Levis go a fixie gaga

If you are a bike commuter in the city, you might realize how binding and uncomfortable jeans could be when riding. You might also sweat and worry about being seen by other vehicle when your commute extends to after dark hours. Levi’s is always coming up with new ideas for their jeans with innovations you didn’t even know you needed until their here.

The jeans brand has come up with the 511 Commuter Jeans just for the urban commuter that come in four styles. Full length, cropped, denim and non denim are the styles picked to be commuterized with water and dirt resistant fibers that are sanitized against odor and made with a a reflective fabric that reflects light in the dark. The raised back construction hides your sweaty crack too and is reinforced with pockets galore for added storage, including your ‘swagger clink’ mini D-lock.

The jeans feature:

• Stretchable fabric
• Utility waist band for u-lock storage
• Higher back rise for additional coverage
• Fabric treatment to improve water and soil resistance
• Antimicrobial treatment
• 3M Scotchlite Reflective Tape on interior cuff
• Reinforced fabric in the crotch, back pockets and belt loop

We think it’s a good sign for bike commuting when a mainstream clothing brand like Levi’s starts producing products specifically for our market. Available this summer at $78 for the jeans and $128 for the matching jacket.

Rosie the Riveter Reworked

from fuckyeahgirls&bikes website

by Andy Singer Took me an age to track down his own website through NYC Bike Blog and Urban Velo … go online or contact him at andy(AT)andysinger.com (make that an @ obviously) to commission some artwork or buy some stuff

Help catch a thief – london bike stealers

There is something quite disturbing about the image above.

The calm, determined way in which two men go about the task of stealing a bike suggests that they regularly carry out this activity. You might even label them “professionals” if such a description did not somehow dignify the activity of bike-thieving.

The picture was taken outside the Alwyne Castle pub on St Pauls Road, Islington London on Saturday by a patron who realized that they were probably witnessing a crime. But having snapped the crooks, by the time the alarm was raised the pair were already making good their escape apparently laughing as they did so. The bike’s owner, James Jones, a 27-year-old television director whose film Landlords from Hell was screened as part of the Channel 4 Dispatches series last night, briefly gave chase before alerting the police.

They attempted to retrieve fingerprints from the crime scene but were unable to do so and consequently, having been shown the image of the thieves by the pub-goer,  James has enlisted the power of Twitter in a bid to identify the criminals and bring them to book.

It’s a strategy that worked for our very own Tony Farrelly who two years ago tweeted via colleague Dave that his bike had been stolen in Bath. The tweet was seen by a former workmate who just 20 minutes later spotted the bike and its liberator in the town centre, and who, being of a certain size and demeanour, promptly relieved the light-fingered miscreant of his ill-gotten gains.

Of course the chances of such an outcome are slim in London where the market for stolen bikes is far bigger. But as the image begins to go viral, the prospect of at least putting names to the faces of the thieves must be increasing. Here’s hoping…

I would have gone for the cinelli myself but the fat bloke doesn’t really look like a cyclist

A quick ride before the ferry home

Catching the ferry from Lerwick to aberdeen tonight so time for a quick ride (around 21 miles to Bigton) to see some distant relatives. A busier road for most the way then a long singletrack climb over the hill and drop down to St. Ninians isle. Feels colder than the forecast – must be summer….

Tonic vanishing point review from RIDE.cc

£1300 frame and forks

When a steel bike for testing was mentioned I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I love steel bikes, I’ve owned three of my own in last few years and tested a couple more and every one has left a smile on my face. While I was doing a bit of research on Tonic’s Vanishing Point I just couldn’t get one little number out of my head – 2400g frame and fork weight. After miles and miles on carbon and alloy machines weighing a kilo under that was I finally about to ride a steel bike that wasn’t going to inspire?

Everything from Tonic Fabrication is hand made in house by the two man team Landon & Tony in Portland, Oregon. Right down to custom bending their tubing to the CNC machining of dropouts and other parts allowing full control over every detail found in one of their frames. The Vanishing Point is their first foray into the road market after cutting their teeth with jump bikes, fixed gear and then cyclocross.

