Category: Words

I’m not sure what to make of this mountain bike boardgame. Perhaps it’s something that you could do if you were ever snowed-in whilst out on an epic adventure in the wilderness. The rest of the time I think you just have to be on the scotch.

Fortunately this website on mountain biking in New Zealand is a bit more interesting. I have to say though these guys have it sorted, with organised Heli-Biking in those popular southern hemisphere Islands..

This is Piers Barber’s website, The Power of One, it’s about bikes with one gear, bikes with one in their name and one rather competitive rider. He also makes a fair point:

This is the only website I know of that’s dedicated to a bike frame. And to look at it, it’s not the most beautiful bike frame in the world. Those are made by De Rosa .

Here’s a link to the Velo News website. It’s a rather good American bike mag that doesn’t get seen much over here, see what you think. If you haven’t seen the mag before it’s worth trying to get hold of a copy.

Apparently the Women’s Sports Foundation has slams the “appalling” media coverage of female sport in Britain, something that will resonate with UK fans of Nicole Cooke, the all-conquering cyclist who gets precious few mentions in the mainstream press, despite her success. Read the full article over at Bikebiz.

Finally next years T-Mobile team line up is looking pretty awesome, check these big names: Ullrich, Vinokourov, Botero, Savoldelli, and Evans. Lance Armstrong’s USPS team will be facing possibly their biggest challenge yet if they are to help their leader set a record six tour wins. There’s more over at cycling news.

You may have heard of the extremely controversial Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) passed a few years ago in the US. Well, the EU passed a very similar law recently, the Copyright and Related Rights Regulations (EUCD), and the UK will start enforcing it from today. These snippets from this Guardian article some up the shit storm that is about to be released:

Since the beginning of November, new European copyright laws have started to limit access to some online material and have made downloading or copying certain things – even if they are solely for your personal use – a criminal offence. Devices that allow you to play legitimately acquired, but copy-protected, CDs or DVDs on your PC will be illegal and file sharers could face an unlimited fine or a jail term of up to two years.

Copyright had always focused on people infringing rights and making copies. This goes further and says that any kind of technology that can help you do that is now illegal. The record companies are trying all sorts of ways to try to prevent copying – such as releasing CDs that you can listen to on a hi-fi but can’t on a PC because it won’t read it. The EUCD says it is illegal to break those copyright mechanisms even if you do it for a perfectly valid reason. So, if you buy a CD and want to listen to it on your PC at work, which is quite legitimate, you can’t.

The ban on bypassing digital controls is so broad that it has been used to jail an employee of a competing Russian software company, threaten journalists and researchers over scientific publications, and prevent innovation and competition. With several bills to amend the DMCA pending before US Congress, the lesson of the US experience is to avoid passing overly broad circumvention bans such as the DMCA and EUCD.

Legal experts have expressed surprise that there has been no wider public debate on the directive. “There was a consultation in August 2002, when the Patent Office put out a series of proposals,” says Mark Owen, head of intellectual property at the law firm Harbottle & Lewis. “But that was only made available to people who knew about it already. While there isn’t really a consumers’ body that deals with that sort of thing, the fact that there has been absolutely no public debate is quite
astonishing.”

Over time it could change the whole nature of copyright and the way we buy and sell copyrighted works. Eventually you may realise that what you are getting is not a thing but some sort of licence to access a concept and that licence is limited in all sorts of ways.

Has the fact that this is going to happen been publicised? Has it bollocks. Just like the way the ban on using mobile phones whilst driving is going to be put into effect from the beginning of next month.

I understand the reasoning behind the later, it’ll make the roads safer for us all, but this music copyright issue is just getting out of hand. Read more on how copyright law has finally caught up with UK web users.

There is a point where seat posts fitted to bikes can just be too long. After this point is passed things look disproportional – the frame looks too small for the rider. This point may have been reached, click for the evidence.

How about Singletrack backgrounds for your WAP mobile phone. Any takers? Anyone?

Ni h-e la na baisti la na bpaisti

‘A rainy day isn’t a day for children’ . You can hopefully now get the local weather forecast, well local to Manchester anyway, from the link over on the right (or here).

