The Pursuit of Happiness

I’ve been after a proper fast bike for quite a while, and through equal parts good fortune and impulse I recently acquired one of my dream bikes: a 1992 Cannondale Track. To say that I’m happy is an understatement.

The sloping top-tube and unforgiving track geometry give this bike honorary pursuit status. So to all the purists freaking out about the “pursuit” reference in the header: Get over it. Move on.

Cinelli cockpit…

San Marco Rolls saddle…

Sugino Super Mighty cranks/ Campagnolo chainring/ Campagnolo Gran Tour pedals…

Mavic 500RD hubs laced to Wolber rims. *fistpump*

Stadium Showdown recap

By Cape Town standards, we had a decent turn out for the first Stadium Showdown of the season. The evening started with the usual pre-race banter and bike checks, and by 8pm we got down to business.

Predictably, Gav led the 5-minute sprint from start to finish to claim the winner’s prize (an off-white “vintage” Rolls saddle).

The team pursuit was a half-hearted affair, with most riders having popped their corks in the previous race. Tobie still found the energy to get his upps though. Nice one!

There was talk of a slalom, but by 9pm the Jack Blacks were calling. So we headed over to Doppio Zero, agreeing we should allow Gavin to thrash us again soon.

And that’s it. Thanks to @CafeRacer for the photos.

Rapha: Two Broad Arrows

The Rapha/Ridley Scott Associates series is blowing up in a big way, with the first short getting 23,000 views in its first 24 hours. Whether you were one of those twenty-three thousand, I’d urge you to check out the second in the series, now up on Rapha‘s homepage.

The synopsis: Former Professional Cyclist Sean Kelly (sometimes known as King Kelly) while not as much of an overt focus in this film as Museeuw in the first was definitely an inspiration. The Country Jersey in the blue, yellow and white is styled in the colors of Kelly’s former Spanish team – KAS contains the inside story of Kelly, and the colors can be made out by a character (oddly enough is played by Ultan Coyle – Rapha’s printed materials designer) who appears in ghostly fashion late in the film.

O&M Taiwan helmet PSAs

I don’t wear my helmet as often as I should. Often the excuse is as trivial as the ones featured in the ads below. But these hard-hitting PSAs by Ogilvy & Mather Taiwan are certainly convincing me to put on a bin before I head out onto the road.

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Tough break

Oooof. That’s got to suck.

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Legs

I have a thing for suspenders. (On women.)

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Macaframa: Jason Clary in the Panhandle

This edit of Jason Clary taking a burn round the Panhandle in San Francisco appeared on the Macaframa blog yesterday.

It’s pretty mellow by Clary standards, but has the nice cinematography and signature bohemian soundtrack you’d expect from the Macaframa crew.

Murder of Couriers

I’m fascinated by the courier subculture – partly because of their role in the fixed gear revival and partly because they take pains to portray themselves as total badasses. Case in point:

Yup, definitely a “fringe” element going on there.

Murder of Couriers documents Vancouver’s courier culture. I’m pretty excited to see the full film, which premiers in Spring 2010 (that’s “Fall” in north America).

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Zlog: Future Tense Summer 2010

Loads of rad stuff going down in this month’s Future Tense edit. Check it.



I like how the event blends progressive fixed freestyle trick comps with the more “traditional” fixed gear comps like races and flatland. I don’t know about you but I’m PSYCHED! Now that the weather’s getting warmer, we need to do something like this in Cape Town.

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Stadium Showdown TONIGHT!

If you own a track bike and live in Cape Town, then you should know about tonight’s Stadium Showdown.

We meet at the subterranean circle in front of the stadium at 19h30. Then we’ll hold a series of races (keirin, elimination, match sprints) until someone pukes. After that we’ll go grab something to drink.