It has been a busy year with bikes in mind. A lot of new events have shown some light from the fall from grace of larger and more common types of cycle events. Bike polo is common place and rides for no reason other than hang out on a Sunday.

Recently my Sydney BFF friends where hosting goldsprints for a neat combined gallery exhibit and asked me for help to just do seat height and stuff as we went. I went along on a few Thursday nights when I was either not sick or on daddy duty.
I was on the opening night door list and I did not even know it. I had a great night there.

Smokin Joe the local BMA president made the goldspint finals. Joe is keen on his new idea of a BBCA or a Bearded Bicycle Courier Association. So I went to spotlight and spent seven bucks and made a bunch of beards. We looked great and made a lot of people smile and supported or mate Joe.

Joe's next big adventure is to go to CMWC in Guatemala. This year I have had the opportunity to be the beg monkey for this years event. It has been no easy road being far from the event and never going. Working with this group definitely had it's ups and downs and funny highs and arguable lows.

Meanwhile locally bike lanes have been in the media ups down and sideways too for that matter. All I can add is I am glad they are finally being in our community. The project is still being built and has many haters of the unfinished product. They just wont even find out if it works or not. Just complain of how it fails and it still being constructed.

I have used the contentious bike lanes in question and I felt really good, not because of the spite of Alan Jones but because I felt like I had a spot that was for bikes. I have seen many toobs of busy bike-ways but this was not anything like that.

Welcome to the 20th Century Sydney, even if it is the 21st. I have seen a bike lane in Sydney appear and be useful and then get painted over forever because of IPEC road changes. This was just ultimate bad vibe (man).

Closer to home , my health has been havoc, stopping me from riding and then competing and then leaving me with a week long migraine that let to the final blow. Putting my back out by picking up my kid for a hug.

How mortal we are...

This week i managed to pull together 2 websites and handle a deal for a friend saving him a wad. Re rented NIKITA but for some reason it is just not the same and I am sure the movie I saw this week was different to the original. Particularly the part where she tries to prove she is not worth letting go when she first goes to work against Greenpeace (the french spy section).
Of course the cleaner as THE CLEANER.

Lugs

more info here http://www.hetchins.org/100.htm

but while we are at it check this out.

I have seen a lot of bikes but this just makes my knees go week, If I see a single try hard faker on one these. Please visit me in jail.

go to the website and take a slow look about.






















ahh yes,
Below is a nice shot inside Harry hooper

My BIKE meets girls

I mean really, look at that. Chilly here was parking her car and was kind looking at my bike and I just asked her straight up if she minded having a pic with my bike. Little did she know that I thought her sandals where very very "my bike". On the other hand the pic of Lucy in white here was an obvious Friday afternoon in the park sort of thing, in fact Lucy came and met a bunch of after work Bike Couriers and hung about a bit had a bit of coopers and just chatted with a few of us in the park.

Lots of my guy mates say it is hard to meet ladies in Sydney but I think they have a hard time saying HELLO to anyone they do not know.

I have noticed in the last week a whole bunch of new style bikes around Sydney. What is a "new style bike" I hear you ask. Simple if its retro or has curves or is rebuilt and looks old or is fakenger looking , oh hold on that would be courier looking but thats not really accurate cause I know plenty of bike couriers who use gears but the fakenger look is single of fixed. I guess its called MESSENGER STYLE.

The Fixie is really being brought back in a huge way. I was down at bondi and snapping pics of bikes and I came accross a group of 3 unlocked bikes, all of them fixies and ll of them definatly not a working messenger bike a Soma, a Tommasini and a red bike with flat bars. all had toe straps and all no brakes. I thought "cool" so I snapped a few shots with the digi cam and a moment later I was riding off and took another few shots of bondi beach when I noticed the 3 bikes going past me. In a rush i put away my camera and then caught them up. "Can I take a group pic of you guys" I ask. I get the massive DIDNTHEARNOTHING" look from 2 of them whilst one slowed and said sure.

I yelled at the other 2 "HEY FAKENGERS" they noticed me this time as I made myself in thheir faces, once agin I ask if I can take a group shot and still one of them ignores me.

I mean really, if your gonna dress like me and my mates and your gonna ride bikes like me and my mates let me and my mates say "hello" at least.

