B is for bicycle

Crack and Fail

2011-07-27T12:53:00.000-04:00

CL Outing

2011-07-13T18:20:00.003-04:00

Another Mariposa on Toronto Craigslist.

An Old World 'Schwinn New World'

2011-06-28T12:18:00.004-04:00

Seen at the 10th Annual Canadian Vintage Bicycle Show.

CL Outing

2011-06-25T14:06:00.006-04:00

Regarde St Christophe et va-t-en rassuré

2011-06-17T12:10:00.006-04:00

Ian, this one is for you. Safe journeys my friend.

EB

2011-06-16T11:42:00.006-04:00

LOL

2011-06-14T11:16:00.002-04:00

Good Bye.

2011-06-10T09:51:00.007-04:00

Gone, but not forgotten.

It's on.

2011-06-09T18:09:00.004-04:00

Friday Night Ride

2011-04-29T20:34:00.006-04:00

On the Blue Edge.

東洋フレーム株式会社

2011-04-25T21:21:00.010-04:00

Japanophilia: An interest in, or love of, Japan and all things Japanese. Especially the Toyo Frame Company. Beautiful.

Web-site here.

Also, be sure to check out the 'Toyo Frame Facebook Fun Page' for updates here.

JP Weigle Models for Natrel!

2011-04-05T11:54:00.005-04:00

French bikes, French milk. ;-)

While on the Subject of Art and Bicycles

2011-03-13T19:13:00.011-04:00

Duchamp readymade a sham! Doesn't look like any bicycle fork I've ever seen.

After visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I was dismayed to discover that Duchamp's famous Bicycle Wheel sculpture was not made of a Rene Herse, or an Alex Singe, or a Jo Routens fork. In fact, it appeared that the sculpture was not made from a real bicycle fork at all! The horror. To be fair to Duchamp, I later discovered that the original sculpture was lost during the 1930s, and that the artist remade the piece years later calling it an 'assisted readymade'. Cheater.

Sachs vs Sachs

2011-03-13T18:58:00.005-04:00

Questionable Brand Strategy

2011-03-12T22:30:00.006-05:00

Heritage is nice and all, but when quality takes a back seat to image, well, let's just say that the long term forecast is anything but rosy.

Yeah Right!

2011-03-11T15:45:00.002-05:00

Spike Jonze inspired graphic design by Baster. Nice.

More Mariposa

2011-03-07T14:03:00.000-05:00

Mariposa Monday Continued

2011-03-07T11:25:00.004-05:00

Mariposa Monday

2011-03-07T10:52:00.004-05:00

Dinucci Cycles Wins.

2011-02-28T13:04:00.004-05:00

Mark was my favorite builder at last year's NAHBS. I'm happy to see him win Best in Show at this year's event. Congratulations Mark.

Check out more of Mark's work here:

www.dinuccicycles.blogspot.com

Cool.

2011-02-22T16:49:00.000-05:00

Bremen, Germany via Flickr.

Mariposa on Toronto Craigslist

2011-02-18T10:42:00.002-05:00

Listed on Toronto Craigslist, available for pick up in Rochester NY.

Sold.

Supreme x Cinelli

2011-02-17T22:24:00.003-05:00

Looks like I'm going to have to call in a favour.

MARIPOSA Road Bike - Offers!

2010-12-06T15:42:00.001-05:00

Seen Toronot Kijiji.

My New Edelux in Action

2010-11-15T16:39:00.002-05:00

Good Day 2

2010-10-14T09:36:00.001-04:00

Richie before the 'e'

2010-10-07T17:38:00.000-04:00

Part 3

Another Cyclops

2010-10-06T11:34:00.002-04:00

Richie before the 'e'

2010-10-05T20:51:00.001-04:00

Part 2

Richie before the 'e'

2010-10-05T20:46:00.003-04:00

Part 1

One From the Vaults

2010-10-04T16:01:00.006-04:00

Came across this screen capture of Mike Barry's stolen Bianchi's Craig's List ad from 2008 on an old hard drive. Can't believe this happened two years ago. Thought some of you might find this image a nice complement to Mr Barry's blog entry - read full story here.