Available as a frameset,r custom build or off the peg the options are endless We’re testing our Vanishing Point mainly as a frameset, but the build we have is available as an option too for £4100 – it does include some pretty snazzy componentry not least those Easton EC90 wheels and builds up to a complete bike weight of 8.4Kg.

It’s a beautiful looking frame with neat touches like the open ended seat and chainstay tubes blending into the, in comparison, dainty machined dropouts. My favourite part of the whole frame though has got to be the wishbone seatstay. The transition between tubes and diameters is seamless and so much more pleasing to the eye than the usual twin stays. In fact the smooth welds and black paintjob create a flowing structure throughout the frame. The oversized headtube with intergrated headset also flows nicely to both the top and down tube, with no logo or badge covering it the lines are kept clean and simple. The only quibble with the quality of the frame is the fact that the threads on the water bottle bosses weren’t cleaned out, no doubt the production models will come with cage bolts so this would be noticed before dispatch. The understated black paint looks classy but if its not to your taste custom colour options are available starting at a reasonable £95. If you want to go the full custom route things like mudguard eyelets and rack mounts can be sorted at the time of ordering as well.

Tonic’s design spec was to create a comfortable frame but fast and stiff like a track bike. The use of oversize Columbus Zona and True Temper OX Platinum tubing create the stiffness with deep section 22.2mm chainstays and 38mm diameter downtube controlling the flex from the bottom bracket area. In Tony’s own words “As for the tubing used, we select it based on Diameter, wall thickness, Butt profile and intended use (No magic formula here) . But we have always preferred the aesthetic and ride quality of large constant diameter tubes over award winning shapes and tapers.” The ride itself was somewhat compromised by the overly stiff bar, stem and seatpost choice, taking away the vibration reducing qualities of the steel but on rides of three hours or more the frame comfort shone through as I was finding my body a lot less fatigued than usual even when really pushing it.

The beefy carbon Enve forks bring a lot to the ride with good vibration reduction to match the frame but plenty stiff enough to give loads of feedback in the corners. Tonic Fabrication can supply a steel fork if you want something a bit different. Its a trimmed down version of the Suernaut steel fork. Getting the power down was fun too, when once up to speed the Vanishing Point is easy to keep there. The lightweight Easton wheel and component package our frame was supplied with balances out the frame and fork weight. Better to have the weight as a static than revolving in the case of heavy wheels. Hard acceleration and climbing showed no problems with stiffness with barely any flex felt anywhere and high speed descents were easily controlled thanks to the confident tracking of the Enve fork.

Although a frame and fork test obviously the components fitted to the frame will have a large impact on how the bike feels. As mentioned above the Easton finishing kit was so stiff it was really at odds with the frame, especially the aero bars – one of the reasons we reckoned it was fairer to test the Vanishing Point as a frameset. A swap to a more traditional bar with a bit of flex in it would help the overall comfort levels a huge amount. The Easton EC90 SL wheels, while amazing to ride giving loads of feedback and some of the best braking (in conjunction with Swisstop yellow pads) I’ve ever known are just too stiff to compliment the frame. Sram Force provided the drivetrain and gears and while not being one of my favourites gave clean shifts and stayed running quite and in alignment over the test period.

Verdict

In conclusion the Vanishing Point is a great looking and riding frame and fork. Build it up with some slightly less harsh components than we had, for day long rides and getting big miles in fast its up there with the best of them. The kudos of having a bike that not many people have heard of also is a feel good factor especially with its understated looks. A great blend of speed and comfort gives the Vanishing Point a large appeal to many, if you’re after an unassuming stealth sportive bike to slot in between the MAMIL’s Pinarello’s book yourself a test ride.

