April 27, 20105 Comments on Josh Duhamel rides a bicycle
Actor Josh Duhamel rides his bicycle in the rain.
March 15, 201016 Comments on Bicycle for my daughter
My daughter grew out of her old 20″ wheel bike a while ago. It’s a real stretch for her to ride any bike with 26″ tires (including my son’s old 13″ Gary Fisher frame), so I need something with 24″ wheels.
She definitely wants a step through frame, which eliminates Specialized’s and Raleigh’s entire line of 24″ kids bikes. We live in a mountain town so gears and a reasonably lightweight bike are good — no clunky hi ten balloon tire cruisers, please. The only two candidates I’ve found so far that fit the bill are Trek’s “Zara” girls’ bike and the Electra Townie 21D with 24″ wheels.
I think overall I like the Zara over the Townie 21D. First of all, it’s $100 less expensive, which always appeals to the cheapskate in me. There’s no front derailleur on the Trek and I like the chainguard. I’m not a fan of Electra’s flat footed frame geometry (though if my daughter prefers it that’s what will be important), and the Townie handlebars look uncomfortably high. I’m a sucker for the sportier look of the Trek.
On the other hand, the Local Bike Shop I almost always use carries Electra, but not Trek. Trek dealers are few and far between in my part of California (I’m a mere 40 miles from the International Domination Headquarters for Specialized Bicycles). Trek calls the color of the bike “Coral,” but it’s clearly pink, and my daughter is all done with pink and Disney princesses in her life. Finally, the bike shop owner is my neighbor and a super nice kid so I can maybe get a bro deal from him.
We’ll look for a Trek dealer this week that carries the Zara, I think, to try the bike out.
Do you know of other bikes that meet our qualifications?
Thanks!
November 10, 20098 Comments on 2010 Breezer Thunder first impressions
In the early 90s, Joe Breeze introduced the aluminum Breezer Thunder. He stopped production of all mountain bikes after 1998 to focus on bicycle advocacy and, later, he relaunched Breezer Bikes as a commuter bike company.
Something old, something new.
For the 2010 model year, Breeze will re-introduce the retro but all modern Breezer Thunder mountain bike.
Like its forebear, this is an aluminum hardtail. The modern edition features triple butted 6066 aluminum with lots of hydroformed curvy goodness. The trademark Breezer blue and white paint is lustrous and beautiful. Hydraulic disc brakes stop the bike, and Ritchey seatpost, headset, handlebar and tires with Mavic wheels provide the control.
The down and dirty on the available build options:
When Breeze sold mountain bikes in the 90s, I was a committed road cyclist. These days I’m mostly a “utility” cyclist who still enjoys road riding, but I occasionally hit the trails in the Santa Cruz Mountains on an ancient alloy GT. A modern mountain bike with modern components is a real kick.
My bathroom scale says the Thunder “Pro” sample I have weighs about 25 pounds, and oh boy is it fun to ride. The Thunder Pro leaps over fallen redwood limbs in a single bound! This bike thunders (sorry) down 30 degree stairstepped descents with aplomb. I’m still getting accustomed to the slightly twitchy handling (it’s not a road bike), so I appreciate the relatively light weight as I drag myself and the bike back up to the trail after I misjudge a turn and hurtle over the edge into the poison oak below.
The Breezer Thunder is a lovely and competent hardtail trail bike. Erik of Norcal Bikers and I will take the Thunder through its paces in the coming days and we’ll let you know how it works out. We’re tentatively talking about meeting up at Delaveaga Park in Santa Cruz this Saturday morning if you’d like to take a look at this bike. Follow me on Twitter for updates.
October 23, 200910 Comments on 2010 Breezer Lightning
Coming in December — Breezer will re-introduce the Lightning, a steel hardtail mountain bike.
Custom butted Reynolds 525 cromoly and integrated head tube, 23.3 lbs equipped with
MSRP will be $3199. Available in 15”, 17″, 18.5″, 19.5″, 21″.
October 7, 20099 Comments on Cannondale Hooligan
I saw this Cannondale Minivelo bike (or is it a BMX hybrid?) in a Taiwan bike magazine.
