I'll keep this brief, since this isn't really something most people will care about, but I just want to get this out. This evening was the Christmas party for Vancouver's bicycle messengers; the event included a potluck feast, a Pinata, and Messenger of the Year awards. All in all, a pretty solid party.
Think about this, though: How many Christmas parties can you think of that are held by/for an entire industry, rather than simply for employees of a single company? There are well over a dozen courier companies that employ bikers in Vancouver, and probably over a hundred people working as bicycle messengers. Come Christmas-time, all these people from all these different companies get together and have one big party, instead of the usual boring, hokey "office" party.
I guess I just think it's really damn cool. Solidarity, brothers.
-DXII
Monday, December 21, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Bridge Battle 3: The Aftermath
Well, I just got home from Bridge Battle 3 - or more accurately, from the party that ensued at the end of Bridge Battle 3 - and am now ensconced in my couch, unlikely to emerge again for the next several hours. I had a blast, and look forward to participating again next year.
In previous years, the weather for this race has been nothing but dismal, but this year mother nature decided to cooperate a bit more. It was a reasonable temperature, with virtually no precipitation of any sort. As far as I know, everyone who started made it to the end, and there were no significant crashes. Bravo, racers, you survived!
The Results:
First place overall went to Cody and his hilarious pink wheels. He won some cash and first pick from the swag pile. Second place was out-of-town wildcard Mander, and rounding out the podium was Tim Wyatt in third.
First girl was Sarah, and James gets honorable mention for managing to rescue someone's stolen bike from the DTES, escort it to safety, and still finish the race in a position other than DFL.
A big thank you to all the checkpoint volunteers, especially Lyle for making those awesome checkpoint signs for the elusive Second Narrows checkpoint. And of course, a huuuge thank you to Haley, for putting this whole affair together, for the third year in a row. Hoorah!
-DXII
In previous years, the weather for this race has been nothing but dismal, but this year mother nature decided to cooperate a bit more. It was a reasonable temperature, with virtually no precipitation of any sort. As far as I know, everyone who started made it to the end, and there were no significant crashes. Bravo, racers, you survived!
The Results:
First place overall went to Cody and his hilarious pink wheels. He won some cash and first pick from the swag pile. Second place was out-of-town wildcard Mander, and rounding out the podium was Tim Wyatt in third.
First girl was Sarah, and James gets honorable mention for managing to rescue someone's stolen bike from the DTES, escort it to safety, and still finish the race in a position other than DFL.
A big thank you to all the checkpoint volunteers, especially Lyle for making those awesome checkpoint signs for the elusive Second Narrows checkpoint. And of course, a huuuge thank you to Haley, for putting this whole affair together, for the third year in a row. Hoorah!
-DXII
Thursday, December 10, 2009
3rd Annual Bridge Battle! Yeeeeeah!
It's back, and it's as ball-busting as ever! All five bridges leaving the downtown core, all in one race! If it stays true to tradition, the weather will be horrendous! Wooooo!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Gastown Sprints: New Month, New Location!
Treachery is afoot. The current Gastown Sprints location has been lost! This is because Pub 340 is undergoing some sort of renovation, and thus cannot host it. Fortunately, for the December edition of your favourite roller races, a new location has been obtained! Wednesday December 16th, Gastown Sprints will be back, but this time they're at the Astoria.
Show up! Bring your friends! Spin until your legs fall off!
Show up! Bring your friends! Spin until your legs fall off!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Activate Winter Mode!
Well, the forecast is calling for the first snow of the year here in Vancouver, and that means it's time to winterize! We're fortunate here on the west coast; our winter is temperate enough that you can pretty much ride straight through it. However, if you intend to do so, it's a good idea to make a couple quick upgrades to your ride before hittin' the slushy streets.
1. Fenders!
Both the most imperative and the easiest of winter upgrades, fenders are a life-saver when the streets get nasty. A variety of different types are available, and what you should choose depends on what kind of bike you ride, and how much coverage you desire. If you just want enough to keep the road gunk off your butt, and like something quick and easy to install, something like this will do you just fine. They're cheap, fit on any kind of bike, and keep your butt dry.
If you're looking for something with more coverage - to keep your legs and the person behind you dry - you're probably better off with something like this. A bit more money, and a bit more labour-intensive to get installed correctly, but they'll provide better road goo protection than a clip-on. A word of warning about full fenders, though: they're usually wheel-size-specific, so make sure you get ones that are intended for your wheels size!
2. Bearings
If you've got a bicycle that was made in the last few years, you probably don't need to worry about this - this point is more for those of you riding vintage road bikes, or other older bikes. If you have an older bike, it's likely that you have loose ball bearings in your bottom bracket, and maybe even in your hubs. Riding these in wet weather will destroy them, and it will do so rather quickly. If you plan on riding an older bike this winter, take it into your favourite bike shop, and get them to replace your bottom bracket with the more modern sealed-bearing type. You'll be able to ride a sealed bottom bracket in whatever weather you can find, without having to worry about your bearings getting mangled.
3. Tires
If you're planning on riding a mountain bike this winter, you can pretty much ignore this section; your bike will likely already be equipped with wide tires that will give you a good contact patch in slippery weather. If you're riding a road or track bike, though, it might be time for some different tires. Those 23c slicks are great for fast rides on dry pavement, but once things get slippery, a wider contact patch is a good idea. Many people are under the impression that slippery conditions call for a tire with a chunky tread, but this is not true. What you want is a tire with a large amount of rubber meeting the road, which means something wide and fairly slick is the way to go. Tires with blocks of tread are designed for loose terrain, not wet or icy pavement. A good bet for winter road tires is something like a Shwalbe Marathon; they're wide, they're relatively slick, and they're thick enough to offer some puncture protection against the road debris that inevitably builds up during the winter months.
