pyjamas and wheelbuilding

so i find myself with some time on my hands. time to think about just how perfect pyjamas are for building wheels in, and put it to the test. this mornings wheel brings the total in the house to 12. i have a very tolerant girlfriend, only 2 of them are hers :-) but as any bike nerd knows, each one is special for its own reasons. and yes im talking about bike wheels here. this mornings wheel is a rigida dp18 built on a white industries eccentric eno with dt swiss competition spokes, to be used on my cyclocross bike. if all goes according to plan in races, either fixed or singlespeed, i havent decided.



i also finally got round to making a base for the wheeltrueing stand, which is important as its gonna get even more use over the coming days. last saturday night saw a sneaky conversion of a donated shimano 105 road hub from 7 to 9 speed freehub body, and a shimano deore lx mtb hub from 9 to 7 speed. the lx hub is only being used as a singlespeed anyway, and this means i have a set of road hubs to discover is there really is anything to the idea that tubular tires are the better

bed time reading

lots of nice shiny wheels are being built in the living room of the beach house these days. i even built one for money. kind of the opposite of normal. being paid to build a wheel rather than paying to build a wheel. but without getting to ride it, so kinda like being given a bar of chocolate for free and not being able to eat it i guess... anyway it was fun fantasizing with the idea of writing 'wheel builder' in the profession section of visa forms or questionnaires.



i feel like a bike nerd for thinking this, but this book is bloody marvelous!

no more piece of wood and hammer

what can i say, im a sucker for that new tool smell. now its not that my trusty block of wood and nice big hammer havent served me well over the years, in fact many a chris king headset has been put into a custom built frame using this method, to the horror of any onlookers. but when a good deal comes a long, its hard to pass the opportunity by to expand my tool collection



so the sycip starts its 3rd incarnation with new powdercoat and reinforced disc mount. jay and jeremy did a wonderful job as usual. great to have another excuse to buy new bike bits again. this time around the sycip will have less gears, but i doubt thats gonna leave any money over for me to have more beers. see you at sswc10 in rotorua?

old and new toys

got the snowboard out on a swiss hill a week ago. first time cartwheeling down the slopes in about 5 years! i gotta say that switzerland is a(n expensive,) well organised country. catch the tram to bern central station, put your credit card in the ticket machine and next thing you know you have a train/bus/ski lift ticket and youre ready to go. faster, cheaper and easier than going by car



and to reward myself for making it up and down the hill so many times without serious injury, i bought some new bike parts. been wanting to try this little innovation for a while now. supposedly lighter and stronger than conventional rails. actually way lighter than a thomson seatpost and a slr saddle. doesnt seem to have taken off tho, so theyre nice and cheap on crc. time will tell if theyre as comfortable and durable i suppose. so far so good tho

hairy legs on the track

last week was my first time on the amsterdam velodrome, and i admit i was a little intimidated. its 200m long compared to the 250m im used in alkmaar which means the turns are considerably steeper and sharper. and when i say im used to alkmaar, after only 4 times thats being a little generous with confidence. so with this confident generosity, my best dutch and a bike i rode there and cleaned in the parking lot, i talked my way into a free training session. needless to say, me and fish were the only people on the track without shaven legs but we put on our best lycra and fish even broke out his chrome bmx helmet for the occasion, i'll try get photos next time. speaking of photos, riding to work just started looking up...



turns out there is a sweet network of trails just waiting to be strung together each morning thru the multitude of little green areas between home and work. perfect cyclocross bike territory, finally. otherwise a stroll along the beach promenade is always an option. apparently the beach is being extended from 40m to 70m - coastal defence they say - but the engineering doesnt stop where the water starts. apparently a designer was contracted to come up with a sea floor that produces better waves. cant wait till some swell arrives

alkmaar track day

this happened last weekend:



thanks to taka, fish and tjeu



it was all about face melting speed in the scratch race. cheers to pierski for the photos



respect to kees as he and i snagged a 2nd place in the team sprint. cant wait till the next one

now what?

there's no snow like the snow in osdorp, and there's no cereal like chocolate coated sugar bombs

fridays off

suzue track hub gets a QR upgrade. 3rd lifetime of wheel begins :-)

winter blues?

hoping these will be the cure

ecmc2009

Manifesto (in progress)

We are primarily a group of current and former bike messengers, but welcome all good-natured, socially aware cyclists to participate in our events. Though we share no common political ideology, we share values that define us as a distinct social group, naturally beginning
with our shared love of the bicycle.

We believe in equality; we do not differentiate between sex, nationality, race, gear ratios, or riding ability. Men and women race together.

We believe in sustainability. We support products and manufacturers based on product reliability and longevity. (Followed of course by aesthetics, if money permits.)

We love to push the physical and mental limitations of our bodies. We believe in the inherent health benefits of cycling frequently, and assist others in adopting the lifestyle of the urban cyclist by openly sharing our expertise.

We ride “just for fun”!

We champion the superiority of the bicycle as the all-around fastest form of urban transportation. We have legitimized the bicycle as an essential component for every modern package delivery business.

We question the necessity of a substantial portion of inner city auto traffic, but are realistic and strive to promote balance. We are not bike fascists! Many of us have mothers, friends, children and loved ones who are non-cyclists (though we will never give up on trying to convince them to get on a bike!) not to mention co-workers in the package delivery trade.

We rejoice in the possibilities that exist for emission-free motorized transport. We believe a revolution in urban transporation is self-evident and well underway. We believe the bicycle is a central feature of responsible modern urban planning.

We rage at the senseless deaths resulting from the opening of car doors before checking for
cyclists, and we mourn every victim of road rage. We strive to promote understanding between all road users.

We are proud that our home, Berlin, is a world leader in cycling policy and home to hundreds of thousands of daily bicycle commuters, bike paths and bike racks.

We believe the increasing worldwide phenomena of urban cycling began with the example set by the bike messenger. We view this phenomenom as a fundamental shift in consciousness that will continue to grow and increasingly affect society in a positive way, not only improving urban transportation policy.

We are proud to host the ECMC in our hometown Berlin, to showcase our committment to the international bike messenger culture, our love of the bicycle and the lifestyle that follows its daily use, and simply spreading the word that riding around the city with your friends or alone is FUN.

We welcome you to join us in celebrating the culture of the urban cyclist, chiefly its progenitor and most expert adherent, the bike messenger!

HOORAY FOR BIKE MESSENGERS!
VIVA LA BIKE-FRIENDLY CITY!
SUPPORT ECMC 2009!