2010-10-04T15:55:00.000-04:00

Cyclops

2010-10-04T15:43:00.001-04:00

Good Day

2010-09-30T17:58:00.001-04:00

A Nice Alex Singer Porteur on the Bay

2010-09-23T10:12:00.005-04:00

Does anyone know what the thing attached to the left chainstay is? As seen in pics 5, 9 and 11.

Bid with confidence here.

Marinoni City Bike Conversion

2010-09-22T15:02:00.006-04:00

Original CL ad.

Completed conversion.

Zeus! Fixed.

Masucci! Best seat post ever.

Homemade chain-guard.

Operation!

2010-09-22T14:54:00.005-04:00

Cracked and seized BB cup.

Out!

Strawberry Bicycles

2010-09-20T11:06:00.002-04:00

Reynolds Tubing 78

2010-09-20T10:59:00.003-04:00

The Bikes of Brimfield

2010-09-14T11:36:00.008-04:00

Hmm.

2010-08-23T17:27:00.001-04:00

I Missed This

2010-08-07T00:47:00.002-04:00

Rooftop Velodrome?

2010-08-06T14:15:00.001-04:00

I've heard of rooftop skateboard ramps before - but never a velodrome.

Coppi

2010-07-29T16:19:00.003-04:00

I'm not a huge fan of bicycle inspired art, but this piece by James Straffon is pretty dope.

Paul Smith bringing it.

Bike Books on PDF

2010-07-29T14:26:00.004-04:00

Click here to see all.

Something New

2010-07-08T23:27:00.002-04:00

Spotted a bike tonight with an interesting lighting solution, one that I've never seen before. Is this what Chris Kulczycki has been writing about on the Velo Orange blog? The great Schmidt Dynamo slayer? I wonder.

Note: Quick Google search turned up Reelight's official website. Interesting. Company has been around since 2003. I guess it's not so new. Shows how much I know. Oh, and it's Danish - finally something kind of cool that's not from Japan.

Cycles Alcyon.

2010-07-08T13:48:00.002-04:00

Spotted on Toronto Island.

Sorry about the poor photos - all I had was my camera phone.

Ding-Ding.

2010-06-29T14:03:00.002-04:00

Nice.

Can't have it all.

2010-06-29T11:34:00.006-04:00

This Carlton Track frame was one of the highlights of this year's Vintage Canadian Bicycle Show. Had the price been right it would of likely come home with me, but since I value my relationship and dislike sleeping on the couch, I chose to practice self restraint and kept my wallet firmly planted in my pocket.

Around Town

2010-06-28T18:30:00.001-04:00

The Coveted

2010-06-13T16:22:00.003-04:00

Alex Singer.

A Lovely René Herse

2010-06-12T23:05:00.002-04:00

Josh's New Favorite Bike

2010-06-12T22:48:00.005-04:00

A Barry Witcomb with some serious mojo.

Through Spokes

2010-06-12T00:06:00.002-04:00

Finesse

2010-06-11T23:49:00.002-04:00

Mafac Love

2010-06-11T18:41:00.002-04:00

Barelli Pedals on CR!

2010-06-09T22:57:00.001-04:00

Virginia Dreams

2010-06-09T21:15:00.003-04:00

Northern Virginia has lovely bike paths.

British Bling

2010-06-09T21:04:00.003-04:00

Ready, Set, Go!

2010-06-08T22:33:00.004-04:00

New camera, new pics. Stay tuned.

I'm having SLJ Issues.

2010-05-30T23:17:00.007-04:00

I was trying to make a Simplex SLJ derailleur work with a 12-26 Uniglide freewheel today and was having next to no luck. Everything I've read about this derailleur has been positive - best friction shifting ever... blah blah blah. Well, no dice for me. Just couldn't get the sucker to shift onto the top two cogs without smashing the cage into the freewheel. I decided to quit and came home to do some research. I typed Simplex SLJ into Google and found nothing new - a VO post, flickr pics, velobase post, etc. I was just about to give up when on page someteen of google images I found this lovely set of photos. It appears that somewhere in Japan someone loves to disassemble bike parts just as much as I do. Now if they could only provide the same kind of detailed step by step photo tutorial on how to correctly set up the derailleur, I'd be one happy customer.

Bling

2010-05-25T00:05:00.002-04:00

Indeed

2010-05-21T17:36:00.001-04:00

In need

A Must Have

2010-05-21T11:02:00.001-04:00

Available from Rapha.

