brilliance

Because I just seem to love videos lately...

"Va Fa Napoli, Hipster" from Blue Barn Pictures, Inc. on Vimeo.

I burn, I pine, I perish.

I burn, I pine, I perish...

The Return of the Lazy Man To Bike Shoes from James Adamson on Vimeo.

The DZR Concubine SPD shoes will be mine - oh yes, they will be mine.

Ira. Wow.

Ergon has been a supporter of No Drive for some time now and today I got an email from Jeff Kerkove with a video of the World Champion and Ergon Pro rider Irina Kalentieva, called Race Day. Two words.

Ira. Wow.

Race Day from ergon on Vimeo.

Lock that thing up.

By now, we're all aware of the Philadelphia's issues with their bike racks... I stumbled onto this over at Bikerumor. Problem? Solved.

cycling > fishing

'Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime. Teach a man to cycle and he will realize fishing is stupid and boring.' _Desmond Tutu

Today, we gained another convert. Got a student to purchase a bike... it needs a little work but the bike has some style and can't wait for it to fix it up. I'll be getting the parts and giving it an overall next month - look for updates!

I want to ride...

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.

PERSEVERANCE from NAYP on Vimeo.

I need to ride more.

I'm starting to think I need to get out on the bike more... can't stop watching short films on epic rides and races.

Un Giro di Sporco Sud - The Film from Martin Lang on Vimeo.

Silly Hipsters...

Silly Hipsters... track bikes are for pavement.

Forest Ride from Skitch Clothing on Vimeo.

As seen over at Tracko.

Sorry for the lack of posts, I'm in the process of switching sites that host No Drive. Be on the look out for a new look, more posts and banter [hopefully.] _alo

Flip the Script

Bike PSA v7 from Israel Ehrisman on Vimeo.

For more check this out... Paul Goodman Changed my Life.

My Mostest Favorite Bike Ever.

Remember when we were kids, and bike riding was just a simple, easy way to have fun? Before we worried about work, money, evil managers and deadlines?



Well, here's to Being a kid again. Meet Trixie, my favorite-ist bike I ever did have.

I like bikes.

Saturday.

My phone's kind of a big deal.

Thumbs Down!

A few weeks ago, I did my initial thoughts on my new DVS/Cadence shoe. I was extremely excited to be getting these as replacements for my Adidas Sambas. Since they were designed around and with cycling in mind, I expected that these would easily hold up to the normal daily wear and tear along with my normal riding.

First, let’s look at the pedals I used with these shoes…

Cannondale Grind pedals on my polo bike.

MKS Touring Lite pedals from the Voyageur.

Red’s All-City pedals with All-City toe clips and double straps.

Basic platform pedals on my Racer.

Now, let me let the shoe do the talking.

Keep in mind, these are around a month old and used for daily use, and going as far to be intentional in untying and tying the shoes when taking them off. Not only is the sole of the shoe apart on the side, the bottom of the shoe is coming unglued. The back ‘Friday’ decal on the back of right shoe, disappeared one day, and the seem on the back upper heals of the shoe also have been ‘shedding’. All of this saddens me greatly, these have been extremely comfortable and work great with the toe clips on Red. I have had DVS shoes in the past and have held up extremely well.

I expected more from both DVS and Cadence, I’ll continue to wear these but don’t expect them to make it through the fall. Any suggestions on what should be next?

Wow.

... and with that I now understand what John Lennon was talking about with Instant Karma - 'gonna knock you right in the head'. Found from Prolly.

How to... Tubular Installation.

Ok, the title is a bit misleading. I, by no means, know what I'm talking about when it comes to tubular tire installation. Fortunately, I was able to successfully install my first set of Vittoria Cross Evo XG tubulars on my set of Major Tom's. Before I dive into the installation process, I've got to gloat a little bit about the MT's. Can I say that these have now become my favorite rim/wheels from Velocity. Sure, I work there but like a father and his children, each hold a special place but some seem to rise to the top.

I built these up for the product shots and Interbike display, I had to take my A23 wheelset apart to build them up and thus how they came into my belonging. It's built up to the Pro Build: Saphim CX Ray spokes, radial 24 hole front, 2x 28 hole rear with brass nipples. Yes, I'm a bigger guy but the argument then turns on a few other factors: riding style and where/how I'll be riding to name a few. I'm on the upper end of the scale where going to a double budded spoke could be considered, these wheels will be used for gravel rides/races and the upcoming Kisscross season. I fully intend on pushing these wheels to the limit to see how they handle.

There are multiple different approaches and thoughts on how to glue up tubulars, I suggest exploring around asking those with expertise their thoughts and then diving in. I ended up going with 3M Fast Tack Adhesive for the glue instead of other options, just because of the rave reviews given by a lot of the local legends and roadies here in GR and the followed the instructions on how to install the tubulars listed on the back of the packing from Vittoria.

