Fyxation has steadily been increasing to their offerings in the bike parts world.  Whether it be for urban riding, FGFS, or racing track- they’ve been delivering good parts at a decent price.

Their newest bar is called THE RODEO.  They are available as bullhorns, as well as pursuit bars.  I’m generally more a fan of risers or drops for my track bike or “sweet fixie (bro)” but these look pretty great.  The bullhorns retail at $25.95.  The (in my opinion, sexier) pursuit bars go for $32.95.  The black ones would look pretty fly on the Dodici.

After all, it’s not my first Rodeo…

Check out more from Fyxation HERE

From Adam at Retroshift:

Strong, Light or Cheap, the usual saying is “pick two.” With Retroshift you can now have all three. Utilizing proven and durable bar-end/down-tube shifters a fully serviceable Retroshift system is lighter than Ultegra 6700 and easily comes in at under half the price (about 1/3rd if you already have shift levers on hand) and ongoing costs of ownership are lower still. A Stronger, Lighter, Cheaper alternative to STI it offers a great option where the advantages of Retroshift are desired. Cross, Touring, Commuting etc.

We are up and running and in just the first month shipped not only within the USA but also to Japan, Canada, Germany, Finland, Sweden, Norway and the Czech Republic. We have been contacted by distributors in a number of countries including TKC Productions who will be distributing in Japan (they also distribute Portland Design Works and Tonic). Overall we are thrilled at the response.

The initial system is selling very well and we are running a little low on the model 0ne and Werle Red and are looking at doing a second run of parts in the coming month to remedy this. We are also working with a manufacturer to have custom shift levers produced to best match the system and hope by the fall to have complete systems (with shifters) available. We are just starting to set up a network of dealers in the U.S.

Get yours HERE

The new All-City shoes from Chrome are bad ass and they just got better because the good dudes at Cog Magazine touched them.  Really- Kevin and Peter are rad guys with an excellent magazine.

And here is a little video where Peter is just being badass. I want to have like 10,000 of his babies. Viva la analog backlash!

If you like actually reading stuff you can check out an interview that John Prolly did for Chrome HERE

And of course- get rid of your stinkin ass kicks and pick up a pair of these HERE

And I wear an 11.5!

Made by Todd from Chris Milliman on Vimeo.

See more at Stoemper and Bronto.

I’ve been using the Chrome Falcon backpack for about 6 months now.  I’ve now past it on for further testing to somebody who like me was looking to try a smaller bag for everyday use.  My larger bag, a DANK large messenger bag has been great and is an amazing benchmark for a quality bag.

Being of a larger build- I often lean towards a larger bag for two reasons.  First- the function side- I do a lot of work on my bike, and carry lots of stuff.  Whether it be groceries or shirts to be shipped out, it does the job.  Second- Small bags have a tendency to look silly on big bodies like mine.  The Falcon is mid-sized, with room to carry the basics and do it comfortably.

The Falcon is 18″ wide 19″ tall and 6″ deep.  There is a divider inside that separates the bag into two halves.  The side pocket fits a mini u-lock well, or it could be used for a water bottle.  There are 2 flat organizer pockets in front- which work well for pens and papers, though I didn’t feel it worked to well for bulkier items.  There are more organizer pockets inside as well.  My 15″ laptop fits in just fine, but without a padded laptop sleeve and no real padding to speak of, I use a separate sleeve for my precious cargo.  The harness system is comfortable, with a sternum strap and easily adjusted shoulder straps.

The trucker tarp liner makes it feel pretty hefty, but it also makes for a durable bag.  The flap closure must be adjusted correctly when being used in the rain, as water can find it’s way down the edges and into the main compartments of the bag.  The Falcon isn’t very well suited to awkward or oversize packages, and I was unable to transport larger boxes with it. The 3M reflective strap for the flap is a little stiff to use, but it’s not really a big deal.  All in all I was pretty pleased with the Falcon.  I rode with it around Seattle, did a couple 70 mile rides with it on my back (overloaded at that) and it accompanied me to Interbike, from Boston to Seattle on a roadtrip as well as to San Francisco for SSCXWC.  It’s been worked pretty hard and I feel comfortable with it on or off the bike.  I’d probably give the bag 3 out of 5 stars, if I gave out stars.  It’s a good bag.  Nothing groundbreaking, but build well.  It should last you a long time.  It’s not a messenger bag and isn’t marketed as such, but more for students or people that carry around about as much as fits in a large grocery bag.  If a standard bag without any bells and whistles is what you are looking for then take a look at the Falcon.