Another 'Appropriated' Image

2010-05-19T11:02:00.002-04:00

I sense a trend developing.

Barsket

2010-05-18T20:15:00.004-04:00

I really appreciate the thought process - read ingenuity - behind this handle bar / basket combo.

Photos stolen from Matt Rennick's Blog.

Sneaking Pics at The MAD

2010-05-17T19:43:00.009-04:00

I got scolded by the security people at the Museum of Art and Design for trying to take pictures of the bicycles on display - apparently photos are not allowed. Being the daredevil that I am, I defied the rules and snuck a couple of pictures anyway. Unfortunately I was so busy trying to look nonchalant that I completely messed up the settings on my camera and ended up taking mostly useless pictures. Oh well.

The show itself was good, though underwhelming in its scale. I was expecting a larger room - or several rooms - with more bikes and more supporting material. Sadly 'Bespoke' felt a bit like an afterthought when compared to MAD's other current show 'Dead or Alive'. My companions, being less enamored with the minute details of bespoke bicycles than I, made their way through the exhibit in about ten minutes. I on the other hand was instantly mesmerized by the absolute perfection of the three Peter Weigle bicycles on display, and stayed longer hoping that the nice security man who had reprimanded me earlier for taking pictures would take pity on me and let me take one of the bikes home. It didn't work. No matter how long I stood around no offers of ownership transfer materialized, and even though by the end I would have settled for one of the several Richard Sachs bicycles on display, I was forced to leave empty handed. I say forced because apparently not only can you not take the bikes home, or pictures of the bikes home, but trying the bikes for size and riding them around the museum is also frowned upon. I was politely asked to leave.

Jokes aside, the bicycles at 'Bespoke' are spectacular examples of the art of hand made bikes and well worth the price of admission for anyone interested in bicycles. For those who can't make it to New York before the show closes on August 15, there will be a catalogue available in July.

Off to New York

2010-05-14T09:42:00.000-04:00

My New Toy

2010-05-13T16:20:00.003-04:00

A virtual Polaroid camera.

The Anatomy of a Dura Ace Brake

2010-05-12T21:37:00.002-04:00

Mad for Patina

2010-05-11T11:49:00.003-04:00

There is nothing like the look of cracked enamel.

It's Only Randonneuse...

2010-05-05T12:36:00.002-04:00

... but I like it.

Available here.

Official.

2010-04-29T11:33:00.004-04:00

From 14 Bike Co.

Something Old, Something New

2010-04-28T20:09:00.006-04:00

I haven't seen this before. Campy derailleur cage mod. Images from here - cool fork crown after the jump.

Saddle Drawer

2010-04-27T21:33:00.001-04:00

Street Beater

2010-04-27T10:17:00.005-04:00

Greg's Raleigh Competition

2010-04-23T16:18:00.002-04:00

Lily's Bike Almost Complete

2010-04-23T16:00:00.003-04:00

Couple of racks and she'll be ready to rock.

Dad's New Whip

2010-04-23T09:59:00.002-04:00

Super fun 700c to 26" conversion.

More of Wednesday's Loot

2010-04-22T21:45:00.004-04:00

Gum rubber Suntour down-tube shifter covers. Cool. $1. Even Cooler.

Awesome Sugino 75 down-tube shifter. Right side only - boo. Nice micro ratcheting action on this shifter, similar to Suntour. Shame about not having the left side. Again, $1. Hard to complain at that price. Anyone have a spare single left?

Wednesday's Loot

2010-04-22T11:16:00.003-04:00

Seven boxes of NOS Suntour SL BB's!

Originally imported by Yachter's Choice. Strange.

Retail price: $135.00 a pop!

Japanese precision movement. These BB's are beyond smooth.

The best part - they work with TA Pro 5 Vis!

Since the proliferation of bicycle related eBay auctions it has become increasingly difficult to find 'deals' on bike parts. Finding the 'supposed' value of vintage parts is a simple eBay search away - retailers and private sellers are using this to their advantage. Everyone and their mother wants top dollar for old parts claiming that they are basing the price on similar items sold on eBay. Unfortunately 'similar' does not equal 'same', and unless the seller has in depth knowledge about bike parts they have no idea why something is valued at a given price. Anyway, my point is is that it's a sellers market out there. NOS parts are getting scarcer and scarcer, and NOS parts at bargain prices are next to non existent. This is why it was such a pleasure to find these bottom brackets yesterday. They are top of the line components from a bygone era that were priced so ridiculously low that we bought every unit in stock. Happy Wednesday indeed.

