from tRex
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
More pictures from CM this past Friday...
Juan aka Shaka set up a flickr photo set with some pictures from this past Friday. Take a gander when you get the chance...
Any one else with pictures, shoot us a link...
ez!
I got my spokecard....
but some douche bag ran off with the bandanna on my top tube... I hope the bandanna bandit enjoys the smell of sweaty nutz cause the powder wasn't cutting it, thus the bandanna to the rescue! Nutz to the dome s0n, nutz to the dome...
As huggsy all ready pointed out, it was bedlam yesterday at some points of the race. Accidents, angry motorists and fist to cuff action was part of the race and honestly, it made for a damn good race. I mean what's a Orlando Alley Rat Race without that kind of excitement? I happened to come around the corner of the end point right when the 4th place finisher got sucker punched and proceeded to watch all hell break loose. All I kept yelling during the course of the melee was "who's checking people in!" but people seemed to be a tad bit pre-occupied at the moment, go figure... The last person to get a position was Julius @ 5th with Hoylesdead (Patrick) right behind him and I right behind Pat. So if I had to guess my finish, I came in 7th... I wasted a ton of time at the first checkpoint but made it up between the stretch from Dandelion to Kyles Bike shop and then gained more ground from Kyles to Stardust. Knowing the back roads in this area came in really handy and let me make up some serious ground on the leaders without the usual follow the leader types drafting me...
This we do know, Josh Erickson took first and ran a hell of a race. The name of the second place finisher escapes me at the moment and john (with the [ex]beard) came in 3rd. First place womens was Jenny K who finished like 5 minutes after I did. Other than that, I have no clue as to what the placings where because of the prize fight bout that occurred at Fort Mandino.
Some of my highlights from the race:
- Everyone milling around the start point still hungover from the night before. Gatorade and Vitamin Water made a killing that day no doubt.
- Zach and his animal print spandex pants. He looked like a cracked out member of poison
- Greg's wicked burn of Zachs animal print spandex pants. He asked him where he was hiding his cock... For once, Zach didn't have a snappy come back... :)
- the mad sprint from the start to check point 1. there was like 12-15 of us hauling ass down Princeton running lights and passing cars the entire way. We must of easily been doing 25 mph..
- Busting my ass @ the cemetery checkpoint because I couldn't get my foot out of my foot strap. Same thing happened @ critical mass Friday except this time Venice Dave didn't run me over. Pesky foot straps, what can I say....
- The look of bewilderment on peoples faces as racers started coming in to the 7-11 check point. The manifest said we had to go in and buy a snack and it was a madhouse when the all the racers started coming in. Big shout out to the cashiers working as they where especially nice and did their best to get everyone out quickly...
- Hauling ass to Kyles from Dandelion in order to catch up with Andrew and the boys. I got held up @ 7-11 and as a result got separated from the crew. So I pretty much sprinted from 7-11 to Dandelion and then from there to Kyles Bike Shop. Instead of following the main roads, GPS kicked in (Gus Positioning System) and I took the back roads there. Well turns out I passed them in the process and as I was leaving Kyles Bike Shop checkpoint, they were just getting there. I ended up turning on the gas from there and did the same thing from Kyles to Stardust. I was dizzy as all hell when I got to stardust but I passed a lot of people in the process so it was worth it. From there it was just a short run to Nicks house.
- Narrowly missing a head to head collision with Ben when I left stardust. I was haulin' ass out of the 7-11 parking lot next to Stardust heading west on Corrine and Ben was riding against traffic headed east on Corrine, hauling ass was well. We both sort of panicked at first (I think I yelled oh shit) but we both took evasive maneuvers and just clipped each other briefly. Neither of us fell and our bikes where ok. Just made for a mad scary moment for a split second...
- and of course, the Sunday Night Fight at Fort Mandino... 'nuff said...
All in all I had a blast and a big congratulations to Adrien and the volunteers that helped get this bad boy together. As hugs mentioned, it would have been nice to start a bit earlier but the route wasn't long so most finished before it got really dark. I liked the format of the race (no maps) and look forward to some of the other races being planned. From what I heard, there's some good stuff planned for March so keep your peepers open...
Next stop, St Augustine on Feb 9th. 407 represent!
ez!
i want my spoke card!
don't know why, maybe that way i feel as if i won... but all in all the know your chity alley cat was a good time!
who knows what place i came in, as we figure somewhere in the teens, and some other members of the BCH were top ten; but i will let them let you know, either in comments or posts of their own...
why don't i know what place i came in? well after about 5th place they stopped being able to count as a fight broke out with angry motorists... insane...
there were some close calls, some actual carnage, and crazy ladies wishing death on us (as well as taking a swing on some people). i haven't talked directly to teddy yet; but i hear after leading the race through the first few checkpoints he had an unfortunate collision with another cyclist sending the other cyclist to the hospital and taking teddy out of the race... also heard someone went face first into a curb at the first checkpoint that will require a visit to a dentist. at the end of the race there was an altercation and some words with a motorist that ended up with the fourth place finisher getting sucker punched in the face. and finally the crazy lady at corrine and winter park road, apparently very upset that cyclist were running the light... she was very agitated, screaming about calling the cops, taking swings on cyclists, and wishing death upon us... bat shit crazy.
