When I saw the link for this I thought, oooh, typography and bikes, winner. WRONG! The more I look at this the more I hate it. Two front rings with no shifter. Freewheel with no breaks. If you’re going for “purity and clarity”, don’t use a converted road frame with bottle mounts and decorative lugs. Also, as one of the comments on the site says, “slam that stem”! These guys would have done well to look at Gav’s Boikzmoind boik.
Sigh. I’ve become a bike snob. /A
It’s been a while since I’ve been moved to post anything here since my dwindling spare time is taken up with trying to actually ride my bikes rather than looking/reading about them. But this Sunday, Ed and I rode out to watch the BSCC Road Race, the first time I have seen such a thing in person. On the way out we were chatting about BMX, TT’ing, getting old and wondering if there was a less crashy way to enjoy racing once I can’t take the knocks of BMX any more. We were also looking forward to seeing PJ blast up Stowey Hill at race pace and cheering on Kieran, Christian and Mark.
After missing the start, Ed and I made our way to the top of the hill to watch the action. The lead cars and motor bikes came through and like a pair of hipsters in our Ray-Bans and Oakley Frogskins, whipped out our iPhones to capture PJ blazing his way to glory. Instead, all the riders were bunched, looking confused and there was talk of a serious accident on the course. A chap from Bath Uni stopped temporarily to assess the damage of his bleeding face and swollen wrist, but despite the best efforts of the marshals to persuade him to retire the adrenalin pushed him on.
The next lap saw even less riders come past us with Kiran and Christian deciding to stop. It was becoming clear that there was a caravan involved in the accident and there was now a neutralised zone around the crash, effectively making it only two thirds of a race. To cut a long story short, the day left a few impressions on me:
1. All kinds of bike racing can be crashy and cause you serious damage!
2. Road racing requires a serious amount of commitment, training and cash money on kit to compete.
3. British Cycling commissionaires should probably have a camera at the finish line. It’s pretty embarrassing to see them asking the locals who won and if anyone had a decent picture!
Check out PJ’s recollection of the day here. /A
I’m very very very pleased to have launched a brand spanking new site and store for the wonderful (iL)Soigneur over the weekend, designed and built by myself and Shane. The site show’s off the excellent collaborations that (iL)Soigneur has done as well as allowing shoppers to indulge in their cycling inspired products and musettes. Hope y’all like. /A
Details of cycle acidents in London between August 2010 and July 2011 have been published in a report on the Telegraph website. The plotting of these accidents onto Google maps makes for interesting reading, however I’m not sure it would necessarily change my route. Thanks to Dai for the heads-up. /A
I spotted this on the excellent Do Lectures Twitter feed and immediately wondered if the concept could be translated to a bike tyre. I certainly wouldn’t mind paying a bit more for something like this if it was any good and saved me fannying around with puncture repairs in my front room, like what I did last night! More info here. /A
This may be old news to some, but it’s new to me! The Work Cycle is a web-based celebration of the Work Cyclist and their Work Cycles created by Bristol’s Pixillion. It’s great to see what everyone’s riding, although a little sad to see Gav’s stolen ride in the Aardman section. Keep your eyes peeled people, it’s still not been found. /A
The Work Cycle
The rubbish weather is well and truly here in the UK and the last thing you want when cruising on your hipster whip is muddy spray up the back of your plaid jacket, right!? Woodguards are made using reclaimed timber mixed with coloured formica to create a beautifully simple guard. Check them out here. /A
Missed the boat on a single speed spot at the Cobble Wobble? Fear not friends because an equally awesome and lung busting event is just around the corner, Hacksaws 3! 5th November, Bristol—Bath—Bristol checkpoint race. Full details are on the Hacksaws site and the main swag suppliers/sponsors are the lovely Whiteduck and (il)Soigneur! Word on the street is that hmltnwhlrs have fixed TT builds in progress…!?! /A
I just spotted this on the Design Week news feed. It looks as though artist/architect/designer du jour Ron Arad has reinvented the wheel as part of a cycle hire scheme from the W London hotel. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but that doesn’t half look like those “wheels” have been bolted to an ESB? More info also over at the Independent. /A