Bicycle Beauty

My Weekday Rides

My weekday rides are almost 100% done on the rollers.  

Between work and family, I am left with little time to ride.  Its amazing I can ride at all given my hectic schedule but riding helps center me.  Riding resets the day.

I just bought a cyclo-computer so I am interested in how many miles I actually ride.  I spend most of my weekday evenings on the rollers. 

Tom Boonen Rides into 2013

Projection Mapping on Fixed Gear Bike

Projection Mapping on Fixed Gear Bike from ibnuambara on Vimeo.
Artist Statement :
When i started Creating what can be Called Video Projection,My product was very much focused in the video in the bike.Now i am trying to introduce about a lifestyle of fixed gear rider in kuala lumpur by using bicycle fixed gear as a subject to project. For me, fixed gear is an ideal topic to explore, because it is very current in our society now and to say fixed gear is a urban culture on its own among the youngsters.

for more information: www.ibnuambara.com

Espresso Field Guide

So far the only Espresso I like is my own.  Unfortunately, our Espresso machine is to big for our counter and the process of making Espresso is messy.

I can't win them all.

Maglianero - Fueling the Modern Mobility Movement

Maglianero: Fueling the Modern Mobility Movement from Maglianero on Vimeo.
Across communities and continents, people are traveling and commuting in growing numbers by more inspired and more intelligent means of transportation, the bicycle chief among them. This is the Modern Mobility Movement, and Maglianero is proud to be at its forefront, providing fuel for the ride, apparel for protection from the elements, and a place to converge, connect, and be inspired.

Jumping the Train

More on this one later as well. Sent in from Carl B.

GMR to the Maintenance Shed - FIXED

What a nice treat.  After church I decided on a quick ride from the base of GMR to the maintenance shed. It was quick and heading down I saw Kevin. Kevin is training for our quarterly Mt Baldy ride.

Bicycling - Connecting Gear Inches, Cadence (RPM) and MPH

The formula to calculate MPH given RPM (and Gear Inches and a few other things)

When riding fixed gear what you see is what you get. Or rather what you choose in gear ratio is what you get.  How fast you can comfortably go is directly related to the gear setup you ultimately decide on.

I am one of few fixie riders among many roadies and its important for me to choose the right gear.  Choose to low of a gear and I can't keep up with the group.  Choose to hard of a gear and I'm working to hard.  And add the variances in elevations given any ride and well its complicated.

I am always thinking about the perfect gear.  For me it's 46 x 15 or somewhere between a 3 to 3.07 gear ratio.  This translates to a max speed of approx. 29 mph at about 120 rpm.  120 rpm can be a bit uncomfortable but its manageable and most group riders can't sustain this for long.  At 90 to 100 RPM the max speed is between 21 to 25 mph.

I bought a very basic cyclo-computer for my fixie.  It tells me MPH but not RPM.  When I am working out on my rollers, I try to maintain a certain perceived effort.  Knowing my MPH, I often wondered what RPM or cadence this works out to be.  You see, I am more interested in RPM than MPH but my cyclo-computer only tells me MPH. Maintaining a certain RPM is much better than worrying about how fast I am going and they are directly related.

Whew, to much thinking.  So, knowing MPH you can calculate RPM and vice versa.  I wanted to understand this relationship better so I went online to find a formula.  Unfortunately, most of the formulas were incomplete or did a horrible job explaining it.  I found a number of online calculators that did the math for you but I was more interested in understanding the relationship. For me understanding this relationship (or mathematical representation) will helps me appreciate the importance of choosing the right gear and explains to me what is going on given a certain RPM. 

Below is the formula to determine your miles per hour (MPH) given your gear ratio, tire size and revolutions per minute (RPM).  Sheldon Brown has a great calculator to figure this out.  He even takes into consideration crank length!  Since I was very disappointing in all the other explanations, I hope my version is easier to understand.  

In high school we are taught Distance = Rate * Time.  Thus Rate = Distance / Time ... And so the story begins!

For The Example I am running a 48t Front Chain Ring; a 16t Rear Cog and my Cadence (RPM) is 90.  I am running a 700c X 23 road tires.