for an impromptu race it went well.. by the time i registered they were already out of spoke cards, but i did get an i.o.u.. also, i would have liked to see it start sooner to take more advantage of the daylight. (the start time would have been fine in the summer when there is more daylight, but hey this is january!) and some checkpoints were let not manned when the people started rolling in, but hey, all in all it was a fun time...
my stats -- 12.6 mi, 16.9 avg mph, 26.1 top mph -- just like a tuesday night :)
-hugs
who knows what place i came in, as we figure somewhere in the teens, and some other members of the BCH were top ten; but i will let them let you know, either in comments or posts of their own...
why don't i know what place i came in? well after about 5th place they stopped being able to count as a fight broke out with angry motorists... insane...
there were some close calls, some actual carnage, and crazy ladies wishing death on us (as well as taking a swing on some people). i haven't talked directly to teddy yet; but i hear after leading the race through the first few checkpoints he had an unfortunate collision with another cyclist sending the other cyclist to the hospital and taking teddy out of the race... also heard someone went face first into a curb at the first checkpoint that will require a visit to a dentist. at the end of the race there was an altercation and some words with a motorist that ended up with the fourth place finisher getting sucker punched in the face. and finally the crazy lady at corrine and winter park road, apparently very upset that cyclist were running the light... she was very agitated, screaming about calling the cops, taking swings on cyclists, and wishing death upon us... bat shit crazy.
for an impromptu race it went well.. by the time i registered they were already out of spoke cards, but i did get an i.o.u.. also, i would have liked to see it start sooner to take more advantage of the daylight. (the start time would have been fine in the summer when there is more daylight, but hey this is january!) and some checkpoints were let not manned when the people started rolling in, but hey, all in all it was a fun time...
my stats -- 12.6 mi, 16.9 avg mph, 26.1 top mph -- just like a tuesday night :)
-hugs
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Saturday Night Fixed Trickery is a go tonight!
Rain or shine it doesn't matter, we're still getting our trick on... Meet up is at Bull and Bush @ 9:30pm... We'll grab a pint and depending on the weather, we'll either hit the usual lot or hit the garage we hit last week...
ez!
The bike portraits from last night...
are fuking awesome! Great job Mel & Jules... Click on any of the images below to view the entire photo set...
and last but not least, kyle and his purple under-roos...
ez!
and last but not least, kyle and his purple under-roos...
ez!
Friday, January 25, 2008
get one while they're hot!
homeboy is selling 650c front Spinergy Rev-X clinchers. 8 of 'em.
$120 each! (without skewers, but you can get 'em from Spinergy)
http://velospace.org/node/7761
Hope everyone had a rad digital sass, i'll be out ridin and partying tonight- don't be a stranger.
$120 each! (without skewers, but you can get 'em from Spinergy)
http://velospace.org/node/7761
Hope everyone had a rad digital sass, i'll be out ridin and partying tonight- don't be a stranger.
Critical Mass 01-25-08
First one of the year, so lets start off strong! After party @ Retro City Cycles with a keg o' beer... Lets float that bitch shall we?
Planned route here. Anyone interested in helping out today hit Nick up @ the meet up point. We need people to help cork and pass on communication between the front and back of the mass...
ez!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Slow tuesday's
Last tuesday there was a bit of rain so we played it safe and did not ride hard.
Here are some pics from Juan.
And here are a couple from myself.
Don't forget about Critical MASS bitches!
Here are some pics from Juan.
And here are a couple from myself.
Don't forget about Critical MASS bitches!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Just a reminder....
in case you busted your ass doing a skid, landed on your head and got 3 staples as a result......
We also have BC Hustle tonight for that last minute race training and of course, Critical Mass on Friday... Saturday there is the Tangerine Festival in Jax which is free to enter. And for those of you not venturing to Jacksonville that day, Saturday Night Fixed Trickery will be in full effect this week as well. Click on the choreographed ghey-ness below to view Mels photoset from the last soggy one we had...
Oh yeah this is going to be a dope weekend!
ez!
We also have BC Hustle tonight for that last minute race training and of course, Critical Mass on Friday... Saturday there is the Tangerine Festival in Jax which is free to enter. And for those of you not venturing to Jacksonville that day, Saturday Night Fixed Trickery will be in full effect this week as well. Click on the choreographed ghey-ness below to view Mels photoset from the last soggy one we had...
Oh yeah this is going to be a dope weekend!
ez!
PETE!!
okay, so lets take it back to the early 90's... coming home from school and flipping on arguably the best kids show ever... The Adventures of Pete and Pete. I mean with that kick ass opening theme by Polaris (Hey Sandy) and Steve Buscemi and Iggy Pop as regular cast members (along with appearances by Lucious Jackson, Chris Elliott, Janeane Garofalo, Debbie Harry, and LL Cool J to name a few) this show was on my must watch list.
