fixiepostcard

The Bicycle Cap: A Love Story by peSeta

2011-05-06T18:03:00.001-07:00

I love Spaniards.

The Bicycle Cap by peSeta for the New Museum from casa peSeta on Vimeo.

Booze, Babes & Burlesque Video by Park Slope Patch

2011-04-16T05:41:00.000-07:00

Yeah son.

DOBC Kick-off Party on April 8th!

2011-03-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

Respite from New York City: Austin, TX

2011-03-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

The heart in my metaphorical I ♥ NY-shirted life is breaking. This is neither sad nor terribly surprising, but lately I find myself seething on the subway whenever I'm positioned behind slow walkers, fat people or lost people. Why is that? Do NYC subway platforms omit some kind of quick-footed methamphetamine? I feel like I'm speedskating/fighting with about 5,000 people a day. And when I finally return home from the soul sucking B train inching all the way from midtown to Brooklyn, I feel ravenous, like I just completed an Iron Man triathlon. Luckily, the weather is improving, which promises to lighten my NY-induced psychosis, but as I put on the same ill fitting work pants every morning and brave the midtown commute, I think: what is it all for?

Enter a much needed vacation. K and I recently took a trip to Austin for my friend Mandi (amanda, bird, kain)'s wedding--she is one who donated her drawing skills to this blog's header. Little did we know we had been subconsciously planning this trip for months by watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix (I love Adrianne Palicki). What we found was refreshing: a poor man's Texan Brooklyn, and I mean that in the best possible way. Basically, Texas hipsters are nicer and they pay a lot less money in rent. Austin is a college town, full of vintage shops, cowboy boots, food carts, Long Horns clothing and live music. We had planned on renting bicycles, which was good, because I haven't driven a car in almost two years. I was dismayed to find out that Mellow Johnny's (the Austin bike shop that I follow on Twitter) only advertised a Trek commuter for rent. I then found Austin Bike Rentals and Tours and I corresponded with a guy named Travis who offered us 3 days of bike rentals for $40! The bikes on their site seemed like Torkers with orange baskets, which I thought would be fine. Travis offered to deliver the bikes to our motel on the day we arrived in Austin. I already had the best impression of Austin--super cheap and great customer service. Travis arrived perfectly on time and lent us two Amsterdam bicycles. I was reluctant to pipe up and say we wanted mannish road bikes, and I didn't realize how heavy these bikes would actually be. Who rides these things? We diligently rode them around for one whole day, before I caved in and pleaded with Travis for some road bikes. Here are the heavy monsters beside Lady Bird Lake:

The things I noticed most about riding our bicycles around Austin is (1) we're the only d-bags wearing helmets and (2) no one locks up their bikes! I shouldn't say that, and I've heard that bike theft is a big problem in Austin, but in comparison to the dismantling and multiple-locking methods that people use in NYC, Austin seems very relaxed. We were given two wire combination locks for both the Amsterdam and fancy road bicycles. Our jaws dropped when a crazy girl wearing booty shorts leaned her bike up against a wall and left it there while she ordered coffee. Wha?!? I see people in NYC carting 25 lb Kryptonite locks around without giving it a second thought. In Austin it seems like they would laugh at you for going to such extremes.

My impressions of riding in Austin were good. There is definitely a "bike culture" there--a lot of people ride bikes and there are many bike racks. Downtown isn't the best area to ride around, but they have the shared bicycle lanes and cars are extremely courteous and they make every effort to give you the right of way. This was unnerving, coming from NYC, where I feel like I need to wear a reflective vest in the daytime. If a car was inching up into the crosswalk and K and I were passing through, the driver would actually reverse to let us pass through--with plenty of room. As far as chivalry goes, those Texas mamas raised their children right! After our bff Travis saw that K and I were sharing a bed and asked, "Y'all are datin' right?" he dropped off our new bikes and they were 100% better. My advice to anyone going to Austin and thinking about renting a bike would be: definitely call Travis (512-277-0609), but pay the extra money for a road bike. Here is evidence of the bike culture, an awesome self-serve bike repair station outside of the mammoth Whole Foods where Mandi works:

And here is K stashing our sexy road bikes in our motel room:

A few other things I would advise to anyone that is headed to Austin: (1) Mighty Cone food cart is delicious (2) Ruby's BBQ has cute hipster boys working there that are really polite (3) you can get lost in the Whole Foods while trying to find your buddies and (4) if you're super cool you can coordinate your trip with SXSW. Hook 'em horns!

Book Review: David Byrne's Bicycle Diaries

2011-01-04T18:05:00.000-08:00

David Byrne's book Bicycle Diaries isn't so much a book about cycling as it is a bleeding love letter to urban planning. Byrne guides us through an array of American, European and South American cities, including, but not limited to: Detroit, New York, Berlin, London and Buenos Aires - but his stream of consciousness writing uses cycling not as a focal point, but as an unconvincing common denominator.

Like a true artist, Bryne's book is nonlinear and erratic. My favorite and most memorable contemplation deals with young people's obsession with the teenybopper (according to Byrne) outfitter, Abercrombie & Fitch. Byrne writes:

"This former bastion of WASP outdoor wear-which intentionally used to be about as sexy as the boxy Brooks Brothers look-has remade itself as a kind of homoerotic Fascist-chic outpost. Talk about a makeover! Is there a Tom of Finland lurking behind or within every button-downed square? Two male models stand at the entrance of the shop in hot pants, and the walls inside are plastered with photos and paintings (paintings!) of shirtless male models. The ploy has paid off handsomely; youths of all types fill the place daily...but what does it mean that gay kitsch sells clothes to straight youth?"

Bicycle Diaries is filled with many similar tangents, although not all address gay kitsch (unfortunately). He writes mostly about his perceptions of different cultures: their art, personalities, architecture and city centers. He spends time describing faceless characters he meets in his travels who seem to escort him to and from sexy, artsy events but then quickly disappear from the reader's view. At one point he defends the decision to perform one of his art installations in a shopping mall in Istanbul. While he is obviously a well-read intellectual, Byrne's book is more about everything than it is about cycling.

That is not to say that his book is without charm. Byrne often, if not always, takes his folding bicycle along with him when he travels. This leads to some funny mental images of David Byrne cycling around car-centric cities like Detroit or Istanbul. I believe that David Byrne rides where others don't and I respect his devotion to casual cycling as a means of transportation, which is how urban cycling was born.

What we do learn from Byrne's extensive traveling is that while, cycling remains a socio-economic identifier in many countries that have the resources to be great bike cities (Buenos Aires), it simply hasn't caught on in many non-American cities (except Berlin). The most interesting and informative part of Byrne's book is his epilogue, in which he addresses practical problems that all cyclists face, like finding a cool helmet or commuting to work and not getting too sweaty. This is the David Byrne I like and appreciate - the all around cyclist, who literally unfolds his bicycle in an Istanbul hotel and who contemplates the efficacy of New York City bike lanes. Moreover, Byrne has stepped up the plate as a cyclist/artist/designer with his specialized bike racks, which can be found in different locations around NYC:

To all of us cyclists, the idea of David Byrne being a jetsetter for riding his bicycle is irrelevant - this is something we all do, although I presume many of us haven't ridden around Istanbul. And while Byrne's book treats bicycling as a secondary sport to city-hopping, it is to his credit that Bicycle Diaries has prompted him to become more involved in New York City cycling and urban planning.

My Trip to LA & LA Brakeless

2010-12-08T18:55:00.000-08:00

I recently took a trip to Los Angeles, where I mostly drank beer and hung out with cute girls. Besides that constituting an amazing trip, I went to a fixed-gear bike shop. Now I have the post-California blues.

LA Brakeless is a fixed-gear shop that I had heard about before to my trip to LA. I have to admit, I saw a bunch of cyclists in LA, including fixie-riders, but mostly I saw cars. I guess that's what happens with a city that is as spread out as LA - you pretty much have to drive to get where you want to go. Of course, the parts I visited - Venice and Hollywood - are relatively flat and getting around on a fixed-gear is a good way to go. Besides, then you can get a neon colored bike and pretend to be as cool as everyone else in California.

My friend Lauren has a sick bike that I should have taken pictures of because I got the chance to ride it around Hollywood a little bit. She had it built up by the guys at LA Brakeless. They carry all sorts of pretty components and accessories. Here are some pics:

(My next investment is a decent camera and the patience to learn how to use it...) I was surprised to find that the shop didn't carry a ridiculous amount of Chrome bags to rep San Francisco but they did have Wheelman Co. bags and Swerve hats. They sold LA Brakeless t-shirts that were a rip off of the LA Lakers symbol.

I'm not ballsy enough, rich enough or Cali enough to put all this flashy stuff on my bike, but it sure does look good in a multi-colored shop and riding around Los Angeles.

Book Review: Bike SnobNYC's Book

2010-11-20T10:43:00.000-08:00

Alas, it's getting cold and my blog is falling to the wayside just like my bike riding. (I'm a wuss). I'm coming up with creative ways to keep blogging, although bicycle obsession clearly sustains bloggerdom. I recently read BikeSnob's book, which was fun and entertaining, although the "how-to" theme was not at all what I expected. First of all, BikeSnob's book is pretty, and I mean pretty in "I'm obsessed with letterpress stationery and tiny birds" kind of way. Check out all the cool accents and tiny bike details. My favorite is the aerial view of stick figure cyclists with different handlebars:

In terms of content, I expected BikeSnob's book to rehash some of his greatest past times and coin phrases, i.e. knuckle tattoos, ridiculous fixed gear accessories, "salmoning," and of course: AYHSMB (short for: All You Haters Suck My Balls). There were references to these things in his book, but the format was mostly a mock instruction guide to would-be cyclists. BikeSnob, ever the satirist, begins the book by referencing the Amish's denunciation of modern technology and he goes (literally) through Queens to the Rockaways, hoping to relive a New York Times article about cycling from the late 1890s.

Aside from his erratic analogies, I was struck by his explanation of what takes a bicycle a Truly Great Invention:

"A bicycle is a Truly Great Invention because it is part of the entire range of human existence, from frivolity to necessity."

Pause. I agree, of course, that the bicycle is a Truly Great Invention. But what really makes it that? Is it that some people spend thousands of dollars on the lightest carbon fiber components and others use their rickety old Schwinn to get to work? I would say: yes and no. I think BikeSnob's point is valid - the bicycle is a beautiful machine in its simplicity and its accessibility - almost everyone can learn to ride a bike. However, as far as covering the range from frivolity to necessity - that isn't what makes a bike super cool. Cars do that too - some people trick out their cars just like some people trick out their bikes and all us cyclists (as BikeSnob would say) would argue that cars are NOT a Truly Great Invention. What makes a bike a Truly Great Invention is what BikeSnob addresses shortly thereafter when he says a bike can "give you a feeling of freedom" and provide you with a "more rewarding life." It's a profound statement for the BikeSnob, but it's true.

Even more surprising than BikeSnob's roundabout discussion of the Amish was his reference of a Christian parable. I felt like I was back in CCD class when he spoke of "Footprints in the Sand," which is funny because BikeSnob's super Jewish name is Eben Weiss. His metaphor in this case was charming: instead of Jesus (his bike) following him around helping him out of a jam, he follows Jesus (in this case, cycling) around.

For all the snarky comments on his blog, BikeSnob's book was an homage to cycling and a guide to bicycling for beginners, including; the different types of cyclists (I still think about his 'Lone Wolf' description) and tips on bicycle maintenance. His love/obsession/career of cycling oozes out of every parable and he expresses sentiments that many cyclists would have to 'cheers' to, including the following:

"You can depend on cycling in a way you can depend on little else."

You got that right, BikeSnob.

Commuting by Bicycle: Days 3 & 4

2010-10-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

Ah! I have been bad about reporting my commuting experience - as an excuse, it has been raining a lot in New York. I'm also hurting under my 48/15 ratio, especially after I rode to Tarrytown with DOBC.

Day 3

I chose to take 1st Avenue all the way uptown. I am currently on the fence about this bike lane. I have to say, as someone coming from Brooklyn and headed for Rockefeller Center, it is one of the best options for me. Also - commuting on both days 3 & 4 were relatively stress free on 1st Avenue. The biggest problem I have found is that there are trucks loading and unloading in the bike lane, which causes me to weave in and out of the bike lane. This was also one of the days the UN conference was in session - all traffic going up 1st Avenue was diverted west. I thought this would be fine, but I found myself trying to inch up 3rd Avenue behind several buses. Yuck. I eventually rode/walked by bicycle across 49th Street, but it was a difficult and slow weave through taxi cabs and pot-holed streets. They should repave midtown!

Time: 1 hour
What I drank because I was so thirsty: Water, cart coffee $1.00

***

I decided to try the 9th Avenue bike lane on the way home. I'm conflicted about the best way to get home because the further west I go, the further I am going out of the way. 9th Avenue doesn't have a bike lane all the way up to 50th street, but I think it starts around 34th Street and it's really nice - it's separated from the street and 9th Avenue doesn't have a lot of foot traffic so you don't run into bewildered pedestrians who are stepping into the bike lane. I had intended to go down Hudson St. to Bleecker but I think I got on Bleecker too soon and end it up riding it all the way to Prince and eventually down to Christie Street. This ride was nice but the day was HOT and it felt like a long ride home.

Time: 1 hour
What I drank when I got home: water

Day 4

If I can coax myself out of bed, the crisp fall days are perfect for bike commuting. I rode one day last week, after taking my fixed gear off-roading on Sunday, and my knees were feeling it. I think I was also slightly delirious because I overshot the entrance to the Williamsburg Bridge (still a painstakingly slow incline- I think because you have to go up twice) and then I didn't make a left on the bike lane on Rivington and I had to cut back in Chinatown. Wha?? I was annoyed by the fixed-geared riders blowing past me, especially the powder blue Fuji that some bald headed dude was riding without breaking a sweat. Oy.

I got to the gym and showered and applied make-up (shocking, I know). Everyday I manage to forget something crucial: the first day it was my regular bra (wore the sports bra peeking out of my work outfit all day) second day it was a comb (considered swiping a brush at the gym but actually just used my fingers) third day it was my work shoes (wore really dirty sneakers into work, gross) and fourth day it was my regular bra again. Sweet. I don't mind the uniboob so much, but it isn't exactly flattering. I had the pleasure of taking off my sweaty bra, showering, and then putting it back on. Party foul.

Time: 50 mins
What I drank because I was so thirsty: water, cart coffee

***

I took 2nd Avenue all the way home from 50th Street. This actually worked pretty well. There wasn't too much traffic or construction and I breezed by all the slow bikers. The problem with my low gearing is starting/stopping and having to push off with a lot of force. (Haven't mastered track stands). I often find myself behind well-dress, middle-aged white dudes with those velcro straps on their ankles, to hold their pants back. But these dudes are serious - and often good at circumventing traffic, so I appreciate being behind them. I had the strange experience of being behind a fixed gear riding with clip-ins who would periodically clip out of his pedals and put both feet on his down tube. It looked fun but also kind of dangerous. His black jeans were really tight, definitely tighter than mine.

Time: 55 mins
What I drank because I was so thirsty: water, leftover Nantucket Nectar Orange Mango juice

Friday Afternoon: Bike Cartoons

2010-10-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Saw these two gems lately, and had to throw 'em up here:

One Sweet Day

2010-09-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

Bridging the Gap Vol.1 from Joseph Lobato on Vimeo.

I watched this video as I was holed up in an office in midtown Manhattan. Hernando was having a sweet day.

Commuting by Bicycle: Day 2

2010-09-19T08:00:00.001-07:00

Disclaimer: I am a fair weather commuter. Luckily, I wasn't riding my bicycle during the tornado.

I rode my bicycle to work for the second time last week to keep up the momentum. I had adjusted my seat so now it points slightly downward (picture the graphic in BikeSnob's book where he ridicules hipsters for pointing their saddles at a 90 degree angle towards the floor) but this adjustment was too far in the other direction. Luckily it was tolerable and not as uncomfortable as day one.