First I set out everything I thought I might need: the Fast Tack, ample amount of shop rags, and since my kitchen doubles as 'shop area' had degreasers and a couple of different kinds of soaps at hand.

I had let the tubulars stretch on the rim for 4 days at max pressure to help aid in the installation process. Below is Vittoria's 'Fitting the Tubular' instructions [with a few photos from my process, understandably it was a little difficult to take pictures and then mess with the glue and visa-versa]:

FITTING THE TUBULAR

Gluing and mounting
1 Lightly abrade the rim base to provide a key for the cement, clean with a gentle solvent, and leave to dry
2 Clean the base tape of the tubular with just soapy water and a gentle cleaner [no solvent] and let dry
3 Spread a thin layer of [glue] over the rim, and over the base tape


4 After 5-10 minutes, apply a second coat of [glue] to the rim only.
5 Leave to dry for 3-5 minutes
6 Mount the tubular on the rim, inflate slightly, and center it
7 Inflate the tubular to working pressure. [Glue] reaches its full strength after about 24 hours

Maintenance
Keep tubulars in a dry place and, importantly, out of the light. After riding, remove debris such as metal, glass, flints, or anything stuck in the tread. Clean with water and mild soap such as washing-up liquid - avoid products containing hydrocarbons, dilutants, or corrosive substances. When not in use, tubulars should be kept inflated to 5-6 bar [70-90 psi] and suspended [to avoid causing 'flat spots']
_

So how did my experience go? Very well. A few sticky fingers but the Seam Relief Channel the Major Tom has truly helps aid in tubular installation and centering. I could easily see how frustrated people can and do get installing a tubular on rims that don't have such a guide. It also seemed to help in keeping the glue in place.

Two thumbs up! Now to hit the gravel and if all goes to plan the Kisscross race this weekend!

1 Studio :: 7 bikes

Hi, I'm Adam and I have a problem. I have this thing with bikes. Call it obsession, call it what you like. There is just some thing about this simple machine that gets me. On my last post on the newest addition to the family, SiouxGeonx commented:

[...] Six bikes in an apartment... yea, that's a squeeze! Not sure how I'd give up an Xtra

It dawned on me I could share a little of my new abode to show off how I've done my best to maximize the space I have and store the bikes.

Here are the first 4: the Voyageur, 'Cross bike, Red and the Monkey

The Schwinn Racer

The Bike Polo bike, which isn't much go home about, although it's a US made Fisher.

And the Hon.

Sorry for the blurry pictures, my camera was acting up and I didn't feel like fighting with it. In the end, sure, I could get rid of a few bikes which would allow for the remaining to be rode more often. I'm sure you can see why it made sense to part ways with the Xtracycle kit. Although I'll let you guess which ones I might never let go of, each are special... in their own way.

Life's a Voyage-ur

That's right, life is a voyage. We're all going some where, we talk to people, make new friends and keep up with old ones. The story of my newest bike is some thing like that. 3 years ago, as many of you know, life brought me to the high five of Michigan after the time came for much needed change. One of the many people I have kept up with since moving is the one and only Guitar Ted. We've exchanged emails, gone for rides when I've made my way back to the homeland, and the such.

Recently, Mark [ask G-Ted] posted on his Twitter that a Xtracycle could be in the future for him. Being in the middle of a move and evaluating what I have, what I need and didn't need. In seeing that, I sent him a little what's up and said that I had a Xtracycle kit that had spent the last year in pieces since taking off the K-Monkey to finally get a mountain bike going. Since I was moving from a house to a studio, space was the issue and with 6 other bikes floating around having the Xtracycle wasn't the best idea.

I told Mark, I was looking for a touring bike and a few other odds and ends. And what do you know, Mark just so happened to have a 1987 Schwinn Voyageur gathering dust in his basement. A trade began to work itself out and through some middlemen the bike made its way here and the Xtracycle kit his way...

Here is what the Voyageur looked like when I got it:

The bike came with Campy barend shifters, Shimano 105 brake levers, Shimano Deore front deraileur, Shimano 6 speed rear, Suntour cranks, Blackburn front and rear racks. To be perfectly honest, I was so excited about getting the bike that I didn't really pay a whole lot of attention while I was taking it down to it's frame for paint. Yes, that's right, paint. I decided that I couldn't deny my desire to update the look of the bike and started on the 'winter' project right way.

I asked around to the guys in the wheel department at Velocity what a classic or pseudo-classic color for the bike might be and in the end I landed on a baby blue. As luck may have it, parts began to compile. As I stumbled onto the actual decal set from Alger Cyclery along with a few year old, yet still in the box 105 crank and 105 rear deraileur. I had the WTB Mountain Drop Bar floating around from my Trans Iowa set-up a few years back and decided that it would be a good way to go for touring. The canti brakes, front deraileur, Campy bar end shifters and 105 brake levers all cleaned up great with a little elbow grease. I couldn't help myself when I had the chance to bring the baby blue down onto the racks. I topped off the touring rig with a Shimano Dymo hub in the front, laced to Halo Dyads [32 hole 3x front, 36 hole 4x rear], bronze Bottle Traps and a brown Chris King 1" headset.

