Rat Cult

I knew the rise in popularity of riding track bikes were part of some sadistic cult...and now there is proof.

Check out this trailer for a new video from RatCult

I believe these cats are from Vancouver and you can find out more about them and their exploits at the CMWC 08 in Toronto at this blog.

Dan's at it again...

Sending me links to bike gadgets..


If your cruising around looking at Art projects...check out this new gadget for charging your cell phone. Powered by bicycle.

article

This comes from the O2 wireless festival in London. July 3rd-6th.

Things to do...Sunday

If you wake up and read this blog, I'm impressed. Here are a few things to do on bikes today...Sunday, June 29th.


Taken right from the Time's Up calender:
******************
1. PEACE RIDE
Sunday, June 29, 12 noon
Meet at Gandhi Statue, SW corner of Union Square

Let us ride for peace: peace on our bikes, peace in our hearts, peace in our city, peace in our country, peace on our planet. A leisurely "peaceful" ride to some of downtown Manhattan's peace sites, including Point Thank You, Robert Wagner Park, The Labyrinth for Contemplation, Fritz Koenig's "The Sphere", Vietnam Vet Memorial and the site of the Mother AME Zion Church (first church in NYC built and led by African-Americans). Forget about church; come to this Sunday peace "mass" for the biking set. Great first ride for cyclists new to group rides.

******************
2. SUMMER GARDEN WORKDAY
Sunday, June 29, 2 p.m.
Children's Magical Garden at Norfolk & Stanton Streets

Join Time's Up! and the community of the Children's Magical Garden to keep the garden growing. This community workday will offer tasks and fun for all skills and ages. Help the kids grow a pizza garden and start their new composting project. We also have children's bikes that need fixing. Please bring compostables, plants and flowers for planting, and garden gloves for an afternoon of working to grow food, flowers, herbs, and community.
Anyone can join this garden and all contributions to support this endangered garden are appreciated. Please bring your friends and family to welcome summer and another season of growing pizza, flowers, kids, and community!

Rain at 1 p.m. cancels.
For more information, contact Ellen at xupgardening@gmail.com

I believe the Beach Ride is canceled due to the threat of Thunderstorms.

photo on flickr by: Chriki

If you want ignore the warnings of TLC and go chasing waterfalls here is a guide to viewing the public art project created by: Olafur Eliason, by bicycle.

Article in NYTimes.

My friends over at NYC Bike maps have made a handy guide to seeing the falls.

Hey Ladies...

Tomorrow is the All Ladies ALLEYCAT RACE.

HELLCAT

More info at: nycmassive/hellcat

If your a lady, come race, if your a fella, come cheer them on. It starts and ends in Tompkins square park, where Chris Ryan and Team Spider will be playing a bike punk show. (Is Chris Ryan trying to start his own sub-genre of music?)


Here is a video of Team Spider playing Governors Island for Make Music Day and Punk Island...The song is..."We Own the Streets."

PUNK ISLAND ( Team Spider: We own the Streets ) from Xris Spider on Vimeo.

Then there is an after party and benefit for the The New York Bike Messenger Association

new bike gadgets.

my Tech Guru and editor Dan Katz,who is also my best friend, is always scouring the internet for new and innovative products...sometimes he stumbles across bike related material.

Here is a recent article, Wired Magazine had about new bike concepts.

Friday, June 27th...Critical Mass all around the world

and right here in NYC. 7:00pm Union Square.

Here is a bike blog I found in Santa Monica



Cycle Santa Monica

Thats right, they have Critical Mass there too.

Our Monster Track DVD is finally available.

After a long wait, tweaks with the Paypal and sexual favors offered to our web gurus...our DVD is finally out.

Now you can support bike blog by checking out my first video compilation.

This is the story about Monster Track, the fixed gear only alleycat race which takes place every winter in NYC. A real test of skill, overcoming a brakeless bike, bad weather and unpredictable traffic that makes alleycat racing such a unique urban sport and gets all the spandex roadies screaming about bad bicycle behavior.

