“carpet of leaves” by bg_phone_home.

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Niner Bikes has updated their website with a full list of independent bicycle shops that have demo bikes in stock and ready for you to ride.  Can’t decide on a model or frame size?  Hit up this link to find a participating dealer near you, see which models and sizes they have, then hit the trails.  We thinks you shan’t be disappointed (check our review of the Niner RIP 9 here).

They’ve also uploaded 19 different videos about the bikes, tech and setup tips and other goodness to kill time at work after you’ve seen everything here on Bikerumor.

From Ezra, founder and builder of Fast Boy Cycles:

Just writing you all a quick one to let you know about a few updates on the Fast Boy Cycles website.

FIRST! There’s finally a new project bike.
It’s a fixed gear porteur bike, complete with front platform rack and flashlight mount. The front end geometry is designed particularly to lessen the ill effects of having a bunch of weight over the front wheel. The back end is tight and quick with s-bend stays. It can fit tires up to 35mm. I’ve spent some time riding it over the summer, and it’s great! Best of all, it’s priced about $1250 under what I’d charge to build it for you, AND it’s ready to ship.

NEXT! The site has been restructured a little to make the ordering info easier to find, and there are some new bikes up in the gallery.

It was a good, busy summer. Being cancer-free and married is everything I’d hoped it would be!

As always, feel free to email any time with questions or orders. I am afraid that I am STILL not offering bars, fenders, or racks on their own. I am so much more interested in the WHOLE bike than I am in the individual details. As long as I’ve got enough work building whole bikes to keep me busy, that’s how I’ll be spending my time. Hope you understand!

Ride safe!
All the best,
Ezra

More pics and specs on the project bike after the break…

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INTERBIKE 2009 – Earth Studios in Moab, UT, had some fresh Kokopelli-inspired designs for wall art, clocks, trophies and more. Not a lot of deets here, just pretty pictures after the break…

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The League of American Bicyclists is proud to announce 15 new Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) and three renewing BFCs. Notably, 10 out of the 15 new awardees are from the Midwest to the East coast, disproving the myth that building great cities for cycling only works in the West. Three new states, Arkansas, Louisiana, and South Dakota have their first BFCs with this designation cycle. “This round of applications had more communities in the east and Midwest than ever before that are investing wisely in bicycling,” said League President Andy Clarke. “All areas of the U.S. are realizing the importance of bicycling.”

Additionally, the American Community Survey (ACS) recently released their 2008 report, which includes community bicycle mode share percentages from 2000 to 2008. League BFCs had higher levels of bicycle commuting than cities not participating in the program. The average BFC bicycle commuter share is 1.5 percent, 2.5 times the national average.

“This strongly suggests that the efforts of the BFCs to improve bicycling conditions by investing in engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement, and evaluation and planning are paying off with larger increases in bicycle commuters,” said League Policy Analyst Darren Flusche.

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Fraunhofer, a systems and technology development company, designed this carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) bladed seatpost as an alternative to spring-type suspension seatposts found on recreational bicycles and a few racers’ bikes.

The main drawback to the normal suspension post design is weight and, from my experience, eventual lateral and rotational play that develops.  With the as-yet-unnamed carbon fiber post from Fraunhofer’s chemical technology branch, there are no moving parts, shims, bushings or springs, just two carbon blades that flex to provide 10-15mm of deflection (travel), just enough to take the edge off without feeling mushy.

“A hardtail mountain bike with this new kind of CFRP seat post rides as if it were a full suspension bike,” says triathlon world champion Daniel Unger after a test drive.  We think it could make all those fully rigid singlespeed race bikes slightly more bearable.

The design won a Eurobike Award last month in Germany, and now the company is working on a mass-production version that would be affordable to most riders.  Assuming the UCI doesn’t freak about about the potential technological advantage something like this could provide on races like the Giro and others with cobblestones, I imagine some pros would give it a shot.

MMA Sports Ltd is recalling all Sunline V1 Carbon Handlebars with 31.8mm center clamp diameter.  Effective immediately, the distributor says the bars pose a risk of cracking or breaking, potentially causing a wreck and/or injury.  They say consumers should stop using them at once and return them to their authorized dealer for a full refund.

No word on whether this applies to consumers outside of the UK, and this appears to be a recall from the distributor, not the manufacturer.  Full info is on MMA Sports’ website.

