Urban Velo http://urbanvelo.org Bicycles in the urban environment. A magazine about urban cycling. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:01:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Le Tour de France Begins in Brest http://urbanvelo.org/le-tour-begins-in-brest/ http://urbanvelo.org/le-tour-begins-in-brest/#comments Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:01:28 +0000 Urban Jeff http://urbanvelo.org/le-tour-begins-in-brest/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Le Tour de France Begins in Brest", url: "http://urbanvelo.org/le-tour-begins-in-brest/" });]]> BrestUnless you live under a rock somewhere, you know that Le Tour de France begins tomorrow in the fabled cycling city of Brest. While there will be no shortage of race coverage elsewhere, Urban Velo will celebrate the world’s largest sporting event by highlighting some of the great cities the tour visits.

Brest is best known in the cycling world as the halfway point in the fabled 1200km Paris-Brest-Paris randonnée, which started in 1901. The city is an important French seaport and has been the site of numerous wartime struggles. In fact, nearly every building in Brest was destroyed by the end of WWII. Thankfully a few ancient structures still stand as tourist attractions, and the city remains a popular destination for fans of food, soccer, sunbathing and (of course) cycling.

Among the most popular tourist attractions in the Brittany region is cycling along the Canal de Nantes à Brest, a 360km route which links Brest to Nantes. Le Tour arrives in Nantes on July 7th. The ancient Gallic city has been called “the most livable city in Europe” as well as the “greenest city in France.” Just don’t let anyone talk you into a “Republican marriage” if you visit.

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]]> http://urbanvelo.org/le-tour-begins-in-brest/feed/ Issue #8 Co-conspirators http://urbanvelo.org/issue-8-co-conspirators/ http://urbanvelo.org/issue-8-co-conspirators/#comments Thu, 03 Jul 2008 05:11:11 +0000 Urban Jeff http://urbanvelo.org/?p=1382 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Issue #8 Co-conspirators", url: "http://urbanvelo.org/issue-8-co-conspirators/" });]]>

We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again. Urban Velo wouldn’t be the same without our awesome contributors. Here’s a list of websites so you can see more from the people who helped bring you issue #8:

Brad Quartuccio - www.randomprecisionphoto.com
Jeff Guerrero - flickr.com/photos/urbanjeff
Kevin Dillard - www.demoncats.com
José Vásquez Vallejos - flickr.com/photos/bilobicles
Phillip Barron - www.nicomachus.net
Roger Lootine - www.residuecomics.com
Billy Macrae - billymacrae.blogspot.com
Dan Pugatch - pugatchis49×18.blogspot.com
Andy Singer - www.andysinger.com

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]]> http://urbanvelo.org/issue-8-co-conspirators/feed/ CMWC 2008 Photo Gallery http://urbanvelo.org/2008cmwc/ http://urbanvelo.org/2008cmwc/#comments Wed, 02 Jul 2008 05:01:32 +0000 brad http://urbanvelo.org/?p=1353 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "CMWC 2008 Photo Gallery", url: "http://urbanvelo.org/2008cmwc/" });]]>

Brad took his camera to Toronto this spring to cover the Cycle Messenger World Championships. Visit www.urbanvelo.org/cmwc2008 for more than 80 photos from the 2008 CMWC.

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]]> http://urbanvelo.org/2008cmwc/feed/ Issue #8 Available Online! http://urbanvelo.org/issue-8-available-online/ http://urbanvelo.org/issue-8-available-online/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:01:03 +0000 Urban Jeff http://urbanvelo.org/?p=1378 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Issue #8 Available Online!", url: "http://urbanvelo.org/issue-8-available-online/" });]]> Urban Velo 8Featuring: Cycle Messenger World Championships, World Naked Bike Ride, Bicycle Film Festival - NYC, A Special Place In Hell For Bike Thieves, Sustainable Fuel, Residue, Fastest Man On A Bicycle Honored At Last, Share… And Share Alike - Examining Vélib, One Car - Family Living with Less Cars, More Bikes, Bike Threading Explained, A Simple Way to Measure Chain Stretch, I Love Riding in the City and No Exit

Download it today!

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]]> http://urbanvelo.org/issue-8-available-online/feed/ Panaracer CrossBlaster 700×31 http://urbanvelo.org/panaracer-crossblaster/ http://urbanvelo.org/panaracer-crossblaster/#comments Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:06:34 +0000 Urban Jeff http://urbanvelo.org/?p=1373 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Panaracer CrossBlaster 700×31", url: "http://urbanvelo.org/panaracer-crossblaster/" });]]> Panaracer CrossBlaster

Panaracer’s CrossBlaster tires came stock on the Salsa La Cruz that I’m testing, and I had been running them in all conditions for two months before the Michelin City tires came in.

After nearly two months of being used primarily on the road, the CrossBlasters show remarkably little wear. A friend of mine has been using them the same way for over six months, and they’ve still got a lot of life left in em’. Apparently, Panaracer’s ZSG Natural rubber compound lives up to its claim of being extra wear-resistant.