The Williamsburg Bridge was still a long, slow incline. My legs were slightly tired from the day before. I chose to day 1st Avenue as far as it would go - not knowing exactly where the bike lane ended (Are the Bike NYC Maps outdated??), but I was very relieved to find that it goes all the way to 34th Street! I guess 34th Street is everyone's idea of where midtown begins, but I'm more of a 49th/50th kind of gal (unfortunately) - if they could only extend it 16 more blocks, I would be golden. After 34th St, 1st Avenue splits and the entrance on the right is for a highway - a little daunting. I chose to make a left of East 43rd Street because I wasn't sure about the UN Plaza Street (I think I will choose that next time). I rode carefully up 3rd Avenue and then across on 49th Street. Let's just say, midtown could use some repaving.

The trip only took me 45 minutes and I had time to shower. My new proposal for New York Sports Club is to have a "Commuter Membership" where bike commuters pay $40/month to use the showers and lockers. $40/month is still a little steep but I can't see them doing it for less, if they do it at all. Right now I pay $79/month for...not going to the gym. Well, I suppose I don't need to if I can keep riding my bicycle to work. SO I take a shower at NYSC - which is always funny because I think all of the shampoo/conditioner/body wash options are just different colors of hand soap. I got to work early and basically washed my hair with hand soap, so it looked amazing all day.

Time it took: 45 minutes
What I drank because I was so thirsty: water, eventually coffee

***

I was meeting up with K after work because she had ridden her bicycle too. I dared to take the Broadway Bicycle lane all the way from 47th Street, which was a horrible idea (as I suspected). The Herald Square area is full of tourists and I'm not even sure where the bike lane is - it seems to run behind a bunch of the fancy tables but no one pays attention to it. Plus, some kid was playing the piano on top of Macy's and creating a big hold up.

Once I made it down the to 20s it was smooth sailing and I passed a film scene involving bicycles so I shouted "I'm available!" but no takers. The camera guy smiled at me though, so I might be in.

K and I met up unexpectedly on 10th St bike lane and headed over to NYC Velo. I wanted to check out the BaileyWorks small Citizen Pack, which looks like this

I really like the orange color, but I was disappointed to find that the straps and the bag in general isn't as comfortable as Chrome's Dually Backpack. Clearly, I haven't used the BaileyWorks bag, and it seemed high quality, but it is $60 more than the Chrome bag. It is shaped to fit your back so it forms a sort of "V," decreasing the amount of stuff you can fit in it. I fit a six pack of beer (bottles) and mango juice and clothes in K's Dually. Just saying. I'm disappointed that Chrome doesn't have the Dually in a rust color or in a less crazy orange color, but I'm thinking about the brown:

or

Luckily, after two days of commuting, K agreed to go to Wing Bar with me (275 Smith Street, Brooklyn). You can get a pitcher of beer there for $7.50 but it's Coors Light and K is too classy for that, so we drank Oktoberfest and ate 20 wings. It was delicious.

Time it took: I didn't check because we stopped at NYC Velo
What I drank because I was so thirsty: Sam Adam's Oktoberfest

Commuting by Bicycle: Day 1

2010-09-14T19:02:00.001-07:00

I rode my bicycle from Crown Heights to midtown today (and back)! I decided that the weather is too perfect and the subway depresses me too much. I swallowed my NYC public transportation pride (gross) and bought a strong lock to use outside of work.

Riding from Crown Heights to Rockefeller Center is slightly awkward, mostly because many of the amazing protected bike lanes don't go up as far as they should. If the 1st Avenue bike lane went as high as 50th Street (and the 2nd Avenue Bike Lane), I would be set - then I could get to and from work relatively easily. Instead, I like to choose the "Safe" option on RideTheCity.com and see where it takes me. The route was this: Bedford Avenue to the Williamsburg Bridge to 1st Avenue to East 9th to Greenwich to 8th Avenue and then all the way up 8th Avenue to West 48th Street. Woohoo.

My first reaction to commuting: Wow, my bike seat really isn't that comfortable. I made a slight adjustment on Bedford Avenue beside the gas station - still uncomfortable but not as horrible as before. Ouch. My second reaction to commuting: Wow, the Williamsburg Bridge is a very long, slow incline. It's time like these I wish I had gears. I reminded myself that skinny hipsters from Williamsburg do it all the time, so I could do it too. Plus a guy whistled at me as I past him so I figured I wasn't the slowest one.

The bike path on First Avenue introduced me to the first of many darting lizards - also known as "people on their way to work." They have glazed-over eyes and are usually carrying a large coffee with a sleeve. I calmed myself down by slowing down and avoiding the lizards. At one point I was behind a girl who was riding slowly on a big mountain bike. As I got next to her I realized she was actually smoking a cigarette and riding her bike at the same time. At first, I thought "Well, at least she's riding her bike" but then, she was probably undoing all that good.

As I got on East 9th Street, around the NYU area, I slowed down to pass an ambulance. I was horrified to see that an older woman had bad cuts all over her arm. She didn't seem homeless and she seemed pretty calm about her bleeding arm but I shuddered with thoughts of domestic violence (and before 9 AM?).

The ride up 8th Avenue was fine until about 34th Street, when it gets really crowded. The clock read 8:24am and people started streaming out of the train stations under Madison Square Garden. It got worse when I neared Port Authority because I was stopped at a light and what seems like hundreds of Jerseyites (?) walking every which way across the street. For lack of anything better to do about the bike lane that suddenly disappears, I stayed as far to the left as possible and continued on.

I turned East on W. 48th Street. I locked my bike up a hundred times to make sure the lock actually went through the frame and then I ran into NYSC to, literally, change my clothes. Had I been more ambitious, I could have showered too, but time was running out before work, so I rocked the half sweaty/half envigorated style.

At work, I was elated. Commuting makes me feel much more like a cyclist - even if I still worry about my rickety bike or what components everyone else is flashing around.

Time it took: 1 hour
What I drank because I was so thirsty: coffee (I do that a lot)

***

Unsure of which route was the best to take home, I convinced myself that taking 2nd Avenue all the way down would be worthwhile - since parts of that route have bike lanes. I also didn't want to take Broadway, and I'm reluctant to ride all the way to the West Side Highway, although I may do that in the coming days.

If I thought the lizards were out BEFORE work, being in midtown at 5:00 PM is much, much worse. Near Rockefeller Center, people dart around cars and behind parked trucks to cross the street - it's not really J-walking so much as playing DDR in the middle of the street.

Second Avenue was a poor choice. Although the street is really wide, it's undergoing a lot of construction and there are crazy old people that don't know what exactly what bike lanes are. By the time I got down to St. Marks Place I was happy to beeline home over the bridge.

Taking Wythe Avenue from Williamsburg to Crown Heights was not as easy as I had hoped. I was sure the Hassid bus drivers were gunning me down and at one point a large bus sped up, cut me off, and then put out it's little STOP sign. (Is it illegal to pass those?).

I took Franklin all the way to Shorty's Deli and purchased many beverages (not beer, they don't sell it). I am using commuting as an excuse to eat everything and probably go to bed as early as possible. So far, so good.

Time it took: 1 hour 12 minutes
What I drank because I was so thirsty: Nantucket Nectars Orange Mango, ice water

Rockaway Debacle: On Being Prepared

2010-09-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

I shudder to think about my most recent flat tire fiasco. Two weekends ago I rode with DOBC to the Rockaways. This is a pleasant ride from Park Slope/Prospect Heights area because you can take the protected bike greenway on Ocean Parkway almost all the way to the Rockaways.

I should have known the morning was doomed because, when I woke up, I had a horrible hangover and I was in a fight with my girlfriend. I had work looming over my head (LSATs) but since I knew I wouldn't do anything productive, I headed over to meet DOBC. I spoke dismissively with a friend about how I had been getting so many flat tires, but I had just bought new Continental Gatorskins and was feeling confident.

On the long bike path that runs alongside Flatbush Avenue, before you hit the Marine Parkway Bridge, I heard the dreaded "pop." Considering the terrain we had been going over - the path turned to sand at one point, and the sidewalks are pretty choppy - I shouldn't have been surprised. Unfortunately, I was unprepared. Fooled by the thought of my protective new Gatorskins (C'mon! They're called Gatorskins!), I just didn't have anything with me - no tube, no patch, no pump. Also, I ride baby tires, so any old 700c tube wouldn't do..

My bro Dez stayed with me as we started the 2 mile trek towards the beach. Now I was hot, hungover and keeping my friends from getting to the beach. At one point a very friendly and enthusiastic biker chick stopped and tried to patch my tube with her friends (Emily, wherever you are, I will come cheer you on at the track). My other bro, Candice, rode back and forth over the bridge to bring me a patch kit. The tire had popped along a seam and the glue from the patches weren't sticking. Emily and her friends were able to repair it enough for me to get over the bridge, and I rode with a flat tire along the beach's boardwalk.

After a few hours of sunbathing and watching many, many drunk gay men strut around in tiny bathingsuits, we headed home. My friend Heidi walked the 60 small blocks to the subway with me. (Hell yea, hell yea). All I could think of was how I didn't want to be a burden to my bike friends again.

Enter: Bike Nashbar. I have been getting promotional e-mails from Bike Nashbar and Pricepoint.com for quite a while, but I hadn't bought anything from either website. They offer bike parts and accessories at a discounted price and they have a wide range of products. I tend to think of these stores as being geared towards the Dad riders - people who work in the financial district and buy fancy Trek road bicycles. Whether or not this is accurate, they have some good deals. I bought two tubes, a patch kit, glueless patches, and a small hand pump for $22.50. I also got a really cute pair of gloves for K (I think BikeSnob would enjoy the knuckle tattoo theme:)

I am finally coming to the realization that bicycles, like any vehicle, require emergency repair kits. Usually I just get angry and think that I am the only person who suffers from flat tires. Now I have my Chloe bike bag stocked for the next ride. No more walking to the beach.

Juliet Elliott & Charge Bikes

2010-08-18T23:06:00.000-07:00

What's not to love about a hot girl on a fixie wearing a plaid shirt? Oh yeah, and she's sponsored by Charge, who seem to make some sweet bikes. There is a comment under this YouTube video that says that she is married (boo) but I couldn't find any information to confirm that. Check out her blog here: http://chargebikes.typepad.com/juliet/.

Interview with Kt, Folding Bike Enthusiast

2010-08-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

This is my awesome friend Kt talking about her Brompton folding bicycle. Disclaimer: I say "sweet" about a thousand times in the video and "unfolding" twice and I may or may not flip the camera around while I am filming. So much for the Director's cut...

Why a folding bike?

I wanted a bicycle in New York but I wanted something that I could take with me everywhere. With the folding bike you can carry it around and it’s easier to maneuver than a regular bike.

What makes Brompton different from, say, Dahon?

I like the look of Brompton better – it’s classic, it’s the best folding bike in terms of design and stability. With this kind of bike, you want something that isn’t fragile – something that won’t crack or break because you’re constantly opening and closing it. And from what I had heard, you rarely have a problem with the chain staying in place or with the bike unfolding when you don't want it to. And the way this bike folds, the greasy chain is kept far away from you (and your clothes) when you carry it. This bike also has a built-in hand pump and it has one of the most compact folds you can find. When I was still trying to make my decision (and it was a big decision, considering the price tag) I met a guy from Long Island who rode his Brompton to and from NYC everyday for three years and he never had a probem.

Well, a disadvantage of owning a Brompton is that the replacement parts can only be bought from the U.K., where the company is based. There are a few shops in NYC that get shipments of Brompton parts, but they sometimes have so send away to the U.K. for a part if they don't have it in stock. But then again, it's nice to know that each bike is designed and built by hand in West London, England, where the company was founded.

I really like the design of the Brompton. They’re creative with their accessories – the wheels that allow you to roll the bike around when it is folded become a rack for your stuff when it is unfolded. They also offer mudguards, different styles of handlebars and I put a Brooks seat on mine. I like the style of Bromptons; you can mix and match because there are a lot of color options. I chose blue and black, but they have a bunch of different color options. You can also buy a carrying case that looks like a bag. There is a hard box you can use to travel with – for airplanes, etc – it’s more of a protective case. It’s so mobile – you can carry it around with you wherever you go, and it’s not that heavy.

What is it made out of?

The frame is mainly made of steel.

How long did you want a folding bike before you bought one?

Two-and-a-half years. I first saw the Brompton at a bike shop on the Upper East Side called NYCeWheels, and it was love at first sight. It was one of the biggest purchases I’d ever made and it took that long for me to actually do it. But if you’re gonna buy it you want to buy one that won’t break when you fold and unfold it. I tried out different folding bikes for two years before I bought this one. Before I bought it, they let me test ride it around the block (I actually went in there about a million times to test ride it, and they somehow remained patient) and I got used to it fairly quickly. At first when you ride it, it feels like the bike is wobbling because the wheels are so small, but you get used to it quickly.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a folding bike?

Well, the one of the advantages is (obviously) that you can take it everywhere. You can take it on the subway train during rush hour, the LIRR, you can take it on the bus, even though that gets a little annoying. You can travel with it on planes and check it in like a suitcase. I have even been known to ride it to the theater and give the coat check dude an extra tip to keep an eye on it. It also fits right under my desk at work, so I never have to worry about locking it up or someone stealing it. I just keep it under my desk during the day and then I ride it home after work. When it is folded, it is an extremely compact package (22.2" x 21.5" x 10.6") that you can basically carry with you anywhere.

The disadvantages are…it’s harder to pedal uphill. You do have to work harder than someone who is riding a road bike. You can’t really conquer massive hills. I mean, that’s not really a problem in New York, but I would just try to avoid big hills anyway, since I know it would be hard to get up them.

Where do you generally ride your bicycle?

Home from work, the West Side Highway bike path and Prospect Park.

Do you have camaraderie with other folding bike enthusiasts?

Yeah, it’s definitely a wink and a nod. When I was thinking about buying a Brompton everyone said good things about them. I met people who had even bought more than one because they were so happy with theirs.

Also, there is a Brompton community (cult?). There is a folding bike race – The Brompton World Championship that takes place in the U.K., but they recently started one up in the U.S., I think it was in Philly.

How did you decide what components to put on your bicycle?

There are a few options in terms of handlebar shapes, with the straight handlebars being the lightest. I liked the look and the feel of the U-shaped ones, though, so I opted for those. I’d always wanted a Brooks saddle because they mold to your butt. I added the mud flap and I chose the blue/black two tone colors because I liked them the best. And the rack/rolling wheel contraption is just plain convenient.

Tell us about that bicycle accident and why you were/are afraid of riding in the city.

Well, I’ve had more than one… but when I was 11 or 12 and I was riding down to my friend’s house..and then, I dunno, I was unconscious. I still don’t remember what happened. My bike was totaled, so I’ m thinking I got hit by a car. I was off the road and my friend’s mom found me at the bottom of the driveway. My bike was 50 yards away from me and I fractured my skull.

You’d think I would have been totally scared to ride after that, but I’m a freak, and I wasn’t scared. Recently, and at first, I was afraid to ride in the city because I get into a lot of accidents. I still have a rock in my knee from one of my accidents.

Where is your favorite place to ride in NYC?

The West Side Highway bike path.

If you didn’t have a folding bicycle, what bike would you have?

I’m not going to get another bike (haha). But yeah, I can see myself owning a road bike or something, depending on where I wanted to go. I can ride the folding bike long distances but I can’t go on dirt roads with it or anything – it’s not really the distance but more the terrain that would be the problem.

What do you like about your Brooks saddle?

It’s not a saddle, it’s a seat! I like that it’s really comfortable and you can wear it in.

How much does your bicycle weigh when it’s folded up?

About 23 pounds. Depending on the parts you choose, Bromptons can be as light as 20 pounds.

What do you love more: your bicycle or ultimate Frisbee?

Probably ultimate Frisbee… I like the social aspect of ultimate Frisbee.

But you can be social by riding bikes too!

That’s true..

Can you take long bike rides on your folding bike?

15-20 miles, it’s not so much how far I go – because I don’t mind taking long rides, it’s more of where I go.

Do you feel like you have to put in more effort to ride your bike because the pedals are so small?

It depends – if there’s a hill involved, then yes, but it’s minimal. Your pedal radius is smaller so you’re working more but I’m always just riding for leisure, I’m not trying to race, so it’s not really a problem.

Does it feel strange to ride a “regular” bicycle now?

I haven’t ridden one in a long time but I don’t know…

Do you feel safe on your folding bicycle?

As safe as I you can feel in the city with my track record.

What advice would you give to someone purchasing a folding bicycle?

I would say if you have the money go for the better quality because you’re going to be folding and unfolding it all the time. So don’t get a folding bike if you don’t have the money. Just get the best quality you can.

