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I really wish I could have visited KUMO Cycles when I was in Australia. Especially after seeing this Chassichrome track frame. I can identify with large frames and this 60cm Columbus Life beauty was made with Llewellyn lugs, sports a hand carved Kumo BB shell cutout and keeps it classy with a chrome fork and rear triangle. Check out more details at KUMO. Thanks for sharing Harry!
All Photos by Andy White
Andy from Fyxomatosis and I did something a little different this time around. He’s posting my photos and dictating over them and I, his. We loosely are calling this the Dueling Banjos. So here’s my side of the saddle:
When I found out I would be returning to Australia, Andy asked if I wanted to go on one of he and Dan from Shifter Bike‘s “epic” rides out through Woods Point. I’ve been following Fyxomatosis, since forever, so I knew what that meant. This was a man’s ride. A no holds-barred, dirt and hurt ride. Since doing my tour, I have stayed in the saddle. I had the base miles underneath me but did I have the ability to keep up with Dan and Andy? Nervously, I accepted the invite and the day before we left, Dan took my Milwaukee Orange One into Shifter Bikes for a cleaning.
We left that morning and met Andy in Lilydale. We rode along the Warburton Rail Trail, through flea markets and eventually stopped in Warburton for breakfast. Canadian pancakes, a long black, fresh juice and some pastries. As we were leaving the cafe, I thanked Dan for cleaning my bike, to which he replied “thank me in 30 minutes”…
I was in Sydney for a few weeks before I finally made it down to Sable & Argent on Bourke street. I thought for sure they’d just be another fixed gear boutique. Let’s just say, I wasn’t expecting to find a facade that caters to various forms of urban cycling. As I walked through their front gate, I couldn’t help but notice how carefully curated the interiors were. Each section of the shop was merchandized wonderfully. Rapha, Campagnolo, Catlike, Mission Workshop, DZR and other brands all had shelf space, shared alongside road, cross, track and commuter bikes. You could walk in here and buy a full “kit” for whatever kind of bike you ride. The interiors were well-lit and the overall vibe just exuded cool. See for yourself by clicking the image above.
In all the time I’ve been posting about Firefly‘s work, I’ve never actually ridden one. It took me traveling to Australia to finally get the chance to ride a frame in my size and man, what a rocket. Let’s face it, Tyler and Jamie know what they’re doing. Their stainless and titanium bikes are awe-inspiring and that takes a special mechanic to do the build justice. Luckily, Justin knew where to go: Shifter Bikes.
Where do I begin with this bike? The Rotor Rings, affixed by the polished Hollowgram cranks? Or the entire group, which was polished by none other than Fyxomatosis? Then there’s the EE Cycle Works brakes with their made in America, tech aesthetic. As a complete piece of art, Justin’s Firefly is molten lava. See for yourself below!
Today I had the unfortunate experience of having to spend the entire day indoors waiting on Qantas to deliver my luggage. I showed up in Sydney after our plane sat on the tarmac at LAX for four hours prior to departing, only to find that all my clothes and my bike was “lost”. What made matters worse was that it was Australia Day today and I had to mope around inside until 5pm.
Once they dropped off my bags, I headed out to walk around Surry Hills and Newtown, searching for classy bikes, cars and everything in between. Check out some more at my Flickr.
This poor bike. It’s been embarrassed numerous times on this blog. It went from that goofy stem to the goofier bar and lever setup. I look back at those photos with shame. What the hell was I thinking? My only guess is that this bike was never a real necessity. I had my Merckx and so I barely rode the MKE. When I sold my Merckx to fund the Bishop, the MKE became my only road bike. I’ve been putting in miles on it and even with the SRAM Apex and FSA cranks, this bike rides and handles a lot better than any other road bike I’ve owned.
Check out more below.
Well, I hope you all had a great New Year. I’m assuming most of you are back to work now and probably have some time to kill today during your lunch break so I invite you to check out a year in review. 2011 brought about a lot of traveling for me and like the increase in frequent flier miles, the site’s content continues to rack up. International, cross-continental and bi-coastal travels brought me to shops, events and in front of Beautiful Bicycles.
Check out Prolly is Not Probably’s Year in Review below!
