OT: Aren't We Done Yet?

Cycle Lane, Hämeentie Helsinki 2.8.2010 // Pyöräkaista Hämeentielle !!!

"We the people of Helsinki hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and cycling."

In connection with the URB festival the Länsiväylä group will realize a new work named Cycle Lane. In the work, a 'cycle lane' is painted with fluorescent paint on Hämeentie, in Helsinki. A bit like this: http://www.abitare.it/highlights/guerilla-paint-action-in-berlin/

The cycle parade assembles Monday 2nd of August 1.45 am at Piritori in Kallio Vaasanaukio in Sörnäinen and moves on from there. Cycle Lane is open for all.

ATTENTION! There's paint involved so don't put on your best clothes most expensive limited edition sneakers. We provide the gear to wash your bike afterwards at Tokoinranta."

Facebook event and more info HERE. 

Mark Ronson wants yo' biek!

"Bikes needed as props for new Mark Ronson video

The 'extras' list ... consists of about 20 non-specific bikes that are good looking, stylish and in decent condition for crowd scenes. There's unlikely to be any budget for the use of these.

...

And in case you're wondering, this is all genuine, above board and definitely NOT an elaborate ruse to steal lots of nice bikes!"

Read more HERE.

'Everyone knows standard just doesn't cut it any more...'

"If you read any sort of magazine associated with your chosen discipline of cycling, then you're guaranteed to have come across the part where pro riders show off their pimped out bikes. BMX, Dirt Jumping, Downhill....they're all at it, with custom paint jobs, blinged out rims and whatever else they can think of.

Here at Chain Reaction Cycles we can help you to create the bike of your dreams. Everyone knows standard just doesn't cut it any more, so if you have a spec list in mind then why not get in touch with our sales staff and get the wheels in motion? Our qualified mechanics are here to get it built up for you, the sky really is the limit!

We have pretty much every part you can think of and endless colour possibilities, so whether you want something sleek and colour coded or you prefer to stand out from the crowd then we can do it for you. For an example of just what is possible, check out this bad boy we built up for our showroom...."

Custom build service now available at CRC. 

Wait, what Bike Fag just said about 'Hucking' possibly being the new fixed gear...?

Girls on Vigorelli

... Cinelli Vigorelli, that is.

The pic is about RODE t-shirts, I guess. Check out more pics HERE if you feel inclined.

'RE: Stolen Bike Sighting'

Thanks Jason.

Kalavinka X Adidas

I've said it before: I've always loved old school Adidas, I dig Keirin bikes and I even think HED trispokes are somewhat cool.

But somehow I do NOT love this hideous creation.

From here via Pedal Consumption.

'Courier companies should pay more attention to their employees and dress them in the most fashionable way...'

Pretty funny stuff here.

"Bike couriers are the least glamorous and often hardest working people around. Photographer Ruud Baan and Holland’s JFK Magazine have teamed together for a ‘Bike Courier’ editorial that is turning that stereotype on its head.

Featuring smokin’ hot model Simon de Boekers, Baan, according to swipelife.com, thought “that courier companies should pay more attention to their employees and dress them in the most fashionable way, believing that image counts.” Using bicycle manufacturing firm Raar to get them moving, the ‘Bike Courier’ editorial turns couriers from drab to fab!"

Thanks to RaFu for finding this!

'Pista Concept outfitted with a tasteful selection of components'

Yeah, these are pretty hard to come by and probably nice frames but this...

"Here is your chance to own an extremely rare and desirable Pista Concept outfitted with a tasteful selection of components. I’m sure you know how hard it is to locate one of these, especially in 53cm. This is a recent build which has been meticulously taken care of. For example, I have even waxed the frame and fork with professional show car automotive wax to protect and enhance the finish. As you can see in the gallery below the paint is as smooth as glass and the pearl really comes out in the direct sunlight. The frame and fork are completely dent and crack free. The bike is really incredible to ride and the gearing is perfect for street riding."

Modolo Q-Krono

My first bullhorn bar ever, Modolo Q-Krono, and I like the feeling. It's an old one and 40cm wide but it seems that Modolo has actually re-issued this model. Ok, in fact I've no idea if they ever even stopped making these but in any case you can find them in the 'Vintage Handlebar' -section of their 2009 catalogue. 

I'm also pretty sure that Nitto had one of these on their drawing board when they were designing their popular MASH SF -approved RB-021 bar. 

