These are beautiful.  You can learn more about them, including where to buy one HERE.

I stumbled across a neat little company out of Sebastapool, California and dropped over to their website to see what they had in store.
First, I saw what they call their Traffic Master Jersey. I don’t know what it is, but this might be the first bright yellow jersey that I’d wear without feeling like I needed a helmet mirror and one of those rechargeable air horns.  It even has the United States Universal Vehicle Code, §11-1205

I also got a kick out of their Race Number Windbreaker.  Can’t seem to part with your race numbers?  Put them to good use with one of these..

Yes, they actually use race numbers that YOU send in.  I’m sure it’s way more comfortable than a jacket made of old spoke cards…

They have lots more to choose from, but below are some of my favorites.  Pick a little somethin’ up HERE.

They also have some neat stuff on their Confections page, including this rad pic of an old Frejus rider…

Good on ya Elevengear.com.

Two Wheels North:  Bicycling the West Coast in 1909 by Eveln McDaniel Gibb tells the story of two boys, Vic McDaniel and Ray Francisco, that left their home in 1909 to ride their wheels north to Seattle for the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition.  It took them 54 days.  They kept in touch with their local paper, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat- who’s editor promised them $25 if they made it all the way to the fair.

On their best day they traveled 64 miles, over roads that could scarcely be called roads at all.  Many miles were traveled on foot, pushing their heavy steel bikes and packs up and occasionally down whatever surface lay ahead. The best roads were gravel that had been recently oiled.  Multiple times they had to stop and find a brazier as the welds failed on the bikes, sometimes while riding.

The coaster brake hubs that the bikes were equipped with, though the best at the time, still had to be rebuilt after big decents.  No Phil Wood grease available- they used Vaseline, the best thing going.  They learned little tricks like chopping down a tree when they reached the top of a grade and tying it to the rear of their bikes for the descent, saving the wear on their brake.

They camped outside, fished for their dinner, worked when they needed money, had run-ins with pick pockets and hustlers as well as meeting many kind people along the way.

The two boys, just out of highschool, arrived in Seattle- with many stories to tell and in time to gain their $25.

Two Wheels North contains pictures of the postcards that were sent to keep in touch with their family and the Press Democrat as well as photos of the boys.  A daunting task for anyone, the fact that these kids were just out of high school makes their trip even more intriguing.

A good story and a quick read- with a look back at what the West was, at the towns as they were just coming into their own- and the people that lived there.

People familiar with the West Coast may find this book more entertaining, but anyone with a love for cycling history will likely appreciate it.

I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.

This concept bike is a wonderful example of the extremes that are tested in order to find a balance in design.

“The postmechanical bike seen by Modolo, realized with aerospacial materials and displayed at the 1986 Vancouver World Expo.”

Details

Wow.  Seen here.

First with the electric bike, now this… what’s going on?  I do like the folding bikes, but this seems to be little more than an off road Razor scooter.  They had a substantial advertising budget though.

I saw a few pics of this interesting looking ride and thought it was either a new concept bike or something very European.  I did a little sleuthing and found out that it was actually a new electric bike. The PiCycle.

I met with the owner of Capitel H a while ago and she expressed interest in providing a bag for the 9 to 5 Solstice Scavenger Hunt.  It was dropped off while I was in NYC and when I returned I found one very impressive bag with thoughtful details and a well though out design.  Capitel H seemed a natural fit for one of our “meet your maker” profile posts, so we got to ask a few questions.

First, you can see the bag that will be up for grabs tomorrow morning at the end of the 9 to 5.

• What is your name?
  • Helga Hizer
• Company
  • Capitel H
    
• How did you get into making backpacks for cycling?
  • I’ve been making and selling clothing and bags for over 10 years.  I’ve been biking for transportation for the last 7 eventually I realized that everything I made for myself had to be practical for biking.  If I can’t wear it on a bike I’m not going to wear it.  So, I’ve been making my own bike friendly clothing for a while and developed a backpack that I love and want to share with other bikers.  If you’re going to carry any weight, backpacks are the way to go if you don’t want to mess up your shoulders.
• What construction materials do you use?
  
