Mountain Bike, Rochester, Minnesota. Expert Cycling tips. Trails in Rochester, Minnesota. Gamehaven MTB Trails. Eastwood Park Trails.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Bike art - RockShox DIY Totem sticker pack

Well I didn't enter. So no chance at $2500 for me.

Then again, they had thousands of entries, Not sure where anything I could have come up with would have been among them.

I do think the finalists are great. Some great artwork there.

Below are a couple of my faves. Click through to PinkBike to view the rest of the ten finalists and vote for your favorite.











Follow me: @AnelloGrande

Monday, September 12, 2011

Bike art - ArtCrank Interbike 2011 promo poster by Big Table Studio



This is the promo artwork for ArtCrank Interbike, by Big Table Studio from up in St. Paul. Very well done, captures the spirit of Las Vegas. I'm looking forward to seeing more artwork from this show.

Follow me: @AnelloGrande

Bike art - n2design “I want to have adventures with you” typographic print

There is a video embedded in this post that you may not be able to view. Click through to the blog to watch it.


How great is this print. Very cool. Get one here: http://goo.gl/ULVXo

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Friday, September 9, 2011

2011 Trek (Gary Fisher Series) Paragon Headset info

There is a video embedded in this post that you may not be able to view. Click through to the blog to watch it.
This is from Cane Creek for future reference:
Based on the information you have provided, your headset falls within the tapered standard and requires:
Top Headset:
SHIS:ZS44 - 1-1/8" ZeroStack (ZS) Threadless
Bottom Headset:
SHIS:ZS56/40 - 1.5" ZeroStack (ZS)
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Bike art - Bomobob “Le Tour” photo print



Here's an interesting Etsy find. Three bikes in the major color/jersey patterns of the Tour de France, yellow, green and polka dot. Purchase one here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/78061067/bicycle-photo-bike-print-bike-art-tour

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Thursday, September 8, 2011

Matisyahu - Elijah's song

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Great song. Here's the story. Matisyahu befriends a young boy, Elijah, with cancer. They talk about recording a song together. Like many things in our own lives Matisyahu allows the idea fall off his radar. Soon, the Elijah gets really sick and is in the hospital and can't leave. Matisyahu visits him and they record the song there in the hospital finishing up at around midnight. In the very early hours of the morning Elijah passes away...
Never give up, never quit just keep moving on Your a survivor just keep on living strong. When you fall down just keep on moving along, Elijah it’s the time of your song. - Lyrics from Elijah's song.
Elijah came up with the ideas for a majority of the lyrics and music. Matisyahu set up a page where with a minimum $1 donation you can download the song including a special version with Elijah singing with Matisyahu in the hospital. Just follow this link to donate to The Elijah Memorial Fund. http://matisyahuworld.com/elijahssong

Preview - A Very Dark Place

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Sufferfest Studios has just released this preview of their upcoming training video “A Very Dark Place.” It's scheduled to be released in October and looks like it could be an intense one with images of on bike suffering.

Use this affiliate link to purchase Sufferfest videos (maybe I'll make enough money to buy a cup of coffee): http://goo.gl/8O1we

Or copy and paste this url for a non-affiliate link: http://www.thesufferfest.com/

Follow me: @AnelloGrande

The Belgian Lunch Box

This is not a Belgian Lunch Box. 
I've done it countless times. Usually it's in the spring, but really anytime I go out super hard after an extended period of inactivity. In fact it happened a little bit at the last CX practice race. I'm going, pushing, legs screaming, lungs burning, heart beating so fast and hard it's about to break through my ribcage. And then you begin unpacking the Belgian Lunch Box... That's when you throw up from riding so hard. It could be the post time trial-I left everything out on the road-spew of all the contents of your stomach. Or it could be the sip of water/energy drink coming back up a little after a sprint. In my case I was pushing it extra hard on the first lap trying to keep up with Matt and Charly. That was a mistake. Once we went thru the sand pit and hit the long stretch of grass, a bit of sushi tasting water came up in my mouth. Luckily I had eaten lunch a long time ago, so I didn't lose it this time. I did ease off and tried to recover a bit. Lost a couple more places to Nate and Brian before feeling strong enough to make up a little ground and catch, but not pass, Nate at the end. Good times.

Anyway, if you've never heard the term Belgian Lunch Box before, that's because it's new. I first saw it on the Twitters a month or so ago, and like the image it brings up.

Do you have a story of unpacking a Belgian Lunch Box? Or how about a photo of a pro (or any schmo on a bike) unpacking one?