The 2010 Amgen Tour of California Schedule and Stage Map is official, with the following cities playing host as the tour jumps across the entire state for eight stages next May:

Stage 1: Sunday, May 16 – Nevada City to Sacramento
Stage 2: Monday, May 17 – Davis to Santa Rosa
Stage 3: Tuesday, May 18 – San Francisco to Santa Cruz
Stage 4: Wednesday, May 19 – San Jose to Modesto
Stage 5: Thursday, May 20 – Visalia to Bakersfield
Stage 6: Friday, May 21 – Pasadena to Big Bear Lake
Stage 7: Saturday, May 22 – Los Angeles (individual time trial)
Stage 8: Sunday, May 23 – Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Agoura Hills

The host cities for the record-setting Amgen Tour of California professional cycling road race were announced this morning via a Twitter exchange that took place shortly before 9 a.m. PT between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and some of America’s most accomplished cyclists, including Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Dave Zabriskie and George Hincapie. This marked the first time an event of this stature has ever been announced via Twitter.

Along with the overall announcement of the race, the four cyclists also revealed their intentions to participate in the fifth-annual event, considered to be America’s most important and prestigious cycling race.

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong’s announcement of his intent to compete in the fifth-annual race was met with enthusiasm from race organizers and fans. After mounting an incredible comeback to professional cycling in 2009, competing in the Amgen Tour of California and other top races around the world, including finishing third in the 2009 Tour de France, Armstrong will start the 2010 season on his newly formed Team RadioShack. Returning to the Amgen Tour of California for the second consecutive year, Armstrong is expected to be a top competitor in the race.

The 2010 Amgen Tour of California will travel to 16 host cities throughout the state over the course of eight days from May 16-23. After four years of being positioned in February, the date change will allow the Tour de France-style road race to visit locations that wouldn’t have been possible in February, including the very first mountain-top finish in race history.

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IMBA is coming to the Wilmington, NC, Oct. 29 – Nov. 1, and you’re invited to join in the special events. Kelly and Collins Bishop of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew are teaming up with the Cape Fear Cyclists for a weekend dedicated to improving local trails and having fun.

The visit features a Trailbuilding School, Club Care workshop social and a group ride. This is your opportunity to rub shoulders with the IMBA Crew while learning all about trailbuilding. Check out the details below and come join in the fun.

Schedule:

Thursday
7:00 – 9:00 PM: Club Care Workshop at UNCW, Madeleine Suite

Saturday
9:00 - Noon: Trailbuilding School classroom session at College Acres Baptist Church
Noon - 1:30 PM: Lunch
1:30 – 4:00 PM: Trailbuilding School field session at Blue Clay
8:00 PM: Celebrate Halloween in downtown Wilmington!

Sunday
10:00: Morning group ride at Blue Clay

For additional information and to RSVP, please contact Erol Caglarcan.

The International Triathlon Union (ITU) has released the 2010 Dextr0 Energy World Championship Series schedule, carrying athletes around the globe and through three Olympic cities, but sadly with no U.S. stops currently planned (an eighth location is under consideration).  The current schedule is:

• April 11 – Sydney, Australia
• May 08-09 – Seoul, South Korea
• June 05-06 – Madrid, Spain
• July 17-18 – Hamburg, Germany
• July 24-25 – London, United Kingdom
• August 14-15 – Kitzbuehel, Austria
• September 11-12 – Budapest, Hungary (Grand Final)

PRESS RELEASE: The iconic capitals of Sydney, Seoul and Budapest have been added to the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series calendar for 2010, joining existing world class events in Madrid, London, Kitzbühel and Hamburg.

The series will be staged in three Olympic cities as well as some of the most important centres of the world. This is a major step forward for our sport.

“Together with our strategic partners SPORTFIVE and UPSOLUT, we are incredibly excited by the success of the new series after its launch in 2009 and are thrilled to be able to present a top quality calendar of showcase events for 2010”, says Paul Coleman, Managing Director of the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championships Series.

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“Commuter Gear – Much to my boss’ chagrin, this is how my cube wall is decorated.” by Moment of Inertia.

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Denver may have us beat with their 21st Annual “Largest Consumer Cycling Show” swap meet called VeloSwap.  It’s going on this Saturday, October 24, 2009, in the mile high city from 9am – 4pm.  It’s held at the National Western Complex and you’ll find dealers, sales reps and manufacturers selling off last season’s wares plus teams and individuals getting rid of things they don’t want or need anymore.  10,000 people are expected.

GREENSBORO’S RED OKTOBER BICYCLE SWAP

Not to be left out, Greensboro, NC, is hosting it’s own swap meet in the old Ed McKay Bookstore building behind Cycles de Oro bike shop this Friday, October 23, from 5pm to 9pm.  Surely drinks will follow.  A couple hundred people are expected, and if it’s like last year, there’ll even be some classic bikes to check out, a few dealers and manufacturers’ reps and plenty of locals making deals.