So that is that the only bit of 90's nostalgia i have for you? not at all... how about nada surf (remember that popular song?)and their quirky indie rock style? now that was some good times...
so what does that have to do with anything? well nada surf are still putting out good albums, and they have a new video.
from stereogum.com :
"New Nada Surf Video - "Whose Authority" (Stereogum Premiere)
Nada Surf's new Jonathan Krisel-directed video for "Whose Authority," from the forthcoming Lucky, stars Michael C. Maronna, who you should all remember as the elder Pete from The Adventures Of Pete and Pete. Classic. Here, instead of dealing with his pain-in-the-ass kid brother or doing those sensitive wise-beyond-his-teenage-years voice overs, he's working as a bad-ass bicycle messenger delivering packages around Manhattan after leaving his Brooklyn crib. En route he disrupts pigeons, chats with other two-wheeled friends, kicks over traffic cones, knocks on buses, and narrowly escapes collisions with taxi doors before heading back over the Wiliamsburg bridge and calling it a day. Yes, home to that cool place MTV told us about. Gosh we hope Kyp says hi this time."
pete on a mf'n fixed gear son!
<3 hugs
So that is that the only bit of 90's nostalgia i have for you? not at all... how about nada surf (remember that popular song?)and their quirky indie rock style? now that was some good times...
so what does that have to do with anything? well nada surf are still putting out good albums, and they have a new video.
from stereogum.com :
"New Nada Surf Video - "Whose Authority" (Stereogum Premiere)
Nada Surf's new Jonathan Krisel-directed video for "Whose Authority," from the forthcoming Lucky, stars Michael C. Maronna, who you should all remember as the elder Pete from The Adventures Of Pete and Pete. Classic. Here, instead of dealing with his pain-in-the-ass kid brother or doing those sensitive wise-beyond-his-teenage-years voice overs, he's working as a bad-ass bicycle messenger delivering packages around Manhattan after leaving his Brooklyn crib. En route he disrupts pigeons, chats with other two-wheeled friends, kicks over traffic cones, knocks on buses, and narrowly escapes collisions with taxi doors before heading back over the Wiliamsburg bridge and calling it a day. Yes, home to that cool place MTV told us about. Gosh we hope Kyp says hi this time."
pete on a mf'n fixed gear son!
<3 hugs
Monday, January 21, 2008
council of doom
Doom Presents: full-length teaser trailer from wolfgang on Vimeo.
speaking of videos, anyone in town pick up the bootleg sessions? i would love to see that..
-hugs
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The weather is f'ing awesome, lets go for a ride...
13.98 miles starting from Stardust and spanning downtown, college park, Florida hospital and ending back up @ Stardust.. So far hugh, metha, teddy & I are down, any interested parties hit us up on the 407 hotline...
ez!
ez!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Damn..........
Looks like the awesome percentage has dropped to 30 due to the rain... It's supposed to start raining heavily this afternoon and not let up until early in the morning tomorrow.. This could dampen our plans for Saturday Night Fixed Trickery. Hopefully it will blow through quick...
As of right now everything still a go, meet up is still at the same place. Spoke with Melissa and she said she's bringing lights and a backdrop to take some proper pictures tonight if we do meet up. I'm also charging the camera so hope you all practiced this week.
It's just wait and see right now...
ez!
As of right now everything still a go, meet up is still at the same place. Spoke with Melissa and she said she's bringing lights and a backdrop to take some proper pictures tonight if we do meet up. I'm also charging the camera so hope you all practiced this week.
It's just wait and see right now...
ez!
Friday, January 18, 2008
reason #548 to ride to work
it can be lucrative! i found a five dollar bill on my ride to work.
good way to start the day :)
-hugs
good way to start the day :)
-hugs
Thursday, January 17, 2008
the doesn't have a damn thing to do with bikes post...
Malibu Gets Owned!
Make sure you catch the one on one interview at the end....
ez!
thursday already?
this weekend's agenda is short. saturday night we will be out carving up the parking lot at livingston and bumby... meet up at the bull and bush by 9, we will be there.
tricks son, tricks!
see ya there!
p.s. -- Saturday Night: partly cloudy. A chance of evening showers. Breezy. Much colder. Lows around 40. Chance of rain 30 percent.
that puts the chance of awesome right at 70% :)
-hugs
tricks son, tricks!
see ya there!
p.s. -- Saturday Night: partly cloudy. A chance of evening showers. Breezy. Much colder. Lows around 40. Chance of rain 30 percent.
that puts the chance of awesome right at 70% :)
-hugs
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Info on the Jax race....
Click on the image to get the straight dope on the race off the burro bags blog.. Not only does this race coincide with a festival, but it's also free!