Two Teeth Forward, One Tooth Back?

2010-08-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

Despite my infatuation with fixed-gear bicycles, I don't know much about bicycle mechanics. I distinctly remember meeting a dude outside of Brooklyn Bike and Board who rode a celeste Bianchi Pista Concept with a BMX stem that looked like a Lego piece. He asked me about my gearing and I told him I rode a 48/15. "Wha??" he couldn't believe it, he said, because he rode a much easier gear.

My bicycle is mostly stock - I go on bike spending binges and envision myself outfitting my ride with deep black rims and personalized decals, and then I acknowledge the futility of it and I sober up for a few good months at a time. Recently, I decided to change my cog because it will give me an easier ride and it's a lot cheaper to change a cog than a chainring. I've visited Sheldon Brown's fixed-gear calculator, but I'm a writing major so I pretty much just gloss over numbers (which may explain my bank account). My rudimentary understanding is this: the harder the gear, the more ground you cover with each rotation (?) and the harder it is to start pedaling from a full stop and...the more you feel like an old lady because your knee caps start hurting. There are many, many bike tutorials on the topic of gear ratios, gear inches and Sheldon Brown's gain ratio. From a more practical and less geeky perspective, you can talk about fixed-gear ratios all you want, but the reality is: you have to get out there and try 'em. The ratio on my mini Fuji (48/15) was the stock setup, and I opted for something easier - a 17t cog.

I've been riding the 17t cog through the sticky summer days and mostly enjoying myself. The first few rides made me feel silly and I felt like I was spinning out of control on the downhills - perhaps 16t may have been a better and less dramatic choice. However, for feeling less like an old lady: 17t is smooth and easy. I would recommend it to strategic bike forum writers as the "summer fun gear."

Asbury Park, New Jersey: Second Life Bikes

2010-07-17T13:55:00.000-07:00

K. and I recently went on a vacation to Asbury Park, New Jersey. Asbury Park/Ocean Grove is an eclectic mix of gays/churchgoers and (of course) Jerseyites. I was pleasantly surprised to find this shop as soon as we stepped off NJ Transit at Asbury Park:

We walked in and I was stunned. We were at Second Life Bikes (formerly known as The Bike Church, when they were in a smaller location). Similar to the praiseworthy New York/Brooklyn establishment Recycle-a-Bicycle, Second Life Bikes is a non-profit organization that allows people, especially youth, to learn about bicycle and bicycle repair. In exchange for working hands-on at the bike shop, they are eligible to build their own bicycle using recycled parts. And they have many, many parts to choose from:

The shop also functions as a bicycle repair shop, which is how they generate money in order to keep it open as a non-profit. It was very, very cool. K. looked around for a special teeny frame for her but they only had a few bicycles that were actually for sale. Most of the hundreds of bicycles were built up by the young volunteers who work at Second Life Bicycles.

a. The Bike Church from Brian Johnston on Vimeo.

Later that day, K. and I tried to get cocktails on the boardwalk. We gave them our New York licenses and they asked if we had any other picture IDs on us. What?! Granted, K. looks like a sixteen year old, and despite the gray hair, I don't look that old myself. However, I had only put three cards in my wallet to go to the boardwalk and I didn't have another picture ID on me. Our waitress (in her 40s) looked skeptical and called the manager over. The manager, a funny blond woman (also in her 40s) told us we looked really young and then asked us how we were getting home. "Um..we're walking back to our inn" we replied. "Okay, well..just BE CAREFUL" she warned us and then brought over our cocktails. We had one drink each and I'm pretty sure she still thinks we were underage. Don't they scan IDs in Jersey? Jeez..

It rained most of Saturday but we were determined to ride a surrey. For those of you who don't know, a surrey is one of those touristy 2 (or 4 or 6) person bicycles that is essentially a golf cart you can pedal. And, we learned quickly, it moves incredible slowly. I also learned that I don't know how to press the record button on my video camera, so you can't see us in action, but we got some funny surrey pictures. I think if you put the bicycle on a lower gear, we might not have looked so silly pumping our legs so much and gaining so little speed. It is a nonsensical machine is many ways, including the aesthetic steering wheel for the right-side driver, which has no purpose. It did have a really awesome bell. You should try one.

Bike Money: Unexpected Maintenance Fees

2010-06-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have been bleeding money this month. This is not a surprise, since it is summer and I have recently escaped from my studying spot ("the nook"). This weekend my supposedly low-maintenance fixed-gear bicycle ended up costing me $47.50 in repairs. What?! This should not upset me, as I'm more than willing to spend money on my bicycle for upgrades (handlebars, seat, stem, etc.) but $47.50 is a lot, especially when you're waiting for your parents to cash the money-that-you-owe-them check and you're not sure when that's going to happen, but it may leave you with a considerably small amount of money in the bank.

On Saturday morning I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep. I debated staying in Brooklyn and having a relaxing day but I decided to hoof it to Manhattan to see if I could find some cheap and cute earrings (I'm so femme). And by earrings I mean I went to this wholesale piercing/tattoo place on Canal Street called UNIMAX where you can get wholesale plugs for less money. This would have worked out well, but my ears aren't really stretched and most of the earrings they had there were for BIG stretchers like my friend Asher (see Asher and Morgan here at www.oneloudday.com).

As I rode over the Brooklyn Bridge, they were repainting it with a wide, thick white line to separate the tourists from the cyclists. I find this comical, and while helpful, it probably won't keep the wondering tourists from coming into "our lane." It was funny to see them rolling the paint over though - creating a veritable highway on the famous Brooklyn structure. As I was riding over the bridge I heard a lot of clinking, but I chalked it up to the planks below me, or I thought maybe I had lost some change out of my pocket. When I reached the other side of the bridge and nearly collided with a cyclist headed straight towards me (YO! YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!) I stopped and examined my ride. I thought the chain was too loose, but it turns out all but one of the bolts that was holding on my chainring had fallen off! That explained the clinking noises. I sighed and started my early-morning walk through Chinatown.

I went to NYC Velo because the guys are nice in there and I thought they might not even charge me. How much could it cost for 5 new screws + refitting the chainring + refitting the chain? I happily washed my greasy hands in their little bathroom and headed towards to the register, expecting at most, $15 charge. It was $29. Twenty-nine dollars?! In retrospect, this charge isn't that insane, but at the time I was somewhat certain that they had seen me, greasy-handed and sweating profusely with the explanation "Um..the bolts fell out" and thought - OK charge this girl whatever we want. This, of course, is not true. I asked another bike shop today and they said they would have charged $25, so NYC Velo is still on my list of stupid-girl-friendly shops. I was still annoyed so I ate a chicken kabob sandwich and rode back to Brooklyn.

THEN when I was visiting my old neighborhood (I have serious nostalgia for South Slope), I heard my tire roll over something and go PSSSSSssssssssstttttttttt. I freaked out and dismounted my bike in the middle of the street but I couldn't hear or see what was happening. I was able to ride home but this morning my tire was flat. UGH.

K. and I checked out Ride Brooklyn because they have been really nice to Dykes on Bike-Cycles and we thought they might not charge us as much to fix a flat. After all was said and done, they charged $18.50. $18.50?! I assume that is $7.00 for the tube and $10 maintenance fee plus tax. They may even charge a flat rate $10 maintenance fee on small jobs there because he said the cost to put in a new cog would be $10.

The lesson learned: either fix your tire yourself ($7-$8.00) or go to Brooklyn Bike & Board because they only charge $13 (probably $8.00 for tube and $5 maintenance).

DOBC's Amazing Pride Season

2010-06-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

My beloved Dykes on Bike-Cycles are in the midst of a wildly successful pre-Pride and Pride season, no thanks to me and my incessant "I have to study for the LSATs" excuse. I can't boast that I took amazing pictures at all the events - at our DOBC benefit party at Bar 4 I was running around collecting raffle tickets and simultaneously trying to take full advantage of the free PBR (hey, a girl has got to multitask), but here are a few highlights:

Our raffle table was incredible - I was pleasantly surprised that DOBC received donations from Outlier, Sigg, Ride Brooklyn, Taliah Lempert, Vaya Bags, Transportation Alternatives, Beast, Velo Brooklyn, Autostraddle and Babeland (well...Babeland doesn't really surprise me). We had a whole bunch of REALLY nice stuff and I was sad I wasn't able to enter the raffle myself (ahem, I'll take the Outlier hat). Ride Brooklyn - you might know it as bike shop right next to Babeland - was generous enough to donate a sweet Kona bike, which I "tagged" with my spoke card. A nice lady from the Brooklyn Community Pride Center slipped me her ticket (the raffle was at midnight...two nights before the LSATs - woohooo) but I didn't win. There were mostly gays at the party, which explains why my ex girlfriend's friend's ex girlfriend DID win but hey: that's another story (all true). We're all friends here.

Sunday was Queens Pride but none of us made it because we were too sleepy and I was freaking out about the LSATs. I missed BUM BUM BAR, so hopefully we can go again next year.

Last Saturday was Brooklyn Pride. DOBC was looking sharp in their handmade screenprinted t-shirts, black with pink logos. I attempted to help with this but I was sent out for mojito mixings. Here is an embarassing photo of me wearing the cool t-shirt:

That night we attended Brooklyn Community Pride Center's party at BAMCafe. BAMCafe is sweet - it kind of reminded me of a movie set with all the pinball lightbulbs on the wall, but we had fun dancing in all the open space. I would definitely consider going there for all the free music they host. Thanks to everyone who rode in the Parade - be sure to come to DOBC rides too!

Dykes on Bike-Cycles Video on DapperQ

2010-06-04T00:30:00.000-07:00

DapperQ Exclusive -- Dykes on Bikecycles from dapperQ on Vimeo.

These folks are hot, they bike, and they want you! On the road this summer and at their fundraiser this Saturday nite. It's June 4, Bar 4 in the Slope.

Learn how they drink, how they dress, and how they want you! www.dykesonbikecycles.com

Bespoke Spoiler: The Handbuilt Bicycle Show

2010-05-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

Bike Love graffiti on the Manhattan Bridge

Last Saturday was K's birthday, so I decided: "What better way to celebrate it then by going to see an exhibit that I'd been wanting to see! Yay! Happy Birthday K!"

We started our adventure by going to Milk Bar, this cute place on Vanderbilt that I love to go to in the summer because all the open doors and windows make the place feel breezy. Also, they serve coffee that looks like this:

K is officially 24, which she says makes her feel old and puts me somewhere in the dinosaur category. I overheard some woman talking on the train the other day about getting her first gray hair. I wanted to be like, "Girl, I've had gray hairs since I was 14." Some of us are... old souls (a.k.a neurotic Irish Catholics). K had expressed interest in going to an outdoor dance festival in Tompkins Square Park, but I convinced her to take the long ride up up the West Side Highway on a busy Saturday afternoon. We debated over taking the Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridge - I prefer the Brooklyn Bridge even though it is jam-packed with tourists that are incapable of interpreting pedestrian/bicyclists symbols, it's pleasant and of course, cooler. K said she hates all the planks that make her rickety bike rattle non-stop. So, we took the Manhattan Bridge and I dealt with the racing zealots that pumped and passed me on my left. After all, it was her birthday.

Admittedly, every bicycle sojourn is an opportunity to add to this blog, and I forced K to stop and take some action shots. This is what we look like on our bicycles:

me (Q.)

The West Side Highway bicycle path was a blast, but also very crowded on a Saturday afternoon. I cringed as K rode her $20 wonder bike head-on in the other direction as she passed leisurely cyclists. Nevertheless, riding on the path is a lot more relaxing than having to stop every five minutes at a red light. The crowd thinned out once we got to 34th street and we took the path all the way to W 60th, where we were forced to climb a short, steep hill full of potholes. This climb reinforced the fact that NYC is, in fact, hilly.

We got Columbus Circle and parked our bikes outside. I made K take pictures of me posing/blocking the Bespoke sign:

The ponytail is a new-old look for me. K says it makes me look like Gaston. For everyone that doesn't know (and for all you Disney enthusiasts that DO know, that's kind of weird), Gaston is the French dude from Beauty and the Beast that wears a low ponytail. I'm unclear about his exact role in the film but I think he wanted to get with Belle. Here he is:

Alas, I digress. The Bespoke Exhibit. Although a modest exhibit, this made me happy for a variety of reasons. First of all, I know A.N.T. Bike Mike, who was interviewed for this blog, was going to have some bikes on display, and I've never seen his bikes in person. Secondly, I'm glad that bicycles are being acknowledged as beautiful and museum-worthy pieces of design. While some may balk at the idea of fifteen (or so) bicycles adorning the inside of the Museum of Art and Design, it confirms the importance of practical, well-made and stylish designs that we can use in our everyday life.

A perfect example of these well-built, stylish bicycles were the Vanilla Bicycles on display. I had heard of Vanilla Bicycles and visited their website before, but I had never seen one up close. I loved the clean blue design of the Track 2006 model, and I was impressed by the attention to detail and precision of the bike as a whole. My favorite, however was the Radonneur, which they had on display in a lavender color, with matching fenders. It seemed well-built and sturdy but thin and light at the same time - it looked like you could pick up a good amount of speed on that road bike.

Track 2006

Radonneur

Then, of course, the question becomes: if I had a few thousand dollars to spare, would I commission Sacha White to build me a sexy Vanilla bicycle? Probably not. It would be a shame to add scratches to something so expensive. However, there is something appealing about having a custom bicycle made for you and knowing that your exact measurements were kept in mind while it was built.

A.N.T. Bike Mike's bicycles were sleek and sophisticated, exactly as I had imagined. K was partial to the thick white tires on his Truss Bicycle (2010), but I loved the simple black paint and rusty A.N.T. emblem. I also enjoyed the playing card chainring that he put on that bike - another subtle addition that complements the bike's simple style.

A.N.T. Truss Bike (2010)

He also had a sort of pizza delivery bicycle that I liked. I'm not sure how much one would use this carting stuff around Brooklyn (unless you are in a band?!) but it has that "no frills" style for which Mike is known.

A.N.T. Basket Bike (2010)

As for the other bike builders, I wasn't into Richard Sach's bikes as much as his bad ass persona, complete with red Ray Bans that he used instead of protective goggles when welding. I also liked his collection of New Yorker magazine covers showing dating back to the '50s. J.P. Weigle had an impressive set of bikes that reminded me of Vanilla Bicycles, although more classic. One of them was a pretty blue that made me second guess my preoccupation with Bianchi gang green.

J.P. Weigle's "French Blue"

J.P. Weigle's bikes are accentuated by intricate lugs, a bike part that still mystifies me. My impression is that these little pieces are a important element of the bike building process and their craftsmanship is a signifier to others that this handbuilt bicycle is rad. A Google search of "why lugs important" brought me here, which depicts the lug as a controversial but respected addition to handbuilt steel bicycles, one that serves to strengthen the joint of the bike.

J.P. Weigle lug designs

Personal additions like the detailed lugs above are what sets apart the builders featured in Bespoke from other bike builders. Whether it was A.N.T. Bike Mike's handbuilt racks and fenders, Sacha White's subtle V's, or Peter Sach's insistent use of firetruck red, all these bikes spoke to their builder's true style.

Post NYC Bike Culture Summit: A Rant

2010-05-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

I went to the NYC Bike Culture Summit hosted by Transportation Alternatives on Thursday. On Twitter, the Summit has received some mixed reviews, mostly of the racial profiling variety. I have to admit, I was unsure what to expect and how fun and/or productive the event would be. They invited Bike Snob, so I knew it would be bearable because he would be making snarky comments all night.

Here's the deal: a room full of mostly white, self-righteous, middle-aged, progressive New Yorkers doesn't surprise me. When I first got there, I thought: these people are probably members of the Park Slope Food Coop! It kind of had that vibe like, "We work for organic groceries and you better believe we commute 15 miles by bike to work too." Taking into consideration the $15 ticket price and the Thursday evening slot, it's not shocking that the crowd wasn't more diverse. These are people who are already invested in biking, probably commuters, and they're angsty about the trials they face as cyclists. I'm okay with that - I don't think I'll survive in New York into old age, but hell, you have to give it up to the people who do. And if these middle-aged progressives want to make donations to a forward-thinking non-profit like T.A. so they can gripe, then let them gripe.

