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09/29/06 07:51:06 PDT WHAT RADICAL RICK WOULD RIDE  After hours and hours of drooling over the latest and greatest in former aerospace technology that has been re-purposed for two wheel pursuits, we were happy to trip over the Indy Fab booth. It was late in the day, attendees were thirsty,there were big lines at all booths that were serving hops and water. But the kids from Somerville whose frames have some of the best paint in the business had their own buzz going with a tip of hat to early 80s, and the Skyway frames of that day. Their red, white, and blue rig stopped folks in their tracks and even rendered them silent. Punk as fuck, they didn't let it stop there, they were also flowing some esoteric bitter ale and rocking one of Boston's finest post-punk exports, Mission of Burma. 
RELATED: MISSION OF BURMA MORE THAN SOURCE MUSIC FOR COLORADO SPRINGS CRITICAL MASS 09/28/06 21:20:48 PDT NO, ACTUALLY THE SIZE OF THE SYRINGE WAS SMALLER THAN A BABY'S ARM HOLDING AN APPLE  Disgraced 2006 Tour de France chump... err... champ... Floyd Landis is convalescing at home, having just finished successful surgery to his damaged right hip. Having bludgeoned the hip in a 2003 crash, the remarkable fact that Landis won the TdF with compromised health and physical abilities made his triumph there that much more of a Cinderella story... (But that was back before Landis' triumph was tainted by evidence of doping and back when cycling railbirds still believed in Fairy Tales...) Anyway: According to Reuters, "Landis should be able to begin low intensity training on his bicycle in one to two weeks." Reaction? A now-jaded worldwide audience used up by scandal and tired of cheating by chemical-enhancement attempts to stifle a yawn. 09/28/06 13:34:59 PDT BONGOED PRIORITIES AND A LOVE TRIANGLE ON THE TRAIL The Wire Donkey often sacrifices boy/girl stuff for the sake of hitting the trails, putting in a few extra miles or just bonding with the bicycle. But we feel confident that even with our priorities slightly bongoed and tweaked, the boy-girl axis of the love menage pictured below is a relationship we can break up...  09/28/06 08:26:04 PDT HOW THEY ROLL IN VEGAS Muslims have Mecca. The damned have Interbike. We rolled into Vegas late Tuesday night thinking that we'd be able to find a room easily. It's mid-week and Vegas, right? Not so much. The whole city was sold out. At least the seats fold back in the go kart of a car that transported us here from LA. After an early wake-up we saw more than a handful of commuting cyclists yesterday morn. Most were down with the low income or DWI-cost-me-my-driver's-license crew. And a least one was on her way back from work at one of the fine champagne rooms in the city. 
Stay tuned for updates. We saw lots of good stuff, took some great pix, hooked-up with the alleycat run by the NY kids, and chowed with some pro Euro-boys. Too bad we left the cable that connects the camera to the computer at home. 09/27/06 10:50:44 PDT TUBELESS IN SAMMY'S TOWN  At yesterday's Interbike Outdoor Demo, the rolling tech dads at VeloNews tested the Hutchinson Fusion 2 and Atom Road Tubeless clincher tires. (Currently only compatible with Shimano's Scandium Dura-Ace wheel.)  To wit: Hutchinson claims the tire to offer a 25 percent reduction in rolling resistance relative to standard high-end clinchers with inner tubes. Another claim is that, since the casing is free of the inner tube pressed against it that can decrease the performance of standard clinchers, it is more supple and can roll more easily, yet far more comfortably, at 1 bar (14psi) lower pressure than a rider would use his or her standard clinchers. Although the clincher is apparently less prone to flatting, you might need a suppport vehicle if the weasel pops... But: The weight is similar to a high-end tire and tube, so the advantage is not there. The advantage is in puncture- and pinch-flat resistance, lower rolling resistance, cornering traction, comfort, and safety. VeloNews like.  RELATED: THEY SAY HOWARD HUGHES RUINED LAS VEGAS BEFORE STEVE WYNN EVER GOT THE CHANCE ... 