Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Fat Yuba Mundo build

New project for winter cycling.

Current or planned parts: 
Yuba Mundo frame, some modifications
Surly Moonlander fork

Front wheel:
Crystalyte HS motor as front hub
Surly Large Marge rim
45NRTH Dillinger with 240 studs tire
Sapim spokes 2,3mm

Rear Wheel:
Alfine 8 hub
Velocity Blunt 35 650B rim
Kenda Nevagall 2,35 tire
spokes DT Alpine 3

to be continued...









Monday, August 12, 2013

Hellsinki Super Weekend

Last weekend was many ways successful in Hellsinki. There was famous Flow-festival and 9th King Of Fixed, the fixed gear riders fun and play days. During this three days there was a number of great performers in Flow and several interesting activities in KOF. Criterium-race, alleycat-race, trackstand, footdown etc. awesome s**t.

In Flow festival there was at least 3000 bicycles parked in special parking area where talented mechanics offered their services too.

Surprise events are always great fun too, BikePunksHellsinki held their tall bike jousting tournament in Dallape park. Hellsinki is getting better.


photo by Marjut

photo by k1m

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Bicycle is not future of transportation

Says Syd Mead in this serious or perhaps HC trolling article which create again flaming discussion where car or bicycles are against each other. Well, world is not that B&W.

Mr Mead is conceptual artist, famous from films like Blade Runner and Alien. Conseptual artist is typically hired to sketch the producers first ideas of the coming film. These sketches are important to convince finance and artistical people to be involved to this film. No doubt, Mr Mead has succeed to do this. But as futuristic thinker he is somehow narrow minded. Car is not the latest invention in transporting history. Like fire or wheel, old inventions are use full too. Basic transportation devices are all ready invented, they are just getting better and better in time.

I'm sure that in future everything is powered by engines, even sidewalks but there is a well reserved place for human powered vehicles too. People still need and want to use their muscles to create power. They want to feel alive and gain something real instead of sitting in a boxed four wheel chair and be sure that this is the thing.




Monday, May 27, 2013

Cinelli SCP

This full chromed beauty from 1962 or 63 came to my hands last week it auction held in Helsinki Olympic Velodrome. It is painted to Bianchi celeste colors but really it is Cinellin Super Corsa Pista. Year of make is unconfirmed and also that tubing is from Reynolds 531 and Columbus tubing both.

Fast first build and test ride done tonight in moderate rain, it was a bliss for blessed new owner.


Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Doctor's tools

Visited Doctor's workshop again and he showed interesting vintage and new tools to solve common problems in bicycle repair and build. With these you can save rare frames and hard-to-find forks. I give big respect for Doctor's contribution to world of bicycles.

Long caliper to measure ERD on rims

This fits to aero rims too
Cottered cranks pin press
Made by Danecia(?)
Fork jig to observe and adjust
Extented saw to get rid of stucked saddleposts
Knife grinder from Buenos Aires

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Front end tools

Ability to innovate, create new idea's and develope them to working machines is one of the homo sapiens great skills. They are the only species that clothe themselves, build fires and use tools in massive ways. Perhaps the greatest tool of Homo Sapiens is the hand itself.

New and old tools belong to bicycle world too, imagination is the only limit to creative problem solving. Here is just a few examples of variety of bicycle tools. These photos are from front end tools that are used to repair or build your precious machine.

threads tool by Hozan
blocks to hold the fork in 
threading or straightening by SJT
tools for fork straightening jobs by VAR and Pyykkö
tools to get rid of head tube dents by Pyörätohtori
tools to get rid of head tube dents by Pyörätohtori
bottle opener to finalize your picnic's

Monday, April 8, 2013

Knife Grinder vs. Gravel Grinding

They used to do other type of grinding before it came sportishly hip on gravel. Find this magnificent site of Museum of Tradesman's Delivery Bikes. 

These bicycles were made for hard work, not just for recreational fun. Also this site reminds me again how parallel history combustion engine motor cycles and bicycles have. Don't need the crystal ball to tell everyone that new cargo bike renaissance is crowing with electrical motors on them.

Work for fun, fun in work.

"Here he is, with his strings of onions, sun-tanned face, broken English and something in his gay appearance - all telling you he comes from France. Look out for him in the Summer"











Sunday, April 7, 2013

Cycle movies

Some excellent cycle films and clips needs to mentioned and linked.