So without much ado, the after:


I'm excited to get this thing out on the road, I could easily see this become my main commuter. Either way, there are 3 rides begging for this bike to be used: the November 13th/14th 200 mile Cadillac and Back installment: honoring the 29 men lost with the Edmond Fitzgerald, RAGBRAI, and my personal goal of riding around Lake Michigan. We'll see what become of it.


9/6 UPDATE:

I sent an email to Mark, just to show him what became of his rig and he responded with an email that gave the Voyageur even more history and story...

Here's a bit of the back round on this rig, just so you know the history of it.........

This Voyaguer came in as a trade in to Advantage Cyclery when I worked there. It belonged to Jim T. [...] Jim bought the bike new from Ansborough Schwinn. So, I see this bike, and Jim was hemming and hawing about buying a new rig. I needed to find a rig to get my buddy Ryan S. a cheap rig so he could join us on our tour that we took to the Black Hills. Anyway, I finagled Jim out of the Voyaguer and into a Bianchi, which he owned up until recently.

Okay, so Ryan owned the bike for a couple of years, did two tours on it, but basically never rode it otherwise. I ended up taking it off his hands, since I pretty much twisted his arm to buy it in the first place. I used it a few times. Once on the inaugural Trails festival, in 1996, I rode it on the night ride. There was a big blow out party at Bennington's that night, and I was showing off by track standing off one side of the bike and blew out the 40 spoke rear wheel in the process! I maybe rode it a handful of times afterward.

So, now it is in your hands and you get to write the next chapter of its history

I need a translator.

Wow, 2 posts in a week that have little or no English... I need a translator. I don't know what this guy is saying but I'm sure I agree and heck, it looks good. I found this over at Trackosaurus Rex.

CYCLOCROSS by Ken Bloomer from e r t z u i ° film on Vimeo.

Getting super excited this weekend, my mother is visiting and I should have my new Major Tom wheelset up and running as the tubulars have been stretching for a few days. I'll post up how that went on Monday. Although I'll never claim to be fast, I'm really looking forward to this years Kisscross races, we'll see if I can improve! Enjoy your 3 day weekend everyone!

Unhappy Hipster: NDJR edition

No matter how much Jim fought the feeling, the more he compartmentalized his life, the more he felt as if the walls were closing in on him.

_

One of the many sites I frequent is Unhappy Hipsters and the above was my attempt at joining in on the fun. Maybe it's the uncanny similarity to theirs and my twitter photo [which I must say is purely coincidence] but the sight gives this unhappy hipster quite a lot of joy. The picture comes from the article below from the Seattle Times by Rebecca Teagarden/photos by Benjamin Benschneider on cyclist/designer/dreamer Steve Sauer. Enjoy.


Tiny apartment shows the value of a good fit

Steve Sauer's 182-square-foot Seattle condo shows the value of a good fit, from the soaking tub built into the entry floor to the "video lounge" tucked beneath the "cafe area." Sauer shopped Ikea for many of his home's furnishings, such as a little table, and used tabletops to fashion cabinet fronts.

WE SIT IN the "cafe area" of Steve Sauer's minuscule apartment enjoying the view from the home's only window, street level. Dogs on leashes and legs on humans pass by on a warm Lower Queen Anne evening.

Sauer stands up. This is to demonstrate that at 6-foot-2 he has a no-more-than-needed 2-inch clearance between his head and the ceiling.

Sauer likes this precision. Awkward spaces, wasted places annoy him. Two alarm clocks, two music sources, extra furniture. Needless, needless, needless.

"What I really wanted was one place with exactly what I needed and wanted. Quality is more important than quantity for me, and extra space only a problem," he has written, describing his nearby too-big-for-him, one-bedroom condo.

To me he says, "I tend to like things in their place."

And that explains it: The uber-cool, fully functional 182-square-foot home for two on the basement floor of a 102-year-old apartment building that Sauer is finishing after seven years of work. It could also have something to do with his line of work — airplane interiors engineering for Boeing. And education — a master's degree in whole-systems design.

Sauer's tiny Seattle home is remarkable. But it shouldn't be.

"I wanted to compress my home to squirt me back out to the community," he says, taking inspiration from dwellings in Scandinavia and Japan, places where space is dear. "That was one of the philosophical reasons. I want to be able to shop daily, not store a lot and eat really well."

Homeowners are building smaller in general. It's economical and ecological. But few do it in 11-feet-3-inches wide, by 16-feet-2-inches deep, by 10-feet-4-inches tall (Sauer is very accurate) with two beds, a full kitchen with a dishwasher, bathroom with a shower, a soaking tub set into the floor just inside the front door. On three living levels. There's also closet space, a dining table and storage for two bikes. All of it contemporary and in cool blue, with accents of black, red and white.

