Author: Ben

Hobart has hills. Lot of ’em. Big ones too. Vertical topography is a limiting enviromnetal factor that keeps the southern capitals SS and Fixed cycling population in check. Survival of the fittest and all that jazz. Pushing ‘one gear’  means selecting a small gear for the ‘ups’, and if you choose to ride fixed, this also means spinning like fk on the ‘downs’.

Sunrace Sturmey Archer is offering a solution. The S3X Three Speed Fixed Hub. The gearing range is as follows:

• 1st Gear -37.5%
• 2nd Gear – -25%
• 3rd Gear – Direct Drive

Will this three speed hub shift the limiting environmental factors causing a exponential grow in ‘Hipsters’ down south?  I predict the following will happen: Hunners will be able to ride on hung-over days. The Bonnet will be conquered more frequently. Jessie will still ride on the footpath. Liam will move home from flat Melbourne. Grundy will buy two. Nic will buy lycra bib knicks. Check out the website: http://sunrace-sturmeyarcher.blogspot.com/search/label/%22Fixed%20Gear%203%20Speed%22

Allright cadets, the order has ben placed and the wheels are in motion. Four or five week turnaround and we’ll have those jerseys in ya hot little hands. For those who didn’t order, don’t worry, you haven’t missed out.. We’ve come to an agreement with Sprint Designs and out riding gear will be availible for purchase through Sprint via a link on our webpage. Winter jackets, wind vests, jerseys, skinsuits, knicks and bib-knicks will be availible in the next few weeks with long sleeve jerseys, sleeveless jerseys, arm warmers and leg warmers to follow soon after. Here is a link to the current designs that will be on offer: http://www.sprintdesign.com.au/projects/bottlesandchains.html

Fingers crossed, we’ll have B’n’C stickers to flick out within the next month… will keep you all posted as developments come to hand. T-shirts and more hoodies are also on the horizon.

Exciting times! Yeuw!!

Meat is Murder, so is this heat.

Poke the nozzle of your partners hairdryer into your mouth and turn it on.. there you go, now you’ve experienced summertime cycling in Centralia. Well, almost.. while we’re in the bathroom playing with the hairdryer, turn the ceiling mounted heatlamp up to 100, set the indoor trainer up beneath it and we’re getting closer to the oven-like sensation of riding out here…

Never thought I’d think it, but I’m lusting after some mud. Cold mud. Full blown winter muddy mud. Roost up your back and in your eye type mud.   …and some Cyclocross. Cyclocross in the mud. Yeah, thats it.. mmmmnnn.  Fixed of course, no gears to clog up, a simple ‘pedal harder’ style of racing. All day I’ve been thinking about that ..er, ‘skaty’ feeling of 28c knobblies trying to hook up in mud. That little squirt of adrenalin that comes with the uncertainty that you and your bike are going to remain the correct side up. I want that.

For the first time in Australia (as far as I know) a full blown Cyclocross series is being held. Details of the series is availble at: http://www.tailwindpromotions.com.au/cyclocrossaustralia/ What interests me most about this series is the inaugral National Cyclocross Championships that are being held at Peppers Hidden Vale on the 4th of October this year. There is no specific singlespeed or fixed gear category but with classes ranging from Elite to D-grade I’m sure DFL won’t be on the cards. Clint, Lingy.. Does this crank your chains boys? Maybe we should send a B’n’C team over for this one.. we have the skin-suits.

Anyway back to my walkman and Smiths cassette. Out

Eating shit sucks. It hurts (alot) and leaves your pushie looking less than ‘shiny and new’.

Had my first decent ‘off’ @ the Alice Springs velodrome during friday nights club meet (next level up of ‘off’ from the infamous Rossi v Beans ‘off’ on Elizabeth Street last year).  I had just crossed the line at the end of a flying 200 and was swinging up to wash off speed when I clipped the fence at the top of the bank with my pedal. This threw me and the bike head first into the fence (post). My helmet took the brunt of the spill being cracked in two and my shoulder followed through next… rag-dolled down the steep 37degree bank leaving a  trail of jersey, bib knicks and skin behing me. Shaving your legs really does work as my legs were totally intact, unlike my arms, bum and shoulder that were all now bleeding profusely.

To the surprise of the onlookers I did walk away from this crash.. only to keel over a few minutes later when the adrenalin wore off. Took a trip to Alice outpatients and yep, I’d been broken. Bloody shoulder blade. Too cranky to write anymore..

