The Radavist

Photo via Squirrels Cycling Tattoo Collection’s Flickr

Maybe you caught a post that Surly put up on their blog a while back. I call it their mantra for all the banter that goes on in bicycle forums and blog comments. Many of which can be applied to commentary found here from time to time. Well, this guy got those words of wisdom tattoo’d on his back!

Check out the transcript below.

Man o man, what a crazy response my Reader’s Rides call for entries have been getting. Each week I get flooded with everything from pennyfarthings to pistas and while I continue to make sense of it all, sometimes a bike just pops! Strangely enough, I featured one of Gleb Ivaschenko‘s track bikes the last time I made a RR entry and this time around, his Takhion Sprint just stood out from the rest.

But that’s not the only bike featured in this week’s Reader’s Rides. Check out more below!

Last week I received my order from Paul Components in the mail. When I first saw the Tall and Handsome at NAHBS, I was in love. A whole lotta setback without going with a Taiwanese manufactured, single bolt post. While Paul’s componentry line is often thought of as finicky and temperamental, the Tall and Handsome was about as straight forward to install as it could be.

Check out more of my Initial Reaction to the Paul Components Tall and Handsome Seatpost below.

This week I’m doing a little something special for Reader’s Rides. First up is a super straight forward bike check of Honor Forte’s Velo Orange Polyvalent touring bike. I met Honor at the Philly Bike Expo where he was riding a yellow RB-1. Since then, he’s put together a rather unique Polyvalent build:

“I wanted to send you my new build since I haven’t seen many of them built up this way on the web. It’s a Velo Orange Polyvalent touring setup. I’ve spent a few years reading over Rivendell literature and have always been attracted to the way they approach what a bicycle should be used for, so I wanted to build something that would be at home on city streets, fire trails, bike camping trips, long tours, etc. An everything bike. I already had a 650B wheelset and a full touring parts group I was moving around between frames, but they’ve all found their home and best fit on this frame. It truly is a multipurpose bike. Something interesting I decided to try out though was the new VO Integrated Decaleur with the Ostrich handlebar bag.

It’s great. You’ll see in the pictures that the decaleur is bolted through the leather of the bag, and attaches directly to the rack, low to the wheel instead of high up on the bar. Combined with the low-trail fork, the bike handles as if nothing’s on it even with a full heavy load in the bag; I find that I can lean back on a long ride with no hands on the bar and it still glides straight as an arrow with no wobble. Last thing worth noting is my rear fender-line method, just because I havent seen this done elsewhere. I wanted the fender close enough to the tire to maintain consistent fender spacing, but need to move it forward when taking the rear wheel out (horizontal dropouts). My solution was to cut a thin strip of a used intertube, weave it around the fender and chainstay, and tie it off with a knot on the non-drive side chainstay. It’s a small detail but it solved a big problem for me.”

If you’re into this kinda stuff, check out a full parts list below.

Photo by Brenton Salo

I really love Globe Bikes. I’m also a big fan of Garret Chow’s work and Brenton Salo’s photography. So we’ve got three of some of my favorite things here. Add the Berthoud / Brooks style saddle, a quill stem, elegant mustache bars and simple track-inspired cranks and you’ve got a pretty elegant solution to a rain bike / commuter.

What I’m not really into is the three-speed electronic shifting found on the West End Bike. Maybe 8-speed Alfine would make more sense? No derailleur to bang on a door jam, no maintenance and more choices. Other than that, the paint job is killer, the coffee-carrier is sick (aftermarket please!) and the gum wall cross tires look rad.

I can’t wait to see these hit the shops. I bet they’ll sell!

Edit: I just realized this could be Brenton’s own build and not the specified factory complete. Either way, I’d love to find out more about it.

When Marty and the Geekhouse crew refused to send me any kind of teaser of my Woodville touring bike during the fabrication process, I knew it’d be good. Sure enough, I showed up at the 2011 NAHBS at their booth while they were prepping everything and was greeted with Marty saying “Your bike took me longer than any other to build”. I replied “For this show?” and he said “No, EVER.”

God is in the details and that holds true here with my Geekhouse Woodville. For a tig-welded frame, there’s a ton going on and you can see more below.

This week’s Reader’s Rides entry showcases what I refer to as “classic steel” and “new school whips”. Anthony’s Raleigh track versus Stefano’s Faggin. Which one do you like better? Well, I’ve got more photos of Anthony’s Raleigh below. This thing’s a real looker!

Check out more photos below!

Lately I’ve been having really vivid dreams. You know, the kind of dreams where every detail is a reflection of some event you’ve had that day. Well, last night I went to bed thinking about how much fun NAHBS is going to be. I just paid the crew at Geekhouse for my SRAM group yesterday and the bike’s been on my mind a lot the past few weeks. So I went to sleep only to wake up this morning with some really weird memories.

The NAHBS was outdoors in Austin, under a highway overpass. There were tents everywhere and all the photographers were complaining about the lack of light. I was stuck in the Cyclops tent (heh) trying to get my lens working correctly when Chris Bishop got on the PA system and announced “I’m over making really, really sweet bikes”. He went on to say that “From now on, I’ll be making firearms”.

Everyone was shocked. Why would Bishop Bikes close down? While I was sitting there, scratching my head, it began to rain. People huddled under the tents when Marty from Geekhouse came running over saying “You haven’t seen your bike yet!”. Randomly, someone turned around and yelled “MY LITTLE PONY” at me. Confused, I headed over to the Geekhouse tent (which was covered in muddy cross bikes, a beer basket cruiser and a 20″ fixed bike (because, you know, no company has made one of those before).

