Ryan Leech...

He doesn't dab, you know. And he'll be doing a trials demo at the Burnaby 4 Day TODAY! Tuesday December 28th. Get out to the velodrome to watch some racing and see if that famous saying really is true...



And I don't think any of us are riding BMX enough right now, but Sean Burns' latest should get the stoke going.

Burnaby 4-Day

Next week (Dec. 27-30) will be the Burnaby 4-Day track race. This is possibly the biggest race the BVC has ever hosted with several international PRO level racers coming out. Tyler Farrar (Garmin/Transitions & ranked 9th in 2010s UCI rankings):


Christian Meier (Garmin/Transitions):


Zach Bell (World Championships silver medallist):


Tara Whitten (Current Omnium & Points race World Champion):


Svein Tuft (Former Garmin/Transitions, now Team Spidertech):


...and Sarah Hammer (Two-time track world champion):



There will also be plenty of racing on an amateur level in the A, B & C categories which will be just as good to watch (just not as fast) while the PRO's are taking a break.

The house lights are being turned off and it's going to be all Euro-disco styles with a bunch of kegs kicking around. Party time at the track. Check here for party times.

I'll be there on the final two days working as a commissaire/track nazi. Call me what you will but who wouldn't want to get close to all that spandy-pants ass?

2010 British Indoor Cycle Speedway Championships!

This is awesome. We should make this happen in Vancouver... I mean come on.. Portland's done it, right?

A couple BMX vids to clear the air...

Tate Roskelley's last edit was a lot to live up to, but this one's not bad. I think it's the song, though; that Dr. Dog "Heart It Races" is pretty good.



And a very Sean Burns-esque character with Jay Wilson in the new Bone Deth edit. Nick approves, and I quote: "holy shit of the year."

Next Level Unicycling

Honestly, with the number of times I burst out laughing during this video, I'd recommend keeping your coffee on the desk while you watch it. I won't leave any spoilers here, but it looks like this guy is after our boy Danny and the entire world of fixed gear freestyle.

NAUCC 2010 from Max Schulze on Vimeo.

Browser video cleanup

Yep. Once again I find that I've got way too many browswer tabs open. Instead of bookmarking these videos or Zoteroing them.. I'll just paste them here.


I liked the first half of this one, specifically the wheel building, gets pretty meh once the bike is runnign though:

AFFINITY CYCLES x KENZO MINAMI = DIGITIZER from Cinecycle on Vimeo.

Not a terrible song or vid:


Completely ridic and awesome:

Erik Elstran's Dragon Shredit (internet edition) from North of Ten on Vimeo.

Cool way to win a bike:

More Mountain Biking Videos

Wicked leaning electric assisted cargo trike from Onya Cycles in SF:

BC Cyclocross Provincial Championship

Sunday, November 28 is the last race of the season, and the provincial championship. Racing starts at 11am at Mahon Park in North Vancouver, with the elite men's final at 1pm. Get your heckle on!

MTBville Bobsled Shredit

Here's a video from local bro Ross Measures of mtbville.com. This one isn't up on mtbville yet, but there is definitely some content worth looking at. The video is also hosted ad-free on vimeo if you'd prefer to watch it there, but I will respect Ross' wishes to have embedding link back to vital so you can watch an ad.

Geoff Gulevich sure does rip it up. Next time you're up on Bobsled--which seems to be about 9/10 times on Fromme lately--it's time to start manualing those whoops! The high speed truckin' on Indian River Drive doesn't quite capture the stomach-in-throat feeling of being there, but I know the spot well!

Video: Geoff Gulevich on Home Turf - More Mountain Bike Videos

EDIT: vital embedding appears to not be working, go to vimeo to watch it...

Curved Tubes and Unique Features

I just had an interesting thought come up that falls in line with the evolution of the multi-disciplinary cyclist such as us here at Project-B. When I had my own bicycle renaissance in the realm of 700c, bikes of intrinsic value with curved tubes and unique features were high on my list of "wants". Years later, the desire for the curvy stylish bike continues, in a different way.

Exhibit A: Cyclops Time Trial bike.



Note the curved seat tube, among other oddities, and intrinsic value in the Canadian builder. This bike saw me through the three longest days I've ever done on a bike (220, 320, and 410km rides), all within a three week period. That's some history.

Since then, I have taken a beeline through an elite-level cyclocross bike and into the world of mountain bikes. Though they may at first seem unrelated, I just came to the realization that my new mountain bike also has curved tubes and unique features.

Exhibit B: The Banshee Wildcard.



