Last week we visited Trash Bags for a shop tour. Here’s a testimonial about their mittens from Cycle Twin Cities:
For those of us who choose to keep riding throughout the seasons the challenge of staying warm is a battle that we fight every winter, constantly trying new things to get a leg up on cold weather. This year, local company Trash Bags, has given us a new weapon for our arsenal, the Trash Picker Mitten.
Minneapolis has become a favorite cycling destination of mine—over the years I’ve made a number of friends in town that manage to get me in just enough trouble to keep it interesting, and out of jail. In town for Stupor Bowl XV and whatever I could get myself into, a few emails later and I found myself having dinner at Haute Dish, witnessing beer willing poured all over Gene Oberpriller’s pants while we discussed nanosphere technology and what kind of underwear each preferred. And while this did truly occur and isn’t surprising given the company, there was grown up business at hand, namely the launch of the Levi’s Commuter Series in the Minneapolis area and the limited Car-r-Coffins, One on One Bicycle Studio, and ARTCRANK trucker jackets to match along the same lines as the first batch created last September. Tech was talked, designs discussed. Custom altered jackets of some of the more prominent Minneapolis cycling culture brands will exist soon enough. The Levi’s fabric purports to be the first natural fiber to incorporate this particular Nanosphere waterproofing technology, maintaining its water repellency longer than ever without any sort of plastic bag feeling—50+ full wash/dry cycles under relatively harsh test conditions. The beer testing on Gene’s well worn Levis pants beaded up and ran right off onto the floor. Being Stupor Bowl weekend, we ended up out too late.
Look for the Levi’s Commuters to make their Minneapolis retail premier in the coming months, with the custom art jackets showing up on the backs of a lucky few associated with the Minneapolis legends behind the brands. No matter what you may personally think about the skinny jeans and denim jacket style, the fact that a company the size of Levi’s is taking urban cycling style and tech seriously bodes well for all involved, from the business side to the everyday rider all benefitting from the further mainstreaming and legitimization of cycling as more than quaint sport.
Fat bikes are becoming more and more popular—a recent Minneapolis trip showed a number of them being ridden on city streets, not just confined to winter trails and Iditabike adventures. Up until now the only suspension available has been in the tires, which seems to be more than enough for most people, but no doubt this old Cannondale Lefty conversion as seen on Drunkcyclist.com is of interest to some. As a lover of custom and over the top bike tech I just had to share it. Contact Mendon Cyclesmith if you want your very own.
Bicycle themed jewelry incorporating repurposed bicycle parts is nothing new, but neither are bicycles themselves. VeloGioielli has been at it since 2009, and has a selection of various affordable items at their Etsy Store.
We reviewed the wired Boombotix portable speaker last summer, with Jeff and I each still using our review copies as extra speakers on our laptops or in the workshop. I very rarely ride with music, perhaps once or twice per year on long, solo trail rides but some people prefer music more often on the bike, and headphones are illegal in many places and arguably not the safest to ride with in the first place. Boombotix just released the $17 handlebar mount kit for their speaker, providing an easy way to securely attach it to most bar setups for legal music beamed right at you while you ride.
I kind of want one of these… I don’t know if I would pay $39 for one, but if one fell into my lap, I would definitely put it on one of my bikes.
Via Blue Lug.
Soma recently began distributing singlespeed/BMX chains from the Japanese chain manufacturer D.I.D. (they’re mainly known for their motorcycle chains, but also have made bicycle chains forever).
The copper finish gives them a refined look, and they’ll look great with parts like MKS copper pedals (or the re-issued BM-7 shown here) or Brooks saddles. Soma promises they’ll make any bike look and work better. They retail for $47.99. Check out store.somafab.com.
From a DZR press release:
Named in honor of our showroom’s grand, gritty alley, Minna St., with graphics designed by local artist and DJ, Jeremiah Bal, these sneakers are a most fresh homage to an original. All black, they will go with everything, everywhere, and take you back.
Check out www.dzrshoes.com.
Profile Racing is better known for their heavier duty offerings, but they also delve into the lighter weight offerings from time to time. Pictured are their latest hubs, some ultralight road or cyclocross hubs, weighing in at a mere 88 g for the front hub and 300 g for the rear hub. Completely serviceable and USA made, hubs like these don’t come cheap and run $450 retail for the set. See more at www.profileracing.com
Fyxation introduced the nylon bodied Mesa pedal last year, and it quickly became a personal favorite on my polo bike. Still sing the same set I reviewed back then, over a hard year’s worth of play I’ve only lost a couple of the plastic pins. Fyxation just introduced the Mesa MP pedal, with a similar super slim and lightweight nylon body but now with replaceable metal pins for people prone to busting them or looking for more grip, especially when wet. See more at www.fyxation.com.
Richard Sachs has a well earned reputation as a first rate frame builder, concentrated on being the best as possible at what he does, always a continuing student of the craft. Early on he realized that the lugs and dropouts that make one by one framebuilders possible were slowly becoming unavailable simply due to reduced demand and created his own line. The pictured Piccoli Gioielli dropouts are his latest addition, and are in production now. I’d imagine these are destined to grace some beautiful, traditional frames.
Mike Ahrens is one of the new school of builders to come to prominence in the age of NAHBS. I believe he and I first met in San Jose at the 2007 NAHBS and in the years since I’ve continued to keep an eye on the projects coming out of the Ahrens workshop. He’s had his hand in the design of the Broakland track bikes, and recently started down his own track bike project, the aluminum frame Aluminate. The real thing that caught my attention were the cusotm track ends, designed to alleviate the problem of aluminum frames wearing prematurely with wheel swaps or alternately that of stainless steel inserts being too hard allowing the wheel to slip. I’ve experienced both scenarios first hand.
My main challenge would involve a new rear dropout design that was functional and durable since rear wheel swaps can chew up even steel frames after a while. … The ‘off the shelf’ dropouts had stainless outer plates that I knew would slip under heavy load – obviously not good.
…
To alleviate the wear issue, I designed an insert that cups all critical surfaces of the dropout. This insert is made from aluminum-bronze, a common material found in ship building due to its excellent corrosion and wear resistance. The material is harder than aluminum yet soft enough for the axle bolts to bite and remain tight.
Read more about the project at the Ahrens blog.
Via The 5th Floor:
This package should come in at a price point that undercuts the likes of Rapha and at last offers a full range of easily accessible street orientate kit rather than the odd piece here and there.
Although the project is mountain bike specific and not at all “urban,” the CrankBrothers Dreambikes program is worth mentioning (especially since a lot of us ride off-road as well as on). In a nutshell, CrankBrothers created 14 ultra high-end bikes in cooperation with various industry partners. The bikes will be auctioned off, and the goal is to raise $50,000 for Hans Rey’s Wheels4Life charity. That means putting 500 bikes in the hands of people in developing countries, including healthcare workers.
Check out crankbrothers.com/dreambikes.
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