Down in the "video lounge," directly beneath the "cafe area," we do lounge — on a seating for two covered in pink-and-orange-striped cushions from Ikea. White lambskin rug on the floor. Straight ahead is the 37-inch TV. An arm's length away, to the right, is the dining table.

"Everything represents 10 to 100 hours of Internet searching," says Sauer. (Faucets, for instance came from a German seller on eBay.) "I wanted a really high level of finish, but small." His approach was a fluid melding of items versus design, "constant circles of making it come together. I don't plan and then do. I keep it all floating around in my head. I pretty much refuse to write it down. I like to pick up the tool and the material and go for it. If you write it down it takes all the fun out of it."

Science fun, he means.

When Sauer couldn't find the things he needed, he designed them and built them: The stainless-steel shower caddy, towel bar. For other pieces, "Ikea came through again." Lighting, cabinet pulls, and butcher block for shelves, the table top and cabinet fronts. The rich flooring, Brazilian walnut, was installed by Matt Messenger. A bureau from West Elm fit to 1/8 of an inch, and so it was ordered.

We move to the dining area. Sauer says, "The greatest innovation anywhere for space is boats. Even more than spaceships and submarines."

Always thinking.

"I've built things my whole life. I have to do something to keep myself sane. Plus, the parties have been fantastic," says Sauer, who reports his finished place holds a crowd of 10.

"My dream is to put 300 of these in a building and not have it be a tenement."

_

To read more about Steve Sauer's tiny-dwelling project, search for "pico-dwelling" on the Web.

'Buyers Guide'

Ok, let's put this out there... I like Trek Bikes. I do. Long ago back in 1996 or so, when I was in search of my first 'adult' bike after outgrowing my first real bike, the Mongoose Sycamore [which is still a strange name for a bike that moves], all I knew I wanted was a Trek. I do not know why, sure it probably had a lot to do with a few of my friends having them but then being sold on it by one of my later co-workers, Clay, at Europa Cycle. Side note, Clay to this day, is one of the most inspiring people I have known and just one of the great people who have come out of that shop. I ended up landing on the Trek 6500.

I've worked in two Trek shops in my day, I've visited the mothership once, had the privledge of knowing a number of current and former Trek employees and with that said for as much as I push against big brother, I have a soft spot for most of what they do. Heck, John Burke [president of Trek] has one of my favorite quotes, which has unfortunately turned into a tag line:

Cycling is 'a simple solution to complex problems'

I'll even admit that his quote is on my cover letter in my resume. Some thing about it rings very true to me, even in my daily struggle to embrace it. [Damn the crutch that is my Xbox].

This past Sunday I was able to get my hands on the 2011 Trek Buyers Guide. Which is very much a dose of bike porn that comes once a year as the new products come out around Interbike time. Our good friend and fellow NDJR contributor, Tom from Holland Cycling, hand delivered a copy to thumb through and I figured I'd share a few thoughts on it.

The Good. It's thorough. Filled the the brim with more information most are able to digest. Handing this over to the 'I know more than you' customer should do them justice. In the past, with it's size this might have been called the pitch book that was given out to each Trek shop as to serve as a resourse/tool for sales staff to know selling points and highlights to the new bikes. Hopefully this replaced the pitch book, otherwise I would hate to see how large that is.

The Bad. In avoiding the whole 'Gary Fisher Collection' decision and only saying in the end it makes sense. I'll say this in regards to the buyers guide, for being an 'Eco' friendly company. I have a hard time justifying the amount of paper, press, and resources needed for this to be a disposable handout.

The Ugly [or how does it look?]. Well, all you hipster Christians out there or Rob Bell followers will notice a very familiar format. So yes, it looks good.

Here are the bikes that get my thumbs up... [with the disclaimer, I have not actually seen, rode, or worked on... maybe I should just say I'm lusting over]...

The Belleville

The Presidio

The completely unnecessary District Carbon

Finally the Transport +, a bike that I saw the concept of back at Trek World a few years back.

Ok, besides bikes, what I'm extremely interested in checking out are their Bontrager white Eco tires that are seen on a number of the bikes but I couldn't find any information online on them. Hopefully they will be available and could serve as an excellent alternative to the Schwalbe Fat Frank tires. Might be pretty hot on the cruiser or touring rig, we'll see.

Wheel Mag

Fahrstil: Das Radmagazin... a new magazine from ze-Germans. Gonna have to see how to get my hands on a hard copy, as seen at the European Handmade show:

FAHRSTIL - Das Radmagazin. from e r t z u i ° film on Vimeo.

