The good news is that Mavic wheel bags are just as high a quality as their wheels and passed their barrage of stress tests.
1 year ago
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Work hard, play hard
They may not look like it but Andrew and Ian are great mechanics. They take fixing bikes VERY seriously. Anyone that knows them also knows they also take goofing off just a serious. On a much needed break between fixing bikes they decided perform some "stress tests" on Mavic wheel bags.
The good news is that Mavic wheel bags are just as high a quality as their wheels and passed their barrage of stress tests.
The good news is that Mavic wheel bags are just as high a quality as their wheels and passed their barrage of stress tests.
Tuesday night
Summer time in Richmond means many things. To many on two wheels it means just one though. The Bryan Park Tuesday night races.
This has been a staple of Richmond area bike racing for around 30 years now and continues to grow each year. Last night was the second race this season. Throughout the race several of the local teams slugged it out and in the end Dan King came up with the win. Carytown's Andrew Alli picked up 3rd to better his 4th place result from last week.
There are two races each week that are divided up by ability. A few times this summer there are even kids races.
Check out this video that CJ Congrove shot of the A race last night. No bike mounted camera antics but still very cool.
This has been a staple of Richmond area bike racing for around 30 years now and continues to grow each year. Last night was the second race this season. Throughout the race several of the local teams slugged it out and in the end Dan King came up with the win. Carytown's Andrew Alli picked up 3rd to better his 4th place result from last week.
There are two races each week that are divided up by ability. A few times this summer there are even kids races.
Check out this video that CJ Congrove shot of the A race last night. No bike mounted camera antics but still very cool.
Tuesday Night at Bryan Park from CJ Congrove on Vimeo.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Could this be utopia?
Vauban, Germany has taken a neat approach to reducing auto traffic in their town. On many streets cars are banned and driveways are not even allowed to be built. To make things work they have designed the layout of the city to include important commercial zones that are spread evenly throughout the residential areas.
Many residents sill own cars but they are stored at the edge of town in large garages.
It would never happen here but I could easily see the fan working with this approach. There are plenty unused areas that could be turned to garage space and anyone living in the fan knows how close most of the needed business are.
I have lived in Richmond for over 10 years now and provided the weather is agreeable I can often go weeks without driving to run all my errands and commute to work.
Check out more about Vauban's approach in this article in The New York Times.
Many residents sill own cars but they are stored at the edge of town in large garages.
It would never happen here but I could easily see the fan working with this approach. There are plenty unused areas that could be turned to garage space and anyone living in the fan knows how close most of the needed business are.
I have lived in Richmond for over 10 years now and provided the weather is agreeable I can often go weeks without driving to run all my errands and commute to work.
Check out more about Vauban's approach in this article in The New York Times.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
New today!
I finally got around to making t-shirts of the Richmond VA design we brought out back in the fall. Standard white on black and a VERY limited run of "Giro" Pink as well.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Awesome!
CJ from Team Invisible Bike brought his bike mount camera to the speedway last night and set it up on a few bikes. Check it out!
Track Racing w/ Bro's from CJ Congrove on Vimeo.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Finally!
Sunny skies and a high of 75. After two Tuesdays of lots of rain and no track racing things are looking up.
I can't wait until 5 o'clock!
Track racing on the speedway is a blast!
I can't wait until 5 o'clock!
Track racing on the speedway is a blast!
Friday, May 8, 2009
3T Ergonova review part 3.
Continued from earlier...
The icing on the cake with this bar is the slight outward sweep that the drops have. Where the brake hoods mount to the bar is actually almost 2 whole centimeters narrower than in the drops. This works brilliantly by giving you the ability to run your brake hoods at a width you are normally comfortable (in my case 42 centimeters) but at the same time giving your a bit more leverage in the drops when you are sprinting. This flared design also pulls my forearms a bit further away from the tops of the bars which gives a much more open and stable feel when out of the saddle in the drops.
I found this to work so well in fact that I installed a pair of these bars on my track bike as well.
There are other companies out there that have designed bars that are similar to the 3T.
The FSA compact bar design is a great solution for smaller riders who are looking for some of the same benefits of the Ergonova but I have found that for my height and riding style they can be a bit too cramped if you like to ride in the drops a fair bit.
That aside however, I have found that the dimensions of the FSA compact bar (about 1 full centimeter smaller in reach and drop compared to the 3t) has worked wonders for shorter or less flexible riders that I have fit on their existing bikes and almost always allows them to use the drop bars far more than they ever had been able to in the past.