I'm still unsure whether or not I will be able to get out of town for this one.. Anyone planning on going?
ez!
monkey footdown...
and if that isn't enough check bikesnobnyc's post about lance armstrong on a tall bike.
oh, and speaking of tall bikes... is that a foot on the back tire skid i spy?
i think it was...
-hugs
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
centurion with the black magz-magz-magz!
or silver magz in this case! Starting to get these wheelie stalls down...
Click on the image for Mel & Julius Giro d' Tampa photoset....
ez!
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Up Coming Velodrome Race.
Heads up 407 there is an upcoming velodrome race at Brian Piccolo Park in Miami.
The dates aren't set, but it looks like late April, early May.
This is just a warning. Don't mean to sound like an ass, but 407 needs to step it up a notch. Maybe one of the Black Cat Hustle rides needs to be taken to the Super Toughness Velodrome located here, right in the middle of O'town. AKA the Howard Middle School track. We can practice Keirin style races, scratch races, miss and out races, unknown distance races, and so many more. Look here for details of these races and more.
We are doing awesome as a group. Tuesday's hustle ride is helping us get into shape, and Saturday's fix trickery is making us a little fancier. (Did i mention that i love saturday nights! If you haven't made it out for Saturday's trickery night, then you're really missing out.)
Let's keep up the work that we have been doing and help each other take it to the next level.
So put on your fastest gears, and shortest cranks, cause there is no traffic to watch for and we are going to be hauling ass!!! Oh and while you are at it get rid of those silly riser bars cause i'm sure they are not NJS approved.
Word to your mothers!
The dates aren't set, but it looks like late April, early May.
This is just a warning. Don't mean to sound like an ass, but 407 needs to step it up a notch. Maybe one of the Black Cat Hustle rides needs to be taken to the Super Toughness Velodrome located here, right in the middle of O'town. AKA the Howard Middle School track. We can practice Keirin style races, scratch races, miss and out races, unknown distance races, and so many more. Look here for details of these races and more.
We are doing awesome as a group. Tuesday's hustle ride is helping us get into shape, and Saturday's fix trickery is making us a little fancier. (Did i mention that i love saturday nights! If you haven't made it out for Saturday's trickery night, then you're really missing out.)
Let's keep up the work that we have been doing and help each other take it to the next level.
So put on your fastest gears, and shortest cranks, cause there is no traffic to watch for and we are going to be hauling ass!!! Oh and while you are at it get rid of those silly riser bars cause i'm sure they are not NJS approved.
Word to your mothers!
Stats from Giro d'Tampa.
I tried to go check the stats from the race on my computer this morning and noticed that they got erased so this is from what i can remember.
Distance: 26.5 miles
Top Speed: 28.5 mph
Average Speed: 16.5 mph
Total time: 1.6 hrs.(calculated from specs above)
This is mostly Julius, Kevin, and my specs. We hung together most of the time and got a bit lost, but thanks to Julius we got back on track. Julius actually ended up guiding most of the way and Kevin pulled the group. I was just there to keep the specs. Great job guys, thanks.
Check out the photos!!! Looks like team 407 is ready to go.
Distance: 26.5 miles
Top Speed: 28.5 mph
Average Speed: 16.5 mph
Total time: 1.6 hrs.(calculated from specs above)
This is mostly Julius, Kevin, and my specs. We hung together most of the time and got a bit lost, but thanks to Julius we got back on track. Julius actually ended up guiding most of the way and Kevin pulled the group. I was just there to keep the specs. Great job guys, thanks.
Check out the photos!!! Looks like team 407 is ready to go.
Giro d' Tampa recap...
Well folks, this race had everything!
Bike wrecks, crazy bike kidz rollin' through the ghetto, verbal harassment from Tampa drivers, Nick getting hit by a car (more on that later), chaos through the intersections and lots and lots of good times with fellow bike riders...
Editors Note:
The rest of this post was removed because a few douche bags are using this to fuel a rather stupid beef between Tampa and Orlando. Once again, all of us here at 407fixedgear.com have nothing but respect for the Tampa /St Pete scene. Every time we have been to a race in your city, we have had nothing but good times and have been treated well by the majority of the people we dealt with. My comments regarding two assholes in particular where aimed at these two assholes and in no way where a blanket statement of the scene there. It's quite evident that some people are content to take my comments out of context in order to fuel this asinine beef. I thought I had made myself clear on this time and time again but it seems that a few of you (in both cites mind you) have constantly referred to either the post or comments that resulted from the original post in order to keep some pathetic drama going. If you are the kind of person whose life is unfulfilled and have to resort to lame interweb drama in order to add some excitement in to your life, then consider the source of your entertainment gone......
In closing, I would like to remind each and every one of you that life is too short for petty squabbling. This isn't no west coast /east coast rap ego feast nor should you let your enjoyment of the Florida Bike Scene be dictated by a few bored internet trolls. We all do what we do because we love it and that should always be the main reason we continue to move forward....
In other words, go ride a bike and let this shit die all ready... :)
ez!
