You better eat your blorpberries so you can grow up to be big and strong like Lillian here.
You might also get your picture on Cute Overload!
Gee, that’s just swell, www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=101509599545718">Erin M.!
Aw, if you’re going to wake up an adorable little gremlin fruit bat in the middle of its’ night, one little snack wouldn’t hurt, right?
Fruit bats are also known as Megabats, or Flying Foxes. How about a nice Waldorf Salad or Ambrosia, Allison D.?
The city of San Jose, CA will pave the Lower Guadalupe River Trail beginning in June 2012. Cyclists and other trail users are instructed to detour onto North 1st Street during trail construction.
The Guadalupe River Trail (GRT) is a popular north-south trail from south of downtown San Jose to the Bay in Alviso. The trail was built as part of the flood mitigation project after historic spring flooding in 1995 forced the cancellation of a San Jose Sharks game and the only rainout in the history of the National Hockey League.
The segment of the levee trail north of Interstate 880 is unpaved gravel. Contractors will begin paving this 6.4 mile segment of the trail in June 2012, and access to the trail between I-880 and the trail terminus in Alviso will be completely closed off to commuters and recreational users. This is the entire stretch of trail alongside San Jose International Airport and north past Trimble Road, Montague Expressway, Tasman Drive and Highway 237.
The detour suggested by San Jose Parks is North 1st Street between Hedding Street to Gold Street (shown in the diagram at right as the yellow line; trail closure indicated with the red line). Hedding Street runs alongside the County buildings and carries heavy traffic during commute times. North 1st from Hedding to north of Highway 101 has narrow lanes and traffic merging to and from I-880, Hwy 101 and Brokaw Street. North of Highway 101, the lanes on 1st widen significantly and you have bike lanes, but it’s also right-hook city with multiple cross streets and parking driveways so stay on your toes. I’ll post video later showing what you can expect on 1st Street.
The River Oaks bike bridge between the VTA offices and Rivermark in Santa clara will remain open during construction.
I’m an assertive, all traffic conditions type of cyclist, but I dislike riding on 1st, especially between James Street and Brokaw. Here are some alternatives that I prefer.
VTA Light Rail runs along 1st Street between downtown San Jose and Tasman Drive. Bikes are always allowed onboard, and during commute times you only have to wait about six minutes between trains. Adult fare is $2 one way. Buy the $70 monthly pass if you ride everyday. VTA accepts Clipper.
3rd & 4th Streets don’t have bike lanes but have much less traffic than 1st Street, and 4th doesn’t have freeway ramps to I-880. Here’s the Google Maps bike directions to get from Brokaw to 4th Street.
San Pedro Street is another nice alternative that runs between downtown and Hedding Street. Google Maps bike directions here for that. The thing Google Maps does not show is the “secret” gate that gives access across the railroad tracks. San Pedro deadends at an apartment parking lot underneath Coleman Avenue. Go straight into that parking lot, veer right onto a sidewalk and you’ll see a black gate leading to the tracks. Push the gate open and, viola! You’re on San Pedro Street again with easy access to downtown San Jose. If you’re interested in this route and can’t figure it out, ping me and I’ll help show you the way.
Airport Boulevard is maybe another possibility, except I don’t know if you can get to it from the trail after construction begins. I’ll update if it turns out this detour is viable.
Coleman / Airport Blvd / Brokaw is another route I’ve taken. These roads all have nice wide lanes, but fast traffic, freeway merges, and lost visitors looking for the rental car return are points against this route. Here’s the Google Maps bike route if you’d like to try this out. Possibly handy for Caltrain bike commuters.
Coleman / De La Cruz / Trimble is another possibility for Caltrain bike commuters. I’ve taken this route only once. Crossing 101 on Trimble Road by bike is not fun, though I know somebody who does this daily. YMMV.
Related posts:
From the Moors of Scotland to the Chattawoogawassee Swamps of Arkansas, history is full of tales of strange beasts lurking at the edges of our perception. CO believes the time has come to welcome them, befriend them, and then most importantly, scream and run away!
It wuz all hairy with big feet and clarws! We ain’t never seen nuthin’ like it before, Josh N.!
by Jill Homer (noreply@blogger.com) at May 16, 2012 06:09 PM
On a regular route, passed a line of police on bikes. They’re peloton continued around the next bend and out of the camera’s view. Didn’t ask what they where doing, but it was militaristic and precise.
Uploaded by Hugger Industries | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.
