A climber on the bike

I’d never skate skied before and fell down 8 times on the first lap. 0 the second. It was as aerobic as a Cross race or a good tempo ride when I backed the effort off and fell less. In the sun and nearly 50 degrees, I sweated profusely. 

When he’s not skiing, hammers the bike

Skate skiing is like rollerblading on snow with long sticks on your feet. The technique is plant with both poles, crunch your core, glide left and right. The skis are 1/2 the size of a cross country ski. Core and calves is where I’m predictably feeling it today. We skated for 3 hours. I enjoyed it so much, I want to get good at it; especially, when a grandma skated by me and said, “best to take a lesson.” What! 

Hugga skis!

It’s the worst season in 50 years here in Park City, a Farmers Almanac winter, and the snow was sticky. I struggled with bringing my feet back together when the skis drug on the wet snow. Once I figured out I could flick my toes, left or right, and get the skis back in place for the next glide, I stopped falling. 

It’s been a tough week for cycling with day after day of doping news. A break from the bike with the cross training was well timed and needed. Thanks to our friends at Delta, US Snowboarding, and The Canyons for the trip. Also to Ibex for equipping us with snow pants, liners, and casual wear for the parties. 

I’m wearing their new hoody and wool shirt with an Eider soft shell. Burton also hooked me up with a puffy coat in a schwag bag. 

On the earbuds, while skate skiing, it was new music from Crazy P, the Chronic, and Brubeck channel on Pandora. 

Props to the Nordic pros at White Pine Touring. The 90 second lesson helped. Digging the Swix kit they carry too. 

That’s Henry’s track bike. He uploaded it to Flickr with a note that in Amsterdam they race bikes too. We know that, sure, there’s a team called Rabobank you may have heard about. Also check the finish on the bike. It’s a Castle built sometime in the 90s. That paint is like the coating on a teflon pan. I don’t remember which bike, but I’ve seen it before in Davidson’s shop.

Uploaded by henry in a’dam | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.

The noise these snow chains made when I ran over them with my bike was like sound FX from a B movie about giant, mutant lizards roaming the earth. Lizards that smash bikes viciously. The chains bounced up, off the BB, into and out of my feet, then to the gutter.

That’s Tallulah and Frannie out for an afternoon ride yesterday in Seattle. Tallulah carries her toy dog in the basket and Frannie teaches yoga in the neighborhood. These stylish cyclists were spotted in the Greenlake neighborhood. High-rez version on Picasaweb.

As it was told to me by Nick Burlow

I’ve been bugging Shawn Small of Ruckus Components about setting up my ‘cross bike with custom eyelets on the WCS carbon fork, as well as some of their custom carbon fiber fenders. We finally got together and as I am not to picky, I gave them complete artistic freedom on the paint / design work.

Graham Adams, painter for Ruckus Components, used an old hot rodders’ trick by using lace and create a unique pattern.

Being made from carbon, the fenders are not only light, they are also very stiff. This allows the use of a single strut (hand bent on each install by Shawn). I love the clean look of this set up. The custom eyelets on the fork are done so well they look stock.

May take a cyclist that’s had a progression of rain bikes with fenders to fully appreciate this set up. They’re like Honjos, in carbon, with enough fender clearance for a ham-fisted UCI official to get his fat fingers in there measuring your tires. This setup includes Ruckus molding eyelets onto your existing fork.

See more photos from Ruckus Components on Flickr and learn more about this project on their site.

Enough of this hero v. villain in a corrupt sport, how ‘bout some Road Bikes Doing Stunts! Then ask, why don’t they just do this on BMX bikes? Cause one jump too many and the trick-riding Bro is going get some carbon shards up his ass. HT Stevil.

EE Brake with burnt cork

Had the Venge out on Saturday and it’s bedazzled with EE Brakes. Learned, as I plummeted down Novelty Hill, that you need to pull them to brake and then pull them some MORE, THEN MORE.

They work well and I like a good modulating brake, but I just hadn’t pushed the bike to the limits yet on a descent that steep. The back side of Novelty into Carnation is as steep as traffic engineers will allow.

Next time will brake earlier and harder. As a roleur, I can descend. So I dropped down Novelty, like I always do chasing the skinny-fawk climbers and

Oh! forgot I had super-lightweight, crazy-machined brakes on this bike … oh, ooh wait, ok, now under control, whoa!

On a longer descent, there would’ve been more time to adjust, shift my weight, and sit up straight to scrub speed with my chest. The brakes didn’t let me down, I just didn’t have time to grab more of them before that first turn and the suicide intersection at the bottom. As new new brit friend said in a thick accent

Smelled your brakes down the whole hill. A very distinctive smell.

After Cross season and riding in Maui, it took a while for my muscle memory to remember the road yesterday with fast pace lines and tempo climbing, but once they did, it was all good.

Yum!

Strava gave the route and effort a suffer score of 100. Don’t know what that means, other than, I was thinking about Taco Time’s new sweet potato Mexi-Fries around mile 50.

At SXSW

For 5 years, +Bike Hugger has represented the intersection of bikes, technology and culture at SXSW. You’re welcome to join us for our annual social ride(s) with SXSW attendees and locals.

We’ll ride, blog, and party.

Event Details are here and on Facebook please RSVP.

Meet Spot, Route

The meet spot and route are subject to change. Watch for updates from us as the dates get closer.

We wear kit and plain-clothes, depending on the ride

Pfftt! whatever to Velo Couture, Cycle Chic, and other stereotypes from @bikeyface. She wears what she wants. She also calls out the cycling creepers taking photos of women on bikes and how they use those images to further their own, self-centered, euro-centric agendas.

Erect baguette is a nice touch

Thanks for that dose of Political Bike Satire. Please may we have another. This time with tweed?

Illustrations by Bikeyface. Originals on Flickr. Posted on her blog too.

I would!

I’d attach some strings though with economic incentives or make sure the bikes went to Bros like this. They deliver medicine.

Santosh and Vikas are Bros that ride bikes delivering medicine

View more photos from the event on G+ and Flickr and I recommend you visit the center next time your in downtown Seattle. I don’t know museum science or that art enough to talk it more than what I experienced, but it follows the openness of the Gates Foundation new campus. That’s where they’ve also got the most massive bike parking I’ve ever seen. It’s for all their employees that bike to work.

A hallway for the kids to run around doing stuff