The Cannondale Hooligan has a beefy Al frame, a Lefty style fork, 20″ wheels. Available with a SRAM 3 speed hub or Sunrace 8 speed derailleur. The short wheelbase means twitchy handling, which is not so great for speedy mountain descents but is perfect for the urban environment Cannondale is targeting for this bike.
Best of all, this bike is apparently available in the United States.
September 22, 20092 Comments on Electra Ticino bicycles
I gave you a little sneak peek of Electra‘s new Ticino line of bikes a couple of weeks ago. Here are the specific models and details. They’ll be available in November 2009. All bikes come in “Men’s” and “Ladies'” models.
• Handcrafted, Smooth Welded, Double Butted 6066 Aluminum Frame
• Hand-brazed Fork with Investment-Cast Crown and Butted CrMo Blades
• Shimano 105 20-Speed Drivetrain, Dia-Compe Downtube Shifters
• Ticino Forged Alloy Compact Double Crankset
• Five Star High Flange Hubs and Electra Elite High Polished Double Wall Rims
• Ticino Dual Density Saddle
• Hammered Alloy Fenders, Stainless Steel Rear Carrier
Ticino 18D $1,500
• Butted 6061 T-6 Aluminum Frame
• Hand-Brazed Fork with Investment Cast Crown and Butted CrMo Blades
• Shimano Tiagra 18-Speed Drivetrain and Rapidfire Plus Shifters
• Ticino Forged Alloy Compact Double Crankset
• Five Star High Flange Hubs and Electra Elite High Polished Double Wall Rims
• Ticino Dual Density Saddle
• Hammered Alloy Fenders, Stainless Steel Rear Carrier
Ticino Lux $1,250
• Triple Butted Chromoly Frame
• Hand-Brazed Fork with Investment Cast Crown and Butted CrMo Blades
• Single-Speed Drivetrain with Five Star Flip-Flop Rear Hub
• Ticino Forged Alloy Crankset with 42t Alloy Chainring and Double Alloy Chainguard
• Tektro Dual Pivot Pull Brakes
• Ticino Dual Density, Genuine Leather Saddle w/Chromoly Rails
• Painted Alloy Fenders
Ticino 16D $1,100
• Butted 6061 T-6 Aluminum Frame
• Hand-Brazed Fork with Investment Cast Crown and Butted CrMo Blades
• Shimano 2300 16-Speed Drivetrain and Rapidfire Plus Shifters
• Ticino Forged Alloy Compact Double Crankset
• Tektro Cantilever (Men’s) or Dia-Compe Center-Pull (Ladies’) Brakes
• Hammered Alloy Fenders, Stainless Steel Rear Carrier
Ticino 8D $800
 |
• Butted 6061 T-6 Aluminum Frame • Hand-Brazed Fork with Investment Cast Crown and Butted CrMo Blades • Shimano 2300 8-Speed Drivetrain and Rapidfire Plus Shifter • Ticino Forged Alloy Crankset with 42t Alloy Chainring and Double Alloy Chainguard • Tektro Cantilever (Men’s) or Dia-Compe Center-Pull (Ladies’) Brakes • Hammered Alloy Fenders • Tubular Stainless Steel Constructeurs Rear Carrier |
Ticino 7D $550
 |
• 6061 T-6 Aluminum Frame • Hand-Brazed Fork with Investment Cast Crown • Shimano Acera 7-Speed Drivetrain and Thumbshifter Plus Shifter • Ticino Forged Alloy Crankset with 42t Alloy Chainring and Double Alloy Chainguard • Alloy Linear Pull (Men’s) or Center-Pull (Ladies’) Brakes • Stainless Steel Fenders |
Ticino 1 $500
 |
• Cromoly Maintube Frame • Hand-Brazed Fork with Investment Cast Crown • Simple Single-Speed Drivetrain • Ticino Forged Alloy Crankset with 42t Chainring & Double Alloy Chainguard • Alloy Linear Pull Brakes • Stainless Steel Fenders |