This year, more so than years past, I got to document Beautiful Bicycles around the world. From Melbourne, to SF and NYC, track bikes, road bikes and even fixed freestyle bikes found their way to the other side of my lens. When I decided to make my top 10 list this year, I knew I had to find an unbiased way of judging from my posts. After looking at them all, I decided Facebook “likes”, Tweets and comments were the best way to judge. Each of these bikes were broken down on a spreadsheet and I can say with confidence, they’re by far some of my favorite bikes of the year.
Without further ado, here’s my Top 10 Beautiful Bicycles of 2011!
In surprising news, Velocity has announced via a press release that all of their rims will be manufactured in the States come 2012. They will be closing their Brisbane facilities and moving production to Florida. Now, people are rejoicing but I’m kinda bummed for the Brisbane community and they’re going to have to change their logo. But at least shifting from AUS to USA only requires changing a few letters around. Now, I wish other manufacturers would move back to the States!
Check out the PR below.
It’s Wednesday morning here in Australia and since I’m in the future, I can peer into tomorrow’s news and present to you the newest in the Mission Workshop line: the Sanction Rucksack!
“The Sanction is a compact weatherproof rucksack designed to hold the daily essentials. Built to last a lifetime with waterproof fabrics and military spec. construction.
The Sanction also features multiple weatherproof compartments, urethane coated zippers, waterproof materials, and an internal frame sheet. Large zippered pocket fits laptop computers such as the 15in MacBook Pro, 13in MacBook Air, or iPad. Made in the USA with a lifetime warranty.”
Available now at MW! Now that is a good lookin’ backpack!
So I’m trying to deal with the southern hemisphere time difference while I’m in Australia by scheduling videos to post during the day but it’s not working out so well. This one was scheduled to post earlier but never made it. It’s more from the Fish & Chips crew featuring Marco killin it on the Durcus One Stylin’ 26″ frame!
“Flat Out” Teaser from FLAT OUT PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.
Here’s a teaser for the forthcoming Flat Out film. Lookin good. I still have no idea how you guys rode in shorts and t-shirts! Must have been hellishly hot!
Information is below:
The Australian’s call it Walkabout, a chance to escape from the routine, heading into the empty wilderness to empty the body and soul of built up trash, we call it FLAT OUT.
Using the simplest and cleanest form of transport, a Track bike. Four cyclists, meet at the Sydney Opera House in Australia, to embark on a journey into extreme terrain during dangerous summer conditions, riding a massive 1200km of road in only ten days to the city of Melbourne.
I met Meg this past September in Tokyo at the CMWC. She helps run a small bicycle collective called Candy Cranks out of Sydney. There are women cyclists contributing content from all over the world and in the recent months, they’ve started to produce their own bicycle components and frames. Meg sent me one of their 144bcd rings a while back and it’s legit as hell. Like their rings, their bicycle framesets are made in Australia and stand up to the same quality.
Here’s Meg’s new track bike build. The Candy Cranks frames are hand-built by Primate Frames and this one came out lovely. To see more detailed shots and a full build-list, head over to Candy Cranks. Looks great Meg!
We Are Handsome is an Australian company that makes handmade swimwear. We’ve all seen this old Rossin calender pin-up girl and now they’ve put it on a one-piece bathing suit called the Jupiter.
Here’s their description of their work:
Each of our designs is limited edition and designed by our in-house artist often using dozens of images to get the look and feel we’re aiming for.
I’ve posted the NSFW original image below.
Candy Cranks is a website run by women across the globe. Philly, Berlin, London, NYC. In addition to covering various events and reviewing products, they also make components, frames and accessories.
These chainrings are their newest creations. Perfect for your Guerciotti!
The rings come in 130 or 144 bcd and are hand made in Australia. Pick one up in their online shop.
I’ve already posted about the Laek House cap and the Outlier Cap and today I received two emails from two separate companies about their caps. Rocket Fuel is based in Australia and have a vintage look. Shipping is cheap and quick and the prices are in AUD.
If you wanna keep it domestic, check out Rabbit Lion hats out of Seattle. They’re flannel [grunge throwback] and look really well made. Both hats look great and I’m sure there are tons of other options. Just thought it was random to receive two emails in a 24 hour period!
