Monthly Archive for December, 2009

Issue #17 – Available Online

As some of you might have heard, #17 is a landmark issue for Urban Velo as we’ve gone full color through and through.

Contents include: Riding Blind, Pulling Out the Stops, Unfamiliar Things, Two Bikes and a Funeral, Hardcourt Bike Polo Gets Organized, Gallery: Singapore Fixed, Bikes on Film: Police Beat, Splined Bottom Brackets, Winter Cycling Basics, The Internals of Internal Gears, I Love Riding in the City, Residue and No Exit: More Bicycle Games.

Download it for free, or order a printed copy online.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 31, 2009 in Magazine. 5 Comments

What was your favorite feature article of 2009?

Here’s a fun little poll that serves to shine a light on some great articles from the past year, and maybe gives us a little informal feedback on what some of our readers like.
Continue reading ‘What was your favorite feature article of 2009?’

Published by Urban Jeff on December 31, 2009 in Magazine. 3 Comments

Urban Velo #17 Press Check

Earlier today we took a field trip to Kreider Printing to do a press check, and witness Urban Velo #17 being born in front of our eyes. While Jeff and I have been making magazines together for just about ten years neither of us has ever actually seen our work coming off of the press, let alone had the opportunity to stand by as the press operator pulled out a loupe and checked ink levels on each page. Consider it a field trip to see what happens between our computer screens and the final printed product, a pretty interesting process of creating aluminum printing plates as seen at right, honing the ink levels under proper light based on the proofs as above, and then watching the sheets fly through a million dollars or so worth of machinery as ink is pressed onto the pages just so. From the look of things today we’re confident this is going to be the best looking issue of Urban Velo ever, now in full color throughout. Print copies are expected to ship to subscribers and shops next week, so keep an eye on the mail for yours to arrive or purchase a single copy through our online store for delivery when we receive our in-house stash.

Published by brad on December 30, 2009 in Magazine. 2 Comments

Brev. M Slittata Tire Prototype

Brev. M recently unveiled a prototype for their new tires over on their website. The Slittata, Italian for skid, will be a 700 x 28mm folding-bead tire with a 60tpi casing.

Visit www.brevm.com for more information.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 30, 2009 in Product News. 1 Comment

Women’s T-Shirts – Back in Black

We ran short on these for a while, but they’re back. In black, of course. Our women’s shirts are 100% cotton American Apparel, and at $13 including domestic shipping, they’re quite a bargain. Available in sizes S, M, L and XL.

And while we’re using her photo here, Urban Velo would like to publicly thank Jill for being such a great friend. Not only has she been willing to model for us, she’s contributed to the magazine, done proofreading, helped us stuff envelopes and mail copies, volunteered at events and she gets excited about playing bike polo every week. Thank you.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 30, 2009 in Merchandise. 2 Comments

Milwaukee Bicycle Co. – Bike Polo Shafts

If you play bike polo but live far from a ski resort, you might have a hard time finding ski poles to build your polo mallets. The smart guys over at Ben’s Cycle recognized the need in the marketplace and jumped at the opportunity to be the first commercial manufacturer of bike polo shafts.

The $16 shafts are made from 7075 T6 aluminum, which they say are twice as strong as the industry standard (rated to 75,000 PSI). Urban Velo recently purchased a sizable quantity of ski poles for the purpose of supplying our friends with polo mallets, and found that relatively few of them said which aluminum alloy was used. The few that said 7075, however, seem to be withstanding the test of time.

Visit www.benscycle.net for more info.

Update: According to the League of Bike Polo website, MKE is offering mallet heads, as well.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 29, 2009 in Product News. 1 Comment

New T-Shirt Colorways

Yes, we’re using the word “colorways” in jest, but we really do have Urban Velo logo t-shirts in three new colors. Burnt orange, gold and forest green. The new shirts feature a two-color print—white with a very subtle black drop shadow. They’re just $12 including shipping in the USA (additional shipping for foreign orders).

Published by Urban Jeff on December 29, 2009 in Merchandise. 2 Comments

KEEN Cycling Footwear

KEEN recently sent in a pair of their new Coronado Cruiser shoes for test, a cycling specific version of their popular Coronado shoes. Due out in Spring 2010, the Coronado Cruisers feature rubberized toe protection and a patch of extra grippy rubber on the footbed to help stick to platform pedals.

In the video above, James Curleigh, Keen’s CEO, talks about their cycling shoe line, including their SPD compatible models and the aforementioned Coronado Cruiser shoes. Visit www.keenfootwear.com for more info.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 29, 2009 in Product News and Video. 0 Comments

Who Should We Follow On Twitter?

As many of you know, Urban Velo is now on Twitter. Right now we’re only following 59 people, so we’re asking for your suggestions of who else we should check out.

So if you’ve got a Twitter account, or have a favorite that we might appreciate, please post a link in the comments below.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 28, 2009 in News & Views. 23 Comments

I Love Riding in the City – Issue #17 Preview

Here’s a look at some of the I Love Riding in the City contributors for issue #17.

We want you to represent your city. Click here, and don’t forget to attach a high-res photo. A “high-res” photo, for those who don’t know, is typically 300dpi or greater at print size. If you’re not sure, try sending the unedited photo file that comes from a digital camera.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 28, 2009 in Magazine. 2 Comments

The Photography of Maleonn

Maleonn (Ma Liang) is a talented photographer from Shanghai who is currently exhibiting at Galerie Paris-Beijing. The photo to the left is from his series Postman, and is typical of his work in that it involves a theatrical-like set, props, and a masterful, expressive use of color.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 28, 2009 in News & Views. 0 Comments

Government Study Shows Drivers Often At Fault in Collisions With Cyclists

A recent UK government study concluded that careless cyclists were rarely to blame for bicycle/car collisions. According to the Guardian:

The study, carried out for the Department for Transport, found that in 2% of cases where cyclists were seriously injured in collisions with other road users police said that the rider disobeying a stop sign or traffic light was a likely contributing factor. Wearing dark clothing at night was seen as a potential cause in about 2.5% of cases, and failure to use lights was mentioned 2% of the time.

Issue #17 Sneak Preview

Urban Velo #17 is at the printer, and the new issue will be available online before the ball drops in Times Square. Subscribe to the print edition and we’ll mail your copy as soon as they’re available. And remember, you can subscribe to the Podcast version and iTunes will download the new PDF automatically.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 26, 2009 in Magazine. 1 Comment

Love Wheels Nagoya – 2010 Bicycle Girls Calendar

We recently got a few calendars from Rie, the brains behind Love Wheels Nagoya. Inspired by the wave of calendars from overseas, the ladies of Nagoya decided to show the world they too could be seen as strong, sexy and very serious about cycling. They’re in-fact proud that they’re not supermodels, nor are their bikes museum-quality. They’re real women from an industrial city in Japan (Toyota is headquartered in Nagoya) who prefer, “bike riding with our own legs rather than being in the passenger seat of our boyfriend’s car.”

The calendar is $20, which includes shipping. To order, check out crankeeblog.blogspot.com.

Published by Urban Jeff on December 25, 2009 in Product Reviews. 20 Comments