The dvd features:

"Track Kaiju," the short film I made in 2007 for the Bicycle Film Festival. A story about this years CMWC champion, Shino, the world's fastest messenger, taking the long journey from Tokyo with his good friend Hal to race in NYC's most prestigious underground bike race...Monster Track. They are picked up at the airport by the notorious world famous bike messenger Mike Dee and lead on a journey both of fun and training for the big race. The are introduced to a unique level of courier ambassadorship which includes seeing old friends, taking a spin class and playing paint ball.

also featuring:

"Monster Track the race" this is a film covering the race itself from many different angles including the ingenious skills of Lucas Brunelle and his helmet cameras. Get an inside look at this alleycat race from start to finish with cameras going into traffic to catch every moment.

then there is:

"Monster Track-not a race video" spend a moment with our hosts Mike Dee and alleycat champ Kym Perfetto as they interview many of the participants of Monster Track, before the race starts. A big shout out to all those involved from the legends to the first time rookies.

There are also lots of bonus tracks on this dvd making it a very unique shout out to the whole scene of alleycat racing.

available here on this website: Monstertrack8.com

here is the trailer:


Monster Track DVD trailer. from Michael Green on Vimeo.

Buy your copy today for just $20.00 (+5.00 for shipping and handling)

Support bikeblog and I can make more videos!

This Sunday a Benefit for Freewheels

Freewheels is going to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis and they need your help getting there.

What radical bike activists in a radical bike activist city?!?!? Thats Radical.

Check out what its all about and get great organic food.

YMMMMMMMM.

Memorial ride this Monday-6/23/08

There's a memorial Ride for Asif Rahman on monday. 6:15pm we hope you all can come-- 4 chances to meet the ride in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.

Asif Rahman, 22, was struck and killed by a truck on Queens Boulevard on February 28, 2008. The driver was not charged.

Join fellow riders and Asif's family and friends to remember him and demand a bike lane on Queens Boulevard. Bring flowers and candles.

Jun 23 2008 - 6:15pm - Jun 23 2008 - 8:15pm
6:15 PM 59th Street and 5th Avenue or Brooklyn side of Williamsburg Bridge
6:45 PM Queens side of Queensboro Bridge
7:30 PM Queens Boulevard and 55th Road

More info here

Um...not sure what to make of this.

I finally figured out why I can't ride backwards in a circle or pop a wheelie. No its not cause I'm an uncord...its cause I haven't had the right instructional video.
That is about to change.


Video posted at hyperbeast.com

This reminds me of another cultural benchmark which indicated the death of a trend. When I took a break dancing class back in the 80's. Yes like Elvis's gyrations, "the white people started doing it..."

But guess what, Breakdancing is back...So the fixie trend may never go away.
Remember this was created by the Japanese, and they brought us Godzilla, Insane Game shows and things like this:


For now I'm getting the video.

A day in Harlem...on bikes

I just wanted to report on this event that happened in Harlem, last Sunday. It was the 35th annual Skyscrapper Criterium, a day of pro racing in NYC where they have a closed course and have different categories of racing.

But it wasn't just for the spandex crowd, Bike messengers got a chance to compete as well bringing their unique style of competition and giving audiences a view at "alleycat racing."

Here is an article in Time magazine online.

written by: Sarah L. Lynch

Photo of Dwain Walters competing in the messenger race.

(not allowed to embed this)
but here is the link for video of the Messenger Race.


Here are a bunch of pictures from Keirin US


and a bunch more from Amy Bolger on Squid's site:

Team Spider Punk Rock Event

Just to add to your decisions about what to do on Saturday, June 21st, its also Make Music Day.



What started in France as a way to give access to local musical talent is now a day in NYC. Musicians sign up to play local spots on the streets. This lead to a whole bunch of punk rockers getting a permit on Governors Island and that means:

PUNK ISLAND!!

hear everyone's favorite bike punk band: Team Spider rockin out with other classics like:

Reagan Youth
You and what army and Crackula

Then on June 28th in Tompkin Square Park:

Fixie Scene in Orlando Florida

Yes there is fixie culture even in the land of Mickey Mouse

Orlando Florida


Check them out at 407 Fixed gear



Check out this amazing artwork:

Sustainable Lecture Series on Governors Island

All Summer the CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities is having a lecture series on Governors Island.

check it out at their website.

June 22nd. Sunday in Austin Texas

the website

Special Thanks to the Sierra Club

They sent me 2 books. Thank you.

get their books here:

Renegades of Crafts

Saturday, June 14th, Samantha,(my wife) and I checked out the Renegade Craft Fair at the McCarren park pool in the "human dogrun" park of North Willy B.

This former Robert Mosses created public pool has been the home to a series of concerts and movie screenings for the past couple of summers, reviving a long time abandoned piece of public space. Saturday it was turned into a massive sea of pop-up tents with artists and crafts makers.


