shop highlight: fixed and free

sam peifer…what else can i say? he’s the kind of guy my mom wouldn’t let me hang out with when i was a teenager…and that’s why i like sam so much. no homo.

when sam opened shop (6.4.08) he was the bad word of abq’s bike scene. everyone was talking shit…you can’t just open a bike shop because you ride…. there’s enough bike shops here, he’ll only be taking away from legitimate bike shops’ business…. they’re probably selling meth out the back door…. that guy’s a dick…. how successful can he be, catering to the 20 fixie riders in town…. it’s like my mom talked to them.

the fixed and free was voted #2 in the alibi’s, best of burque 2009 issue (4.2-8.09). not too shabby, considering that at the time they had only been open for 10 months. shortly thereafter sam captured the title of burque’s only authorized cinelli dealership.

the fixed and free is more than a bike shop. sam offers a tool rental program…$25 gets you the use of all shop equipment and the ability to ask for help without being laughed at. not only that, they have an excellent selection of fixed parts and stuff you won’t find anywhere in the state. they’ve sponsored or hosted 8…12…fuck i don’t know exactly how many (i’m only willing to dig though the cranks505 older posts for so long), a whole bunch of alleycats and group events and rides. i look at my spoke card collection and see only 5 other shops on them, most only once.

the only thing not to like about fixed and free is that they’re closed on mondays. what does sam have to say about this? “why didn’t you profile my shop first?”

i’ve been to all but 2 of the bike shops in town and the fixed and free is the best shop in these parts.

ride naked …This post has been flagged for removal

it’s unfortunate that some people have too much time on their hands and can erase that hilarious shit.

fear not 6.12.10 is a long way off.

riding naked

what amazing roadrash potential! and what a stir this is creating!

there was an ad posted on craigslist on the 23rd for the WNBR (not a rodeo, wrestling, or world bank event). yep, the world naked bike ride…aka critical ass. the posting was deleted, but its spirit lives on in the ongoing rant in the bikes for sale section (see blogroll).

the wnbr had it’s first official ride on 6.12.04. 28 cities participated worldwide. since then it has grown and spread (43 cities committed to ride, 12 expected to repeat last years ride, 7 new rides planned [including abq/sf]). the ride focuses on the promotion of cycling advocacy and green stuff (not that green stuff). here’s their about page. http://wiki.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.php?title=About

the fact is that we’re all riding naked anytime we enter “the realm of the car”. there aren’t any airbags or seatbelts, no side impact protection or safety glass…we are truly nude. an event like this, with enough media coverage and the right sound bites publicized…will open the eyes of a couple of people who have no clue about cycling laws…it will put one or two cyclists that are afraid to ride on the streets, on the streets…it might make the drunk guy lazily weaving behind you pay just enough attention to see if there is some buttcheek to be viewed.

6.12.10 is the date. santa fe is the place. the old fuddy-duds who press their morals upon abq would have us labeled as criminals…but not those freaky hippies in santa fe. if cycling is important to you (duh) and you like being naked (?) then you should go to this site for the nm ride. http://www.meetup.com/World-Naked-Bike-Ride-NM/ sign up! help promote cycling! even with clothes on.

fixed and furious: the glorious return

this friday! don’t miss it! sprints, skids, best trick, footdown competitions and debauchery for all.

bomb indian school all the way across broadway, enter the business park and you’re there.

looks like another bicycle weekend.

cancer ride and raffle this sunday

what: ride for a cause! help raise money for someone with cancer, who is unemployed and without health insurance and needs chemotherapy and surgery. refreshments and music afterwards.

when: february 28th, 2010. show up at noon, ride starts at 1 pm.

where: center of the universe (unm duckpond).

why: 10 dollar buy-in will get you a raffle ticket for awesome prizes (art, food & drink, tattoos, massages, etc.). ALL RIDERS get a free locally designed t-shirt! raffle starts at three, at double time dance studio (112 morningside dr, 1/2 block south of central).

*** if you can’t come but want to help out anyways, all donations welcome. please forward this information
on to others you think are interested. ***

contact: navi madrugada felizxmasmorning@gmail.com
matt fuemmeler fueme2001@yahoo.com

i hear that this will be a scavenger hunt type of thing. all of you unisured sons o’ biatches need to come out and represent.

quicksilver @ fixed and free

don’t forget about cinema velo tonight at the fixed and free…free beer, that is. but we all know you really want to see kevin bacon. 7:30pm.

tax dollars @ work

not to be outdone by the anonymous poster on craigslist, i decided to break into the bike bridge jobsite. it wasn’t easy…i had to jump my bike over the canal, knock out the security guard, bribe three mexican laborers with bud light (nasty) and then stealthily infiltrate the site. only to finally have to pose as an inspector.

okay, actually i just rode past the barricades on the trail and walked my bike down to the river. getting there, i found this. our new bridge.

ha! fooled you. thats merely a temporary crossing for the big stuff you see in some of the pics. it is cool to see how they narrowed the rio grande to less than 20′ wide, but it makes me wonder about permanent damage to the river ecosystem….

wtf?

…i’ve been in new mexico too long.

farewell, old friend…meet your replacement.

back in the olden days. 1989 to be exact. haro bicycles decided to build some crazy shit called the dart. it was designed to compete in the long defunct bmx formula-1 sport. never heard of it? me neither. only after extensive googling did i find out that this was basically crits on 20″ bikes.

it came equipped with six speeds in the back and a single biopace chainring up front, disc wheel covers and riser bars. when i found it at a pawn shop in florida, i knew it had potential, all time-trially and shit. $40 later it was mine.

fast forward to spring 2008. i finally have a rear wheel built @ university bike world (those douche bags:) and get it on the road. i didn’t realize this would be my new best bike. now, after two years and three paint jobs (if you also count the bare metal look when i first fixed it up), i’m finally retiring it. the bike served me better than well, and even survived fixie tricks by sam (the destroyer) miller. but my son needs wheels for his bmx mini and he already rides fixed so…

…i built a new whip. the feared and venerated nashbar road mkIII. sporting a silly-sick 52/16 (85ish gear inches) ratio, ishiwata tubing, my plush ideale saddle, chop and flop bullhorns, higher end suntour suicide hub and a rear brake. don’t forget the candy-apple red paint. this bike is so badass that i can suddenly do no handed trackstands…as if there were little oompa loompas helping me balance.

i took it for a 20 mile ride today. nice.

shop highlight: university bike world

university bike world…the shop everybody loves to hate. this was one of the first bike shops i frequented when i moved here. pretty cool place to hang if you can hang, that is. austin is the manager there, and he is one funny mother fucker.

unfortunately, to some of the more pee-pee hearted of the community he has been branded a douche. i’m here to tell you that’s just not true. just to prove my point, i asked him what he thinks of the fixed gear scene…his response, “fuck fixed gear”.

but if you don’t know ish about bikes, and your shit is broken, austin is one of the few guys in town that will give you an honest, if not sarcastic opinion. he’s the guy who will get your bike working without selling you stuff you don’t need. his shop has a good supply of parts and a great selection of modern seat posts in obscure sizes to help you get that janky-ass schwinn on the road.

just don’t tell him i sent you.

leoparddad and the boyfriends

you heard it here. these are the names of our valiant polo teams. i hope they do better than hootie and the blowfish.

i’ll still root for you, no matter what they call you….