
• What Cyclists Want — Paul Harris, Urbana
• How to Be a Bike Company on the Internet — Matt Haughey, Metafilter
• Mobile Apps for Bikes — David Schloss, Bike Hugger
• The Revolution of Small — Brad Smith, Webvisions
• Dude, Where’s my Car? Jessica Meek, Globe BIkes

Partners

Ignite Bikes is brought you by Dahon, REI, Textura Design, and Metafilter.

See you at 4:30 PM, 9/23 this Thursday at the Interbike Media Center. We will record and share the presenations with you after the show.

This week it’s Ignite Bikes and the Mobile Social Interbike with Kickstand Magazine. Then we’re off to London for another Mobile Social with Mission Workshop and riding our Dahons in Berlin.

All The Details

Regarding Vegas, a memorable quote from a forgettable movie:

Cousin Eddie: I haven’t seen a beatin’ like that since somebody stuck a banana in my pants and turned a monkey loose.
Clark Griswold: Thanks for the pick me up Eddie.

Ignite Bikes

Inspired bikes talks with influential bike peoples — 9/23, 4:30 PM at the Interbike Media Center. RSVP on Facebook.

Mobile Social Interbike

Ride the Strip — meet at 6:30 PM, outside the Sands Convention Center for a roundtrip ride on the Strip. Various after party choices, including Gold Sprints. RSVP on Facebook.

Mobile Social London

Streets of London — ride from and Reception at Mission Workshop. RSVP on Facebook.

Once we’re back in Seattle, it’s more Cross, including SSCXWC and bikes like this.

This image from Hedy Sirico had no caption, but we’re going with a remake of Road Warrior and this time it’s after Peak Oil with cargo and freak bikes.

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Covering a scientist with findings they call “surprising” (but will surprise exactly zero people reading this blog) the BBC says that neurologists are discovering that a car-based commute is stressful enough to be damaging to one’s mental health.

The researcher—the very same that coined the phrase “road rage” thirty years ago—tracks participants wearing stress-monitoring gear as they commute to work. So that you may avoid the typically-boring BBC bit, here is a summary of what they found.

• Taking the bus to work is stressful, but overall more relaxing toward the end of the journey. (Most of the stress comes from worrying if your bus will arrive.)

• Driving a car has peaks of stress and overall a high level of stress.

• Driving a car is bad for your mental health.

I’m not sure why it takes scientists and monitors to come to this conclusion—I figured it out the day I took my driver’s license test but now it’s official. Cars are indeed coffins.

Quick review here for a simple product, but one we appreciate because it works with our espresso machine. Pour a couple shots (or three) cap it and off to the office, the races, or ride meetup.

Innate made the Doppio Tumbler for their friends and my question was, “for bicycle bottle cages next please.”

Find more Innate gear on Amazon.com. The Doppio is available direct from Innate for $9.00 CAD.

My bike wasn’t going good at Starcrossed, so I started running, and people were cheering so I ran more, and I just kept running until someone told me to stop

This Fellow Fell off

Mark didn’t crash

Hodala is a Taiwanese toast that means, “To the bottom” and a good analogy for drinking beer and racing your bike. A bike that your throw up on your back, run with, and destroy in the mud. The cheer is also the name of a “ragtag, fugitive fleet, on a lonely quest—for a shining planet—wait that’s the intro to Battlestar Galactica … Still applicable though to Single Speeders who, as a niche of a niche, are a dedicated, rebellious group riding bikes like the Raleigh High Life and led by Raleighs Sally, the marketing manager for Raleigh.

Raleigh Bicycles is the sponsor of the Single Speed World Championships and make these limited edition bikes for SSXCWC. They sell them and use the proceeds to further their mission. This year with the Worlds here in Seattle, we’re blogging and racing it. A couple weeks ago, at the MFG Cyclocross party, Brian (aka Raleighs Sally) and I got to talking smack about single speeds, asked if I was racing, and I said something like, “Yep will put a bike together, got a bike from last year, come up with something.”