Follow that car! Step on it! Faster, faster! Go, go, go! It’s getting away!
Gus is a gas, gas, gas, Matthew C.
It is a very sad thing when your sweet puppy turns into a beast. No one thinks it will happen to them, but the truth is, it can happen to anyone.
This is Tiny. He started as a charming and gregarious little Akita. Tiny loved running and playing and licking folks. Now he insists on being called Beelzepup and is getting all possessive-y. His poor owner, Paul P., is hoping it’s just a phase.
Here’s another example. Bentley was a fine little fellow who stayed right with you on walks. Now he’s running around with a bad crowd, calling the ladies the “B” word and staying up all hours of the night to lay down some “thick and phat” tracks. Amy M. has had photographer Dan document Bentley’s transformation.
Don’t let this happen to you. Watch for early warning signs and get help right away.
Rapha should hire these guys as models.
The Colombian team are:
Jhon Atapuma
Fabio Andres Duarte Arevalo
Javier Gonzalez Barrera
Victor Hugo!Pena Grisales
Carlos Julian Quintero
Michael Rodriguez
Wilson Marentes Torres
Juan Pablo Suarez
Fabio Duarte distinguished himself with his mountain climbing skills during Stage 3 from San Jose to Livermore.
Related posts:
ATOC Stage 3 SPOILER BELOW the rockin’ video.
How many Golden Jerseys is too many?
Related posts:
Santa Clara County considers Bay Trail Gap funding – Key decision next Tuesday!
Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss will hold a press conference tomorrow morning to announce a plan to invest $2 million to complete the Bay Trail Gap in Menlo Park and East Palo Alto and $5 million in the Adobe Creek Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge over Highway 101 in Palo Alto. These funds will cover more than half the costs needed to construct each project.
Supervisor Kniss’ event will be held on May 16 at 11:00 am at the Palo Alto East Bayshore Municipal Service Center at 3201 East Bayshore Road, Palo Alto.
The proposal needs to be approved at the next Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, May 22 at 9:00 am, which will be held at 70 West Hedding St, 10th Floor, East Wing, San Jose.
The funds to be invested came from Stanford University as a mitigation measure for the loss of publicly-accessible recreational facilities when it expanded its campus after 2000.
There is currently a gap on the Bay Trail between Menlo Park and East Palo Alto (EPA). The map above shows possible alignments (in bright green) to close this gap. Facebook’s development agreement with the city of Menlo Park for their headquarters includes a pledge to contribute to closing this gap to EPA, which could ease bicycle access for Facebook employees traveling from the South Bay.
A proposed bicycle bridge for Adobe Creek in Palo Alto would replace the underpass currently used to provide year-round biking and walking access between
residential neighborhoods southwest of Highway 101 and the trails available on the Bay side of 101. The current underpass is prone to seasonal flooding and is gated shut for half of the year.
Those who would like to speak up about this effort.
Speaking points in favor of funding these projects:
Related posts:
Stylist Tziporah Salamon is known for her outfits and riding her Bianchi Milano bicycle around New York City.
Read more about her and her style at Collector’s Weekly.
I’m such a happy llama; don’t need none of your drama
I’ve got the cutest smile from here to Yokohama
If you’ve got major trauma, like a rip in your pajama,
Just gaze into my happy face until you’re feeling warma.
For a photo with such class, we give thanks to tintedglass.
MONSTER crowds of enthusiasts and the curious gathered on Berryessa Road to watch the Stage 3 start of the Amgen Tour of California in San Jose this morning.
My random notes and observations:
Below is my raw video (1:34) of the race start on Berryessa Road. The Radio Shack Tour Tracker is showing live video from the race right now.
Related posts:
, a couple of times earlier on this blog and last night the Kindle version of the book went live on Amazon. These days I prefer getting my books in electronic form, so I'd been waiting for the digital release. One feature of the Kindle is the ability for a reader to highlight and Tweet out links to passages in a book and last night and this morning my Twitter followers found their streams filled with snippets from Grant's book as I quickly and delightedly clicked my way through the virtual pages of Just Ride, highlighting as I went.
by Kent Peterson (noreply@blogger.com) at May 15, 2012 10:00 PM
LOUD AND CLEAR!
Found by Johanna S. Photo by Seth Casteel, who does all those great underwater dog portraits.
Best way to keep your 1-lb bag of Secret Drink Mix fresh? With a Clip-n-Seal.
That white plastic thing hanging off the side of a 1 lb bag of Skratch is a Clip-n-Seal.