  • Lucas Brunelle's Line of Sight is great except the shooting chapter
  • Valparaiso downhill has awesome shooting
  • Pedal, bike messenger documentary
  • Brussels Express is sad view to city with no bicycles
  • Lana Del Rey song. Angels Forever










Monday, April 1, 2013

Toronto and Hydra islands

Still, there is places with no cars.

Hydra is Greek island with no cars or mopeds. I got wonderful chance to visit there couple of years ago. Hydra is only two hours from Athens by boat and you got chance to do your morning wake up by roosters yelling. Soundscape is so good with no traffic noises or combustion engines. Hydra island is perfect for walking and cycling but we walked a lot because the steep topology and stairs. Local transportation of goods and heavy materials is done by donkeys and the truckers got special mustache style, possible in heritage to somebody important in Hydra history.

Toronto islands used to be like that, before they open new ferry route, capable to carry cars. People used to simply walk or cycle everywhere at any weather. Bicycles were the main transportation in cargo transportation too.

Manuel Cappel lives in Toronto island and builds beautiful and crazy looking utility bicycles. Read more from Cappel Custom Carts from here. This is where art meets function and food delivers the energy to move things.





Monday, March 25, 2013

Rad Lastenrad

This popped into my eyes while surfing in da net. Sure got vision, one of the first e-bike ever with style. Most e-bikes are these awful hybrids i.e. modern granny bikes in which you can see from parsec away what they really are .

This steampunk styled modern cargo bike is done by Seppl Schoo, pay extra attention to details in this modern workhorse.


Saturday, February 23, 2013

Good Old Zine

Zines were the way to published your own text's before internet time. Nowadays zines are the blogs like this.

Fixed gear and single speed enthusianist community Yksivaihde.net published old school style zine called Ketjukirje (Chain letter) in last week. Circulation is only 200 pieces and digital version is not available.

Writings are from Bike Disco in Tram Track to Yksivaihde.net forum subject statistics and Raidö Story to Crossword Puzzle with awesome craphix. Humble contribution given to this fine fanzine.




Thursday, February 14, 2013

Double Everything

Everything brokes sooner or later. Electric "gas" throttle handle broke up today causing full throttle situation in traffic lights. Hurry, hurry, do something! Quickly disconnected the wiring from front wheel hub motor.

I manage to get home with broken handle, it was nice to change spare from box. Tomorrow I mash my eMukluk thru the melting city and thru the stucked traffic again.

By doing many performance art shows and tours, I have leaner one good lesson to make technology trust full: double everything.

Also, got new La Pavoni Europiccola espresso machina couple of days ago restored by Skukin and front rack today too, thanks Pelago!

La Pavoni presso handle on right




Friday, February 8, 2013

Next thing?

Here is nice example of contemporary transportation solution. I guess the performance of this bike is unbeatable. Moose Caboose dropped this pics to MTBR.

more 


Saturday, February 2, 2013

400/1 and food

"Making bikes that outcompete other bikes is not relevant. Making bikes that outcompete cars... that's interesting"- Jens Martin Skibsted

Winter cycling is bliss with right gear. I have ridden over fifteen winters but two last with electric Mukluk and it has been paradise for bike freak. Conservative cyclists may not give any respect for electric motor in bicycle but I take it as an experiment. Machines that are capable to do the every day jobs: transporting you 15 km in late hours after dinner in heavy snowstorm, transporting groceries and kids, making your commuting to work possible in coldest and challenging road conditions days.

I used to ride fixed Monark 92320 conversion with 35mm tires in winter. It sure was more sporty, sweaty and slow way to move, but in some winter days the bliss was bit too far. Don't mind being wet from exercise but the biggest difference to eMukluk riding  is that I don't think the snowy weather, road conditions, distances and the way I dress anymore. I just ride and that's good for my zenish mind. Car, train or bus is less and less attractive idea in winter.

I spend 1 euro for every 400 kilometers to charge the battery in eMukluk, I spend more money in food even if I use car or aeroplane in same distance.

Reynolds 531 decal marks can be seen on fork.
Happy camper after pump help given by loyal bike friend.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Frozen Flat City

"It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle." ~ Ernest Hemingway

I visited city of Oulu in northern Finland to do lighting in contemporary dance production. Oulu is all most as flat as Copenhagen and Amsterdam and cycling is very popular here too. No matter the winter coldness they still ride here. Winter cycling congress is also held in Oulu in february 2013.