Candy Cranks

This weekend is the Bicycle Film Festival in New York City, and in addition to lots of rad people being in town for the event, there are some really amazing films that I’m stoked to see. Unfortunately I have to work for most of the weekend, but the after parties are always in full swing, and the block party tomorrow afternoon should be a really fun event!

For the full event list (including film screening details and party locations, etc.) you can hop on over to the BFF site and check it all out there.

If you see me out lurkin’ come say hello!

This Saturday, March 26th brings the fourth annual Red Hook Criterium, and I couldn’t be more excited to finally see it! The race takes place in the mainly-deserted, post-industrial neighborhood (read: horribly neglected streets) of Red Hook, Brooklyn, and unlike most [alleycat] races in the city, it begins at 11:00PM. A little bit about the Crit, from their website:

Track bikes are mandatory and the field consists of elite level roadies, bike messengers, and urban cyclists. The race distance is 20 laps around a .75 mile circuit which features several hairpin turns, a technical chicane, a cobblestone stretch, and a sprint finish.

According to the Red Hook Crit Twitter, they’ve expanded the registration to include 85 riders so far, with 7 open spots for registration still available. Cyclists from all over the world are slated to compete, and the prize list is impressive to say the very least. Fingers crossed for a few female competitors!

Cinelli’s blog featured an in-depth interview with David Trimble (founder and organizer of the race) back in February. If you’re at all curious about the event–or can’t make it on Saturday–I’d suggest popping over there for a quick read. In my own (admittedly limited) race experience, it looks like an extremely unique event, and I can’t wait to watch.

There’s also a group ride down to Red Hook prior to the race, being organized by Mike Spriggs of Gage+DeSoto (who also happen to be exclusively carrying this sweet Red Hook Crit t-shirt). For more details on the group ride, check out Gage+DeSoto’s entry here.

I’ll be there cheering along and taking tons of photos, if you come out and spot me on the Lurker, feel free to say hello!

Jarah Emerson, NYC

What i love most about riding my bike is the freedom it gives me to go wherever i want without having to pay for a cab or take a gross train. i love flying by all the cars in traffic knowing that i will get where i am going much faster than they will and im not putting off fumes that are bad for my environment. hopefully, other girls will see me riding by smiling even in the freezing cold and decide they should bike too. biking is my most favorite part of every day. headphone blaring, head bobbing, dancing with my bike, i keep moving!

I’m Jess Versus, and I live, work, and ride in Brooklyn, NY.

I’ve had several different bikes in the city (and in my lifetime), but
my Gran Royale Lurker is above and beyond my favorite. Riding started
for me out of convenience/commuting necessity, but has since developed
into a full-blown love affair. I love being able to take my bike to
different cities and explore new places, I love the community of
cyclists I’ve met who #BikeNYC, and I love the feel of perfect summer
sunsets in Brooklyn by the water like the day these photos were taken.

Photos by John Prolly

Lovelisa Dizon
Jersey City, NJ and New York, NY

What I love about riding is when I make boys cry while I’m whippin’ work on my 2008 Bianchi Pista Concept on the hills of 9W, or seeing others react when I squeeze through traffic mashing through the streets of NY. I put in work, and I’m all about the thrills.

Last year, Bikesnobnyc stuck a fork in “those directionally-challenged irritants known as bike salmon.”

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/05/smoked-salmon-lock-your-bike-dont-lox.html

Bike salmon are essentially those riders who ride the wrong way in the bike lane, risking collisions with those going in the right direction. On many occassions I’ve almost had a salmon smash into me while I’m riding or walking. Scares the begeezus out of me!

More recently, Reuters writer Felix Salmon (no relation to the other salmons mentioned) wrote a thoughtful theory about the cars-versus-pedestrians-versus-bikes mentality in NYC.

“Most bikers in New York have their fair share of road rage. Commuting by bicycle in Manhattan has many things to be said for it, but it’s certainly not relaxing. And bicyclists as a group have surprisingly little public support. The question is, why? And I think I’ve worked out something approaching the Unified Theory of New York Biking.”

According to Salmon, bikers have an identity crisis on NYC streets, because they are viewed as — and often act like — pedestrians. And bike salmons play a particularly devious role in adding to this chaos.

http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/09/03/a-unified-theory-of-new-york-biking/

New York Magazine weighed in on Salmon’s article, including a scary salmon-in-the-bike lane visual.

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/09/evil_bike_salmon_ruining_the_r.html

What do you all think of salmoning?

Portland’s Rapha has opened a pop-up shop in NYC at 352 Bowery for a few months.

I managed to squeeze in a visit during an action-packed one-week trip to the Big Apple. Though it’s definitely dude-centric, there was a (very) small selection of ladies cycling-wear to check out and lots of cycling eye candy. Rapha aims to build a community while they’re in NYC, and even though daily live screenings of the Tour de France are over, there are rides, movie nights and a cafe to help foster the Rapha love.

Small, but excellent women’s cycling-wear collection

Portland transplants can get their caffeine fix at Rapha’s coffee bar that serves up Stumptown coffee.

Uber-cool indoor bike parking

All Tour de France, all the time

Menswear – nice jerseys!

Vintage Tour de France van used for picking up stragglers