One of our readers and Clip-n-Seal fans sent us this photo of Skratch Labs Everyday Hydration Mix in his pantry. Clip-n-Seal is a bag clip that the parent company of Bike Hugger, Textura Design, invented and brought to market a decade ago. It’s quite the little bag clip that’s flown in space, been frozen in Antartica, and used in the production of carbon wheels like ENVE.
Really. Try it yourself on your Skratch, chips, coffee or whatever else you need to keep fresh.
Bicycle industry careers listing and other related jobs for May 15 2012.
Rodale Publishing seeks a Sales Assistant in New York City for Runners World and Bicycling magazines.
Ellsworth Handcrafted Bicycles hiring a marketing manager in Ramona, CA.
2D animator needed for a helmet promotion project.
Translators needed for a film project.
The U.S. Army needs you for bicycle patrol. “PLEASE UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE TO JOIN THE ARMY,” it says.
Reality show seeks bike messengers and other ‘interesting’ small businesses.
Attractive sales people (i.e. booth babes) needed for Grand Fondo this weekend in New York City.
Gotta jet for a bike race — good luck!
Related posts:
Share your sickeningly cute photos to win $500. We’re growing increasingly nauseous seeing all of your cute posts. Below you’ll see a sampling of submissions (inclusion here on cute overload does not mean they are the finalists). There’s still time to enter for bragging rights that you are “So Cute It Makes Me Sick.”
Post a photo of your cute animals, costumed babies, or romantic grandparents, to help’s facebook page. The most nauseatingly cute item, creature, thing will be celebrated here on cute overload, rewarded with $500, t-shirts for you and your cutest, and a selection of help products. Photos that incorporate help, I’m nauseous (now available at target, in stores only) will get special attention.
the contest ends May 20.
Free ferret keeses to all entrants. MWAH!
Unmoored by MCA’s death, didn’t know yet what to write or say…This blog and what we do here and elsewhere were defined, in part, by the Beastie Boys. Just like a generation was. When the news broke, saw images like this on Facebook
Photo by April Dawne in Austin
and all I could muster at the time was a status message on G+
Feel like smashing a TV in a smoke-filled room, while cracking open cheap beers, and walking around with a fish eye lens camera. Effects set to polarize.
Then we went on vacation. Back now and to this
The best tribute.
Sabotage with the wife, kids, and nephew from James Winters
Hello.
Surly is out of the office this week. We're planning things and thinking about stuff.
The phones will be turned off and the e-mail will be answered as soon as we return on Monday, May 21.
Thanks,
The Management
I shot this awesome photo of Peter Sagan crossing the finish line in Aptos, CA today.
At least I got the shadow of his trademark winner’s salute.
I showed up in the photo area for the Amgen Tour of California Stage 2 finish a little bit late today so I kind of got stuck in the back a little. Here’s the POV video of what I saw and what I did. Ah well.
Sagan collected a whole pile of jerseys on the podium this afternoon in Aptos in spite of a flat tire (his second of the race). He took the stage (also his second of the race).
During the post-race press conference somebody (I think from the Merc News?) asked Sagan what it would take to stop him, as if.
Amidst breathtaking views of the San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge and Angel Island, Stage 2 of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California got underway in San Francisco and routed south 117.1 miles over the climbs of Empire Grade and Bear Creek Road.
At the start of Stage 2, after leaving the city of San Francisco, riders headed toward the coast and the first sprint of the day in Pacifica, where Howard, Maarten Tjallingii (NED) of Rabobank Cycling Team and Bradley White (USA) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team were the first three to cross the line. Shortly thereafter, six racers, including White; Jeremy Vennell (NZL) of Bissell Pro Cycling; Michael Creed (USA) of Team Optum Powered by Kelly Benefit Strategies; Lloyd Mondory (FRA) of AG2R La Mondiale; Juan Pablo Suarez (COL) of Colombia-Coldeportes; and Alexandre Geniez (FRA) of Team Argos-Shimano established a breakaway. This breakaway swept the second sprint points with White, Vennell and Mondory crossing in that order.
Fifty miles into the race, the break had a comfortable lead of nine minutes and 45 seconds ahead of the peloton; however, after passing through the feed zone, the group began working harder to reel them back in. As the breakaway group closed in on Bonny Doon and the first King of the Mountain (KOM) climb of the day, the gap was narrowed to five minutes and 50 seconds. As the cyclists began to climb, Garmin-Barracuda worked hard at the front of the peloton for their leader Tom Danielson (USA). After a few attacks, only three riders were left in the break – White, Vennell and Geniez – with a lead of four minutes and 20 seconds. Sitting in and out of the saddle while climbing, Geniez went out in front of the break alone.