I used to think the most stuck up group of riders where roadies then Triathletes and then most frindly are the MTB crowd. Now there is a new bunch. The poser fakengers with fixed gear bikes that look great.

Now I dont care what you ride , as long as you enjoy it, In any week I will ride MTB, urban, dual, Fixed and a roadie. I get along with everyone cause I just like to ride. these guys really pissed me off. Additedly one of them did say "hey come for a ride on wednesdays from the Cricketers" (he might have said from 7 but I am not sure about that) cause he said he had to catch up.. but even I could keep up on my fat nobbys about 5 seconds later. but really these guys where just rude and rode bikes I would love, well one of their frames perhaps. perhaps one day I can look as good as them.bahhhh they suck.

here(left coloum of 3 above) is their bikes so you too can call them bitches and slag them off.


On the other side here is ED, you can find Ed at RUBYS DINER, aCAFE on Bronte Rd just up from the police station on the same side, great coffe and sometimes some very nice bikes parked out the front, the half link black thing is his. I think it is a felt single speed but he loves it so all is well.
good coffee and good food. I met Ed at a Cycle Mafia event that finnished at deus a white ago.

The whole movement of THE FIXED GEAR BIKE has suddenly appeared here in Sydney and came as a shock to the "bike messengers" here. Bike messengers (I rather call them couriers as that is the local term) feel a bit jipped off. Originally they had the idea that They where the trend setters and that it was theirs. I myself was a nay sayer and said, how can you work on a bike like that, blah blah blahhhh... Its bad for your knees and this and that. Now I ride a fixed gear bike (amongst others) and I really enjoy it. I do not know if I was a working messenger if I woud ride every day on one but I can definately see why they like them.

Another thing that pople dont thank bike couriers for is the enurance racees like 12 and 24 hour MTB racing. 10 years ago there where no long off raod races like that, bike couriers used to hold these events as a picnics, it became popular. you often see strong groups of riders from these backgrounds. On the few events that I have been involved with in one way or another they have always had a strong presence (the bike couriers) and where sometimes even admired as riding for 12 hours was the norm. I even went in a 12 hour race with a "Courier class", the pre-requisite to race in this class was to wear a bag whilst racing.

When I was in Japan last year I noticed how many fixed gear bikes there where that looked like bike messengers but where not. They really made stylizing their bike an art form, some of the riders could not ride down a hill or even get up a gutter.

some cool fixed things to do are skids and backwards circles, then there are more advanced things to do like bar spins and perhaps POLO on your fixed gear bike. Ideal because you can go backwards.

I still ride my geared bikes a lot but it takes me while to remeber that I CAN stop pedaling when I do ride other bikes.

Wishing you all the best for the new year

Danger YOGI, DANGER.

Yellowstone National Park .... is a hive of activity in regards to earthquakes at the moment. The park features many hot spings and the like so it is in an "alive volcanic System"

more info here http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=azcy5X_UMhoo&refer=us

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my fellow blogger and I wish you all the best and well wishes. Yeah I know that is kinda soft but really. I don't pretend to be tough (after all I am (haha hehe hoho)).

Also doom and gloom to my favorite photographic icon. My Bike. Although it is fixable I managed to sheer off the head of the SkidStars Bottom Braket bolt (or crank bolt).

I was riding along and thougfht my pedal was comming off as it felt kinda wobbly. When I looked down and aexected my pedal to come off. I noticed that the wobble was also including my chain ring and crank. I took my foot out of the cleat and pushed my crank and the chainring back onto the square taper.

Of course I thought I had just lost a bolt so offto the bike shop I hobbled where I found Julian P and he noticed that the bolt was still inside there.

Easy fix, new bottom bracket... DAMN I hate walking home.

Santa brought my son a new few pieces of track for his wooden THOMAS SET. So here are some tips for youjng players who wanna make their kids happy with TRACKS and such.