We weren’t at a mall, he wasn’t in a Santa suit, and I wasn’t sitting on his lap giving him a Xmas list, but a week later, I get a text that a frame is ready. “What?” He must’ve pulled this one from his personal stash, cause they only make about 50 a year.

“coming to get it and can I have a pony too?”

Yesterday, I handed Mark V the High Life frame and the Tricross Specialized got us last year. Like a Freakbike Apothecary with a mortar and pestle mashing a frame with bike and parts from his stash, he made this

The week after Interbike, we’re back in London for another Mobile Social. This one is hosted by Mission Workshop and sponsored by Dahon.

Artwork: Kevin Tamura

• When: September 28, 2010, 6-8 PM
• Where: London, UK
• Who: Locals, Bike Huggers
• Directions: Ride from and Reception at Mission Workshop
• RSVP now at Upcoming or Facebook

A flourish move from MPLS Minx at the Grain Belt Studios for MN Fashion Week. ‘Bout this time last year, also posted on MPLS Minx and her ability to ride in 5-inch heels with seamed stockings.

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Sandwiched between the Ready to Ride Fashion Show and the Mobile Social, like a sweet and salty blend of PB&J, is Ignite Bikes. That’s a set of inspired talks from bike-riding influencers like

• Chris Brewer — Livestrong
• Tim Blumenthal — People for Bikes
• Steve Gluckman — REI
• Gary Fisher — Trek Bikes
• Jessica Meek — Specialized
• Soren Terkels — Biomega
• Matt Haughey — MetaFilter

and more. Join us at 4:30 on Thursday and check back for venue and final speaker roster. We promise a good show and perfect prelude to Riding the Strip.

Slide from my Guide to Bike Culture preso.

We get asked this every year: do you really ride the strip? Why yes we do. With cyclists like this

and she’s not going to allow a crazy cabbie to bust up into our lane. She looks at them like that while riding her Globe and makes sure the rest of you don’t get into trouble either.

We hope you join us. Wondering about the Mobile Socials? We’ve got a FAQ on that and also about getting bikes to ride.

Along with Mallory above, Kickstand Magazine is hosting the ride this year and making sure we get to and fro.

Mobile Social Interbike

Details

The MoSo takes place after the Ready to Ride Fashion Show and Ignite Bikes.

Post MoSo?

After the MoSo, lots of choices and we’ll ride to one of them. We know about Gold Sprints, Here Comes the Corn, Kickstand After Hours, and I’m sure more.

The excellent Streetfilms.org has posted a short video with a nice look at women who cycle in New York City, specifically women who have recently discovered riding.

Women In Motion: New Lady Riders Reflect on NYC Cycling from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

With a few hundred miles of bike routes added in NYC over the last few years the number of cyclists in the city is way up, and these women have recently abandoned mass transit and personal vehicles to join the cycling community.

Spotted in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. Free Spirits were Sears bikes.

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I hate riding on trainers in the winter. I don’t like the feeling of the ride with a resistance trainer and I’m too ADD to use rollers well. (Every time I want to change channels on the TV I fall off.)

We’ve got a line in to try out this new LeMond DirectDrive trainer in October, when we’re back from Interbike. It uses a flyweel with inertia to deliver an “experience that riders have on the road.”

I don’t often experience catching up on several hours of The Vampire Diaries on the road, so I’ll look forward to using this to improve my fall-TV productivity.

Last weekend I brought home a discarded rear wheel from work. Once I got home I started pulling stuff out of boxes and bins in my living room. Before I went to sleep, a 7th bike had materialized…just because I wanted a bike I could just leave set-up for and on the trainer. That, and I don’t think I could get enough money off of eBay for my Bianchi S-9 Matta ti frame to be satisfied. It was pricey, and they don’t make them anymore. So I grabbed some old Suntour Superbe, 9sp Dura Ace, a spendy 3T aero bar, and some aged Modolo brake calipers (look cool, brake like crap). A fully functional bike out of stuff in my living room….this is probably an indication that I have too much bike crap.

Facebook fan Anthony Edgett shared this photo of the Mt. Evans bike rack with us. Full of bikes at 14000 feet.