The curved tubes come by way of hydroforming, and the unique features are designed on a computer, but the idea still stands and Banshee is a boutique company based in BC. My rides aren't as long these days but the fun factor is just as high.

Sure, the bikes have completely different purposes, but they can be appreciated for similarities, at least aesthetically. Let's leave that as an unfinished thought, unless someone wants to buy the Cyclops. I'm going to get back to an essay on "the imperial adventure novel" while dreaming of "the imperial adventure bike ride".

Prolly: Shoes Contest

Prolly is having a photo contest, giving away some DZR Strasse SPD sneakers. I'd love to see how they'd do on the trails, not to mention at work as a courier. The parameters of the contest: post a photo of your local bike shop.

Where do I go for wheel builds and anything I'm likely to screw up because I don't have the right tools? The Vallie Components garage. Lyle's shop is about as local as it gets, being six blocks from my house. Having just finished Matt "teen wolf" Hornland's Flite Club rack, mine is next up for the trusty TIG machine. Pretty damn stoked.

I didn't get a chance to shoot a fresh photo at the shop this week, so I'm submitting one from the torque test we did back in September.

Danny MacAskill: Way Back Home

This does not disappoint.



I'm making this a Danny superpost. Back in October 2008 we posted the first one we came across...




And then of course April 2009, when it all blew up.



Still stoked on Mr. McStokeskill?

Shopping Cart Nosebonk to Barspin in the Woods

The first line in this video is rad. It's from the BC-produced film Brighter, which is worth watching in its entirety as well.



In related news, I caved and bought a full suspension bike. A deal that was too good to pass up on a well-cared for Banshee Wildcard marks the second Proj-Bike bought from Mr. Lidstone. Since it's a slopestyle bike, I'm going to have to brush up on my barspins and no-foot cans.

Macneil PNW

Matt B. pointed me to this one a few weeks ago, and I just got around to watching it. Lots of familiar spots through Vancouver, Bellingham, Seattle, and Portland. Cascadia! The flair on the barrier at 4th and Manitoba blew me away!

New Mutiny Video: Dunkerque

I've always liked what the Mutiny crew puts out, and this one doesn't disappoint. Dunkerque is on the English Channel in the north of France, almost in Belgium.

Life Cycles: Vancouver Premiere

We've got tickets for this out at UBC on Thursday. Doors at 7. Tickets at Dunbar Bikes. Pretty smooth trailer.

Amazin Blaze

This guy seems pretty good. I'll bet he turns out a mean bike frame.

OCB Halloween Party

If you're looking for us two Sundays from now, try here:



Always a fun time at the OCB Party!

Sweet old DH'in.

This is like going riding with Lyle!

Going Apeshit

I'd say this guy is going apeshit on his shitty cruiser.

Suitably nerdy

Some super nerdy reading for you.



I've updated Vallie components, and published an article on the torque testing of some M5 bolts.

I've also found this really interesting article on chain wear measurement.

I also found out about Civia Cycle's Halstead cycletruck:


Yeah.. I pretty much spend my time online looking at pages like this.

...and who can forget the 'stringbike'. We had an interesting fellow come into the shop the other day and tell us about it. I had previously read the article and seen the animations, so I knew what he was talking about.. but it was super funny to hear his strange Hungarian pride when telling me of it.

Okay.. back to work.

Only In Italy...

This one fully qualifies for WMD's category of "so fucking lame but somehow so fucking cool"... for me it evokes images of the early days of the current fixed gear movement, with many of the moves looking like the oh-so-awkward skid variations.



And if you thought that was embarrassing, check out this video from March 2007.

Chris Akrigg - Teocali Mega.0

Chris sits down with his mum and relives this years Mega Avalanche race.

Projekt-Dorifto

I know we've been a little thin on content lately, but this should make up for it.

D.B.D.H. 2010

What did you do this past weekend? I was fairly responsible and held down Mighty all weekend... Meanwhile, one city to the South, the Dead Baby Downhill was going on. As Alan would say, SUPER JEALZ! Here's a great vid showcasing the fun:

A video to keep you occupied.

4 minutes of mostly slow-mo, lots of the good old tony hawk combo lines.

Finally, a brake that won't slow you down.

A little bit of irony in this ad for some new Hayes hydraulic levers spotted on NSMB. Looks like they've added an adjustment to the master cylinder to tweak brake action and modulation. I am more interested in brakes that do slow me down, however.



