I HAVE MOVED. FOR REALS.

The new address for this website is:

www.youaretheengine.com

I’ll leave this up to redirect, but this will be the last week I post here.  New posts at the new home.

Thanks!

Friday: It’s here, and Urban Velo is awesome.

Drool.

Friday is finally here.  This week has been a busy one, but it’s almost over.  I’ll be back Monday and will do my best to find more interesting things to write about.  In the meantime, however, the good people at Urban Velo have got what you need.  If you, like me, are not able to attend the NAHBS, keep your eye on Urban Velo because they always post fantastic pictures.  Judging from the first batch, this will be a drool-filled weekend.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the weekend.

This Just In: Lance Armstrong is a Typical Roadie

"Hey guys, team selfie!"

When Lance Armstrong isn’t tweeting or scoffing at public decency laws, he acts like a typical roadie.   When Edmonton Journal columnist Nick Lees was riding in Hawaii, he encountered Armstrong and suffered the same fate of anyone who has ever passed someone “training” for “bicycle races.”

Last month he shot by me in an iota of a second when I was cycling on Hawaii’s Big Island. Unlike most cyclists, he didn’t even give a nod.

Maybe Nick doesn’t ride that much, or perhaps roadies in Edmonton are particularly friendly, but being snubbed by someone wearing full team kit is as common as being blinded by a fixed gear.

Though, if anyone has an excuse for failing to acknowledge a fellow cyclists, it is the professional.  Cabbies don’t stop and wave at every John Q. Public out for a Sunday drive, and I doubt house painters have much to say to first-year art students sketching trees in the park.

The good news, if you live in Edmonton, is that this summer you can ride alongside Lance in all his roadie glory.  At least it’s for a good cause.

Tomorrow is Friday.  Be awesome.

Groundhogs are Unreliable: Or, Sure Signs Spring is Coming

Le sigh.

I suppose beggars can be choosers.

Local Trade School Reinvents Wheel

FIXED FOR LIFE.

Yale University has gone off the rails.  First, they issue perhaps the campiest recruitment video in the entire world.  And now, they have literally reinvented the wheel.  This time, no spokes.

Want to ride my bottle opener?

Amazingly, the spokeless rear wheel is only half of the wonder this bike provides.  Personally, I’m more concerned about what Paul Bunyan is going to do when he realizes that the derailleur hanger is missing from his gigantic Diamondback.

Giant proto-hipster?

In conclusion, I’d suggest that the people of Yale continually look over their shoulders for a fast-approaching mythical giant riding a recently-converted Diamondback fixed gear.  I bet Harvard students don’t have that problem. Of course, as you will notice, they follow cycling conventions to the letter: both wheels are perfectly spoked.

Harvard education = don't bend the rules.

Although, I’d hazard a guess that this guy has something up his sleeve:

Don't trust him.

In (a second) conclusion, heed Mulder’s warnings and trust no one.  Wow.  This post is an incoherent rambling mess.  Is it Friday yet?

Charity Rides: Make them Cool.

Is it only Tuesday? Seriously?  In my quest not to fail in life, I’ll make this short. I thought I’d share some more images, this time from my personal collection.  For the past couple of years I’ve done the same charity ride each summer.  Two days on the bike for a great cause.  We’re always organized in teams, and it’s always our goal to win best team name.  Fortunately, charity ride participants tend to gravitate towards names like “the old cranks,” or “team pedal power.”  So, we kill it.  Our t-shirts are always the best, too.

The Richard Gears. Ya dig?

Two years ago we were the Richard Gears.  We won.  Obviously.  I can’t find a picture of the tshirt, but you get the idea.

"Are you tellin' me that this sucker is nuclear?"

Last year we were “Cycle J. Fox in Bike to the Future.”  Serious points for incorporating the best trilogy ever, and I had a lot of fun putting the logo together.  However, I think we should have been docked a few points for using “bike” as a verb.

Red shirt.

Aside from generally looking awesome, our team also managed to be the sole participants to visit the LCBO upon arrival and wander through a small town drinking from inconspicuous brown bags.

The “Wheelin’ Wonders” never stood a chance.

What the What? Montreal in the Blogs

Google "bicycle Montreal," and you get this.

I should be working.  I should be working.  I should be working.

BUT, I felt justified tearing myself away from endless editing to bring to your attention that both the venerable (though not yet beatified or sainted) Mr Snob and Cycling Inquisition refer to Montreal today.  In a related note, neither of them mention that other Canadian city.

Carry on.

This Week: Enjoy Random Inter-Theft

Vodpod videos no longer available.

This week might kill me.  A major deadline Friday means that I can’t spend too much time here.  So, for the next few days you’ll be treated to half-assed posts consisting almost entirely of stuff I’ve stolen from better blogs (how is that any different from the usual posts, you ask? Touché.).  For example, I got the above video from the good peeps at Hipster Nascar.

For those of you who live in the centre of the universe, you might be interested to learn that bike sharing is in serious trouble.

And finally, because I have nothing interesting to add, here’s a picture of a home-made prop trike:

Sweet.

There.  Monday’s post is done, and I barely tried.

Goldsprints Montreal: Finally

Go fast. Stay Still.

Just Wednesday I wrote about the Roller Racing coming to Montreal tomorrow.  Well, yesterday I found myself over on the Bikurious Blog and learned that GoldSprints (roller racing’s younger, tight-pants wearing, beer-drinking brother) is now in Montreal.  The first event was just over a week ago, so hopefully this will be a monthly event.  There’s lots of pictures and a few videos on the GoldSprint Montreal page.

And now, it’s the weekend.  Well, it will be in eight hours.  Hang in there, and enjoy la fin de semaine.  (Don’t forget about the Montreal Bike Show).

And remember: use your bicycle for good, not evil.

Best of Etsy: Toe Clip Covers

Dry feet = happy feet

Just last week I was wondering if these existed.  This winter has been odd.  Especially if you live in Body-More, Murderland (The Wire!):

In Montreal, for some weird reason there’s not much snow and it hasn’t been brutally cold (for extended periods, at least), and so I rarely find myself wearing my big boots.  I’ve read in a few places that you shouldn’t ride in boots, which seems like total balls to me.  There have been a few days this winter that my feet would have frozen off in shoes.  Plus, boots give you enough traction on ice/snow when you have to put your foot down at a light or while taking a particularly dicey corner.

My regular shoes, however, aren’t terribly warm.  Moreover, the streets have often been a little slushy or wet.  Too many times I’ve arrived at my destination with a sweet case of freckle juice all over my shoes.  After most rides I’ve got cold feet, despite wearing wool socks over my regular socks.  I was convinced that someone must be making toe clip covers, as at this point (with spring around the corner) I don’t want to buy something like Gore shoe covers.   Maybe $20 Cordura cozies would do the trick?

They're called cozies, which is totally bad ass.

While I don’t doubt that next year I’ll get myself something a bit more substantial, I am a fan of products that stay on the bike (leaving me with less to lug around).  For the spring, these might be helpful.  Even with fenders, there’s always some water splashing at the pedals.  For now, only the single strap option is available, but rumour has it (and by “rumour” I mean “they say on their website”) that a double strap option is in the works.

Long live pedal clips.