Week One: DVS Milan CTC Cadence thoughts

Let's get a few things straight. I'm bias. I'm stubborn. I judge and because of this, often I feel I am right. I know that I am not alone in this and sure, some might write this off another way for me to feel superiority over the next guy in being able to acknowledge this. This does not mean that I am afraid to engage in discussion on any number of topics or perspectives. I'll value your insight, thought and will challenge you with questions as I wade through what I may believe.

Wow, talk about dropping a bomb just to say I got some new shoes that are 'cycling' specific.

I am privileged to be able to spend a few minutes out of my day roaming the internet super highway looking to see what's being said and done in the cycling world for work. One of the sites that I frequent like many is over at Prolly is not Probably via Fourteen Teeth. He's had a DVS banner up for some time and has been rocking the DVS/Cadence collaboration for most of the summer. Ever since I caught wind of these I've been interested in getting a pair but didn't find a need since my Adidas Sambas have been holding up great after around a year of use, along with a dip in the Louisiana swamp back in March. All good things must come to an end, as 3 weeks ago the heel began to finally give way and so I ordered up a pair of these.

I had my hesitations about a pseudo-cycling shoe by DVS, given the obvious fact that they have primarily been a skate company. Don't get me wrong, I rocked DVS's back in my emo kid days but having aged to become the grown-up emo kid/hipster [yes, I don't deny it like some] of sorts, the width of my shoes have become rather important for a few reasons.

First, let's not deny aesthetics. The downfall of skate shoes can be the brick like appearance, especially with the wave of bootcut/girl pants. Yet at the same time, too narrow of a show can give the impression of... well, I don't know but I think we can all agree that some thing isn't right. Secondly, as mentioned before width. Width comes into play especially when running toe clips, thus was my draw to the Adidas'. The last thing I want to have to do is struggle to get my foot in the clip while riding. With DVS's background in skate was afraid that problem might occur.

After receiving the shoes in the mail around a week ago, when I opened the box I did have a little buyers remorse. Why? I ordered the gray instead of the black. As any of my friends my attest, black is kind of my color. Although I love the look of the gray, I immediately realized that the gray would never quite look as good as they did the day before as I continued to wear them. But I took a breath, laced them up, slipped them on and...

Foot Nirvana. A tight heal, firm yet highly walkable soul, and a toe box that felt very similar to my Samba's in their prime.

Over the past week, I've been rocking these as my everyday shoe, at work and play. riding around on my cruiser and then with Red. Red is the only bike that I have toe clips on, the All City with their double strap and needless to say, the transition was not noticeable. All in all, so far so good; I'd more than willingly put my stamp of approval on these. Every now and again I'll do a check in of sorts on these shoes and see how it goes.

As Guitar Ted has said many times, when people buy some thing they are more likely to not admit to problems with the item when reviewing it because of the expense they incurred in purchasing. I bought these and thus my bias. Take it or leave it, Prolly has been rocking the DVS Milan CTC Cadence shoe for some time and gives plenty more insight here.

From around the Globe...

From our friends up north...

Bixie not Fixie.
_

From Grand Rapids, in the Grand Rapids Press...

Editorial: Michigan lawmakers should approve Complete Streets bill to focus on more than motorists


We’ve all seen it when we’re driving along in our automobiles. The cars are clipping along just fine. But there on the side, you spot a fellow traveler on foot, pushing a stroller, riding a bike or using a wheelchair. And that person is in peril. The road was built with zero thought for him or her. No bike lane, no sidewalk, nothing for safe transit for those outside a car. All a passing motorist can do in that instant is slow down, pay extra attention and pray for safe travels.

But Michigan can and should do better. It’s time for the state to motor toward smarter transportation planning. “Complete Streets” legislation pending in Lansing would help get us to that destination. The Senate should pass it promptly, following the measure’s recent wide-margin approval in the House. Complete Streets is a movement gaining ground nationally. More than a dozen states, plus Grand Rapids and a growing number of cities nationwide, already have passed bills that encourage planning for safer, more livable and welcoming roads. Upgrading or building a street? Good, but how about planning for a sidewalk, bike lane, good crossing spots and pedestrian signs? How about a bus lane and pleasant bus stops?

The goal is to modernize transportation policies that for decades focused solely on accommodating motorists, and often were blind to needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, older citizens and those with disabilities. Too often, transportation planners had a default setting that forced people into cars for safe travel. The result is people have been robbed of options for getting around.

The legislation in Lansing is largely a planning tool for state and local government. It begins with establishing the premise that Complete Streets are important to the livability of communities.

Local road agencies already are required to develop long-range plans, and the legislation requires that smart streets are part of that conversation.

The state transportation agency would be charged with making it easier for communities to accomplish that through goal-setting and planning expertise. A Complete Streets Advisory Council would be formed within the transportation department, with representatives from government (such as traffic engineers, road commissions and transit planners) and a variety of community groups (including AARP, bicyclists and disability advocates).

The legislation has broad support from community groups, including senior advocates, Safe Routes to Schools group, environmentalists, cyclists and others.