While on the climb, a crash occurred, taking down several riders, including Sagan; George Hincapie (USA) of BMC Racing Team; Laurens Ten Dam (NED) of Rabobank Cycling Team; Andres Diaz Corrales (COL) of Exergy; and Josh Atkins (NZL) of the Bontrager Livestrong Team. Sagan showed what he is made of by getting up quickly from the crash, brushing himself off and regaining contact with the peloton. While this was happening, Geniez continued to ride alone at the front with a lead of four minutes and 55 seconds ahead of the group, and ultimately claimed top KOM points on Empire Grade. He was followed by David Boily (CAN) of Spidertech Powered by C10.
With five riders at the front of the peloton, Garmin-Barracuda began flying down the mountain with a gap of three minutes and 55 seconds off the front. Vennell and White hung together, in between Geniez and the peloton. After the decent, the peloton was split with about 25 racers in the first portion, then about a 30-second split to the main peloton. Just before the Bear Creek climb, Vennell and White were absorbed by the peloton, leaving Geniez alone in front. But, with just 35km to go, Geniez was caught by the peloton, which was being led by UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team.
“It was a very hard day,” said Vennell, a former National Time Trial champion of New Zealand. “The descent off Bonny Doon was pretty scary.”
Liquigas-Cannondale took over work at the front of the peloton, controlling the pace on the last bit of uphill before the major descent. Heading toward the final sprint of the day, Maxime Bouet (FRA) of AG2R La Mondiale attacked, but Marc de Maar (AHO) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team claimed the top sprint points. With 17km to go, the peloton was flying toward the finish with Liquigas-Cannondale riders occupying the top four spots at the front, followed by riders from Rabobank, BMC Racing Team and RadioShack-Nissan-Trek.
Even with an attack by Rory Sutherland (AUS) of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team at the finish, Sagan managed to outsprint the pack to take the Stage 2 win. He was followed by Haussler and Howard to round out the top three for the stage.
Stage 3 begins tomorrow in San Jose on Berryessa Road at 11:15 AM. See you there!
Related posts:
I’ve always wanted one of these. I will love it and cuddle it call it Silverado. Thank you so much!
Excellent presentation, Happy Farm Bunnies!
(puppy sigh) If I’m not allowed to chew, bark, steal, dig, beg, boss, jump, run, raid, harass …what else is there?
We would never say no-no to Chico aka Brad Pitt, Julie H.
The proposed plan: Shoot photos at Bonny Doon at 2 PM, then race by bike to the finish line and hope to beat the pros there for another set of photos at about 4 PM. Who thinks I can make it?
The Amgen Tour of California 2012 will hit Santa Cruz County early this afternoon and make the turn up Bonny Doon Road. I may make my own race of the Tour by biking from Bonny Doon to the Stage finish in Aptos and (hopefully) beating the pros to the finish line. Do you think I can make it?
The blue line in the map below shows the route the race will take this afternoon. That distance is about 50 miles and who knows how many thousands of feet of elevation gain. The red line is the more direct route I would take, which totals 20 miles and probably under 1000 feet of elevation gain.
The pros have closed roads and police escorts. They can power themselves uphill faster than I’m capable of moving on level ground, especially since I’ll pull a trailer with camera and computer equipment (and a change of clothing). The peleton will scream down that final stretch into Aptos at speeds approaching 60 MPH, while I’ll stop for red lights and stops signs.
I can move at a decent clip outside of town, but once I hit Santa Cruz traffic I know my average speed will drop to about 11 MPH. From experience I know it’ll take me right at about 2 hours to make it to Aptos from Bonny Doon Road, plus I still need to grab my media pass and (hopefully) snag one of the limited supply of photo vests.
The other downsides — there’s probably good opportunity for ‘lifestyle cycling’ type photos in Aptos, which is my real interest. I’ll miss those if I’m racing across town at my banana-slug-like pace.
What do you think? Should I go for my own little personal challenge of a race from Bonny Doon to Aptos? If I thought of that earlier wouldn’t that have been a cool idea for an alleycat race of some kind?
Related posts:
Santa Cruz Metro announces bus detours and delays for Monday, May 14 2012 due to the Amgen Tour of California passing through the county.
