Love9 Keirin Girls

I have no idea what LOVE9 is about but I think like it. 

If they have collectors cards, I want all of them. 

Trackstand - The Finnish Way / The Second Wed Fixed Tricks Session In Helsinki

NOTE: If you're not into reading my rambling posts, jump directly to the video below. It's the beef here, so to say.

Yesterday night was the second Wednesday Fixed Gear Tricks Session organized by the www.yksivaihde.net forums. We had a much better place at the Kaapelitehdas than last week, about two times more people than last week showed up, some with serious skillz (more about that later...), we had beers and all that. All in all an excellent night with nice people. Check out some more pics here. 

Aapo came and did 57 backwards circles in a row and quit only because his 'arms were getting tired...' so I think we have our local Backwards Circles Champion right there. He's been apparently riding a BMX before so that might explain something. He also did a footjam tailwhip on Jouni's Bianchi Pista. 

Besides Aapo, Ilkka & Jouni also showed the rest of us how it's done. But then things got bit out of hand, so to say. The Finnish people are know for some habits, which might sometimes appear slightly bizarre to people not born here. We've invented the Nokia mobile phones and created some cool modernist architecture & design but we've also invented the Eukonkanto as a competitive sport. 

Well, just watch the video of those dudes and the (in)famous Trackstand Folk Circus.

Fixed gear folkcircus from Eki on Vimeo.

Ps. The instrument Ilkka is playing is called 'Jouhikko', 'an ancient, usually three-stringed Finnish bowed lyre, also called jouhikannel.'.

Dutch Education: Learning To Steal A Bike

Once more concerning bike thieves, this time serious news from Amsterdam:

"AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch cyclists lobby group plans to teach more people across the country how to steal bikes after lessons it conducted in the big cities showed that bike owners became more security-conscious after taking the lessons.

"Someone specialized in locks shows people how to unpick them. This teaches people how to better secure their bikes," a spokeswoman for Dutch bike group Fietsersbond said on Wednesday.

About 700,000 bikes were stolen in the Netherlands last year, home to 18 million bikes. Bikes are the most common form of transport in the Netherlands.

Fietserbond will tour the country, offering its bike theft lessons which has so far helped students moving to the cities like Amsterdam and who usually poorly secure their bikes, the group's spokeswoman said.

"If freshmen move to the city with their bikes, it is a party for bike thieves," she said.

The government launched a campaign on Wednesday, urging people to report bike theft to the police and make a note of their bike's identity number."

Erotic Fixed Gear Head Accessory For You & Her

I've talked about fixed gear head accessories before. Now I just must keep on repeating myself. 

The cycling cap in the pic above and for sale here might not be quite THE ultimate fixie hipster head accessory like that Cinelli hairnet helmet but I could see someone digging it nonetheless. 

"Very Unique cycling cap :)

Erotic Discount center sponsored a Dutch Team in the 1990's

used - but in great shape

be the envy of your friends"

Lock It Up.

Not to comment on my friend's bike incident yesterday but just to remind everyone out there. Lock it up good, ok? 

This pic (courtesy of the failblog.org) can also be conveniently used to comment on web forums... 

More Fixed Gear Tricks, Part 37.

Tomorrow will the second Wednesday Fixed Gear Tricks Session of the www.yksivaihde.net people here in Helsinki. 

I was just looking at pic above from the session at Brooklyn Bridge Banks last weekend where someone called Sam was apparently setting the new standard of riding and the pic really made me wonder when we'll get to that level...  8) 

Bike Thieves In Kumpula, Helsinki.

After yesterday's happy news there's today's sad news. It's like the ying/yang thing, I suppose. 

My colleague Giac AKA Interflug just called me five minutes ago that his bike had been stolen from their court yard in Limingantie Kumpula, Helsinki, during the night. The bike was locked to a bike stand and all. Giac is all fucked up now because he cannot get to work, which sucks. 

His bike was almost brand new-looking nice sporty Tunturi geared mixte ATB bike, it's also pretty recognizable as it was a blue & white Markkinointi & Mainonta Special Edition and there aren't that many of those around. The bike has a bright yellow Selle Italia seat and Shimano components. 

Kumpula is a peaceful community with lots of wooden houses with kind of a slightly bohemian vibe so stealing bike's from a closed yard behind the house during the night hints that the bike was probably not stolen by drunken teenagers needing a ride. 

There are no photos but if you see a bike fitting to that description somewhere, let us know. Beer reward is offered if the bike is found. 

Also, don't forget to check out Giac's 'Jack and his amazing ukulele / Giacomo e il suo incredibile ukulele' MySpace page and listen to his cool original songs (with titles like 'The Day That Britney Died'...) that he performs with an Ukulele. Well, now he has a reason to write a melancholy song about his bike that's gone. 

New Age of Fixie Hipsterism In Finland

George W. Bush looks so very happy in the picture with his new trendy bike because he's just heard the very exciting rumor that the first fixed gear bike which had a red aero front wheel AND a top tube pad has been officially spotted in Helsinki last saturday. My three reliable sources have testified this to be true. Excellent! 

Interested In Funnybikes & Lo Pro Bikes? Got Unusually Long Arms And Very Flexible Back?

Every hipster knows that funnybikes AKA Lo Pro TT and pursuit bikes is where it's at nowadays, right?

Another Perfect Nagasawa Keirin Bike On Ebay

You missed that Nakano red 1982 Nagasawa on Ebay? Well, it didn't even meet the seller's price reserve at 1376USD.

But it's ok, here's another almost as perfect full NJS Nagasawa for you, straight from Japan and from a Keirin track, and without price reserve. It's not vintage like the previous one but pretty hot nonetheless. Friday was my payday, hmmm... 

EDIT!

Holy f**k! Someone from Germany just bought this bike and paid US $2,224.00 + S&H for it. 

I hope he will like it but what I don't really get is why the much nicer previous red vintage Nagasawa didn't reach even almost half of that price.