August 22, 20086 Comments on 2009 Bianchi Pista – flat bars and brakes
Bianchi will introduce a flat bar and brakes version of their popular Pista fixed gear bicycle.
Besides the handlebar, cabling and brake hardware, this is exactly the same bike as their regular Pista track bike. The ’09 Pista — both the brakeless and flat bar versions — will be available in blue, as shown here, and chrome.
Bike Hugger has some photos of the 2009 Bianchi Pista. I highlight some other 2009 Bianchi bicycles over at Commute By Bike.
August 21, 20086 Comments on Eco Velo
The Bike Hugger gave me a big hug earlier this week — in a list of his Top 10 Bike Blog List, guess who he put at the very top of the list? That makes Yokota Fritz feel so wonderful that it’s worth a big photo of the Bike Hugger Team here; the tall guy in the middle — Rich Kelly of Interbike — is I guess an honorary Bike Hugger. Byron’s the dude in the blue cap.
The other blogs Byron mentioned are high on my list also, but I wasn’t familiar with #2 on his Top 10 — Eco Velo from Sacramento.
Alan and Michael utilize bicycles as transportation to reduce their impact on the environment. Eco Velo is the public expression of their commitment to reduce their impact on the environment by employing bicycles as their primary mode of transport. They use Eco Velo to share what they learn from this endeavor while celebrating the beauty of the bicycle and the joys of everyday bike riding. Alan an Michael hope to inspire others to make a similar commitment through Eco Velo. So do I!
Remember, this weekend August 23-24 2008 is the Single Speed World Championship in Napa, California. Most of the bikes in this race are singlespeed mountain bikes, but singlespeed and and fixed gear cyclocross, road and “other” bikes also take part. It should be fun stuff.
August 21, 20082 Comments on Epicurean Cyclist
Cycling photographer Russ Roca started a new bicycling blog that he calls The Epicurean Cyclist. If you prefer wool to polyester, twine to electrical tape and friction to index shifting, then there’s a good chance you might like his site. Russ will write about bike camping and touring and some of the things he likes. Epicurean Cyclist
August 20, 20082 Comments on Masi Speciale Randonneur
Available in November, MSRP $1145. This bike from Masi is to drool for.
Read more about this and other new models from Masi over at Commute By Bike.
Tim “Masiguy” Jackson of Masi also recently posted some photos of a prototype Masi Mini Velo bicycle for the Japanese market. I’m a big fan of these and I’d love it if somebody could successfully distribute these for the USA bike market.
I’ll post plenty more bike porn photos next month from Interbike 2008, which I’m attending on behalf of Commute By Bike.
August 20, 20084 Comments on Cervelo fork recall
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Cervelo have announced a recall of the Wolf SL Carbon Fiber Bicycle Fork. The forks steerer can break during normal use, causing the rider to lose control, fall and suffer serious injuries. Ron of Cozy Beehive has posted some photos of broken forks
Cervelo has received 12 reports of forks cracking or breaking, resulting in one consumer suffering a broken wrist and another suffering minor abrasions.
The recalled forks have a clear coating over black painted carbon fiber, with the words “Wolf Superlite” and related logo just below the crown on each fork leg, and the letters “SL” on each leg above the fork blade dropouts. There is a True Temper CRT� logo on the inside of both fork legs. The recalled forks could have been included on the following bicycle models: R3, R3 SL, Soloist Carbon, Soloist Carbon SL, and certain P3 Carbon framesets and complete bicycles.
See more information at the Cervelo fork recall web page.
Electra Bicycle Company expanded their existing recall of several Amsterdam models to include more models: Classic 3, Original 3, Royal 8, and Sport 3 styles. The alignment tabs on the chainguard can push against the chain, causing it to derail. More info from Electra Bicylces on this PDF.
August 20, 20082 Comments on Bike shops selling more bikes and service
Is there an upside to high gas prices? If you’re a bicycle retailer, there can be—particularly in the service department. Bikes Belong has just completed a survey of more than 150 bicycle retailers from nearly 40 states to see if their summer 2008 sales reflect an increase in the use of bicycles for transportation.
The majority of retailers who responded said their sales of transportation-related bicycles, accessories, and service have increased in 2008 compared to 2007:
Is this increase in sales because of high gas prices? Most retailers who we surveyed think so:
Many new customers are dusting off old bikes and bringing them in for repair. There appears to be a surge of interest in riding bicycles for short trips, errands, and commuting.
These survey results paint a clear picture of bicycling as a simple, affordable transportation solution and reinforces the need to create safe, appealing places to ride. Now is a prime time to encourage people to use bikes for transportation. It’s good for the wallet, health, the environment—and it’s fun.
View the survey results, which includes interesting comments from bike shops, at Bikes Belong.