09/26/06 09:43:28 PDT DRAGSTER DRIVERS RIDING BIKES, SHAKING HANDS AND KISSING BABIES AT INTERBIKE?  In sports, scandals and screwy deals are not the exclusive domain of cycling or stick-and-ball sports. For instance: in drag racing, two days after runner-upping at the prestigious US Nationals, funny car ace -- and ardent (read: fanatical) amateur cyclist -- Whit Bazemore was golden-parachuted out of his ride driving the Matco-backed racecar owned by Don Schumacher Racing. It seems Matco is taking their sponsorship elsewhere in '07 and Herr Schumacher decided it was in his team's best interest to start anew *now*. Bazemore is under contract to DSR for the duration of the year, but has been relieved of his duties and replaced by some guy named "Fast Jack" Beckman....  Meanwhile, today both a Matco Tools function AND the Interbike convention are happening in Lost Wages.... and Bazemore is there to check out the Seven Cycles display (!), according to the Las Vegas Review Journal, wot sez: "Bazemore would not say he had reached an agreement with the Powers team, but acknowledged he planned to be in Las Vegas today to make an appearance at the Seven Cycles display at the Interbike International Bike Expo at the Sands Convention Center." How convenient!  RELATED: THE ROAD TO THE PUMPHOUSE WITH WHIT BAZEMORE ON A BUDDHIST BENDER WITH BAZEMORE AT 5000 FT. ... OR ... WHO KNEW SIDDHARTHA HUFFS NITRO AND CLIMBS ON A BIKE? Pedal to the Metal; Drag racer Whit Bazemore may be the world's fastest cyclist 09/23/06 14:01:20 PDT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE ROCKED, WE SALUTE YOU It's always tough to see the talented move on. It's not our fault, we're not used to it--it's almost un-American to not drain the cash cow dry. The Rolling Stones keep on trucking on borrowed blood and the bankroll of Baby Boomers. Cher has had fifteen million (give or take) "Farewell" tours. And even Jay-Z is coming out of retirement and getting back into the game. That said, when people make good on the Banksy line, "When the time comes to leave, just walk away quietly and don't make any fuss," we don't know what to do. Sleater Kinney did it this summer. Just stepped away softly when it was at the top of its game and one of the most important bands making music. And watching one of the best live rock bands of late move forward sucked. No more, "We have 25 minutes left in our set, but this is going to be our last song" that leads to a jam that channels MC5, the Who in its Keith Moon glory, and a riot girl all grown up in the midst of taking over the world. No mas. And that's to say nothing of Carrie Brownstein's guitar playing, which could kick Angus Young's ass, even if he had risers in his shoes. But this post/tangent isn't completely about S-K or the best guitar player from down under losing a lick-fest to Brownstein. It's about the guys at DeKerf hanging up their torches. After 17 years and more than 5000 frames, the shop is closing its doors in January. If you absolutely need one of its rigs with the trademark pierced, interlocking wishbone design there's still a chance. Another 50 or so will be made.  Chris Dekerf, the founder and sole owner of the company, plans to seek other opportunities within the bicycle industry. "After 17 years the time has come for me to try something new. Building Dekerf bicycle frames has been hugely rewarding in so many ways and the decision to wrap up this business has certainly not been easy. But the time has come for me to learn some new things and perhaps try working for, or with, other people. At this time I have no specific plans of what I will be doing next, and am excited about what opportunities may present themselves," said DeKerf at Frameforum.com In other sad news, Kelly is in process of shutting down its frame shop for good and is having a going out of business sale today. 