Birthday Polo
Posted by D on January 23rd, 2010 filed in Uncategorized5 Comments »
Damn fine idea on Rob’s behalf.
A full weekend of polo with all three locations being used and abused.
From Rob:
Sat:
Plan is to meet up at Eastwoods at, around, 1:30, ride up to Bartholomew Park, hopefully play some polo on the old polo court, hang out a bit… you know….
Sun:
Meet up at Eastwoods again at 10 am or so for some fun informal stuff, just cause we can and should cause we all know it’s fun… then anyone there can ride down to Joslin with me if you want or just meet us down there around 3, hopefully to play some polo down south.
lots of riding, if the weather permits of course, nothing intense, bring only what you need, you know, yep yep
3,2,1 Polo
Polo Rant.
Posted by D on January 23rd, 2010 filed in Uncategorized3 Comments »
What better way to resurrect a dying bike blog than with a good old fashioned polo rant. Those of you who were out playing last night can probably guess the topic of the rant but for those who weren’t I present to you the “next game” pile rant.
For those who aren’t too familiar with the game (no excuse for that if you’ve been following this blog) the mallet pile has become the way of figuring out who is playing in the next game. When we first started playing a year ago it was pretty easy to figure out who was playing in the next game; there were usually only 5 or 6 people coming out so if you were there, you were playing. As the group got a little bigger a simple “who’s playing” got the job done. As the group kept growing we dropped the formalities and started throwing the mallets in after the last game finish; if you were one of the first six to get your mallet in, you got to play. Polo was never a safe sport and having 6 mallets go flying through the air at once didn’t let you forget that. But alas, it seems the golden days are done because the mallet toss has been replaced by the mallet pile, with people being able to put their mallet in the “next game” pile, and if they’re lucky enough, the “next next game pile”.
I don’t pride myself on getting bent out of shape over the little things but I’ll admit that generally the things that get me the most worked up are often small and insignificant. And yep, I’ll be the first to admit that there are better ways for me to spend my time than writing a rant about the “next game” pile. But I find time well spent to be overrated so here goes.
I’m hoping that by sitting down and writing all this nonsense I’ll be able to come up with a better reason for my hatred of the mallet pile than it being lame. First let me just say though, the “next game” pile is in fact plain jane lame. It brings a kindergarten level or organization and fairness to a game that prides itself on being tough. Bike polo should be cutting class and smoking cigarettes in the bathroom, not complaining to the teacher that Tommy stole his cookie.
“Tossing the mallets in isn’t fair, what if you are never one of the first 6 people to throw in”. Good point, not. Let’s be honest, if you aren’t coordinated enough to throw a mallet in before 6 other people, you aren’t coordinated enough to ride a bike.
The “next game” pile is to bike polo what the chalk board waiting list is to the pool table at the bar. If you want to play, man up and get ready. I don’t like walking up to an empty pool table and having some dork come out of no where to say “oh sorry, but my name is on the board”. Ok, so there are some differences between the two, but the point is that both are dorky. Just as it’s possible to stake your claim to the pool table without the chalkboard, it’s easy to stake your claim to the next polo game without the “next game” pile. And to have a waiting list to the waiting list (the “next next game” pile)… I’m at a loss for words.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you that this is a small thing that probably isn’t worth caring about, but I suppose another reason why it doesn’t sit well with me is that it’s bringing a level of organization to game that I enjoyed so much because of it’s relative lack of organization. Compare a game of stickball in the middle of the street to an organized little league baseball game. Growth is good and I wouldn’t be surprised if I stand alone in thinking that bike polo should remain a homegrown sport but it just seems that the more organized the sport becomes, the more standardized it gets across the country, the less character the sport has. Yeah, this rant is starting to get way off topic so I’ll try and wrap it up.
Bottom line is that with the posting of this rant I’ll officially put aside my stubbornness and submit to any and all “next game” piles. If that’s how it’s going to be done from now on, I’m game. I’ll even support starting facebook event pages so that people can RSVP to the “next game” pile from the comfort of their couch. All is now good and well in the polo rant, but don’t come crying to me when Tommy is laughing at us from across the room, AND eating our cookie (or Jasmine’s scones).
