October 23, 2008

Racer Profile: Candy Walker

Candy Walker took up cycling in 2002 to train and ride in the California AIDS Ride in memory her mother Ann who died of AIDS in 1991. "It was a life changing experience for me in many ways," she says. "It was my introduction to road riding, it widened my circle of friends, and I met a great guy who also shared my love for cycling." In 2003 she was also introduced to mt. biking, so starting cyclocross has been a natural fit for her. "For me it is the perfect balance of both sports."

Candy has always been athletic, but some sports were really hard on her body. As she started cycling more, she quickly realized it was something that felt great and she knew she'd be able to do it for many years. "I could stay fit, and go places on my bike that I had never been to."

Candy, who lives in Eugene, early on discovered that joining a team was an important component to racing "I learn a ton on every ride." So she started racing stage races, road races and mt. bike races pretty much right of the bat. She won in her category for the Test of Endurance, a 50-mile mt. bike race. "Oh yes," she adds, "I forgot to mention this all began when I turned 40."

But all of that training hasn't been easy. Candy has two children (ages 7 and 12) and works full time as a hairstylist. But making the time, she says, has really paid off. "It has made me a better person, a happier person. And I think everyone around me could see that, and supported me."

Last year Candy joined the all women's cycling team the Poplollies, which was a refreshing switch from her previous mostly-male team. "I felt it would be best to join other women who shared my interest for riding and support each other on and off the bike. We have a coach that helps us train." She said it's still hard to find time to train, still worth it, and she just does what she can. In the winter Cady cross trains with weight lifting, swimming and walking. She rides her mt. bike to prepare for the technical aspects of cyclocross and road rides to build up her endurance. She has also been taking mounting and dismounting classes.

Maybe it's the natural athlete in her, or maybe the team support and her personal dedication, but once again Candy's hard work yields great rewards. She recently raced two cyclocross races (Women 35+ category) and won first place both weeks, "It's a pretty great feeling to put the work in and have it pay off with doing well. Regardless, I sure had a blast on the course, hearing the spectators' cheers, and pushing myself to the limit, seeing how hard I could go...was so satisfying."

If you're thinking about trying cyclocross, Candy says go for it. "I would encourage any one who is even considering trying cyclocross to just do it. I think it a great sport filled with something for everyone. A lot of action and so much fun."

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October 20, 2008

Never will a daredevil succeed in being champion of cyclocross!

"Participate in cyclocross; encourage your friends to participate; popularize it around you... Never will a daredevil succeed in being champion of cyclocross!" From Advice for Friends of Cyclocross by Eugène Christophe, 1921.

This photo illustrates "the manner of crossing a thicket" in cyclocross. But it wasn't taken at a Cross Crusade race. That's 1921 authentic. It is part of a site that features an article quoted in its entirety from a 1921 issue of Le Miroir Des Sports, a then-popular French sports weekly. Joel Metz, a member of the Magpie Messenger collective, put together this historical feature. "There are some quite notable differences from modern cyclocross in the then relatively new sport - primarily the much stronger similarity to cross-country running (thus the name "cross-country cyclo-pédestre"). You can check it out in English here or in French here.

Comments (2) | Posted by orbike at 8:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBack

October 17, 2008

Yahoo! Bike Cams

Even if you're exceptionally coordinated, riding your bike while snapping pictures might prove disastrous. I'm sure bicycle documentarian extraordinaire Jonathan Maus, of BikePortland.org, has any horror stories. He takes some sweet shots at bike events, even if it means he's in a tricky situation.

But Yahoo! unleashed a fleet of purple bikes on the world that document the view all by themselves. They're dubbed "purple pedals," and each one comes outfitted with a camera phone mounted on the handlebars in a waterproof housing. This accessory takes a photo every 60 seconds as the wheels roll and automatically uploads the images to a Flickr map. Follow the adventures online or tell Yahoo! in 200 words or less why you deserve a purple bike of your own. [ more info ]

Watch this purple pedal get "Copenhagen-ized"

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October 15, 2008

A Super Bike Weeked

This past weekend was filled with fun. The Oregon Manifest handbuilt bike show was very well done. Builders came from all over the region to show off their bikes, mad skills and to talk with people about what they do. True to celebrating Portland builders, the show served local beers, VooDoo doughnuts and Stumptown coffee. I didn't get to spend a lot of time at the show, but I do know that it was packed all day on Saturday. The party on Friday night was hoppin', with a retrospective screening of Filmed by Bike's greatest hits and portraits of the builders. Saturday night featured roller races, hosted by Rapha, which were a hoot, though not wildly attended. Racers had to speed on rollers, then run a lap around the room while carrying a kid's bike. Most competitors wore costumery. And then to round things out Portland style, Sunday was a Cyclocross race with a special class just for builders.

You can be sure that Oregon Manifest will be back next year, and I'm sure they'll manage to somehow out-do this year. Congrats to the builders, reclaiming a mass-produced skill and making it a craft, and to the organizers who had the vision to make the show happen.

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October 9, 2008

Greatest Hits of Filmed by Bike

Filmed by Bike, Portland's film festival about bikes, is celebrating six stellar years with Filmed by Bike Retro - Presented by River City Bicycles tomorrow night (10/10). This free screening will take place at Wieden+Kennedy (224 NW 13th) in conjunction with the Oregon Manifest (handbuilt bike show) Opening Night Blowout. Movies will show at 8PM and 9PM and the event is free.

