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Yesterday morning I went out with Conor and two guys from Kissena (Wai and Patrick) up to Piermont and back, a nice ride with nice company. The weather was perfect for this time of year; relatively warm and sunny. On the way back Conor stopped off and handed me the new El Cyclista kit that had just been made in a limited run by Champion System, super nice kit with great style. I particularly love the subtle pink band around the right leg, very classy.
When the weather gets colder and it becomes harder to get out from under the warm covers for the early morning training ride, any motivation (no matter the source) can help a great deal. One of the best ways to motivate the lower extremities is slathering them in embrocation. There is no better feeling on a chilly morning than that wonderful, smooth burn. Embrocation has been around for a while and a regular staple before cyclocross races. I on the other hand have only been using it since early spring and have nothing but amazing results, I almost don’t know how I survived cold weather without it. So far I have only used the warm weather (for summer) and cold weather mellow heat (which is best for fall and early spring riding) but some of the hotter stuff is on its way to our headquarters for the nice icey weather here in New York.
Check out all the Mad Alchemy products and get some for the holidays.
Hand constructed steel as an answer to Taiwanese carbon and robot welded aluminum frames. The Speedmetal interprets the classic steel frame with a wonderful modern outlook, a sleek lightweight frame with deep roots. Made in Germany this has to be one of the nicest steel frames I have seen in a while, and kitted with all those Tune parts makes it that much more desirable. Check out more at the Neueck site, it helps to speak German though.
I do this all the time with my riding buddies, great way to cool off.
Feather Cycles was started by Ricky Feather in a small workshop in York (after quitting his job and moving from Leeds). At the moment he only has track frames built up but hopefully we can see some nice slick road frames from him in the near future. I love the logo and the Feather graphic on the downtube, super clean and classic; very elegant. Stay tuned for more from Feather, he seems to be building a lot these days.
Watching old cycling films gives one of the greatest feelings of nostalgia, not necessarily because I was there, but because I want to have been there. Day dreaming about days when men wore only wool and had to change gears one handed has become a regular past time. CrossTube, mostly devoted to cyclocross throughout the world, has some wonderful shorts showcasing some of the greats on the road.
Kara Ginther is an artist who specializes in carved and embellished leather; and particularly, the embellishment of some fine Brooks saddles. I assume the paint would wear off over time, however the ones that are simply carved should be no problem, time would probably only add character to the design. These would look amazing on some nice show bikes at the NAHBS, so hopefully we will see one of these beauties on some nice classic steel (hint, hint builders).
Mr. Brady from El Cyclista has a Flickr set that has some pretty great images. A bunch from the Dauphiné Libéré, but also from different Cols throughout Europe. The vintage St. Raphaël team car is amazing; I’ve always loved the logo Anquetil, Simpson and Robinson wore, so much class in the old days.
“You better pump.” – Marcus Sommers
From now on fridays will be devoted to a quick quote and shot from the classic movie where two brothers challenge the road. And life itself.