VeloRace
Posted by D on December 30th, 2009 filed in Uncategorized2 Comments »
Pretty bummed I’m going to be missing this but I’ll be hightailin it to New Orleans tomorrow for New Years Eve. Think this will probably be the first race at the veloway, wish I could be there to see how it goes. For those who have never been go with the group to ride it and check it out, if not to race then to at least freak out those rollerbladers that go there to not feel out of place and stuck in the 90’s.
2009: Year In Review
Posted by D on December 27th, 2009 filed in Uncategorized141 Comments »
Ok, this is going to be a long one.
With the year coming to a close I’ve been seeing a lot of “best of 2009″ lists or re-caps of what went on this year and decided to poke around my photos to see what 2009 looked like in the Austin biking world.
With the biking community in this town making sure you have something fun to do everyday of the week I should have expected the list of what biketivities went down in 2009 to be a lengthy one but looking through the photos I was pretty surprised at just how much happened over the course of a year (especially considering for every bike event I went to there were probably a handful I missed out on).
I decided to pull a bunch (a pretty large bunch) of photos and post them in order from the beginning of the year to the end. Most of these pics have been posted up here before, some haven’t, but either way it was fun for me to look through them and remind myself of how great a town Austin is to bike around.
So, lets begin.
For me 2009 started off with this:
Hold the tears though, because that just led to this:
Which got built up into this:
Got my first taste of polo at Bartholomew Park up on 51st street:
Alleycat early on in the year, maybe the drop dead one:
Rode some storm drains:
Bike polo addiction began to set in…
Got some drops:
Fab Friday:
More Polo:
Got my finger caught between the cog and the chain…
Got that sucker stitched up:
Couple weeks later you could barely tell anything ever happened:
Back to bike polo:
Where Casey tried to eat some butt…
Got some stickers:
More polo:
Moonlight ride, photo by Stephanie:
Gave tandem bike polo a shot:
Polo started getting serious:
Put a big magnet in the middle of the polo court:
The infamous bike toss of 2009:
Got my first taste of alleycross:
Gave tallbike polo a try:
Checked out the austin bike zoo, made nice with a goat:
Grass bike polo:
Critical Mass:
Bike Polo meets Sexy Sunday:
MotorPolo:
Polo gets back to normal:
More alleycrossing, with lasers this time:
Bike polo crew got stubbed from the Bike Zoo’s Alice in Wonderland show:
More polo:
First ever (i think?) all girls alleycat:
Jasmine goes down (awwwkward):
Another Moonlight Ride:
Bike to work day:
Tricks at polo:
Usually not a fan of themed rides but the Warrior Ride put on by the Midnight Ridazz was pretty sweet:
Polo in the rain:
Got my first real taste of the greenbelt (photo from James):
Another Critical Mass:
What used to constitute a big turnout for the Thursday Night Social Ride:
Checked out the Veloway for the first time:
Another Thursday Night Social Ride, before bullhorns, rideleaders, and the like.