It is so much cheaper to get no name "bulk" track and a few unique items like "T junction", "bumpy track" and "wobbly track" I think I saved a heap of cashish on buying this way possibly a 66% saving. But be warned The cheapest matching IKEA track with bridge will not let regular THOMAS TRAINS and ENGINES under as it is about 1 or 2 millimeters to low

forum from mums and dads (less dads) on what trains sets do you use?
http://forums.naturalparenting.com.au/crafts-hobbies/29289-what-train-sets-do-you-your-kids-use-2.html

Matching track is BIRO, and IKEA and of course THOMAS

the island of Axel

The BFF or Bicycle Film Festival went through Sydney with a bit of a lump this year. Brent, the patron and organizer was still bleeding from his inside mouth and was still sore from being beaten up in Paris a few weeks earlier.. He did not drink and was not quite the social butterfly he usually is. He also managed to make the organizers of this years Sydney event fell rather bad. A real pity really as it was just not needed. I think what Brent really needs is some quiet time away from the needs of others and concentrate on just lying around and getting some vitamin D. Then a few weeks later perhaps take up where he left off. It was also very hard to market and promote the event with the next to zero notice we got about the program. I had the feeling that Brent wanted to take over the event for the short time he was here and disregarding the 9 months of event planning and council negotiation that went on. Sydney is not an easy place to do anything (that is just a reminder). There are many bike sub cultures in Sydney and getting them together is a chore.

The organizers this year did a great job getting the bike riders of Sydney involved from opening bike rides and parties, art galleries, fashion show that was dominated by bike messengers, nude ride, polo, the event, swap meets and a host of other side activities. Well done to the core group. team players all of them and not to mention cool too... I cant believe that was not the words of our benefactor. I am annoyed at Brent about that. My favorte movie had my mate Adam and Meg in it. Very cute very quaint. made me smile.

The Bike Valet Parking on King Street, Newtown was a great success. It was used well, set up well and was seen by lots and lots of people who went past the Dendy Cinema in Newtown.

The After party on Sunday was also a great with Paul and Fiona providing the "most excellent" food. ( I feel like a scene from Bill and Teds Excellent Adventure ( 81%) )

Last week I went to a red carpet showing of Quantum Of Solace (65%) I went with a mate of mine who often is my company at movies to the flicks. We see good movies and bad but generally we don't see drama or girly stuff. I was very disappointed with the fact that it was a Red carpet affair and We where the only ones in dinner jackets. It put us both in a bad mood and frankly I was disjointed that no one else thought it necessary to dress up to go to a James bond premier. The movie was not the normal james bond, No cars, no inventions and no panting sex scenes as corny as they are. The intro drive scene was a joke as those 250 HP alfas that might be 4WD can kick the begeeezuz outa a rear wheel drive Austin Martin on the tight dirt track that we where supposed to believe was a pit of construction. However the intital fight scene was awesome but might have been more at home in a kung-Fu movie. I reckon the best ever Kung Fu movie is this. ... not excatly a nice way to end a paragraph about a James Bond Movie but really.. it was crap...
This is a second link to The best Kung Fu movie of all time

on a more here and now...Some of you locals might have heard about the gang who are hitting ATMs in the wee hours and robbing them of money. Well 2 nights ago I woke at almost 2am from a loud bang in the night.

Going down for my morning coffee on a rare child free day. I took this photo. (cool bike on the road)

But the gas cylinders used to blast the Clovelly Road ATM destroyed the machine, the front of the bank and damaged the thieves' getaway car. from SMH

And, I can confirm that...


A police spokeswoman could not confirm reports the car was stolen in a carjacking. (from smh) to be true.

In fact the passenger was holding her door so hard she ripped it off the inside of the door as she was wrenched out of the car. The driver whom I know to be meek and mild to be rather shattered this morning (the next day). Im just glad they are ok and I hope that the incident did not shatter the Driver of the hijacked car too much.

The car of choice seems to be an AUDI as Audi seems to pup up everywhere .. almost as much as in IronMan.

So I spent 30 minutes sitting in a borrowed chair from the cafe in the street and watching the police divert traffic and watching the media take report after report. Some detectives turned up and its true. They stood out like very sore thumbs and wore very bad ties.

The rest of the day was a hoot. Managed to organize a blind date for Lane, Take a few pictures of very nice bike with ladies hang in the sun for a few hours also. A great day really
Also got this great shirt from KINGKOG


I would like to correct a mistake on my last post. I was talking about some stand out games from the past where I mentioned Soul Caliber. What I really meant to say was SOUL BLADE It came out on the PS1.

