Monthly Archive for December, 2007

2007 Blog Recap

Since we launched Urban Velo in May, we’ve written over 150 blog posts. Here are the ones that generated the most reader comments:

• Link Love
• Help Bring Pedicabs to Sheffield
• Winter Survival Guide – Add Your Two Cents
• Bike Advocacy in High Heels
• Norwegian Bicycle Lift
• Bike!Bike! Recap
• I Love My SUB
• Pedal Powered Car Pulled Over By Police
• Google Maps Help Nab Bicycle Thief
• Sharrows – Good or Bad for Cyclists?
• In Loving Memory
• Fixed Cog Arm of God
• Always Wear Your Helmet
• Urban Velo #1 Now Available

Courier Bag And a few honorable mentions include:
• Sew What?
• Interbike Image Dump Part 1 & Part 2
• Kona UTE
• Got Wood?
• Udderly Good For Cyclists
• Le Tour Fan Sites
• NYC Bicycle Film Festival

Published by Urban Jeff on December 31, 2007 in News & Views. 2 Comments

1991: Selected Art and Verses by Victor Vicente of America

1991: Selected Art and Verses from the legendary Victor Vicente of America is now available in the UrbanVeloStore. Former road racing champion, mountain bike pioneer, Olympic athlete, actor, writer, artist and race promoter Victor Vicente is an oft-overlooked legend of American cycling. While he has not achieved the fame of other mountain bike pioneers, he was most definitely involved and influential in the early days of mountain biking. We’re honored to be able to distribute one of his books, a collection of original art and poetry. Hardbound. Handsigned and numbered out of an edition of 1000 by Victor Vicente himself.

See this previous post on VVA to hear a bit about his current work at a vinyard and for links to interviews and his personal website.

Published by brad on December 30, 2007 in Merchandise. 3 Comments

SSWC08 Announced

Cheese for your wine For those who partake… Registration for the 2008 Single Speed World Championships in Napa, CA will open on January 1, 2008, at 12:00 a.m. PST. Registration is $35 U.S. dollars. The promoters say that more details about the race weekend will be posted shortly.

Visit www.sswc08.com for more information.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 30, 2007 in Events. 2 Comments

Issue #5 Preview

Urban Velo #5 – Coming January 1st 2008

Published by Urban Jeff on December 29, 2007 in Magazine. 0 Comments

DIY Cycling Cap

For those of you with a sewing machine… Flickr user Panda Face has a cycling cap pattern you can download for free. He says, “If you download full size and print at 72dpi it should come out near the correct scale.”

If you use his pattern, be sure to say thanks. And email us a photo of your creation!

Published by Urban Jeff on December 28, 2007 in News & Views. 2 Comments

El socialismo puede llegar solo en la bicicleta!

José Antonio Viera Gallo said, “El socialismo puede llegar solo en la bicicleta,” which translates to “Socialism can only arrive by bicycle.”

The Australian blog www.radzi.info contains some interesting editorial rants on the subject of cycling and socialism. They’ve also got some good news bits and writings on propaganda art and bicycle culture. If nothing else, check out the author’s commuting bike.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 27, 2007 in News & Views. 2 Comments

Traffic Life

Traffic Life is a collection of short stories, poetry, cartoons, illustrations, sculpture, photography and even a jazz score—all from an anti-car perspective. Contributors include cycling cartoonists Andy Singer, Ken Avidor and Neal Skorpen, as well as a host of writers including science fiction magnate Ray Bradbury.

Originally published in 2004, Traffic Life is still every bit as relevant today. Read the reviews, including one by Urban Velo’s Jeff Guerrero, or simply read the entire book online.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 26, 2007 in News & Views. 0 Comments

UK Recycle-A-Bike Directory

The British website www.bikerecycling.net is a directory of all the UK’s bicycle community projects, non-profit businesses, training and rehabilitation schemes and other projects that are happy to receive your gifts of bikes, parts, accessories and financial donations.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 25, 2007 in News & Views. 0 Comments

And they all walked away…

Track jackets are here!

They’re finally here… A complete size run in Track Jackets. Sizes XS-XL, while supplies last. And of course, supplies are limited.

Made by American Apparel, our track jackets are black with white piping and the Urban Velo logo screened on the back.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 23, 2007 in Merchandise. 2 Comments

Got Wood?

Ezra Caldwell of Fast Boy Fenders fame is about to release his latest creation—wooden handlebars. Made from a nine-ply lamination of ash, the bars are a uniform 25.4 thickness. Ezra says, “Folks have used them with 26 stems and Nitto shims to good effect. If you plan to run a brake with them, the lever will have to have an appropriate inside diameter. There’s a Salsa cross lever that’s made for big fat bars, and comes with shims… It works well.”

Check out more photos of these beauties on his Flickr page.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 22, 2007 in Product News. 8 Comments

This Guy Kicked My Butt At Wii

A while back I (Jeff) rode over to Dave’s to play Wii. Another cyclist named Nick came over, who I first learned of from an article about DIY bike touring. Besides kicking ass at video boxing, Nick is a hell of a rider and a big fan of sustainable living. He’s been known to combine the two passions into, sustaining himself nutritionally with dumpstered food and the occasional bite of roadkill…

Published by Urban Jeff on December 21, 2007 in News & Views. 2 Comments

Fixed Gear Nerd Calculations

With a fixed gear, your tire and cranks are linked by a fixed ratio, hence the name. Some chainring/cog combinations cause the same patch/es of tire to be worn every time you skid. Thus, your tire would be worn down to the canvas at the skid point long before the rest of it. These two tools should help you keep things in check, and help you get the most miles out of your tire.

A simple Widget for the Apple users.

A more complicated calculator for the real fixed nerds. This means me, and might mean you.

Published by brad on December 20, 2007 in News & Views. 5 Comments

Fox in the Snow

Boy on the bike, what are you like
As you cycle round the town?
You’re going up, you’re going down
You’re going nowhere
It’s not as if they’re paying you
It’s not as if it’s fun
At least not anymore
When your legs are black and blue
It’s time to take a break
When your legs are black and blue
It’s time to take a holiday
-Belle & Sebastian, “The Fox in the Snow”

Published by Urban Jeff on December 20, 2007 in News & Views. 0 Comments

Gears Not Gas

Clif Bar recognizes that 40% of all urban travel is under two miles, a distance that can easily be covered on a bike. Even so, most people use some form of motorized transport. Their 2 Mile Challenge is an effort to get people to ride bikes instead. Bravo, Clif Bar!

Published by Urban Jeff on December 19, 2007 in Video. 1 Comment