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Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Races to think about - Sandwich 50

I guess you could say that these "Races to think about" are on my radar in that I am taking a little look into racing in them. This one is in my backyard, 50 miles of Eastwood single track. I've been riding about weekly here most of this summer and it's been a blast to keep getting my @$$ handed to me weekly by the fast guys. Seriously, now that I have the equipment, there's no reason for me not to do this race. Unless I don't get in. It's limited to 75 registrants.

This race is also unofficially or (officially) known as the "MN State Marathon Championship race". Oh, it's also free for being a member of RASC ($20 individual/$25 family). So it's a good reason to join.

http://sandwich50.blogspot.com/

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Bike art - ArtCrank Denver 2011 slideshow



This slideshow was posted on the ArtCrank site. Looks like some great art was shown, and some good times were had.

Looks like the next ArtCrank event is Interbike. It'll be cool to see posters for that event.

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Monday, September 5, 2011

Bike art - Chairman Ting wall art in progress

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Check out this time lapse of Chairman Ting doing the wall in his apartment.

If you have or know of some bike art that should be shared with the world contact me at anello.grande@gmail.com or via the twitters below.

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Now I'm missing a couple teeth


So I was mounting cyclocross tires on the orange fixed and I noticed that a couple teeth were busted off the rear cog. Not only that, but each tooth is cracked. I could possibly ride, but I think I'm gonna just shelve this whip till I get a new cog. I totally want a 3/32 Phil cog, but they are a little pricey. I may just go with a Surly, affordable and durable. Either way I'll be using the Paragon to play CX racer till I replace it. I did try to mount the CX tires on the front wheel, but wasn't able to get it on well, so I'll stay with MTB tires.

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Rochester cyclocross practice at Eastwood

Just a reminder that tomorrow at 6 pm begins the season of cyclocross practice races at Eastwood park. Meet at the east parking lot. Ride what you got. It's all for fun.

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Sunday, September 4, 2011

BB95 info (Trek 2011 Paragon)

2011 Trek Paragon Hello mountain bike racing fans.
This is for my own future information.
BB90 and BB95 are Trek’s slip-fit bearing systems for road and mountain bikes, respectively. The road bottom bracket shell is 90mm wide, while the mountain-bike bottom bracket shell is 95mm wide. Both BB90 and BB95 shells have a 37mm ID for the bearing seat, which is molded directly into the frame. The 37mm OD X 24mm ID bearing is the same as you would find inside the threaded cup of any external-bearing system, and it is compatible with any of the standard external-bearing/integrated 24mm-spindle cranksets. Trek supplies bearing sets for all cranksets, and these bearings slip into place with finger pressure alone.
- Lennard
From here: http://singletrack.competitor.com/2010/04/technical-faq/tech-faq-the-low-down-on-bottom-brackets_7192

So BB95 is Trek specific.
2011 Trek Paragon Hello mountain bike racing fans.

Bike art - Adam Turman “Ride Gravel”



This one is a little special. Local artist, and local subject matter. I'm not what you would call a gravel grinder. At least not exclusively. But living in this area, you are almost forced to ride gravel to escape traffic and hit dirt.

This print from Adam Turman isn't just about riding gravel in Southern Minnesota, but really captures what it's like to take a sunny spring romp on some gravel  farm road. Print is 18x24 and sell for $35 here: www.adamturman.com/display_details.php?page=12&image=415

If you have or know of some bike art that should be shared with the world contact me at anello.grande@gmail.com or via the twitters below.

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Bike art - “UrbanDaddy Cycling Classic” projection art/roller racing installation

There is a video embedded in this post that you may not be able to view. Click through to the blog to watch it.


This installation crosses the line from race, event, installation art. It looks like so much fun. What a great way to spend an evening. Racing against some friends, with a great interactive backdrop.

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Saturday, September 3, 2011

The Sufferfest offers 6 pak of suffering for a discount

Flag of sufferlandia.
The Sufferfest is offering to sell all six of their trainer videos for $12 off the normal (individual) price. That means that you can be ready to suffer through winter for a total of  $59.99 instead of $72. This seems like a great deal if you are planning to ride indoors.

Purchase here: http://shrsl.com/?~1cqb using my affiliate link to support this blog.

