Thanksgiving!

With the fam for turkey day. As such I shall simply leave you with a cool pic ripped from good ol' Trackosaurusrex.

Bike Art!

I've always had an affinity for good design, and naturally if it includes bicycles thats a plus! The other day, the folks at Hipster Nascar posted some of James Straffon's cycling art. Straffon composed a collection of headtube badges from quite a few great vintage frames. It's great to see art communicating the rich history and tradition surrounding the sport of cycling. All else aside, its just a really cool piece of art to look at! check out some more of his art, including a cycling cap collection, at http://www.james-straffon.co.uk/

Fairwheel Bikes

Bike shops are funny things. Ask ten people about one bike shop and you will get 10 different opinions. Some will rave, and no doubt some will rant- having wrenched in a shop for a few years, I've been on the receiving end of both. Occasionally, however, you come across a shop that has nothing but accolades to its name. One such shop is Fairwheel Bikes in Tucson. Tucked in the shadow of the University of Arizona, Fairwheel is a great local bike shop catering to all levels of cyclists. Whether you just need a tube, or are looking to order a custom built Parlee or Pinarello, the guys at Fairwheel will treat you right and get you what you need. Additionally, Fairwheel has been the source for some of the most unique custom builds in the industry: from 6 pound road bikes to mountain bikes with electronic shifting. In an age of online bicycle sales and marked-up accessories at many local shops, its refreshing to find such a true to form pocket of bicycle culture. Check out their forum for some cool photos and notes about some of their projects.

Humbug

Winter is finally upon us, and even for us people of the desert, temperatures have already started to drop. Even though we may have it milder here in the valley than most areas, knowing how to stay warm on rides is critical to keeping up with training through the winter. A few key articles of clothing such as arm and knee warmers, and a winter cycling cap can basically extend your riding season through the winter. Another great option for when the temperatures drop is a lightweight, windproof vest, and some full finger gloves. To check out some unique cold-weather riding gear, check out La Gazzetta Della Bici, a blog devoted to the finer points and rich tradition of the sport of cycling. There is some pretty neat content on some of their other posts as well!

More dream bikes.

In the greater scheme of cool bikes, custom bikes are generally hit or miss. The owner of the bike has so much control over the details that a lot of times the bikes can develop somewhat of a weird personality. On the other hand, some bikes such as this here beaut' are truly works of art. The integrated seatpost and one-piece bar/stem give it a performance oriented edge, while the tubing and traditional headset give it a more classic feel. The edge wheels and campagnolo componentry are just icing on an incredibly expensive cake.

12 year old spaniard implicated in doping investigation

I am so tired of seeing this face. Even when it was simply racing in the Tour de France, I always was turned off by his arrogance and seeming lack of respect for the sports' greats. Some may argue that having a degree of confidence to the point of arrogance is critical to competing on the top level of the sport, but there are guys who have been successful with being complete ass holes. Take for example Fabian Cancellara, Andy Schleck, Levi Leipheimer, Thor Hushovd, or even George Hincapie. All these guys have accomplished major feats in the world of cycling, yet remain (at least publicly) fairly humble athletes. As if his greasy disposition wasn't enough, Contador has been implicated in a doping scandal for several months now (less so publicly). Personally, I think Contador's actions have taken one step further toward destroying our sport, but Alberto alone is not solely to blame; the current anti-doping measures do nothing to stop this. A two year ban and slap on the wrist simply reinforces the notion that you can dope, be successful, and get away with it. In order to truly stop doping, the UCI must make the penalties for doping much more severe than the potential benefits of doping: a lifetime ban for convicted dopers. Nuff said

I wouldn't consider myself much of a mountain biker ( I decend like an awkward baby giraffe might), but I recently found a video of some downhill guys doing some really incredible riding while perusing Hipster Nascar. These guys have some truly incredible bike handling, and definitely some serious needs for adrenaline. The video gives some great views of both the technical side of downhill, and some of the plain crazy side of the sport. watch it here: http://vimeo.com/15448170

More Street Wear

After posting the Rapha and Outlier jeans yesterday, I figured it would be appropriate to continue the riding gear trend through the remainder of the week. Although the hype over these shoes has somewhat subsided, they remain a great option for those looking to ride the same pedals to the bar or work as on a training ride without bringing a spare set of shoes. Mission Workshop's spd compatible sneakers give you the ability to use clipless pedals with a more or less standard sneaker, allowing you to leave your road or mountain bike shoes at home. No longer are you stuck with traditional cages and straps on your townie or commuter! check them out at Mission Workshop

Start em young! It's always cool to see kids getting involved in cycling, and it looks like this kids off to a great start- its a tiny little euro-pro!

After a nice day of riding yesterday, I found it timely that I post this picture, taken from Bianchista of some serious climbing. The author of Bianchista is one of the riders from the Rapha Continental Project, and as such has some really cool material on his blog. Take a peek!

Street Threads

So often in cycling, riders are forced to choose apparel that is either comfortable for the road or acceptable for the street. Even with the surge in "urban cycling," there have been few companies producing products to bridge the gap between performance wear and casual attire. Outlier has taken the initiative, pioneering a line of casual attire designed with riding in mind. From jeans to jackets, Outlier makes clothes for every climate and every occasion. For those hoping for a more designer look, English cycling fashion magnet Rapha recently released their own take on denim cycling apparel as well.