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Bike Pure is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to eliminating doping from the sport of cycling. The organization is funded through the sale of headset spacers, wristbands and other merchandise.
As part of their grassroots effort, they are presently offering a free pack of spacers to any interested bike shop. They ask that the shop sell the spacers and donate the proceeds to the local cycling community.
Visit www.bikepure.org for more info.
Kurt Boone is an urban cyclist, foot messenger and poet. “The Messenger Poet Show” is his original web video series. Check it out at www.themessengerpoetshow.blip.tv.
The Cyclist Wing is a conceptual product from the minds that brought you the Totobobo Mask. The wing attaches to the cyclist’s back and provides a visual indication of how much space a cyclist should be afforded, and through integrated air filters, it helps reduce pollution.
Check out this Google Doc for more info.
Bob Hovey is a well-known figure in the ceramic arts community. A potter himself, Bob is best known for his handmade paint brushes. Bob is also a serious cyclist with a collection of vintage Masi bicycles.
Check out www.bhovey.com.
Gran Royale has two new options in bar/stem combos. Both traditional drop and flat bars are available in black, white, and silver. Made from 4130 chromoly, they feature an 85mm integrated stem with an internal clamp. Flat bar combos offer a 10 degree sweep and a width of 496mm, drop combos are 420mm wide. MSRP for both varieties is $69.95. Visit www.granroyale.com for more info.
Designed by Graham Hill, founder of Treehugger and built by Schindelhauer, the ThinBike goes from 22 inches across to less than 8 for convenient storage.
First look at the new Torker KB2, one of if not the first stock bike with a kickback hub in quite some time. Kickback? That’s right, it’s a newly manufactured Sturmey Archer 2 speed coaster brake hub that shifts from one gear to another with a slight backpedal just before the brake engages. While it is true that the hub shifts every time you apply the coaster brake, they’re not nearly as hard to get used to as it sounds. These hubs were fairly common on folding bikes at one time, and also were speced on a number of balloon tire cruisers but had faded to an esoteric bit of bicycle mechanics up until now. The $399 Torker KB2 has big tires and a direct drive gear with second gear being 130% of the first, both reasonable choices for city riding. Look for a full review once the bike is available this fall.
Readers may be familiar with Brev. M from the ads on the back cover—a relatively new component and accessory brand for the mid-priced upgrade buyer. Having just released their track wheels a few weeks ago, they sent in a set for review and they quickly found a home on my polo bike, seeing use 2-3 times per week on the local court. The gold ano turns a lot of heads for sure, but the real question for a heavy duty wheelset like this is how it handles the repeated abuse.
Brev M makes two versions of their track wheel, a 32h set with a 32mm deep rim and the pictured 36h set with a 40mm deep rim. There are only a couple of aluminum rims out there with a deeper profile. The extra 10mm on top of the gold-standard Velocity Deep-V is quite noticeable as a point of comparison. Interestingly enough, the rims are machined before anodization, leaving a braking surface for those who choose to run rim brakes on these wheels. The wheels are tied together 3x with 14g spokes and brass nipples, with large flange alloy hubs that spin on adjustable cup and cone bearings, just like Shimano. As should be expected, the wheels have real track nuts with a free spinning yet captured serrated washer.
Continue reading ‘Brev M Wheelset’
Matt W. Moore’s Momentum Exhibit at Chorus Gallery includes five hand-painted Traitor bicycle frames, watercolor mandala paintings, cut paper collages, bicycle posters, tees and cycling caps. A large mural was also spraypainted on the exterior of the gallery.
Visit www.mashkulture.net for more info.
Mission Workshop recently opened their new European headquarters in collaboration with 14 Bike Co. The space, located in the Old Truman Brewery, will carry the complete Mission Workshop product line and the full range of 14 Bike Co’s bikes and apparel. It will also feature a “sit-and-fit” lounge where customers can be fitted for custom built bikes by 14 Bike Co.
As Mission Workshop’s new European warehouse and distribution hub, customers and resellers in Europe will benefit from simple, inexpensive, and duty free delivery. Visit www.missionworkshop.com for more info.
An inside source sent me this photo of Mongoose’s 2011 Maurice FS complete. If you haven’t guessed it yet, FS stands for FREE STYLE and this complete from Canondale’s brother company Mongoose looks just like someone’s fixed freestyle build from 2009. Purple, gold, neon yellow white and black. Damn. Someone’s paying attention!
Belgium-based helmet manufacturer Lazer set up a US office in March of 2009, and not surprisingly, I’ve been seeing more and more people wearing them in the past year. Most notably, I’ve noticed that several of my friends who race competitively are wearing Lazer helmets, and so I figured they were worth a closer look.
It turns out that Lazer has been around for roughly 90 years, and they make motorcycle and paragliding helmets, too. The fact that they come from Belgium—one of the most bike-centric countries in the world—doesn’t hurt, either.
The Helium is Lazer’s premium road racing helmet, designed for and used in the Tour de France and numerous UCI World Championships. Every aspect of the helmet’s design takes weight into account, from the lightweight straps to the dual-density EPS foam. If there was an opportunity to shave a few grams, Lazer’s engineers took the opportunity. The end result is a very comfortable helmet, which at 265 grams, almost feels like it floats on top of your head.
Continue reading ‘Lazer Helium Helmet’
After taking a tumble on his bicycle, the mayor of Los Angeles is a born-again bike advocate. According to the Associated Press:
The mayor, who said little on the topic during five years in office, is campaigning to make streets safer for cyclists after a parked cab abruptly pulled out across a bike lane, causing him to shatter an elbow. The ill-fated ride was his first on city streets since taking office.
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