  • Cordura with waterproof lining.
• How long have you lived in Seattle?
  • 6 Years. I moved here from Denver, and although I biked in Denver too, I didn’t really consider myself a biker. It was like I had to get serious for Seattle, I was not about to tackle these hills in my very stylish but very heavy vintage cruiser. I started educating myself more about bikes
• What is your favorite ride in Seattle?
  • I love taking the Myrtle Edwards trail through the Locks to Ballard.  You get a little of everything; the sculpture park, a smooth trail, seaside view, industrial train yard, a convenience store half way to stop for refreshments so you can lay back in the grass and drink a beer at the Locks.
• Favorite place for a picnic?
  • Gasworks, especially if I’ve got a tofu sandwich from Paseos and there are some interesting kites in the sky! I saw a geometric one recently that shape shifted. Sometimes it looked like a star sometimes it just looked like a cube depending on the angle.
• Are there any group rides that you do in Seattle?
  
  • Critical Mass occasionally. I don’t incorporate group rides into my routine as much as I’d like.
• Describe your bike.
  • I have two:

1. A Bridgestone RB-1 road bike:  Her name is Lita and I’ve fallen in love with her for a second time since I recently put a whole new campy group on her.  Shifting can be such a luxury, especially when you can shift 4 gears at once going up hill like it’s nothing.  RB-1s are legendary, designed under Grant Petersen who later started Rivendell Bicycle Works.  In fact they appear to have a cult following, bike nerds will wait outside the grocery store to ask me about it when I come out.  It’s fast, not too heavy for a steel frame and strong with triple butted Chrome Moly tubing.  It’s a great vintage frame, with the new group it’s amazing and about half the weight! I’d say it’s most notable physical characteristic is that it’s got one green wheel, because when I started rebuilding it I had no idea how deep the campy hole goes. I didn’t realize I needed a campy hub, so by that time I just went out and bought a built wheel and now only my front wheel is green. I’m on the lookout for a new wheel set because I don’t like the mismatch.
2. F. Moser track bike: The frame was built for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta:  I built this bike up for my birthday last summer.  With a chrome fork, chrome handlebars, Phil Wood hubs and beautiful Cook Brothers crank, it’s definitely my bling.  I was curious about geometry and how it affects the ride.  So, I decided to get something aggressive and it’s fun, it’s incredibly responsive. It makes my RB-1 feel like a beach cruiser! (but don’t tell her I said that)   Niki helped me build it. You can actually check it out here. http://mobiuscycle.com/node/336. I’ve swapped out some of the components since but most importantly, now it looks ridden. I’ve added some very tasteful scuffs and scratches. It’s the first bike I’ve built up from just the frame, so I think it’ll always have a special place in my heart for that reason.
3. Well, don’t have it yet but I want to get a touring frame!

• How does one order a backpack from you?
  
  • Email me.  capitelh@gmail.com, I’m working on a website, I’ll let you know when it’s up.

• What’s a bag going to cost me?
  
  • $250 with artwork, $200 without artwork.
• Do you have any plans to expand into other projects?
  
  • As far as bikecentric projects go, I make frame pads too and I’d like to do women’s clothing eventually. I also love drawing so it would be great to team up with a silk screening pro some day and incorporate that into the clothing, not only one image on a dress but full print patterns on the fabric.
• What is your spirit animal?
  
  • Squirrel

A super big thanks to Helga at Capitel H.  We’ll be looking forward to more from her, and if you are looking for a solid bag at a good price, get in touch with her!

Patrick at Pedal Consumption sent this along: he’s got a project with Australian company dosh that looks pretty nice.  Keeping it simple and classy with the world colors stripes, these wallets are simple- perfect for those that don’t carry much besides a few cards and some cash.

The wallet sells for $70 USD and is available on the dosh website

The only way these shirts could be more metal is if they were made of steel.  Christauf’s design was well received when we got this out a while back- now it’s time for you to wear it like you stole it.

These are hand pulled screen prints on black cotton shirts.  You can get your very own HERE.  They are $22 and help keep the lights on around here.  There are also some other designs up for sale.  Get one of everything.

See more of Christauf’s work HERE

Some say that you get what you pay for. Having ridden cross country on Grey Hound multiple times, eaten $1 Chinese food in Berkeley, $2 steaks in Las Vegas, and drank lots of free coffee at truckstops, I would tend to agree. Many experiences could be summed up by saying “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

But really, how could you go wrong with a $299 “Dutch” bike? Sure, Republic Bikes are available at Urban Outfitters- but to save a cool grand? These don’t seem so bad. And you can even pick your colors…

Having never ridden a Republic- I may be falling prey to the sub $300 price tag, the look of a Dutch bike and well, that’s about it. A 40lb single speed (mine weighs 31lbs)…. might be a little much for Seattle, but I must admit it’s at least a little tempting. I mean- What’s the worst that could happen?