How Funny or what?????

Very hello kitty. but softer.

no pics.

Newtown Festival

HUGE

From a very un-assuming start in Mary St. The bike Valet ran all day and once aging remained triumphant.

I would like to thank Ash and Adrian for starting a gun set.
Adrian and Chris for carrying on from them.
And Chris and Craig in the afternoon.

We had lots of bikes through at random times. Well what I mean is we could be staring at the passing parade for 10 minutes then suddenly 6 bikes and then 4 more.. then 2 more than stop for a while... it was just random, then 2 groups of 3... was fun.


A lot of 70s bikes and townie types. Even had some up scale euro transport lookers too. About a dozen fixies or singles from non messengers, but looked the beeswax.
lots of nice bikes...


We all had fun. Everyone was happy with the comfort of the service.
One guy came and quizzed me, and I said "All care, no duty"and he blatantly said no thanks. Well there is a first for everything. One guy locked his bike in the racks too.

Thanks Crumpler and Bike Sydney. who made it possible

Was a great day.


need more volunteers for BFF
gimmie a yell if your up for it.

I can't figure out what makes me angrier: my habit of anonymously trolling web. forums, or my video game playing.

this statement is kinda the ultimate bored web user.. somehow I empathize TOTALLY. grab a visual here full story here

.A new Bike Messenger photographic slash artistic site.

I have serious travel plans for 2009, culminating with the World Championships in September. Big dreams that need real funds. To help finance my trips, I will be launching a series of online raffles. I’ve organized lotteries before and they have always proven to be highly successful.

Not only will I be giving away large format limited edition prints, I also have some sponsors who are joining in and donating some products and gift certificates. I think there will be some really sweet prizes up for grabs.

stay tuned, all the official info will be online by this weekend.

Now when couriers complain about the weather in Sydney. Hmmm. You know not to listen.

Fixie Specific Crash
I met some of my friends on Federation Way and we rode towards St. Peters to the Art Show RODE,EDGE. We where late and we where not in a huge rush and we just took our lane and went along the Wilson St highway (a local road that is shared by cars and bikes).

I was out of the saddle and pumping a little when I felt my legs fly free with no friction like my chain had come off. At the time I was standing out of the pedals. Down I went. hitting the ground hard and rolling only my elbow and onto my back. I noticed a car right there on right (behind me), still clipped in, I managed to throw my bike away from the cars towards the side of the road as I was still clipped in.

The guys I was cycling with thought I really know how to fall, but the look on my face of knowing my bike was in harms way was apparently "golden" I threw with my legs my bike with deliberate actions to put my bike out of harms way.

My slide stops, I'm stinging on my elbow and hands and knee. The car occupants asked if I was OK, my friends on bikes asked if I was OK... Ohhhh the humility.. I'm OK.

my lock ring had somehow un-wound a thread or 2 and my cog had jammed tight up aginst it in a slightly unwond possition. when peddaling the cog wanted to "tighten" on its spline, when i did tighten I had a no fricion against the weight I was putting into the cranks. The cog tightened back into a secure position but it was enough for me to "bin it" in front of Adam for his Birthday.

Happy birthday mate

We ride to the Art show , we are late. It looks like everyone was having a great time. Bikes and bike art and fashion is everywhere .

We where there for about 1 hour and a Police Man came and shut the party down. No seriously Sydney really needs to re-evaluate it's police force. to explain what was going on was a medium sized group and very not drunk or disorderly. The public where a very tame group and the music was not loud and people where talking and not yelling. So the crowd was very under control and there was no dangerous things happening. Things where tame. The police shut down the group for no reason other than they must have been super bored. after all most yobbos where inside watching the football. Sydney Police really are not very community friendly. The Art/ fashion show was a community event that was soft as flowers. Cops just need to stop treating us all like a communist state or like we are ALL CRIMINALS prior to being one.