Bike wrecks, crazy bike kidz rollin' through the ghetto, verbal harassment from Tampa drivers, Nick getting hit by a car (more on that later), chaos through the intersections and lots and lots of good times with fellow bike riders...
Editors Note:
The rest of this post was removed because a few douche bags are using this to fuel a rather stupid beef between Tampa and Orlando. Once again, all of us here at 407fixedgear.com have nothing but respect for the Tampa /St Pete scene. Every time we have been to a race in your city, we have had nothing but good times and have been treated well by the majority of the people we dealt with. My comments regarding two assholes in particular where aimed at these two assholes and in no way where a blanket statement of the scene there. It's quite evident that some people are content to take my comments out of context in order to fuel this asinine beef. I thought I had made myself clear on this time and time again but it seems that a few of you (in both cites mind you) have constantly referred to either the post or comments that resulted from the original post in order to keep some pathetic drama going. If you are the kind of person whose life is unfulfilled and have to resort to lame interweb drama in order to add some excitement in to your life, then consider the source of your entertainment gone......
In closing, I would like to remind each and every one of you that life is too short for petty squabbling. This isn't no west coast /east coast rap ego feast nor should you let your enjoyment of the Florida Bike Scene be dictated by a few bored internet trolls. We all do what we do because we love it and that should always be the main reason we continue to move forward....
In other words, go ride a bike and let this shit die all ready... :)
ez!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Awards Ceremony
Results taken from http://flfixed.com
OVERALL WINNERS
1. David Green 1:20:45 (SS)
2. Kelby Roberts 1:20:48 (SS)
FIXED M
1. Michael Davis 1:22:40
2. B.C. 1:22:41
FIXED F
1. Carol Davis
2. Rene Boucher
3. Camille Young
FIRST OUT OF TOWN
Eric the Biking Viking
DFL
Jon Arias [i'm disappointed in you, Hank and Todd]
SPRINT BONUS
Pete Young
I GOT RAN THE F OVER AWARDS
Tie: Joe Donohue and Nick Mandino
Totals:
Eighty-Seven Starters.
Finish Order:
1. David Green
2. Kelby Roberts
3. Michael Davis
4. B.C.
5. David Horst
6. Danny Noriega
7. Eric the Viking
8. Will Trautman
9. Corey Jordan
10. Andrew Bridgman
11. Neil Collom
12. Luciano Trevisol
13. Jeremy Dawson
14. Adam Newman
15. Josh Fairbanks
16. Chris K.
17. Nate Young
18. Carol Davis
19. Greg Lavida
20. Kevin Bradnan aka ktb (407)
21. Metha D. (407)
22. Julius Santiago (407)
23. Tim Kelsch
24. Rene Boucher
25. Josh Erickson (407)
26. Hugh W. aka hugs (407)
27. Gus Hernandez aka tbm (407)
28. Justin Bowen (407)
29. Tony Baldick
30. Ryan Carter
31. Brandon Fackler aka Teddy (407)
32. David Mackinnon
33. Mike Peterson
34. Lou Erste
35. Josh Gonzalez
36. Camille Young
37. Agnes Shaffer
38. JJ Levin
39. Andrew Curry (407)
40. Robb Hoemang
41. Eric Roberts
42. LukeStrickland
43. Mike Pasuit
44. Chris Magner
45. Karen Russel (F4)
46. Jonathan Warzybok
47. Jim Vanbruckner
48. Amanda Pokrony (F5) (407)
49. Aaron Walter
50. Tony Medina
51. Dave Bloch
52. Laz Espinoza
53. Sam Ceckowski
54. Win Utermohlen
55. Trevor Boddy
56. John Arbin
57. Spencer W.
58. Gerry Moersdorf
59. Melissa Smith (F6) (407)
60. Jeremy Quijano
61. Scotty Riopel
62. Tyler Jopek
63. Brian Hastings
64. John Riopel
65. Todd Siegle
66. Hank Drunkypants
67. Patrick Hannon
68. Jon Arias
We're off to Tampa!
the 407 fixed gear crew is off to Tampa for the Giro d' Tampa. Wish us luck! Expect tons of on the scene reports as the day goes on... Mobile blogging ownz us all!
Also, Saturday Night Fixed Trickery will return next Saturday so get your risers on and practice your form because I will be shooting video that night and this time I swear I'm not recording over the good shit! (longest run on sentence ever)
Keep watching this space for updates on the race today.....
ez!
Also, Saturday Night Fixed Trickery will return next Saturday so get your risers on and practice your form because I will be shooting video that night and this time I swear I'm not recording over the good shit! (longest run on sentence ever)
Keep watching this space for updates on the race today.....
ez!
Friday, January 11, 2008
oh and...
cause some people didn't believe me, here it is...
"This frame is made with bamboo fiber wrapped joints on black bamboo. The handelbars are real steer horns from Texas. The rims are birch wood from Italy laced up on Phil Wood hubs. The saddle is a leather Selle Anatomica from Wisconsin. This bike is fully ridable, plenty stiff and is for sale."
yea that's right bull horn bull horns, and disc brakes...
