Archive for February, 2010
Stumbled upon this great video while forum surfing about randonneuring. Randonneur bicycles are essentially a touring bike made for traveling long distances while loaded down with gear. In the world of heavily supported rides with “SAG” support vans and mechanics constantly a few minutes away, many riders do not even know how to change a simple flat. This sort of riding is completely self sufficient. You need a rack, all the gear to fix you up and keep you warm in any sort of weather you might encounter and often a tent to sleep in.
This well equipped Rivendell Atlantis exemplifies the “breed” of randonneur bicycle.
Rivendell Atlantis
In this video, the author chooses a mountainbike style frame to do his trip on. Also a feasible choice.
“Many people don’t understand why some choose to travel on a bicycle. I was one of them… then I tried it. Now I don’t want to do it any other way.
This video is an attempt at providing a glimpse into the challenging, exciting, and incredibly rewarding world of cycle touring.
The clips are from a Summer 2007 trip, about 4500kms from Kashgar, Xinjiang, to Dali, Yunnan (in China) crossing Tibet along the way.” -”Dave A.”
Cycle Touring the Tibetan Plateau from Dave A on Vimeo.
Share your epic journey by bicycle with us. Click the “Mail” link at the top and send us your story and pictures, or use this video as inspiration to plan your own.
Live your life! Ride your bike!
About 3 years ago now (my how time flies) I was a young impressionable car/computer geek living and working in Tokyo. When I went for my company’s teacher certification training, I met a young woman from Madison, Wisconsin. The trainees affectionately referred to her as “Wisconsin” because of her accent. She was hip, outspoken and had this strange fetish for bicycles.
As we’d head out for a few post lesson beers, she’d stop constantly admiring bicycles. “Fixies” or “Fixed gear/Track bikes.” At first it was just some kind of weird fetish, but I noticed that the bikes were actually quite cool looking. I thought nothing of it at first.
Fast forward to a few months later, I went out an bought myself a cheap folding bicycle (Chinese made) to avoid the crowded commutes filled with drunk salarymen on the way home. The train often smelled like puke from one guy who had just happened to drink a few too many Kirins.
Then I decided to drag myself and my girlfriend at the time on a 30km bike ride. We folded up bikes onto the train and headed into town for a scenic ride. I was a pretty fit guy, but as I was giving it all I had, a lanky Japanese fellow dressed in superhero tights (which I would normally have scoffed at) burned me like I was standing still. Not only did he drop me like it was hot, but his pedal stroke looked like a gazelle gracefully and smoothly pulling away from me.
I was hooked.
Fast forward to a few months later, I was draped up in colorful camo cutoff shorts, my BAPE Tshirt, riding an old panasonic frame around AOYAMA and HARAJUKU where I picked up this DVD from a thrift store. Suddenly this whole track racing thing seemed pretty neat to me.
Enjoy the vid.
Hello internet. No updates til Monday as I’m out in Austin racing. Day 1 didn’t go as expected
due to an equipment malfunction but a full writeup is coming!
Now we just need to place them outside of a coffee shop, or sitting at Poison Girl or Boondocks drinking PBR and the scene is complete.
"I spent 3 years color coordinating my track bike"
via HypeBeast
this development has lead Whitie to tease me about the very real fact that I will probably me moving to PDX within the next couple of months (at least before the hellish Houston summer sets in, that way I can continue the road racing season as long as possible)
make sure to give the members of Team HighFlange a wish of good luck as they head to Austin this weekend for their first road race of the season!
Rubber down!