Bottles And Chains

Frunk has a shed full of old bikes that whips ANY other collection of bikes I’ve seen anywhere.. and that includes the Bicycle Museum at Evandale(?), any tip shop on the planet and the Human Powered Cycles yard that I raved about so much last week. There is some real gold in Frunk’s collection.. A Massey Harris track bike from the 1890s, a mint 1950s Kenny Self town bike, a multitude of 1970s girls cruisers and bmx’s blah blah blah etc etc.. but this isn’t the point I wanted to get to.. the point I wanted to raise is that Frunk rescued every single one of these bikes from the tip face! Frunk told us that about 40 years ago he was at the tip dropping off some garden waste when he spotted a discarded kids bike that had nothing wrong with it.. Frunk picked it up, took it home and washed it off for his kids.. and that’s how it all started. He rescued 100s of bikes. Every type of bike you can imagine found a new home in his shed. Long after his kids had grown up and the excuse of ‘I’ll take it home for the little ones to play on’ had worn out, he was still pulling trikes and scooters off the junk heap. Back in those days there were no ‘tip shops’ or recycling centers.. it just all got ploughed into the landfill. Frunks obsession in saving old bikes is a godsend to the biking community.. our heritage has been preserved and stored. Occasionally, for a fee, Frunk will let one of his charges go to a good home where it can be rebirthed and ridden. Now I would tell you where this treasure trove is.. but, nah fk ya!

* We changed ‘Frunks’ name to protect the innocent.. or our own interests anyway..

Revolutionary? Yes. Practical? No.       …’Fixed-cross’ was born on sunday.. the product of an unholy matrimony between a Mountain-cross (or 4X if you prefer) track and a fixed gear bicycle.. The concept emerged from the post boozy friday night minds of four Bottles and Chains riders after watching Danger-Tim roll the Glenorchy Mountain-cross course on his XC bike.. It was suggested that his effort was a tad ‘blousy’ and that we could rail the track faster on our fixies.. ah, and yes, we did attempt to prove this point. The Mountain-cross course was ridden fixed three times, each time a tad faster than the last but just let me state.. no land speed records were being broken. Is this the start of something new? I doubt it.. but at least we’re keeping those BMX’esque ‘Mash-style’ fixed riders honest with a bit of Tasmanian dirt!

(oh god.. who let me touch a key-board pre 9am monday morning sans coffee??)

It’s nearly knock off time at B’n’C headquarters.. and I think beers are on the agenda. Having not indulged since the Iron Maiden concert in Sydney two weeks ago (where I finally got to pilot the plane whilst Captain Jimmy Black took the backseat ride), I think tonight may be the night for some B’n’C riding in the city.. Pub to pub, that is.. We will be heading out to Newtown Oval after work for a bit of er, ..’social’ track racing.. which will be followed by beers with Mr Rossendell and perhaps a ride into town.. on 88-gearinches brakeless of course.. So if ya keen for some beers and bikes tonight, head to Newie Oval and come for the post race roll! Yeuw!

Ok riders, here’s one for everyone who loves the term ‘hipster’ and the rise of ‘custom’ off-the-shelf track bikes. Trend-setting favourite and street-art hype machine Shepard Fairey has found a new way to sell and brand things with his supposedly anti-brand brand. That’s right, you can own your very own Obey/Fuji track bike, complete with matte black paint and gold anodised components. Just what every inner-city Che needs to get around.

US$1,420.00 RRP.Over the counter culture.

Thanks to Quon for the heads-up on this…thing.

Those of you who ride dirt and see heaven as an endless run of singletrack will no doubt know of The Collective. A group of dedicated and inspired film makers who are responsible for two of the finest mountain biking films yet made; The Collective and Roam. There’s something about their films that captures so much of what riding is all about and it’s done with a style that is not seen enough in extreme sports movies. The locations are beautiful, the trails are amazing and the riders have skills that seem impossible at times. The whole package blends into a creation that not only impresses, but usually results in the credits rolling as you’re already strapping on your helmet to go ride.

The kids of The Collective are releasing a new film in April, titled Seasons. It follows seven riders through four seasons of riding and every thing’s captured in the beautiful style that we’ve come to expect.