Front Chain Ring = 48 teeth
Rear Cog = 16 Teeth
RPM = 90
Tire Size = 700c x 23 (This translates to a tire diameter of approximately 26.3 inches)
Pi = 3.14159

Step One: Calculate Gear Inches (GI)
GI = (Cf / Cr) * Diameter of wheel
Where Cf = # of Teeth of Front Chain Ring; Cr = # of Teeth of Rear Cog
Example = (48 / 16) * 26.3 = 78.9

Step Two: Calculate distance wheel will travel in one revolution (Dr).  To do this you will need the circumference of tire.  To calculate this times GI by Pi.
Where Pi = 3.14159.....
Thus GI * PI or GI * 3.14159
Example = 78.9 * 3.14159 = 247.8715

Step Three:  Calculate the total distance traveled in one minute (Dm in).  To do this you will need to insert a given number of Revolutions Per Minute or RPM.  To calculate the distance traveled on on minute take your Dr and times it by your RPM.
Thus  (Dm in) = Dr * RPM
Example = 247.8715 * 90 = 22,308.435

Step Four: Convert (Dm in) in to feet (Dm ft). The number you get in Step Three is in inches. You need to convert it to feet to eventually determine MPH.  To do this simply take (Dm in) and divide by 12.  You divide by 12 because 12 inches equals one foot.
Thus (Dm ft) = (Dm in) / 12
Example = 22,308.435 / 12 = 1,859.03625

Step Five: Calculate Distance traveled in one hour (Dh).  Since there are 60 minutes in an hour you take the number in Step Four and times it by 60.
Thus (Dh) = Dm ft * 60
Example =  1,859.03625* 60 = 111,542.175

Step Six: Calculate Mile per Hour (MPH).  This is the final step.  The number you have in Step Five tells you your total distance traveled in one hour.  The number tells you total distance in feet.  There are 5280 feet in one mile.  to to convert to miles you simply divide the number in Step Five by 5280.
Thus MPH  = Dh / 5280
Example = 111,542.175 / 5280 = 21.125; Given my current gear setup and my desired RPM, I will be traveling at 21 mph.  

Victoria Pendleton

Bike Love

BIKE LOVE from Typeset Film on Vimeo.
Bike Love is an experiential narrative documentary film about Kara Minnehan’s bike riding quest in Portland, Oregon. Kara gave up her car for the purpose of trying out new modes of transportation and experiencing the city’s bike culture firsthand.

Hoy vs Forstemann Sprint World Championships 2011

Crazy massive legs.  This was on Johnny Lee Stars FB page.

Family Fun!

Bike Locally

Bike Locally from macskabicska on Vimeo.
A new bicycle culture is developing in Hungary, Budapest. Last year the amount of everyday cyclists has been doubled. It is important and useful that more and more people use bicycle as a way of traveling. Bikers swamp the streets usually when the weather is warm, but in the cold season they almost entirely disappear from the roads.
In my video, I wanted to indicate that biking is an option in this city in winter as well, at least for small distances.

In Roads

InRoads (Trailer) from Tyler H. Boyd on Vimeo.
Short documentary telling the story of handmade bikes in the Denver/Boulder area and the community that makes it so unique.

Directed By - Tyler Boyd
Produced By - Matt Allen
In Association With - Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop & Mosaic Cycles

Music - "Summit County Sunrise" by Trout Steak Revival

Stephanie Clerckx

From Tracko's site.

Scott Road Bike Overview 2013

SCOTT ROAD-BIKE OVERVIEW from Johan Coopman on Vimeo.
Product film for Scott's Road-bike-range: Scott Foil, CR1 and Speedster. Filmed, directed and edited by Johan Coopman, produced by 4-WERK.

I Don't Ride a Bike ...

How Bikes make Cities Cool

How Bikes Make Cities Cool - Portland from Kona Bikes on Vimeo.

Calvin and Hobbes

Back in high school I loved the Sunday comics.  I cut this out of the newspaper sometime in the early 1990s.

Wallstreet on Lance Armstrong

Father Like Son

Adam and I at Los Jarritos Restaurant.

Glendora Mountain Road to My Baldy - GEARED

It was the first ride to Mt Baldy and it was done on my geared road bike.  Yeah, yeah, why geared?  Well being a bit off my game, I needed this trip to Baldy bad and it wasn't going to happen on my fixie. 

Kevin headed up GMR early with the idea Michael and I would catch him.  We never did.  He ended up waiting for us at the maintenance shed.  John met us at Dalton Road. 

John is making a name for himself on GMR.  One of very few fixie riders and is known for his music.  You can always hear John coming up on you by his music.

Michael lead the charge to Baldy. 

There were a lot of skaters heading down GMR today.

Kevin kicked ass and made it just past Fork plus 2.