As it is now, I don’t see it on the Chrome Store any more, I was able to find it at a couple online retailers like THIS ONE.

The Chrome Falcon is made in China and retails for $139.

Thanks to Chrome for sending the bag- We’ll get a follow up from the other tester when he gets some time with it.  I like what Chrome has been doing the past few years, especially the stuff that is made in California.  Keep up the good work!

After a recent trip through Anchorage and Cordova while pondering  the possibility of moving back to Alaska, I’ve had visions of fat bikes rolling through my head. Sure.  They aren’t for everybody.  Maybe you refuse to put your bike away for the winter and love riding on softer snow- or maybe you like long rides on sandy beaches-  if that sounds like fun, then you might be in the market for a fatbike.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love my studded tires- they are nice on ice and hardpack conditions, but when it comes to softer snow- getting a tire over 3.5″ wide really helps float you.  Riding in winter in Alaska, I’ve wound up hub or even bars deep while riding down a hill and finding a soft spot in the snow.  Though exciting, and probably comical to watch- it really isn’t that awesome to get a face full of snow when just riding along.

Fatbikes are growing in popularity- especially in harsher climates, with Alaska definitely being one of them.  Events like the Iditarod Invitational, the Susitna 100 and the Frosty Bottom are wintertime fixtures in the last frontier and there are similar events taking place all over North America for those brave or stupid enough to keep riding all year long. Surly has expanded their family of fatbikes since the inception of the Pugsley.  They now offer the Moonlander and the Neck Romancer Pug.  Salsa offers the Mukluk. And now you can get a 9:ZERO:7.  Even a ti version!

The big shift in the fatbike world most recently is the introduction of the 170mm rear spacing- splitting off from the traditional 135 spacing.  Proponents say that it allows for a stronger wheel with no offset.  It also helps with keeping a clean chainline.  A bonus is that it becomes easier to build a summer set of wheels (the outside diameter is comparable to a 29er) With a summer set of wheels- it opens up the seasons that the bike is enjoyable to ride in.  While the 9:ZERO:7 is available in both widths, the Surly is sticking with 135mm and Salsa is available with the 170mm. There are a number of tires available for fat bikes, Surly seeming to offer the lion’s share.  Another company that is offering more for the winter set is 45NRTH.  There isn’t currently a studded offering for fatbikes, mainly because fatbikes don’t excel on ice.  I hope to see a set of chains surface in the future, as some snow conditions might be traveled better with a pair on hand.  But maybe not.

I’d love to review one of these bikes, and the amount of snow falling in Cordova right now has me wishing I was there with one right now.

In similar news, I got wind about this adventure on the Facebook- and though the Hanebrink bike look a little funny- props to Helen Skelton for giving it a go.

 See more on Helen’s Polar Challenger HERE

Cadence Collection: Purpose Perplex from WEREHAUS on Vimeo.

Check out Cadencecollection.com

Also loving this- the pants look awesome:

Cadence x 686 Project: Rain from cadence studios on Vimeo.

These things are pretty rad and I don’t even like baseball.

Reminds me of this:

Pre-ordering going on now.  See more at the Yellow Bike Company

Nice.

Deep Custom from RoyalAntler on Vimeo.

DZR keeps things going with another good looking shoe- adding to their impressive line up of already existing SPD compatible footwear.  The Midnight.  These are canvas and have a faux-leather upper (read: vegan.) They have a luminescent, reflective badge and have a nylon inner shank.  They also come with retainer plugs and a replacement cleat plate.  They retail for $95 and are available through Mission Workshop.  Looking good DZR- keep it up!

PS- I wear a size 46…