-hugs
"This frame is made with bamboo fiber wrapped joints on black bamboo. The handelbars are real steer horns from Texas. The rims are birch wood from Italy laced up on Phil Wood hubs. The saddle is a leather Selle Anatomica from Wisconsin. This bike is fully ridable, plenty stiff and is for sale."
yea that's right bull horn bull horns, and disc brakes...
-hugs
critical!
okay... so we really want to grow critical mass, we want to make orlando a more bike friendly city. that being said, i am going to touch on a few things that i have heard come up from people.
critical mass is for ALL bicycles. it is not a fixed gear or a road bike thing. this is a ride for cruisers, bmx, tricycles, or anything else pedal powered. critical mass is NOT a fixed gear ride! (and not all fixed gear riders are dicks and stuck up assholes, but that is another post/fight) i have heard from more than one person that they were intimidated by mass because they don't ride a certain kind of bike, they are afraid of not being able to keep up, or they will not be accepted by the other riders. this is not the case by any means! we are working hard to make this ride accessible for novice and hardcore riders alike.
also, people complain about being confused as where we are going... so for the jan 25, 2008 critical mass here you go...
View Larger Map
the ride this month will end at retro city cycles, thanks to dan for his hospitality.
aside from this, we are doing some work behind the scenes to make this ride smoother and more enjoyable for everyone involved... i hope to continue to see this ride grow as we try to make orlando a more mature city.
-hugs
critical mass is for ALL bicycles. it is not a fixed gear or a road bike thing. this is a ride for cruisers, bmx, tricycles, or anything else pedal powered. critical mass is NOT a fixed gear ride! (and not all fixed gear riders are dicks and stuck up assholes, but that is another post/fight) i have heard from more than one person that they were intimidated by mass because they don't ride a certain kind of bike, they are afraid of not being able to keep up, or they will not be accepted by the other riders. this is not the case by any means! we are working hard to make this ride accessible for novice and hardcore riders alike.
also, people complain about being confused as where we are going... so for the jan 25, 2008 critical mass here you go...
View Larger Map
the ride this month will end at retro city cycles, thanks to dan for his hospitality.
aside from this, we are doing some work behind the scenes to make this ride smoother and more enjoyable for everyone involved... i hope to continue to see this ride grow as we try to make orlando a more mature city.
-hugs
Thursday, January 10, 2008
thursday already?
yes yes it is... and i also think this is my first post this week. where have i been? well working... man i wish i could do nothing but sleep in and ride my bike; but no, i have to pay them bills.
why? so i can buy bike parts, beer, and do things like race in tampa!
thats right, 407 is taking a road trip this weekend! even though metha seems to be going in the wrong direction, the rest of us will be braving i4 headed south, i mean west.
so my what to do this weekend post is short and sweet; all my energy is being spent getting my game face on.
for everyone came out for our trick night last saturday and want to come out again; we will be back next weekend, saturday the 19th, carving up those parking lots.
-hugs
why? so i can buy bike parts, beer, and do things like race in tampa!
thats right, 407 is taking a road trip this weekend! even though metha seems to be going in the wrong direction, the rest of us will be braving i4 headed south, i mean west.
so my what to do this weekend post is short and sweet; all my energy is being spent getting my game face on.
for everyone came out for our trick night last saturday and want to come out again; we will be back next weekend, saturday the 19th, carving up those parking lots.
-hugs
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Races Races and more Races......
Giro d' Tampa this Saturday, more info here
Tangerine Fest Bike Race Jan 26th Jacksonville Fl, more info here
Local Knowledge Alley Cat Jan 27th Orlando Fl, more info here
Other races not yet verified, St Augustine on Feb 9th. Anyone with info hit me up...
Definitely racing Tampa and Orlando, perhaps Jacksonville if I can break out of town that weekend.. Who else is hitting Trampa this weekend? I hear a decent Orlando contingent is making it out..
ez!
Tangerine Fest Bike Race Jan 26th Jacksonville Fl, more info here
Local Knowledge Alley Cat Jan 27th Orlando Fl, more info here
Other races not yet verified, St Augustine on Feb 9th. Anyone with info hit me up...
Definitely racing Tampa and Orlando, perhaps Jacksonville if I can break out of town that weekend.. Who else is hitting Trampa this weekend? I hear a decent Orlando contingent is making it out..
ez!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Hanging @ the bar after the ride...
Metha, Kevin, Zach and I hit 33 mph on the Aloma S curve.. Hells yeah!
ez!
the hustle is on for tonight!
8:00 meet up @ stardust, 8:30 we split! Come get yer speed on.........
ez!
ez!
Monday, January 7, 2008
check out our first corny video...
Saturday Night Fixed Trickery - outtakes from tbm on Vimeo.