Conrad’s heading back out to France for another season on skis. He’ll be missed around the shop, but we’re sure that he’ll be back on two wheels next year.

The Turner 5 Spot received a ton of praise in the latest issue of Mountain Bike Action. There’s been some criticism of the American magazine from its readers because there is a definite bias towards the top end of the market in terms of extensive bike reviews.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I want to read all about the cutting edge, the best bikes manufacturers have to offer. I haven’t seen anyone else doing a four page review of the Intense Spyder or the Santa Cruz V10. MBA is different to other magazines in offering more indepth reviews and comparing the marketing hype with reality.

If it’s crap, they’re not afraid to point it out, even if it offends companies and loses them advertising revenue. If I remember rightly after a particularly bad review of some Rock Shox, all advertising was pulled. It’s good to see someone’s telling it like it is.

There’s also some photo coverage from the MTB worlds in Lugano. Since Mountain Bike Intenational stopped publishing, there’s been a fairly big void in that sense from the UK mags as far as I’m concerned. The other great thing with it is that you see a lot of kit that just isn’t available over here, it’s just a shame about their spelling. I’m beginning to think that they spell Steve Peat’s name wrong on purpose.

Had some criticism about the site today, apparently there’s been too much road stuff on here recently and that’s just not in keeping with the mountain bike image. Well it’s all cycling and both the roadies and mountain bikers out there deserve equal respect as far as I’m concerned.

In both disciplines technology is continually pushing forward and the cross overs are of benefit to all of us. Magnesium alloy, Scandium alloy, Metal Matrix, Titanium, Carbon, Boron Steel, all the latest material advances can be found in both mountain biking and road. We all get something out of it so I reckon it’s all good.

This is not so good, well for some at least, the UCI are not allowing disc brakes in Elite-level cyclo cross races until the technology has been approved. Read more here.

I think everyone has met, at sometime or another, someone like Dave:

Read more here.

I was asked yet again today to try and explain why singlespeeding is such a big thing. Well first time I tried it I hated it. First time I tried beer, I hated that too…

Somethings just grow on you. You have to try it to understand what makes it so good.

On the other hand you can try and explain it to people, but I honestly don’t think any amount of explaining can really make them understand. However if you want to know more take a look at Nick Wallis’ 32sixteen site and the old version here.

There’s an interview with Jim Ochowicz, former pro, cycling advocate, team manager, consultant, and friend to Lance over at bike.com. That’s one hell of a resume to show people and I bet there are a fair few pros on the circuit today who would mind having that kind of future after cycling.

I mentioned Fi’zi:k’s new Arione road saddle a few days ago and there is now a first thoughts review of it over at cyclingnews. There’s also a few interesting stories over in their most recent news section, including vague details of Beloki’s new team, the row between Ullrich and Bianchi and a report about Baden Cooke that shows a less glamorous side to being a pro. Read it all here.

The whole issue of indoor mountain biking was raised yesterday and I have to say initially I had by reservations about the idea. That said the way the discussion went with the idea of indoors North Shore stuff being proposed, I think it might just work. Read the full post here, which includes some picture of indoor riding of a similar nature that’s already up and running in the States.

I’ve added links to a few games and have now uploaded the enjoy the weather video featuring Lance Armstrong. Check out the links on the Main page.

There’s a new track racing series coming to the Velodrome. It’s called Revolution and it’s promising some big names in the lineup.

Pink Bike have just put up an article about the two producers behind the successful Canadian Mountain Bike Road Trip Series, Drop In. Read the full article here.

A few facts about London:

650,000 regular cyclists.
44% those killed between 1994 -9 were involved in collision with HGVs, according to TfL.
29% of those happened while an HGV was turning left.
TfL says cycling in inner London has gone up by 30% since the introduction of congestion charge.

Now the father of a female cyclist killed by an HGV has produced a film called 44 Tonne Articulated Trucks and Towns Don’t Mix to publicise the dangers they pose to people living in cities. Read more over at the BBC.

I’ve mentioned this before, but the ruling against the World Rally Drivers who were caught speeding by a camera in South Wales several years ago has just been made. The report questions the future of the event in the UK.

Someone needs to do something to protect motorsport in the UK, because it’s not just the income from annual events that we’ll lose if stupid government policies make it impossible for organisers to run events here.