It’s also important to note that Michigan’s proposed Complete Streets law does not over-reach, or encourage senseless expenses or government intrusion. It acknowledges that road-planning needs vary according to urban, suburban and rural settings, and that local context and cost factors must be taken into consideration. One size does not fit all.

But it does accomplish making room for Michigan to show how it can be a leader in all forms of transportation. Complete Streets doesn’t knock the car from its perch as king of the road and as a central force in Michigan’s identity and economy. It simply establishes that two-footed or two-wheeled travelers also are good for our streets, our downtowns, businesses and neighborhoods.

Safe travels and Complete Streets: Both are good for Michigan.

A head scratcher.

Being the main contributor of the blog for my 9-5 job, I stumble on a few things from time to time that I can't post there but are definitely I feel a need for a repost. Here is one that I saw from the Phil Wood Twitter feed from the Core777 website.

Head scratcher? Yes.

Interesting? Definitely.

Will we see it make it to production? Probably not.


Enjoy.

Kevin Scott's bike design gets around the theft problem

Posted by hipstomp | 8 Jul 2010 |

I'm not sure about UK slang, but in America if I tell you "I'm gonna wrap my bike around a pole" that means I'm gonna crash it. But Kevin Scott, an industrial design student at the UK's De Montfort University, means it in a different way.

[image credit: Tony Kyriacou/Rex Features]

Scott has designed a bicycle that the user wraps around a pole literally. A ratcheting mechanism transforms two parts of the bike's frame from stiff to bendable, and once wrapped, a single bike lock can be passed through both tires and the frame, which Scott hopes will decrease the bike theft rampant in London and so many other of the world's cities.

For his troubles, Scott won Runner-up in the UK's Business Design Centre New Designer of the Year Award. Which does not mean he's done with the bicycle design; he's dumping the award money back into the project for further development.

Alo Here.

Well, it's been far to long between posts with lots of talk of revived passion for the site. No Drive is not dead just in hibernation. My computer recently took it's official walk to the dark side and is a nice Apple logo-ed paper weight. Right before this occurred I had renewed the nodrivejustride.com for another 2 years. I'll be getting my hands on a new computer in the coming weeks and hopefully in that time Alex and I will be able to put together a new look for the site and potentially move to another site to host it other than blogger. We shall see.

Keep riding.

finding the hidden

on wednesday i went for a ride on the trails in the cedar valley. i packed my bag with the usual stuff; my sketchbook, pens and markers, camera, a book, and a journal. i had the intention of riding for a while and then stopping off at a coffee shop to read and sketch. a short ride followed by a long chill time. i started my ride and, eventually, ended up under a highway bridge looking at the pillars that held it up. it was there that i saw some of the best art i have seen in a while. there was graffiti on each pillar. some it was thin and novice, but there were a few that inspired me, since i am an artist myself. i parked my bike [lucy] and pulled out my camera. i spent a good 45 minutes exploring this make-shift gallery, taking photos and admiring this unnoticed art. in the end, i pulled out a marker and added a statement to sum it all up. i wrote "this is real art." nothing profound, just simple.

now, i have driven on that bridge at least 100 times and never have i known about the incredible work that was displayed below. i only noticed this art because i was riding a bike. it reminded me of an email i received from my dad, who is also a cyclist, last fall. he sent it to me and all of his friends who had hung up there bikes and bought motorcycles. it talks about noticing the little things, the things unseen when driving a car, the things revealed when you are "one with the road."

here is the email from my dad:

Today I saw the blackbirds pestering a hawk as he flew from perch to perch, a deer, horses playing in the barn lot because they didn’t even know I was there, a new hole in the abandoned barn roof that wasn’t there in the spring, a tall pine tree standing like a sentinel in the middle of a country cemetery as if it was standing guard over the loved ones who had been buried there, roadkill, the shadows on the crops as the sun rose higher in the sky, a new strip of gravel that had just been place the day before along side the road, a patch of yellow wild flowers dancing in the gentle breeze. Today I heard crickets and other insects looking for one more mate before the seasons changed and the cool weather drives them into hibernation, the pop of an American flag and the clink of the chain as it slapped against the flag pole, the sound of a distant bird singing as it sat on the telephone wire and the sound of small kids playing in the yard. Today I could smell the fragrance of purple cone flowers as they fought out the remnants of an old barnyard and the sweet scent of the corn and beans as they begin to dry down and drop their leaves as they prepare to be harvested.

Why did I see, hear and smell these things? Because I was cruising by under my own power and not that of 1200 cc engine.

Peddle on.

Dam the Dome: Urban Ride!

Well, I'm heading home for an extended weekend. I figured, why not, let's kick off the No Drive rides back in the homeland. Here's the information:

Meet: In front of Bike Tech, Cedar Falls, IA
When: 2pm-ish Sunday
Pace: Casual, with the occasional sprint [no one left behind]
Bring: Helmet, Lock, willingness to have a great time!

