Thomson stems and seatposts are tops. I have both on my mountain bike, and I get great pleasure in looking at the stem as I ride. They are so beautifully machined, like works of art. I am hoping to get both for the upcoming cross bike, this time in black. I wanted to do silver, but the bike already has a black headset and seat post collar. Small things, but I want to use what I’ve already got. The Thomson parts even come with beautiful bags. Good stuff.
I am fairly certain this will be the new crank on the cyclocross project. I love Paul Component Engineering. Everything they make looks amazing, to the point of making you want to buy a single speed chain tensioner even if you don’t own a single speed. Maybe the single speed comes second.
I am strangely obsessed with the Moulton Bicycle Company. They make these crazy spaceframe construction bicycles, and I can’t stop looking at them. The Flexitor Front Fork is worth a look on it’s own. I cannot wait to see these in person, as I’ve never been to a shop that has them on hand.
I’ve been using Catlike helmets for about four years now. I still have the first one I bought, a Catlike Whisper in matt black similar to the one above. All the holes translate to lots of air. Even on a 100 degree day like today, the helmet was fine, even in black. I’m not suggesting black is the appropriate choice for Southern California, but it’s doable. Catlike have released a new strap system that seems to work better than before. Their sizing also seems to have changed, though that’s just a personal opinion. I used to wear a large, but now a medium is all I need. I’m curious to see if they present anything new at Interbike.
I know, I know. Most people would not think Linus Bikes would make it on my list of things to see at Interbike, but I find these bikes to be soul warming somehow. The colors, the shapes, the simplicity and of course the price point. I love that for under $500.00, you can walk out of the bike shop with a totally amazing city ride. I also like their bags, which fall under the same aesthetic. I look forward to seeing what else they are planning to bring to the table.
I was away in Europe for all the festivities surrounding the release of the Levi’s Commuter series. The jeans look quite cool, though I haven’t tried them personally. In an earlier post, I made the argument that Levi’s 511 jeans with the 1% elastane or spandex were the perfect riding jean, so I imagine these must work really well. The jacket looks quite amazing, and I love that there is a Zeitgiest version, as I loved going there when I lived in the Bay Area back in the day. Following is text from Levi’s about the project.
Bike Crews and Levi’s Collaborate With Custom Trucker Jackets
The Levi’s® brand recently launched The Commuter that is optimized specifically for the needs of the urban commuter cyclist. The Commuter is built around the 511® Skinny Jean and the iconic Trucker Jacket. All Commuter products blend form and function by utilizing the most cutting-edge performance apparel technologies.
Levi’s has teamed up with local bike crews, influential bike shops and individuals to create a unique collaboration project that integrates the creative identity of local heroes with the iconic Trucker Jacket. The end result is a custom one of a kind piece of wearable art that symbolizes community and cycling.
Design process
Inside each jacket is a stitched Levi’s® Tailor shop logo. Silk screening, stenciling, stitching/sewing and custom graphics were all done at the Tailor Shop—unless otherwise noted.
Crews who were involved and the design process with the project:
All Hail The Black Market – Words from the Levi’s® tailor, “We put together a custom stencil of a humorous quote underneath the collar. On the back you’ll find a screen printed and sewed in a logo.”
Godspeed – Words from the Levi’s® tailor, “As a play on old school racing jackets you will find each riders racing number hand painted on the inside of the jacket.”
Zeitgeist –Words from the Levi’s® tailor, “We printed their logo onto cloth and then sewed it onto the back of the jacket. It was complete after adding a screen printed ‘SF’ and red color-blocking underneath the collar. “
Prolly is Not Probably – Words from the Levi’s® tailor, “On the front we added a custom button to the breast pocket and screen printed ‘13’ onto the side of the jacket. Upon opening the jacket you’ll find a simple one-color screen print of the shops name.”
Fast Folks— Words from the Levi’s® tailor, “Yellow color blocking underneath the collar, which we screen printed with ‘Fast or Die.’ We drew up a graphic illustrating the shops love with bikes, which can be see on the back of the jacket.“
NYC Velo – Words from the Levi’s® tailor, “White reflective material was used on the back and front bottoms of the jacket to keep the riders safe when they ride at night. A subtle red-stitched ‘V’ was added to the collar.”
Ritte Racing – Words from the Levi’s® tailor, “Blue, red and yellow fabric were combined to produce a rainbow swoosh to celebrate the shops Belgian roots.”
Moth Attack— Words from the Levi’s® tailor, “Pink color blocking can be found underneath the collar and on the inside waist band of the jacket. Once the logo was transferred to cloth it was then stitched to the back of the jacket.”
Time Cycle— Words from the Levi’s® tailor, “Once the custom logo was created we decided to use the colors white and red to help it stand out from the finish of the jacket. “
R.E. Load— Words from the Levi’s® tailor, “R.E. Load stitched a patch into the back themselves, and we added our subtle touch by adding their individual names on the inside of the jacket.”
Affinity – Words from the Levi’s® tailor, “We took the shops signature red color scheme and implemented it into the back, where we did a large logo print, and underneath the collar.”
These TRP cross brakes are the slightly less exotic, but still really cool EuroX Cantilever. I need to make a decision about brakes for the upcoming cross project, and these are definitely a contender. They also do these in magnesium and carbon, of course this ups the price dramatically. I have to say half the fun of this project is researching all the possibilities. It would be a let down once it’s all done, except then you get to ride, which makes up for it.
The Rapha sale is over. No more dreaming about all the Rapha items filling your closet. There are still some items available in the clearance section, but mostly for the extra small or extra large individuals. I did manage to pick up a new Rapha lightweight jersey during the sale, and today I finally broke it in. My first ride in a long while, spurred on by a friend who is joining the Fireflies ride in a couple of weeks time. We did my favorite loop, Nichols Canyon over to Barham, down to Forest Lawn, up the back side of Griffith Park, and back home. It’s a 25 mile loop with 2048 feet of climbing. I love this ride. Two good climbs, plenty of fast descents, and lots of good views. My new jersey is designed for exactly this kind of ride in exactly this kind of climate. It felt perfect. My legs felt pretty good as well. I bet I’d feel even better if I had more Rapha.
Number 9 is Calfee Design. They are one of the most interesting bicycle companies around, making all sorts of diverse product. Pictured above is the Dragonfly. I really want to see this in person, and I’m hoping they have a version on display with S and S Couplers. I am especially intrigued by this, as this is the first time I’ve heard of S and S on a carbon frame. Unbelievable.
Quarterre Studio is based in London, and has quite a few designs based on the bicycle. The rack pictured above is available, but it’s worth checking out their site for some of their concept pieces. This is a momentary diversion from my Interbike list.
