quicksilver!
2011 Orbea Orca
Hey Orbea, thanks for finally fixing that ugly seatpost collar/cluster on the Orca.
2010 Orbea Orca
American Classic Sprint 350
I like nice wheels. I like nice wheels that are lightweight and comfortable even more. Given that I am not a very good climber, light wheels will reduce the likelihood of getting dropped on the hills. I also like aerodynamic wheels. Because they make me go faster? A little bit, but I'll be honest. I just like the way deep dished rims look. It makes the whole bike look more robust, substantial, aggressive, and yes...fast. If you can't go fast, you might as well LOOK fast knowwhatimsayin? Since those two qualities (light and aero) are almost always mutually exclusive qualities to find in a reasonably priced wheel set, I went with the former and bought a pair of HED Ardennes. I haven't looked back since. Actually my Ardennes review is long overdue, and that isn't the title of this post. So let's get to it shall we?
I just received my new wheelset from American Classic yesterday. As I've previously mentioned, I bought these Sprint 350s for the Raleigh. But since I'm still waiting for that bike to arrive, I mounted them on the Parlee to see how will they look. I have always been partial to white wheels on cars, so why not on a bike as well? The "Alphatype" white/black/red color scheme contrasts the black/white/red frame and cockpit perfectly. In my opinion the white wheels give a nice fresh look to a bike that is commonly built with black Edge wheels. Although the white rims and the single white spoke are a refreshing deviation from the norm, they do give the bike a fixie-ish look to it, which is a little too trendy for my taste. With that in mind, I think I'll leave these for the Raleigh. White on white, black on black.
Alphatype Sprint 350s on a Parlee Z5
Night ride.
What do you do on a Sunday night after an epic game of kickball at the church? Hop on your bikes so you can go up a dark mountain road of course!
Illuminated only by a full moon and a couple headlight on our handlebars; the climb up was sketch, the descent down was borderline-dangerous. Rolling 7 deep, navigating through dimly lit blind corners, sliding on loose gravel, missing jagged rocks on the inside wall while avoiding the severe cliff drop on the outside, and going 22mph downhill with only 5 yards of visibility ahead of us, was probably not a good idea.
Let's do it again.
(I wont even mention the failed water-balloon ambush that awaited us as we got back to the house, better luck next time girls.)
Behind le Tour
LeBikeClub <3 Le Tour (de France). Sure it may not be as exciting as the Giro d'Italia, but at least it's not as boring as the Vuelta. The Spanish are known for their inquisition and their siestas. The Vuelta is the cycling equivalent of the latter. I'd rather ride my bike instead, thank you very much.
Although there are better races to watch, sadly Le Tour is perhaps the only race that mainstream America are exposed to. Lance single handedly placed this event in the consciousness of the American public. Le Tour is the only bike race that ESPN covers on the web and occasionally on air, that's how important this race is (or how unimportant all the other ones are to us).
It looks like our favorite brand for thermonuclear protection is doing something special for Le Tour. And since everyone's favorite cyclists are wearing Oakleys, you might be interested in what this micro site has to offer once it goes live. Exclusive behind the scenes interview from the likes of Cavendish, Fabian, and Lance himself? Hmmm...should be interesting.
Close call
Any faster and he would have hit the white car, any slower and he would have been t-boned by the black car...lucky.
Unbelievable...
New project?
Since the Parlee Z5 is not suitable for leisure rides around town that involves locking it to a rack, I'm thinking of getting this Raleigh Record Ace. I'd ditch the Ultegras for a Rival group, take off the budget wheels and roll on white Sprint 350s instead. Stem and seat post will have to be white too of course. The leather Brooks saddle looks a little pretentious, but I'll deal with it. Last but not least, three words; down tube shifters...
Can I have a white one?
What, the black one isn't good enough for you? You want the white one? Well here's how you'd go about getting, er...earning one.
First and foremost you have to actually own a bike. Your cousin's boyfriend's bike that's two size too small doesn't count, sorry. I'm glad you're able to borrow a bike to pedal around the neighborhood and all, but there's nothing better than having your own pair of wheels. Trust me. Have a bike? Good. Now do ONE of the following:
- Ride a bike while sitting backwards on the handlebars. A.k.a. The Trevor.
- Ride with no hands on a road with at least a 5% grade for exactly a mile
- Give a stranded cyclist your spare tube so they can fix their flat (The Good Samaritan rule)
- Ride up Mt. Rubidoux on the big ring, in under than 7 minutes, with only one foot clipped in
- Watch Bikecar and build your own
- Double backflip OR triple tailwhip
- Get photographed during a group ride by another Le Bike Club member, and have him/her mobile upload it onto Facebook
Remember, ride responsibly. If you hit a deer while trying to ride with no hands...that's your bad.
P.S. Once you're in, you're in for life. Standard gang rules apply: getting jumped in, secret gang signs, having each other's back, mandatory matching tattoos, etc.
Good luck. 