Mt. Evans is the home of the Bob Cook Memorial and cyclists have been challenging themselves on that road since it was built. In our travels, we’ve ridden above 10K feet twice: Lizard’s Head Pass and Haleakala.

Dutch had a kickstand. Cross was looking for a parking spot.

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You’ve likely seen your cycling friends wearing compression hose — pre, post-race and sometimes even during a race. I’ve tweeted and commented that instead of spending that kind of money on the latest fitness fad, go to your local drug store and get the socks your grandpa wore. Same thing. Until now.

I dismissed the first generation of compression wear because they were nothing more than a pair of tight pantyhose. Skins sent us their RY400 to test. Where these work for me is during a good night sleep and mostly for travel. Anyone who rides and travels knows how terrible your legs feel after a long flight. No matter if you’re racing or commuting, get on a plane after a hard ride and you’re going to feel it the next time you touch down.

I’ve always liked Mavic hubs, but since the mid-1990s the French company has been a trend setter in marketing complete wheel systems as opposed to hubs a la carte. Yet, supposed proprietary designs haven’t stopped me from hacking together some sweet wheels with a tasty, smooth Mavic center. My favourite rim to build on is the Hed Belgium rim (same rim as used on their low profile Ardennes and Bastogne wheelsets). It’s a little pricey compared to Velocity or Mavic, but the Belgium is a quality piece. It is also VERY consistant and builds up nice.

Early generation Mavic Ksyrium Elites are the easiest to build on, though I have also used Mavic Classics Pro hubs (f&r) and Cosmic Carbone hubs (r only, no 16h rim available from Hed). This set is my latest Ksyrium Elite hack, along with a 3-4yr old Hed Ardennes front that I rebuilt with a fresh Bastogne rim after the sidewalls had gotten thin from winter training.

Bianchi Campione fixed gear conversion…

• White industries ENO rear hub, laced to a celeste DeepV Miche Primato front hub, laced to a red DeepV
• Campy Record headset, Veloce cranks(w/ Miche Primato track chainring)
• Nitto Technomic bars (w/Harlequin bar tape), stem and seatpost
• San Marco Regal saddle

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At the MFG Cyclocross party, I realized a generation had passed when I mentioned unrecognized names like Knapp, Norton, Grande, and Rutledge. Not only have the names changed, but the bikes have as well. We used to race on 70s touring bikes and now it’s more focused, purpose-built bikes. I asked Tim Rutledge about this development:

The courses today all over the USA mimic UCI rules at a level we have never seen before. So the bikes do not have to have such long rear ends or high bottom brackets.  In the last 5 years, “Jungle-Cross” no longer exists and frames built with lighter weight materials and fatter tires are the new normal.  20 Years ago we had more rugged courses and crazy steep descents, along with tires that were only 28C but that has changed, to today’s, fast—“Dirt Crits.”  The modern ‘Cross bike is a fantastic blend of ‘Cross and Road, and under 18lbs!!

At the distributor, ready to go out racing

Dirt Crits

He’s right. During our pre-ride of North Seatac last weekend, I went down the steep, dirt descent three times to show Pam how to do it. Turns out, they haven’t ran that gnarly section of the course in years. To bring more people into the sport, promoters are making it more accessible. The bikes are better and built for what are essentially dirt crits.

Maybe time to start calling P-Fars, Tops and Bottoms with that dominant front wheel and little bitch wheel in the back. See this video featuring a stiff Sherlock Holmes character and a Sumo wrestler riding yet another modern penny farthing. Hey it’s got tweed in it!

Quinn told us

just took a spin through the park. suddenly it wasn’t tracking strait. glad it failed gracefully.

That’s the front of a a 50-yr old Nishiki frame that spent most of its live in storage. I said a good builder could make a fork for 3, 4 hundred or probably time to get a new frame.

What do you recommend he replace it with? We’re into 333 Fab these days or for production like this Novara. Salsa Vaya too? What else in Steel? Raleigh Record Ace?

For a cyclists that tours with Wheeled Migration, think he needs an artisan bike from a NorCal builder or a Rawland. Whatever bike chosen, make sure that spoke bell goes back on it.