Or copy and paste this url for a non-affiliate link: http://www.thesufferfest.com/uncategorized/six-times-the-suffering-12-bucks-off/

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Bike art - “Good Bike” Toronto abandoned bike to street art project





How great would it be to see these colorful bikes at various places in the city? I think it could brighten up a drab city corner. Sometimes there's plants in the baskets, and sometimes the bike is memorial (like a ghost bike). More info about the project here: blogthegoodbike.tumblr.com/

If you have or know of some bike art that should be shared with the world contact me at anello.grande@gmail.com or via the twitters below.

Follow me: @AnelloGrande

Friday, September 2, 2011

Bike art - Julien Croyal “Cycliste”



A very fun yellow Cycliste illustration.

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A sneak peek at ArtCrank Denver

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ArtCrank posted this preview slidshow of their show in Denver this weekend. If you're in the area be sure to check the event out. Some great art to get.

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USGP of Cyclocross

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The USGP of cyclocross kicks off on Sept 24/25 in Madison, WI. (also hosting Nationals, in January) The series of 8 races is held over 4 weekends and looks to be the biggest CX series in North America.

Registration is open if you are interested in racing it or any of the other races in the series. Just go here: www.usgpcyclocross.com/

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Thursday, September 1, 2011

POC Bike Excursion - another Danny Macaskill Video

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This time he's riding with slopestyle rider Martin Söderström, and BMXer Daniel Dhers.

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Bike art - Einstein street art UK


Always loved the image of Einstein on a bike. He was quoted as saying "I thought of that while riding my bicycle." about the theory of relativity. Image was found here (http://www.thedirtfloor.com/2011/01/21/banksy-c215-and-more-street-art-from-london-from-guest-photographer-naomi-spreeuwers/)

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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Warriors of Cyclocross

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Here's another older one (from 2008 nationals). But still good for getting amped for CX season. The whole DVD is only $15 and can be purchased here: www.zerotractionfilm.com/

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Bike art - Anthony Cozzi “Midnight Ride” for ARTCrank Denver





ArtCrank Denver is this weekend. If you can't make it, you can at least get your hands on Anthony Cozzi's “Midnight Ride” print for $50. Numbered and limited to 50 peices, it's a nice one for your collection. www.snowblinded.com/midnight_ride.html

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Bike art - Akiro Studios "I want to ride my Bicycle"

I want to ride my bicycle

Interesting find on Flickr (http://flic.kr/p/aetYud)

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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Push Pull

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Check out this video short. They made some great use of hi-res fast rate capture to allow them to slow it down when they wanted to. Also great mix of studio and out on the road shots. This should be what more trainer videos should be like. (I know, it's actually a little old, uploaded 2 years ago. But it's still worth a watch.)

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Monday, August 29, 2011

C'mon Elizabethton Tennessee

Why would you discourage a child from riding their bike to school, less then a mile on a safe route? The Mayor and Police Chief want to arrest a mother for child neglect if she allows her daughter to ride to school. Link here: http://bikewalktn.blogspot.com/2011/08/arrested-for-riding-bike-to-school.html It just seems terribly wrong to me.

Here's a link to SafeRoutesInfo.org for some info about the Safe Routes to School Program. http://www.saferoutesinfo.org/

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5 things I love about dawn patrol rides

Sun rises from the road, with my wheels rolling. 

Getting up before the sun rises is always pretty difficult to do. But the rewards can be pretty amazing. Click through to see 5 reasons why I love getting up before the sun to put some miles in.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Races to think about - Moab 3 day MTB stage race (Furious3)

I just heard about this race from CyclingNews.com. It sounds pretty cool. Not only that it's a 3 day stage race in Moab. But that it seems that mountain bike stage races are making a comeback. I like the stage race format. Back in the early 90's stage races were pretty popular. Then it seemed that unless you were sanctioned by NORBA, you couldn't put on a race. With NORBA fees, there seemed to be a drop in the number of stage races, in favor of one day races. The last stage race I did was a week long race in Hawaii. I didn't do great, but I didn't do bad either. I did have a lot of fun.

Now I don't think I could do a week long event, but if the price is right, I could see 3 days. Pack the car, with the fam, and head over to Moab. Of course I'd have to see what the cost would be and really weigh the cost vs fun benefit.

Anyway it looks like they are planning to have the Moab race on Sept. 29 thru Oct. 1, 2012. So I'd have more then a year to prepare. If I decide to do it.

Link: http://www.furious3.com/index.html

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Friday, August 26, 2011

Happy birthday

To the best gal in the world. My wonderful and sweet wife. Thanks for putting up with all my cycling obsessions. Let's go eat sushi and not pay!