The icing on the cake with this bar is the slight outward sweep that the drops have. Where the brake hoods mount to the bar is actually almost 2 whole centimeters narrower than in the drops. This works brilliantly by giving you the ability to run your brake hoods at a width you are normally comfortable (in my case 42 centimeters) but at the same time giving your a bit more leverage in the drops when you are sprinting. This flared design also pulls my forearms a bit further away from the tops of the bars which gives a much more open and stable feel when out of the saddle in the drops.
I found this to work so well in fact that I installed a pair of these bars on my track bike as well.
There are other companies out there that have designed bars that are similar to the 3T.
The FSA compact bar design is a great solution for smaller riders who are looking for some of the same benefits of the Ergonova but I have found that for my height and riding style they can be a bit too cramped if you like to ride in the drops a fair bit.
That aside however, I have found that the dimensions of the FSA compact bar (about 1 full centimeter smaller in reach and drop compared to the 3t) has worked wonders for shorter or less flexible riders that I have fit on their existing bikes and almost always allows them to use the drop bars far more than they ever had been able to in the past.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Ergonova review part 2.
Continued from earlier... After installing my new bars I wrapped them in my usual choice of Fizik microtex with the bar-gel pads. This improves ALL bars by giving a nice soft feel to the tops and more importantly allows you to smooth the transition between the brake hood and the top of the bar into a nice platform for the hands.
The next day I was finally able to get out onto my new bike and test things out. Ten minutes into the ride I knew I made the right choice. The ergonomics of the bar were perfect. No matter where my hands were perched they felt evenly supported and comfortable. From climbing to sprinting... or just relaxing on the tops things felt juuuust right.
The benefits semi-ergo design of this bar is most noticeable when riding in the drops. Unlike round bend or traditional ergonomic bars I am given a several positions in the drops that I can utilize for different moments during my ride.
I can can easily slide my hands from deep in the drop when I want to shift or brake...
...to further down towards the tip of the bar when sprinting or big-ringing it up the short hills that Richmond is known for.
The next day I was finally able to get out onto my new bike and test things out. Ten minutes into the ride I knew I made the right choice. The ergonomics of the bar were perfect. No matter where my hands were perched they felt evenly supported and comfortable. From climbing to sprinting... or just relaxing on the tops things felt juuuust right.
The benefits semi-ergo design of this bar is most noticeable when riding in the drops. Unlike round bend or traditional ergonomic bars I am given a several positions in the drops that I can utilize for different moments during my ride.
I can can easily slide my hands from deep in the drop when I want to shift or brake...
...to further down towards the tip of the bar when sprinting or big-ringing it up the short hills that Richmond is known for.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
3T Ergonova review part 1.
The best bar ever?
No I'm not talking about Mojo's or Stickyrice... I'm talking about the 3T Ergonova.
When I built up my CAAD9 team frame earlier this year I decided I wanted to try out a new handlebar. I had been riding (or "rubbing" for the dedicated BSNYC fans out there) the same Controltech bar for about a year but that would be staying on another bike so it was time for something different.
I have been a fan of the "semi-ergo" bar design for a while and the new Ergnova from 3T looked interesting in that it combined a smooth transition in the bend of the drops with a over-sized and wing-shaped top section.
So onto the bike it went.
No I'm not talking about Mojo's or Stickyrice... I'm talking about the 3T Ergonova.
When I built up my CAAD9 team frame earlier this year I decided I wanted to try out a new handlebar. I had been riding (or "rubbing" for the dedicated BSNYC fans out there) the same Controltech bar for about a year but that would be staying on another bike so it was time for something different.
I have been a fan of the "semi-ergo" bar design for a while and the new Ergnova from 3T looked interesting in that it combined a smooth transition in the bend of the drops with a over-sized and wing-shaped top section.
So onto the bike it went.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Two for the want list (part 2 of 2)
New crank? Check. Now what about that cheap Formula back hub?
The designers over at The Hive have me covered there as well. I picked up one of the Chub Hubs for my Brooklyn Machine Works fixed gear a while back. I really wanted to set one up on my singlespeed as well but I have never been much for freewheels. As if they could read my mind The Hive are coming out with a version of their hub that uses a VERY nice cassette interface as well as standard 6 bolt disc mounts. Their clever design bonds alloy flanges to a hugely over-sized thin-wall carbon center section for rigidity. The cross country version of the rear hub should come in at a very competitive sub 300 gram weight.
Unfortunately I have to wait until December for this one. But that's OK. One step at a time.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Pic of the day
Giant X Cinelli
Mike Giant came up with this portrait of his latest bike courtesy of the fine folks at Cinelli.
Mike Giant came up with this portrait of his latest bike courtesy of the fine folks at Cinelli.
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