So if it wasn't obvious enough from my flickr page, I've been spending the majority of my two-wheeled time on the North Shore, attempting to conquer super technical trails on my Kona Chute hardtail and shooting a ton of photos. Here are some of my recent favourites (click for big!):

Jumped this massive stepdown gap on Cypress last week... that was a rush.



Our new riding buddy Roger likes to jump things too, like this log ride to dorp on Mt. Seymour.



Lyle is now loggin' miles on the freshly built Kona Unit single speeder.



We finally made our way to some of the lesser-traveled trails on the west side of Fromme, where Jodi hit this sketchy line.



The successful riding of the heron swamp section on our current favourite trail, Ladies Only, is a big highlight.



We miss our good bud Khaled, whose steezy jumps such as on Squamish's Half Nelson are now being forced on unsuspecting Europeans.



He did refer me to fellow forest lover, Ghostrider, who likes to take it easy down the hill - just the way I like it.



And even silent ProjB Brandon has been found back on a mountain bike, taking it to the Extreme on Burnaby Mountain.



Finally, while last week we threatened to kick Nick out of ProjB for parting out his dream bike, he is making huge progression on his BMX and has been given another chance. We spent the afternoon at Confed with a hipster briefcase and a picnic that the neighbourhood ants just loved. My camera battery had just died, but I will confirm that Nick got above coping on the mini bowl more than once. In lieu of that, check out this radical stunt by way of Alan.

Bike to Work Weak

Just saw this from Aran Cook @ Naked bikes. So hilarious. So rad to see that he lives in a van on the property! I want to bike back up there at the end of the summer.

Nakedbikes - Bike To Work Weak from aran cook on Vimeo.

Also.. check this mad max'd out rig:

Timestretching is not a Crime

Argh. Some massive OTB to falt yesterday afternoon has left me with bruised ribs, destroyed traps, and a splitting headache. That being said I'm listening to Kraftwerk, eating T3z, and attempting to record this in some useable format while enjoying the last day of my 3 day weekend. Timestretching is not a crime.

Last night I gave a talk at Vanhackspace and was completely out of it. I think I rambled on for possibly up to 20 minutes covering Tires, bearings, brakes, drivetrain, cable systems, and bike fit. Pretty sure the nerds were into it.

This guy named Aki made a sweet VR google maps java mashup to trainer bike in his garage. I was stoked to check out the glasses. He's tweaking the ping rate to the gmap server to make it look more fluid as well.

There was also a fellow electronic/fabrication guy showing off his 1100W electric tadpole trike. Full custom motor controller. Thing was sick. Looked stupid fast.


Also presenting was the guy who does Critical Mass radio. Its hard to describe, but he had an electric modded Kona, with a crazy custom class AB Op amplifier that ran off the 48V that the hub takes as well. The thing BOOMed... apparently he's just over CRTC wattage regulations with the transmitter as well. I <3 stereo bikes. The ride home at 11:30 was tough.

Related: bike fetish day just happened in Brooklyn last weekend, and the dirty jerz got some shots of something that just completely does it for my shaved ice bike stereo fetish.



OMG. look at that thing. Monitors in the side, leaf springs and all. daaaaang.
I want to roll that thing bumping sick wolf beats:


ugh. dizzy. There was other stuff I wanted to blog about. but its like a broke jpeg in here.

Riding High

I got interviewed for the evening news yesterday after meeting a reporter on the commute in to work. Here's the video.

The future of bike videos

Now that was a bit of a trip eh? Sorry, I guess Retrobike fever has got a good grip upon my brain. Extreme Klunker touring! Dig the aero position on those moto bars! Here's part two:



Party!

Okay, for real real. The future of bike videos. After being linked by multiple sources, I've decided to post the !!!NSFW!!! trailer for the Bone Deth video "Surfin for Ugly Broads":

Bone Deth 'Surfin' For The Ugly Broads' The Movie Trailer from babysabbath on Vimeo.

This seems to be an homage to not only the entire horror genre, but the early skate vids, with ridiculous plots and skits. If we focus on the Horror aspect of it, we see situations one wouldn't normally find themselves in. Like hanging out with tanning martian babes, when zombies burst out of the ground. Similarly, flinging yourself off a multi story drop on 20" wheels. Horrifying, isn't it?

Okay. So once again (c0urtesy of TCU).. here's the NSFW behind the scenes interview with the guys behind this video. Hilarious!

Behind the scenes with BONE DETH from joe cookie on Vimeo.