The format of the event was disorganized, but that was also to be expected. At first, I was like, "Oh wow, they actually chose a neutral moderator." But when the blond actress (still don't know her name) cut off TA's legal counselor when he was explaining the new laws about parking garages, I lost all appreciation for her. It's one thing to adhere to the 2-minute cut-off with the silly bike bell, it's another thing to disrupt an important conversation that everyone wanted to hear. Also, she wasn't neutral once she claimed she felt "raped" every time she went into a bike shop and suspected that someone was judging her rusty chain. Wow.

Despite it's shortcomings, the Summit raised a lot of significant concerns about cycling in NYC. The most important and provocative question was: are we, as cyclists, expected to obey all the rules of the road?

This is the crux of many cycling-related issues in New York. We're all too quick to condemn drivers for inching into the bike lane, but we're also the least likely to make a complete stop at a red light or a stop sign. (Or any stop for that matter). What does this mean? Well, I think the chef/messenger/dad/son/entrepreneur/cyclist said it best when he said, "This is not an issue we, as cyclists, can ignore." And he's right: this isn't an issue we can brush off. Perhaps if we institute traffic signals specifically for cyclists that work with a "wave signal" like those mentioned by Caroline Samponaro (*swoon*), the animosity between opposing means of transportation would be lessened.

But as the majority of traffic currently exists in New York, there isn't room for both bikes and cars to be happy. There is too big a dichotomy because NYC was built around cars. So, on one hand it's unfair to expect cyclists to adhere to a city plan that excludes them. On the other hand, we can't evict cars from a city that was built for them (unfortunately). This is an issue that remains unresolved, despite Biking Rules' efforts to promote positive attitudes between car drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. We still live in NYC and everyone is trying to get everywhere as fast as possible. That is a huge part of what attracts people to NYC and I'm not sure how easily that mentality can be changed.

Another issue raised at the Summit was the unfriendliness of bike shops. I took issue with the women who said they are totally intimidated by entering bike shops. OK. I am a woman (though perhaps not the most feminine) and I have a nice bike, but either way I would not feel horribly self-conscious about entering a bicycle store. Don't get me wrong: I have been brushed off my "too cool for school" bike dudes who really don't care at all if I spent money at their shop or even if I come back (hello, R&A Cycles). My response to these women is this: if you are mistreated at a bike shop, go to a different one. To say that ALL bike shops are full of pretentious dudes is not true and I know of more than one bike shop in Brooklyn that can attest to that.

However informal this event may have been, interrupted by babies, Bike Snob, stuttering dudes, and a "neutral" moderator, I think it was an important forum for biking in New York and I would encourage T.A. to do something similar, but more organized, in the future. To promote a more diverse population, perhaps the next event should be highly publicized, on a weekend, and free or based on a sliding scale donation.

Giant Chixie: Cool or Uncool?

2010-04-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

I was drawn to a twitter post today that mentioned Giant's new bicycle: the "Chixie," a fixed-gear ride built specifically for women. Though perhaps gimmicky and slightly offensive (chixie? really?), I think there are some good ideas behind this bike.

Let's be honest: bicycle components and clothing built specifically for women have to walk a fine line. Ideally, they would appeal to urban hipster 20-somethings AND forty-year-old suburbanites who are more likely to actually dole out the cash to buy their products. The incentive to make products that people actually buy seems to mean that most of this stuff is designed for the forty-year-old suburbanites (re: trying to buy decent cycling gear here), and less for the 20-something urban rider. The Chixie represents a big step away from the grandma stuff towards the cooler stuff.

My initial reaction to a large manufacturer like GIANT is: ugh, another factory pumping out bicycles without any style. I feel this way about Trek too, although my father would probably disagree. Perhaps it's pretension, but there's something achingly uncool about GIANT and Trek; I just feel like these ubiquitous navy blue/silver hybrid bicycles have no soul. Of course, was my mini Fuji pumped out by some other assembly line in China? Yeah. But at least Fuji knows a thing or two about style (check out their 2010 Classic series: it's so sexy).

I think the ideas behind this bike are good. I know I sound like a broken record when I talk about bicycle sizing, but it IS nice to see a mainstream manufacturer produce something that fits. There is a lot to be said for that. Also: the Chixie incorporates a Sugino crankset, the 46T Messenger, which is a nice crankset for a stock bike. Also: this bike is a little bit cool. It has the plain chrome frame that some fixed-gear riders crave and a nice bright blue color scheme. My guess is the Giant Classic Road saddle is neither comfortable nor designed for women, but that is easily replaceable.

Clearly, if you're a female fixed-gear rider, this isn't the bicycle you're going to take to the track. Also, it's way overpriced. You could buy a small, nicer IRO for $200 less. In fact, I think is speaks more to the "I have money to burn and I might ride this cute bicycle to get my coffee" crowd. But, I'm happy to see companies producing small, sexy(ish), fixed gear/singlespeed bicycles for women. Amen to that.

Interview with a Bike Builder: A.N.T. Bike Mike

2010-04-11T07:23:00.000-07:00

Photo from Antbikemike.wordpress.com

This is my interview with A.N.T. Bike Mike who owns his own bike building business in Holliston, Massachusetts. Check out Mike's sweet bikes and read his blog here.

Did the name A.N.T. precede Alternative Needs Transportation or were you looking for a name as you started your bike-building company?

Yes. I always liked the name A.N.T. and I think the image fits what I was trying to convey. An ant is small, but can carry many times it's own weight, it works independently, but is part of a larger group [like a bicycle].

How did you initially land a gig at Fat City Cycles and what exactly was your job there?

I rode my bicycle cross country, ended up in Boston and just got a job at Fat City off the street. I worked in the paint department and moved up to lead painter after 5 years.

Did you enjoy working in a bicycle factory? What were some things you liked and disliked about that job?

Fat City was a sweat shop, but a good one. It was a lot of fun, being with other young people that were into bikes, music and art. I disliked the politics, the low pay and lack of benefits...long hours etc... I guess the same issues other jobs in sweat shop factories have.

Are you still involved in Independent Fabrications? I have seen their bikes sold at NYC Velo.

I am still friends with everyone at Indy Fab and drop by there every once in awhile to see what is going on. It is a good place to work, but I wanted more.

How long did it take you to get your independent shop set up (machines, tools, income) to a point where you were able to start your own company with your partner Betsy?

I worked part time as A.N.T. for about 1 1/2 years, before going full time with it. I was still at Indy, working full time, when I started A.N.T.

Do you do any advertising for A.N.T. or do you just rely on word of mouth?

I advertise in Momentum Magazine, Urban Velo Magazine as well as Eco Velo [blog]. I used to advertise in more magazines and blogs/websites, but have tapered off. I depend more on shows and events, like NAHBS and local events. It is better to meet with people in the flesh and show my work off.

Do you enjoy working alone your shop? Do you ever miss having co-workers?

Yes, I enjoy working alone. It would be nice to have someone do the dirty work...book keeping, clean the bathroom, clean the machines, assembly and shipping...answering emails.

What was the first bicycle you made and how did it go?

My first one was made at Independent. It went easy, because we already had a system in place and someone to help me. When I started A.N.T. I was already moving along fine.

I have heard from newbie bicycle welders that it “takes a while to get the handle of it.” Would you say this is true?

My first 50 frames were pretty good, but then the next 100 I thought were not that great. I did not feel good about my welding until I welded about 300 frames. I have welded many, many hundreds now, so pretty good at it now.

About how many bicycles do you build a year?

I build about 45 to 50 complete bicycles a year. These are most often with forks, stems and racks made by me and I build the wheels too, along with being a fully equipped bike with fenders, dyno lights, chainguards and stands. If I were building racing bikes I could make a lot more in a year or if I were only making frames.

How long does it take, on average, to make one bicycle?

Anywhere from one a day to one in a week or more. I have basic bikes that are easy and cost less and others that take a lot of hand work and those take a lot out of me. Making the bike is the easiest thing I do. I am good at it and have a great honed system. It is the running of the business that is hard. I get so many emails and phone calls it can take up a whole day.

What is your favorite part of the manufacturing process of a bicycle, from start to finish? What is your least favorite part?

I like the whole process. I guess that is why I wanted to work alone, so I can do just that...well I don't like shipping.

On average, how much do your bicycles cost?

I don't like averages. My bikes range from $1,400 complete to $6,000 I can make a very nice bike for $2,000 to $3,000

I know you make commuter-minded bicycles that have a retro style. What is your favorite kind of bike to make and why?

I can't have a favorite. I like bikes to much and think you should have many to fill any void. My favorites change with my mood, the weather...but I guess if I had to boil it down...a fixed Roadster with a D-Rack in the front.

How many bicycles do you have and which do you enjoy riding the most?

Right now I have 3. I normally have about 4 or 5, but one just got stolen and the other I sold and have not replaced yet. I have a fixed Scorcher that I like the best right now.

What are people generally looking for in a bicycle when they come to A.N.T.?

Most people see what I have made and offer and just go for an image that I have shown and then maybe modify it a little. I have a nice niche of building a certain style and people come to me for that.

Do you approach your bicycles from more of a design perspective or more of a functional perspective?

I do both. Sometimes from design and others from just function and then melt them in the middle.

How do you think your bicycles reflect your personal style?

Simple from a distance, taking a closer look finding something of interest and much more intricate.

What is the main thing that separates A.N.T. bicycles from other handmade bicycles?

It used to be that I was the only classy black bike with a front flatbed rack...so I guess now it is only my personality and they way I work with people.

You say in the Zachary Lee video on your blog that U.S. cities were (unfortunately!) built around the automobile. I think NYC in particular is initiating changes that encourage cyclists to hit the streets—whether it is more bicycle lanes, more bike parking or even free helmets. But there is the feeling, especially in Manhattan, that cars still rule the streets. What do you think we can do as cycling enthusiasts to change this? What do you think is the most important change that we need to see in order to promote cycling as a viable means of transportation?

I think cycling enthusiast are doing all they can and they are getting somewhere. These things take a long time. In the 20 years I have been in Boston it is way better now. Unfortunately I think what would really do the trick is having two things happen...Celebrities on bikes and cute girls on bikes. Most of us in the U.S. are TV babies. We need TV people on bikes. Cute girls on bikes, make boys want to be on bikes [not in a SUV, motorbike or whatever]. Now this is already happening and I think it is helping a lot. Just need more of it and for it to not stop [like a fad].

What would you be doing if you weren’t building bicycles?

I just can't think of what I would rather do.

Dagga in New Bike Film: "Empire"

2010-03-31T10:56:00.000-07:00

As I was reading through old Spokes articles (the NY Times bicycle blog) I noticed that Dagga, a female bike messenger who was interviewed for this blog, is featured in the film! I can't wait to check it out. Here is a trailer:

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-29T20:25:00.001-07:00

I am back to bloggerdom, I have Spring Fever and I have reinstated my unhealthy obsession with websites like velospace.org and http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/ (enter: Nitto riser, no luck so far...).

In an effort to reclaim my bicycle fanatic status, and in keeping with all things "Spring," I cleaned my bicycle this weekend. This was a poor idea on many levels, namely (1) I wasn't quite sure what I was doing (2) it was 30 degrees out - a brisk and unpleasant change from last weekend's 65.

One good thing about fixies is: there isn't too much you can mess up. I can take off the wheel and the chain without doing do much damage, and that is reassuring. Before I decided to clean my bicycle, I referenced the website of the bicycle encyclopedia man, Mr. Sheldon Brown. Unfortunately, his chain cleaning instructions called for a can of Coca-Cola, but I'm more of a Dr. Pepper kind of gal. With that said, I did what any self-respecting young woman would do: I visited TeamEstrogen.com.

TeamEstrogen was much more encouraging, complete with discolored photos from the '80s, featuring dish towels and products called, remarkably, "Clean." I noticed the toilet bowl brush they pictured but steered away from using anything that had previously scrubbed the... tub. As a rag I used a black pair of embarrassing Capri pants I was forced to buy at CVS on the way to the gym when I forgot my gym shorts again. They were kind of too big around the waist so I folded them over a thousand times and they were still too baggy in the crotch, but... I digress. I also used a brand new bottle of Simple Green, a bucket that seconds as my bedroom trash can, a Tupperware that became the official chain degreasing machine, and two old toothbrushes. I began scrubbing my BMX grips (I think the dirt is forever stuck in all the ridges). Next I set to work trying to get my back wheel off so I could unhook the chain. This proved a lot harder than I had previously thought - especially because I was using a .99 cent wrench I had just bought at the dollar store.

I was huffing and puffing trying to put all my weight on this nut, when this old (homeless? dude saw me and probably felt bad for me so he offered his assistance. He seemed to know what he was doing but when he tightened the wrench and brought his whole foot down on it (kind of kicking it) I couldn't stop myself from yelping: careful! He didn't seem fazed. He got one side loose and but couldn't get the other side off. He left and told me "I'll be back in awhile." This was interesting, considering I hadn't anticipated a team effort, but sure enough he came back within 5 minutes with a bigger, stronger wrench. He secured the wrench and kicked (wince) it down until the bolt came loose. Yay! When I tried to thank him profusely he just said, "We help each other darling."

I set about diligently scrubbing with toothbrushes, but my fingers got so cold I that I had to take breaks, one of which involved me jumping up and down and running water over my frozen hands in the sink. I scrubbed off the dirt as much as I could from the chain with my toothbrush and scrubber sponge, and I wiped Simple Green over the whole bike. I found that the scrubber sponge worked a lot better than a toothbrush on my chain--the toothbrush seemed to be just spreading the grease and dirt around instead of wiping it off.

In my heated living room I scrubbed down the rims and spokes, and I used Q-tips to get behind the cog and under my brake. I tried to clean as much as I could without taking it apart and I think it turned out pretty well (excuse poor flash photography). Now it just needs to stop raining.

Notes for next time:

1) Wait until it's at least 60 degrees outside
2) Get a wrench that costs more than .99 cents/doesn't strip the track nut when the homeless? man jumps on it
3) Use brushes bigger than a toothbrush

Even the Girls: Female Bike Messenger Documentary (2004)

2009-10-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

This film is slightly outdated (circa 2004), but I found it recently on YouTube and found it interesting. I like the testimonials from each messenger, and I find the Yeah Yeah Yeahs provide highly appropriate background music. I also love the girl that rides a fixie with a green bow in her hair; it reminds me of my enthusiastic high school field hockey team. A few questions arose as I watched the film:

1) Where are the fast-paced riding scenes? I'm certain the girls ride just as fast as the boys.

2) Why don't these girls use bar tape? Perhaps they prefer gloves?

3) How does the bow-girl put spin her wheel around so easily as she's getting on to her bike if she's riding a fixed gear? Why can't I do that? (see 4:47)

Whether we really get a chance to see them darting through traffic or not, this film acknowledges some tough women. That's right: you go girl.

My New Bike Obsession: Raleigh Rush Hour

2009-10-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

My lack of posting reflects neither a declining interest in bicycles nor a lack of free time, trust me: I have both. My blog seems to have fallen to the wayside, as I have been too busy scotch taping rejection letters from prestigious law firms to my wall (K. thinks this is emo, I think it's funny) and working at a jazz & pig themed diner.

I've also been meaning to visit this supposed "bike shop" in south Brooklyn and waiting to post on that--so be on the lookout soon. It's actually just a bunch of garages jam packed with refurbished bikes, which should be cool and make for a good post.

This morning I was directed to my new bicycle love: the 2010 Raleigh Rush Hour Flat Bar. When I first saw the Rush Hour as a giveaway on Chrome Bags' site here, I thought that Chrome had customized the bike for its giveaway. When I went to Raleigh's site I was astounded to find out that this is the stock version! It's beautiful.

Of course, being the short-legged female that I am, I hit a wall: the smallest size is a 50cm. Now, this is the age old dilemma of this blog: I'm short, I like bicycles that are probably designed for dudes, and I'm not willing to compromise and buy a lame women's bicycle like this one. I thought about writing a heartbreaking email to Raleigh's customer service department, pleading with them to reconsider their specs, but I couldn't find the number online so I called them instead. The conversation went something like this:

ME: Um, hi, do you have, like, a customer service email I can write to?

Raleigh guy: Sure, you can send me an email at (his email). I answer all the customer service questions. Is there something I can help you with?

ME: (awkward, suprisingly) Um..this isn't really urgent. I'm just wondering, because I saw the 2010 Rush Hour Flat Bar on the Chrome website - is 50cm the smallest size?

