Alfred Hitchcock on a Bike

Alfred Hitchcock, "Give them pleasure - the same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare."

Happy Halloween

South Hills Park, Glendora Ca

On Saturday, Carl, Dave, Gary and I rode Mountain Bikes around South Hills Park in Glendora.  Its been a while since I rode bikes with Carl and I wanted to show him and his group of friends something different.

Race one of the Triple Crown Series was held at South Hills Park.  We rode the race course twice, which is a mix of Fire and Paved roads and some great single track.  The race course was about 3 miles long and we decided on two laps before calling it a day. 

This was the first time meeting Dave and Gary.  They are both great guys and rode well.  We only took a few breaks and by lap two they had the course down. 

UniGeezer Rides Up Fargo Street

Earlier this week I rec'd an email from UniGeezer.  UniGeezer was present at this years Fargo Street Hill Climb, March 6, 2011. Riding his 24" Unicycle, UniGeezer was the first only only person, to date, to ride up Fargo Street on a Unicycle.  That day, UniGeezer made it up Fargo Street two times.

At a 33% Grade, Fargo Street is the second steepest hill in the USA, and I believe the third steepest in the word. 

Riding Fargo Street on a two wheeled bicycle is hard enough, UniGeezer conquered it three times, on a unicycle and at over 50 years of age! (UniGeezer rode up Fargo Street 2x on 3/06/11 and 1x on 2/23/11)

Here is a YouTube video of his first ride up.  Near the top, you can even see me passing UniGeezer.  Next year, maybe I'll be crazy enough to attempt the climb on my tall bike!

Racing Tools - What Do you Bring to the Race?

I've been to a few races this year and I always feel like I don't bring enough tools.  I typically just throw in my multi-tool gizmo, pump and a spare tube into my gear bag and head to the race.

Most of my pre-race bike setup is done the night before so I feel pretty confident my bike will be 100% for race day.

But you never know, so for Spooky Cross, I actually bought some tools and stuffed them into my make shift tool bag.  I will add more tools, but to start I added, Allen wrenches, tire levers, open end wrenches, a crescent wrench, screw drivers, a patch kit and a chain breaker. 

All the tools fit well into an old canvas deposit pouch, which fits nicely into my gear bag.

I think my tool bag is a good start and I will add more as needed.  What do you bring to the race?

Tweed Run

Tweed anyone?


Tweed Run from Kadshah Nagibe on Vimeo.

Analog: The Documentary of Fixed to Free

Analog: The Documentary of Fixed to Free from Pongpat Sukhumalchandr on Vimeo.

"A documentary video about urban cycling in Bangkok. This video focuses on the good and the ugly sides of urban cycling. Moreover it shows how can a fixed gear bicycle could change one's life."

Get Dirty

2010 Pumpkin Cross

CX is best in costume.


2010 Pumpkin Cross from Dean Wilkes on Vimeo.

San Diego Velodrome SWAP Meet

San Diego Velodrome Swap Meet November 6, 2011.

Bike Safety Rap!

Keeping it real and safe in the 1990's. Wow, this video makes me kinda NOT want to ride.

68 and Sunny

Granoque UCI Elite Men


68 and Sunny from Kyle Miller on Vimeo.

SWAP Meet @ Golden Saddle Cyclery

11 am on November 5, 2011.  Thanks for the heads up Claremont Cyclist!

Mountain Biking with Fido

People love there pets and I often see dogs waking along side their owners on the trails I ride.  This video shows a dog running along side while his owner navigates thru some technical single track and hits some big jumps on a mountain bike.  I have to say the dog holds his own and looks like he's having a blast.

Granny next to the Tall Bike

At CicLAVia, we drove to my Granny's house to park. She lives just of Melrose next to the Bicycle District.  For kicks, I had her stand next to the Tall Bike.

Triple Crown Series, Incycle XC Challenge

I took over 200 photos and am slowly working on getting them all posted.