Okay.. so if you find this thing in bad taste or whatever, let me know. If you aren't in the BMX thing, "Bone Deth" is essentially Sean Burns. It also used to be a crazy BMX jam on the East coast, with ridiculous Blacklabelesque challenges. Here's a total horrorshow video of the goings on at one of the Bone Deth jams:



Gnar. Here's a vid of next years's setup:


So yeah... just WHAT ARE the future of bike videos? Seymour bombs vids? bromantic lifestyle segments? 120FPS? Product commercials?

Slow Motion Walter

Fire Engine Guy. Since when does Alan send us BMX videos?! This is some big size riding. Redbull helmet indicates largeness. 120 frames a second for maximum style critique. The film-school-esque composition doesn't do it for me every time, but that's just my opinion.

If it was a Volkswagen Beetle we would have fired it out right away.

I have no background info for this photo. Anyone? Boosty Collins? If my Hot Wheels collection remains unmolested, I should have an awesome white Countach in there.



So we all like jumping over stuff, right? Alan jumps over stuff on his skateboard, and just happens to be good friends with now-super-famous Thomas Prior. It's photos like this that make me want some good ones of me riding BMX with a giant beard, jumping over stuff. Friar Tuckin'.



Feeling inspired, I went looking for the VANRAMP footage and came across this. Street bike into a foam pit. Street bike OVER a foam pit. Gnarles Barkley.

The Shore Beckons

Fresh off yet another weekend of hardtail shredding, we're stoked on the ride and stoked to get back up there. Four of us met up with Andrew from Brodie Bikes at the crack of 9am Sunday morning, fully caffeineated as expected and ready to climb the fire road up Mt. Fromme.

First, your friendly neighbourhood Bike Checks:

Lyle's Haro Extreme is a conversation piece standing still, let alone being tossed down rocks, roots, and ladders. With a NOS Marz MZ1 from Dave at Ride On, it's that much more extreme.



My Brodie Catalyst, being confused for a vintage bike on a regular basis. 8 rides and I was through the first pair of front brake pads. Very happy with the decision.



Tim's Specialized Rockhopper, ugly on flat ground but sweet once it's pointed down hill. Listening to Tim breathing down your neck is another story...



James' Haro Steel Reserve 8, one brake, no suspension, serious shredder! Outrigger soccer shoes, unbelievable talent.



I was able to snap a few photos that weren't complete crap, even in the low light conditions of the magical forest.

Tim takes a second full pull on the first log on 7th Secret.



James headed down a switchback while Lyle waits for him to clear it. Being behind the guy with only a rear brake is much less scary than being right in front of him. This photo gives you a good idea of the rock work that both protects the trail from erosion and smoothes out the ride.



7 frame sequence on 7th Secret, made to gif by Lyle himself. This log was steep as hell, and I was the only one left to watch Andrew nail it at speed.



And a shot of Andrew and Lyle on a rock roller coaster section on Pipeline. Click for big!



Ironic Mountain Bike Parking. We all have track bikes, so we're versed in this, right?



Now, sit back and enjoy this video. Sure the airs may be beyond the scope of what we're riding, but the feeling is there - the feeling that is likely to recur next weekend...

Dan Lacey has the smoothest landings.

You wish you could land this smooth. Also this is what Khaled would sound like if he was a rapper.

Gastown Sprints March 17

Racing bikes indoors!

It's a good thing Gastown Sprints is on March 17, or you'd have to tell your co-workers that you didn't give a shit about St. Patrick's Day even though you likely have more Irish blood than their grandparents.

If we can get 8 people in on the beer sprints this time, we can have our own mini-elimination pyramid! Tell everyone, and put it in your calendar now. Beer Sprints with ProjB, 8pm at the Astoria on March 17.

WMD's New Mini Tarck Tall

I love it when Alan get an idea and follows through with it. I hear this bike was inspired by copious amounts of megadeth and probably some of that green stuff as usual. Looks awesome, Alan!

This ones for Nick and Cody

Mountain tall. Lets do it.

The Longest Race BMX Manual I Have Ever Seen

Konrad keeps digging up the gold here; this guy came home with silver in 2008. I recommend a soundtrack swap: turn this up first, then fullscreen the video.



And the feature presentation of Konrad's new FBM Bitchin' Camaro. No wonder he's watching BMX race vids.

Tony Hawk Combo Time

So many of the lines in this video had me shaking my head... smith - manual - no foot can?

Alex Magallan in ATX from SundayBikes.com

Treadmill Footjam

I'm going to go ahead and categorize this one under "what did you think was going to happen?" I remember doing effectively this on my Diamondback Viper when I was just big enough to have a 20" BMX. I have a vivid memory of exactly where in my old townhouse complex I did it. I have another vivid memory of riding my S&M on my mom's treadmill in 2004 or so, no footjam. Oh wait, that's a photo. I swear I remember.