Veeps In New Finishes.

"Messenger and velodrome proven to be as strong as they come. Now they come in lots of new finishes! Velocity is using a new image transfer powder coat technique. The finishes are powder coated on not decals. 

Deep cross-section for strength, aerodynamics, and reliability. This is a great road racing or triathlon rim! 700C Colors: Wood, Floral, Skulls, Snow Camo, Digi Camo, Flames, and ELVS."

Crescent. So Hot. Back In The 1980s.

Itera Plastic Bike

This is a nice one. A super-rare Swedish early 1980s all-plastic Itera bicycle, spotted on a Finnish online auction site. I actually remember when these were around, how could you forget something as cool as this? I was pretty young back then but that was the days of Tron, remember?

"The Itera Plastic Bicycle was an attempt in Sweden in the early 1980s to modernize the bicycle by replacing metal with plastic fiber composite materials and using injection moulding. The project ended after three years as a commercial failure..."

If you read the bike's history on Wikipedia, you realize that it just was like IKEA furniture, only 20 years before IKEA went big:

"... The bikes were delivered unassembled with tools provided in the box. In autumn 1981, more than 100,000 Swedes indicated they were interested. ...  However, sales were slow and the news media lost interest. The fact that not every box contained every part to assemble a bicycle frustrated many customers. ... Boxes of bicycles piled up in shops. Among them were returns, mostly with broken. Where metal bends, plastic breaks."

Anyhow, there was a kind of a happy end to the story of Itera:

"Production ended in 1985. The stock was sold to the West Indies where they became popular as rust is a problem with metal bicycles."

Oh, I would so like to see a picture of a Rastaman happily riding that bike in Kingston's Shanty Town back in 1986. 

But who will buy the one linked above, just for the front wheel? The fork is also pretty funky. 

Williamsburg Bullhorns?

(Pic came from here.) 

Pistadex Is Dead / Long Live The PistaConceptDex !!!

The Bianchi Pista Concept mania/idiotism I reported yesterday got me thinking:

Everyone knows about the Pistadex that Bike Snob NYC created and which some people took even further, right? Well, I think that is a thing of the past now. 

The basic Biachi Pista, while being a real cool bike by itself, it's still the low end model or a 'people's bike' in comparison to the high end track racing model that is Pista Concept. Now everyone (some of whom even sometimes claim to ride it on the velodrome) wants the latter one. Nevermind that it's super stiff and with tight geo (read: rather unpleasant to ride for longer distances on city streets, although that is arguably an acquired taste...), and made out of thin alu tubing that will dent super easily when used as a street bike, as sadly reported on many places. 

So, instead there should now be a PistaConceptDex, or simply PistaCdex.

if you only look at the Ebay's completed listings for the Pista Concept, this is what you will find:

* 1725 USD (2004, frameset only!)

* 1000 USD (2004 complete w/ pretty good components)

* 1450 USD (2008 frameset with a HED3 wheel)

* 1430 USD (2007 complete)

* 921 USD (2007 complete)

* 740 USD (2006 frameset) 

And you NEED TO REMEMBER here that the official list price for a new Pista Concept 2008 frameset is still about 579 USD, or something like that. And the older ones were even less when they came out. 

Now, who's with me on this?

So You Want That Bianchi Pista Concept? Ready To Sell Your Kidney To Get It?

There's MASH SF, inflation and all that shit and apparently Bianchi has completely misjudged the market for their bike (especially since it was never meant for Nike Dunks-wearing hipsters who want to use it as a street bike) but the fact that some people want to have a Bianchi Pista Concept so bad that they're willing to pay 1430 USD + shipping, IS F**KING STUPID.  

But you, whoever bought that one, at least you could have gotten this instead with a HED3 since you gonna want that wheel anyway, or this with Dura-Ace gruppo and Zipp wheels, or this, or... 

EDIT.

ooooh shit, I just noticed THIS. It only gets worse... 

Fixed Gear In High Heels?

It is apparently possible.

Ok, that might actually be just a single speed bike but anyway. 

However, I need to point out that I'm not female nor do I have any cross-dressing experience so please do not ask me how this foot accessory-pedal combo works in practice. 

Girl Fixing A Bike

Ok, here's the link to the original source of this lovely pic by Minx. Thanks! 

Peugeot Tandems Are Fun!

Rather excellent picture, I think. Some nice cycling fashion tips there too... 