In the back, on a shelf was my Woodville touring bike. It was lavender and black with glitter couplers, a sparkle Brooks saddle, a suspension fork, tassles and pink Deep V’s. Now my dream had turned into a nightmare. Marty gave it to me and told me to go get them pretzels and beer. I got on it and music came out of the wheels. Then I ran over a pothole and a dancehall airhorn erupted from the fork. As I was riding away, everyone chanted “MY LITTLE PONY” over and over again. Before leaving the NAHBS area, I woke up.

I Tweeted part of this story earlier and someone commented that Marty told them that he and I snuggled at the NAHBS in one of his dreams. Strange indeed!

Photo by Blaine Davis

Just because the fair-weather cyclists in NYC stop riding, that doesn’t mean the builders stop building! Everyone knows the winter time is when builders get on top of their building queue and Thomas from Horse Cycles is doing just that. From revamping his website to building this single-speed cross, Thomas has been busy this winter.

Check out some more photos below!

Anodized and colored cages aren’t anything new to the cycling world. Campagnolo used black cages to signify spindle material and model. In the age of colored components, it’s nice to see a subtle and classy detail like these MKS Sylvans. With copper-plated cages, you can now match your track or road pedals to your Brooks saddle rails.

Grab a set now at SOMA.

If there was ever a wall-hanger saddle, this customized Brooks saddle would be it. Kinfolk made this for Wallpaper* magazine, along with a few frames. If you think this one’s nice, you should check out the rest of the photos from the International Bike installation! They’re all on the Ways & Means Flickr.

Previously:
Kinfolk: International Bike

Tracko had the scoop on Kinfolk‘s new project with Coat, Brooks and Kara Ginther. He also had a much nicer image than the original Wallpaper* article. That being said, here’s the PR from Wallpaper*:

Despite the perils of potholes and truckers’ blind spots, team Wallpaper* are committed urban cyclists. So committed that we commissioned a bike that could be broken down, packed in a bespoke bag and loaded on a plane, with no excess baggage charge, and taken with us wherever we went. The project pulled in a wide range of craftsmen collaborators from the US, UK and Japan — frame builders, designers, paint specialists, saddle makers, leather carvers and bag and luggage makers — to ensure that every element of the bike was as beautifully put together as it could be.

Not a bad looking project. I’d build it up proper, that’s for sure.

Photo by Sasha E.

Sasha has an ongoing theme on his Flickr. Dubbed “Scene on the Street”, he takes photos of people on and off their bikes. This Hetchins may look familiar. That’s because it’s the same one I posted back in my A Day in 10 Photos: 05.15.2010 entry. It’s quite the piece of work. Head over to Sasha’s Flickr to see one other shot!

Guy’s got one sweet ride! Perfect for a Tweed Run right?

Any time I post something from Velo Cult, you know it’s gonna be good. Even if Mixte bikes aren’t your cup of tea, you can truly appreciate this bike. Here’s a little back-story on the build:

The wheels are 650b with original hubs and original front rim. The spokes, nipples, and rear rim (Velo Orange 650b rim) are new. The headset is Velo Orange French threaded since the original was a bit rough looking. The frame, fork and bars were powder coated a old world brick red that’s very classy looking. The fenders were powder coated to match as well. The Brooks saddle, and Velo Orange racks are brand new. The grips are cotton tape with hemp twine and coated with shellac. The pedal were done with new rubber blocks that match the bike perfectly. As you can see we took a lot of pride in this build and whoever ends up with this bike will get decades of classy riding out of it.

Check out more pics at Velo Cult!

Hot damn. I’m always happy to see a new Speed Bicycles auction pop up on eBay. Unlike the other, more recent auctions, this one’s from a rare frame builder that I’ve never even heard of. This Mittelholzer track bike uses classic British steel and Nervex lugs to create what could easily be mistaken for a Paramount or Jack Taylor. Add some insane paint and you’ve got one sweet ride. A beautiful bicycle for sure.

Check out some more photos of this beaut here, at Speed Bicycles.

Previously:
1982 Colnago OVAL CX
1985 Pinarello ‘Pink Panther’

Last night was NYC Velo‘s ( @NYCVelo ) PreSpoke event. Uptown, a few miles away at the Museum of Art and Design, the opening reception to Bespoke had just finished. The crowds of people who were ‘in the know’ made it down to NYC Velo to look at some of the featured framebuilder’s previous works.

Check out more photos and a full review below.

Remember that nice curved-seat tube Bilenky that Velo Cult posted photos of after the San Diego Custom Bicycle Show? Well, that frame and others are now for sale at their shop. Just look at this beautiful bicycle. All it needs is a trimmed Brooks professional and a Titan bar and stem combo to finish it off. Maybe some Con Denti Campy pista pedals too!

There’s nothing else I can say about it other than head over to the Velo Cult blog for more photos!

Can I pick my jaw up off the floor now?

Previously:
Velo Cult: Big Bilenky at the San Diego Custom Bicycle Show

click for full-resolution

Kurt Boone and Greg Ulgade have a nice softback book coming out soon called “Messenger Poet”. Kurt’s poetry along with Ugalde’s work come together to form a nice 52-page book with full-color illustrations.

Here’s a little about the two authors:

Kurt Boone has been a foot messenger for over 13 years. He has written about messenger life in numerous books. He been feature in the New York Times and New York Daily News. Most recently he launch Kurt Boone Signature messenger bags with Seagull Bags.Visit his website at www.kurtboonebooks.com

Greg Ugalde has been a bicycle messenger over 10 years. He is consider the premier messenger world street artist. His illustrations were feature in “New York Alleycats” photography by Amy Bolger. Used for promotional materials by Body Glove, Manhattan Portage, the 13th Annual Cycle Messenger World Championships and his illustrations has also been used by Timbuk 2, Chrome Messenger Bags, Puma and Brooks Saddles. Visit his website at www.cyclehawk.com.

The book will be available shortly for $16.95