Pashley guvnor in the sun

The style and elegance of the 1930s Path Racer has returned with the Guv’nor. Based on the model made by the Company in the 1930s, the Guv’nor has a classic and relaxed style, but is equipped with modern components. It features a Pashley built Reynolds 531 diamond frame (in 20.5, 22.5 and 24.5* inch), with relaxed style forks, Brooks B17 Titanium saddle, drop North Road handlebars with leather grips, and a Sturmey Archer single speed rear wheel with 28 inch gold lined black alloy rims. The Guv’nor is also available as a 3 speed model (see menu below).

Old skool dreambike – pashley clubman

The ‘country’ Clubman reflects on the era when one bike would be used for many purposes – club cyclists would put mudguards and saddlebags on their bikes to go touring, strip all accessories off for the weekly club time trial, and ride to work in between. With generous clearances under its centrepull brakes, this Clubman is equipped with modern derailleur gears for ease of use, whilst retaining the classic direct-acting downtube shifters. Mudguards are fitted as standard, as well as a Brooks leather saddle. The frame is fitted with braze-ons for bottles, a pump and a rear carrier.

SRP £1495

Spec:
Frame sizes

20″, 21.5″, 23″, 24.5″ (centre to top); 28.6/28.6/25.4 Down tube/Seat tube/Top tube.

Colour

Ivory or Rich Burgundy

Frame

Reynolds 531 with investment-cast cut-away lugs; classic geometry; cast dropouts with mudguard eyes; two bottle cage mounts and pump peg.

Fork

Reynolds taper gauge oval blades; investment-cast crown; classic small radius bend; cast droupouts with mudguard eyes.

Gears

Shimano 105 with down tube indexed levers; SRAM 8 Speed cassette sprockets; ratios: 35″-125″.

Crankset

Grand Sport 52/39t, 130mm, square taper; sealed cartridge BB, hollow CrMo axle.

Wheels

36/36 double wall box rims, polished aluminium; double butted stainless steel spokes; large flange, quick-release alloy hubs (sealed bearings).

Handlebar

Classic dropped handlebars with Brooks leather tape.

Brakes

Dia-Compe centrepull; traditional levers with gum rubber hoods.

Pedals

VP with toe-clips and leather straps.

Saddle

Brooks Swift with leather; copper rivets; titanium chassis.

More for ambling down country lanes and having picnics sat watching the hay balers in action …. A time machine as opposed to a time trial bike. Quite expensive and might be one of the reasons that Pashley is rumoured to be in trouble – buy now for future vintage and retro appeal. Similar bikes are available from Condor as well as from cooper bikes – the Reims that I mentioned before ….

A tale of bicyclist revenge

K.C., who writes the blog A Girl and Her Bike, is a girl with a bike. She’s also a District of Columbia police officer. But the second part’s not so obvious when she’s riding on a Capital Bikeshare bike, out of uniform and just trying to get home from work. Which is probably why some jackasses stopped behind her at a red light decided it would be fun to bump her bike with their car. At very least, they probably thought it wouldn’t get them arrested. Suckers!

Instead, the bumper bump turned the Girl on a Bike into a Pissed-Off Police Officer Out to Punish Evildoers on a Bike, as K.C. first flashed her badge and then chased down and caught the fleeing car on her bicycle (with the help of other D.C. officers).

It’s a hair-raising story:

I’m not sure why I decided to go after him. I was on a CaBi, in civilian attire, off-duty. Instinct I guess? I did though. I followed him up Kenyon where he had gotten stuck in traffic & the light at 14th St. NW. I guess he saw me coming after him, because all of a sudden his reverse lights came on (he couldn’t go anywhere else), and he started driving backwards towards me. I thought he was going to try to escape down the alley, but I guess he figured it was a dead-end. … I managed to get out of the way without him hitting me, but it was very close. So close I was able to hit his side mirror as he went by. The light had changed at 14th & the traffic had begun clearing, so he gunned it and managed to flee out of the block, down 14th St. It was at this time I grabbed my radio (it was in my bag) and broadcasted a look-out and that I needed help.
Read the rest at A Girl and Her Bike. K.C. says several times on her blog that she’s not a superhero just because she has a badge, but frankly, if you have to SAY it …

And it gets even badder of ass. The driver, Mr. Harrison, wasn’t just the kind of charming fellow who likes to ram his car into bicyclists. He was the kind of charming fellow who likes to ram his car into bicyclists in his time off from dealing drugs. How do they know this?