09/23/06 08:20:02 PDT THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BRAKE-LESS: A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT We're lucky enough to work from home on most days. But there's nothing like putting in a nine hour shiftãhere in Southern California, the 8-hour day has went the way of Bio-paceãto make you appreciate a Friday afternoon in all its everybody's-working-for-the-the-weekend-glory. Working in someone else's office makes the smell of the Saturday and Sunday around the bend even sweeter. That goes double for the ride homeãexcept for that fucking light you never make. You know the one: it's at the bottom of the biggest hill on your commute. With gravity on your side, you can get going pretty good, especially with a loaded pannier, U-lock, and your Clydesdale self. And sometimes it's fun to go toward the intersection fast and then get on the brakes quick and heavy at the last minute. It's a lot of fun unless you hear a sound that's worse than the "ping" of a spoke breakingãthe twang of your front brake cable snapping, when it still has plenty of work to do in the near future. The light is still red and it's even money between you making a hard right and staying unscathed and upright and getting tagged by the dropped, baby blue Caddy that has the right of way and a couple of tons on you. The good news? It wasn't pretty, but it was not bloody. The Cadillac kept its perfect paint job and no new scars were added to the mix. The lesson*? If you're going to change a cable on your bike, change the one attached to your front brake. *brakeless fixie kids get a pass on this one. 09/22/06 06:59:29 PDT TWO LIVES, TWO RIDES: PEDALING FOR THE FALLEN There will be a memorial bike ride and vigil for Ilia Pankin tonight in Los Angeles. He was killed by a hit-and-run driver on Monday night in Beverly Hills. Specific details about the event have not been released. The shop hand and former messenger was on his way home from work at Performance Bike in Santa Monica. Riders will meet at the location of the crash and continue to his apartment in West Hollywood, finishing the ride for him. Cicle.org and the Bike Oven will ghost ride a bike in his honor.  We were on the road with the Race Across AMerica last year when we got the news about Bob Breedlove's death on the course. Breedlove, one of the best ultra-endurance cyclists in history was also a joy to be around. Unlike many ultra folk are who driven to RAAM for the challenge of the event and/or to exorcise some demons, Breedlove was out there because he loved being on his bike. One hour was good, two was better, and going coast to coast was even more fun. What's better than a 3,000+ ride on less than 20 hours of sleep? Doing it twice: he had the double transcontinental record, that's going from sea to shining sea twice, natch. The first memorial ride for Breedlove goes down on October 7 in Des Moines, Iowa. RELATED: "careful with those reds!" 09/21/06 13:25:04 PDT LIVE! FROM THE OBSERVATORY Last winter we were riding our bike on a mountain road in Griffith Park, trying to get some miles in before it started raining again. There we were, covered in mud and grit from the tires and the wet, alone on the ridge between the Observatory and the Hollywood sign. The road was slick and dicey with gravel and we semi-cautiously rounded a corner. There in the mist, up with the hawks, was Mary Woronov, walking her dog. We smiled at each other. We wanted to yell "Eating Raoul!" or ask "Hey! Do you ever see Paul Bartel around?" but we didn't.  (This gratuitous remembrance of an unexpected star-sighting was added here to remind ourselves about great cycling can be and how nifty it is when the element of surprise accompanies a given bike ride... that is all...) 09/21/06 10:38:36 PDT SANTA MONICA AND WILSHIRE TURNS DEADLY AND FELONIOUS A driver of an SUV thought to be involved with a fatal hit-and-run collision with a 23-year old cyclist has turned himself in. "bicigol" witnessed the mishap and posted the following on the Midnight Ridazz site: "i opted last night to ride the bus home from work instead of riding... i didn't get very far.... when my bus was waiting on santa monica to cross wilshire a cyclist tried to run a red. he didn't make it... in short... suv vs bike... hit and run..." In the words of the Sergeant Phil Esterhaus: "Hey, let's be careful out there..." And Godspeed to another fallen cyclist... It has been a grim summer... 