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This afternoon and tomorrow for the Sunday races, cyclists are out pre-riding the courses and it often looks like this

with much discussing, debate, and general mystery as to where exactly the course is. Powerpoints maybe would help? It goes like this

• Well there’s some singletrack over there and what looks like a runup
• Saw some caution tape from last year maybe
• There’s another guy out here, but he’s not talking.

Cross season is here, and so is something else: the knee-high socks. I don’t really get the “why” with these things. Is it just aesthetic? Does it provide some shin protection when you pull a re-mount nutter? Is it a women-only thing (I think it is?)? What’s up?

If you’re into this sort of thing - Sock Dreams appears to have the goods.

Still from TheGrandSpectacular’s video about dickheads.

We go through lots of bikes at Hugga HQ and I’m reaching a point where I want to keep a select few in a collection. Missing the ride of a bike, I fear I won’t find another that rides as good as it did. You can get steel in custom and I own my share of handbuilt bikes that I adore. Occasionally though, a production bike will come together in a memorable ride like this Boron Steel Bianchi.

The Bianchi was made back when steel was still a sought-after, high-end feature of a production racing bike. It wasn’t just an urban bike with crap chromoly spec’d for margins and livened up with Velocity rims.

What bikes do you regret selling? Another is the last Trek Madone before they changed it and arguably f’ed it all up.

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Trek Bicycles has seen the future of cycling for women and it is... the Harley Davidson.

Let's back up a bit.

We received a press release from Trek yesterday announcing the hire of a new Trek Women Brand Manager, Leslie Prevish, formerly of Harley-Davidson Motor Company. Normally we don't pay a lot of attention to press releases about new hires but this one caught us off guard, and at first a bit angry. These paragraphs set me off a bit.

In her past role at Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Prevish led the marketing efforts to increase the number of women riding motorized two wheels, and she's excited about the transition to pedals.

"My first weekend on the job I did the Trek Women Triathlon and couldn't believe the empowering vibe," said Prevish. "Then I tackled the Trek Dirt Series mountain bike camp and met so many amazing women. Newbies like me and experienced riders - all of us learning new skills and overcoming fears on the trails."

Trek's women's division to be run by someone with a background in motorcycles? Someone, it seems, doesn't who have any background in cycling? Is that good for this industry? Is that good for the issues surrounding getting more women on bikes?

But after a long ride to ruminate on the industry it hit me. This is great news. It was the phrase "empowering vibe" that got me.

This year's Interbike will mark the fifteenth or so year that I've been in attendance. (In my early days covering the show I did both Interbike East and West and CABDA as well.) Most of the people that I met then are still in the industry, they've just changed between jobs at different companies. There isn't nearly enough "new blood" in the industry.

Meanwhile, as I've said before, the bike industry doesn't quite know how to encourage women to ride. Pink bikes and shorter stems does not equal an understanding of the unique challenges and issues women face when they try to embrace the cycling lifestyle.

If there's any group on earth that has a worse time trying to get women to enter the culture it's motorcycles. When I say the phrases "Harley Davidson" and "women riders" what do you think? If it's the mental picture of a middle-aged woman with sun damage from riding in her leather vest then you've got it all wrong.

This image, pilfered from a great article on Scooteringusa.com about Harley's Garage Party program shows the potential here. Replace the Harley with a Trek and you've got the ideal bike-store scenario. A knowledgeable dealer rep explaining how a technology works to a group of eager consumers.

If there's any transportation/recreation device that seems less consumer friendly than a bicycle it's a motorcycle. See if this stereotype sounds familiar. A group of people that hog the roads, using them like they own them. Dressed in obnoxious outfits. Making too much noise.

Then I hit this sentence

Prevish is also working with Trek retailers to invite women to be fit and philanthropic on the 5^thAnnual Breast Cancer Awareness Ride on October 9 (Awareness Ride. All of the registration fees from the 10- or 25-mile rides go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Last year, 100 retailers hosted events and raised $100,000. Trek Women's goal for 2010 is $150,000.

