Kickoff Alleycat

I think this is in Reno

Fall Fixed Series Race #1 Oct 8'th 9pm

Fall Fixed Series Race #1 Oct 8'th 9pm

Start at the Warehouse district 4th and 6th at 9pm

$5 entry fee (buys beer)

There will be no manifest, all checkpoints will be on your honor

1st stop Touch a wall of the CC Club
2nd stop Touch the Witch's Hat Tower (the tower not the base)
Finish at Jimmy's NE 1828 4th St NE

don't forget

Nate intentionally doored

our good buddy Nate got doored on purpose last week

here is the article that appeared in the strib

Driver who hit Minneapolis cyclist is sought

Minneapolis police are treating the case as an assault and are looking for the driver of a silver or gray Volvo wagon.

By JIM FOTI, Star Tribune
Last update: October 3, 2009 - 12:37 PM

Nate White bicycled all the way to Oregon last summer, but his ride home Thursday in northeast Minneapolis proved much more painful.

White says he was pedaling along NE. 5th Street about 4 p.m. when an enraged motorist slammed on his brakes and opened a car door directly in White's path.

The Minneapolis Police Department is treating the case as an assault and is looking for the driver, a man who was at the wheel of a silver or gray Volvo station wagon.

The wagon had turned onto 5th Street in front of the bicycle, White said, forcing him to swerve out and end up on the car's left side. White says he tapped on the window to let the driver know he was there, and the driver "lost it instantly."

With White alongside, the driver moved left into the oncoming traffic lane toward the curb, then opened the car door and hit the brakes, White said. White crashed into the door, suffering two or three chipped teeth and a cut on his chin that required three stitches. The driver sped off.

On the trip to Oregon, White had only a minor spill that left his arm sore for a few days, and on Thursday, he had worked a five-hour delivery shift on his bicycle without incident.

On Friday, with a sore knee and elbow, it took him twice as long to bike to class at Augsburg College, he said.

White, a senior studying studio art, was one of four Augsburg students and graduates who took a 32-day, 2,200-mile bike ride to Portland to learn ways to make Minneapolis more bicycle-friendly.

Anyone with information about White's crash can call the Minneapolis police at 612-692-TIPS (8477).

Butcher on the Dropout

lovin this pic

from volare ism

Custom Bike Jerks Stuff for Sale

I have a bunch of colored caps and shirts sitting around so I figured I'd post them up and see if anyone would like to purchase any of the items. If you'd like to do so, please shoot me an email to jeff[at]bikejerks.com with a description of which item you'd like, and i'll respond with paypal instructions

(everything was in a bag, hence the wrinkles)

all items are handmade and unique
$13 for a t-shirt - $15 for a hat

Sold


light blue skyline, short brim, red white blue stripes, green ink


grey skyline, short brim, red white blue stripes


teal shortbrim, bike jerks, green ink, rwb stripes


Sold


large grey v-neck, GMS dog, green ink


large green v-neck, moustache skull, brown ink


med v-neck yellow, blue ink, moustache skull


med teal v-neck, GMS dog, black ink


small light blue v-neck, brown ink, moustache skull


holla at me if you desire any of these items

Peacock Groove X Dirt Designs Video

Saturday

Stopped up at Behind Bars today and learned that they are now stocking Trash Bags.



These are the base models without any of the extras








so if you need a bag and want instant gratification. head up to NE

Vanagon Update

As you may know, earlier this year I fulfilled one of my adolescent stoner fantasies by purchasing a 1986 Volkswagon Vanagon. Now it wasn't the Westfalia Weekender of my dreams, but it was a great place to start. Little by little I've been turning the Carmel Starship into my dream van. Earlier this fall my father built a new interior and yesterday I got a new set of wheels.

the van's rolling on 16's now. Not only do they look way nicer, but the ride is noticeably improved and the tire life almost tripled.

If you're wondering why I'm so into this thing it's because I spent 8 months living out of my Dodge Caravan being a climbing and snowboarding bum and I love going on roadtrips. I was always jealous of the dudes in the VW's because they always had a way nicer living situation than me.


can't wait to go to Wisconsin next weekend!

All I need now is the wizard mural

Community outreach against Racism!

Community outreach against Racism!
Defend Our Neighborhoods!

Meetup #1: 11:30am Friday October 2nd 2009
Lake Street & 22nd Ave (outside the Midtown YWCA on Lake St.)

