Follow Lawrence and her Pursuit for world domination here:
D’ya like how I slipped in that ‘pursuit’? Warrwych is a cool chick who will be spilling oponent blood at the Masters Individual Pursuit champs in Sydney this year. She’s started a blog about this and no doubt other fixie interests. All the best for Sydders Warrwych!
So why am I walking around in shorts, t-shirt and thongs (‘flip-flop’ footwear, not a g-string)? Fsck knows, but I’m off to buy myself an urban 4×4 to work on this global warming thing some more!
That’s mental age.. a few more years and the teenage angst, invincibility and ‘total knowledge’ will finally be behind me, right?
Happy Birthday me!
Thanks to everyone who made it to the Comedy Store, I had a top night. To everyone who didn’t make it, thanks for your well wishes. To the rest – your voodoo dolls are nearly completed ๐ Thanks for all my groovy pressies too! Nice work folks – you all rock!
Taken without permission from 1lesscarnews.blogspot.com
I want some of their shirts.
Speaking of shirts, Mick from Croydon Cycle Works is a dead set legend! He’s just sent me a “care package” of CCW kit – jersey, windvest, undershirts, t-shirt, stickers, magnets and a copy of Zoo magazine (for its performance-enhancing ‘norgs’ content). Is that awesome or what?! I’m gonna have to win some stuff in his kit now even though it’ll hardly send business his way. I’m well chuffed!!
With the flavour of the month being “fixed”, here’s a cool mod to fit straps to your SPD-SLs: www.badbean.com – spd straps. Read the badbean blog here.
Image used without permission and ?copyright Christopher Klugman
Taking inspiration from the recent overdose of track racing and the donning of my old race jersey, I had rolled out for a normal commute.. only to find myself trying very hard not to look slow in my ‘sunday best’.
3/4 of the way in, around Sussex Gardens, I actually glanced at my watch and saw I was well under 30min. “Damn, could be a record here!” Kept up the pace until the office with some deft (read: lucky) anti-bus fixie skidding along Marylebone Rd and stopped the clock..
Time: 28:29. That’s a full 1.5min faster than my previous best. It was also through much heavier traffic due to leaving later. Nice.
Pressed for time (I’ve never excreted time, so I’m not sure where that saying came from) so I’m not giving a full review of this event.
I trained up early Saturday morning, looked around Manchester, found the Hatters hostel, got directions to the ‘drome, arrived at the ‘drome, went back to the hostel to get my tickets for the ‘drome – doh! Back to the velodrome in time for the women’s pursuit qualifications. Spent the next 9-10hrs walking around, watching the racing, taking blurry photos, fulfilling my duties as the Aussie cheer squad of one, drinking a couple of pints of Boddingtons at a nearby pub, yelling some more, etc.
The racing was top-notch and any time there was a British rider up or another nationality was giving it a good go – the mostly-British crowd got right into it. Great fun!
Sunday was much the same albeit slightly shorter in duration with the addition of the exciting Madison and JKA Keirin rounds.
For my collection of shoddy pics from this weekend, see:
I’ll just go get a towel now..
“The bike is bristling with exclusive features, like carbon track dropouts and a rider and event-specific, high modulus tube set. In the seatstay area, Nick forgoes the customary pre-fabbed wishbone arrangement to make way for truly elegant twin 15mm stays, while the chainstays are a Crumpton-fabbed custom “monobox” design to give maximum efficiency under all-out hill climbing loads. Nick?s proprietary bonding and layering system used at the tube junctions is so fine and carefully applied that at first glance the impression is that the frame is a one-piece molded monocoque. The top tube is subtly ovalised and the down tube gently flares to an oval at the bottom bracket. The end result is a frame of outstanding aesthetic quality; one that will draw admiring glances from even the most ardent member of the “lugs and steel” school.
Components are equally exotic with the bike assembled in partnership with special projects experts Groupe De Tete. The majority of the parts pick is made up of one-off and prototype designs made exclusively for this bike and event. There?s cranks that have been carefully selected from a production batch of Zipp 300?s and then modified to weigh in at 304gr; there’s an incredible set of wheels by Troy Watson of Ligero Wheelworks featuring titanium bladed spokes, carbon nipples and pared-down Zipp 202 carbon rims; up front there’s a modified Schmolke handlebar with integrated brake lever mated to a custom Crumpton stem. Alpha Q have built a one-off, superlight fork for the project, described as “much lighter than standard; much, much lighter ? too light to quote!” On top, you’ll find a Crumpton manufactured carbon seatpost to hold the Tune Carbon/Kevlar saddle.
ProCycling?s Richard Hallett describes the bike as “an astonishing achievement” and “as single-minded a bike as ever seen on a public road”. There?s no doubt that last statement rings true and in essence, describes this bike as perhaps the pinnacle of custom building; built with one purpose, one rider, one event in mind.
You can?t get more custom than that. If you’re headed for San Jose, do not under any circumstances, miss this bike!“
In the future, people will judge the age of museum artefacts by looking for the ancient inscription “Microwave Safe”.
This came to me while I washed dishes. It’s obviously a sign I should stop.
“Come this September two-wheeled transportation will take over London as the Sixth Annual Bicycle Film Festival rolls into town. The Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) kicks off on September 6, 2007 with screenings September 7-9 at The Cochrane Theatre.”