Go check out the preview, then go for a ride.

              

Craig-C dropped me a line in response to Mashmonster’s and my visit to the Brunswick velodrome on the weekend. He suggested that next time I’m in Melburn that I don some stubbie shorts, put on a Victoria Bitter branded ‘wife beater’ (singlet) and head south to the Packer Park velodrome.

Apparently Packer Park has a bit of a glittery history.. and I like history! “Resurfaced in 2000, it is renowned by past and present Olympians as a great Victorian training and racing venue. Despite its modern surface, the velodrome is steeped in history, being used as a training venue for the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games and by the training squads for the 1960 and 1964 Olympics.  It is now home to the Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club”.

Being Tasmanian, I’m partial to a spot of parochialism (Launceston really DOES suck). Nothing better than a bit of ‘my velodrome is better than yours’ or ‘northern suburbians are latte drinkers, southern Melbourians are pie eating bogans’ banter to fuel the competative fire!! Anyway, Craig’s comment got me to thinking about all the great club rivalries in sport.. Collingwood versus everyone else, Queensland versus NSW in Rugby League,  Hutchins versus St Virgils in our local rowing competition.. I’m pretty sure this extends across all sport, I’m wondering if we could evoke a tad of friendly parochialism within our own ranks? Perhaps at the Single Speed Nationals in Hobart we could get the Bottles and Chains Melburn Chapter to square up against the Hobart mob in a ride off of sorts? How better to get to know our northern (or southern) brothers!

The gauntlet is on the ground gentlemen..

Brad from Perth’s www.neinlives.com.au asked me to post up a plug for the Australian Cycle Messenger Championships being held in Adelaide this coming Easter.

“Come to Adelaide for the Australian Cycle Messenger Championships…. Its gonna be great… Partying, Drinking, Relaxing, Bonding and most importantly of all….. RACING!”

Given the distinct lack of currently practising couriers in Hobart, I think we’d be hard pressed to send a southern representative over (ahem.. Jessie? Time to embrace your cycling culture and take a road trip mate??) …maybe we could send a few former couriers over, I’m sure Sid Taberlay still has his crumpler (insert rolly-eyes here) bag hanging up somewhere. Or perhaps we could send a team of newspaper delivery boys over?? (..now there’s an untapped resource!) Or ‘Blingman’, you could don your ‘Fakenger’ outfit and cycle over on ya carbon ‘faux-lypic’ bike.. haha.. nah.

Anyway check out Nein Lives for more details if ya keen…

Whilst kicking about in Brunswick on the weekend, Mishmash and I stumbled across the ‘Human Powered Cycles’ yard and workshop. We were pretty impressed with the whole operation. Good to see old bicycles being restored and recycled.

“The Human Powered philosophy is about bicycling. It’s about finding healthy, active alternatives to our motorised, electrified society. We love bikes and offer bicycle repairs and servicing of distinctive quality. We’re also passionate about training and education so we host regular training workshops to teach bicycle maintenance skills to cyclists and enthusiasts.”

If you are in Melbourne and need a commuter ride, these guys are probably your boys! Check out the website: www.humanpowered.com.au

After not riding a bike for around a month having been on tour in rain-sodden Queensland and New South Wales, the last few days have been a rediscovery of just how much fun riding is, especially when it’s summer in Hobart. The air is crisp, the sun is hot, and the hills don’t get any easier, but after jumping back on the bike this week, I’ve gotten stoked on riding all over again. I’ve been riding to work with a stupid grin on my dial, waking up sore, remembering that yes, I did have muscles there, and yes, I’d forgotten about them until trying to creak out of bed the day after my first ride for four weeks. Ouch.

Anyway, here are a few photos of my bike, for posterity’s sake. For those of you in Hobart, get out to Newtown Oval tonight at about 6pm for some casual track racing – everyone’s welcome!

Make sure you check out the details for the SS Nationals as well – it’s going to be a silly weekend!

Oh, and Shifter Dan posted this beauty on his site. Spreading the B’n’C gospel! Happy Fridays.