Raleigh guy: Hold on, let me just pull some stuff up here (tapping commences at computer, followed by mathematical jargon, similiar to doctor-speak). What is your inseam?

ME: Um, I'm about 5'2" so maybe 27"? I used to have a 50cm that seemed too big for me...now I ride a tiny track frame, that's 43cm.

Raleigh guy (in disbelief): WHOA THERE, do you have 650c rims on that thing?

ME: Haha, yeah.

Raleigh guy: Well, actually the standover height of a 50cm would be about 29 inches so it might just be slightly too large for you - but there is ONE dealer in the Bronx that has ordered a 50cm. Here is the phone number, you should call and speak with a manager to see if you can test ride the bike.

ME: I live in Brooklyn, is there anyone closer that has a 50cm? (now I'm presumably thinking about test riding one which is bad, since that's how I bought my last bike...oops).

Raleigh guy: Let me see here - the closet to you would be Fulton Cycles, R&A, Bespoke Cycles--looks like you're right in the thick of things.

ME: (happy to live near so many shops) Yeah, there are a lot of shops around me - I'm happy and suprised that they are popping up everywhere. There seem to be a lot more riders recently.

Raleigh guy: That's great - keep it on two wheels, right? I need to keep answering the phone. Is there anything else I can help you with?

ME: (sad to be losing my Raleigh friend) No, you've been very helpful, thank you.

Raleigh guy: (we're best friends) OK, well, talk to you soon.

ME: OK, take care.

Given my current state of employment, I actually considered asking the Raleigh customer service guy how he got his job, but I thought better of it. However, we are best friends. I am tempted to go all the way to god-knows-where in the Bronx just to see this machine, but that seems excessive...so I'll probably do it.

I really like the aesthetic of this bike - especially the leather seat and the leather straps. I like the color scheme and the fact that it comes with built-in chain tensioners, something I wish my current bike had. I have seen fixies with Brooks saddles that look out of place, but Raleigh is putting together beautiful bikes, and not just fixies. I was originally intrigued by Raleigh's new image when I saw this bike in a shop in NYC:

This bicycle, called the "One Way" has been reviewed in WIRED magazine. It's not unlike the diner sandwich of a similar name ("Our Way"): a little classy on multigrain bread (leather accents) but undeniably desirable (grilled cheddar cheese and tomato).

The aesthetic of the Rush Hour Flat bar reminds me a lot of Specialized new Globe Brand Roll 1, as seen here on UrbanVelo.com:

Apparently BikeSnob himself ran into a promotion for the Globe Roll 1 & 2, which he remarked looked like "the world's most uncomfortable looking production bike," and I do agree that it looks comfortable.

Unfortunately, the question remains: unless you want to spend a hunk of change on a custom-built flashy track bike or not-so-much change on a boring standard frame, how can short ladies find a sexy track frame in their size?

Now I will fantasize about finding the Raleigh Rush Hour in 50cm and tweaking it to fit me perfectly - after all, people come in all shapes and sizes, so why shouldn't bikes?

Interview with a Unicyclist: Mike Richter

2009-09-02T14:33:00.000-07:00

What made you start unicycling?

I grew up in Canaan, New Hampshire and I when I was 11 or 12 my mom bought me a unicycle. I never even asked for it—she just bought it for me. At the time, I’d never ridden one.

Then, when I was 12 years old I went to a summer camp called Circus Smirkus in Greensboro, Vermont. I learned how to do a lot of things there – unicycle and trapeze, stilts and trampoline. All the teachers were former professional circus performers, including some from Ringling Bros and Cirque du Soleil. I went to the camp for many years, and when I was 17 I had the opportunity to do their touring tent show. It included a 14- "city" tour of New England, and we performed 80 shows in one summer. It was a full traveling circus of 25 kid performers, 4 adult performers and a staff.

As I was touring with Circus Smirkus, a talent scout approached me from Ringling Bros who offered me a one-year contract. I knew I wasn’t headed directly to college, so I gladly accepted. It was probably one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make, but I’m glad I did. I mostly rode my unicycle on the slack wire as part of the preshow to the circus, and I also rode the giraffe unicycle (6 foot) in part of the show. I was part of Ringling Bros for three years before I resigned. I loved it but it was a lot of work – in the span of three years, I probably only had about three weeks off. We would perform about 500 shows per year.

How did you learn to unicycle?

I am entirely self-taught. We lived at the end of a gravel driveway and I tried to teach myself for weeks by using the basketball hoop as leverage. I couldn’t really get anywhere on the driveway, but as soon as I tried on the street – I took off. It was a lot easier to use on the pavement.

What do you like best about unicycling?

There are a lot of things I like about it- it definitely allows a different kind of freedom. I like the performance aspect of it; it’s always going to be a unique and eccentric skill, because in reality, it’s not practical. As a unicyclist, you’re always turning heads. In a poetic sense, I like it because you can never find the perfect balance, but you always have to try.

What do you like least about unicycling?

I get a lot of smart-ass comments when I’m practicing in the park, especially where I live in Harlem. Mostly people ask me, “Where is the other half of your bike?” Also, it’s a big workout – it’s tiring because it takes a lot of abdominal strength.

That was one of my questions. How do people generally react to you on the street?

If I’m just riding around, I may get some comments but generally people are excited. They are intrigued by the unicycle.

How many unicycles do you own?

I have four. I have a 20” that I perform with. Then I have an antique unicycle that was sort of an impulse buy. I found it in a bike shop in Huntsville, Alabama. I have a giraffe, which is a special 6-foot tall unicycle for performing, and then I have one unicycle without a tire so that I can use it to ride on the slack wire.

How do you get on the giraffe?

It’s kind of like a tall bike or a ladder– you basically put one foot on the tire, another on the petal and push up as you’re doing it. Then you try to get your foot on the other petal and start balancing.

Do you have a regular bicycle too? What kind?

I do—I have a BMX that I ride around with my roommate. We ride around the FDR and Central Park.

Is unicycling better exercise than regular riding?

I would say it’s a lot different. It’s not so much cardio because you can’t really go that far. To unicycle for a mile would be a pretty good trip. Although, I think someone did unicycle the Great Wall of China once. It’s a different form of exercise –lots of abdominal strength, legs, shoulders and core strengthening.

Do you ever mention this skill in job interviews or icebreaker games?

Not really, I mean it depends what kind of job I’m applying for. If you’re applying at a café, they don’t really care about your circus skills.

Tell me about a time when unicycling has particularly come in handy—when you were able to impress someone, for example.

I recently did a corporate video for Microsoft, which was sweet. They found out I could unicycle and they put that in one of their promotions. Obviously, unicycling has helped me throughout my years as a performer. It gives me one more skill to market myself with that the next person may not have.

Have you ever considered giving lessons for money?

Yes! I have two probable clients right now - a Dad and a son that want to learn how to unicycle. I imagine I could definitely teach more people – I mean parents teach kids how to ride a bike, but I don't think there are too many unicycle instructors around.

Do other cyclists look down on unicyclists?

Generally, when I’m unicycling along other cyclists, they give me a thumbs-up. I think most cyclists think unicycling is totally cool in a ridiculous way, and there is that performance element of it.

Is one wheel better than two?

Um.. (thinks about it for a second) Yes! Absolutely! One wheel puts a bigger grin on your face.

Have you ever commuted by unicycle?

No, not in NYC, most of my work is too far. When I worked at Ringling Bros, I always rode my unicycle around backstage, even from the dressing room to the pie car – it was faster than walking and it was also good practice.

There are a lot of awesome unicycle videos on YouTube. People are doing it for exercise, sport, and fun. There was a unicyclist in the Five Borough Bike Tour recently.

How many fellow unicyclists do you know in NYC?

I probably only know 4-5 unicyclists in the city, but I’m hoping to meet more. There are clubs – I think the biggest one meets near Grant’s Tomb once a month.

What advice would you give to a first-time unicyclist?

When you fall down, smile and get back up.

Bianchi Pista: I Have to Admit I Love It

2009-08-02T13:01:00.000-07:00

Although constantly berated as one of the most overvalued, oversold stock track bikes on the market, I will readily admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for the Bianchi Pista (cut to BikeSnobNYC shooting himself in the head, again).

I purchased a Pista after college with the hundreds of dollars I had saved up from being a barista (a.k.a washing dishes - sorry Carma). I had been drooling over Pistas on that blasted fixie porn site fixedgeargallery.com and fantasizing about rolling through on my new gang green machine, much like this good lookin' lady:

Unfortunately for me, Bianchi discontinued the gang green model, and I was forced to settle for the lesser INK color - my punishment for years for years of writing bad poetry in college. Roger, my ill informed bike owner at the time, shrugged his shoulders.

What ensued was long and torturous for some but mostly informative for me: a dive head-first into bike fitting for short ladies, fixed gear riding for newbies and a visit to every bike shop in the tri-state area. My Dad was not pleased.

Now, when applying to work at bike shops (ahem, ahem I'm unemployed if you need a dog sitter/baby sitter/impromptu therapist) I mention that most of my experience is wrapped up in my anal retentive bike swapping agenda: how to fit a near-midget inseam with the high profile, high price tags of track frames.

After months of visiting bike shops during my then-employed lunch break, I've discovered something I clearly didn't know before: track frames DO come in small sizes, although they are harder to find. Swobo makes a 46cm frame - the Sanchez, IRO makes a 46cm frame - the Mark V HD, Cannondale makes a 48cm and Fuji makes both a 43cm and a 49cm.

Bianchi, like any too-cool-for-school outfitter, makes a small 49cm and slaps on all stock parts, whether they are really best for that frame size or not. Despite the ubiquitous nature of this frame, I would still recommend it. It's light, sexy and if you can find it in the gang green I'll be jealous and probably offer to buy it from you.

Despite my shameful love for Bianchis, I've been thinking about the significance of buying USA-made bicycles (eek, sorry for sounding like Dubya). Why spring for an overplayed Bianchi when you can get comparable, sturdy bikes in your own backyard? With this in mind, I've become more aware of what Cannondale and IRO Cycles have got on the line - my favorite is IRO's About Us page, which chronicles their use of environmentally friendly practices while engineering quality bicycles in Pennsylvania. I love the idea: making bikes, which are clean & friendly, in a clean & friendly way.

Maybe it's time to support the good ol' US of A, exercise our desire for fun, healthy transportation and buy a bike that's made right here, at home.

It's Your Ride video from Cinecycle

2009-07-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

This isn't new but I like the music:

It's Your Ride from Cinecycle on Vimeo.

Learning How to Ride a Bike at 24

2009-07-09T07:52:00.000-07:00

One of my best friends in the world, J.La, recently learned how to ride a bike. Here's her story.

Why didn’t your hippie parents teach you how to ride a bike?

They claim that when I was of bike riding age, I was too afraid of falling and I would throw tantrums whenever I tried to ride a bike so finally they were like “forget it.” I just think they were just bad parents.

Did any of your siblings know how to ride a bike?

Yep, each and every one of them. All three. There was this bike path in Lexington (MA) where I lived and they would all leave me on Sunday morning to take bike rides together. They would be like “peace out” and I just sat home watching cartoons. That’s why I’m fat.

What did you do when you were a kid and all your friends were riding bikes?

I was too petrified to ride a bike. When I was 12 I remember Jenny Brown had a bike riding party and I didn’t go. I was horrified. I was so afraid that I would go to summer camp and bike riding would come up and I wouldn’t be able to do it. That’s part of the reason I picked Farwell (our summer camp) because bike riding wasn’t an issue.

How did you learn to ski at such a young age if you were afraid of riding a bike?

I learned to ski when I was two because I was too young to be afraid. I turned two in December and by that spring I was skiing. You know those little leashes that some parents put their kids on? My parents would use the same thing—they put me on a harness and we would go down the bunny slope. Also, I didn’t really have a choice: skiing was something we did every weekend of every winter. I didn’t think I’d be able to learn to ride a bike because I don’t have great balance. The only reason I know how to ski is because I learned at such a young age.

What made you want to ride a bike?

I always kind of thought: I really should *bleep*ing learn how to ride a bike and then I’ve met a lot of close friends that would say “I’ll teach you, I’ll teach you” but when it came down to it they’d be like “How the hell do you teach a twenty-four-year-old how to ride a bike?” (you can clean this up for your blog).

Who taught you how to ride a bike?

I made my brother teach me in Denver, where he lives, because I was like, “We’re related, you have to do this.”

Was he excited about teaching you?

At first he was into it but after I made him go to 25 different bike shops to find the bike I wanted, he was kind of over it. I went to Denver thinking I could buy a bike off Craigslist for $125, so I really wasn’t looking for anything fancy but he took me to see all these Craigslist bikes and he’d be like “No, you don’t want that.” So finally we went to all these shops and four days and $400 later I had a new bike. Finally he said, “I’ll buy it for you and your Dad can pay me back.” I still don’t know who bought this bike, I just know I put $125 down for it.

How did your brother actually teach you how to ride a bike?

That’s the thing: he has an alley in the back of his house and we went in the alley and he was like “I don’t really know what to tell you.” I basically taught myself, in all honesty.

Did he hold the back of your seat and run alongside you?

He did that a few times but I mostly cursed at him so much that he left me alone. I was riding up and down the alley. Finally he saw me and he was like “Alright, let’s go to the park.” So an hour after I had learned how to ride a bike, he takes me through the streets of Denver to the park--granted it was 5 blocks away, but I’d never ridden on the streets before. We got to the park and we had to cross this little pedestrian bridge, and I almost rode entirely off the bridge. All these people around were like “Is she wasted?” because I’m so old but I assured them “No, no, this is my first day riding a bike.” I skinned my knee which I think is a rite of passage.

What kind of bike do you ride?

That’s the thing – I’m no Lance Armstrong. I was just gonna get a cruiser and look fly. I ended up getting an Electra Townie. It’s bright blue with white tires.

Were your parents excited that you learned how to ride?

I think they were more surprised than anything else. Basically, they don’t have a lot of faith in me.

Are there bike lanes in Jackson Hole, WY?

There are bike paths—it’s awesome, you go through this little field and then there’s the mountains and there’s a creek too. I’d definitely want to try mountain biking so that I could try riding on some of the trails. Maybe if I’m here next summer.

How was riding a bike? Was it different than you’d imagined it would be?

Now I know what people mean when they say: “It’s like riding a bike” – it’s an indescribable thing, but eventually your body just gets it – it clicks. You never regress. I don’t know if it’s your brain or your muscles, but something just clicks.

How often do you ride your bike?

I ride it every day to work (4 days a week) and I ride it once or twice a week to get around town.

Do you think you would feel comfortable riding in a busy city?

I would like to think so, but in Jackson where I ride my bike the speed limit is 25 mph tops. Also—people are a lot nicer here so I feel like they are used to yielding to bicycles. I’m not sure that would be the case everywhere.

Would you opt of out having a car?

That’s what I like about living in town – but I can’t [ride my bike] all year around [in Jackson Hole]. But I’m doing it while I can.

If you had kids (cough yeah right? cough) would you teach them how to ride a bike?

Oh yeah, my kids are learning how to ride a bike. I’ll just tell them: “Listen, Mom didn’t learn how to ride a bicycle until I’m 24 and you’re not going through the same thing I did.”

Are you surprised you actually taught yourself?

I’m proud that I learned at an older age. Whenever I’m riding around, I feel happy that I finally learned and I have a huge smile on myself. It’s such a simple thing—it’s great.

What would you say to someone who is learning to ride a bike?

If I can do it, anyone can do it.

Bicycle Film Festival June 17-21

2009-06-22T17:47:00.001-07:00

This weekend I went to the Bicycle Film Festival, complete with rainy fans and raucous bike messengers alike. We were a motley crew snaking around the Anthology Film Archives on 2nd Avenue; all the bikers were sporting cute bike hats and funny combination leggings/shorts or the requisite Japanese fish-on-my-huge-calf tattoos. They wore black shorts, black bags and black Vans. I, being naturally tough, was bike-less, carrying a yuppie umbrella and a tricycle tote bag.

Once we got inside, the theatre smelled like was packed, and kind of smelled like wet bike messenger. The majority of the films were adrenaline pumping, high speed head-cams of messengers in NYC--rebels of the streets weaving in and out of traffic and running red lights, just like this guy, there were also a few truly good films.

