Living For The City

I didn’t take any of these photos from Track or Treat last night, which should be obvious because they look great! Check out Christian, Jesar & Tony’s Flickr streams for more.

Look Ma! No Brakes! is a collaborative project between NYC Artists (and avid cyclists) Stash, Futura and legendary bicycle manufacturer Colnago – organized and presented by Toronto’s own La Carrera & United Front.

Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of the patterns used on these frames but I most certainly respect their lineage as having been designed by two monsters in the art / design world and built by master frame builder Ernesto Colnago. I’m really looking forward to seeing these in person; perhaps seeing them up close and personal will give me some perspective on the overall design that seeing the teaser pics that have been circulating for a while aren’t able to.

The frames will be on display at La Carrera from Nov 17 through Dec 17 – starting with an opening reception on Nov 17 and a fairly big race with, what I’ve heard is going to be, a $3000 pot for the winner. I’ll post more details on the race as they become available.

Get Familiar!

Best wishes go out to Rob who went down hard at Sprints last night and spent the day today the same way I spent yesterday – in the hospital.

All of a sudden I don’t feel so bad about my little sling.

A reminder…

Torn Acromioclavicular Joint – I’ve never even heard of one but I’ve got one and it’s torn.

“Trouble” laying lifeless on my floor – he’s seriously hurtin’

On the brightside; Steph got herself a trusty new steed. Meet Percy, everyone.

What does “the world’s best” coffee look like? This.

Formula + Velocity + Dura Ace = $90? Giddy up!

Last night’s “Storm The Gates” was a whole lot of fun – most of my photos turned out poorly (as shown below) and I spent more time on the bike than behind the lens so I don’t have much to offer other than a few words.

Folks – do not sleep on this! The weather won’t hold out for much longer and these events are incredibly fun, challenging and a great way to spend hump day with your friends. Thanks to the 50 or so people that showed up, Ben for showing up with some prizes from Adidas, and most of all thanks to Ryan & Will for making sure these races happen.

With sprints in mind I went by Urbane today to pick up a 13t cog but once I got in there I realized that I needed new pedals for my winterbike more than I needed to go faster so I picked up some Sylvan Track pedals instead.

If I still can’t shake the idea of roaring down the Princess Gate at 93 Gear Inches by the end of the weekend, I think I’ll have to go get the 13t and make ‘er go!

A short while ago I was fortunate enough to have a run-in with legendary photographer Jamel Shabazz in the market along with a Che, Adrienne & Angie while they were working on Project Positivity.

Last week I attended “Project Positivity / Seconds of My Life” at the Redbull Music Academy – I left the camera at home so I didn’t manage to grab any photos of the show but it was packed and the vibe in the room was overwhelmingly positive. Seconds of My Life is the show to accompany Jamel’s latest offering in printed form of the same title – a book that I’ve been enjoying a lot over the course of the last week.

Jamel, like all great photographers, has the ability to capture a moment so perfectly that you can almost hear the street noise when you open the book. I highly recommend Seconds of My Life and also Jamel’s earlier offerings; Back in the Days & A Time Before Crack.

While we’re talking photo books, I’d also like to submit for consideration American Pictures by Jacob Holdt – a Danish photographer that hitched across North America (more than 100,000 miles) and stayed with anyone who would put him up for the night – from the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich. This book is the chronicle of his journey and it offers tremendous insight into the life of the American underclass of the 1970’s.

This book will move you.

That’s right folks, after a long stint on the road with The Dear & Departed – Chris is back in town tonight!

Tonight, weather permitting, we ride!

King Tobra is back at it!

Be careful out there, kids – watch out for things that go “pump” in the night.

*Please note: This is not the Halloween Race which is being run by someone else on Halloween – this is just a fixed gear specific Halloween “themed” race.

G’Yeah!

I’ve been vegan for the better part of my adult life, about 12 years, and in time I’ve become much more moderate in my views – or perhaps much more “realistic” is more accurate. The 16 year old me would be horribly disappointed with some of the choices the 28 year old version has made in respect to veganism – but 28 year old me thinks that 16 year old me was kind of an idiot.

I’ve come to realize that so much about what we believe in is about symbolism and we will do things that defy logic to maintain the appearance of consistency. For example – I had a pretty strict “no leather” policy for many years which has since become a “no new leather” policy. The concept of wearing skin hasn’t stopped being disturbing to me on one level or another but in theory I’d rather save a pair of used leather shoes from becoming landfill than buy a new pair of synthetics (which carry with them their own environmental considerations) that won’t last me half as long – it just doesn’t make any sense. Yet still, no amount of rationalization could ever convince me that my desires (to consume flesh) are worth the suffering they inflict.

Last week a friend and I were walking through Stanley Park and no sooner did she ask about the slaughterhouse nearby did we hear the screams of the pigs being sent to slaughter. You can hear them screaming into the night, across the park but their screams fall on deaf ears. No one is coming to save them and I don’t think it’s fair that any living being should have to die that way – disoriented, terrified, huddled en masse, dying together yet entirely alone.

Every now and then you need to see, hear or feel something that reminds you who you are and what is important to you – I can’t do much to improve their situation but knowing that they don’t scream for me does provide me with some level of relative comfort.

“I just sit and watch the box-cars roll by and wait. Patient. Unattended. A package under a terminal bench. A short fuse to scatter steady hands if I forget to remember that better lives have been lived in the margins, locked in the prisons and lost on the gallows than have ever been enshrined in palaces.”

I was lucky enough to sneak into the Fall Bike Show an hour before the doors opened yesterday so I was able to walk around and suss out some serious deals; namely this here Catlike Kompact for $69, down from $229

Happy, Mom & Dad?

Could they not have found better pedals to put on this monster?

I know it’s just for show but come on now…

Could Manic be our own little Central Perk? Judging from the constant bikepiles out front I’d say it could be. We need couches on the ASAP!

Could “Drawing Hands” be “the new Black/Pink/Two hats it is the new one hat”?

Could there be a better team?

Ace doesn’t think so – that is the face of a very impressed man.

Could they not have read this out loud before they had it printed?