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Monthly Archive for August, 2011
Rochester played host to the 3rd Annual Flour City Invitational polo tournament this past weekend in the parking lot of Towner’s Bikes. With 18 teams or so it was a smallish, regional fun tournament with local rules and relatively low stakes and no further qualifiers on the line. In other words, less than formal polo with one primary rule that many have played for years. As seen here is a quick gallery if about 2/3 of the bikes used over the course of the weekend, if for nothing more than a look at the varied setups that people are using these days. If you’re looking for design consensus, it’s not on the polo court just yet.
Army Ant cycling caps are hand-sewn in Colorado with wool fabrics in 17 sizes.
Check out www.armyanthats.com.
The Marfa 100 is a charity ride that benefits Marfa Public Radio and the Livestrong Foundation and is coming up on September 10th.
Here’s a look at the I Love Riding in the City contributors for issue #27.
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.
We just received word from Austin that The Dropout bike zine is done. After six issues the main team of Scott Cannon and Leanna Bloom Mooradian have decided to move on to other pursuits, namely working on a new local dining zine to be released shortly, The Dineout. The first issue of The Dropout made it’s way to me via Austin polo players and from then on I followed the zine, even managing to attend the issue 6 release party when NAHBS was in town. Great people, great zine that I’m sad to see go. You can view the first four issues online, hopefully #5 and 6 are uploaded at some point soon. We wish you luck and can’t wait to see The Dineout when it is released.
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, or bookmark our RSS feed to know when the latest PDF is available.
From the minds that brought you Anti Monkey Butt Powder comes Safari Towels. These pre-moistened disposable towels are similar to popular products on the market, which many urban cyclists use to clean up after biking to work.
The big difference between these and other products is their size. Safari Towels are 14″ x 24″, which, unlike the competition, are big enough to hold in each hand and wipe the sweat off your back. And one towel is big enough to get yourself decently clean, whereas you might need a handful of smaller towelettes. Price-wise, Safari towels are about $1 each, which (according to my math) equals about 42 cents per square foot. I was able to find a good deal online for the leading brand’s product at about 22 cents per square foot.
Safari Towels are sold in packs of three for $3. Visit www.antimonkeybutt.com for more info.
One of our contributors from relatively long ago just published a book, The Outspokin’ Cyclist. Long time readers may remember Phillip Barron’s A Special Place In Hell For Bike Thieves that ran in Urban Velo #8 back in July 2008.
Publisher’s description: For four years, readers of The Herald-Sun newspaper (Durham, NC) enjoyed Phillip Barron’s monthly columns on bicycling. The Outspokin’ Cyclist gathers some of the best columns together in one volume. With insights into cold-weather bike commuting, urban design, the spiritual solitude of solo mountain biking, and the philosophical problems with drug use in competitive sports, Barron’s columns offer glimpses into the life of a cyclist and a small city’s biking community.
Surly has unveiled a number of new products on their blog, including some crazy looking bikes with giant tires and rigid disc forks (as you should expect from Surly). Also new this year are the Ogre frameset, which is essentially the Karate Monkey with more braze ons. The Karate Monkey, on the other hand, now has less of them. And the Long Haul Trucker will now have disc brake mounts.
Get the dirt over at www.surlybikes.com.
BIGxTOP has released their version of new school, BMX platform compatible foot straps, the pictures Big Stop. Available for £30 with free worldwide shipping, the straps are made of heavy woven nylon and feature a locking metal clasp on the outside to keep it in place. They even made a handy how-to video that better shows the construction and installation.
Filmmaker Josh Estey writes: I proudly present yet another self-glorifying fixed gear video, adding to the erroneous plethora of useless fixed geared bicycle films littering the Internet.
My latest epic release Fixed Gear Bali, is the follow up to the ever-popular Fixed Gear Jakarta, a film that went viral among my family. FGB is a transindental trip around the “Island of the Gods,” highlighting the various sects of the blossoming partisan cycling movement.
Continue reading ‘Fixed Gear Bali’
I will go out on a limb and say that anyone who knows Erok would agree that he’s one fantastic human being. He’s been a valued contributor to Urban Velo since its inception, and a personal friend since long before the magazine began. He’s been instrumental in Pittsburgh bike advocacy on many levels, and currently works for the national bike organization of the year, BikePGH.
According to BikePGH.org: Erok Boerer is being honored by the Mayor for his “volunteerism and dedication to the City of Pittsburgh” and is being given the Citizen Service Award, the newest addition to Mayor Luke’s servePGH Initiative, on this 26th of August 2011. The award is going to key leaders in our fair city who have “contributed exceptional levels of service towards the advancement of Pittsburgh communities.
For the all-weather commuter, sometimes ‘crosser, and road rider looking for gravel the 2012 Raleigh Roper might be worth a look. The full 4130 steel frame has disc brakes and published geometry specs that match those of Raleigh’s cyclocross bikes, making it a tempting choice for people not looking for a super light racy bike that still appreciate aggressive geometry. The $1500 bike ships with 10 speed Shimano 105 and Shimano road-pull mechanical disc brakes, and features a BB30 bottom bracket shell and integrated headset. Fender/rack mounts make it commuter capable, or perfect for a bad weather road trainer. The same frame is also available as the single speed Furley, using a BB30 eccentric adapter for chain tension. We expect to receive a review Roper shortly—look for updates once we have one in our hands.
Edit: We’ve since reviewed this bike. Read the Urban Velo Raleigh Roper review here.
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