Thanks Konrad for the link, thanks Sherry Spanza who is now hooning horses in Edmonton for the treadmill shot.

Now it turns out the kids in the above video are quite capable of the footjam nosepick, as seen here, among other tricks I wish I could do in their indoor park. I don't mind you coming here.

Hi Def

Here's the best MBW video I've seen all year!

Mini Bike Winter | 2010 from Richie Thomassen on Vimeo.

Gabe sez "This video of Mini Bike Winter is way better than my memories or reality!"
Richie Thomassen did a really spectacular job on this one. The Chariot war scene is incredible!

Oh..and here's a rad rollerglamour vid by Sara Kinney and Chombo:

Ignition from Sara Kinney on Vimeo.

I really like the shot of the back wheel where we see the spokes stop and the DA logos keep spinning. I cannot think of what that effect is called, though I know its based on Nyquist theorem, the framerate, and wheel speed.

I guess more and more bike vids are going to start looking like this. Soon they'll be so real I won't even need to go outside.

Revenge of the slider!

PaulGT over on fixedvan just put up a link to Eastern Bike's Slider contest promo vid. My freakin brain exploded!

Eastern Bikes Slider Contest from Eastern Bikes on Vimeo.

AHHHH!

Proj-Beer Sprint

Down at the monthly Gastown Sprints roller races people show who's got the most leg speed with zero resistance. As I work better with resistance, I wanted a grudge match with my buds and here it is. Finish your beer before you can finish the race. This was way more fun than getting beat by chicken-legged hipsters, and good for the crowd as well.

I'd like to put out a public word of appreciation for Moses, the man behind the action. He worked his ass off starting this thing up last year and only recently got hooked up with the good people at Cycles Lambert, who are now throwing down prizes every month and making our roller races as lucrative as alleycat racing. It's a format that anyone can participate in, it's indoors, and even if you don't stand a chance to win, you can still race your friends and risk throwing up.


Thanks Nate for the photo. Remember that time I beat you in a race with resistance? Oh yeah. Moses bet on me!

Minibike Winter 2010 Chariot Wars

J Maus of Bikeportland.org has a great set of photos as well too:


Who won this year's epic battle? Zoobomb did of course!

Coolin' down, dressing up, going out.

Andy over at the Fyx has posted the second round of his shoot with Sabrina. You owe it to yourself to check out the whole set. She swaps the bars and rides away in heels...

Feel Free to Pass...

Another rad day at the mountain. Opting out of both the tweed ride, St. Valentines race, AND Riot2010.. we headed out to get muddy at out local East side spot. Conditions were sloppy, wet, and sloppy. I got to watch Weeks flick his rear K-Rad around roots and berms like it was on ice. Theres a science behind that. I believe the technical term is 'Poo Notches'.



Poohaps that should go in the B-tionary. Oh.. speaking of which:

attention [əˈtɛnʃən]
n
1. concentrated direction of the mind, esp to a problem or task
2. consideration, notice, or observation a new matter has come to our attention
3. The act of truing and tensioning ones wheels after their break in period My rear wheel could use a tension

Its definitely getting faster out there. I found the best flow would happen when Morgan would lead and eat up the bumps. Weeks would follow and translate Morgan's line to rigid. Then I would follow and try to match Weeks' line. Bigger bars mute your input. Smaller tires wash out easier. The Extreme is getting dialed, and so is the Brotalyst. I feel like I'm 15 again. Lets end this with a straight downhill blast losing 100m elevation for every 600m of trail shall we? Feel free to pass!

John Housser - VR on the North Shore

I've come across some amazing VR photo stitches of mountain biking trails on the North Shore and in other places in BC. Below you will find a link to a John Housser's page with the 360º image, and a thumbnail to give you an idea of what you're in for. These are some of my favourites, but there are hundreds (including tons from other amazing locations), so go have a look for yourself!

Ditch Pig Drop - Dan


Old School Oilcan


Tom Rolling on Pink Starfish


Werner Lake Landing


Lakeside in the South Chilcotins


Joffrey Lakes Camping Trip 01



The following seven are BONUS MATERIAL that I can't find on his site... enjoy!



Fromme - Boundary Lower 1

Fromme - Boundary Lower 4

Fromme - Boundary Creek Approach

Fromme - Boundary Tall Bridge

Fromme - Digger Skinnies 1

Fromme - Digger Skinnies 2

Fromme - Digger End Roll