Cyclocross barriers

There is a cyclocross video embedded in this post that you may not be able to view. Click through to the blog to watch it.
So as thoughts turn to cyclocross, I'm thinking I want to build myself some barriers to practice with. I'm pretty sure I'll do the PVC pipe setup, but not sure size and style. It would be nice if I could throw a couple into a messenger bag and head to any park to play around with dismounts, hopping and remounts.

Below are a bunch of links from around the interwebs on building your own practice barriers.
http://armandarekian.blogspot.com/2010/08/make-your-own-pvc-cyclocross-barriers.html
http://www.cxmagazine.com/newbie-news-building-barriers
http://plusonelap.blogspot.com/2005/09/homemade-cyclocross-barriers.html
http://bostoncross.com/learn_to_cross_articles.html
http://www.bikeman.com/thepit/crossbarriers.htm
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-portable-cyclo-cross-barriers/
http://t.co/gQXYkYv

And finally, a video showing how to dismount, hop and remount.


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Thursday, August 25, 2011

Bike art - Army of Cats "Ride Hard and Earn the Downhill" ArtCrank print



Sweet 16.5 x 23.5 screen print made for ArtCrank London. Follow this link (http://armyofcats.bigcartel.com/product/ride-hard-earn-the-downhill-silkscreen-print) to purchase one (of 60 available).

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Kashimax promo/production video

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A look at how these legendary saddles are made. Back in the old school BMX days, Kashimax AERO saddles were the $h!t to have. They were remarkably comfy, for a full on plastic saddle. Great to see them bring it back.

On a side note, I love to see how the Japanese really take pride in what they do. This is a small factory, pumping out a few products. But they don't cut corners in making them. I've seen the same thing with other products too, so I have to believe that it's more of a cultural thing.

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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Rochester Cyclocross Practice

Image c/o Yuji Yamada.
So over the summer, I've been trying to attend as many MTB practice races as I could. Of course that amounts to about 2 each month. But that's neither here nor there. But as we go into fall, people start thinking 'cross. So starting September, the Tuesday nights at Eastwood will be cyclocross practice.

We continue to get about 7 mtb riders for our Tuesday night "race" lap. Well, as the fall approaches some people are thinking cyclocross, soooooooooo starting in September we will switch to cross laps. Matt Kurke is making up barriers. Mountain bikes are more than welcome. We will still meet at 6pm in front of the small parking lot on the East side. There will be a predetermined amount of laps and off we'll go.

To summarize, 6pm at Eastwood=cyclocross fun. - From the RASC boards. 
I'm gonna put the knobbys back on the orange fixed for this. I may attempt it with the mountain bike once or twice, tho I'm pretty sure it will be slower.

Watch for a future post on the bike art above.

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Superdrome video

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A well done promo video for the Superdrome. One of only 3 Olympic size (250 meter) velodromes in the United States. Located in Frisco, Texas it is run completely by volunteers. Follow me: @AnelloGrande

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Ladies Pursuits - Team Mule Bar

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Here's an interesting promo-video for a women's grassroots cycling team from London. In making the short, their goal was to "produce a lifestyle video to show their world and how cool it is to be a female bike rider." It sure looks like they achieved that pretty well.

Anyway, they have a blog (http://mulebargirl.blogspot.com/) worth checking into. Lets get more girls and women into cycling.

Follow me: @AnelloGrande

Bike Art - Jen Renninger "Open Road" painting


Sometimes you come across things by accident. I followed a link off twitter to the portfolio of Jen Renninger, where I stumbled across this great painting that seems to capture some feelings of the open road. Click the photo to visit her site and see what else she's done.

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Mongoose: Know your roots

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This looks pretty interesting. Mongoose was a brand. Wait scratch that. Mongoose was THE brand in BMX for a time. It's somewhat cool that they are still around, even if it's not the same (like SE bikes). I had a Mongoose for a while. Cracked it at the seat tube-seat stay joint. When I got into mountain biking, I thought it was awesome that Tomac was riding for Mongoose.

Looks like this video (this is just the trailer) is gonna cover the history of the 'Goose. Should be an interesting view.

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Monday, August 22, 2011

Canvas Rider


The most fun way to waste your time. Seriously, it's pretty addicting for such a simple idea. You have a stick figure on a bike (your choice of BMX or full squish MTB) that you navigate through a course with bumps, jumps and all kinds of terrain. Some of the tracks have a huge amount of artistic detail, for a simple 2D side scrolling game.