The peloton should hit Santa Cruz County about 2 PM this afternoon, when the racers will make the sharp left turn from Highway 1 onto Bonny Doon Road. The race will pass through Boulder Creek, Bear Creek and cross over Highway 17 on Summit Road. The final descent will be on Soquel – Old San Jose Road for a finish on Soquel Drive at Cabrillo College around 4:30 PM.
Santa Cruz Metro anticipates delays and detours between 2 PM and 5:30 PM for North Coast buses 40 and 41; San Lorenzo Valley service on 35/35A; the Mid County buses 54, 55, & 56; and the Cabrillo / South County buses 69W, 71 and 91X.
Related posts:
The folks behind Walk Score have applied their numerical methodology to the “bike friendliness” of several U.S. and Canadian cities to rank them with “Bike Score.”
To create Bike Score, Walk Score took a weighted measure of bike facilities (bike lanes and cycleways), the geography of the city, and a modified version of the city’s “Walk Score,” which calculates the ‘connectedness’ of various destinations by looking at factors such as density. Because bike infrastructure “is not the whole story”, Walk Score added a social component — the bike commute mode share for the city.
Walk Score crunched these numbers and came up with these top ten U.S. cities for bikeability.
In the United States, Minneapolis, MN scores the highest among cities they surveyed, beating out Portland Oregon. San Francisco ties second place Portland, OR. Following behind are Boston; Madison, WI; Washington, DC; Seattle; Tucson; New York; and Chicago.
The most bikeable Canadian city is Calgary, AB, according to Walk Score. Following are Charlottetown, PE; Halifax; Moncton, NB; Montreal; Saskatoon; St Johns; Toronto; Vancouver and Victoria. Bike Score in Canada does not use bike commute mode share in the Bike Score.
Users can then drill down to individual cities to see a Bike Score heat map to find the most bikeable neighborhoods within each city. In this heat map, green is good and red is most challenging.
You can see the full top 10 list for Canadian and U.S. cities here and drill down into each of them for the details. Unlike the popular Walk Score service, Bike Score has not been generalized for all of North America.
Visit Bike Score to see more details about these top North American cities and to request a Bike Score for your city. I’d love to see Walk Score for San Jose, CA — the largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area — as well as for some of the smaller towns known for their very high bike share such as Santa Cruz, CA; Davis, CA and Boulder, CO.
Related posts:
For the ultimate in snoozy comfort.
Don’t you wish you could rest like that, prj?
A few weeks ago, the millennial’s buying habits we’re written about and how the automotive industry was in a panic. Car makers don’t know how to market to a generation that doesn’t care too much about cars. I confirmed this trend with my teens that don’t equate their social standing with the name brand of car they drive or will drive. I’ve also posted about many car-branded bikes, like BMW, Porsche, Mini, and more. That’s not new, of course, Volvo and Volkswagen were in the sport and now VW is back sponsoring USA Cycling.
An Audi e-bike
Even though more Americans are riding bikes, the industry remains flat and has for nearly two decades. I predict we’ll see more efforts to attract buyers and a new generation of buyers into showrooms by car companies. The automotive industry has the dealer network, engineering prowess, and budgets to make a next-gen, bike consumers will want. If it’s not at the high-end like Audi’s Wörthersee, then maybe a Hummer Montague folding bike brand.
How’s a failed car brand a hit in Japan? The WSJ writes about the trend today
GM brands are hot among Japanese bike buyers. Compared with the battleship gray or dull black utilitarian bikes stacked outside Japanese train stations and supermarkets, GM-brand bikes cut a more exciting profile—because of their mountain-bike styling, prominent logos and vivid colors. Bicycles with GM logos are sold at more than 3,000 retailers in Japan.
“Hummer is the top seller by far. It stands out on a crowded bike rack,” said Takuji Motoki, who manages the Import Bicycle Factory outlet here. “It’s an aspiration-driven purchase. Most people who buy a Hummer bike could never buy a real Hummer.”
Keyword in the WSJ article is “aspiration.” Bikes in the US are always stuck between being valued as toys, or cheap, at the high end or aligned with a bike-to-work aesthetic. Little is done to create aspiration and why the Specialized Turbo was such a breakthrough – it got covered in the mainstream media. Even my teens thought it was cool.