At this best of screening, you'll be treated to crowd favorites from the last six years, nearly-lost footage, movies that were banned from other cities and removed from the internet, the unveiling of the 2009 trailer and on-the-street footage from 2008.

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October 8, 2008

Builder Profile: John Bergschneider | Goodtimes

Good times come when riding bikes, that's why John Bergschneider of Goodtimes Bicycles, based outside of Ashland, OR, is so in love with frambuilding. "I started this business to improve my life," says John. "It's an investment in me. And in doing so, I contribute to an industry that I believe in. This includes meeting and being around like minded people."

"I've been fabricating light duty touring, cyclocross and city commuter frames constructed out of steel tubing. Most of my clients opt for a complimentary, handmade, fork and stem. The type of joinery is achieved by gas torch and brass rod. Fillet brazing allows me to fully customize the angles of the tubes, is very strong and when done right leaves smooth, clean lines. When all is said and done, the frame and its bits go up to Keith Anderson. Keith lays the sweet, sweet wet paint."

Framebuilders tend to work very solo, for hours on end, often in a small closed space. And while John enjoys that time, he appreciates the interactions he has with other people in the process. "I once told Keith that heading up to his shop, with frame in hand was the greatest moment," he says. "There is a lot of time, communication, and physical energy used to complete a frameset, so there is a sense of accomplishment when at the paint shop. The dude also has a lifetime of framebuilding knowledge and pushes me to be top-notch. I gotta stress the importance of feedback from the people in, or who have been in, the trenches."

John is proud to create bikes something we can probably safely say about every framebuilder we've been interviewing. "I want to help spread the word of custom made bicycle frames," He says. But to John, hiring a frambuilder is about much more than the final bike. "The general public should understand that there are options to their lifestyle, daily living and getting them more familiar with options is where I can help. Custom fit bicycle or not, let's get the word out that people can choose and participate. I believe there is a lot of bottled up energy out there and cycling can be a great way of uncorking it."

John is inspired by other framebuilders and looking forward to connecting with them during Oregon Manifest, the handbuilt bike show in Portland October 10th-12th.. He plans to spend much of the show "walking around and getting blown away by all the incredibly gifted builders and apparel providers." And, if luck goes his way, "find some gal to share a table with at this tasty Cuban restaurant I know."

He's fueled by green tea, tacos and the latest wave of quality builders.

GOODTIMES WISDOM: It's ok to get involved. Custom bike or not, your choice proves that you care. You care what happens in this crazy world of OURS.

Click image for larger view

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October 6, 2008

Builder Profile: Curtis Inglis | Retrotec + Inglis

Oregon Manifest is a handbuilt bike show on October 10th-12th in Portland and we're profiling some of the builders who will be there.

Curtis Inglis is a duo-themed builder who creates cruiser-styles bikes under the name Retrotec and traditional straight-tube bikes under the name Inglis. Though Curtis enjoys the building process for all of this bikes, he says he experiences a magical moment when working on the Retrotec bikes, "There is something about bending tubing until you get a certain look. When all the bends flow together and make a bike not just a bike with curved tube."

Curtis says he gets "a real pleasure in meeting the person that will be doing the work for me. I enjoy connecting a face to something I want or need," and so he loves being on the other side of the exchange and working with the people for whom he builds. "I get to build people their dream bikes," he says.

Curtis has been building bikes for 15 years and has created well over 275 bikes. So for the last few months he has been digging through photos and junk in his drawers to put together materials to comprise his Oregon Manifest display. He loves Portland and is excited to come up from Napa, California for the show.

"I feel pretty lucky to be doing something for a living that I love," he says.

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October 2, 2008

Builder Profile: Greg Heath | Donkelope

Greg Heath, the man behind Donkelope Bikes in Bellingham, WA, is one of about 40 bicycle builders who will be at Oregon Manifest, the hanbuilt bike show extravaganza October 10-12th in Portland. Including the builders, there will be 65+ overall exhibitors at this goin'-down-in-the-history-books affair. So who are these hardworking builders with amazing attention to the finest of details? We're starting with Greg and offering you an intimate look into the lives of frambuilders.

Greg Heath believes that "the world needs to know the passion and of course hard work behind each frame built. The fact that the frame is built with one person in mind. It will be an extension of the person. Whether it be speed or style."

Greg's background as a BMXer led him to create bikes that can handle abuse and he wants people to ride his bikes hard. His Donkelope bikes are not your average bike, or donkey. Greg doesn't want you to tread lightly and treat these as pristine riding machines; they're built strong for tough, hard riding.

There's a moment in the building process right before the heat gets put on the metal. This brief time, "when everything is all fit up nice," Greg says, holds a special magic for him.

Greg races, he rides, he has built about 35 bikes, chocolate keeps him going and he loves his border collie, Rastus.

DONKELOPE WISDOM: Life is way better sitting on a bike. You can go where you want, when you want.

Look for Greg at Oregon Manifest where, he says, he'll be chilling and enjoying the laid back atmosphere among hoards of people who love bikes.

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