Controls are easy, up arrow pedals the bike, down is the brakes. Left and right are back and forward balance. And "Z" reverses direction.

When you're bored of riding other peoples tracks, take your hand at building your own. Again, like the game, it's super simple. But easy to get sucked in to making jumps and obstacles that are challenging.

Here's a warning, don't do this at work unless you don't care about not getting anything done and losing your job. I don't think you boss will like it much that you're riding and creating tracks on his dime.

http://canvasrider.com/

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Bike art - Jennifer Davis "Bike Ride" print


A very nice 12x16 inch limited edition print for $50 off her Etsy shop. http://www.etsy.com/listing/67973442/bike-ride-limited-edition-print

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Saturday, August 20, 2011

Bike art - Jay Ryan/The Bird Machine "In the Shop" print


Limited to 260 prints, 7 color, 18 x 24. Image to be used as cover art for Bicycle Times magazine. Only $30 at The Bird Machine (http://thebirdmachine.com).

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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Rochester Mountain Bike Team 1st season recap

This from the leader of RMBT:
The Rochester Mountain Bike Team recently completed its first season of racing! The team consisted of 15 students, including 3 girls. We competed at all 4 of the designated high school team races within the Minnesota Mountain Bike Series. We had a total of 29 race starts and 18 podium finishes.
Pretty exciting stuff. I'm hoping that I can play a more active role with the team next year. Please be sure to visit and like the RMBT facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/RochesterMountainBikeTeam) to stay up to date on what's going on with the team!

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Bike art - Paul Shipley paintings



Paul Shipley paints bicycle races and cycling scenes in oil and acrylics. You can purchase prints of the paintings online, or you can commission him to paint an image for you. His work is great, there's a loose abstract style that seems to come alive in them. Visit his site here http://www.veritasart.co.uk/.

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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Pump Track?

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So I've been thinking of this for a couple years now. But now especially since getting the mountain bike and actually riding out at Eastwood, I'm thinking a pump track would be a great addition to the trails there. I'm planning on buying the Welcome to Pump Track Nation book and maybe building a secret hidden version somewhere first. Then I think getting RASC behind it and bringing it to the city.

I brought this idea up with a friend and he wasn't sure where at Eastwood would have room for this, but I'm thinking that pump tracks can be pretty small, so it could be placed behind the baseball field, or even near the playground equipment on the east side. Or heck, pull the baseball diamond out (who's gonna miss one?) and build a really big one there.

The bumps are small enough that I don't think there's a liability issue for jumps or anything.

The whole point of a pump track is to become smooth and be able to 'pump' the whole course without pedaling. You can use almost any type of bike on the track. BMX, rigid, single-speed, or full suspension downhill bikes all work. Just a matter of pumping the bumps using the rhythm of the track to keep you moving. From what I hear, even though you're coasting the whole time, you get a pretty good workout.

The addition of a pump track to Eastwood would help attract even more cyclists there, hopefully keeping the people parking, looking for 'dates' away.



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Monday, August 15, 2011

Danny Macaskill - Industrial Revolutions

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Another amazing video of Danny Mac. His riding is fluid.

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Bike Art - Faema Team Car by Chris McNally


I really like this sketch?/Painting? by Chris McNally. Click this link (http://chrismcnally.com/) to see his other work (all excellent).

Follow me: @AnelloGrande

Road users

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Not laying blame to any one road user, this video shows how every user interacts and engages with other users. It's a great reminder. As a pedestrian, I've done some of the wrongs shown. As a driver and a cyclist too.

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Newton's Third Law is wrong: Although it states that for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, there is no force equal in reaction to an attack by Gunnar Soroos. Gunnar Soroos rides for Toms Shoes Cycling Team. Gunnar Soroos is so crazy and awesome that he flips out ALL the time. I heard that Gunnar was eating at a diner. And when some dude dropped a spoon Gunnar Soroos killed the whole town. My friend Oprah Winfrey said that she saw Gunnar Soroos totally uppercut some jerkface just because they opened a window. Gunnar Soroos doesn't shop at Costco!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gunnar Soroos has two speeds. Fast, and Kill! The main export of a Gunnar Soroos attack is pain. You can control how people can interact with you and your friends. Choose who can see you, who can speak to you, who can hurt you, and who can be ignored.

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Newton's Third Law is wrong: Although it states that for each action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, there is no force equal in reaction to an attack by GSoroos.

Bike Club Rochester Minnesota

Gunnar Soroos likes this music