Here’s a tip: the only growth in the US market is at the high-end from the super enthusiasts. That’s why I recently said on the Spokesman
Next time you see a “racer” in lyrca at a stoplight, thank them for keeping the bike industry alive
So what are my teens are going to buy? How to make the bike relevant to them? Don’t know like everybody else, but it’s more likely with lifestyle and technology. A start is to creating a killer app around a bike and marketing it as something cooler then biking to work in a bike lane like your parents. Note how the Audi Wörthersee features
On-bike touchscreen computer interfaces with smartphone via WLAN, and video can be recorded via the in-helmet camera and uploaded via the mobile device to the web. an online portal lets trick cyclists compete against one another, earning points for successful tricks that have been videotaped and uploaded.
and is on tour with a Red-Bull sponsored trails rider.
Think that’s crazy? Aside from the brain-shifting Parlee and the Turbo, the most buzz we’ve seen about a bike lately has been the one for DJs.
Expect something like a hamster-related bike from Kia that detaches from a car, plays music, connects to Facebook and is marketed to the Millenials or an e-bike from Toyota that’s color matched to a Prius.
This is how it all began.
Look at those eyebrows – like they were cut from felt and the fuzzy-ness like a halo all around him. He’s just so perfect; is he manufactured?
Hector G. says Charlie is Hollywood bound!
This video is from the British Film Council and shows the Raleigh Bicycle factory in 1945. Of course, they don’t make bikes like that anymore and few in the UK. While in the UK a few years ago, we toured the Moulton factory, where they still make bikes and 14 Bike Co.
Mad Men Marketing bikes
One of our customers, perfectly attired on his Gazelle Toer Populaire
A big thanks to every one who has visited us in the past six weeks. You have bought most of our stock, but there are still a few accessories and six bikes left; this week ALL accessories are HALF PRICE and bikes are 30% OFF.
We are open 10:00-19:00 Monday to Saturday.
We are updating the inventory of our e-shop. To avoid disappointment, do not order before the 19th May.
The final 10 minutes of the race in Santa Rosa on Sunday.
Related posts:
If it’s been a while since you played with the Jens Voigt Soundboard, go give it a whirl. I think they’ve added a few sound bites since the last time I visited.
Jens Voigt is racing in the Amgen Tour of California for RadioShack-Nissan-Trek. The Tour began today in Santa Rosa.
Tomorrow – San Francisco to Santa Cruz, including a crazy descent down Jamison Creek Road in Santa Cruz County.
Related posts:
Many thanks to all of you who have mothered somebody – whoever you are, wherever you are.
Happy Mother’s Day Nicolas H. and Gamma Squad.
images from Barreda Museum’s shutterfly
Byron sent me this link, which seems as if Manolo Saiz, the former team manager of ONCE, Liberty Seguros, and Astana professional cycling teams, is selling off his personal collection of bikes. I don’t know if it’s legit or not, but I don’t really care since I don’t have $50K to advance the bid nor do I have room for 57 bicycles in my studio loft. But the array of bicycles listed is just amazing, almost 2 decades of cycling exotica. Sure, Saiz might be a pariah now, since the Operacion Puerto, but the advances he brought in other aspects of cycling are frequently forgotten.
Giant for hill climb TT. 650C wheels
Though one of the few managers at that level who was never a professional rider, Saiz introduced a higher order of organization and professionalism to the sport. Perhaps one might even say that Greg Lemond broke riders out of the old world mould while Saiz led teams from a organizational standpoint. And like Lemond, Saiz was never shy about pursuing technical innovations. What were the first large diameter aluminium, American-made bikes in the European peloton? If you said Cannondale, you’re wrong. Washington state’s Klein made a small run of bikes for ONCE in the early nineties, though I don’t remember if they were actually used in the Grand Tours instead of the team’s standard LOOK frames. If the Klein bikes are but the answer to an esoteric trivia question, ONCE’s switch from LOOK to Taiwan’s Giant frames marked the beginning of a new era, as Asian builders (and to a lesser extent American) would carve an ever increasing slice out of the prestigious pro level bike market.
The collection’s time trial bikes tell a story of evolving philosophies of speed. Perhaps because ONCE was first and foremost a stage-race team, particular attention is paid to both flat land and hill climb machines. Back before the UCI required bikes to have the same size wheels front and back, teams often used bikes with 650C front wheels for time trials, but ONCE also had bikes with 24” front wheels, 650C front/rear, and 24”/650C combinations. There are several hill climb TT bikes with 650C front/rear; the idea was to exploit the low inertia of the smaller rim and to shorten the chain stays as much as possible.