Because the criminal genius that he is, made a phone call to his girlfriend from the DC Jail. Phone calls which are RECORDED and MONITORED. And he asked her if she wouldn’t mind hiding his drugs and gun for him.

Yeah. Super Smart.

An emergency search warrant was obtained and his room searched. Sure enough, a gun was recovered.
The assault happened back in February, but A Girl and Her Bike is revisiting the story (with more details) now. Harrison pled guilty to felony possession of a firearm, felony fleeing, and misdemeanor assault on a police officer, but not vehicular assault — those charges were dropped. So right now, he could go through his whole trial without any acknowledgment that his original crime was using a car to threaten the safety or life of a bicyclist (who, yes, also happened to be a police officer, but right now that’s the only part he’s getting charged for). K.C. has a call to arms:

Mr. Harrison’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 19th at DC Superior Court. I want to pack the courtroom with cyclists. As the victim of a crime, I am able to present a “Victim Impact Statement” to the judge. You better believe that I intend to bring up the fact that I am a cyclist first and foremost, and that this whole saga began when a driver decided to literally push around a cyclist with his motor vehicle. It was just a matter of luck that this cyclist also happens to be a police officer as well. It is Not Okay for drivers to bully cyclists on our streets. His actions were not only irresponsible, but CRIMINAL. He didn’t “accidentally” hit me–he made a conscious decision to hit a human being with a 2-ton vehicle. That is assault. These sorts of things have to STOP.
If you’re a bicyclist in D.C., consider going over to the Superior Court (500 Indiana Ave., NW) on August 19 and showing this badass lady that you’ve got her back.

Trials riding using a carbon road bike

Fantastic madness

It’s not every day that you see a carbon road bike being used as a stunt machine — hopping over boulders at the beach and styling it up at the skate park.

British trials legend Martyn Ashton does just that and more in his latest video, The BikeRadar Roadie.

The clip sees Mountain Biking Hall of Fame member Ashton hit the tarmac on his carbon Raleigh Avanti Team on his way to the UK’s premier bike festival, BikeRadar Live — which took place on 10-11 July.

The Harris Tweed Ride – GLASGOW

please someone pick me up a poster

TAKE NOTE THIS IS NOW ON AUGUST 7th

George Square

5 St Vincent Pl
Glasgow G1 2DH
0141 248 2515

 

website

THIS IS THE DATE – 31st July 2011 – AUG 7th nib that in your journal now !!

The first ever Harris Tweed Run will take place in Glasgow this summer.

Bikes, Harris Tweed, music, tea, whisky and good times ahoy…

I can’t believe we’re not going to be here for this.

How can that be? We’re going to be at the Cambridge Folk Festival for a good friend’s 50th as well as the music which will be lovely, but missing this? I have tweed Jolene has her old shopper – I could brave the Brompton ….

Please can someone try buy me one of these posters? They will be on sale on the day to raise money for charity.

To give you a taster here is a video of the London event ….

James Bowthorpe – Ride across America – RAAM

ROAD.cc

Cast your mind back to the London Bike Show in January and you may recall we spoke to everyone’s favourite ginger-bearded long distance specialist James Bowthorpe about his plans to ride the RAAM this year. Well he’s still going to ride but the date’s gone back a year, to 2012. And to mark the year-to-go point in his training he’s going to be riding for 24 hours straight in the window of Look Mum No Hands. And then doing a talk. Assuming he can still talk.

James is aiming to ride 300 miles in 24 hours, starting at 7.30pm on Weds 15 June. To put the challenge of the RAAM into perspective, you’d need to do that ten times in a row, with four hours’ sleep between each ride, to even finish within the time limit of 12 days. The record time is a scarcely believable 8:03:11, set by Rob Kish in 1992. The RAAM seems like madness to most people but James is relishing the challenge, and he reckons he’ll be fresh enough after his window stint to do a presentation on his plans for the year, which include training for the Paris-Brest-Paris, several non-stop MTB rides and a Hudson River adventure. It’s bound to be an interesting evening so worth getting along to if you’re in the area.