This will be a nice urban ride from the dam up to Uni-dome and back. I'm still hashing out the route, but I'm thinking after the ride, food and drink at one of the fine downtown restaurants.

As always, questions? Ask. Let me know if you're coming via the Facebook event page.

*Monday, I will also be doing a little bit of a dirt ride to break in my new mountain bike. Interested in joining let me know.

I ride a fixie, but I'm not hipster

As of a year ago, I only knew one person that rode a fixie; Alo.

Now, I attend an art school in the *newly appointed* number one bicycling city in the America, MPLS, and it would be easier for me to name people who did not ride a fixie. The bike racks are daily littered with fixed-gear after fixed-gear, with colourful rims and bar tape, playing cards in the spokes and perfectly mismatched everything else.

Yes, I am talking about hipster fixie riders.

Now, I will admit it: I ride a fixie. I have every intention of swapping out parts to make her, Lucy, match and I sometimes wear tight jeans so as to not get my pant leg stuck in the crank. To anyone, I look like another hipster riding a fixie because it is hip, but deep down, I am not a hipster. If anything, I am an accidental hipster.

I know how it goes, "If you are denying being ____, you are totally ___." I agree with this, and I am not denying having hipster fixie riding qualities, but there are two things that set me apart from the actual dirty hipster trendy fixie riders.

PBR and handle-bars.

1. I do not drink PBR and everyone, who is anyone, knows that hipsters live on that stuff. I have a higher standard for my taste buds. Yes, bicycling and beer really do go hand in hand, but not can in hand. I do not drink PBR [or smoke American Spirits] so there for there is no way that I can be a hipster fixie rider.

2. The proper way to get on a bike is debated by scholars on nearly a daily basis. Hop on like horse, lean the bike over, there are plenty of options. The one option that every hipster has adopted is swinging the leg over the handle bars. You look like a pretentious idiot [I know I sound like one, but I will openly admit it]. The proper way to get on a bike is not to swing your leg over the front of the bike. One of my best friends mounts her bike this way ... I yell "hipster" at her every time. I know that it is an adaptation from serious cyclists ... but hipsters dirtied it up.

I'm not trying to hate, but sometimes it is good to get it out there.

So in the end, I might look like a hipster, though my pants are a little looser and my hair has been freshly washed, but I watch me get on Lucy and you will see that I am hipster hater just like everyone else. Yes, i just started riding fixie, but not to join the hipster trends. I started riding to join a brotherhood and connect with a 319 brother in another state. Yes, ultimately it doesn't really matter who is a hipster and who is not. Who works on their own bike and who needs help. Bicycling is all about connections, both intimately and communally.

The labels and the looks don't matter. Hipster or not, all that does matter is the fact that we just ride. Isn't that what the bicycling community is all about? Isn't that what we, NDJR, is all about?

Just ride.

...but don't call me a f*cking hipster.

Monday Morning Quarterback

Since we're all talking about them anyway...

'Balance, momentum, and low center of gravity'... cute. I do believe I know the arch of this man's life... he becomes The Most Interesting Man in the World.

The irony of having bicycling promote driving is like using solar power to promote deep ocean oil drilling. Sure, I might be blowing that a bit out of proportion, but I guess with 'knowledge does come confidence'. I'm confident you're doing some thing.

Wednesday Video.

Stumbled onto this over at the Bike Jerks blog... Enjoy.

Motivation through Embrocation

While most people that read this blog are experiencing a very chilly week, I am spending it with a warm tingly feeling...well sort of. Today was the launch of my latest bicycle related venture. For about a year and a half now I have been using various manufacturers embrocation creams and found on chilly fall and spring days I couldn't ride without them. Embrocation cream is a warming cream/fluid that smooths the transition from preride to a warmed up state. The creams gave me that little extra pop on spring/fall rides and the ability to race in the cold without having to bundle up to much. Mid summer Dan Socie approached me with the concept of bringing our own embrocation to the masses. I jumped at the chance as it gave me the ability to make embrocation everything I wanted and needed it to be. From this idea Soigneur was born. The word soigneur means "one who cares for others". The soigneur is a large part of cycling culture, as a do it all hardworking part of a cyclists support system soigneurs do everything from massage riders to aiding in the feeding and clothing the riders. Just like a real soigneur we wanted Motivation to be hardworking and to take care of all sorts of cycling duties. We didn't pretend embrocation was magic, we looked at it as an everyday thing. We wanted something warm and protective enough slather on your legs on a cold day, but not so greasy that we couldn't use it to loosen up a tight lower back or in my case a shoulder recovering from a dislocation. After several formulas, some smelly enough to clear my sinuses with a single whiff, we found the right combination of scent, heat, and the ever elusive protective feeling that gives embrocation the nickname "belgian kneewarmers". If you have never tried embrocation our first shipment will arrive in February, just in time for you to put that trainer away and get outdoors. If you have used embrocation you owe it to your legs to give Motivation a try. With a kick off party in the works and things already in motion I am excited to see our product help care for all the cold legs out there.