Other than team bikes, there are a few curiosities like a bike with a Nike swoosh for a top tube.
Klein. Note curved seat tube to allow shorter chainstays.
LOOK Cycles. Team Once raced on yellow bikes and kits except during the TdF, when they wore pink (and later black).
Moms are sweet and strong. They can lift you up when you’re low.
Even when she’s real tired, she’s as fun as an amusement park.
Moms offer shelter when you’re feeling a little unsure.
So, say it with me, HURRAY FOR MOMS!
For all moms by Mike Baird, Tim Parkinson, fung.leo and Heather N. and Dan.
Dear Readers: I need a big favor. Due to failing health and major life changes, my mother (or MOMTOM, as I never call her), is feeling blue. As a Mother’s Day gift, I want to share messages of hope from some of the most cheerful people I know: all of you. Please leave her a message in the comments, and I will read them to her.
In return, I offer you a “hang in there” kitten, courtesy Cracker Jack Photos. Thank you.
Update: Thanks to everyone who left such kind and encouraging messages. I read many of them to my mom this evening, and I’m going to fax her the whole lot tomorrow morning.
From the artist that made the BikePorsche, a Ferrari.
A tandem inside
The porsche was cardboard. This is aluminum tubes and plastic
Video
The video mocks Michael Schumacher’s SLS “tunnel” video and the project is a parody of the 05 Ferrari FXX.
by Kent Peterson (noreply@blogger.com) at May 13, 2012 08:51 AM
Thinking what to get Mom for Mother’s Day? New car? A date with Sean Connery? Lifetime spa membership?
Think again! Think KLEANING KAT! She’ll love it!
This is way better than a gift card to Tiffany’s, Mischa M.
Welcome back to everybody’s favorite game show! You amazing folks are consistently guessing correctly! Over 7,100 votes last week and about 60% of you were correct. Well done, friends. Let’s see how you do this week.
Take Our Poll
If you guessed b. dog, you are correct! Hope you had a swell time playing and be sure to join us next time for WHAT! IS! THAT? This week’s show brought to you by Annie G.
In this huggacast rode two bike lanes through suburban blight, then back to the hotel, like a man in a suitcase.
Bike lanes through suburban blight
Watch the ride now on YouTube or download the video file.
Right lane only
Subscribe to the Huggacast Feed for more episodes.
Ed. note: YouTube is blocking this video for mobile users so Sting can get paid. We’ll upload another version without Man in a Suitcase. For now, click the download links to view the file from our servers.
Chained to electrical wires with trucks rolling by
High-rez photos from Florida are lightboxed on Picasaweb and on Flickr.
Mobile phone users can download and watch now and access our Huggacasts via the iTunes Store.
Some kitten cuteness for your Caturday: Little Moses was orphaned at just days old, so a nice family gave him a home, some (hic!) meelks, and his own blog.
There’s been some head scratching on the configuration of the new Dura Ace 9000 brake caliper. Velonews speculated that there are 3 pivots hidden in the caliper above. What’s kind of weird is the spy photo from Japan (about a month old) seems to show a full production model, while the shots of Team Sky Pinarellos at the Giro this week have logo-free examples, as if they were prototypes. I would say that the new caliper most likely just has two pivots, but instead of Shimano’s previous (and widely copied) configuration of a central pivot and a secondary pivot, the DA9000 looks to have to equally spaced pivots. This would mean that the mounting bolt is not a pivot at all, that it simply holds a centre piece with a pivot at either end.
In essence, the DA9000 would be a cross between a centre-pull brake and a side-pull in that there are two pivots in roughly the same position as a short reach centre-pull, but the cable pulls along the side instead of having a straddle cable and yoke. Seen below is the Paul Components “Racer” centre-pull (from paulcomp.com)
The similarities between the two also might explain the “direct mount” brake that Velonews discovered on a leaked tech document. Paul’s offers a “direct mount” version of the Racer which does away with the central bracket and instead mounts the two arms directly to a pair of brazed-on bosses, the arms pivoting there on. With a number of aero frame manufactures building bikes with integrated brakes, the DA9000 direct mount most likely has a similar purpose. However, bikes like the Willier Twin Foil that I have written about before have pivots that would not accommodate centre-pull-like brakes. The TRP brake that fit the Twin Foil are a variation of linear pull/cantilever arm brakes much like v-brakes, and the mounting boss sits below the rim’s sidewall (ie between the rim and the axle) rather than a centre-pull which has the boss above the rim. Also, I’m not sure how the cable arms and barrel adjuster would work on a rear brake, which on aero bikes is frequently jammed up behind the bottom bracket. Such as position would have the barrel adjust and the chainrings competing for the same space.