Pretending Austin is San Francisco:
Another Critical Mass:
Checked out the pump track Mellow Johnny’s built:
More Polo:
Catch Will Kern on his new bike, win a prize:
What should be a lone star ad:
Internet seemed to like this photo:
Bike polo good ole boys at Metz Park:
Stephanie’s birthday bike, and then some:
Ladies of Polo:
Bob with the mac hookup during a midnight ride:
Another Thursday Night Social Ride:
First Alleycat of the Bicycle Film Fest:
Bicycle Film Fest was awesome this year:
Jasmine bleeds Polo during the BFF bike polo tournament:
Roller Races during BFF:
More BFF Bike Polo tournament:
Mallet Toss at BFF:
Speaking of tossed mallets (photo from zach)…
First Guerrilla Polo:
UT Bike Auction (waste of time…):
Harvest Moon ride:
6am Polo Practice following the harvest moon ride:
Checked out the crit at the Austin State Hospital, or whatever that nut-house is called:
New Guerrilla Polo spot:
First Alleycross James and I put on:
Got into the shirt making business:
Thursday Night Social Ride:
Finally got around to making a wheelcover for Polo:
Back to polo:
More Alleycross:
Came across some new graffiti on the storm drain off mopac, couldn’t resist:
Saw David Bryne talk about bikes (and bash austin). Sorry people, but he sucked:
First leg of Brian Davies Giro d’Ghetto:
Giro’s first Casualty, or Why you shouldn’t buy an FBM sword:
More Giro:
Went riding with Lance:
Checked out the new bike coop at the 21st street coop:
More alleycross, new location:
Bike Polo Pie:
Manned a checkpoint at Bird’s Barbershop Alleycat:
Alleycross gets legit (kinda):
Played around with my reflection for a bit (photo by stephanie):
Checked out the Tour de Fat:
Raced in the Dirt Derby for the first time:
Went to the Texas Custom Bike show that Elliot put on:
Saw some road racing wayyyy down in south texas:
More alleycrossin:
Halloween Critical Mass
Went up to New Braunfels with Chris and Cyclebum for some Halloween Cyclocross action:
Finished halloween off by going over to Les’ race:
More Dirt Derby, free tacos this time around:
Making history with the first high-life handoff:
Went on the ghost bike ride that Bob put together:
Got back on the greenbelt, quickly remembered what a water crossing was (photos from James):
Got some crazy good deals at mellow swap:
Had the monumental OG Kross series finale at Mt. Bonnel:
Saw that madness that is the MF 100 at the 21st st coop:
Biked out to the 360 bridge with Ahlee and the gang to scope some meteors:
Got some more Dirt Derby racin under my belt:
Gave my cross bike a makeover. New pedals, new handlebars, new tape, new wheels, new tires:
More alleycrossin. New location, new prizes:
Well folks, still a couple days left in 2009 so consider this a post still in progress.
Pretty crazy to look back and see everything that went on in the past year, makes me wonder how 2010 is going to stack up.
Happy Ears.
Posted by D on December 27th, 2009 filed in UncategorizedComment now »
Biiiiig thanks to Annie of Double A Caps for working her magic and making me a couple winter cycling hats to keep my ears warm. I’ve had this old wool shirt from my father that was a couple sizes too big lying in my closet for the past year or so and figured it would be better used keeping my head warm. Annie made it happen and I’ve been wearing it pretty much every day since. Not certain but I think she still has some hats left from the shirt material so hit her up if you’re in need of a late christmas gift, to yourself/father/dog/whoever.
Ain’t No Party Like A Dropout Party
Posted by D on December 27th, 2009 filed in UncategorizedComment now »
Here are the words from the man himself:
If you came to the ISSUE #1 release party here than you don’t need any convincing. All you need to know is January 3rd, 7pm, FAST FOLKS CYCLERY 2513 E 6th. St.
For those of you who didn’t make the last one, I have a bulleted list below:
-VIRTUALLY BOTTOMLESS FREE LONE STAR
-RAFFLE PRIZES like a $100 Bijou Tattoo gift certificate, Psychlist bag, free haircut at Bird’s and many more.
-Hot members of the opposite sex on bikes (and they’ll probably be sauced too)
Party goes until midnight or until the cops come, whichever happens earlier.
Bring $5 if you want to buy a zine. Free raffle ticket with purchase.
Email Scott with any questions
theluckymatchgame@yahoo.com
Wednesday Rides
Posted by D on December 22nd, 2009 filed in UncategorizedComment now »
Just because Austin is creeping to ghost town status doesn’t give you an excuse to not get out and ride, so saddle up and pick your poison:
Or…
Derby Pics.
Posted by D on December 19th, 2009 filed in Uncategorized2 Comments »
These pics are from the most recent Dirt Derby, so they’re probably about a month old (OH BURN).
I kid though, I’ve given the Dirt Derby a lot of guff for closing up shop every time the weather gets good (good and muddy I mean) but in reality I know that the guys putting it on were just as bummed as any of us and really had no choice. The last DD race of the season has come and gone (without anyone breaking a sweat) and so now we wait till it starts back up again in September. Hopefully a lot of you got to go out for a few races, this was the first year I raced in them and although I got my ass handed to me each time it was still fun somehow.