'Get A Bike, And Make Sure It Only Has One Gear'

The Anti-Fixed Gear Manifesto

Fixed gear cycling has proven to be one of the hottest new trends in the two wheeled world. Propaganda fabricated by fixed gear extremists and zealots makes exorbitant claims about "the connection" riders feel to their bicycles when riding with the deprecated and obsolete technology. Many attempt to hide the fact that fixed gear is extremely outdated and has been superceded by new, safer technologies (i.e.: brakes, helmets). While these claims are obviously false, the structure of the fixed gear community allows such lies to proliferate like wildfire. The fixed gear community is largely intertwined with the likes of window smashing anarchists and vegan extremists. It's no wonder you will find these fixed gear fascists imposing their beliefs on day to day cyclists. I will recount one story from a disgruntled motorist from Richmond, Virginia:

"I was taking my kids to soccer practice when one of these maniacs came speeding down the street and skidding into the intersection on one of their primitive bicycles. The young punk lost control while trying to show off to some hipster looking females and smashed into my 2001 Dodge Caravan. The maniac then proceeded to curse at me and swing a "U-Lock" [Editor's Note: The u-lock is favorite among fixed gear extremists for its ability to be wielded as a weapon and it has been immortalized in the song "U-Lock Justice, by the band "R.A.M.B.O."] in the air as if it was my fault. As if this was not enough he told me to 'get a bike, and make sure it only has one gear'. I didn't really understand what he meant about the gears until I met up with a support group in my city that has been started to deal with these terrorists."

Our streets are no longer safe when twenty-something's attempt to rule the road and inculcate our children with fixed gear propaganda. This is a declaration of war. We must fight these bike-nazis at every turn (pun intended).

It is rumored that the secret leader of these fanatics is a middle-aged bearded man going by the moniker Sheldon Brown. This shadowy overlord has helped to foster the fixed gear community by giving step by step instructions on how to build these death-cycles. Thanks to Mr. Brown we have kids speeding around on converted Peugeot's and classic Italian collectables. Other big names in the fixed gear cult/scene are punk-rock bands like R.A.M.B.O. who openly supports the destruction of the United States Government through bicycle militias.

Data is still sparse, but popular hot-spots and bases-of-operation for the fixed gear agenda appear to be Portland (codename "PDX"), Oregon; San Francisco, California; and New York City. Other red zones can be found in Virginia and North Carolina. These are only the most concentrated areas however and the fixed gear trend is on its way to exploding into a global threat.

How to spot a fixed gear operative: due to their close ties to the punk-rocker community, you can find fixed gear riders sporting cut off military fatigues, Dickies that are cut off to look like high-waters, military-esque headwear, and various t-shirts promoting their way of life. It is almost a de-facto standard that all fixed gear cult members be heavily tattooed and pierced in multiple locations.

Tactics: It is very common to find fixed gear agents performing what is called a "track stand" at intersections to prove their superiority to just about everyone they come in contact with. This is a potential Achilles' Heel due to the limited balance one has while performing a track stand. It should be obvious that this is a good time to strike at them. Another less direct tactic would be an attempt to monopolize the bicycle-messaging industry as nearly all bicycle messengers adhere to the fixed gear dogma; by taking a considerable chunk out of this industry we could force a good number of them into working under us. Then it would be as simple as initializing the deprogramming of their "one-gear minds." Note: Sabotage of their braking systems will not work as they do not use braking systems in attempt to be "more hardcore" than average riders.

The streets have been turned into battle grounds and it is hard for traditional cyclists to come out of their house's in respectable cycling attire (i.e.: jersey, spandex, helmet, etc.) without being subjected to a barrage of insults and one-gear propaganda. Our children are threatened by these extremists who would probably go so far as to torch the training wheels off a child's bike to teach it to "ride like a man." The attitudes of the fixed gear army are downright despicable and unfortunately this conflict can only be resolved through bloodshed. It's time for cyclists to stand up and fight against the legions of fixed gear radicals. If you don't believe me, see for yourself at your local bike shop. It is becoming increasingly harder to find and purchase a bicycle with more than one gear and with a freewheeling hub. Now, one has to wade through thousands of eBay auctions to find a simple cassette or derailleur since the trend has become a profitable commodity for e-tailers. The true cyclist is a dying breed. Don't say I didn't warn you when you wake up one day and find that it is a crime to operate a bicycle with multiple-gears.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. I FEAR TIME IS RUNNING OUT.