class is in session

class dismissed

america, F-yeah.

not sure if this is really for real, but it really is funny. Thanks to Alexis for sharing!

free

i can't wait to throw a leg over a bike for a couple weeks...

Free from Andrew Quinones on Vimeo.

My first short film I made for film school. Motorcycles are a big part of life. I wanted to make a film to show how intimate we get with the road. Most people ride to get away from the daily grind and be alone. Even if you are riding with a friend, your own mind is what you have a conversation with. Others like to just take a drive in their car, but once you ride a motorcycle, the open road is never the same.-- Andrew Quinones, director

hell yes.

i'm talkin' 'bout donuts with liquour in 'em!

in a way, it always had to come down to this:

more serendepic-ness from the spanish skate scene

enjoy, and wonder if everything in Madrid happens in slow-mo, or if they are just so enamored with the effect still...

not sure i really understand this...

but there is a pretty good chance i will be in L.A. this fall, and i wanna go see this:

the next bike i buy will be a Surly Troll..

...helped in part because surly continues to prove how in-tune with the world they are. As evidenced on SurlyBlog:

Thursday, June 16, 2011

posted by Skip Bernet

Some answers to just about any bike forum post I’ve ever read

If you think your bike looks good, it does.

If you like the way your bike rides, it’s an awesome bike.

You don’t need to spend a million dollars to have a great bike, but if you do spend a million dollars and know what you want you’ll probably also have a great bike.

Yes, you can tour on your bike – whatever it is.

Yes, you can race on your bike – whatever it is.

Yes, you can commute on your bike – whatever it is.

26” wheels or 29” or 650b or 700c or 24” or 20” or whatever – yes, that wheel size is rad and you’ll probably get where you’re going.

Disc brakes, cantis, v-brakes, and road calipers all do a great job of stopping a bike when they’re working and adjusted.

No paint job makes everyone happy.

Yes, you can put a rack on that. Get some p-clamps if there are no mounts.

Steel is a great material for making bike frames - so is aluminum, carbon fiber, and titanium.

You can have your saddle at whatever angle makes you happy.

Your handlebars can be lower than your saddle, even with your saddle, or higher than your saddle. Whichever way you like it is right.

Being shuttled up a downhill run does not make you a weak person, nor does choosing not to fly off of a 10 foot drop.

Bike frames made overseas can be super cool. Bike frames made in the USA can be super cool.

Hey, tattooed and pierced long shorts wearin flat brim hat red bull drinkin white Oakley sportin rad person on your full suspension big hit bike – nice work out there.

Hey, little round glasses pocket protector collared shirt skid lid rear view mirror sandal wearing schwalbe marathon running pletscher two-leg kickstand tourist – good job.

Hey, shaved leg skinny as hell super duper tan line hear rate monitor checking power tap train in the basement all winter super loud lycra kit million dollar wheels racer – keep it up.

The more you ride your bike, the less your ass will hurt.

The following short answers are good answers, but not the only ones for the question asked – 29”, Brooks, lugged, disc brake, steel, Campagnolo, helmet, custom, Rohloff, NJS, carbon, 31.8, clipless, porteur.

No bike does everything perfectly. In fact, no bike does anything until someone gets on it to ride.

Sometimes, recumbent bikes are ok.

Your bikeshop is not trying to screw you. They’re trying to stay open.

Buying things off of the internet is great, except when it sucks.

Some people know more about bikes than you do. Other people know less.

Maybe the person you waved at while you were out riding didn’t see you wave at them.

It sucks to be harassed by assholes in cars while you’re on a bike. It also sucks to drive behind assholes on bikes.

Did you build that yourself? Awesome. Did you buy that? Cool.

Wheelies are the best trick ever invented. That’s just a fact.

Which is better, riding long miles, or hanging out under a bridge doing tricks? Yes.

Yes, you can break your collar bone riding a bike like that.

Stopping at stop signs is probably a good idea.

Driving with your bikes on top of your car to get to a dirt trail isn’t ideal, but for most people it’s necessary.

If your bike has couplers, or if you have a spendy bike case, or if you pay a shop to pack your bike, or if you have a folding bike, shipping a bike is still a pain in the ass for everyone involved.

That dent in your frame is probably ok, but maybe it’s not. You should get it looked at.

Touch up paint always looks like shit. Often it looks worse than the scratch.

A pristine bike free of dirt, scratches, and wear marks makes me sort of sad.

A bike that’s been chained to the same tree for three years caked with rust and missing parts makes me sad too.

Bikes purchased at Wal-mart, Target, Costco, or K-mart are generally not the best bang for your buck.

Toe overlap is not the end of the world, unless you crash and die – then it is.

Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.

Yes, you can buy a bike without riding it first. It would be nice to ride it first, but it’s not a deal breaker not to.

Ownership of a truing stand does not a wheel builder make.

32 spokes, 48 spokes, 24 spokes, three spokes? Sure.

Single speed bikes are rad. Bikes with derailleurs and cassettes are sexy. Belt drive internal gear bikes work great too.

Columbus, TruTemper, Reynolds, Ishiwata, or no brand? I’d ride it.

Tubeless tires are pretty cool. So are tubes.

The moral of RAGBRAI is that families and drunken boobs can have fun on the same route, just maybe at different times of day.

Riding by yourself kicks ass. You might also try riding with a group.

Really fast people are frustrating, but they make you faster. When you get faster, you might frustrate someone else.

Stopping can be as much fun as riding.

Lots of people worked their asses off to build whatever you’re riding on. You should thank them.

i just wanna ride...

as i lay me down to sleep, i come across a little film by some suprisingly right-on French guys. Sure, they are doing some stupid shit in this film, but they are doing what they wanna do... and thats all we can really hope for.

I.D.W.P from Edwin Europe on Vimeo.

spy fotos

is it the next new BMW superbike?
is it a test-mule for BMW motorrad italia?
is it a design study intended to work out issues for future production bikes?
or, could it maybe just be the result of one man with too much time, too much money, and too much carbon fiber?

you decide...

as seen in Lucca today, on my way to drop off the UPS shipments

from the rear, the tail-light blends perfectly with the seat

some sort of strange gas-tank magic-8 ball thing is going on here

from the front the bike looks like it could have been used on the set of Wall-E, or some sort of new-age moped

from the rider-view its all carbon, all the time. I hope you don't need to know any vitals of the machine...

double word score

as invented on the ride today:


serendepic [ser-uhn-dep-ik]
adjective and/or adverb
1. the accidental discovery of something whose level of serenity is on an unparalleled level
2. an action whose effect has consequences of great serenity

example: The views across the rolling hillsides, coupled with the smooth ribbon of tarmac being carved was serendepic, bro.

origin: While first coined in the Tuscan foothills, the true origins of this word may be traced to something that may or may not have been said by Jeff Spicoli or any of the other self-styled surfer-burnouts of his ilk.

u-hu

longlivelongboards

U-hu [longboarding] from 284mb on Vimeo.

pumptrack, period

alright, this video is about as close as you can get to the feeling of riding a good pumptrack. from the slackjawed blank stares to getting a case of vertigo and just laughing at how much fun you are having--it's all here. Now, if i can only get these italians to figure this shit out! as in:

hey, italiani, dove è la pumptrack cazzo?



over&out.