Connecting the City: Stephanie's Story

Alleycat - A Cross Section of Cycling

Alleycat from Pale Blue Pictures on Vimeo.

SoCal Cross CRASH!

It happens on CX more often than not. This crash occurred on the first 1/4 mile of the first lap. It was on an off-cambered turn with loose dirt.

Oakley

Glendora Mountain Road with BicycleFriends

What a beautiful day. It started out cold and crisp. I headed to GMR and Sierra Madre to meet up with David, Mike, Gary and Christian.

By 7:45 am, we were heading up GMR along with many dump trucks preparing for the "Next" Big storm.

This was Christian's first time up GMR since becoming a brand new father. He did great, and lead the charge to the Maintenance Shed.


Gary smiles (Kinda) for the camera.


Just before heading to the Maintenance Shed, a tow truck sped past us. As you can see, another car went over the edge. This was a nice one, Mercedes!

Soulcraft - How its Made

FROM STEEL: The Making of a Soulcraft from michael evans on Vimeo.

David Knight vs Gee Atherton , Downhill Bike vs Enduro Moto

Sean Martin - I Am Los Angeles

Sean Martin - I Am Los Angeles from Joris Debeij on Vimeo.

Portland Weirdos - 21st Ave. Bicycles

Seoul go SOUL, "I am a Mechanic"

[SEOUL got SOUL] I am a Mechanic / Part2 from David Jongkwon Kim aka DKshop on Vimeo.

Bike Safety - Rap

Bike Safety - Be Safe

OT: 2011 CANIDAE Laughlin Leap

The Guys at CANIDAE Racing raffled off a seat for the Laughlin Leap. All proceeds went to the Justin ImHof Recovery Fund. Here is the video!

SoCal Cross Fever #3, Hansen Dam (Jason)

In most cases, I'm the one shooting the pictures. Yesterday, Meme accompanied me on my first Cyclocross Race at Hansen Dam. This was the third installment of the SoCal Cross Fever Series.

I had a lot of fun and have learned a few things to take with me for my next race. Like, don't try o stay with the leaders, they are too fast and I will most likely tire out too quickly. Lower tire pressure next time, even grass can be bumpy!
Photos by Meme Ortega

Portland

There are bikes in this video, Double Decker bikes for GODS sake!

SoCal Cross Fever #3, Hansen Dam (Juniors)

The Kids were out in full force today at Hansen Dam. It was the third SoCal Cross Fever Race and it was a joy to see all the kids out racing. These kids were tough, jumping over barriers, sprinting up hills and descending down steep hills. The leader was a good five to eight minutes ahead of the kid in second place. There were all ages from very little, 8 years old to high school kids. Boys and girls alike battled it out at Hansen Dam.

(All Photos by Meme Ortega)

According to the MC, the Juniors is the fasted growing category. Is there a future Tour De France winner in the field?



Above: This was the Junior Leader.
Below: Second Place Finisher

This little guy was so cute lugging his bike over the barriers. He looked to be 7 to 8, and was a real trooper. I think I'll have to sign up Adam in a few years!

SH!T Bike REBORN! (Part Three)

SH!T Bike REBORN! (Part Two)

Alas, My SH!T Bike has been Reborn!

Notes:
I am really happy with the results. The powder coating is Deep Purple Candy and has a nice gloss to it. The pictures really don't do any justice for the color. I kept the original Saddle and Seat post. The stem was a pain to fit. The Montgomery Ward came with a stem diameter of 21.15 mm. This is an older American style stem no longer made. Sheldon Brown has some lying around but being the impatient person I am, I had the guys a CANIDAE Racing machine down a 22.2 mm to 21.15 mm. For the handlebars, I chose Origin 8 Tiki Bars. The wheels are an inconvenient 26" x 1 3/8". The original wheels had some surface rust on the rims and hubs. I thought about converting to 650B but I'd have to widen the front fork dropouts to accept anything larger than a 5/16 axle. I didn't want to mess with it so I ordered 26" x 1 3/8" online. The crank-set was in decent condition so I scuffed it with scotch-bright to take off the surface rust.

The chain line looks perfect. For the wheels, I went back and forth between fixed, free and coaster. In the end, I picked coaster brakes. Coaster brakes keep the bike clean are are highly functional.

The chain is a BMX style 1/2 x 1/8". It's simply and strong. Gearing is 39 x 18 and good for relaxed cruising around the town. I chose BMX 1/2" pedals and added an Electra Bell on the stem for style. The handle bar grips are also BMX.

Nick did such a great job on the Truss Bridge. I am ready to do another one. I like the way the Truss Bridge gives the bike balance and a nice vintage look.

Now its time to give the bike another name and take it on a ride to my local coffee shop!

SH!T BIKE REBORN! (Part One)

I was given this Montgomery Ward Open Road SH!T Bike from Mike in June/July 2010. I stripped it of all the excess and rode it around a few months. The beauty of a SH!T bike is you can take it anywhere and NOT lock it up. It's a SH!T bike! Who is going to steal it and if someone does who cares.

Later that year, Cynthia asked me to make her a bike for school commuting. I thought about giving the the Montgomery Ward Open Road but believe it or not, I was actually growing fond of it. I decided to give her another SH!T bike Meme and I put together.

My Montgomery Ward sat and then I came across ANT's Truss Bike and I fell in love with the beautiful design. The vintage look, the truss, the swept back mustache handlebars, it was all so beautiful. I decided I need a Truss Bridge Bike, but ANT's price for the frame alone was over $2,000 (EEK). I have an in with the guys at CANIDAE Racing and their Fabricator Nick Berlanga was open to helping me make my Truss Bike Dream become a reality.

ANT's inspiration came from a 1910 Iver Johnson's Truss Bike. "The most noted I-J bicycle model of this time was the truss-bridge frame –marketed as “Trust the Truss” – which featured a curved tube under the top tube to strengthen the frame for use on the rough roads of the early twentieth century." The Iver Johnson visual appeal epitomizes the true joy of cycling.

Back to my bike. Nick was more than happy to work with me on my SH!T Bike transformation. He welded the truss and cleaned up and strengthen my frame. He knocked of some of the cable guides, saved off part of the rear brake and fender bridges, then welded the rear drops outs for strength and safety. Originally the Montgomery Ward Open Road's rear dropouts were crimped on.

Above: Nick Berlanga is busy working on a CANIDAE Racing Project.

Above: Measuring, cutting and fitting the Truss Bridge to the SH!T Bike.

Above: One last measurement and fit before Nick welds the Truss Bridge to the SH!T Bike.


Above: Nice clean welds!

Above: This it it! off to G&M Powder Coating and Ornamental Iron Work to get blasted and powder coated.

To Be Continued ...

Whittier Bicycle Swap Meet

Meme and I went to the Whittier Bicycle Swap Meet located at 9951 S Mills Ave., Whittier, Ca 90605. It was a mixed bag of old bike parts, cruisers, fixies, road bikes, mountain bikes, BMX and so much more. I picked up some old brakes for future bike projects and a pair of GEAX tires for this weekends CX race in Hanson Dam.




Below is one of my favorite bikes at the swap meet.


I love the saddle and seatpost. The seatpost looks like bent wrought iron.


A Skip-Tooth chain, crank.