John, Michael and I made it all the way to Baldy.  Riding geared made it easy and I was very thankful for the gears. 

Connor and Cayden Long

Kevin's Goal, One Baldy Ride Per Quarter!

Kevin's new goal is one Baldy ride per quarter.  Next ride, March 30, 2013.

This is what Kevin had to say about his last ride.

"Today Kevin and I had an adventure.  Since late 2011, Kevin had it in his head to ride to Mt. Baldy.  He kept a good training routine and sure enough, he made it to Baldy today! Great job, Kevin. It only gets easier."

Kevin Writes ...

Three and a half years after thinking about riding to Baldy
Village, I finally made it. Despite a few health setbacks, I can now
check it off that list.  Like many other BicycleFriends rides, it starts
 with a Plan from Jason.

"Just make it to Fork plus 8.3 and I'll buy you a beer, as it is
all downhill to Baldy Village" So a year ago after I stopped taking
blood thinners and was cleared to ride again.  I followed Jason's easy 4
 step  plan that goes something like this:

Step 1 - ride to maintenance shed

Step 2 - ride a short distance further to a spot known as Fork. (it
 is located where GMR turns and goes down to East Fork. It's also the
start of Glendora Ridge Road)

Step 3 - add distance (about a mile per ride) by observing milepost  markers

Step 4 - after riding to Fork plus 8.3, continue on easy downhill to Baldy Village

I have ridden with Jason enough to know that he is challenged with
distance, difficulty, grade etc.  We still talk about the day he talked
me into an easy mountain bike ride on Sunset Ridge. I think he posted
something. Short story - extra climbing, double
 the distance, & 95* temps resulting in heat stroke.

So, I checked out Annette's Glendora Mountain Road website to
verify Jason's plan, which actually was not too bad. (except for the
downhill part)

With Jason posting my results and coaching me along the way, I made
 it to Fork +8.3 a couple of weeks ago and we scheduled the celebratory
ride for today, September 1.  

Jason's plan: start at 6am (Jason riding fixie) and meet up with me
 when he reached GMR in Glendora.  I modified the plan after suffering
in the heat on Glendora Ridge, last week.

I left at 530 am and Jason would catch me sometime after the first
saddle. Well, I made it to the maintenance shed with no Jason, feeling
pretty awesome. Only to find out that Jason was delayed when he stopped to  talk to Christian at the bottom of GMR.

After about 5 minutes of much needed rest at the shed, Jason and
another fixie rider showed up. We chatted for a few seconds and then
took off.  Stopped for a quick bottle change at about F+3.6 dropped down
 to F+4.5 and started the climb to F+8.3. 

I think I slowed Jason down, but he quickened my pace until about
F+7. I found what little shade there was and stopped as I was starting to
cramp. Jason continue about a tenth of a mile and help a rider with a
flat, who was dropped by her friends. Despite
 what his coworkers say about him, Jason really is a good guy with
helpful demeanor. 

Fork Plus 5 or 6 or 7.  Kevin Rides On

With the flat fixed and my legs straightened out we continue with
Jason asking about how I was feeling. It was then when he came clean.
 "To be honest, after 8.3 it's not really all downhill". 

"WHAT?..." I exclaimed know that there was another 1.5 miles of more gentle climbing according to Annette. 

I celebrated at F+8.3 nonetheless. And we continued. 

Success, Fork Plus 8.29

9:30am After a short down hill and being stopped by the closed gate Jason snapped some photos 

I MADE IT!!!

Jason had The Baldy Village Inn open early just so he could buy me that beer.  Thanks Jason!

A short 45 minute downhill ride and I was home. 

Thanks to all the fellow GMR riders offering encouragement over the
 last year. And special thanks to Jason, whose coaching and
encouragement helped keep me going.

Baldy Village.  Did it.

Cheer! I don't always drink beer, but when I do its in Baldy Village with Bicycle Friends.

2013 Farmer's Fat Bike Race

2013 Farmer's Fat Bike Race from XXC Magazine on Vimeo.
Video highlights from the 2013 Farmer's 3 Hour Fat Bike Race at the Cannonsburg Ski Area just outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The race was the first of six races in the 2013 Great Lakes Fat Bike Series.

Visit the xxcmag.com blog for a recap and photos from the event.

More of Man's Best Friend

I've heard of a mountain goat, but this is ridiculous!

AIRPORT RACE - fixed gear video

When its Cold, I want to Stay Home and Eat This ...