09/19/06 15:21:43 PDT RIDING THE RAILS: 750 VOLTS OF ELECTRIFYING CYCLING  Stunt or ill-advised shortcut? Two teabag cyclists show the world that the British equivalent of "jackass" must be "jackarse." 09/19/06 11:14:37 PDT THE RED AND THE BLACK You never know why black shorts are necessary...  ... until you suit up in something red...  09/19/06 10:21:08 PDT GIANT METAL TACKS RIPPED MY RUBBER First, the Taliban uses a cycling suicide bomber; now a bicycle saboteur waylays Big Apple riders along the Hudson River path. And in a speech worthy of the USA's executive branch of gov't, bike shop mongers warn that "to stay off the bike path is to give this guy a victory." 09/15/06 11:54:41 PDT CONFESSIONS OF A JUICEHEAD LEAD TO LOVE, PAYBACK AND PILLOW TALK Betsy Andre -- wife of admitted EPO user and former Lance Armstrong henchman Frankie Andreu -- has cranked her amour after her hubby dropped a dime on his own chemical enhancement during the Tour de France.... Her method? Notes of admiration tacked to her hubby's pillow.... As a vicious counterpoint, Herr Armstrong hisself has suggested that cycling authorities strip Andreu of money he earned as a cyclist. Frankie Andreu, meanwhile, explains that his admission is agenda free... "If I had an agenda," he said, "I would have written a book." Whither or not this is case of he doth protest too much, it is getting harder and harder to admire 7-time TdF champ Armstrong. 09/15/06 11:31:18 PDT HOW MANY CRASHES ARE DUE TO BICYCLE FACTORS? "If driver aggression or inattention is killing cyclists, the answer is to change that behavior," advocates a cycling journo/blogger who has access to the same data that NYPD uses to scapegoat dead cyclists.... Digging in: How Many Crashes Are Due to "Bicycle Factors?" 09/14/06 09:16:59 PDT WHAT'S WORSE THAN GETTING HIT? GETTING HIT AGAIN WHILE WAITING FOR THE AMBULANCE An unnnamed cyclist was hit by a car early Sunday morning in Greenville, South Carolina. While waiting for an ambulance, he was tagged again. As usual, the lead of the story claims that the rider "veered into traffic" but there's no attribution. Who wants to bet that it wasn't the guy in serious condition who said that? Bicyclist hit by car as he waits for an ambulance 09/14/06 07:28:21 PDT BREAKING NEWS: CLEAN CYCLISTS FOUND We looked high and low and have finally found some racers who do not have any blood stored in their fridge, EPO in their thermoses, and have never met Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes. 09/13/06 11:06:00 PDT CYCLIST AT THE GATES OF DAWN: SYD BARRETT & PEE WEE HERMAN ON THE JOY OF BIKES AND COURTSHIP Years before ego-addled Roger Waters and then David Gilmour commandeered (and then strip-mined) Cambridge-based pop combo, Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett (and Floyd-founder) once sang: I've got a bike/You can ride it if you like/It's got a basket, a bell that rings/And things to make it look good/I'd give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it/You're the kind of girl that fits in with my world/ I'll give you anything, everything if you want things Syd is now ringing bells in the great bike path in the sky, and as a post-mortem tribute the YouTube-monger known as "chazzaderspazza" has illustrated Barrett's classis pop dittie "Bike" with graphics, Donald Duck footage, video and title cards from Pee Wee's Playhouse... inspired stuff... RELATED: Pink Floyd legend Syd Barrett dies 09/13/06 09:26:13 PDT CHOOSING THE RIGHT SADDLE FOR THE JOB For the mountain bike a little Kevlar is the way to go. But on the Italian classic with C Record and a Columbus tubeset the Brooks is a no-brainer. The track bike has the minimal but comfortable Flite saddle. But what do we need for watching huckers and group sprints in TV room? This is what: Late adult film star's Devil & Flame motif 09/12/06 10:52:18 PDT NEO-FOLK ROCK TOUR OF THE CENTURY: THE MIGHTY DITTY BOPS ROLL ON Fighting colds and rain, intrepid folk-rockers The Ditty Bops tour across the continent, commuting to gigs on their bicycles and often putting in rides of 100 miles or more. The Bops motto for this promotional endeavor is "We Shall Ride Under a Black Flag and Call the Streets Our Empire," a call-to-sprockets far more menacing than their music...  