So if Trek's going to bring in an expert from the motorcycle world who jumps right into triathlons and mountain biking and who makes it a goal to raise more than $150,000 for cancer awareness, well god bless them. Because after getting women to ride a Harley, getting women on bikes should be a piece of cake.

After posting this admittedly wussy mud shot on Facebook, our readers responded with various levels of mud.

Photo was intended to demonstrate the mud-collecting properties of BB 30 on the new Conquest Team

Luda-Mud-XXXTravaganza

from Steven Lamb

Ripped-the-Derailer-Off Mud

from Wesley Hodgson

Maah Daah Hey Mud

and another from Steven Lamb

Cross Mud

Andrew Mudder

and I said,

next time encase your bike in mud, like Han Solo in carbonite, and set it up as a historic monument in a bike shop.

Ten bikes in one car space via Cyclehoop’s Car Bike Rack.

Also noticed by Bike Biz and we’ll look for these when we’re in London later this month.

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Photo from Eurobike — see David’s post on the Mopion from last week.

Update

Copenhagenize rode the bike and posted on it earlier this week.

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Designed by Wytse van Mansum with a nod to Paper Bicycle. Previewed by Bicycle Design last month. Also see the Cannondale Duchess.

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While searching for more details on the Lunartic, found this Dyson Design Award nominee and it has some promise. A convertible cargo bike with electric assist:

This is a utility pedal-assisted electric bicycle - tricycle that can be ridden like two-wheeler or like a three-wheeler depending on the intended use. When one needs to carry a heavy load, then the rear wheel can be split and transformed into a three-wheeler with a loading surface (up to 150 litres and up to 40 kg). It is bigger than some trunks of small city cars, yet big enough to carry a full load of shopping cart. The BIQUATTRO has a specially built suspension that allows the bike to tilt to the left and to the right for steering. This permits the rear wheels, which are extremely narrow to each other, to tilt independently ensuring a better steering performance and user experience (it feels like a two wheeler, but it is more stable).

Missed this earlier and it’s sure to annoy Mark V’s — at least it got built. The Lunartic seeks to prove that a reverse penny farthing with hub-less wheel is a better bike.

With Flip Flops

A casual prototyper.

Last year ‘bout this time, we had another iteration of the penny farthing and it was electric. Also see this small-wheel-in-the-front-bike. You’ve probably already figured out if you were to hit a bump on these bikes, a severe head-smashing “endo” would result. In flip flops, your feet would get hurt too.

After racing Kruger’s Kermesse last weekend, Cross season started in Seattle at North Seatac with a good turnout. Cyclocross is like the United Nations, or the Justice League, of cycling with roadies, mountain bikers, urban, and track all intermingling and racing each other. We see faces we haven’t seen before, families, and tailgate parties. They all come out to participate in the event for fun or race it seriously.

Concentrate

The women’s field all looked very determined on this short, steep, descent section. I told Sandrine McFadden she caught the men with her compression socks.

Race Face

Mahan was there to transition from road to Cross and went into his zone at the starting line.

Red crank, egg beaters, and ready to race.

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

In our 5th year, we’re remixing the Mobile Social Interbike with:

• Ignite Bikes — inspired bike talks
• Mobile Social — ride the Strip

and, of course, our blog-focused event coverage.

Ignite Bikes takes places after the Ready to Ride Fashion Show at 4:30 in the Urban Lounge on Thursday September 23rd. Then Meet outside the Sands Convention Center — the Bike Valet entrance — for the Mobile Social. Ride the Strip with us at 6:30.

Post ride we’ve got choices of Gold Sprints at Las Palmas, Here Comes the Corn at the Peppermill, and an after Fashion Show party with Kickstand Mag.

Details

Planning a cross-country bike tour? Considering self-contained with panniers, doing it credit card style at hotels, or this!

Photo: AP via Daylife, from Caravan Salon fair in Duesseldorf, Germany.

So it’s attached to a electric assist comfort bike and you could cover the top of the camper with solar panels to generate electricty. It’s a Digital Bike Nomad’s hotel at SXSW or a Cargonista’s dream vacation. Even a place to stay warm at a cross race.