This is the first time I attempt to make a video montage and like a dumb arse, I recorded over the best footage of the night all because I didn't fast forward after previewing on the camera. So all the cool footage of metha and his no handed wheelie track-stands, Kevins long ass smoking tire skid and all the other cool shots from the night where lost. I made this with the remaining footage I had left over. If anything, it does a good job of capturing the vibe of the night...
The tune is Sing a Song by Statistics...
ez!
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
help me out...
in my internet travels i recently came across a site/company that has thee best- hands down!- top tube pads on the planet. totally customizable, two sided, choose from like 150 patterns/fabrics: checkered, houndstooth, metallics, asian art themes- really standout patterns and contruction. i wasn't in the market for one at the time but, now that i am, i cant find that company/site. it wasn't reload, yanco, or any other easily seaarchable site. let me know if you know what i'm talking about.
bootleg sessions:
there's a few more promo trailers on the cadence site (cadenceclothing.net). look for the bootleg sessions link on the left.
Thursday, January 3, 2008
it is thursday...
so that means i start thinking about the weekend; and what better way to think about something than write it out on the interwebs for everyone to read.
well lets start off with a good god damn to how cold it was this morning.. i wimped out and drove my car to work today, as i do not have any cold weather gear that would have gotten me to work this morning. the weather forecast shows an improvement for the weekend, should be up to 40 friday and 50 on saturday; those numbers are definitely manageable.
friday is pay day for me, so if anyone is interested in riding to the bar and enjoying some adult beverages let me know... other than that, i know nothing (except it will be time to order some mks chain tensioners, and maybe a hat, from trackstarnyc...)
saturday though... saturday will be the second meeting of... well i don't think we have a clever (or not so clever) name for this night yet. saturday nights is a fixed gear ride, and this is only because it is a night where we work on fixed gear tricks. last saturday we all met up at the bull and bush at 9 and rode over to a near by parking lot where we worked on the tricks that you never get the chance to work on. thats right... wheelies, skids, trackstands, backwards circles, and all that other show off shit.
this night is also a night for videophiles; that's right, as bikesnobnyc pointed out a little while ago, nothing is hotter on youtube than fixed gear videos. we tried with limited success to get a few (don't worry teddy, i won't post those videos on here till i get one of you actually pulling it off) but the opening night pressure got the best of us. it is time to break out all those cameras again; you are going to see wheelies in jesus saves park, you are going to see skids in front of the airport, and you are going to see blackshaw bomb jenny k's steps to the street up here on 407. why? cause it only counts if it is on the interwebs :) so if you are into photography or video production let us know if you like to get involved.
wow, i can ramble with the best of them...
anyway back to the weekend, and sunday, sunday, sunday!!! how about another jaunt down cady way trail? why that sounds wonderful! how about a ride at a casual pace? why that sounds divine! -- so there we go, meet up 2:30 - 3 at stardust and we will ride out around 3. all bikes are welcome and we should pace 10-14 mph. come out, have fun, and spread the word on this one (cause i still live in a cave and can only reach whoever reads this...)
and of course don't forget tuesdays and the black cat hustle (forecast shows a low of 58) the best place to show off just how fast you are! (i hear the blood ninja's kick it pretty fast too; but i don't know enough about their ride to fill you in on it.)
-hugs
well lets start off with a good god damn to how cold it was this morning.. i wimped out and drove my car to work today, as i do not have any cold weather gear that would have gotten me to work this morning. the weather forecast shows an improvement for the weekend, should be up to 40 friday and 50 on saturday; those numbers are definitely manageable.
friday is pay day for me, so if anyone is interested in riding to the bar and enjoying some adult beverages let me know... other than that, i know nothing (except it will be time to order some mks chain tensioners, and maybe a hat, from trackstarnyc...)
saturday though... saturday will be the second meeting of... well i don't think we have a clever (or not so clever) name for this night yet. saturday nights is a fixed gear ride, and this is only because it is a night where we work on fixed gear tricks. last saturday we all met up at the bull and bush at 9 and rode over to a near by parking lot where we worked on the tricks that you never get the chance to work on. thats right... wheelies, skids, trackstands, backwards circles, and all that other show off shit.
this night is also a night for videophiles; that's right, as bikesnobnyc pointed out a little while ago, nothing is hotter on youtube than fixed gear videos. we tried with limited success to get a few (don't worry teddy, i won't post those videos on here till i get one of you actually pulling it off) but the opening night pressure got the best of us. it is time to break out all those cameras again; you are going to see wheelies in jesus saves park, you are going to see skids in front of the airport, and you are going to see blackshaw bomb jenny k's steps to the street up here on 407. why? cause it only counts if it is on the interwebs :) so if you are into photography or video production let us know if you like to get involved.
wow, i can ramble with the best of them...
anyway back to the weekend, and sunday, sunday, sunday!!! how about another jaunt down cady way trail? why that sounds wonderful! how about a ride at a casual pace? why that sounds divine! -- so there we go, meet up 2:30 - 3 at stardust and we will ride out around 3. all bikes are welcome and we should pace 10-14 mph. come out, have fun, and spread the word on this one (cause i still live in a cave and can only reach whoever reads this...)
and of course don't forget tuesdays and the black cat hustle (forecast shows a low of 58) the best place to show off just how fast you are! (i hear the blood ninja's kick it pretty fast too; but i don't know enough about their ride to fill you in on it.)