James will be riding a Qoroz road bike on a specially adapted Rollapaluza rig, with a giant LED display to show the time and distance elapsed. If you’re passing, get on down and cheer him on. He’ll need all the encouragement he can get!

Look Mum No Hands! 49 Old Street, London, EC1V 9HX

http://www.lookmumnohands.com

Boris bikes in trouble – well the company behind them being slack

Transport for London (TfL) is reported to have sent Serco, operator of the capital’s Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme, a ‘critical improvement plan’ after thousands of members were sent incorrect bills, with many users also finding that they were unable to take bicycles from some of the city’s 400 docking points.

London’s Metro newspaper quoted a TfL spokesman as saying: “The service it [Serco] has provided for our Barclays Cycle Hire users has not reached the consistently high standards we expect,” and added, “we expect to see immediate improvements.”

A spokesman for Serco admitted to Metro that “some aspects of the service still need to be improved,” adding, “the scheme has been a great success and has been hugely popular with Londoners and visitors.”

Meanwhile, it has been revealed that London is to get another bike hire scheme, this one operated by the car hire company Hertz, which will be renting electric bikes for £20 a day from its Marble Arch office.

Supplied by Ultra Motor which has partnered with Hertz to provide the scheme, the car hire business says “these electric two wheelers give you the choice to pedal or cruise under power through its high-power on demand acceleration setting.”

The e-bikes are supplied with a lock, optional helmet, and a copy of the AA Leisure Guide to London including details of a variety of cycling itineraries around the city.

From road.cc

Rossin Marathon fixie

ROSSIN MARATHON £650

Back in the ’80s, a Rossin was the bike of choice for many an aspiring roadie with dreams of being the next Francesco Moser or Andy Hampsten. The brand are now back in the UK thanks to importers Grupetto Italia. Part ’50s ‘bobber’, part hip urban fixie and part hardtail mountain bike, the Marathon’s mixed bag of design influences manages to make it more than a blast – it’s a revelation!

Built with Rossin’s special double-butted chromoly tubing, the traditional looking frame features clean TIG welds, chunky track dropouts and elegant seatstay and chainstay bridges. Despite its 1in head tube and retro frame styling harking back to classic ’80s steel mountain bikes, the ride characteristics and handling are thoroughly up to date.

Accelerating eagerly with every pedal stroke, the Marathon hits its stride in no time and it stays there due to its low rolling resistance and a not insubstantial amount of rotating mass. The wheels are shod with unfeasibly large Fat Franks by Schwalbe – some of the most amazing tyres we’ve ridden.

Hitting the woods and waterlogged singletrack, when let down to their soft 22psi minimum pressure, the large volume and all-enveloping contact patch mean you can go pretty much anywhere that a more aggressive 26in knobbly might take you. But when cranked up to their 60psi maximum, high speeds and diesel-soaked wet slabs of tarmac provide thrills rather than terror.

The Marathon’s efficient frame is both light and nimble handling, making it great for either dodging in and out of commuter traffic or picking your way along muddy single-track. The requisite three-to-one fixed/freewheel gear ratio of 81in – provided by a 48-tooth chainring and 16t sprocket – is long-legged enough to catch a draft behind a double-decker.

A tasteful selection of highly polished forged aluminium components adds to the sorted look, offering excellent ergonomics and comfort, although the classically shaped cantilever brakes require Popeye forearms to get the job done. With a cocktail of design influences and updated tech, this variation on the urban fixie will keep you entertained and still get you to work on time.

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine.

 

Cant help imagining what an alfine with drop bars could do for the bike….

going retro

I have my bike – it may not be retro as it is only from 96 but it has the classic looks and is steel. Now dayglo modern tops and weird mtb outfits I have collected over the years are not going to cut it ….