Likely influenced by the Kevin Cyr concept from last year.

Design student Christian Breig wrote to tell us about Adiubik

Biking with clipless pedals increases your effective power up to 40%. No Wonder that bikers like to use this system on their daily rides. But the use of clipless shoes and pedals isn´t comfortable in everyday life. Our lifestyles changes daily we won´t be limited to one pair of shoes with a stiff sole. My Design allows to use every clipless systems with nearly all kind of shoes. The product has been awarded with the eurobike award 2010.

and we’re interested, as users of both clipless pedals and old-school PowerGrips.

Images: Christian Breig

Rather than take two sets of pedals with me when I travel on business with a bike, I use the Time Z Downhill because I can clip in and also wear it with regular shoes. With Breig’s design, I could take one set of ATACs and clip this into it for the regular shoes. While appreciating Christian’s design, do wonder about how quick you can get your feet out of his adaptor or clip out and step down on the street in a hurry.

A look like this only comes after lots of hard work.

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

It’ll take a Tommy Bahamas to sell an safety-vest orange, upright cruiser with discs and electric assist. Queue Lee Iacocca in a Hawaiian Shirt.

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

Our Bro Wes just got a 4th at Masters Track Nationals in the Mens 35 - 39 category on this 47 tooth chainring. His coach Jennie Reed loaned the ring to him. She previously used it to win bronze at the World Championships.

Wes also sent us this photo of his 60 MPH warmup, roller speed with that chainring.

How is that possible? A 97.6” drivetrain, spinning over 200 rpm. The sprints in Wes’ race were topping out at 41 MPH, on a 45 degree banked track with 2-3 Gs pushing you down. No wonder the athletes that win at this level are pushing 200 pounds.

Freight trains.

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The sky was a swirl of fluffy clouds and blue when I opened my eyes. People were talking to me, their silhouettes blocking the light and I was laying in the dirt and I felt awful. I sat up, and immediately regretted it, as the feeling of nausea swept above the pain like storm surge flooding a levee. I was in a farm field, but other than that, the only thing I was sure about was that I wasn’t in Florida….well, pretty sure I wasn’t in Florida. Clattering past my bed of dust and gravel were lycra-clad cyclists and in the distance too. I thought those are bike people…I’m bike people…I think I’m here for the same reason that they are…what was that reason? The silhouettes kept a steady interrogation, and I realized that they were asking me if I was all right. After a while I was beginning to think that they might know something that I didn’t, but I told them I was ok. Still they kept asking…asking if I was sure. And I thought well, you got me there.

The clouded sky still seemed obscenely bright…probably because my prized Rudy Project Tayo glasses were broken…and my LAS helmet nearly split in two. Okay, I’ve seen this sort of thing before. This is a bike race; I do these sorts of things. My clothes are ripped, I’m covered in dirt, I’m bleeding, my head’s in a state…I’m pretty sure I crashed, and I think I’m not racing anymore today.

There was a repeated suggestion of a ride to the hospital, and I could only think,”No thank you, I’m poor!” I understood the scenario: I better not say anything freaky, or I’m gonna end up in an ambulance whether I want to or not. Any moment now they are gonna start asking questions, and I better have some answers…..quick!…what day is it?…shit!…I have no idea…I’m not working today…is it Thursday?

Concerned faces were asking me how I got here, and I had to stretch a little to come up with an answer. A snatch of memory leapt to the surface…. a car ride involving frantic GPS usage to get to the race…iPhones and Volvos and bikes on the roof…

“I came with Byron…”

“Byron who?”

“I came with Byron and his wife Pam…”

Apparently that answer was enough to allay their concerns. Later, I would contemplate the concept that a man’s entire identity can be summed up by his choice of spouse, and whether that was a good or bad thing, and for whom….but at the time I was thinking, whew…they bought it. Regardless, I would have had problems articulating other details like where the car was parked, phone numbers, blood type, etc.