For those of you thinking that the cyclocross season is on its way out guess again, cyclebum and I will try to have you covered year-round. Bring forth any suggestions ya got but no criticism please, no one cares.
Sunday RIDE
Posted by D on December 17th, 2009 filed in Uncategorized14 Comments »
(Photo from here)
Here is Harry’s chapter for the week, linked with goodness. It’s been a long while since I’ve been riding on a Sunday morning, let’s see if I can change that this weekend…
OH, TO BE IN COPENHAGEN!
In a previous announcement, I touched briefly on the new status of the bicycle as a fashion accessory. I have only recently become aware to what extent that trend has progressed.
As I perused the bikes on Craigslist one morning recently, I found an item that piqued my interest. (http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1492481081.html). In case this post has been deleted, it offered for sale (I think, though it may have been only the ecstatic musings of the bicycle’s owner) a “lovely Velorbis Dannebrog bicycle”. Although the text of the post waxed rhapsodic in a style suspiciously like advertising copy, I’m certain that the ad wasn’t posted by a commercial concern, since that would be a clear violation of CL rules. The ad featured illustrations of bicycles of the variety usually associated with immediately post-WWII western European cultures, Dutch and Scandinavian in particular.
Now, as a regular reader of BikeSnobNYC, I’m familiar with the fact that Scandinavian Cycling Culture is widely perceived by a small but vocal segment of our country’s population as possessing a sophistication, urbanity, chicness and, well, hipness to which our puny American culture may aspire but which we clearly will never attain. (Actually, BikeSnob has a different descriptive term for the character of that Scandinavian culture. He refers to it as “smugness”.) And surely, the crown jewel, the ne plus ultra, the Nirvana of Scandinavian cycling must be Copenhagen. In this veritable cycling paradise, so green is the populace and so socially conscious that they even light their Christmas trees with pedal power (http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10406025-54.html). So blissful is the state of cycling there that a blog has adopted the name of that city just to enshrine the brilliance of its perfection (http://www.copenhagenize.com/).
Clearly our vulgar, provincial American society can never hope to achieve this level of Nordic perfection. However, in the true spirit of American entrepreneurship, there are individuals bold and visionary enough to offer us the opportunity to purchase bicycles such as those ridden by the gods of western Europe. Or, at least, bicycles similar to those that were probably ridden by the gods’ ancestors at some point in the past 60 – 70 years. A quick Google of Velorbis turned up the company’s web site, which in turn directed me to the home page of their American distributor, Copenhagen Cyclery (http://www.copenhagenbike.com/). There I discovered a veritable cornucopia of cycling chic.
The most apparent aspect of Copenhagen Cyclery’s offerings was their uniformly unique appearance. Although some individuals with a poorly-developed aesthetic sensibility might characterize that appearance as “dowdy”, I imagine that “chicly utilitarian” would be the closer to the description favored by the folks at Copenhagen Cyclery. Typical of that look is the Batavus Fryslan Classic (http://www.copenhagenbike.com/bicycles/view-all/Batavus-Fryslan-Classic), which, according to the ad copy, “takes its cues from the past, designed after the original Batavus Opafiets or Grandpa Bicycles from 1904”. And who wouldn’t be delighted to ride a bicycle that was favored by Dutch grandfathers 100 years ago? After all, it has (again I quote from the ad copy) “European charisma”.
Unfortunately, that charisma apparently comes at a price. A rather hefty price at that. After browsing the dazzling array of makes and models available, I began to investigate the details, and sticker shock immediately set in. At the lower end, you can get into the afore-mentioned Fryslan Classic at a thrifty $950. (Are we talking American dollars here?) The Velorbis Dannebrog which appeared in the CL post goes for $1895.
Well, I reasoned, the prices of these beauties probably reflect extraordinary technological sophistication. Guess again. Frames are available in one or two sizes. One-piece cranks and chain rings, you know, like on the Sears bike you had when you were a kid. And in addition to plenty of charisma, these bikes offer plenty of poundage as well. I’ve piloted the 28-pound bulk of my vintage French steelie many a mile, so I figured I was familiar with heavy. Wrong. These units start at around 37 pounds, and I’m not talking about a bike that’s loaded for touring.