GBK

New Favorite Video

Just stumbled onto this video via Jeff Kerkove's Twitter who got it from BikeRadar.com. Yeah it's one of those I knew a guy who knew a guy who dated a girl whos brothers uncle had a friend who... regardless, this just might be my new favorite cycling video just because of the uniqueness of the way it was shot.

Facebook. Hate Group.

You ride your bike. You're on Facebook. You have friends who ride, who are on Facebook. You get invited to countless groups or have plenty of different applications that tell you what cycling personality you are [as if you didn't already know] and possibly get upset with what 'personality' it says your are... roadies. There are plenty of groups for this and for that.

The newest one would be the 'HELP REMOVE this HATE GROUP against cyclist' Which in it's description states:

'The[re is a] new group- "There's a perfectly good path next to the road you stupid cyclist" is nothing more than the newest hate group, and for Facebook to not remove it, is nothing short of criminal'

Really? Ok, I'm all about claiming the lane and our right to the road. I believe with more bicycle advocates we have, and the more that they are able shed positive light on the sport to people that understanding and tolerance is a byproduct that will simply happen. I personally struggle with any group, on any given topic or position that defines themselves on what they aren't or what they dislike or hate rather than to actually stop and think about the argument that is being raised.

If we can get down off of our self righteous perch and realize that whoever started this group encountered a rider [it could have been just a recreational rider, a commuter, or pro] that instead of using a provided bike lane or bike specific path, took to the street. Yes, once again, we do have a right to the road and should be able to ride on it but that also means we need to be obeying the laws of the road. For instance, complete stops at all stops signs and obeying the speed limit and if we aren't going to speed limit moving as far to the shoulder as we can.

This is at the heart of why people are drawn to joining this original 'hate' group and just looking through both groups it seem like the 'HELP REMOVE...' group actually has a bit more hate in it than the group they are trying to get removed. The original group is actually quite humorous to me, whereas the 'HELP REMOVE...' not so much. I realize that I'm stepping onto a bunch of landmines by not 100% supporting my cycling community in the 'unjust' fight, and agree that, yes there are things that we need to fight for. But even in writing this I've wasted far too much time focusing on how a group on a social network site is getting more attention than the lack of funding for the protection of cyclists [i.e. bike lanes, paths, signage, education, etc]

Let there be a 'hate' group, real change on the matter will only come through our actions on the road.

The cost VS. The Cost

Stumbled onto this over on the Relevant magazine website. I realize that this isn't a bicycle related video but it serves as another reminder of the true cost of the things we buy and consume.Which opens the door to a whole lot more but that's for another day.... enjoy.

Introducing Alxndr Jones

Well, over the past few months I've been keeping an eye out to find another person to add to the No Drive crew to contribute to this little mess of a blog, errr revolution, we've got going. Geoff, Brian and Tom are great friends of mine and will still contribute. Still, having another consistent voice in this was some thing I've greatly desired to find.

Enter an old friend and basically younger brother of sorts in Alxndr Jones, or Alex. I've known Alex since he was simply an awkwardly tall 7th graders with a fro when I was a youth leader at a church back in Iowa. Alex is a storyteller and artist, and that's really the best way to say it and in the last year he has really gotten the itch for cycling. I've followed him on many of his blogs but what made me want him to join in on No Drive was his cycling site called Iowa Commuter.

He's the fresh air I believe we need here to once again reclaim the manifesto that has really given us direction for this thing in the past. Alex is a newbie and knows it. He doesn't know all the technical terms but he loves his bike, Lucy, and that's really what this is all about. He's recently moved back up to Minneapolis, which has a great cycling community and it'll be great to hear stories about other cities besides Grand Rapids and Cedar Falls. Plus it gives me an excuse to have an Saturday Night ride there this summer some time or even have a C Series ride up there at some point. I'm sure you're going to enjoy his posts!

Be on the look out!

Now, the picture on the left only gives you an idea of what is in the works by a former co-worker from Alger, Dan Martinek [or Teddy as many know him as]. Dan has been around the industry for a long while from spending time up in the land of the Uppers to time here in GR to time out in the Bike Mecca [Portland, OR for those of you completely out of the loop]. He's rubbed shoulders with some of the best of frame builders, like Ira Ryan, and from spending this past summer I can attest that he is one damn fine wrench.

Martinek has had this little cargo bike project in the works and after stopping by the old shop I was informed that the first prototype is nearing completion. Which is pretty exciting him but also for us, Dan from early on has hinted that No Drive will be receiving to ride, test and bang up against a few curbs.

I can't wait to get some real teaser photos but trust that they will be on the way with this yet to be named cargo bike company.