As a woman walked me back to the first-aid tent, I began piecing the jigsaw puzzle together. This was Kruger’s Kermesse at Sauvie Island, just a little outside Portland. More or less, Kruger’s could be described as a cyclocross race without any need to dismount. I still believe I would have placed well, had I not crashed. I was picking riders off one by one, though I would have needed to be quite lucky to finish higher than 10th. Somehow I crashed pretty hard on the slight downhill, but I’m not sure how. Several people said I hit a divot in the gravel road, but I don’t think that would have been enough to put me down. After all, the course was full of patches, and I was feeling pretty comfortable with the roughness. Though my bike was mostly unscathed from the crash, my handlebars had rotated down quite a bit; still I cannot verify whether the rotation was cause or collateral to the crash.

Elite athletes get tested in the off season so they and other elite athletes can become more elite. Russell is at a lab in Premanon

After the jet lag passed I’ve found the groove in this place. We eat at certain times as a group, all 25+ of us including staff. Each day thus far we have been tested in a lab about 14 miles away. So far it’s one of three tests; CO2 re-breathing (yes, CO2 like what comes out of a car’s tail pipe), VO2 max test, and a 30k Time Trail on a trainer that includes a wind gate test. So far none are super tough although I haven’t done the TT yet. We will do 6 VO tests and 8 TT’s so i’m sure we’l be well drilled soon. Just today some of us get our first of two muscle biopsy’s. I can hear the rumblings in the hall ways right now, not good. Some folks are in serous pain. Some not so much. I get mine tomorrow. Not stoked on that…

I’ve done two Vo2 max tests and both were the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The second one was worse because Nurse Ratchet delivered the test and started texting her nurse homies 1/2 way through it. She ignored my bulged eyes when I glared at her trying to indicate a bonk was imminent. Her attention snapped back to the task at hand, when my eyes rolled back in my head, Undertaker style, and I did my best Linda Blair-exorcist grimace. She finally turned the torturous Vo2 contraption off after I slapped at the phone in her hand. Never went back to that lab, but hope they’ve got new, “no texting while testing rules” in place after my experience.

Even without a disinterested nurse attending you, the test is uncomfortable because the air is dry and seers your lungs. To simulate the test on your commute next week, do this:

1. Ride as hard as you can on the bike path
2. Return home
3. Rush into the bathroom
4. Turn hair dryer on low
5. Put the nuzzle it in your mouth and breathe deep until you get dizzy.

You won’t get the numbers to determine how fit you are for the next big Bike to Work effort, but you will better understand that Pro athletes are genetically qualified to go fast. They also suffer far more. This is their day job.

Along with building up Cross bikes this week, Mark V took an inventory of the rain bike wheels that needed replacing and/or rebuilding. None looked as bad at this one, which by all accounts is legendary. Like how did it not explode and cause a bad crash. And yes disc brake fanbois, your wheels don’t need replacing. Check your pads though as I’ve seen you lose control when they wear.

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Rob Anderson tipped us to Mark Ronson’s Bike Song — we’d loop that all day in a bike shop

along with Pee Wee at Sturgis.

This photo of a Joint Hedgerow Maneuver with Teammates Signaling the Achievement was found in an archive at a local library and depicts a technique we’ve had stashed in the Vault of Cross Knowledge, alongside Ocean Runups and Baryshnikov over the Barriers.

If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now

You may have noticed the bussle of Cross posts, tweets, and statuses. We’re back racing this season after spending last Fall riding the Mobile Social Worldwide. We’re training now in our neighbors hedgerows, at local parks, and running up stadium steps.

Kruger’s Kermesse

Our Season started at Kruger’s Kermesse — a dirt crit in Portland that has no barriers or runups, but a huge turnout and fun, fast course.

Gift with Purchase

Mark V received this complimentary gift in his race. We’re not sure how it went down. What we know is I heard the Emcee call for “friends of Mark V” to the registration tent to tend to him. He got his bell rung, ticket punched, and learned about avoiding the potholes on a hardtail with 700c wheels.

He’s ok and back at it. Said some really funny things with a concussion too. Oddly his embrocation reeks of alchohol. Will inquire about that later.

When Light & Motion offered to send me a prototype of the VIS 360 "commuter" headlight, I didn't think I could possibly become so smitten with such an innocuous seeming bit of gear.