4. Lights
This bit is mostly common sense, but I'll mention it anyways. It gets dark earlier in the winter! This means that your 5pm commute home will probably take place in low light conditions for the next couple months. Invest in a couple blinkies, at the very least. These can be had at almost any bike shop, for under $10, and will keep you visible during your twilight commutes. Some people opt for larger, more powerful (and of course, more expensive) lights, but it's my opinion that these aren't really necessary when riding in a well-lit urban environment.
Well, that's all for now. Hopefully this post will help at least a couple Vancouverites keep on commuting all year 'round. If you have any more winter preparation tips, we'd love to hear them! Drop us a line at districtxii at gmail dot com.
Ride safe,
DXII
1. Fenders!
Both the most imperative and the easiest of winter upgrades, fenders are a life-saver when the streets get nasty. A variety of different types are available, and what you should choose depends on what kind of bike you ride, and how much coverage you desire. If you just want enough to keep the road gunk off your butt, and like something quick and easy to install, something like this will do you just fine. They're cheap, fit on any kind of bike, and keep your butt dry.
If you're looking for something with more coverage - to keep your legs and the person behind you dry - you're probably better off with something like this. A bit more money, and a bit more labour-intensive to get installed correctly, but they'll provide better road goo protection than a clip-on. A word of warning about full fenders, though: they're usually wheel-size-specific, so make sure you get ones that are intended for your wheels size!
2. Bearings
If you've got a bicycle that was made in the last few years, you probably don't need to worry about this - this point is more for those of you riding vintage road bikes, or other older bikes. If you have an older bike, it's likely that you have loose ball bearings in your bottom bracket, and maybe even in your hubs. Riding these in wet weather will destroy them, and it will do so rather quickly. If you plan on riding an older bike this winter, take it into your favourite bike shop, and get them to replace your bottom bracket with the more modern sealed-bearing type. You'll be able to ride a sealed bottom bracket in whatever weather you can find, without having to worry about your bearings getting mangled.
3. Tires
If you're planning on riding a mountain bike this winter, you can pretty much ignore this section; your bike will likely already be equipped with wide tires that will give you a good contact patch in slippery weather. If you're riding a road or track bike, though, it might be time for some different tires. Those 23c slicks are great for fast rides on dry pavement, but once things get slippery, a wider contact patch is a good idea. Many people are under the impression that slippery conditions call for a tire with a chunky tread, but this is not true. What you want is a tire with a large amount of rubber meeting the road, which means something wide and fairly slick is the way to go. Tires with blocks of tread are designed for loose terrain, not wet or icy pavement. A good bet for winter road tires is something like a Shwalbe Marathon; they're wide, they're relatively slick, and they're thick enough to offer some puncture protection against the road debris that inevitably builds up during the winter months.
4. Lights
This bit is mostly common sense, but I'll mention it anyways. It gets dark earlier in the winter! This means that your 5pm commute home will probably take place in low light conditions for the next couple months. Invest in a couple blinkies, at the very least. These can be had at almost any bike shop, for under $10, and will keep you visible during your twilight commutes. Some people opt for larger, more powerful (and of course, more expensive) lights, but it's my opinion that these aren't really necessary when riding in a well-lit urban environment.
Well, that's all for now. Hopefully this post will help at least a couple Vancouverites keep on commuting all year 'round. If you have any more winter preparation tips, we'd love to hear them! Drop us a line at districtxii at gmail dot com.
Ride safe,
DXII
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Return of a Bad Idea! Alleycat + Movie Premiere!
This coming sunday, there's all sorts of mayhem afoot!
First, starting at 6pm, there's an alleycat of stupendous riskiness. A "figure eight" course through the streets of Vancouver has been devised, and the race will be run in a "miss and out" format, which means the last place rider at the end of each lap gets eliminated, until only one remains! The risky part? No brakes allowed! Brakeless fixed-gears only!
Shortly after this, starting at 9:30pm, the premiere of Vancouver-centric bicycle film "The Revival" will be taking place at the Rickshaw Theatre.
First, starting at 6pm, there's an alleycat of stupendous riskiness. A "figure eight" course through the streets of Vancouver has been devised, and the race will be run in a "miss and out" format, which means the last place rider at the end of each lap gets eliminated, until only one remains! The risky part? No brakes allowed! Brakeless fixed-gears only!
Shortly after this, starting at 9:30pm, the premiere of Vancouver-centric bicycle film "The Revival" will be taking place at the Rickshaw Theatre.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Back for more! It's Gastown Sprints time again!
This coming Wednesday is the next installment of the legendary Gastown Sprints. Same bat time, same bat channel. Be there!
(for the uninitiated, "same bat time, same bat channel" means 8:30pm at Pub 340.)
(for the uninitiated, "same bat time, same bat channel" means 8:30pm at Pub 340.)
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Halloween Hellstorm!
There's an alleycat race brewin' this coming Hallow's Eve! Registration will begin at Crab Park at 5pm, and racing should be underway by 6. Ten bucks to enter...bring your hammerin' legs!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Gastown Sprints: October Edition
Your favourite roller races are back for another round. Oct 7th at the usual spot, get there at 8pm to register.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Flow: An Art Exhibition About North Shore Mountain Biking
Right now, up until August 2nd, there's an exhibition on at Presentation House Gallery revolving around mountain biking on the North Shore. Not only have they called in some fantastic photographers to show their goods, but they've also built some serious terrain...inside the gallery! The best part is, all the terrain is fully ride-able! It look like a great show, and I'll definitely be heading up there to check it out myself.
There's a ton of photos of the construction of the indoor terrain features on this here blog. Super cool stuff!
There's a ton of photos of the construction of the indoor terrain features on this here blog. Super cool stuff!
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