Bottles And Chains

It’s your last chance to do a charitable thing and help out Possum Dave’s older brother (let’s call him Hedgehog Ryan). If you’ve forgotten who he is, he’s that guy who got run over by a Mercedes in London and then got stung with the massive damages bill after he took to their windshield with his bike. There is no justice, there’s just a load of bullshit.

Anyway, go spend some money on a t-shirt and stop the poor guy getting deported!

Oh yeah, and don’t forget to read the post below this one. Alleycat!

See you there!

The Scandal are finally back after almost a year. Come see them play with Lead Sketch Union this Friday at The Brisbane Hotel (Hobart), and Saturday at the Gunners Arms (Launceston). They’re going to be some ripper shows!

The video’s from their Never Hold To Shore launch show last year.

Ok so we’re a bit slow off the mark with this one, but we are in Tasmania after all. Ben picked up a copy of that beast of all hype-beasts, MASH. Yeah yeah, the fixed gear movie not that shitty comedy show. Starts well, with some nice footage of some dudes who are doing pretty impressive stuff, mostly. I’m not going to pretend I can do any of the stuff those guys can handle, but it’s a little BMX-esque when you ignore the fact that they’re riding track bikes. I guess that’s the appeal though. Anyway, there’s some trick riding and lots of general city riding. Then a lot more general city riding with a few more tricks. We get some bar spins, some wheelies, and then a bit more city riding. Fixed gear bikes look smooth as hell when they’re ridden well, but there’s only so much you want to watch. The whole thing should have been cut down to 20 minutes of solid footage, rather than the pad-out it seems to have received.

Anyway, much respect to the guys involved for nailing some crazy fixed gear tricks and putting together the film. The packaging is brilliant, with the DVD being stuck inside the cover of a little book, filled with photos and ridiculous  bike riding prose. I dig it. The subtle printing of skid tracks on the front cover is really nice too.

If you’re keen to see the film I’d recommend buying it rather than ripping it off. The book’s worth seeing, and you may as well support the guys who’ve put a heap of effort into creating something for you to enjoy.

If you’d rather not pay for it, just go watch some of Lucas Brunelle’s stuff, it’s more fun.

I woke up this morning still drunk from a night of bike riding and binge-drinking through the streets of Melbourne. Twenty minutes before we’re due to hit the airport I decide it’s probably about time to pull the bike apart and pack it for the flight over. Good plan, until I round out the pissweak seat post binder bolt, which I happen to need to loosen to remove my seat and get my bike back home. The next half hour was spent swearing at inanimate objects and searching through BnC Mike’s tool box for things to get the damn thing off. In the end brute strength won the day and we ripped the post right out. Lucky I’m such a ripped dude and not a scrawny 60kg wimp. Once we returned to home soil a quick trip up the road sourced materials and things got serious. One hacksaw, a hammer, a screwdriver and an allen key later, all was fixed with minimal tears and no damage.

Little fucker…

 

After months of fruitless searching for a 56square track frame one landed in my lap Friday night.

Dave Welsh handed me this beautiful ‘Ken Self’ frame at the last track meet. It had been hanging in his garage since he last raced it in 1978. Dave was happy for me to have it, as he was keen to see it being raced again.

So today was spent in Clintons garage cleaning it up. The bottom bracket and headset were stuffed but everything else was a-ok. It came equpped with Campy pista cranks, Sugino Super-Mighty ring, some old school track pedals and a Cinelli seat. Nice eh.

Hoping to have this machine up and running for the second round of track racing after christmas!

ah, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree eh? American Dave had this er, ‘altercation’ @ the oval last night.. (Those McCaigs must really hate geared bikes?)

hmm, anyway on a slightly different bent.. the numbers were slightly down on other weeks at track last night. Dave Elleridge only ran one grade so Clinton and I had to race against Steve Rossendell and that young fast guy on the Avanti and sh#t they are quick! We went ok though, managed to hold our own and pull a few 2nd’s out of the hat!