Team Lope Tyre Clubbe

The 2011 model, more rad than the last. Because, you know, it’s 2011.

http://trackosaurusrex.com/pblog/index. … 125-173356

I wasn’t into this bike aesthetically, but I noted a detail in the photos that caught my interest: a tensioner applied to a belt drive… interesting, seeing as though the belt drive proponents insist that the belt won’t stretch like chain… but in looking at that, I read about a detail not seen that was pretty cool: the hairline on the seatstay is actually a concealed screw socket for getting the belt on. CONCEALED coupling DOPE!

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/02/ … t/img_9315

And sorry, no, you can’t have it at this time. They’ve already been sold to all the hipster kids in Brooklyn.

http://mash.myshopify.com/collections/a … am-t-shirt

a little while ago, i snapped up MASHSF’s sweet little SMALL GIFTS WALLET, which isn’t actually called that, and which is basically for keeping your money and phone safe from sweat and weather in your jersey pocket.

i didn’t get a chance to use it till YESTERDAY though, so it’s time for a review!

here are shots of the wallet loaded…

the contents were — $120 in 20s, my CADL, debit card, credit card, healthcare card, san francisco bicycle coalition card, and a motorola droid 2.

straight away, we note that while many phones will fit in this wallet, it is clearly made for an iphone. my phone’s width and height dimensions are within millimeters of an iphone’s, but my phone’s depth dimension is much larger. with all those cards and the money and the phone in there, it takes a bit of effort to close the ziploc-like closure. but with that stated, it does fit, and once the wallet is closed it’s very secure. that’s a heavy-duty closure and it never popped open during my use of it yesterday. however, i would not be able to put any more money or cards in there than what i had so i know my max capacity right now.

there are a couple of subtle details about this that make it more than just a plastic bag, too. one is that the corners of it are rounded so that it slips into and out of a jersey pocket easily and without snagging the material. that’s kind of a big deal. the most outstanding detail of all though, is that you can navigate your touchScreen without taking your phone out. i don’t know if this is something that requires use of a special type of plastic or what, but it’s advertised on the PURCHASE PAGE as a benefit, so i have to imagine that it was sought out for that specific trait. no matter how it ended up being the case, it RULES.

overall, i wouldn’t suggest getting this if you have anything other than an iphone, a droid smaller than mine, or a motorola RAZR. full-sized blackberries will definitely not fit, and flipPhones like the old nokias probably won’t work either.

but it’s an easy 9/10 CLANK! product, only missing 10/10 because the new versions have a different crop and color on the MASH logo that i don’t like nearly as much as the crop and color of the first-gen one that i have.

i ride every day, so "lungRide" is always subjective, but this was the first time i went out by myself in full kit for the specific intent of riding. not cruising, not wandering, RIDING. it was chump change – maybe 30 miles, tops – but it felt amazing and i can’t wait to have more time to do it later.

my buddy scott, who’s a photographer, has a studio in the prestigious marin headlands art center. to get there by bike, you head over the bridge and pop off to the left on your way down the sausalito grade, shoot through a one-way tunnel with 5-minute (car) stoplight (which has ice inside it right now, thanks to leaky pipes and freeeezing weather), and weave around for some miles past other legendary bay area rides like hawk hill, eventually ending up at the above vista.

once inside, i was able to participate in scott’s newest project, which had something to do with firing arrows into eucalyptus bark. the arrows had little surveyor’s flags taped to them so they would leave a mark to be photographed later, and it was all good fun…

if an arrow broke when it hit the target, we took it out back and spray-painted it white for some other project. i called them ghost arrows…

after that (all of about 15 minutes), i shot back across the bridge and around a lot of the rest of the city’s rides (presidio, oak, etc.), and flew through the bar for the best after-ride drink, PBR.

it was a short day (i worked till 3 last night and didn’t wake up till 10. wasn’t on the road till 1.), but it felt good to be back out, kitted up, no intent but riding. here’s to upcoming warm weather!

Well, this morning I rode in. I said to myself, ‘self, give Ghostal a swan song final voyage!’
And so I did.

However, the combination of the slightly better braking (aero brake lever plus new black pads) and the startling reminder of how smooth and steady and SILENT a new-parts steel fixie is compared to either the rattle of my aluminum Cinelli or the squeak of my steel conversions, combined with tons of nostalgia and misplaced attachment to the build made me struggle with the concept of this weekend’s planned dismantling.

Now I think I *may* keep it in one piece, either until the new frame ships in a few months or until the rains are done and the used frame market wakes up. I dunno. If it braked well it’d be a no-brainer but even with the black brake compound it’s still an unmachined rim and makes more noise than stoppies.

But what a smooooooth ride. If only I remembered the fender.
Or golashes, ha.

This was my ride style yesterday in the wet, wet rain. Well, thats incorrect, in other words not correct. I didn’t ride in the rain. I’m sick, you crazy! But I did ride at lunch on errands, and while it was wet, it wasn’t raining. But I kept my sweet, sweet galoshes on anyway, for science. I have to say, while I didn’t have quite as much grip, the platform combi pedals did their job, I stayed true and hell, the dogs were dry and comfy.

Not the PBR-gunbelt skinny jeans hipster image, I admit.

‘Chrome spray paint’ has always meant a chromed cap with a silver spray can inside, much annoyance, and a beer.
But.

If you’ve never been to Inventables.com, go ahead and scrap the rest of the day and dork out. Today’s discovery for me is a spray chrome application (best of a series of competing, similar solutions, actually) which are still a spray paint system but with 95-98% reflectivity, virtually indistinguishable from legitimate chrome dip. If this takes off, we’re entering a whole new world in restorative bike build projects!

http://www.inventables.com/technologies … pray-paint

You know, aside from being in Japan and in red-3 garb, is to pull ahead and win the race through a spectacular crash that takes out everyone and just barely clears you.

Go Chris Hoy!

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/02/ … ter_160752

Our boys in Team Sag have found a way to ease the aluminum frame jitter on riding a Cinelli X Mash for 23% of a day’s course before getting smilie pies and a cab, so I thought I’d share…

http://teamhype.blogspot.com/2011/02/rockin-it.html