Probably a knee jerk reaction to being a penal colony 200 years ago.. the rum coat and rum rebellion vibe is still alive in Sydney.

here it is... Only 2 days after I mention it.
Although you can not buy one locally you can get it from EBAY. Im not impressed about that that fact as I reckon we should be able to buy up to date stuff when it is available... OHHHH you mean we only have 21 million people and that is not a real market (they say).
In direct competition with the IPhone, HTC is another version of the multimedia phone. I have read a few reviews about it and it rates better than the IPHONE too. I have seen this in a few of magazines I read, T3, APC, WIRED, PC Monthly. They all do product comparisons and rate them. Admittedly some of the mags have advertizing contracts with Apple and cant really give it a low rating but most of my friends seem to love their IPHONE until they drop it or it fails. Do Not Forget folks, its a phone.

I still think that a decent phone is still better, especially with the cost of EeePC type of product.

Also windows 7 in beta is making the rounds. It is of course still rated against apple OSX with a religious fellowship of users behind it. and more people every day trying out one version or another of LINUX.
Meanwhile they (the marketeers) are convincing us to move our social networking to our phones.

Lust is a bicycle. just check this out and its new.

Its on ebay today for a few days so just let your fingers do the purchasing and spend 6.5 grand. This bike is just gorgeous and my size . It is a track bike and has no marks o it at all, master light and ohhh what a paint jobby. Pity it is a 54 and not a 53 .. forget the fact that I wont buy a bike that I cant ride without worrying about it.

whats this then??? A Fashion Show.. looks very flash.
Tell em Yogi sent ya!!!

(have a stab at the image for a bigger look)

Found a cool toy / tool on the web this morning. It makes a kinda collage of words you put into it. It also lets you select pages and blogs to source the words from. Neat trick I say. This one is of ohoh2's blog.

I have been given a second year of subscription to Wired Magazine for my birthday and I can tell you. It is a great read for the not nerd or the not scientific types who wanna keep up to date with trends and future ideas. Its is not quite "New Scientist" but forward thinking never the less. A very good read for those occasions when your stuck in one place for too long. Just have to remember to keep it in your bag. Alternately you can go to the web site and get a news feed. I have also become quite fond of slashdot.org . A little less layman than wired but very informative without the NEWS sourced from standard places in the standard format.

Are you tired of lies and miss quoted statements from the standard media? Stop using them. With computers and web 2 and RSS and the like it is now possible to just find the news you want and you have the option to filter the shit that seems to flood our local tabloids that seems to share with broadcastes news items. I have even felt that they often seem to reference one another and it is mostly a "not" news story that they do this to to make it seem important.

So what is important? You, your neighbours and then the enviroment. Somethings gotta give. If you dont stop spending your coin on crap your gonna be in biiiig trouble. I feel that our addiction to trinkets and personal commodities is goind to be our undoing. Sorry for the bad news.

On the up side. ANDRIOD has become open source. What is it? Well lets see now. Hmm connect your phone to your computer (or server) and negoitate with your contacts and just about any app or program you like. Seems like the ideal platform to make your own logistics company connect to your Phone, PDA or laptop or any other WAN device. I am poretty sure that it wont take long to create a usefull application that can do Accounting, and invoicing for clients as well as list off pickups and also give them a level of service (being regular or rush). Infact I am so keen about this I have downloaded the SDK and when I have finnished I will give it to my friends at SYDBMA for free. This means (as I see it) you will able to go register your business and then start finding your own clients. I have no problems giving this to you. My experience with courier companies is that they only rip of the rider as much as they can. Typically this app built with ANDROID is getting close to the mark.

It talks about the different pieces in the puzzle that is an "app"

A local ride is always pretty cool.

Ya gotta love it when its cold enough to wear scarves whilst cycling.

It is one of those things, You ride and you like to take it easy and check out what sydney has to offer. These guys look cool and had the worlds best smiles on their faces.
Kudos to you.

So you don't need lycra to look good after all.

Another cool bike that I admire from afar. "The Contessa" If you look carefully at the down tube you can see the glare and then you notice the twists and reverse twists in the tubes. Very beautiful, kind of like the skin of some alien spaceship come to ride over the earth. have a look at "The Contessa"

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Some Advice to those fashonistas out there...

I recently spent big bucks on some name brand sunglasses. To look though them is pure joy. I can wear them in the brightest of place (outside for starters) and clearly see the other side of the street.