[BOB] Are we in a Golden Age of bicycling?

2010-04-22T02:14:00.005-04:00

"Five years ago I bought a nice old 80s Bianchi "Limited" frame
and fork for $20 on Craigslist. It would go for $200 now.

In S.F. their main street "Market" is getting all the bells
and whistles it needs to allow grandmother tourist to
safely pedal one of their Sunday 'Bike-Share' bikes.

Our federal Transpiration guy, the Republican LaHood, is
touting bicycling.

V.O. is making French threaded headsets for cheap.
$150 fixies at WalMart. I could go on, and I feel
pretty happy about this, but is this exceptional?

I was around for the 70s bike boom, but it seems it
was more getting bike in the two car garages of all
the suburbs that were being constructed. Not so much
about actual riding.

Have their been others golden eras, am I wrong about now?

--Chris"

Carpe Diem.

Seen at Copake

2010-04-20T21:10:00.003-04:00

Stack of NOS wooden rims.

More images from Copake to come - as soon as I find the time to sort through the 400 plus pictures I took.

Got $3750 to spare?

2010-04-19T23:33:00.002-04:00

Gorgeous Toei for sale here. More pics after the jump.

Alex Moulton Going Strong at 90

2010-04-13T23:46:00.004-04:00

Check out the BBC feature here.

Copake Bicycle Auction This Weekend

2010-04-13T19:39:00.004-04:00

A sampling of the bikes available this weekend at the annual Copake Bicycle Auction. Check out their website for the complete catalogue.

Garage Sale Find

2010-04-12T19:03:00.007-04:00

Just kidding - it was a flea market.

This Weekend

2010-04-09T23:03:00.002-04:00

New Old Tires

2010-04-09T17:17:00.002-04:00

Lots of dirt on these tires from years of storage, but otherwise they look and feel good. I got lucky and happened to walk by a neighbor as he was doing his annual spring cleaning - got the tires for free along with some nice 26" slicks. Happy Friday.

The Coolest Light Ever

2010-04-08T21:00:00.003-04:00

What, no bell?

2010-04-06T18:36:00.004-04:00

Fenders, racks, dynamo, and lights included! With an MSRP of $659.99, this Trek Belleville seems like a hell of a sweet deal - even if you have to dish out an extra $5 for a bell.

Riv Staff Bikes

2010-04-06T17:38:00.003-04:00

The heading on the Riv site says 'new' but that could be 'new' as in 'new this year'. For all I know the good people at Rivendell could of posted this series of pictures months ago. Anyway, I love the bikes in the above pictures for being 'real life' rides - focusing more on pragmatism than panache. No fear of zip-ties or P-clips here.

From Bicycle Quarterly

2010-03-31T15:37:00.003-04:00

"Our classic bike feature shows a 1954 Alex Singer randonneur, which was updated by Cycles Alex Singer in the 1970s with centerpull brakes and superlight Huret Jubilee derailleurs. It now offers the best of both worlds: old-style geometry with modern components."

Uhmm. Did Jan just refer to centerpull brakes and Huret Jubilee deraileurs as modern components? Nice.

What are these? Handlebars for ants?

2010-03-30T23:08:00.003-04:00

These handlebars have to be at least three times bigger than this!

Thanks JJJJound.

Guaranteed World Finest Bicycle Precision Mechanism

2010-03-28T17:01:00.002-04:00

Now that's what I call a tagline. Fantastic. (Insert Zero Wing analogy here)

Elvio Masucci, I have your seat post.

2010-03-26T12:54:00.002-04:00

And it's my favorite.

Brooks x L'Eroica

2010-03-25T17:48:00.005-04:00

In case some of you missed this - a nice video by Brooks of the 2009 L'Eroica.

Spicy

2010-03-25T17:18:00.000-04:00

Wednesday's Loot

2010-03-25T14:53:00.001-04:00

J Thomas Hall Test Ride

2010-03-23T12:36:00.003-04:00