Too Cold.

I'd rather stay home and eat this.  Waffles stuffed with Nutella!

And He Was Running!

Something different.  I started running again. Lets see if I can get back up to +5 miles again.

Final Credits - Forest Gump Parody

Peter Sagan continues to perform on the road and on the big screen. Look for more great videos from our big Hollywood launch of Cannondale Pro Cycling.

Racing The Train

I found this cool picture a few weeks ago.  More to come about this.

The Rider's Moon

Tamales and HOT HOT HOT Sauce

Look what Dolores delivered to the office, Tamales!

Cannondale Pro Cycling - Official Trailer

Why Bike When You Can Yike!

From Richard.

YikeBike from dantv on Vimeo.

YikeBike is a statement about using smart technology to solve the problems of our increasingly congested, polluted, stressful cities. It is the first commercial expression of the mini-farthing concept, created up by a bunch of successful entrepreneurs, engineers and dreamers. We sat down to try and answer:

What is the simplest way to get from A to B with the aid of a machine?

What is the smallest wheel you can have to get a stable, safe, comfortable ride?

Can you make something small enough to be able to go with you anywhere in a city?

Wonder if we could make a unicycle dramatically easier to ride and fold?

We were intrigued by creating something that could dramatically change urban transport, enabling city dwellers a fast, safe and easy way to navigate their environment.

The result was the mini-farthing concept and its first expression, the YikeBike. It employs state-of-the-art technology, engineering and industrial design to create a new class of personal transport.

San Diego - Out with Jamie

Jamie and I decided to head to San Diego this weekend.  We stayed downtown and saw John Caparulo at the American Comedy Club.

This was our first time at a comedy club and John delivered on good times and lots of laughs.  It was fun listening to the dude next to us.  He was laughing like a little girl.

For dinner we ate at some swanky Italian restaurant.  Jamie ordered a $31.00 cioppino.  For the money, we had high hopes but the cioppino was a disappointment. For less than half the price, the cioppino at Brothy's in Santa Barbara is much better. For $30 we could have gone to Trulucks (Also in San Diego) and had a REALLY GREAT cioppino.  I had the seafood risotto.  For about the same price as the cioppino, there was much more seafood in it. The risotto was excellent. 

After the show we walked around the city.  I found a bike shop and had to stop in.  There were a lot if fixies, single speeds and city bikes in the shop.   This pedicab was outside and I had to take a picture for Michael T.  For $3,000 this pedicab could be yours.

The Terminator, Victoria Pendleton

Sunday, Run Day!

Went on another run today.  I kept it simple, 2 miles but it felt good.  I need to start running again.

Marco Pantani

Garmin Presents -- The Edge : Let others follow

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gyD-em6jp_0#!

"Using the new Edge® 810 and 510 touchscreen GPS bike computers, which offer advanced performance metrics and connected features through your smartphone, including LiveTrack, auto upload, social network sharing and weather our riders can now share their activities live from the road or when they get back home. Coaches, friends and family can follow live, comment at Garmin Connect and then be in your tyre tracks tomorrow.
Watch Ryder Hesjedal, David Millar, Dan Martin and Andrew Talansky as they prepare for the upcoming pro cycling season! Are you ready for the new season?"

Marco Pantani Tour de France 1998 - Galibier/Les deux Alpes

Part One


Part Two

Almanzo 100

Almanzo100 from Royal Antler on Vimeo.
How does a man move and shape a culture? Our love of storytelling compelled us to find out, so we dug into the story of the Almanzo 100 gravel road race–the granddaddy of them all. We found that a single man’s passion for community has manifested itself in a bike race. The challenge: to race 100 miles of gravel roads without assistance or outside support. Pain and suffering exist temporarily, but the satisfaction of a battle won will empower these racers the rest of their lives. Call it a movement if you’d like but please don’t call it a fad. Gravel racing is here to stay.

Directed by: Tony Franklin
Director of Photography: T.C. Worley
Edited by: Matthew Kroese
Assistant Camera: Jonathan Chapman
Assistant Camera: Matthew Jensen
Location Sound: John Fontana
Sound Design: Kent Militzer
Colorist: Sue Lakso
Music: Doomtree

Track Cycling - I'd Say He's SAFE

Giro d'Italia 2013

Its coming!

Not Sure What to Say on this One?

Paperboy

Classic BMX

Cycling Legs on a Pinarello

Calvin and Hobbes on Winter Training

Cyclists Legs

Impressive