There was really great stuff here and lots of amazing gifts.


Just wanted to give a shout out to a few vendors who I thought were cool.

It was really nice to see lifelong biker and artist Taliah Lempert of Bicycle Painting.


Taliah creates amazing paintings of bicycles, makes prints and coloring books for kids.

Also there was Vaya messenger bags.


Ah, free advertising.

I was a big fan of Mr. Poncho. Making awesome ipod covers which have a special way of keeping your earbud headphones from getting all tangled.


I bought a Bob Marley one. Nice!

We also got this cute onezee from Clever Violet with a print of a bicycle.

Stewart's bike trip in Eastern Europe for his Jewish roots

Matt Stewart and his father, David are taking a bike ride this summer.

You can follow their journey here:
Stewart bike Trip

They will be riding through Eastern Europe in search of family roots, Jewish relatives who fled to NYC in the first part of the 20th century.

They will be starting in Warsaw and ending in Odessa.

"Hey Bubbie, where can I park my bike?"

Very touching, Matt and David and good luck on your ride.

BTW, I like souvenirs, like maybe a pirogie from each country or one of those shake up snow globes.

Bicycle film festival's next stop...

Minneapolis

July 9-12.



Photo Exhibits, Group Rides and bike movies.

MMMMM MMMMM good.

Are they?

Bike Portland.org posted this picture.

It could be true, but its probably a more accurate statement that Fixies are the new skateboards...especially with non-stop tricks videos like this.


Unfinished from Tony West on Vimeo.

I mean how terrible...the next thing you know people will be buying more bicycles and then riding them.

Not to bad a problem when you consider we are living in these times:


from streetsblog...photo by Brad Aaron

Rain City Fix-new book

Aaron Edge and Photographer Brenton Salo have put out a new photo book about fixed gear culture from Seattle.

The myspace page

Where you can buy the book.

Video about the making of the book:

Shino wins CMWC 2008 in Toronto

Picture of Shino from Buffalo Bill's flickr page.

Congratulations to Hiroyuki Shinozuka (Shino)from Japan, for winning the 2008 Cycle Messenger World Championships. The top three male winners won on Fixed gears.

Here is a little run-down from Dan C of NYC.

Results
1st Shino Japan
2nd Porno Steve Swiss?
3rd Jumbo Copenhagen
4th Austin NYC
5th ???
6th Furgus SF
7th Dan C. NYC
8th Craig Boston
9th Bruce DC
10th Peter B. Boston

Kym got dored the night before the final. Dagga smashed in to some dude in the qualifier and broke her fork in to 4 peaces. They both still raced hard.
Angry Drew and Crihs both represented hard and raced well.
The main race went off with periods of heavy rain. Most of the top ten finished as it was raining sideways."

Here is a report back from Buffalo Bill of Moving Target Zine, UK.

Much more on all that went on in Toronto as pictures and stories get posted.

Sino won't have far to go next year for the worlds since it will be in his backyard.



image from Madsaki's blog.

fun with German TV.

I got a call from Barbara who handles press releases and media requests for Time's Up. They were on their way to Toronto for the CMWC and couldn't facilitate a last minute request for Public Television Germany. Apparently a crew was in town to make a short segment on the rise in popularity of fixed gears. Who better to represent this than the bike blog guy...me. I mean, I'm big in Germany, or soon will be. Yes, I am a big ham. Its all part of the game. Getting more people on bikes. Playing nice with the press.

So I meet up with the crew and we decided to shoot some riding around and an interview. I wanted to point them in the right direction, talk to local people and maybe even visit a bike shop or two. Unfortunatly a lot of people had left for Toronto, including King Kog, who I felt was the closest place and best representation of how this trend is blowing up into style and fashion.

The best part was slowing down impatient Brooklyn drivers as they shot out of a minivan interviewing me on why I liked a bike with no hand brakes.

Along the way we ran into Jack Crank who got some screen time. Jack was instrumental in getting my bike back.

shown here at the NYC bicycle film festival block party (I thanked him with a bottle of wine)


I saw Jack and a friend heading to work and yelled to them to come be German TV stars:



Eventually we headed over to NYC Bikes and talked with Richard who was very articulate about the whole scene.


They wanted a bicycle retailer to talk about who are these people buying track bikes and why? His basic attitude was like mine, brakes or no brakes...its complicated...as long as more people are buying and riding bikes...who cares.

