BikeRumor.com

The steering can be twitchy, but nonetheless, it's addictive

Bored at work? Got a spare five minutes at lunch? Then have a spin on FlashRacingOnline’s mountain bike simulation game, which can be played here. 

I recommend turning the volume down unless you’re a fan of bombing down hills to a repetitive arcade beat.  Personally, I prefer a bit of Blue Oyster Cult or The Cure, but each to their own, I suppose.

If your boss catches you playing during working hours, we’re not to blame! If they happen to be a cyclist, perhaps pass on the link to the many other bike games featured.

Looking to shatter the preconceptions that carbon wheels are just for road bikes, Edge Composites will be putting wheels and parts under the likes of Brian Lopes and will be the official wheel sponsor of the  Santa Cruz Syndicate. This combination of athletes will put the components through a whole new level of testing and development in mountain bike disciplines like Downhill, Dual slalom, Enduro, and Super D.

Edge Composites has been on the cutting edge of carbon fiber technology since the inception of the company, and this is clear proof that they mean business. There aren’t too many companies that would be willing to dish out expensive carbon parts to a group of guys that tend to break parts - often. In order to accommodate the strenuous conditions the wheels will be exposed to, Edge has already made some changes to make their wheels faster and more durable.

More on this, plus pictures after the break.

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Rapha Continental was kind enough to host a Gentlemen’s ride this morning complete with an assortment of muffins and coffee (which flew in the face of my no-sugar-added experiment).  Turnout was solid, and we ended the ride with a nice cobblestone climb.  I took some video with the GoPro HD, which I’ll edit down and post later this week, but here are a few pics of people and bikes from the lobby start…

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Hoffman's big air record was only 'broken' last year, though video footage suggests Kevin Robinson's mega ramp air was just on par with The Condor

BMX legend Matt Hoffman is to be paid homage to in a new film coming later this year, dubbed The Birth of Big Air.

Johnny Knoxvile of Jackass fame and Spike Jonze (Academy Award nominee), alongside director Jeff Tremaine, will document the life of Hoffman from the early years of contest domination, through the many decades of innovating and inspiring new moves, right to the present day.

Until last year, Hoffman held the record for the highest air on a BMX at 26.5 feet above the coping of his infamous mega ramp. Though in New York’s Central Park, Kevin Robinson added an extra half foot to the otherwise unchallenged record with Hoffman himself confirming that Robinson had topped the long-standing record.

Check out a pik of the new record and The Birth of Big Air trailer after the break.

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“worst day of the year ride” by periwinklekog. Check out her blog.

Photo taken during the Worst Day Of The Year Ride held in Portland, OR, this past Feb. 14th. Held every year to celebrate Portland’s (historically) wettest and coldest day of the year. Riders dress up their bikes, dress up themselves, and enjoy warm and yummy treats along the route and help raise money for the Community Cycling Center.

To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to the world, go here.

NAHBS 2010 - Shimano, which stepped in a few months ago as the title sponsor of the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, was on hand primarily to meet and greet all the small builders and show them different applications for Shimano equipment, in particular the electronic Dura-Ace Di2 group.  From the looks of things around the show floor, a lot of builders have jumped on the group despite the steep price…which you’ll see as we post more of the 1,300+ photos (and the show’s not even over!) we’ve taken.

Rather than miss an opportunity to wow folks, the big ‘S’ debuted their all new remote shifter for Di2.  Intended to mount on the handlebar near the stem for easy thumb shifting while climbing, the tiny remote shows future potential for the group and creates a pretty solid add-on.

Hit more for pics and details…

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NAHBS 2010 - Brooks England showed off their new perforated white leather bar tape.  It comes with cork/wood bar plugs and matching adhsive fabric finishing strips.  White joins brown, black, honey and green in their color collection.  It’s natural leather, hecho in China and will be available stateside for about $100/set in a couple months.

NAHBS 2010 - Brooks England introduced their new Oxford rain cape for cyclists. Cut of treated cotton, it’s water repellant properties permanent and it’s designed to cover your legs, keeping casual cyclists properly dry while commuting.  See how, along with other nice features and pricing, plus a new color for their messenger bag, after the break…

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NAHBS 2010 - Banjo Bicycles, a small builder out of Madison, WI, had this beast of a bike headlining their booth.  Dubbed the “Big Dumb Pug,” it’s a long-tail fat tire hauler.  Besides the giant frame, it’s decked out with a myriad of boutique bits from other small crafts persons, like the wooden fenders (from a friend), Portland Design Works grips and Kara Ginther embossed leather saddle and “mudflap.”

Taking the snow / mud theme seriously, Banjo built a circular headlight bash guard into the front rack, adding a little comedic (though probably somewhat utilitarian) flair.

They also had a travel touring bike with S&S couplers and some arsty racks and other nice touches.  Pics and notes (pun intended) after the break…

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NAHBS 2010 - Speedvagen’s new cyclocross bike is pretty on the outside, but the real beauty is in the trick details throughout the frame.  Speedvagens are built in stock sizes in batches of about 30, and this model starts at $3,000 for the frame, fork and seatpost assembly.  If you’re able to make the trip to their factory in Portland, OR, they’ll do a custom one for $500 more.

The cyclocross bike uses some nifty cable runs to maintain a super clean look while reducing weight and simplifying the brake routing.  Hit ‘more’ for tons of pics and details…

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NAHBS 2010 - Speedvagen, which is the “ready made” side of Vanilla Bicycles, used the 2010 North American Handmade Bicycle Show to announce their collaboration with famed frame builder and wicked painter Dario Pegoretti to produce the Speedvagen Track Bike.  Yep, it’s official:

The bike features a lot of great features, not the least of which is the carbon-reinforced headtube with cutout logo treatment.  All the details and tons of photos after the break…

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NAHBS 2010 - I’ve long admired Vanilla Bicycles’ bikes.  They’re beautifully built with clean, crisp paint schemes.  Sasha’s booth had several prime examples, and the booth itself was one of the few on the show floor that was well decorated and themed, too.  That said, they only had a few examples of “Vanilla” branded bikes, reserving most of the news and new features for their “pret a porter” Speedvagen line (explanation of that here).  So, this post is picture heavy and detail lite, with lots more on the upcoming Speedvagen post.

Shown above is his daughter’s mixte lowrider cruiser bike.  Set up with internally geared rear hub, disc brakes and fenders.  They also had an army green commuter with wooden front rack and great paint details.  Pics of both and an unfinished frame after the break…

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NAHBS 2010 - HandleBra was showing their true colors with more than 11 shades of real leather bar tape.  Founder Ray Schmidt says his leather handlebar wraps are made in the U.S. and will last a long time, able to be re-wrapped and re-used.  Their treatment method gives the leather real water repellancy, which he says many leather bar tape brands promise but few achieve.

The wide range of colors (shown after the break) should let you match just about any color scheme you’ve cobbled together, and they definitely lend an old world aesthetic…

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“IMG_2872” by alexis dold of Villin Cycle Works, Inc. Check them out at the NAHBS, going on now!

To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to the world, go here.

NAHBS 2010 - Cherubim didn’t disappoint this year.  Although there were no torpedo-themed sloping top tube racers, this midnight blue and chrome masterpiece combines old and new with some very clever and unique touches.

From the old-skool Campagnolo lever shifters to the wild chrome tube seat and handlebar/stem, this bike was one of the more eyecatching rigs at the show. Full gallery after the break…

UPDATED: More photos added at bottom!

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