To me fixed gear bikes are not about fashion, but about DIYODW, pain, and of course that funny zen simplisity that everyone likes to rave on and on about. (DIYODW = Doing It Your Own Dam Way). I am sure many a fashionable hipster will tilt his/her head in wonderment, and to that I say,

FUCK fashion.

Okay now that my motivation is clearly laid out, lets get on to my next stupid adventure. If you have been reading this here mess of a blog for the past few years then you know that I have a penchant for doing things that most people will shake their head at, however, its been a while since I have been on any truly insane adventures on my fixed gear bike. Hmmm, clearly I need to rectify the situation.

cyborg

noun
a fictional or hypothetical person whose physical abilities are extended beyond normal human limitations by mechanical elements built into the body.

We have all grown up watching movies that have sci-fi cyborgs. You know those crazy half-man, half-machine characters sporting all sorts of amazing abilities due to the extra hardware added to them. At some point many of us dreamed of being one. Guess what? They’re already here, they’re called a cyclists.

I have seen people do some absolutely amazing things on bicycles, from the track racing pushing 70 km/hr in a sprint, to the single speed nuts doing solo 24hour races, to the city fixed gear riders doing no handed skids and backward circles. All are doing very different things, but all of them are doing things that they would not be able to do otherwise.

Perhaps this is why people often have such strong relationships with their bikes. These relationships run all over the board about it being an extension of their physical selves, about it being a lifestyle versus an activity. I mean how many sports do you know about where people name their equipment? Not many.

While these thoughts are all fine and dandy over a bottle of wine or a discount six pack (choose your poison) I wanted to talk to you about a subject that is near and dear to my heart, bicycle fit. Whether you like it or not how well your bicycle fits has a huge impact on not only your enjoyment but your performance as well.

As I got into frame building, I also got into bicycle fitting. I believe to be a good frame buider you have to understand the relationship the rider has with the frame. Specifically, how the rider moves with respect to the frame and how the frame moves with respect to the rider.

Do “we” really need to have a 3d, static position and dynamic movements documented for proper bike fit?

From the largely amusing Surly bikes blog

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Fat Squirrel Season

Everybody knows that squirrels store nuts for the winter. They store them in the ground, probably up in trees and they eat them to get a nice fat belly for the winter. But what I notice most about squirrels this time of year is that they are particularly slow, sluggish, indecisive, unpredictable and psycho.

Case in point, I'm riding my bike in a quiet residential neighborhood this morning (with a 100+ pound trailer in tow) and I see a squirrel walking her dog. She's stopped on the corner of an uncontrolled intersection while the leashed dog sniffs around. From a distance, I ring my bell to get her attention and we make positive eye contact. Knowing it's fat squirrel season, I have my fingers on the brake levers as I approach. About 12 feet before I enter the crosswalk, the squirrel decides that her and the dog are going to test their right of way across the street. I skid the rear wheel and start drifting sideways, just barely missing squirrel and pooch. You know when you're skidding and all you can think of is "did that squirrel want to commit suicide?" but you're glad you have brakes and skills to spare it's life.

I created a forum thread for any fixed bikes, fixed friendly frames or related gear...here

Feel free to add to it... comment on it, share it... I have enough bikes (for now) but I know there are others out there who are still hunting.

Let's see how this goes... most regional forums have a Craigslist/local buys thread to keep an eye out for fixed (or fixed friendly) bikes for sale.

People will either be inclined to share for the better good of the community or hoard the deals for themselves... I'm hoping the former!

For starters here's some good links...

Craigslist (duh!) - http://vancouver.craigslist.org/bik/

You could also post any local eBay deals and comments on previous posts.

Aerial shot of Hornby Island

There is just something about Hornby Island that is hard to describe. If you know me personally, in any sort of manner, then you probably know the love affair I have had with the Gulf Island ever since my first visit in the late 90's (previous verbage).

I remember the time fondly. I had just gotten into mountain biking, just owned my first car (I no longer own a car) and itching to travel to some XC races when I came across a flyer for the mystical for the now defunct Hornby Island Bike Fest put on by imfamous Tig Cross and friends.

Subject: Contact Form
From: monks

G'day Weasel, how are you going, im a courier from sydney, aus and moving to Vancouver in a week and a little, sounds like you guys have just about the same amount of laughs as we do in syd. just checking out the site, top notch. can you give me an idea of what companies are around and where i can get my hands on a decent second hand fixy?ive been off the bike for over six weeks now and im going insane without my wheels, i even dream about them during the day now..after your drinks and sober time, it'd be greatly appreciated if you could hook us up with some info should be in by the 13th of Aug, ready to roll again...

thanks mate, monks

Website: not that computer literate

G'day back at you. How am I doing? Right now I am feeling a wheee bit sick today after a hard weekend of racing. I was able to snag a 2nd in Tour de Delta category 3/4 criterium, and 5th in the 30 to 34 age class for the gear jammer offroad enduro. The crit hurt but the enduro was nasty as hell. I haven't been on a mountain bike forever (actually last week was the first time in over a year). This combined with the fact the course was comprised entirely of relentless pounding single track (3 hours of single track), I was riding a short travel hardtail, it was like 104 °F (40 °C) and I ran out of water almost 1 hour before the feedzone some friends were manning. I think it all caught up with me as you can put yourself out only so many times in a row. So how sick is sick? I had a dangerously high fever earlier today (i.e. hospital visit high) and slept the entire day. I just got up, and got back from buying myself a booster juice and now I feel like tackling your email.

Keeping things squeeky clean [go]

Lets face the facts boys and girls, while cranking on the bike we all expect to bust out our fair share of sweat (yes, even us sweet smelling girls). Some of us even buy jerseys to make this feature of riding more comfortable. When arriving home we all throw our jerseys in the wash (you all better be nodding YES) to keep it smelling fresh, but what about ye olde brain bucket?

Yep, that is right, smelly helmet syndrome is a problem currently sweeping the Nation. And come on people, there is just no need for it either. Now I know some well heeled folk simply toss their lid in the trash and buy new. But for the rest of us that is a no go. Since we can't go tossin' the helmet in with the next load of laundry, what do us frugal types do?

Luckily for you, I'm here to pass on a handy dandy tip to keep your helmet smelling fresh as a daisy.