Shooting outside of NYC bikes on Roebling.


Then they had me riding through red lights up the wrong way on Bedford Ave. Hmmm? Not necessarily the safest moves, but they assured me it looked good on video.

Their producer is sending me a copy on DVD. I hope some of my blog readers speak German, or maybe I don't.

Political Cartoon of the week

Mike Luckovich had this one in the Sunday NY times.



You can see more of his work with daily posts here.

Obama...Yes we can...Ride Bikes.

Painted on a roll gate on Grand Ave. in Williamsburg Brooklyn.

Senator Obama meet with bicycle industry leaders including Bikes Belong, executive director, Tim Blumenthal on June 12th. The democratic presidential nominee told them if he were elected president he would increase funding for cycling and pedestrian projects. He also pledged to support Safe Routes to Schools programs, in a historic meeting of bicycle retailers and industry leaders, showing a commitment to the bicycle as transportation.

Read more about it from Bicycle Retailer News

July 25, 26, 27 Baltimore,

Midatlantic Bicyculture Gathering

On July 25th, 26th, and 27th, the Baltimore bicycle community welcomes you to the Mid-Atlantic Bicyculture Gathering...the first event of its kind, in hopes of spotlighting the bicycle as more than just a means of alternative transportation but as an all out way of life, thought, and identity. In promoting bicycle awareness, the 3-day gathering will host an array of events ranging from races, bike films,and group rides to art, music, workshops and, of course, parties!'

Check out the website for future developments.

Many chances to get to the beach this summer by bike

There are many reasons to go to the beach this summer by bicycle. Its fun...its frickin hot, and we have lots of attainable beaches nearby. So here are some opportunities to get there either with group rides or by yourself.


1) Time's Up presents the: CONEY ISLAND CYCLONE RIDE
Friday, June 20th

3 Spots to meet up at:
7 p.m.- Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge
7:25- Carroll Street Drawbridge, Brooklyn (between Nevins and Bond)
7:50- 69th Street Pier, Brooklyn (Shore Parkway Bike Path Entrance)

The Cyclone Ride goes to Coney Island Amusement Park (Brooklyn) from Manhattan. They should get there just in time for the fireworks! This is a casual ride at a relaxed pace. Bring locks and plan to lock up and ride the rides. Bring money for food and amusements, and a swimsuit if you plan to hit the waves. The group usually spends about an hour and a half in the park, on the beach (and in the water!), on the boardwalk, at Nathan's, and everyone has a GREAT time! Some people return on the subway, and others ride back at a faster pace.

Visit the Time's Up website for more info.

This ride repeats 2 other times...Friday July 11th and Friday August 22nd.

Then,

Saturday the 21st, 2008



the 26th annual Mermaid Parade
brought you by the fine folks of Coney Island USA.

Get out your glitter, pasties, and cheap pirate hats and head out to one of the best events in NYC.

The parade starts at 2pm.

This years King Neptune and Queen Mermaid are those great saviors of public space and proselytizer of the evils of over consumption (not to mention he baptized me at the greatest bachelor party ever) Reverend Billy and Savitri D.


Will this be the last one before the wrecking ball turns the wonderfully seedy Coney Island into Chucky Cheese and Target? Don't wait to find out.

Then on June 29th, the inclusive Jewish organization, Hazon, which means "Vision" in Hebrew presents:



Join Hazon for this day of biking and beach lounging! We're starting from multiple locations and biking to Coney Island.. It's free, so bring your friends, compadres, family and your favorite bicycle, and ride toward the watery horizon.

The Rides converge at Coney Island (around 1pm) at Asser Levy Park, at the corner of Surf Avenue and Ocean Avenue -- tell your non-riding friends to meet us there! We will ride together to the Shorefront Y for lunch.

Time's Up is also doing a ride that day as well:

7. BEACH RIDE
Sunday, June 29
11 a.m. City Hall Park (Across from the Brooklyn Bridge entrance in Manhattan)
11:30 a.m. Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park in Brooklyn

It's summertime so let's go to the beach! This will be a great bike ride to Fort Tilden (Rockaways) beach. Bring a swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, food and/or money for food, and a lock for your bike if you don't want to leave it on the beach. We will be having a communal picnic lunch so BRING SOMETHING TO SHARE (or take a quick detour to the grocery store in Breezy Point!)
Come prepared (tools, tubes, water, etc) to ride some miles at a brisk pace.