Paris Hilton takes her puppy for a bike ride in Hollywood, California.
More photos of Paris Hilton with her bicycle at Celebrity Gossip.
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Aw, hammies love blorpberries in the morning. And lunchtime and snack time and dinner and, well, then they have to be carried away.
We thought wheels made hamsters go ’round, Serena G.
I’ve started a Google Plus Page for the Amgen Tour of California. Ping me if you’d like to post your photos, commentary, links, etc to that page. It’s a decent way to get a wider audience for your work. I’ll need your email address to send the official Page Invite.
The 2012 Amgen Tour of California pro cycling race begins this Sunday, May 13 in Santa Rosa. And I just realized I missed the 1 PM kickoff press conference. Drats.
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Just in time for Mother’s Day, Disney’s Animal Kingdom welcomes its newest baby, a white rhino calf born May 9. The boy, the fourth birth for mom Kenda, doesn’t have a name yet, but does have a start on his horn nubule.
HORN-NUBULE-HANCE!
Full story, more photos at the Disney Parks Blog.
CBS 5 visited a couple of Energizer Stations during Bike to Work Day in San Francisco Thursday. A helicopter view “of a huge convoy of bike commuters” is included in this positive story.
The Bay Area Bicycle Coalition reports record participation for Bike To Work Day, with bicycle traffic up 20% over last year. Volunteers at 200 Energizer Stations counted cyclists who stopped by. In Oakland, bike traffic was up 40% at Broadway and 27th, and bikes reportedly outnumbered cars on some boulevards.
More BTWD news coverage
CBS 5: Oakland Mayor Quan takes to two wheels.
Oakland North: Oakland Celebrates BTWD.
Examiner: Lee rolls bike day into motion.
Chron: What happened to the biking mayor?
San Leandro Mayor joined Bike To work Day.
Redwood City Patch Thousands Bike To Work.
Albany (CA) Patch Bike to Work Day Brings Out Hundreds of Bicycling Commuters in Albany, East Bay.
San Mateo Patch BTWD Photos and Quotes.
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California Highway Patrol identified last week’s hit and run victim north of Santa Cruz as Joshua Laven. Laven was biking on a cross-country tour from Florida to San Francisco when he was hit in the middle of the night and left to die on the side of Highway 1. Laven’s dog, a 5-year-old Cairn terrier named Ozziet, remained at his side until police came to investigate.
CHP believes the vehicle that hit Laven is a 1999-2004 Dodge Ram pickup with possible front end damage and a missing headlight. The truck may have extended side mirrors for hauling. Earlier reports mentioned the vehicle may be green.
More –>
Santa Cruz Sentinel: Cyclist killed in hit-and-run was riding across the country in honor of deceased friend
Santa Cruz Patch: CHP Looking for 1999-2004 Dodge Ram in Hit-and-Run of Highway 1 Bicyclist.
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Those eyes! They say it all without saying anything. Words, meh, who needs ‘em. Those baby blues are worth a thousand words!
Amy A., you’ve been feeding 8 week old Savannah that Paul Newman dog food haven’t you!
Pulmallinen pähkinä – Jos jotkut nuorista ovat demareita, mutta kaikki demarit eivät ole nuoria, eikä yksikään demarinuori ole demarinuori, paljonko demarinuoria silloin on?
Ällistyttävä älytys – Jos perussuomalainen kansanedustaja kaatuu keskisuomalaisessa anniskeluravintolassa ilman ettei yksikään toimittaja ole näkemässä, lähteekö siitä ääni, jos Jussi Halla-aho taputtaa itseään olalle yhdellä kädellä?
Hämmästyttävä hoksaus - Kaivosyhtiö 1 lähestyy ympäristölupansa rajoituksia nopeudella 2000 m3/h, kun samaan aikaan vastakkaisesta suunnasta kaivosyhtiö 2 on ylittänyt luparajoituksensa noin 600 000 m3:lla. Kuinka kauan kestää, ennen kuin paikallinen Ely-keskus on myöntänyt molemmille poikkeusluvat?
In peaceful slumber
Ears at 9 and 3 o’clock
Mom watches over
We can hardly believe their ears, Whitley L.!
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Last updated:
May 17, 2012 02:07 PM
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