-hugs
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
So lets talk about Critical Mass....
As ol' hugs pointed out, things have really progressed in the 407 during the course of the 2007 year. Even though I'm hesitant to use the word "scene", one can't help but notice that something of a bike culture has developed here. Where things used to be relegated to a few different groups going on individual rides every so often, we have now become a bit of a community with riders coming together to go on group rides and celebrate one of the things we all have in common; our love of the bicycle. As a result of this, CM attendance has gotten better and with it, some of the confusion that affect CM rides in other cities are starting to come to play here as well.
At the after party @ Nicks house, I spoke with a lot of different peeps about the ride in general. While an over whelming majority had a blast riding as a group, a few people mentioned to me that at times there was a lot of confusion regarding the route and what riders should do if they get separated from the mass by traffic signals, cars and what not. IMO, a big part of the confusion this month dealt with the new route we took in addition to the complications presented when a freight train that blocked access in to the downtown area at many of the key intersections of the route. As a result, Nick and those leading the mass had to be very creative in how to get around the new obstacle. While many if not all where understanding of this, a few did mention that there seems to be a lot of confusion regarding traffic signals at intersections. Do we stop and obey the signal? Do we run through the light and make the vehicles stop for us? What about emergency vehicles? All of these are good questions that could not be easily answered because at some intersections we stopped while @ others we just "mashed" through so to speak... While it's a no brainer when it comes to emergency vehicles (get the hell out of the way and let them through), traffic signals present another issue completely. It's hard for me to answer this point specifically simply because I tend to be a chronic violator of traffic signals when I ride by myself. I completely understand that this option is not very viable (nor safe) when you are dealing with a group of 70+ people any many feel this issue needs to be addressed at the beginning of the ride. Especially for the newer riders that are starting to show up every month...
The last thing people brought to my attention was how big the gaps in the mass became at some places. When this happened, it went from being a mass and devolved in to small groups of bike riders that cars could then bully more easily. IMO, this defeats the very purpose of the CM ride and moving forward, we need to actively watch for this. I saw many instances of riders in the back getting harassed by drivers simply because it was much easier for the drivers to do so when it's just 8-10 people...
So I'm opening it up to you guys at this point; what do you think and what can we do to avoid some of this confusion? Keep in mind I'm not trying to advocate for a series of rules or regulations we have to follow, just trying to use the platform we have here at our disposal in order to clear up the confusion that seemed to plague the ride this month. We are actually pretty fortunate cops here in Orlando are pretty mellow compared to other cities. Some of the behavior exhibited by some riders in this and past rides is the kind of things the Po-niner us
At the after party @ Nicks house, I spoke with a lot of different peeps about the ride in general. While an over whelming majority had a blast riding as a group, a few people mentioned to me that at times there was a lot of confusion regarding the route and what riders should do if they get separated from the mass by traffic signals, cars and what not. IMO, a big part of the confusion this month dealt with the new route we took in addition to the complications presented when a freight train that blocked access in to the downtown area at many of the key intersections of the route. As a result, Nick and those leading the mass had to be very creative in how to get around the new obstacle. While many if not all where understanding of this, a few did mention that there seems to be a lot of confusion regarding traffic signals at intersections. Do we stop and obey the signal? Do we run through the light and make the vehicles stop for us? What about emergency vehicles? All of these are good questions that could not be easily answered because at some intersections we stopped while @ others we just "mashed" through so to speak... While it's a no brainer when it comes to emergency vehicles (get the hell out of the way and let them through), traffic signals present another issue completely. It's hard for me to answer this point specifically simply because I tend to be a chronic violator of traffic signals when I ride by myself. I completely understand that this option is not very viable (nor safe) when you are dealing with a group of 70+ people any many feel this issue needs to be addressed at the beginning of the ride. Especially for the newer riders that are starting to show up every month...
The last thing people brought to my attention was how big the gaps in the mass became at some places. When this happened, it went from being a mass and devolved in to small groups of bike riders that cars could then bully more easily. IMO, this defeats the very purpose of the CM ride and moving forward, we need to actively watch for this. I saw many instances of riders in the back getting harassed by drivers simply because it was much easier for the drivers to do so when it's just 8-10 people...
So I'm opening it up to you guys at this point; what do you think and what can we do to avoid some of this confusion? Keep in mind I'm not trying to advocate for a series of rules or regulations we have to follow, just trying to use the platform we have here at our disposal in order to clear up the confusion that seemed to plague the ride this month. We are actually pretty fortunate cops here in Orlando are pretty mellow compared to other cities. Some of the behavior exhibited by some riders in this and past rides is the kind of things the Po-niner us