Singletrack magazine is now going to be available six times a year. A lot of people have been calling for more issues and finally this seems to be happening. Good luck to Mark and Chipps, just hope the extra workload doesn’t mean less time out on bikes. Read the full article here.

Fair few rothar.com stickers getting out and about now. Essential survival equipment on any trips to the Emerald Isle, your rothar.com sticker will enable native Irish speakers to tell you where the nearest drinking establishment is. Whether or not you’ll understand the answer is a different question, but they’ll probably be able to point you to it as you’re never too far from a pub in Ireland.

Jo bought me Tim Moore’s French Revolutions book for my birthday and although I’m not getting much time to read it, I have to say it’s very good. It reminds me of this little adventure from last year. I enjoyed riding in France…

Fi’zi:k do some great saddles. There custom saddle generator is pretty cool, but what’s the deal on the new Arione? Why do roadies need a saddle that is 30mm longer? As for the wing flex… Fortunately they still do a range of animal print designs. Leopard skin anyone?

And finally after DJs at three US radio stations promoted attacks against cyclists, John Hogan the president and CEO of Clear Channel Radio (the parent company that owns them), has said, “the comments made by Clear Channel Radio stations in Cleveland, Houston, and Raleigh were inappropriate and intolerable … As CEO of Clear Channel Radio, I do not support or condone the anti-cyclists messages and have taken steps to insure they do not occur again.” Read more over at Dirtrag.

Imagine a Ferrari F50 race bike, hosting an array of bespoke carbon fibre jewellery, highlighted in ferocious Ferrari red, and emblazoned with their famous logo. Or a super-light F1 inspired stealth bike, in matt black with gold nitrided titanium, or carbon fibre components? Well these bikes exist, and they have been designed and assembled by us…

Sound good? Then check out the Posh Bikes website to find out more. There are some fine road bikes to be seen.

Welcome to the new-look of rothar.com, which is now using some cascading style sheets, this doesn’t just mean a new layout, it means that the whole site can be formatted very quickly in future.

There are a few pages up in the new format already and I’ll be looking at doing the rest shortly. It’s been in development for some time, but I’m now pretty happy with the results.

Somebody else seems pretty happy with some results too:

Well I tried to sell it, I thought about keeping it and now the Singlespeed is back. Full spec and a picture are now up on the site, click here for more.

There may be a simple and effective solution to the much discussed quick release and disc brake wheel ejection problem. These skewers from Neuvation open outside of the fork bosses and have two locking positions so you have to hold a button to open or close them. Orbit are the UK importer, the owner of which Simon Gershon (my old employer from my time at Freewheel in Manchester) has just announced has intention to get out of the bike trade and go and study at a Scottish university. I’m saying nothing, especially nothing about…

The Swiss company Oval concepts produce these rather radical forks, which are claimed to be the most aerodynamically advanced forks on the market (this test says Reynolds might have the upper hand). The Oval design is so radical that the UCI banned them from use in this years Giro until they had passed their new technology testing. They’ve just given them the stamp of approval. Keep an eye out for them in the major races next year – Cannondale have already struck a deal with Oval.

Thanks to Ben for pointing out that there are some Red Bull Rampage videos up over at nsmb, I know some people are getting bit bored with the freeride thing now, but you have to admit the riders at the Rampage are on a another level.

The 5th November, the day when we burn a Guy Fawkes effigy or in certain parts a mock-up of the Pope. Whether you see it as a celebration of the saviour of Democracy due to the thwating of a terrorist attempt to blow up Parliament or victimisation and persecution of Roman Catholics, it’s that time of year when everyone gets the sparklers out and sets of Fireworks. It’s like Baghdad during the Gulf War out there tonight.

I’m back after an unplanned lengthy stop in Norfolk. The Singlespeed is back together so there’ll be some photos appearing soon. The rothar.com stickers have landed too. There’ll be an update on the bike world and more on everything tomorrow. Watch this space.

In the meantime check this (Gravity Dropper? Didn’t Ritchey’s Ride Rite thing do the same job?) and these goodies (Will the Avid Juicy’s live up to the expectation?).