I firmly believe that if I buy an expensive set of glasses and they last me 5 to 8 years then I don't mind spending 20 to 400 dollars for them. If you break it down 400 divided by 8 is 50 bucks a year. I do not think I know of any polycarbonate lens that lasts longer than 10 seconds in your pocket without scratching or somehow getting damaged.

I use glass, its slightly heavier but I can rest assured that the lens should be more scratch proof and much nicer on the eye with better clarity and better visibiblity.

Testing the glasses.
to test them I put them on my head and try to jolt my head as if I am in the ride possition and change direction suddenly. Normally my new glasses need a heat treatment and then a bend of the arms and bridge.
I only use windproof frames and I find it helps a lot.

if you have had eye sergury or laser treatment they say to use polarized lenses. I have had neither but my new glasses come with them. Super clear and comfy on the eye. I can see the wind on the water and see how the cats claws strike the water. However, when riding diagonally behind a car ... a problem happens. You cant see in the car. What you do see is the darkening of the windows of the car and sometimes a checkerboard pattern or diamond pattern. its a multi coloured effect that stops you from looking in on the driver. Infact I would even say it is dangerous. you can not see the driver, you cant look into the wing mirrors to see the face of the driver and you sometimes cant see anything inside fro right next to the car.

I do not recommend POLARIZED LENSES fro bike riding

Also some other noticeable things are the screens for my Ipod and phone are un-viewable until I take off my glasses or slide them down my nose.

Computers monitors of the LCD type also suffer imiage degridation but is only medium on the way to rotten.

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I tell you.
The latest craze is giving me the shits.

I do ride a Fixie and I enjoy it. There are plenty of reasons not to ride my fixie and I sometimes ride other bikes too, as I have a range of a few bikes I can ride given the ride, weather and terrain.

I have a head turning fixie with a very hard gear ratio. I was always a spin up and push kinda guy, rearly did I sit but I would lean on my saddle. most of my weight was always on my pedals.

I am no longer young or cool or in fashion. I don't try to dress like anyone. I just get up and do my thing and get dressed.

2 days ago a message arrived in my IN BOX and it was from a journalist. They wanted info on "why are fixies so popular".

I really am not the best person to ask. I have a little spoke card that says FIXIES SUCK. I ride one too, and I enjoy it. Please don't forget my other bikes.

The journalist was asking the same basic questions as the previous Jurno asked. The jurno then said that they got a Trek Single Speed, for the article. As far as I know, and that is limited to what I see, I had the idea that Fixed gear bikes have their appeal because of the "basic-ness" of them, the cool in the ride and the feeling of nothing making a rattle sound and feeling attached. This all comes with the riders personalised position, set up and bits. After all there should not be to many bits to a fixie. A real fixie might treat a bike like trash, but you could call that artistic expression and style.

I just find the whole idea of fixed gear bikes on the general market interesting.

Bike messengers are possibly the hardest people you will meet in your urban sprawl, And possibly the hardest working versus how much they actually get for any one job they do.

They have been left unprotected by the law in relation to rights they have on the road (in my city anyway as it is in MOST others). HOWEVER, they are mimicked even to destruction. Everyone wants to look as cool as a Bike Courier. The free life outdoors.

Bike messengers ride fixies cause they want to. There is no reason why they cant. But I warn you budding noobies and fakengers. Riding a fixie is not for the feint of heart.

My neighbour who jumped on my bike made almost a whole 2 pedal strokes before he fell off. yep he tried to stop and paniced. Over the bars he was thrown. Quite funny but pending law suit is what I saw in mid air when everything just stopped. If I could just hit the rewind key and bend his knee. But to my amazment he neglected to let go so he landed on his back and not his face.

Fixies are for those who can do it. When asked by the jurno over the phone interview, what accessory would I not be without. I said a strong and small enough "D" lock. Small enough to put in my butt pocket. and no I dont mean up my arse thanks.

Bike Couriers have spoken to the media a lot of late and even when the journalist asks questions that seem harmless. It seems that the editors at one of our main publishers seem to always put a negative spin on the story when there is a bike courier involved. I can say they are burning their bridges.

2nd Bottom pic is of Simon from Perth doing a 315 meter skid ( 1017.0572999999999 feet)

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