Category: Bikes

They Call Your Name Out Loud And Clear

Blatantly stole this from DoubleOhTwo, but it’s good enough that I couldn’t really resist, and he stole them from someone else anyway so it’s all good, right? Old school shots from that bloke with the funny name; Jobst Brandt. Heaps of classic photos, so you should go check out a selection on A Continuous Lean and the whole collection on the Palo Alto website. They’re nice.

To continue on the theme (stealing 002’s blog posts that is), here’s some bicycle related art that’s actually good. There are heaps of shit boring ‘colabs’ and bicycle art shows happening everywhere at the moment, what with track bikes being flavour-of-the-decade and all. While Matt Moore‘s art is not too shabby, I think the graphics on the bikes work awesomely, and actually look good rather than ‘arty’, which is saying a lot because most art tends to look shit. They kind of remind me of old woolly jumpers, made for kids who listen to techno. So yeah, go have a look if you like that kinda stuff…

Hot Shit

I know how much old man Ben loves me posting about stuff you can buy, so here’s a double-hitter of good shit you should get your mitts on.

First up are Ben McGill’s most excellent anti-derailleur art prints.  Limited edition (I know you love it) two-colour screen prints (mmm) on fancy 300gsm paper. This is the kind of shit cool people have framed and hanging on the wall in their sweet studio loft apartments, next to vintage skateboard decks and old school punk rock flyers. You just gotta pay a few clams ($35 posted) and you can get your art-cred on, so get amongst it. Supporting local artists makes you a better person (or less of a bastard at least). If you want one, you should send Ben an e-mail.

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Next up are the new chainrings from the girls over at Candy Cranks. They’re taking the custom chainring game up a notch, with hand painted detailing and an awesome etched CC logo (seriously looks the cats tits). I’ve got a feeling the rings are made by the Cycle Underground crew, and if that’s the case then I can vouch for them being amazing quality. If not, I’m sure they’re awesome anyway. Either way, heaps of colour options (match ’em to your hubs and panties) and available in either silver or black. Guaranteed to make you go in a forward direction when paired with a chain and cog. Head over to the CC store to get your hands on the (very) goods.

On another note, I’m pondering a bit of Hobart bike polo. Everyone else seems to be doing it, so we may as well figure out what all the fuss is about. Sunday arvos once the weather gets a bit warmer (or sooner), on a hardcourt somewhere central. Stay tuned, or help make it happen! Make yer mallet.

While We Sleep

joshpringle.com

i think its time we all went on radventures. up to the hills or down to the shore. make boats out of twigs or kites out of wax. use roads as rivers not as lakes. circles are for fat people, and white lines aren’t just for saturday nights. use trees for climbing and build things from their limbs. hammers and nails, serpents and sails. see these stars in our dreams cause we’re sleeping in paddocks, not cause we’re dreaming of paris. let the wind take our troubles away as we drive with the windows down and the stereo distorting. lets ride with vampires and invite these wild things home. hills instead of pills, cars with full trunks instead of bars filled with drunks. see sunrises cause we got up, not cause we didn’t go to bed. take photographs and take pity on those who don’t. drink cool clean water to quench our thirst. read books to quench our thirst. play records to quench our thirst. write stories to quench our thirst. draw pictures like we’re drawing swords. fuck half full, let it be filled to the brim. let hearts be beacons. young, free, brave and stupid but never useless. lets take winter by storm and summer in waves and let spring and autumn beg for our attention. these streets are veins and we’re the blood. lets head for the heart as the drunkards reel like wounded birds along the city walls. so grab your hammers, your pick-axes and your pencils, its time to start moving.

A manifesto for radventure.

Back in the day

So, another wet weekend. The trails will be knee deep in slops & I don’t do road. I should be studying, but instead, going through my old photos & scanning the best ones is a lot more fun. Don’t have many earlier ones than these from 97/8. So many shit photos, got to love digital for instant feedback.

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From the local rag back in NZ in 97, not my best side & what was I thinking with that helmet. Continue reading “Back in the day”

Love/Hate

It’s well known that we here at BnC HQ have a deep seated (pun!) dislike of the vehicles known as ‘recumbents’. For some reason the two-wheels-and-pedals nature of these abhorrent vehicles sees them associated with bicycles all too frequently. We’re open minded to a fault, but sometimes you just have to draw the line, and recumbents fall far, far beyond that drunken scrawl. And so it is that I find myself somewhat torn about posting this up. Technically it is a recumbent. But then, technically it’s not a bicycle, so maybe that excuses it? Either way, it’s mutated enough that it appeals to my ‘weird shit’ sensibilities and I think it fits in somewhat with Ben’s recent touring efforts. So, thanks to a heads-up from Carl, I present…the Quike.

Yep, that’s one messed up machine. But I can’t help but be fascinated and drawn into its bizarre set of components. Look closely…Fox Vanillas (coil, makes sense for touring), two gearing systems featuring a Rohloff and a Schlumpf, corrected steering, and a load hauling ability that’s probably hard to top. Not only that, but it’s Australian made and designed, which is always a winner. I still don’t know if I like it, and I think it’s a morbid fascination as much as anything else. But the fact is, it exists, and that’s probably enough reason to post it here. Make up your own mind.

Link: Steppe By Steppe – The Quike

This Is Your Cap-tain Speaking

Oooooh yeah, head over to the Rocket Fuel blog to check out a sneak peak of the new BnC cycling caps! I should have them early next week, so you may end up with them in your grubby mitts by next Friday. Stay sharp!

Also, if any BnC heads are planning on hitting up the CMWC (Cycle Messenger World Championships) over in Tokyo later this year, make sure you head over to the AustBMA website and hit up the event area. Looks like there will be some Aussie team t-shirts being organised, which may or may not feature a BnC logo (let ’em know you roll with BnC if you’re going, and they’ll probably be included). Should be a madcap few days over there. Good times!

My favourite bike (EVER) part the second.

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My 2009 GT peace 29er is my favourite bike. I bought it last December as a “second bike” and within a month had sold my fully suspended and multi geared trail bike. I love the simplicity and utility of this bike. It’s the first bike that I’ve ever owned that I can imagine never selling. Being a family man on a single income I’m happy with the (relatively) small expense in running this thing. The drive train and tyres at the moment are at the palliative stage, having been worn to a nubbin by some 4000km of  Rotorua single track over the last 8 months, however bar a bottom bracket re-grease and new front ring it’s all butter.  I have new tyres (Kenda Nevegal 2.2 up front and Specialized Fast Trak 2.0 out back) all ready to put on when the weather becomes less shit, and before the Whaka 100km in Oct I’ll go all indulgent and slap a Surly cog and chain ring on ‘er. (32 20 for them that care)  Apart from that, there she is. Oh, The Thomson seat post is the most bling bike part I’ve ever owned, and coupled with my Charge spoon saddle my bike has comfortably and elegantly carried 90kg Matty hither and yon countless times in the paradise of mountain biking that I am privileged to have on my back door.

Fk I love this bike.