09/12/06 08:43:20 PDT LESS THAN ZERO MEETS THE TOUR A lot of people who talk about working in showbiz in Los Angeles say that it's a lot like high school with nicer cars. Check out Juliet Macur's story in today's New York Times and you'll read about the European peloton in the '90s that sounds like a high school where everyone rides Dura Ace or C Record and there's a lot of pressure to dope. In the story, Frankie Andreu and another unnamed Postal rider admit to taking EPO in the 1999 Tour, when they were helping Armstrong win his first of seven. Smoking gun? Not even close. But Armstrong is too smart and way too much of a control freak to ever brandish anything like that. Frankie Andreu and another unnamed Postal rider admit to taking EPO 09/12/06 06:46:43 PDT THE BRITISH ASK: DOES WEARING A HELMET PUT YOU AT RISK OF BEING HIT? Racers love looping them over their handlebars when not on the course. Lawmakers dig requiring kids under 18 to wear them. And a researcher in the UK has found that wearing a helmet is like asking cars to come a little closer to you when you're on the road. The takeaway? Not wearing a skidlid when you're across the pond may buy a few inches of comfort. And if you're really into that sort of thing, dressing like a trashy pedaling transvestite will get you a few more inches, take that pun however you want -- the researcher donned a wig for a few of his rides and got even more space. HELMETS KILL? 09/09/06 21:03:10 PDT THE MODERN BICYCLE'S POINT OF SINGULARITY IS A ... CAR Esteemed auto scrivener Bumbeck reports that he has found the modern bicycle's point of singularity in the Walter P. Chrysler museum in Detroit.  Fun factoid: the preponderance of automotive manufacturers started as bicycle manufacturers. Among them: Thomas B. Jeffrey, whose Gormully and Jeffrey outfit spit out the "Rambler" bicycle. The clincher-tired Rambler hastened the end of the tall front wheel-driven veloped and the beginning of the modern rear-wheel drive, chain-propelled bicycle.  His next project was the Thomas B. Jeffrey Company, whose "Rambler" automobile was so successful its branding and nomenclature survived at least three corporate buyouts and spin-offs: Jeffrey's eponymous company, Nash, and finally American Motors Corps (now defunct). Whatever assest AMC had left have been usurped by Chrysler... who are now in cahoots with the Daimler Benz people.  09/09/06 20:24:50 PDT LA MESSENGERS VERSUS THE REST OF THE WORLD Last night, when the clock stuck 22:00, 16 urban riders in Los Angeles kickstarted the only Global Gutz race in the US. Global Gutz is a worldwide alleycat where races happen simultaneously--California's 10 p.m. start would translate to 1 a.m. start in New York. Montreal and Ottawa were the only other races in North America and there were 19 cities total taking part globally, according to the Global Gutz website. With five checkpoints spread out over 13 miles it was just long enough to undo all but the heaviest happy hour. LA-native Orlando utilized his local knowledge and serious speed to solo off the front early on. Racing on his fixie, he left even his geared brethren in his wake. He earned a brand new Bailey bag for his efforts. Megan took the honors for the women and won a pair of new rims. Orange 20, the best new shop in town, kicked in for the prizes and hosted the after party. 09/08/06 22:01:31 PDT MIDNIGHT RIDAZZ TAKE TO THE PIER AND UN-JUMP THE SHARK? In tonight's "Swarm the Pier Ride," Gonzo East Hollyrock cyclists the "Midnight Ridazz" attempt to calm down the sheer anarchy of their situation, by divvying up its peloton into three groups, starting from three different locations. Growing rider counts -- recently reaching up to 1400 -- have marred the smooth vibe that once accompanied these free range gatherings. The Ridazz' strength has been in their numbers. And its quirkiness. Will its strengths be its un-doing?  RELATED: MIDNIGHT RIDAZZ SAFETY FIRST | 
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