Candy Cranks

Every year for an annual conference regarding trees, cycling arborists gather together for the Stihl Tour des Trees. The Tour is a 5-day cycling trip covering over 500 miles in the country or state where the conference is held, with the intent to raise funds for the TREE fund, a tree research organization. Over 100 cyclists participated in the 2012 Tour in Oregon, USA. I was unable to participate in the full tour, but joined in the last day for a 30mile ride around Portland, OR for the Ride for Research.

All the tour riders in their matching attire gather for the final day of their ride

In good tree humor, the ribbon to celebrate the beginning of the ride is cut with a Stihl chainsaw, complete with the protective equipment donned over the spandex

Rolling out of Holladay Park

Some happy Ride for Research participants

Beautiful Oregon day

Nearly finished with the Tour

And a Tree themed ride would not be complete without custom made wooden bicycles!

Through the Tour des Trees, the TREE fund raised over $500,000 for grants and scholarships to improve knowledge and technology regarding trees. Next year, the tour will be held in Toronto, Canada.. hopefully I can make it to the whole tour and that some of you may participate as well!

Hand-made wooden bike shelf by UrbanCityBikeShelves on Etsy.com

I believe it was Meg that posted another bike shelf back in September–this piece is obviously similar in design, but comes in a lower price-point ($149 versus $270 for the Knife and Saw version). Both shelves come in Walnut, but UrbanCityBikeShelves also come in Maple and Cherry.

Living in New York where space is at such a premium, I’d love to try one of these shelves out. Sadly, living in a rail-roaded apartment means that pretty much every wall I have is too narrow to even lean a bike against! I’m also a bit skeptical that I’d knock everything off the shelf every time I grabbed my bike in a rush. Curious to see if any of you have had any experience with a similar product?

The girls of Hub Honeys got together for our January bike, craft and social event. The agenda this week was to create top-tube protectors! We “liberated” a banner from the university to use as material, along with foam pipe insulation and button snaps. They turned out pretty cool! Here’s some pics I took from the evening..

Kea truing her wheel:

Chatting with Mary, Becky, Mel and Louise:

Mel crafting:

Becky crafting:

Ready to ride!

Mission “Oh snap!” for button snaps to fasten the tube protector

Trackstands!

The girls:

Mary’s finished product:

click this to view the video  ;) Glasgow bike shed

Hey its been ages since i’ve posted here , been soo busy ! sorry ;o

My friend Greg , Richard , Movie and I started the Glasgow Bike shed in july. Its a non profit organization where people donate old or unwanted bikes and we recycle them and their components. We run bike maintenance classes so people can learn how to fix and look after their own bikes and also take on volunteers who will eventually be put through their bike mechanics qualification after a week long course. Anyone can come in and use ours tools and stands to fix their own bike, we also have 2nd hand parts for very cheap that could replace the worn out parts of your bike  and if  anyone gets stuck we are there to help although we encourage people to do it themselves so they learn.  Its great for finding retro/vintage frames and parts and for somewhere to hang out . Its an amazing project ! everyone is very happy there… if your in glasgow fire down !

More here

Christmas came early for me this year, I was stoked to receive my super custom Blicksbags in the mail today! It’s beautifully made by Madeline and the team based in Cleveland using sustainable materials and methods. I love my recycled vinyl patch with the CMYK markings, as a designer it’s perfect for me. I’ve been after a smaller bag as I usually fill my Crumpler bag with a million things and end up with a stiff neck. I took my Pica for a test drive down to the beach, it’s light and comfortable, stays in place and I can fit way more in than I expected I would. Camera, phone, Ipod, DVD’s, chunky wallet, water bottle, sunnies, a lock, keys and I had room left to spare. Even though I’m trying to cut down on carrying so much stuff around whilst riding, my first instinct was to try and fit as much in as possible, old habits die hard I guess! I’m really pleased with my new bag, thanks so much Madeline, you’ve made my day!

There’s a Blicksbags Pica up for grabs for the winner of the Ladies Photo Comp, I’m sure they’ll be as chuffed with it as I am!

Photographer Willmer Perez took some great shots of Tarn Mott – Primate Frames builder in his new workshop.

Catch Willmer Perez on oveug@yahoo.com.

Made from solid wood (in this case, Walnut) and suspended by a solid steel square rod mount, this shelf can hold both your bike, as well as anything else you want on it quite easily. If you want to just showcase your bike, that’s fine, but if you want to utilize the space for books, flowers, bike accessories, etc., that’s what it’s there for.

Love this bike rack from Knife and Saw. Beautiful and functional, made from walnut and starting at $270.

Wheelman & Co have released their new bag the Minuteman Messenger bag. Some of it’s features include being waterproof (yay!), able to withstand wear and tear, environmentally friendly (yay!) and it has some lovely cork panels on the front. Dimensions are 13″ x 8″ x 11″. For more info check out Wheelman & Co.

My friend Natalie, who like myself is big into bikes was interviewed for an article in our national newspaper The Irish Times. The article was written following the introduction of the Dublin Bike Scheme, 10 cyclists throughout the city were interviewed about their bikes and their experiences of cycling in Dublin.

Natalie Keville, Designer for Exhibit Design Group
“I built this myself last year – it took me six months and I got most of the parts from the US, in places such as Ben Cycles in Milwaukee. I love fixies because they are really suitable for city cycling. You gain greater efficiency and power because there is no coasting, which is great for keeping control in heavy traffic. I love the light weight, simplicity and low maintenance, but the best part is the sense of fun and achievement of the actual build. It all started just after I left college, when I had a bit of money. Mine cost €1,400 and it’s a black Pake Track frame, with Nitto Jaguar stem, straight chrome Conago forks, deep Vs, Sugino messenger cranks, a Brooks team pro saddle and custom-made wooden handlebars (wild cherry strips laminated to a five degree curve). The only downside is the frequent near death experiences. I have been hit by two taxis this year! Cars need to be more aware of cyclists.”
Extract from article “Heels on Wheels” by Deirdre McQuillan

Pictured above is a great shot Natalie and her lovely bike taken for the article.