I LOVE THIS!
The fixie hits Hollywood. We all cringe a touch >> Premium Rush trailer.
So the fixie craze has made it to Hollywood, well the life of a courier/messenger has, but still this spawned the acquired taste of the fixie. Premium Rush does look interesting albeit a little cringe-worthy but it does feature Danny Macaskill as a stunt double – boy done good! Might be worth a watch but you decide.
Will Longden appointed as British Cycling DH Co-ordinator (Via Dirt)
Looks to be good news that Will Longden has got the appointment as BC DH Coach. Nice to see some invested interested in downhill. Congratulations Will! (Via Dirt)
SPLINTERS Teaser on Vimeo
The 45 Most Powerful Images Of 2011 Via BuzzFeed
Rounding up the year with images has to be the ultimate way to tell the stories and tragedies of 2011 and BuzzFeed has pulled together a collection of 45 of the most striking and provoking images of the year. Amongst the financial struggle of the world we must not forget the shifts in power, the revolutions, the unruly nature of the human race and the sheer power of mother nature. Lives have been both ruined and improved in what has to be one of the most eventful 12 months of our time.
I was thinking to myself not so long back that looking over the past 5 decades there has been so many landmark moments in time and pondered if we will look back on our time now in the same way. Looking through this set of images I think it will be safe to say that yes, we will look back and say ‘do you remember the time that [insert historic event here].’
I don’t think I will look at our present time on the planet the same way again. Time for reflection.
Hit the link for the full list: The 45 Most Powerful Images Of 2011.
New camera: Canon 550D
So I finally got round to buying myself a new camera at last, I managed to get a second-hand bargain Canon 550D in the end which I am very happy with indeed. As you would expect from an over-enthusiastic new camera owner I have been shooting anything and everything in an attempt to dial in all the bells and whistles on the camera and most of it has gone in the bin, but I have been down Birmingham BMX Club to get together a library of shots that can be used by the club for various types of media which is nice. This has quickly highlighted the need for more and more accessories and lenses though just to provide more flexibility and ability, but saying that I have had some good results so far both during the day and under floodlights (see some samples below) with both the 18-55mm kit lens and a 50mm 1.8.
Off the the back of all this larking about I have some more serious projects in the pipeline, both stills and video, so keep your eyes peeled on the blog for more…
The Cycle Show 2011: Weird and wonderful
Well it wouldn’t be a show without a weird and wonderful post would it? There are not many words to describe some of the more ‘interesting’ products on display and the electric bike market is big! Well, here are some pictures of some eye catchers, sometimes for the right reasons, a lot of the times for the wrong reason. Enjoy!
The Cycle Show 2011: Upgrade Bikes
Upgrade Bikes, the distributors of brands such as Lezyne, Reynolds, DMR and Pivot had a small but perfectly formed stand at the Cycle Show showcasing new tools and lights from Lezyne, DMR’s Bolt and a new 4x machine from Pivot. Chatting to Rory, the Marketing Manager, on the stand he explained the Pivot in great depth saying that it was effectively built from other Pivot bikes specifically for Kyle Strait. Kyle then went on to win several competitions aboard it and so the bike was born with a good pedigree. Sitting on the bike it feels fun and purposeful, the stiff rear end has 4 inches of travel to soak up any rough landings whilst remaining very hardtail-like to get your jump on. Perfect for general hacking and slopestyle!
One of the neatest features found on Pivot’s frames is the built in downtube protection unlike other companies who simply bolt a bit of carbon or plastic to the frame, Pivot’s solution is part of the frame itself. A slight recess in the tubing allows for a rubbery, carbon weave looking material to be fitted flush with the rest of the frame. Speaking with Rory about the carbon frame on display he says it’s not there because it’s carbon and it will break, its there to preserve the finish of the frame, in fact, he reckons carbon is far better at absorbing impacts compared to aluminium. Pivot bikes will be few and far between on these shores though due to limited availability. Lets hope this changes for next year as they look to be a big hit.
Lezyne, as usual, impressed with their range of workshop tools, lights and pumps. Machined beautifully they offer unparalleled performance and looks to die for – it’s important in a tool!
Check http://www.upgradebikes.co.uk
The Cycle Show 2011: Spin
Most of us are partial to a road bike, in particular a classic, clean road bike. Whether you are with the fixie movement or not you cannot deny the impact it has had on the bike industry. Just looking at the bikes on offer from the likes of Colnago, Condor, Pinarello etc you can see that the hark back the ‘the good old days’ is definitely in vogue.
One stand-out bike of the show was the Ti offering from Spin. On a stand with Rotor components it was like a little marriage. The Spin frame though is just so effortlessly cool and clean. Sitting there, looking poised, it’s a real head turner. The frame is just so well finished, so clean, so modern, so retro, it is all things to all men and you will be sold on looks alone. If £7,000 should fall from the sky to fritter on a Ti road build you need not look any further.
Read more: http://spin.gtechniq.com/spin/spinmyride/index.html
The Cycle Show 2011: Pipedream Cycles
In the UK, and across the globe, cyclists of a certain vintage will always hark back to the days of a simple steel framed bike and the ride quality of said steel, well one steel in particular, Reynolds 853. This has to be one of the most famous materials in frame building and we all want a piece of it. Pipedream, a relatively small company in this sea of multi-national corporations, produce a range of simple long-travel hardtail frames made of the right stuff. Their stable is currently only 4 models strong which includes a 29er and 3 26″ frames in both Reynolds 853 and Titanium.
Typically the eye catching frame of the range is the one that isn’t for sale! They only have 4 of these frames (at the top of the picture) currently and they are but prototypes. The idea being that these will take a huge 160mm fork and you will be able to do anything you desire on it. Go up, down, across, left, right, loop-the-loop, you name it and it looks like it may just do it.
Having a good old chat with the chaps at the stand there ethos appears simple: quality materials, solid bikes and an approachable company. No fuss, no messing, just a bike that works, served with a smile. Pipedream have already won numerous awards with various magazines and surely their success will only grow especially in the Asian market where they are huge already. Who would have thunk it?
Check out the range here: http://www.pipedreamcycles.com