Meetup #2: 2:30pm, corner of 31st St. and 21st Ave. (corner of the YWCA)

This Saturday, October 3rd, 2009, the neo-nazi National Socialist Movement (NSM) has threatened to demonstrate against an anti-racist workshop being held at the YWCA on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. Anti-racists are holding a counter-demonstration against racism at 10am Saturday, October 3rd.

We are gathering at 11:30am and again at 2:30pm on Friday, October 2nd, to do outreach in the neighborhood. We want to make sure people in the neighborhood know about this threat on their doorsteps and know about the counter-demonstration. Please come out and help us spread the word. Meet us in front of the YWCA at 11:30 or at 2:30. We will have fliers in English and Spanish.

Please also spread the word for the Saturday rally. The announcement for the Saturday rally is below.

Defend Our Neighborhoods!
Defend Anti-Racist Organizing!

10:00 am Saturday
October 3rd 2009
Lake Street & 22nd Ave
(outside the Midtown YWCA)

This Saturday, October 3rd, 2009, the neo-nazi National Socialist Movement (NSM) has threatened to demonstrate against an anti-racist workshop being held at the YWCA on East Lake Street in Minneapolis. The NSM has declared the anti-racist organizers "traitors" to white supremacy.

This provocation also has a wider goal: The NSM has been holding racist anti-immigrant rallies in southern Minnesota, and now they are seeking to establish a presence inside the City of Minneapolis. For years Minneapolis has been a virtual "no-go" area for organized racist activity, due to the efforts of young anti-racist organizers.

In the wake of the racist attacks in Brooklyn Park last week, the nazis' threat cannot be ignored. They plan to bring their racist, homophobic, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic message of division and hate right into the heart of the city. They must not go unopposed!

Solidarity Against Racism!
No to the Nazis!

Bootleg Sessions

Boobleg Sessions from John Prolly on Vimeo.

via Prolly

make sure you see that last clip

Bicycle Friends Falling

polo crashes from the Bicycle Film Fest polo tourney this past summer

Bicycle Friends Falling from Mr.Do on Vimeo.

via mplsbikepolo.com

I also added a link to your right for to mplsbikepolo for you folks who like to stay abreast of such things

Mini Fender

I hate fenders. I hate them so fucking much. They rattle and get in the way, and make your bike heavier and less fun to ride. It is a fact though that sometimes fenders are really nice to have. If you're riding in Minnesota winters they're pretty much a necessity. Last year I got into a nice set of Civia metal fenders. I liked them quite a bit because metal doesn't rattle like plastic fenders do, although I did make some modifications, like moving the strut mounts up and cutting off excess length from both the rear and front. (the Civia fenders are wicked long, for maximum coverage)

Well the rear one went awesome and I ended up leaving it on for the summer rain. The front fender however got destroyed on a particularly snowy and shitty day where I was traveling very slowly with a front end that was constantly wandering on me. I ended up kicking it enough times with my foot that the mount for the strut in the fender eventually pulled through.

So for this winter I've installed a mini fender. This solves two issues. no struts or fender to get in the way of your feet and a single hard attachment that doesn't rattle.

The fender was taken off an old Schwinn Stardust banana seat girls bike that I had lying around. I pounded the fender into a flatter shape with a rubber mallet on the concrete floor to allow it to fit a 700c tire. Then I simply used the stock hardware with a chainring spacer to take up the gap.


Here's my thinking: you don't always need a front fender. Typically when it's below freezing and not actively snowing the roads are fairly dry. For those times when you unexpectedly get caught on wet roads you have a decent enough fender that will keep you way drier than having none at all

on days when you know it's going to be wet, like today. You can add a downtube clip on fender and get pretty much full coverage. No strut or fender blade in your feet, and no worries.

I ran this setup for the first time during the rain storms today, and it worked great. There was a bit more splashing onto my shoes than you'd get with a full front fender, but it was totally acceptable and still way better in my opinion.

Tri Cooze

A few All City Champs ago Sven from MPLS Does Bike made some home made triple coozies to give away at the race. I believe that it is made from foam tubes that are intended to be used as a water flotation toy, which were purchased at Ax-man a local kick ass surplus store.


This thing is incredibly useful. It keeps em cold and pads them so you don't have a bunch of cans digging into your back when you ride.

get one from Sven or make your own!