The $169 VIS 360 is a winner in almost every single way (save one, which I'll get to in a moment) and is now a permanent resident on my helmet as fall creeps ever closer.

The VIS 360 is a rechargeable system with an unbelievably bright front light, side "markers" (lights that don't flash) and a rear 4-lumen tail light.

My main headlight is a NightRider Pro 1400 LED, a dual-beam system that throws 1400 lumens at full power. The VIS 360 creates a beam that (thanks to the greater concentration of focus) appears brighter than the NightRider. While I wouldn't use it as a rgular light for riding without streetlights—something I do with the Nightrider (and for the record not something the VIS is designed to do) it's a superb light for the commuter, especially to fill in the dark patches and times when other lights fail.

As an example, I recently was doing an impromptu night ride when my NightRider, which I had been riding all week without recharging, gave up the ghost. I was able to ride home with the VIS 360 and felt comfortable the whole way. It's also a great light for grabbing the attention of drivers. When I have a brighter light on my helmet and I turn to look at an approaching car, I often run the risk of blinding the driver. The VIS is bright enough to catch their eye but not bright enough to put that eye out of commission.

The rear flashing light isn't the brightest light I own (that award goes to either the VIS 180, also by Light & Motion or the hellishly-bright Planet bike flashers I own) but it is more than sufficiently bright to be seen for great distances. Be aware that since the light is mounted to the helmet it shouldn't be the only rear light—look left or right and you'll turn the light away from cars behind you.

 

Of course nothing's perfect and in the case of the VIS 360 there's one little issue that irritates me. The light is designed to be charged over USB instead of with an accessory adapter (yay!) which means that it's possible to ride to work and plug the VIS in to one's desktop to juice up for the ride home. The charging jack is the less-common Micro USB cable, not the standard Mini-USB found so ubiquitously on so many products. When I asked the company about this they said that the Micro USB is more common "on 2010 cell phones." That might be the case, but anyone who uses an iPhone or an older phone won't have this cable and anyone with one of these phones will likely be using the cable to charge their phone.

It also means that anyone who loses the Micro USB cable or forgets it at home can't just grab one of the common Mini USB cables found on other phones, card readers, hubs, cameras, video cameras, hard drives and any of the other thousands of items with a Mini USB cable.

That aside the VIS 360 is a praise-worthy light that won't let you down and more than lives up to the company's claims.

 

 

 

America has a problem. Our citizens are overweight and lazy. Most of our trips, and more specifically most of our trips under five miles are made by auto.

For a variety of reasons it is either impractical or impossible to perform a number of tasks via bicycle. Some of this has to do with infrastructure, some with society and some with bicycles.

While countries like the Netherlands and Denmark have great cargo-carrying bikes, they largely have not hit our shores. Personally I think that Americans aren’t partial to the Amish-black color that these bikes come in.

Biomega and Puma’s long-term collaboration has resulted in a new approach to the U.S. cargo bike market. The new “fashionable” cargo bike reminds me a bit of the 1980’s mountain bike scene (right down to the Judy-yellow color on the fork) but it might just solve a problem—if you can get past the name..

The Mopion (sounds like a Volkswaggen moped) is an aluminum cargo bike that weighs in at a mere 50 pounds, and is available in more traditional colors like white and black as well as this eye-grabbing color scheme.

I’m looking forward to trying this bike out, as my current cargo-carrying solutions tend to feel a bit awkward and unsteady. I’ve ridden the fietbikes that these are based on in Amsterdam and the small front pivot wheel makes them a tad bit faster to navigate than what I ride currently.

This bike might not solve the urban cargo problem, but it’s a start, and it’s a much-needed one if we’re ever going to get our cities to look more like Copenhagen than like Newark.

Polar and Look have worked together to announce a new Power meter that measures wattage at the pedal and speaks with the Polar head unit. From what I can tell, it’s not ANT+ (sad), but they we should hear more as it’s formally announced at Eurobike. It seems that these two big companies may get to market before Metrigear that was the talk of Interbike for 2009.