Here is the link to all the photos.  

Currently I have only uploaded 40 photos but SO much more to come.  Please check back later.

Thanks!

Glendora Moutain Road to the Maintenance Shed

Michael was back from overseas business so we decided on an easy ride up Glendora Mountain Road to the Maintenance Shed.  

Michael was out (Without Bike Riding) for two weeks traveling, so I was hoping he would be a bit rusty and slow on the bike.  As it turns out he was slower BUT still faster than me. 

We made it up Glendora Mountain Road to the Shed in decent time and then decided to head back down.  On the way down, we met up with Annette first, then Matt and Bill.  We chatted for a while before heading back to the cars.

'BLUCK x KOZMIC' PROJECT - "Autumn Breath"

Nice Cervelo.  Cervelo makes some of the hottest bikes.  Their T1 is one I'd definitely love to have and is featured in this video.


'BLUCK x KOZMIC' PROJECT - "Autumn Breath" from Bluck on Vimeo.

House Party Cat Fo' Sho

Lets do it!


House Party Cat Fo' Sho' from jacob klensin on Vimeo.

Loop Loop

Pretty cool test loop by Birds on Fire Films.  The song is catchy and its well edited.  I kinda go into a dazed stare watching the video. 


Loop Loop from birds-on-fire films on Vimeo.

Massan x Macaframa Raw

Insane! Bombing downhill then locking them up, mashing thru the curves then off the pedals and on the top tube.  Sick, sick, sick. 


Massan x Macaframa Raw from MACAFRAMA on Vimeo.

Watch For Bikes

Great job Caltrans, put the F@#K!NG sign in the bike lane. 

Grind Trailer

Its simple, just ride.  Enjoy life, ride away from your stress with each pedal stroke.


Grind Trailer from Andreas Kleiberg on Vimeo.

Soil Saloon "Spring Break" Cyclocross Race

Riding CX fixed is not an easy task. I got to give it up to anyone crazy enough to do it.

The Claremont Cyclist Covers Spooky Cross

Head over to ClaremontCyclist.Blogspot.com and check out his write up of last weekends Spooky Cross.  He also took hundreds of photos, so if you raced it, he may have captured you. 

Thanks Michael!

 All Photos From ClaremontCyclist.Blogspot.com

Spooky Cross 2011 - Costumes

I didn't stick around to see all the crazy costumes but there was one guy riding around in this Count Von Count outfit.

I took over 200 photos at Spooky Cross 2011.  You can see them all here ...

Spooky Cross, Irvine California

On Saturday, I took the family to Spooky Cross in Irvine.  I didn't stick around to see my results but I felt like I did better than my last CX race in DTLA.

At Spooky Cross, there were the typical stairs and barriers like last time but in addition, So Cal Cross added a Fly Over and an extra long sand pit.  The Fly Over was a cinch to ride up then down.  If I had better bike handling skills, I would have tried to "Cross it up" at the top.  The sand pit was a beast.  It was long and deep.  So Cal Cross set us up!  There would be no riding thru the sand pit.  The sand pit was clearly a hike a bike section.

The Stairs seemed steeper than the last time.  They were a blast to run up and I am sure NO ONE was able to ride up them like the stairs at the DTLA race.  There was a small section of barriers which weren't hard to jump over.  I think I have those down.

There were some fast racers in our category, CX 4, and we had to race 6 laps.  Overall I felt really good and was able to pick a few people off towards the end.  When I crossed the line, all I could think about was getting some water.  CX racing is short but intense.  I am hooked!

(Special Note - I got to swap out my 50t for something smaller. First lap was done in 50t.  I thought I had dropped down to the 36 t but knew something wasn't right.)

I took over 200 pictures and you can find them all here ...

The Fly Over - Ride up, Ride Down, Then Ride Through.  It was a creative setup.

The Never Ending Sand Pit.  Running thru this on my last lap was a bear. 