One of the films, "Put the Fun between Your Legs" I had actually seen before, but it is so sweet I'm going to post it here. The women riders live up to their reputation for being rad, riding in the rain and composing diddies to boot. I like the part when Birdie Bird talks about working in a bike shop:

The other film I really liked was a short film of the Paralympic Games that depicted a tandem track bike (one of the riders was mostly blind). It was pretty unbelievable to see the tandem bike rip around the curved track, the riders were perfectly synchronized. Watch until the end to see them on the track.

Karissa & her pilot, Mackenzie:

A GOrilla plug, but not the one they showed at the film festival. I have to say: it's a beautiful bicycle.

Wonka EUROTRIP TEASER. from GORILLa Bicycles. on Vimeo.

Brooklyn Bike Jumble May 31st

2009-06-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

This week has been rough. My foul mood was alleviated only momentarily when I walked by Claire Danes in SoHo on Tuesday. She was super cute and wearing a white linen jacket--she's shorter and skinnier than I'd imagined. This was almost as exciting as I saw Natalie Portman in the hot-girl-dance-class that was before my yoga class at Printing House, but that was before I quit the gym.

I've neglected to post about a few incredible events that have been happening, most of them Pride related. It was been a fun couple of weeks, thanks of course to DOB-C.

First though, I have to recap my visit to the Brooklyn Bike Jumble on May 31st, the first of its kind. The Jumble was held on 5th Avenue in Park Slope between 4th and 5th Streets--when I got there it was crowded, which made me really happy. I saw a few beautiful fixies and older frames for sale. It seemed like the vendors were a combination of legitimate businesses and also messengers who were just interested in selling their wares. I considered arriving with camera in hand, a set of laminated press credentials (my spoke card?!), but felt sheepish and thought better of it. I basically walked around like a nut and snapped photos. Oh! I also had the pleasure of meeting Taliah Lempert, and I bought one of her handmade hats. (You might remember her from one of my previous posts). She was really nice and she carts all her artwork in a bike with a big carrier on the front. That's what I'm talking about.

The Jumble:

My new Taliah hat:

Taliah's booth:

Cute tees:

Hot bikes:

Outlier Responds!

2009-06-15T17:42:00.000-07:00

I am as excited about Outlier as my male bike-blogger counterparts. And if I was at all on the fence about them because they haven't exposed any of their potentially sexy girl clothes yet, Abe wrote me a sweet email. Thanks Abe! And if you need anyone to demo your female line, you know who to call...

(It also just so happens he rides a bike I posted about here.)

Hey Quinn,

Wait you don't think women look best in Intense Fuschia, Overwrought Aqua and Diaper Change Yellow? The contract we signed with our fabric mill says we need to use at least 2 of those colors in the women's line...

Ok I'm lying, actually we are working on some women's stuff using the exact same fabrics as our mens line and with a very similar minimal aesthetic. Basically expect versions of our current garments cut to fit women's body's properly.

In terms of the breath of the women's range, that's really a step by step thing. We don't exactly make that many men's items to begin with. For now we really are a men's line, a couple years ago none of us had any knowledge of the clothing industry at all and we bootstrapped it together in a large part because we knew what we wanted. We are experimenting with women's stuff because women keep asking us for it, and it seems like an interesting path to follow. But how far we go on that path really depends on both us learning how to make clothes for women properly and women actually buying the initial ones we make. So stay tuned, should be interesting.

cheers,

Abe

Oh, Chrome: I Spoke Too Soon

2009-06-04T17:36:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago I posted about the slight discomfort of my Chrome bag, estimating that it is slightly too big for my back. A short week later, I got an an email from Chrome (I'm on their email list) announcing the arrival of a smaller, more manageable bag! They read my mind!

The new bag is called the Corsair , and it is a slightly smaller, "stripped down" version of the mini metro. Even better for all you smaller riders out there--I think this will fit your back. It measures 18" wide, 12"tall and 4"deep compared to the mini metro's 20" wide x 11.5"tall x 6"deep. It also costs a reasonable $80 to the mini metro's $120: a good deal.

The Corsair has less pockets (not the four expandable ones on the sides--good for storing sunglasses or beer bottles) and it doesn't have the signature seat belt/button clasp but it still has the metal fastener, that somehow seconds as a bottle opener (or so I'm told). It doesn't come in as many fancy colors as the mini metro yet, but grey is pretty cool:

I'm also trying to figure out: does Chrome make custom bags? I've seen a few sweet color combinations that haven't been on their website. On Sunday, at Bike Jumble, I spotted this one (white and pink?!), and it was so sweet I had to take a picture:

Outlier: You're What Women Want

2009-06-03T18:25:00.001-07:00

As I've frequented other bike blogs, I've noticed a clear reaction to Outlier: everyone loves 'em. They make durable, urban, work-appropriate clothes for cyclists who commute--what's not to love?

Here's my question: Where is the women's section?

According to Outlier's Twitter, women can "expect something in the fall." This, although promising, does not support the number of women already commuting or thinking about commuting to work during the present time. Of course, commuting presents its own set of obstacles, including: am I going to be really sweaty when I get there? How am I going to wear work clothes/change into work clothes when I get there? Where can I store my bike so it won't get stolen?

The everlasting question also remains: what can I wear? Although Top Shop is slotted to come out with a line of cycling-inspired clothing soon, practical work clothes must be both fashionable and durable: two qualities that seem to prevail at Outlier. Although I'm sure they've heard it before, I decided to write them an email:

Dear Outlier,

From your Twitter post, I see that you have plans to introduce women's clothes to Outlier. I think this is a fantastic idea, and only hope that the new garments--perhaps pants, shirts, skirts, jackets and caps, exemplify the same sleek, urban style of your men's clothing.

I also hope that you won't adorn the women's line with too much "flare," but that it remains as solid colored and simplistic as the men's line. With products as attractive as yours, it would be a shame to belittle women's cyclists and commuters with overtly feminine decorations. I envision a complement to the 4Season OG Pant--practical, durable, and presentable.

In addition, I hope you allot your women's line equal attention to that of the men's clothes. To see a sparse women's cycling section in any sports catalog or cycling catalog is disheartening to say the least--not only are manufacturers insistent upon clothing us in pink, but they seem to have trouble providing us with an equal amount of choices. I'd love to see Outlier outdo the odds and make a terrific, wide range of women's clothing for cyclists and commuters.

Best,

Quinn

http://fixiepostcard.blogspot.com

PS I'm jealous of Abe's Cannondale.

Let's see how Outlier responds, hold on for future posts.

You should ride your bike to DUMBO

2009-05-27T17:44:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, I rode out to Red Hook with Brooklynbybike's bike crew. We rode the greenway from Williamsburg to Red Hook, parts of which I had seen before and parts of which I hadn't. I must say: I like DUMBO more and more. I first visited it last summer when I went specifically to Recycle-a-Bicycle for a riser handlebar (I'm cool) and didn't think much of it, except that it was weird to see hip furniture places alongside swanky dog boutiques. I thought, "Do people take their pups all the way over here for a shampoo?"

Recently, I've found myself visiting more often--I had meant to go to Blogfest at the powerHouse arena, but at the time I couldn't force myself to pay $10 to hear a panel of OCD bloggers speak. Normally, I'd be into that, except I was focused on trying the divey Mexican place on the corner--margharitas have a particular calling.

I did, however, visit the park that lies between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges and was astounded to find how beautiful and serene it was. I felt like I'd been placed inside a good postcard of what New York looks like when you can't hear it. The sky was purple and there were a bunch of dorky Spaniards excitedly snapping pictures in front of the backdrop. I found myself jokingly embittered, thinking "Why do I resign myself to this city?" because it looks so terribly awesome from afar and it feels so terribly crowded when you're inside. It's a good thing I live in Brooklyn.

bag post

2009-05-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

This long weekend was amazing, and makes going back to work that much harder. On Friday K. and I went to Williamsburg, semi-exhausted from heat stroke and too many beers the night before. We went to Penny Licks and I ate a mint chocolate chip cone, which brought me back to the days of my youth. (Fun fact: from Zinger's history of ice cream: "[Back in the day], most ice cream from vendors was sold in serving glasses called "penny licks" (because you'd lick the ice cream from the glass, and it cost a penny to do so)." Anyway, the girl behind the counter asked me how comfortable my Chrome bag is. I answered in a rather sluggish, unhelpful way, which leads me to this post.

First, I should say that I really like the aesthetic of the Chrome bags--they're sexy, sleek and colorful. They're also very durable, they come with a lifetime guarantee and the seat belt doubles as a bottle opener. However, I wouldn't call them particularly comfortable. I have the smallest messenger bag, the mini metro, which measures 20" x 11.5" x 6". I'll see guys wearing this bag, and be like "Is that the same size?" because it looks so much more comfortable on them. I think, practically speaking, it's slightly too big for my back. I've also found that once you put anything in it, it feels pretty heavy--even when I just carry around my U-lock. With that said, I have used it to carry a full can of paint home.

If you're thinking about buying a Chrome bag or a messenger bag, I would consider buying a backpack instead. Chrome makes a messenger backpack called the Dually, that gives you the double strap support messenger bags lack.

Freight also makes a roll-top backpack and a regular backpack that look pretty sweet.

I've become a fan of R.E. Load bags, even though they tend to be on the pricey side because you can customize them. They make a cute hip pouch:
If you're really into a custom bag, you should check out seagull bags. They make some cool originals, like these:

Not sure why you would put this on your bag, but it's funny.

Champion!

State outline that says "So far, so good."

Eat, Sleep, bike

Interview with Dagga, bike messenger

2009-05-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

What does your nickname mean?

One day I was walking home wearing boots that laced up to my knees and this guy on the street, who needed to say something just to say something, starts talking to me, saying, “Are you hiding weapons in those boots? You got daggers in there?” and he just starts saying “Dagger, dagger, dagger,” and my friends were with me at the time, so it just stuck.

Since then, the spelling has changed to Dagga.

How long have you been a bike messenger for?

Three years. I worked in a bike shop in college and a friend of mine saw that I was racing on a single speed and he was like, “What? You have to come to this party.” He brought me to the pre-party to Monstertrack, New York’s biggest messenger race. I competed in a race at the party and won. Then all of a sudden people were like, “Who is this girl?” “Are you from New York?.” Immediately, I was introduced to this underground community of messengers, which was awesome. I raced for two years before I started messengering.

How many female messengers are there in New York City?

There are different kinds of messengers, walkers and bikers. Maybe 50 out of the 1,000 total messengers in the city are women. There are also all kinds of people who are messengers; there are 20-somethings that like the freedom of it, and then there are jailbirds who can’t hold down other jobs. There is a great diversity among messengers, people from different backgrounds and ages. I know messengers who have been at it for over twenty years. It was a very lucrative profession that was very lucrative in the 70s and 80s…

Things have changed a bit since the economy has slowed down, so there may be a few more, but I would say there are 10-12 female bike messengers. My company likes to employ women and we have three women working for us right now.

How does it work? Do you each cover a part of the city?

No, you can be at any borough at any time. Most of the riding occurs in Manhattan, but I also go to Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Some companies will even have you ride to Connecticut.

So you work off commission?

Yeah. As a bike messenger, I’m technically an independent contractor. It sucks because I get taxed out my ass and I don’t get health insurance.

Do any companies offer health insurance?

Yeah, but they’re shitty companies. There are courier companies that offer health insurance and 401(k)s but they’re exploitative and they might pay you $2 for a package.

Do you ride in any weather?

Yeah, rain or shine. Unfortunately, it’s in my best interest to go to work on a rainy day, because fewer messengers will probably show up, and I’ll get more work.

Is there camaraderie among the female messengers?

That’s complicated. A lot of it has to do with seniority. Now that I have been working as a messenger for three years, I’m considered one of the “elders.” I was at a bar the other night and I heard a (female) messenger complaining about a new girl that just started working at her company. She was saying how the new girl was taking money away from the other messengers—but I was thinking, “That’s not the new girl’s fault. It’s the company’s fault for over hiring. They over hire so they can pay each messenger a little less. “ As a female messenger, you should never hate on another woman. You should support her.

I recently read an article in the NYT that was published a while ago about female bike messengers. Do you know the women mentioned in the article?

Yeah, I know them. Cassandra [the woman featured in the article] sounded bitter, but the truth is: she loves this job. She wouldn’t do anything else. She’s been a messenger in three different cities: Philadelphia, Portland, and New York City.

I see Carmen (also mentioned in the article) in my neighborhood all the time. The article claims she only drinks coffee for hydration, even in the summer. Is that true?

Yeah, Carmen is a veteran—she’s been around for a while. Her husband is also a messenger, and he contributed to my zine. I’m not sure if that’s true, but I can tell you I drink 6 cups of coffee a day.

Man, doesn’t that make you dehydrated?

Well, yeah. But another thing is—as a messenger; it’s really hard to find a place to use the bathroom, especially as a female. You can’t just go anywhere. Some clients will let you use their bathroom but most won’t. I have my go-to places in the city that I like to stop and use the bathroom and wash my face, etc. I like 645 5th Avenue; it’s really clean and I can rest for a little while. But in general, you don’t want to be drinking too much because it’s a pain to find a place to pee.

Wow, I never even considered that. So…that might be something you dislike, but what do you love/hate about your job?

Well, first I should say, there may be some things I hate about my job but the things I love are weightier. First, I love riding my bike. I like the freedom of being a messenger, I don’t have a boss looking over my shoulder and telling me what to do. I like the fact that I can just get on my bike and do my job. This is definitely one of the best jobs I’ve ever had—I’ve learned a lot from this job. I’ve seen how many different jobs people do in this city—I’ve seen what it takes to make this city work. Also, I like seeing different neighborhoods in a day and how they’re changing.

What I hate? Messengers get very little respect. There is a stigma associated with messengers; that you’ve spent time in jail, that you’re uneducated. Of course, some of that is true, a lot of guys have been in jail or they just have issues so they messenger because they can’t function in an office. But I’m college educated, and people are rude to me just because of the stigma. Pedestrians and cars also disrespect messengers. Even if I have the right of way, pedestrians still walk out into the middle of the street. You can get really hurt as a messenger. I’ve been really hurt and that sucks because I don’t have health insurance and then you can’t work. I’ve cracked my skull and then worked three weeks later. Its just part of the job.

What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you as a messenger?

The craziest thing that’s ever happened…was when another messenger pushed me over. I ran into this guy in Park Slope and he wouldn’t get out of the way as I was riding towards him, even though I had the right of way. We exchanged some words, and then I rode off. I saw him again in the city and he was wearing headphones. I told him I didn’t want any trouble, but he didn’t hear me over his headphones and he just saw my mouth moving, so he thought I was giving him shit. He started riding up really close to me and swerving into me, being an asshole. Finally he rode right along side me and elbowed me hard, so I fell off my bike. He was laughing as he rode away.

I told my office this and they told me to call if I ever saw him again. I did see him and I called them. I went to get my bike and when I came back he was surrounded by five guys from my company who were taunting him, “You wanna pick on a GIRL?” They made him apologize to me on the spot and now when I see him he just says “Hi.”

What would you be doing if you weren’t a messenger?

I worked in a library as a clerk before I started messenger-ing.

Wow, that’s the completely opposite job.

Yeah, but I liked it. I had a job in a library at Columbia University and it was really chill. I actually worked at the library and as a messenger for a while, because I worked the night shift at Columbia. I thought [working at the library] was what I wanted to do. Now I’m looking to get into the iron workers union, so I can help low-income people fix their houses.

Do you look forward to work everyday?

Not so much anymore. I’m kind of over it. I’m over being disrespected and even some “elders” not speaking to me. It took awhile for some of the females to come around and even now there are messengers who don’t talk to me. I’m thinking about what I will do next.

Cool. Something I’ve always wondered about messengers: do you still bike for pleasure?

I’m always biking. I hang out with Dykes on Bike-Cycles. Whenever I go on the subway or bus, it’s the first time I’ve been there in months. I bike for work, I bike for pleasure, and I love racing. I’ve been going to the Nationals every year since 2006. It’s really the worldwide messenger community that has kept me going in this job. From racing, I’ve made friends from London, Europe and Japan. If I went to Japan I would have a couch to sleep on. That’s something that I love about being a messenger.

What kind of bike do you ride?

My work bike is a Bianchi Pista. I also have a Cannondale Capo, a Kirin frame, a Specialized Hybrid, a Surly single speed and an old school Schwinn. I’m building a tall bike with my bike club. The tall of my tall bike will be a girl’s bike so I can easily swing my leg over when I get on.

