Contrail – Biking Community Tool

I can’t even begin to describe the crazy things we did as kids to our bikes. Skate boards for front wheels, Skate board wheels for front wheels. Even tried lighting out tires on fire. The Contrail (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrail) seams like one of the coolest gizmos made for a bike i a long time.

The Contrail is a simple idea, something to apply a think later of Chalk to your tire (road tires would work best). As you ride you leave a coloured path behind you, a group of people would look something like an rainbow.

I think if I ever got around to make my single speed frame I would include one of these with each.

I would love to see the Edmonton Bike Couriers using these as I see them all over. It should make for an interesting view to those sidewalk and car dwellers.

Have a look: http://gelardi.com/portfolio/contrail/

Bottom Bracket by Chris King

After years of anticipation and some predictions on my part Chris King has finally come out with Bottom Brackets, they have been working on them got god only knows how long. But they are finally here.

Made to fit standark Shimano External Cub Bottom Brackets they will make a sweet upgrade to the lower end and a perfect complement to the high end. One really nice thing about them is they are serviceable, something the Shimano BB’s are not.

Check them out.

Chris King has also released a new colour to there anodizing line up, Brown. A deep right brown i cant wait to see it.

My New Rear End

Its that time of year when my bike starts to act funny and has become unreliable under load. Chain skips, gears are not working so well. I finally had some time to fix my bike and install some new toys on my bike.

Chris King Gold with Heavy Duty Axe on Mavic 721 with DT Swiss Alpine 3 spokes, SRAM DH 11-26 Cassette and SRAM X.O 20th anniversary Carbon Fiber Black Box Medium Derailleur with X.0 Shifters.

I hope to get a Rockshox Pike from a friend by trading some bike parts. Nothing beats the barter system.

The Pretty and Pink

Seams as thought almost every manufacture of bikes and bike components now realize that women like pink. And what better way to lour women into cycling?

Pink parts! Any why not make them some of the best parts money can buy? a Chris King wheel set can set you back over a grand, and the pink Hope brake set could set you back $500 or $600.

Speedgoat, an online bike shop last year held an raffle for a pink bike and the proceeds went to help breast cancer. Not to mention they build a sweet pink bike.

Other companies like Chris King continue to donate a portion of there Pink components to Cancer research.

You don’t have to be a Lady to enjoy some pink on your bike. Pink seams to be the new black for a lot of guys riding there burly Down Hill bikes.

Read on..

9 Months Later…

I shipped my rear wheel by UPS thought United Cycle to Chris King in Portland Oregon for Warranty work. I knew that by that at the time of year when i send in the wheel (June 2007) that they would be behind, so I waited about 2 months and then called them to ask if i could get a tracking number to follow it back to Canada.

I was surprised to hear that they had not received it.

My first instinct was there must be a mistake, so the tech i was talking with did some looking around the warehouse, shipping receiving, as well as the shop and called me back the next day to let me know that he was 90% sure that i had not arrived.

At the same time I gave United Cycle a call who shipped the wheel out on my behalf to got a tracking number. After looking up the tracking number i then learned it had made it from Edmonton to Spokane Idaho in about 2 days. It never left the depot. I phoned UPS and asked them if they knew what had happened. They issued a trace rout on it, basically to see were it ended up if it got scanned in the wrong depot and sent to some other location. After a few weeks of no contact I called back and they told me that Chris King had received it and that it was signed for.

Great! Or so i thought.
Read on..

Seasons by The Collective

One of my favorite mountain bike movies was the Collective, not long after Roam came out. Well with the new riding season upon us its only fitting to call the next movie Seasons.

Check out a teaser on there site.

Links:
http://www.thecollectivefilm.com/
http://www.pinkbike.com/