No running up these stairs Sid Taberlay

Barriers - No Problem

In the Crosshairs

Keep em coming, CXHairs.com video. I gotta get pumped for today's CX race in Irvine. 


Hyattsville CX 2011: Risk vs. Reward from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

Bicycle Tie

 

I had this crazy idea I would wear a tie everyday for the month of October.  Well it didn't pan out, but I did manage to buy a cool bicycle themed tie from Etsy.com.  I ordered it from Jes Switaj in New York.   This was the first time ordering on Etsy.com and I was surprised how easy it was.  Jes kept good communication and sent me an email letting me know when my tie would be ready.  I rec'd my tie in about 7 days after ordering.

CDC - Saddles and Reproductive Health

Okay guys, we've all experienced varying degrees of numbness while riding.  For me its during any prolonged hard effort, where I'm hammering in a pace line or fast club ride or pushing myself up a long climb (ie. GMR Fork plus 5 to 8).  

I think for most of us, we just deal with it and know its part of cycling.  There are a number of saddle companies who offer different saddles to help with numbness/comfort issues but I've never really explored this option.  For me, it is a minor inconvenience and a show out of the saddle push resolves the numbness.  Pain is temporary?

The CDC published this interesting article regarding bike saddles and reproductive health.

"Over the last several years, NIOSH researchers have investigated the potential health effects of prolonged bicycling in police bicycle patrol units, including the possibility that some bicycle saddles exert excessive pressure on the urogenital area of cyclists, restricting blood flow to the genitals, resulting in adverse effects on sexual function.

Several Police Departments with Bicycle Patrols were used in this study. Nocturnal Penile Tumescence = Morning Wood.

"A health assessment study was conducted in response to complaints of groin numbness in a bicycling police unit. The data suggest that prolonged bicycle riding may have negative effects on nocturnal erectile function and indicate a need for innovative bicycle saddle designs."

Read the complete article here ...

Specialized Toupé Saddle - This minimalist road saddle features a tuned flex shell for a compliant ride and patented Body Geometry technology.

 

Ford E-Bike

I have a friend, Chris, who lives in France.  He was visiting family and friends in July and we had a chance to meet up and catch up on old times and what we've been up since his last visit.  It turns out he's working at a bike shop in France.  I asked him what type of bikes sell well in France.  Well, he said his shop sells lots of trikes but he's seeing a big rise in electric bike sales.  I've seen electric bikes at my LBS, but they seem to be pointless.  I guess Ford sees E-Bikes as a via market if their working concepts. 

At the Frankfurt Motor Show, Ford unveiled their 5 lb, 15 mph motor bike.  It can go about 53 miles on one charge.  That's about the round trip distance to my work and then back home. Where's my wallet!

"The recent Frankfurt Motor Show played host to some innovative new concept cars featuring eco-friendly powertrains and advanced in-vehicle communications. And among the advanced concepts on display was Ford’s first foray into the world of bicycling.



The E-Bike Concept demonstrates how Ford’s automotive design language can translate to a bicycle. The bike’s frame is made from aluminum and carbon fiber and weighs just 5.5 pounds. It also features a carbon fiber Giant SLR stem, Selle Italia SLR XC saddle, Mavic Elipse wheels, Shimano Alfine 11-speed internal gear hub and Shimano Rapidfire shifters.

Tthe E-Bike is far from a conventional bicycle, despite some pretty conventional hardware. It’s powered by a a front-wheel, hub-mounted motor that produces 350 watts and features a 9.3 amp-hour lithium-ion battery. Ford says the E-Bike will cover 53 miles on a single charge and reach a top speed of 15.5 miles per hour. A handlebar-mounted display provides trip information and allows the rider to select from three support modes – Economy, Comfort and Sport."

Read Full Article Here ...

Natalie Rides a Fixed Gear (Not Really)

The Faces of CicLAvia (Part Two)