So to briefly review, we’re talking about bikes that are unattractive, expensive, heavy and technologically unadvanced. Wow. No wonder their popularity is sweeping the country.
Still, there is the charisma factor. If you’re ready to own a “cycle icon for design connoisseurs and bike collectors everywhere”, you can have the Velorbis Leikier, an item which looks like it would be right at home in David Byrne’s game room, at only $2995. (http://www.velorbis.com/classic-vintage-bicycle/velorbis-trike-and-custom-bicycles/velorbis-leikier-custom-built-bicycle) Or if you’re more budget-minded, there’s the Scrap Deluxe Ladies (I’m not making this up – maybe it lost something in the translation) at a more modest $1220. (http://www.velorbis.com/classic-vintage-bicycle/classic-retro-ladies-bicycle/velorbis-scrap-deluxe-balloon-ladies-bicycle - Sorry, ladies, you’ll have to order out to the UK for this one – not available in the U.S. of A. Imagine the bonus points for additional charisma when you tell your friends.) I quote again from the copy on the Velorbis web site: “Stop the traffic in style with this urban icon - cool design and urban finish meets luxury leather accessories and blonde highlights in a medley of cycling style.” Holy smokes! The Dellionaires over in Tarrytown must be whizzing in their Crocs when they read this stuff.
As is probably apparent by now, my fashion sense lies somewhere between Atila the Hun and Ward Cleaver. When it comes to shopping for bikes, my taste is more toward the Craigslist end of the spectrum, where on any given day you can find any make or model of bike, for any purpose, at a price that’s affordable (or at least usually negotiable). As an example, consider this recent offering from CL. (http://austin.craigslist.org/bik/1513839553.html) Note that this bike takes its design cues from the uber-desirable Dutch/Danish style, while offering the additional incentives to the buyer of being RARE and priced at only 150 bones. Now, that’s style a person can afford.
So for this week’s edition of the Sunday morning ride, I encourage every rider to bring his or her most stylish bicycle. We’ll launch from Clown Dog at 10:20 on Sunday morning. Route TBD. Bring some ideas.
Those of you who have ridden with us before know how we roll. For those who haven’t, please read the blah-blah below. It’s important. Really.
• Some of us are down with the fixed gear deal, but mostly we’re just about riding. Bring whatcha got and ride with us.
• Every cyclist is responsible for his or her own safety and well-being. We assume that everyone is familiar with basic rules of cycling safety and has enough hours in the saddle to feel comfortable with his or her ride. Use of helmets is optional (but highly recommended). Use of headphones, earbuds, Blue Tooth headsets or any other form of electronic distraction is discouraged. (It’s a SOCIAL ride, dammit!) All traffic laws and rules of right-of-way will be observed. Here’s the deal:
SAFETY FIRST!!!!!
If someone gets killed, it ruins the ride for everybody.
• This ride is 25-30 miles long through mostly urban and suburban areas. We do a convenience
store stop at about the halfway point for anyone who needs snacks or drinks.
• There is no SAG support on this ride. Bring a spare tube and something that will inflate it.
• The purpose of this ride is for everyone to have a good time and (we hope) to become better cyclists. We ride at a variable pace, according to the group on any given ride, and all skill levels are welcome. This is a 25-30 mile ride over typical Central Texas terrain. If this is consistent with your riding experience, or is perhaps slightly more challenging than what you’re accustomed to, you should have no problem going the distance.
The streets of ATX aren’t yet aswarm with Copenhagen Cyclery’s Danish delights. We’re probably just displaying, as usual, our surfeit of stylishness, our paucity of panache, in short, our lack of hipness. Or maybe we just need a little time to catch up to the more fashionable folks.
Meanwhile, I’m gonna be watching Craigslist. The bikes there are a damn sight better looking. Not to mention a whole lot cheaper.
It’s time to ride.
Makin Money (somehow)
Posted by D on December 16th, 2009 filed in Uncategorized1 Comment »
Next round of beers is on Urban Velo, Thanks guys!