Thanks for all the feedback on the jersey design, and Timmy, are you sure you need an XL? Must be in a good paddock eh mate? I’ve extended the window of opportunity.. If you want one of these jerseys you’ve got until 09:00am Tuesday 27 January to shoot us an email with your order! The address again is: benjamarn@hotmail.com I’ll need your size and a postal address.

The bell for last drinks is ringing, so gentlemen, place your orders!!

Finally! We’ve got our shit together and Bottles and Chains Jerseys are about to go into production!! We’ve hit up the boys from www.sprintdesign.com.au to whip ’em up.. Sprint are Australian owned and manufacture their product locally and ya can’t do better than to support Aussie business eh? I saw a few of their jerseys in action at the Christmas Carnivals and they looked well made and fit the riders spot-on with no bunching under the arms or riding up at the back (problems that seem inherant with alot of other brands I’ve seen).

The thumbnail images I’ve attached are the first two mock-ups of the jersey. The final design is being drawn up tomorrow, being a blend of these two versions. The final design will have the large B’n’C logo on the back, a Shifterbikes logo on either arm, a B’n’C logo on the left brest, the Disconnect Records logo on the right brest and the B’n’C wording up the side panels without the bottles and bike chain image.

These jerseys will cost you $150 (AUS) delivered to your door within Australia. Overseas buyers will be stung and extra $10 for international post.  For the hardcore Trackies, skinsuits will be availible on request (but they’re not cheap at $280 AUS).

If you would like one of these jerseys, here’s what you’ll have to do…

• Look at the sizing chart (see thumbnail above) and decide what size you need.
• Shoot me an email at benjamarn@hotmail.com stating your jersey size, intention to buy and postal details, I’ll reply with our bank details. You can then direct deposit some coin into our account (but make sure you put your name in the transaction description so I know who the money is from).. and as soon as it’s there, a jersey will be winging it’s way to your door in the next 3 to 4 weeks! Easy.

All pre-orders MUST be emailed to my inbox by 5pm Thursday 22 January 2009. The order with FINALISED numbers will be submitted to Sprint @ 5:05pm.. so if ya keen.. get on it ’cause there may not be a second run!

Sand is fkn hard to ride in. No two ways about it. I’ve tried dropping the tyre pressure in my 2.1 Kenda Nevegals to between 17 and 20 psi and even with the increase tyre bag it’s still fkn hard work peddling over sand. Frustration set in after my last training ride and I decided to come home and do some research on the net.. The Surly 1×1 has massive tyre clearance which got me to thinking ‘how big a tyre could I run?’… A quick hunt about on Google presented the above image ^^^ a Surly 1×1 Minnesota ‘Snow Bike’. The Minnesota locals have to suffer snow for months and months on end and have adapted their bikes to suit the local conditions. These fellas use the Surly ‘large marge’ rim (65mm wide) with Nokian 3.0 tyres to ‘float’ over the snow. To fit these huge wheels they cut off the v-brake lugs to improve clearance in the fork arch and rear stays. This might be a tad more extreme solution than I was looking for but I’m thinking about trying a wider rim and maybe using my old DH tyres, the 2.7 Maxxis Minions to see if I can get anymore float. Might also experiment with Sammies 650b wheelset..

Whoa! This is one of the hottest vintage rides I’ve ever seen!! Pimp as fk! The owner claims it to be his Great-great Grandad’s ride, whipped up in 1896 outta cast aluminium! Still rollin’ on the original 27′ wooden tubular rims and skip tooth pitch chain. The lamp is a sweet brass kerosene number, I’d love to know what sort of illumination it would provide on the road ahead.. HID 1890’s style? Haha, nah. It’s got me so pumped for a full resto job… Think I’ll send my Dad around to Frunks Shed to pick up that Massey-Harris..

Training takes on a whole new dimension out here. You need water and lots of it. You discover that you can run tyres at 17psi. You eat alot of flies. You’ll discover that sand is hard to pedal through. Cycling in 42c is an option you accept as it is the ONLY option ever on the table. Training hurts alot more in the outback. Bring on winter I say..

Yep, airline tickets are booked and paid for, so is the campervan and the entry fees.. Benny and Mishmash are taking the Bottles and Chains singlespeed roadshow across the ditch to compete in the 2009 New Zealand Singlespeed Championships in Rotorua on the North Island. I’m sure the Kiwis will be able to throw a good shin-dig and we’ll be taking the skills learnt at the 2008 Australian Singlespeed Championships with us (thanks Neil).. so we should be able to hold our own (fingers crossed).

Take a quiz @ the event for yourself.. http://www.nzsinglespeeds.com/