Friday WTF: Awesome Edition

   Got this from the guys over on BikeRumor, where all the news drops first. Check this out!

"Look out below!"

   This fearless fellow is taking his TT bike off a ramp onto an inflatable landing pad! Can such a thing even get more awesome??? I say yes, yes it can!

Bring on summer!

New Cannondale Synapse: Now With More Weird Bottom Bracket

   Cannondale introduced the new Synapse recently. This bike is designed for the longer ride, with a more forgiving ride than the SuperSix. The market is people looking for a ride for longer distances, or road races with a rougher ride.

The goods

   One of the neatest features of this bike is the split seat tube at the bottom bracket junction. 

The weirds

   Seems like a great place to hide a spare tube. Anyway this design is meant to spread the load on the bottom bracket shell. A wider base means more stiffness. Compare this to the normal BB, where the shell is considerably wider than the down tube and seat tube:

Normal alloy bottom bracket

   This is upposed to give the bike some great lateral stiffness! You may also notice that the chain stays are flattened, this gives the rear end a bit of flex to absorb the road vibration.
   The last thing is the seat post, which is pretty wild:

27.2 seatpost

   This seatpost is smaller than a standard seatpost, which is 30.9. This more narrow seatpost is supposed to flex more, giving a smoother ride. You may also notice that the clamp is integrated into the frame, which gives a pretty smooth and sleek look. Check one out today!

Cool Technology: Scott Spark 29, the Twilnoc and Shock Direction

   Stopped in to Boulder Cycle Sport the other day and had a chance to check out the Scott Spark 29. I have been casually looking for a full suspension 29er for racing, and so this caught my eye. 

Stock photo

   There are a few things that I like about this bike - mainly the rear shock position. I really like style that pushes along a tube rather than on the bottom bracket. Here, have a graphic:

Yes                                                No

   This style puts the force from the suspension into a tube from the end, rather than adding more force to an already heavily weighted area. This is largely  matter of opinion, but it's my blog so my opinion is what we'll be reading about.

   Back to the Spark! This bike has a pretty cool lockout system called TwinLoc. This shock lockout system will lock out both the fork and the rear shock with one switch. 

TwinLoc lever

   As far as I'm able to tell, there is no way to lock out the shock and fork separately. It would save time when switching from road to rough stuff, but I could see how you'd want to have the back locked out and some action in  the front. In any case, it's a pretty sweet bike!

Friday WTF: Track Edition

   What's that you say? Riding a fixed gear with no brakes at breakneck speeds isn't dangerous enough?  Well climb aboard! You can fall off the top AND the bottom of this thing. 

Death race?

   Ah, clueless design. 

Sweet Outdoor Feature of the Bike Shop

   Natalie and I were heading down to Pearl for a walk the other day, and saw this awesome set up outside University Bikes. 

Get you bike tools and parts here!

   This vending machine had tubes, tools, snacks... everything to get you back on the road if you were caught in a pinch! And since it's facing out, it's accessible 24-7.

Close up of the goods.

   So next time you're stuck near Pearl and 9th with a flat or an empty stomach after hours, wander over to U Bikes and stock up!

Hating on Fixed Gears

   My experience with fixed gears is limited to the bikes I rode for a few weeks each and decided to go back to freewheel. I found it fun but inconvenient. I have a few friends who ride fixed all the time and can ride without paying attention. That said, I stumbled across a picture the other day of an anti fixed gear thing that I thought was funny:

   After a little more internet research, I found several really aggressive anti-fixed gear sites:

http://www.fixedgearbikesarefuckinggay.com/

http://www.manolith.com/2009/07/13/fixies-fad/

http://fagsonfixies.com/  (warning: audio advertisement)

   ...As well as a bunch of threads on other cycling sites with varying opinions of riding fixed. In my opinion, the animosity comes from the perception of fixed gear riders as using a bike as an accessory. With stores like Urban Outfitters selling them, it's easy to understand why they seem like a fashion statement.

   I find it hard to see the practicality or attractiveness of this:

Pure Fix Cycles Lima

   But I sure find this sexy as hell:

Specialized Langster Pro

   Both are fixed gears... I guess you gotta take the good with the bad. 

Friday WTF: 36er city bike

   This week's WTF is brought to you by the folks over at Jruiter Design. This bike is designed for the city dweller looking for a quick way to navigate the metropolitan downtown. Check it out:

   Initial thoughts? Well, wheelie-ing seems like it would be pretty easy, and steering would be strange as you pivot around the back wheel, which is right under the rider. Here are some more shots of the bike:

The cockpit (Also an airport themed gay bar in Chicago)

The triple clamp (Also a WWE wrestling themed bar in Atlanta)

Pretty minimal Tire Clearance (Also a NASCAR themed bar in Kansas City)

   Lastly, here's a shot of it in action. I have to say, weirdness aside, I would love to take this thing for a spin!

The blur effect (Also a trendy bar in Hollywood)

   It does kind of reminds me of an early bicycle...

The dandy horse (...and we're back to a gay bar)

   Check out more over on innercity bikes.