Japanese track racing...

This is called Keirin racing, and it is the promised land of fixed gear aficionados.  The framebuilder for SCW is one of those pictured. 

About time I fleshed out this post a little bit, although I suppose now no one will look at it.  Better give it a new title.  Not sure if that'll even work.  Anyhoo, I posted this because in the hipster world of fixed gear bikes (and bacon, apparently, though i do not get the connection) Keirin is considered to be... heaven.  The happy hunting grounds.

I'm not quite sure why this is.  In Japan, it is a sport akin to horse racing.  As you can see from the above photo.  Betting and such.  But the stamp that shows a bike was used or approved for Keirin racing makes a part or frame many times more desirable for those who love such things.  I think it's because the pros who ride Keirin ride so often and so hard, that the equipment they ride must be, has to be, very strong and durable.  I would say that the Keirin culture is quite different from the Pista kind of thing that would be represented by Campagnolo track parts.  Now, Campy is a whole different cult, but I probably don't need to tell you that if you're reading this.

So, the man who makes SCW frames, now living in America, was a Keirin racer for years.  I should mention also, that these racers almost always have custom made frames, I believe because they are responsible for their own bikes, unlike US sponsorship situations.  They are professionals in a more pure sense- free lance professional cyclists, you might say.

So that's the story with the Keirin picture.  The end.

Another Free App: Rapha

Rapha- the snooty black-and-white, glory of pain, road cycling brand from England- has released a free ride-planning App called Rapha Rendezvous.  

Now, if you know anything at all about Rapha, you know so very few of their things come cheap, and at the cost of... NOTHING- this would be the cheapest way of all into the Rapha world.


RENDEZVOUS HERE

As I've said before, I do not have an iPhone or iPod touch, but if their prior track record has anything to say about the quality to expect from this product, expect good things.  This is supposedly intended for planning road rides, but what in the world could prevent you from planning an MTB ride?

Enjoi!

Purify the colors... purify my mind

 

 

What an interesting irony (?) that this bike is Merckx orange, and being used for this...  BTW, this was someone's trip to nursery school.  Not us, but we have...

A few words here and I'll get into more pictures.  I was at restraint training (no, not to teach ME restraint- though I could use that...)  today and managed to convince myself to get back on the bike.  Was running a little late, couldn't see a bike rack so just locked it to a tree near the door.  Asked someone who looked like a teacher, and he said it would be fine.  And it was.  Sort of.


Came down at lunch to just check with the lady that sits at a table near the door.  "That's my bike- is it okay there?"  Oh, she says, you're lucky it's still there!  "Why?" I said, "do they not want it there?"  Oh, no, she says, most people would put it in the teacher's lounge.  What?  Why?  I asked again- do they not want my bike there?  I didn't see a bike rack...  Oh, no, she says, there's no bike rack.  I'm thinking, well, then....


Then she takes me in and shows me the teacher's lounge and points to a closet, clearly too small for my bike, plus it's covered with snow.  Does she want me to bring it inside?  Why not just leave it locked up?  Oh, she says, you'd have to ask Mrs. ______ (I didn't catch the name) about that.  No explanation who that might be.  


"Uh, I'll just leave it out there. It's fine there..." I said, kind of backing away.


Even more amusing to me was when I mentioned this odd encounter at lunch with my fellow trainees.  Uh, I think there's one down at the bottom of the hill... One said.  It was there when I went to school here....  Down near the parking lot at the bottom of the hill.  Um, ok, I said, but I was running late...  trying to suggest that maybe I didn't have all morning to search the entire school grounds for a bike rack.  Or want to leave my bike near a major road while I went far away up the hill.  


Felt very odd-man-out commuting today.  Not at all the healthy good-for-you I get in warmer weather.

Tom Ritchey.  A long-time hero of mine.  Too many accomplishments to summarize here.

Katie Compton's bike at a cyclocross race in Belgium.  It would be good if this was the way more of the world saw the stars and stripes (she's the US Champion).

Just a fun illustration of winter riding.  Like the crows.

too many choices

Someone stole my backpack.

This was really kind of ok.  It was a north face pack (kids love it) that I got at school after the kids left last year (we were clipping locks looking for textbooks and were told to take things if we wanted them- they had been abandoned, after all).

Maybe they came back for it.  Whatever.

The point is, my gloves were in there.  Not keep warm gloves.  Those are a dime a dozen.  My bike gloves.

I told myself I'd just get something quickly.  But consumerland drew me in.  I don't think the internet helps this.  One million variations- each with almost the right combination of features, but all with not exactly the right thing.

People in other, less wealthy, countries must hear this kind of story and just... disbelieve. 

So I've been obsessing, and driving my family to the edge of murder with talk of bikeglove features.  You'd be surprised how this kind of thing, done regularly, could drive your loved ones to the edge of violence.  Turns out they really don't care about these things like I do.  Really.

It doesn't matter what I end up buying.  The point is to think about how precious this can make us about our belongings.  How perfect we think things have to be.  But you know what?  To quote Grant Petersen, our bodies can adapt- we're not robots who spark and explode if our bike or glove fit is off by 1 mm.  We're more adaptable than that.  There's a place for perfection in sports- its called the Olympics.....






It's just a ride in the woods, after all.

Photo Post...

Ahearne frame shop.  Sparks.

Just a pretty bike.  Gold Speedvagen.

Taiwan.

Tony Pereira's new baby, Oscar.  He's a framebuilder in Oregon.

I don't know why you say goodbye- I say hello...

 Goodbye, old Independent Fabrication.  Hello, new Independent Fabrication. 

Remember, when Mike left, we got A.N.T.

Free Apps that should interest you...

 Let's say, just hypothetically, that you've come here from my app- Mountain Bike Boston.  I'm not going to bother to link to it here- I'm tired of typing.  But go buy it if you haven't.  Anyway, say you like it, but don't want to spend another dollar.  Times are tight.  Here's some fun links to download outdoorsy Apps that sound seriously helpful for .......... FREE.  You're welcome, now tell a friend to go buy my app.

REI Snow & Ski Report:  Get this app here.  There's also a shopping app available which might be fun to have... even useful, if you want to find out specs about a product.  Both are free.
 
Trailhead by The North Face:  While I would hardly suggest you get this INSTEAD of my app, it certainly is worth having on your phone for free!  Get it here.

Accuweather:  Bikes and other outdoor activities are... well, outdoors.  That means either weather dependent,or they need to be weather-proof.  Good reviews of this free weather app.


MotionX GPS Lite:  I don't own an iPhone, so don't fully understand its capabilities, but from what I've read, this is a useful tool for enlivening your phone's GPS feature.  Check it out- it is, after all- free.  Here.