What is your favorite part of NYC to bike through?

Hmmm. I’d have to say riding into Manhattan over the Brooklyn Bridge at night…it’s like riding into Gotham, you know?

I like going over the Brooklyn Bridge, but there are always so many tourists in the way.

I know! There’s a little picture of a biker in our lane. Even if you don’t speak English, there’s a picture!

What does the tattoo on your wrist mean? (a pic of a diamond with the word fo’eva next to it):

Everyone in my bike club gets a diamond tattoo. Everyone has a different one, but there is always a diamond.

The tattoo on your arm is really well done. Who did it?

Alex from Three Kings. He’s also a messenger, and a lot of us get tattooed there. This is Pan from Pan’s Labyrinth.

I know that movie! The little girl in the movie is Catalan. I always think of the gnarly ginger plant that comes to life.

I know, right? But it’s a mandrake root, not ginger, so don’t worry.

What would your advice be to newbie messengers?

To a female, I would say: if this is what you want to do, go for it. It’s going to be hard, and you should probably save money before you go into it, so you can get by. Don’t get discouraged. Other women might snub you but if you want to do it, and you enjoy it: go for it.

portland is the land of bikes

2009-05-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

I read this article in the New York Times yesterday. It makes Portland sound like a cooler Brooklyn where everyone wears rain gear. Check it out here.

spoke cards

2009-05-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

My friend Jason designed these awesome spoke cards for me! I'm looking for a cheap/guerilla way to laminate them because Kinko's is too expensive. Then I'm going to leave them on sexy bikes in the neighborhood. They're rad.

Queers take on Queens

2009-05-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, I led a DOBC ride through Queens! We painstakingly chose the beginning and end of the ride based on two pillars of importance: queers and beer.

We started at the Queens Pride House and ended at the Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in Astoria.

This was the route:

View Queens Ride April 25th in a larger map

I was slightly nervous about leading a ride through Queens, having been there only once to look at an apartment and drink a beer on the sidewalk. Luckily, Queens is quite bike-friendly, and I mapped a route along the main bike lanes, thinking that would be best for a group of 15+ riders. Despite being slightly late and awkward (not to mention looking not as sexy/skinny in my tank top as I had imagined), the turnout was great! I think we managed to coerce a few more ladies into DOBC, which is awesome. I love these girls.

We started out from Queens Pride House and continued west on 34th Avenue, eventually hitting Skillman Avenue. Leading was fun, I just tried to stay in front of everyone, note when we got cut in half by red lights, and look cool. Truthfully I had a folded map that I kept pulling out of my pocket to check and re-check our location, but we rolled smoothly through Queens.

Once we approached the Queensboro Bridge, I stopped and pulled over to consult the map, terrified of leading a group of cute queers mistakenly into Manhattan and not to our beloved destination: the beer garden. We rode through a mini-park with wide streets, which was really pretty and eventually hit the "greenway." This particular "greenway" so was not so much green as adjacent to a large Con-Ed plant which could be mistaken for a prison, given the ferocity of the shiny barbed wire surrounding the place. Eventually, as we stumbled upon the sculpture garden (recommended by a rider), we made our way against the water, riding on a smooth, wide sidewalk that jutted out into the Hudson. This was what I had wanted the entire ride, and it provided the perfect near-end to our journey. We continued through Astoria Park and onto the beer garden.

The beer garden was super crowded. I determinedly waited for 30 minutes in front of a strong, bald Polish dude and implored him for beer with my eyes. I didn't want to shout at him, as I noticed none of the frat-type boys around me were doing that, nor the cute straight girls. So I just stood there, leaning further and further into the draught taps, hoping he might notice me. Eventually, after his co-worker spilled an entire pitcher of sticky stout on the bar, he served me. Three pitchers of Hoegaarden later, I forgave him. I was happy to return to the DOBC table, a crazy group of cyclists/queers among college boys.

Can't wait for the next ride!

yoga for cyclists

2009-04-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

i want this

2009-04-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

Check out: fast boy fenders.

This falls under the category of things I DON'T need to buy my bike right now, given my "bikes accessories moratorium" where I try not to spend my money on this stuff. They are super sweet though.

The fenders are handmade, as are the frames that this dude Ezra builds. Ezra also has a very artsy, eclectic Flickr account that makes leaves me with a slightly saddened, sickened feeling. He has cancer and takes pictures of his nosebleeds (argh). His photos remind me on Nan Goldin's work.

Check out Ezra's photos here (scroll down).

sweet weekend: sunday

2009-04-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

I seem to be mourning the loss of such a fun weekend, and my work ethic has reached an abrupt standstill.

Here are pics from a lovely Sunday (what I'd rather be doing):

Sunburnt, with chapped lips (aka sexy).

Action shot. I was movin'.

Cortado @ Smooch. I looked for a burger on the menu, but I'm pretty sure they're too healthy for that.

K. with the crossword, saved from Wednesday:

How sweet it was. Sigh.

sweet weekend: saturday

2009-04-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

I have been informed by two strongly opinionated and extraordinarily good looking Michiganders that my blog isn't as "funny as it used to be" and has taken a turn for the "technical." I found this slightly disheartening, though perhaps true--and so: here's an anecdotal post.

This weekend was incredibly sweet BUT FIRST: I have a confession to make. I bought a new bike (yikes!). I did this in a typically impulsive style, in full frontal denial of our current economic crisis, holding on to the fragile notion that people are bike-crazy like me, and yes, they will buy my old bike (thank you, craigslist). And they did! I sold my Bianchi to a cool girl named J. It's silly that I couldn't transfer the wheels but my new bike is 650c wheels and the rims on the old one are too big for it. Remember the "kids size" Fuji I said I was going to try? I loved it and I bought it. (The black-grey theme fits well with my embarassingly short skinny jeans and urban lifestyle. It's very Gotham.)

Everyone had told me this weekend we were supposed to have amazing weather and I was excited because I planned to go on this ride to Floyd Bennett field, an semi-abandoned hangar, with BrooklynbyBike. I woke up on Saturday with the intention of eating a healthy, energy-sustaining meal that wouldn't dehydrate me too much for the miles to come (usually I ride maybe 20 blocks at a time, not 12 miles). I went to Colson Patisserie on the corner of 6th Ave & 9th Street and attempted to order sensibly: yogurt with granola, please. The deep voiced countergirl looked at me with pity and said, (literally): "Aw, we ran out of yogurt." Now, feeling slightly childish and clearly incapable of eating a healthy breakfast, I came up with a quick back-up, "Oh, ok--what is in your croissants?" to which the girl responded, "Oh, um..butter and sugar..and (turns to baker co-worker) and asks 'What else is in our croissants?" then I interrupt her, embarassed, and say "I'll take one." So much for my nonbutter option, maybe croissants are the Tour de France breakfast of champions?

They DID have really good fresh squeezed orange juice though.

As I sat there this Mama Dyke kept starting at me. She was wearing a white baseball cap with a pink NY Yankees emblem on it. I felt like turning to her and saying, "No, I'm not hungover, this is just what I look like when I wake up..."

Sitting there, and eavesdropping on the Mama Dyke's conversation, I noticed this:

A new bike shop in my hood! I'm excited about it (be on the lookout for how to be a cool bike mechanic follow up post).

Finally: the ride. We met up at Grand Army Plaza and rode to Floyd Bennett, which was a smooth ride even with the amount of riders we had. It was a great turnout, and I loved riding and talking with everybody.

Here are some pics:

This girl on the ride had a sweet IRO that looked completely new, complete with riser handlebars, front and rear brake, wrap-around lights, a bell, and OURY grips. I really liked that bike and would definitely consider an IRO (not that I'm buying another, I swear).

After the ride, I attempted to sprint up the hilly part of Prospect Park loop, and got really sweaty so my jeans were sticking to my legs. Then we all went to Franklin Park! and I drank 100 Hefeweizens (yes, I had to look that up), which were delicious. At one point some dude's bulldog broke out in an ungodly scream, I think because his owner had sat him in a wire chair (why not leave your dog on the ground?!) but other than that, everyone was well behaved. Jason and I bonded over being prematurely grey, a sign of true maturity. I hope to see everyone I met at the next ride!

"Why we need more women on two wheels"

2009-04-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/06/cycling-women-fashion-topshop

On your bike! Why we need more women on two wheels
Helen Pidd
Monday April 6 2009
The Guardian

Many a female cyclist will have gone into her local bike shop, been blinded by the racks of fluorescent fabrics and wondered if it would ever be possible to buy cycling gear that wouldn't make her look as if she had been attacked by a highlighter pen. Why, she may have wondered, did it seem beyond the imagination of designers to come up with garments suited to the demands of the cyclist that didn't risk the wearer being mistaken for a member of the team mending the water mains?

For the past few years, a growing number of designers have quietly been doing just that. And very soon, their work is going mainstream. From Thursday, Topshop, that barometer of the nation's style, will be stocking cycling accessories in its flagship Oxford Street store. It will be selling panniers, saddlebags, retro cycling caps and much more. All are designed by Cyclodelic (cyclodelic.wordpress.com), an all-female design company based in east London, which "believes that girls who cycle don't have to forfeit fashion over function".

The Cyclodelic Topshop concession, which could be rolled out nationally and even internationally if all goes well, is part of a resurgence of women's cycling. Last summer, Her Gear, which claims to be the UK's only shop catering exclusively for female cyclists - "an alternative to the greasy fingernailed, Masonic, very macho environment you find in a traditional bike shop," according to owner Stephen Peters - opened in Kensington, west London.

Recently you had Duffy wobbling around on a bike in the Diet Coke advert, model Agyness Deyn is rarely photographed without her vintage steed, and last year Courteney Cox presented Jennifer Aniston with a Chanel bike for her birthday. The sustainable transport charity Sustrans has recently launched bikebelles.org.uk, a website designed to encourage women to get in the saddle. And last month, the London Cycling Campaign organised Birds on Bikes, a night-time ride taking in locations linked with the achievements of women in the capital. Plus, of course, there was the stunning success of the women from the British Olympic cycling team in Beijing.

But despite all this oestrogen-fuelled activity, only a minority of women cycle. According to new research from Sustrans, 79% of British women do not cycle at all even though 43% have access to a bike. It is a sad state of affairs given that cycling was a key part of the women's movement.

Taking to two wheels liberated women from their cumbersome corsets and petticoats by allowing them to get from A to B in "rational dress", without their husbands. And though cycling these days is more about emancipation from the public transport network than the male overlords, the fight to dress well in the saddle goes on.

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited 2009

This is a shirt from Cyclodelic:
Pretty awesome)

blessing of the bikes

2009-04-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.theblessingofthebikes.com/

The 11th Annual Blessing of the Bikes

(Yes, your kids, skates, and non-motorized scooters are all welcome!)

Saturday April 18th, 2009 This date is now confirmed!

9:30 a.m. SHARP!

(This event is wonderful but BRIEF. Don’t be late!)

Rain or Shine

The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine

112th Street & Amsterdam Avenue

New York, NY

Directions here

All Faiths Welcome

interview with Jennifer from Hotvelociti

2009-04-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

Q: What made you start designing jerseys?

JB: I was an artist growing up. I had an insecure financial future if I chose that as a living so I went to business school and tried to become a business person. I became very bored with it and went back to journalism and decided to start my own company. The other reason is because when I started cycling about 10 years ago—I was bored by [jerseys] I saw. Why would I want to have a car company on my bike jersey? It’s so engrained to do that, but we’re not cycling to advertise car companies. I didn’t like the colors or designs and all the nice stuff didn’t fit me. [With my jerseys] I ended up not doing exactly what I would have done when I first conceived of this. I thought of doing more masculine things.

Q: You mentioned you were also a filmmaker. Have you done any films with bicycles?

JB: Yes,I did a pilot TV series about traveling around the world by bicycles called “Bike Travels with Jenny B.” I also had a TV show called “The Bike Show” for five years which I co-produced with another cyclist. That covered cycling in the New York region, advocacy, and alternative transportation.

And I did a film called Wheels, about speed skaters and cyclists in Central Park, which won three awards at NYU Film School, including one of the top pictures, editing and cinematography.

Q: What is most important to you about a bicycle jersey?

JB: [That they be] colorful, graphic, and have a message, which is sometimes subversive—I’m also influenced by high fashion trends. I would say fashion, fun, design and femininity are important to me.

Q: Are there any specific artists that inspired you?

JB: I don’t look at artists when I come up with stuff – I respond to trends and I read a lot of fashion magazines. Some of my jerseys are pure responses to trends like one of my earlier designs---for example, the Japanese giraffe stemmed from fashion. [The jersey called] “Circles” has been copied by so many companies you have no idea. [On the inspiration for “Circles”:] I was driving back from Mexico and I started drawing circles. I’m also inspired by the 1960s and 1970s. Technology and things influence the jersey “Aurora771” in the future. “Anatolia” was based on a visit I took to Istanbul. “Speed183” is about tagging and graffiti and all of the words refer to people who live in Washington Heights.

Q: What is the Ecstasy shirt about?

JB: Ecstasy was purely graphic. I just started drawing on the computer what would make a woman look like Darth Vader. That’s how I feel about “Ecstasy.” I didn’t want to use the name of a car company. I didn’t realize I was using Rastafarian colors and the ecstasy of cycling, and to drugs, but we don’t need drugs to feel high when we are cycling. That jersey was a lot of fun to make. I did it from beginning to end without any outside help.

Q: How has designing jerseys shaped your cycling/career? Are you constantly noticing what shirts people are wearing now?

JB: Yes, I’m constantly noticing what people are wearing. I have a fashion background. I worked in retail. I worked for Tiffany & Co. I wanted to be a fashion designer but I ended up going to business school. I think I might take it further into mainstream but I haven’t yet…it’s hard to pace myself. I think I’ll extend the line to include street clothing and dresses.

Q: What is your favorite bike you own and why?

JB: Right now it’s my Trek. Trek actually sponsored my blog. I ride the 5900—it’s probably the fastest bike I’ve ever ridden. It was the highest level Trek at the time, but I’m sure they make better versions now.

Q: I think you mentioned you ride in triathlons. How long have you been doing that and how has it shaped your cycling?

JB: I was racing before and I’ve raced in Mexico. Then I got older and now I don’t race as much… Sometimes when you race you get sick of what you have to do to be a racer; you have to wake up at 5:30 in the morning...when I was racing, I had no life whatsoever. When you’re racing, you’re just racing/working/racing/working.

I started racing again in triathlons because I wanted to move my life in that direction. Triathlons are a little bit easier because you can mix up the sports. I’m a pretty good swimmer but I’m scared of the swimming part. It’s all the people – I’ve had like 9 drowning accidents in my life and I’ve become a little superstitious about it. The second or third triathlon I did, I placed first or second in my category.

Q: What would you like to see more of in women's cycling?

JB: More women cycling. I love men; I’m kind of a jock myself. Sometimes I feel like I’m a man too. I have five brothers but the camaraderie of women when they are cycling together--it’s so great.There was a lot of antagonism between competitive women cyclists in New York – in NJ it’s a very different story. [In NJ] they’re very nice and it’s really great.

Q: What is your favorite spot to ride in NYC?

JB: From NY to Nyack—I like riding along the side of NY too. I love riding in Woodstock and Saugerties and Cairo and Akra. It’s 50 miles and it’s a huge amount of climbing. Also Route 32, near Hunter Mountain up behind Hensonville– it’s very challenging. That was the only time I’ve had to get off my bike to go up a hill.

Q: Which is your favorite Hotvelociti jersey and why?

JB: I don’t think I have one – they’re all personal. They all have their own thing. It’s like saying whose my favorite child. Some days I feel like wearing one more than others.

This year for the 2009 collection, I had a lot of blue and purple designs, so I purposely made a green and yellow jersey because I wanted that color in the collection. I had to find something that would work for that, so I made Sqwak!. I wasn’t 100% sure I wanted to do a bird character. I love birds and I feed them even though my landlord threatens to throw me out. I chose red for another jersey, Le Ventoux, which depicts a white woman on the front, and a dark woman on the back—the point is women can ride Le Ventoux, one of the steepest and hardest rides which is often featured in the Tour de France. Red is a very important color, it’s very passionate. I love blues and greens, and black of course is essential.