So top

A nice Campagnolo classic black shirt

But was looking at these oldies – but may be a bit too retro

and then a nice set of leather shoes as well

dromarti sportivo

Do you match your clothes with your bike? tell me I am not being precious

Look Mum no Hands – Bike coffee culture

Now that London’s cycling subculture has reached the level of a populist movement, bike cafes like Container Cafe, Lock 7 and the summer pop-up Rapha Cycle Club are the city’s latest hip hangouts. A recent addition is Look Mum No Hands, a bar, cafe and workshop in a lofty garage space on busy Old Street in Shoreditch. If you’ve visited any other haunts in East London, you can imagine the place: Edison light bulbs, a staff sporting asymmetrical haircuts, old tires and bike parts hanging from exposed ceiling pipes. Vintage bikes and heirloom tomatoes dress up the window displays, and a scattering of desks and built-in benches fill up most of the room.

Despite the occasional suit-wearing office worker who wanders in for lunch, Look Mum No Hands functions as a kind of cyclists’ salon. Serious riders bring in expensive racing bikes for repairs; bike messengers sit in the attached courtyard fueling up with quinoa salads; and curious commuters lock up their bikes out front and come in to use the free Wi-Fi or study one of the giant cycling maps. There are weekly events, from route planning sessions to bicycle film nights, and the bar stays open until 10 p.m. serving up chilled microbrews from France, Italy and Spain.

M74 Bike and Hike

What a nice day.

Weather wise not the greatest with heavy rain showers and gusty winds but for us it was great. Went down as a family – cycling the 5km to Shields Road where the ride was starting from. Ruby (age6) is getting very good at cycling on the roads in traffic … this time escorted by Jolene on the Yuba Mundo in front and me on the Klein mtb behind.

last time we see this on a bike

Met up with some friends who had also made the journey.

Pinned numbers

ruby on her great islabike

Jolene and Bella on the Yuba Mundo

Then we were off.

under construction

Only did the 4km loop with family as they had cycled down and we were cycling a further 5km to the West End for lunch afterwards … I think 30 odd km for a 6 year old might have us reported to Childline.

Tom raring to go

When we finished Tom and I quickly did the 14km route … quickly may be more apt when heading east with the wind behind us – but turning around we faced that devil but still made steady progress on our return. One roadie zoomed past us – I am guessing the roadies did their race much earlier.

the Brommie Squad

A big shout out (apart from that to family and friends) goes out to the Brompton posse – regulars readers will know I have one and I am a big fan – but this is a Glasgow group of cycling advocates and seemingly great people that I hardly had the chance to natter to as I went to take their pic ….

THIS WAS GREAT – GLASGOW MAKE THIS AN ANNUAL EVENT AND GET SOME MORE DEDICATED BIKE ONLY LANES PUT IN ….

Not the best first Audax to do – 400 ouch

A great video by Damon Peacock

This PBP qualifier was organised by Steve and Denise Carroll. It took in a large proportion of the roads of the remote Scottish county of Sutherland. The weather was superb if a little windy.

Bike Poster Saddle

Brooks Swallow Despose B15 Select

B15 Swallow Select

This version of the B15 Swallow is made with our extra tough, organic leather for high mileage cyclists. It also features our hand hammered copper rivets.

The B15 Swallow is a faithful reproduction of a saddle specifically conceived with the sporting cyclist in mind, the result being a timeless design widely regarded as the precursor of all modern racing saddles. This saddle was originally patented as long ago as 1937. At that time a great many such Brooks Saddles were exported to the continent, where they were very popular amongst professional cyclists competing in the various tours and stage races. Today’s Swallow still proudly bears the original patent declaration on the tensioning plate

beneath the svelte leather upper. This text retains the word “deposé”, the patent application for the Swallow having initially been registered in the Paris patent office.

- Length: 285 mm
- Width: 153 mm
- Height: 62 mm 
- Weight: 520 g 
- Frame: Steel
- Made in England

Steel Bike Eye Candy I

From a lot of sources – things I have sucked off the web and filed under yummy … in no particular order

via snorting bull

coppi

Bott

moser