While the CrossBlasters don’t feature any specific puncture resistance, knobby tires are inherently more resistant to punctures since the tread is several times thicker where it contacts the ground. Panaracer does utilize a special slow-rebound rubber technology in the tire’s sidewalls to make them less susceptible to pinch flats.

Most of the time I’m not concerned about tire weight on a commuter bike, but it’s nice to know that these full-blown knobby cross tires are among the lightest of their kind. Panaracer uses a supple 126tpi casing and an Aramid bead to keep the per tire weight down to 280 grams.

Of course the CrossBlasters are made for off-road use, which is where they truly shine. The multi-directional tread pattern allows for good climbing and braking traction, and they perform predictably in cornering and drifting situations. At just 31mm, they’re certainly no match for 29″ mountain bike tires on rugged terrain, but for fire roads, grass fields and reasonably smooth trails, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better 700c off-road tire.

For more information visit www.panaracer.com.

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]]> http://urbanvelo.org/panaracer-crossblaster/feed/ Holloway - Best Urban Cyclist in Tour of PA http://urbanvelo.org/holloway-best-urban-cyclist-in-tour-of-pa/ http://urbanvelo.org/holloway-best-urban-cyclist-in-tour-of-pa/#comments Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:03:52 +0000 Urban Jeff http://urbanvelo.org/?p=1383 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Holloway - Best Urban Cyclist in Tour of PA", url: "http://urbanvelo.org/holloway-best-urban-cyclist-in-tour-of-pa/" });]]> Tour of Pennsylvania

Daniel Holloway showed his urban cycling chops by winning the first and last stages of the Tour of Pennsylvania. Holloway’s dominance in the two crits—one in Philadelphia, the other in Pittsburgh—came as no surprise to those who know the 21-year-old. He’s the current national criterium champion, a terror in the velodrome and an avid speed skater.

Downtown PittsburghFrom the start of the race it seemed clear that the man in the red, white and blue jersey was determined to win. Unfortunately, heavy rains and a tornado warning made the event promoters decide not to count the sixth and final stage in the overall standings, leaving Holloway far behind the overall tour winner, David Veilleux. Holloway’s team (VMG/Felt) did prove to be the best overall in the general classification, though. Click here for more race coverage.

Special thanks to Trek of Pittsburgh for providing us with a bird’s eye view of the race.

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]]> http://urbanvelo.org/holloway-best-urban-cyclist-in-tour-of-pa/feed/ International Subscriptions Now Available http://urbanvelo.org/international-subscriptions-now-available/ http://urbanvelo.org/international-subscriptions-now-available/#comments Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:15:54 +0000 brad http://urbanvelo.org/?p=1380 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "International Subscriptions Now Available", url: "http://urbanvelo.org/international-subscriptions-now-available/" });]]> Issue #8 of Urban Velo brings forth a few changes to our print product. Along with the color covers, perfect binding and improved printing all around we’ve finally heard enough requests to make international subscriptions available. Now cyclists worldwide can receive a print copy of Urban Velo in the mail, no longer reserved only for USA residents.

Of course, free downloadable PDF copies of the magazine will still be available as each issue is released. Look for Urban Velo #8 on July 1st.

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]]> http://urbanvelo.org/international-subscriptions-now-available/feed/ The Real Mohawk Mark http://urbanvelo.org/the-real-mohawk-mark/ http://urbanvelo.org/the-real-mohawk-mark/#comments Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:43:23 +0000 brad http://urbanvelo.org/?p=1375 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The Real Mohawk Mark", url: "http://urbanvelo.org/the-real-mohawk-mark/" });]]>

The namesake of the Mohawk Mark Party Time Cap truly does exist. “‘Cause when it’s party time, you turn it up.” Seen here where else but at the Bikefest kickoff party. Messenger, mormon, enigma, neighbor, polo sparring partner.

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]]> http://urbanvelo.org/the-real-mohawk-mark/feed/ Underground Bike Parking in Japan http://urbanvelo.org/underground-bike-paring-in-japan/ http://urbanvelo.org/underground-bike-paring-in-japan/#comments Sun, 29 Jun 2008 05:35:07 +0000 Urban Jeff http://urbanvelo.org/underground-bike-paring-in-japan/ SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Underground Bike Parking in Japan", url: "http://urbanvelo.org/underground-bike-paring-in-japan/" });]]> This may come in handy for home use, too…

…via ramblings.cyclofiend.com.

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]]> http://urbanvelo.org/underground-bike-paring-in-japan/feed/ John forgot to turn off the iPod http://urbanvelo.org/john-forgot-to-turn-off-the-ipod/ http://urbanvelo.org/john-forgot-to-turn-off-the-ipod/#comments Sat, 28 Jun 2008 05:08:16 +0000 Urban Jeff http://urbanvelo.org/?p=1372 SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "John forgot to turn off the iPod", url: "http://urbanvelo.org/john-forgot-to-turn-off-the-ipod/" });]]> Steevo

Most of our readers remember Steevo from the article Riding is My Religion from issue #7. He keeps an online journal, and it’s usually pretty entertaining. Enough so that I’ve got it bookmarked. This recent post struck me as an absolutely classic slice of life, and I thought I would share it with our readers: thesteevo.blogspot.com.

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