I think next year my style is going to change a lot and it’s going to be very different.

Q: The colors or the graphics?

JB: All of it.

Check out Jennifer's jerseys at Hotvelociti.

guerrilla scanning of "sorry, portland"

2009-04-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

This has been the week of one botched blog attempt after another but I'm pretty sure that's because I had a concussion. Taking a soccer ball to the dome is never fun; but I can assure you that the 35+ year old players on my team still have what it takes, judging from the strength and accuracy of their kicks. I digress...

While at Bicycle Habitat trying on the Fuji track for size (more about that later..) I picked up this postcard, by an artist named Taliah Lempert.

I dig 'em.

THEN, I randomly bought a magazine called GOOD and found more of Taliah's artwork inside!

I also read this sweet article , that I liked because it talked about the bike scene in each city, fixed gear, bike polo, even soapbox derby included.

Here's my favorite pic from Pittsburgh:

And Austin:

I dutifully scanned these images before they posted the story but I'm glad they did so now you can all read it! I wasn't sure how I was going to swing that one, anyway.

ill bike in NYC

2009-04-06T15:18:00.001-07:00

I have a few posts pending but here is an ill bike my brother and Caroline Rea saw last night outside the White Horse Tavern in NYC:

bike neurosis

2009-03-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

Last week I made the fatal mistake of investigating WSD Trek Bikes (Women's Specific Design), when Chris Garrison held a talk at Bicycle Habitat. I approached this with an open mind thinking perhaps this woman has the best job in the world--promoting women's cycling around the country with high-end, fancy bicycles. I went in my femme work clothes, giving the air of an informed and educated "young professional." The atmosphere was very laid back--mostly women in their 40s and 50s who were milling around, drinking wine and eating cheese.

A cool artist/cyclist named Jennifer Benepe presented a bunch of slick women's jerseys that she had designed with her company hotvelociti. It was clear that her illustrations had double entendres, coming from a political as well as artistic place but she didn't describe each shirt in depth, as I wished she would. I especially like the ones with Spanish sayings, such as this: (it reads: for how many miles should I follow you?)

Chris Garrison spoke shortly thereafter and immediately reminded me of a high school field hockey coach--super nice and approachable but inherently athletic in the way that makes everything she says sound like a pep talk. I think certain people (women?) just speak like that. Anyway, she launched into the importance of bike fitting and parts that are designed specifically for women. Now, before I do any sort of trash talking, I have to say that the extent of market research that Trek performs IS impressive. Giving a few hundred college kids a bike seat and telling them to ride around on it seems pretty legit to me. However, I must admit that I started to feel like it was a bit of a marketing scheme in that ALL of Trek's products are relatively expensive and perhaps unnecessary for the casual cyclist. Although Chris went into a thorough, insistent speech about the importance of chamois cream (placed delicately within, ahem, the bike shorts), I couldn't help thinking: I am clearly not riding 30+ miles a week and this doesn't apply to me. Perhaps in a later life, with a disposable income.

However, Chris mentioned the reasoning behind the smaller wheels and the importance of the shorter top tube--something I had ignorantly dismissed in my last post. And so, she planted the seed, igniting a mild inferno in my bike interest/obsession. Now, after flipping the bird at the recession and spending my hey-it's-March-Merry-Christmas! bonus on these puppies:

Now I'm thinking should I trade my beloved Bianchi in for a Fuji Track 650, the very vehicle I scoffed at? It's just that Chris's talk brought upon a deep insecurity that I could, in fact, be riding something much more suited to my size. And, of course, now I'm obsessed with knowing which feels better (investigative test ride post coming soon).

Girls are rad.

2009-03-23T15:17:00.001-07:00

Visit: http://charikichi.tumblr.com/

bianchi pista vs. fuji kids track 650

2009-03-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

Image from www.bianchiusa.com

Frame Geometry

A Seat Tube (center to top)
B1 Top Tube (actual)
B2 Top Tube (virtual)
C Chainstay
D Fork Rake
E Head Tube Angle
F Seat Tube Angle
G Wheelbase
H Standover Height

Ok, here is the deal: YES, Fuji does make a tiny track bike, the Track 650 (see it here: http://www.fujibikes.com/Kids/Track/Track650.aspx. Now, technically this bike fits riders between 4'10" and 5'5" and is labeled "for kids," but it would clearly fit most women (should I take offense to that?). Here's a comparison between a Bianchi Pista and the Fuji Kids Track 650, in a handy dandy graph:

From their specs, it's clear that there are plenty of differences between these bikes.

The Bianchi has:
-a longer top tube (+15mm)
-a shorter chain stay (-15mm)
-a smaller fork rake (28 to 40)
-a larger head tube angle (+2degrees)
-the same seat tube angle (76)
-a smaller wheelbase (-24mm)

I haven't had a chance to ride the smaller Fuji, but I would definitely be interested in comparing them. According to this review from Urbanvelo.com, the Fuji's remedy for shorter (or younger) riders is smaller wheels. Although they are less common than 700c wheels, having 650c wheels shouldn't be a problem. If you are a "shorty" and riding a bike that is 49cm or 50cm, UrbanVelo suggests using short riser bars instead of track drops. No matter what handlebars you choose, if you're worried about too much reach, I would suggest finding a shorter stem!

There's a Fuji for sale on craigslist right now: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/1081556034.html.

i heart cannondales from the 90s

2009-03-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

Before I got my bike, I spent hours pouring over pictures on http://velospace.org/, a bike site not uncommonly referred to as "bike porn." These Cannondale track bikes from the 90s seem to have a perfect design, I even like the wide down tube that Cannondale is known for--not to mention the metallic blue color, which seems to be hard to reproduce (see this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-409067.html). I think the smallest size this frame comes in is a 50cm but I would love to get my hands on it someday. I just checked ebay for this frame out of curiosity--which for some reason is advertising brass knuckles for $10.95--but found only this model, which is selling for $399. It kind of reminds me of something from Nascar:

Please, let me stumble upon this frame one day:

The newer Capo:

old bike pic

2009-03-17T16:19:00.001-07:00

Amber took this photo of me in college. We drove to an industrial park in Dundalk and I pretended to climb the fence. My bike at the time was a Dawes I bought off of ebay for $150. I put red cork tape on the handlebars and I used it to ride uphill to my job at the liquor store.

how to become a cool bike mechanic: take 1

2009-03-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

I'm usually aware of the bike shops in my area, similar to the way you might know a local deli or coffee shop. You go there, you eat some eggs or a bagel--just the way I go to these places and drool over blinking red lights and purple chains (NOT USELESS, I swear). So, imagine my surprise when I found out the bike shop closest to me, On the Move (7th Ave between 12th & 13th streets) is woman-owned! Yes! I love when that happens. This has, of course, turned all my bike daydreams into bike-shop-owning-day dreams. How hard can it be, right?

Hmmm. This coming from someone who recently got her rims installed by assuming that the hubs on my bike came with 32 holes. They come with 28. Cue to embarassing call from bike shop lady, Deborah, telling me I either need new hubs or I need to pay for them to rebuild my old wheels. SIGH. I can't seem to get this stuff right, despite being obsessed with it. I guess I could have counted the spokes...

ALSO: one of the mechanics at my bike shop is a girl my age! Ah! She stole my bike-shop-owning-path daydreams by planting herself in the local bike shop and changing pedals on middle-aged women's Schwinns while wearing a dirty black cycling cap and sporting a lip ring. Damnit, how do people get involved with these things? I had fantasies of asking Deborah if I could hang around her shop on Saturdays and learn things about fixing bicycles but it seems my role as bike mechanic girl has already been filled. Perhaps it is too little, too late...

I recently stopped into the bike shop on Vanderbilt Avenue. When I asked what kind of bikes he carried -- thinking he only did used bikes -- he told me he basically finds bikes and "city-fies" them. Though unfamiliar with this term, I think he meant he just strips down the gears and makes them either fixed or singlespeed. He also likes to use old steel frames and riser handlebars. I am jealous of him too, and think that he may be plan B to bike shop owning stardom (plan A being: become Deborah's right hand mechanic girl by learning everything I can from mechanic girl #1 and then taking her place when she moves to Portland, OR or San Fran like any self-respecting bike enthusiast).

In other news, K. is looking for a bike. This isn't too difficult, considering her criteria is "blue or green" and "has a basket." We saw this pretty Gary Fisher Simple City bike on the street:

We also stopped into a bike shop and saw this 2009 Raleigh One Way, that looks like my bike, but nicer:

I also saw a Fuji fixed gear, which I have been told is the best fit for women. This basically means its a miniature version of the smaller fixed gear bikes, and all of the dimensions, like the top tube, are slightly smaller and therefore better for petite frames. It means you won't be leaning to far or overextending to be riding your bicycle. I'm interested in comparing my bicycle (49cm) to this Fuji, but alas, that will be another post.

tgif! (charm city video)

2009-03-13T06:53:00.000-07:00

A token of Stu's affection

2009-03-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I stumbled upon this story--I think jumping from blog to blog to blog, but this is one of the sweetest gift/love/bicycle stories ever (scroll down for my comments below):

A friend of mine who is a bicycle aficionado recently created what is probably one of the most thoughtful birthday gifts I’ve ever encountered. In combining the two most important aspects of his life – cycling and his girlfriend, Maya –, Stu Campbell created a custom-assembled and handpainted masterpiece.

I interviewed Stu about the production, and Maya about her reaction. Here’s the lowdown about Maya Bankovic’s sick new ride:

northpublik: What was the impetus behind such a gift? Why not just a regular bike?
stu campbell: I have been riding in the city for over ten years and introduced Maya to city riding this past summer. She instantly loved it, even though she was either riding a friend’s bike significantly inferior to mine or my over-engineered mountain bike which was a little big and uncomfortable for her to ride. A difference of a couple centimetres here and there on a bike can really make an unbelievable difference in efficiency and enjoyment. So we spoke quite a bit about fit and what kind of bike she would buy for herself. I didn’t want a “regular or store bought bike” because, while I could get the fit right I would always have to make concessions regarding the overall look of the bike and quality of the parts. For example, a bike that fit the aesthetic criteria would have most of the right parts but the grips wouldn’t match the frame color or I didn’t like the pedals or the bike store had hidden a cheap freewheel in it etc. so rather than conceding even the smallest amount, and replacing the odd part, I just built it from scratch and chose every single part on the bike.

To read the rest: http://northpublik.ca/2009/01/04/a-boy-a-girl-and-her-bike/

The art on this bicycle is incredible, and reminds me of something Nikki McClure would draw. I especially like that Stu had to hide the bike frame in the closet and the fact that the bike shop was so close to his house, they would both pass it and he would see it hanging in the window. I like the idea of the subway map tying all the small illustrations together. I sort of understood Stu's hesitation to write his personal messages to Maya on the top of the frame, but they're also lost on the underside. He should have written them on the handlebars, or maybe if he was embarassed to write her cute things, he should've written her something cooler that was visible on the frame...

This bike is such a piece of art, I'd be too scared to ride it. I know they said they use $400 dollars of chains to lock it up, but even leaving it for a short amount of time would make me nervous. It's so personal, it's like someone emptied the pages of a sketch journal on this white frame. I think it's beautiful.

The way this story ends does no justice to the cute couple. Although Stan is clearly a very thoughtful boyfriend, there's no way Maya's intention for riding the bike around town is to "reach her man." Maybe this is some Canadian blog joke that I'm missing, but I feel like that last sentence took away from the sentimentality of the whole thing. Sigh.

near the cemetery

2009-03-10T17:15:00.000-07:00

mb. was here this weekend. she took photos for me.

riding really fast.

photo love.

me & julio, down by the school yard.

toby's!

mb, photographer.

Bikes I like..

2009-03-10T16:45:00.001-07:00

Ok I've spent hours trying to manipulate the photo sizes on the blog but I think the banner photo is still too big. I fear I can't be a true bike blogger until I have a sexy landscape banner like this guy: http://twofivefix.blogspot.com/. Sigh.

I recently stumbled upon a Flickr site featuring "Brett's favourite fixies." http://www.flickr.com/photos/x1brett/3117655141/. It has inspired me to create my own list, in ascending order - here are four of my favorites:

#4 - Trek's Urban District: This bike is sexy and makes me think twice about Trek. Apparently, the chain is made of a flexible carbon steel fiber that doesn't require any grease. It's basically the Prius of singlespeeds. I like the colors, but I haven't seen any cruising the streets. Maybe if I had a large disposable income, I would buy one.

#3 - Specialized Langster, New York: This bike is styled after a NYC cab, complete with black-and-white checkers. I'm sold.

The close-up:

#2 - Schwinn Madison: This bike is cheaper and it has fantastic 80s decals. A cool (American! gasp!) bike.

#!1 - Felt Curbside: I just found this bike while I was searching for the Langster and it comes equipped with pretentious top tube pads but I LOVE the blue color and it seems to be a pretty good bang for your buck. Yes, please.

this is awesome

2009-03-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

I got $5 on my tax return

2009-03-03T17:07:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I went wondering through Park Slope trying to install my dope rims..first I went to On The Move (7th Avenue between 12th & 13th Streets) and waited for the shop to open. On my trip over I had embarrassingly harnessed the new rims around my shoulder, thinking I'd be able to balance them all the way to the bike shop. This lasted until about 15th Street when they fell out from under my bag and proceeded to get stuck around my chest and the back of my bike seat, creating a veritable seat belt that disabled me from moving forward or backward to unhinge them. Luckily, I wasn't going very fast but I had to come to a painful stop at a green light to unhinge the rims and lay them in the middle of the street while I redid my bag and got back on my bike. Needless to say, I walked the rest of the way there...

The dude at On the Move is really nice and they had a young lady (?) working there before so I was happy to see that. He took one look at my current (stock) rims and told me that I would need all new spokes. My heart felt. Spokes are $2 a piece and I have 32 on each wheel, so already we're talking $128 to install the rims + the labor. Sigh. This small project has now fallen under my get-rich-quick scheme of pooling my nonexistant bonus + subletter + tax return into sexy clothes and bike parts that I can't afford. So...I decided to get a second opinion.

I went to Dixon's (right next to the Food Coop--many stories to be told about that), which I love. The guys in there are really nice and this kid that was like 14 years old or something fixed my break last time, so I was in awe. The guy there told me that I would indeed need new spokes (balls!) and that the labor would cost $25-$30 per wheel. I told him I was waiting on my bonus and that I would come back when I won the lottery. He laughed and said it wasn't that bad..

Yesterday my brother G. and I did my taxes. After being pegged a self-employed farmer and fisherman (see MISC form 1099), I got a whopping $5 back from New York State. SO MUCH FOR MY GET-RICH-QUICK SCHEME. My rims are idling in the hallway, between a grandma cart and a yellow vacuum.

I dream on:

equals (not my bike): http://velospace.org/node/2984

white rims

2009-02-25T18:41:00.000-08:00

The first post! Take that, blog post number one. I bought a pair of white deep V rims off of craigslist.org today. Craigslist bike exchanges are always the best because they usually involve scruffy boys that think I'm a boy, too. I can tell they think I'm a boy because they write these two sentence emails that say things like "hey man" and "thanks, bro." I'm like: dude, I know my name is androgynous but just because I'm buying bike parts doesn't mean I'm a dude (whoa, feminist rant). These rims are something I've wanted for a really long time, and given the state of the economy, also something I shouldn't be buying. But I did. And I started thinking about the weird situations my craigslist-sponsored bike swapping has gotten me into. I've carried two different pairs of handlebars to work and then I snuck them downstairs to sell to various dudes on bikes. Usually, I get the perfunctory once-over from the bike dude and the quick product inspection followed by the slightly awkward handover of money. On the way down to Lafayette & Grand tonight I was thinking, what if someone saw this exchange who didn't know what it was? I'm a lonely girl wearing pin striped pants on a dark corner pacing around and ready to approach a guy carrying two white rims that look like mini hula hoops. Then, once I inspect the rims, I pull out my wallet and start handing folded up bills to a stranger on the sidewalk, just another effect of craigslist...I'd like to make this blog about bikes, but I'm also going to throw in some sidebars from my disorganized life. And, so, I give you, a quote about love:

"Being in love--this subtle keen unforgettable sense of the other's uniqueness. There is no one like her, dances like her, is sad like her, is eloquent like her, is foolish and vulgar like her..." -Susan Sontag

And, a picture of Kiwi and Pear: