There is most definitely a difference between people that ride bikes because they WANT to- and people that ride bikes because they HAVE to.  John Lautermilch’s painting “Homeless” depicts someone in the latter category.  The subject looks like a hobo, with that hat and grizzly face.  Complete with DUI bars.

The original is for sale, or you can buy a print HERE

Well if that doesn’t sell you on cyclocross, I don’t know what will.

And afterwards- you have to make time for this:

Seen HERE

On August 31, 2009, bike messenger Darcy Allan Sheppard was run over and killed in Toronto by the unrepentant former Attorney General and former Aboriginal Affairs Minister, Michael Bryant.

Video by RedSonia- thanks for passing it along.

Got an email from the folks over at Fyxation saying that their 23c tires are finally shipping!  I rode the 28’s for a few months and liked them a lot.  They aren’t designed for skidding, but their dual compound tires offer a strip of a harder rubber down the middle that make them more resilient for the occasional whipskid.

Pick them up HERE

For some folks, I think it’s true.

Thanks Meat for sending this my way. From this Flickr

I may need to head down to Tacoma real soon for one of these rides-

In June of this year, the Vigorelli velodrome became home to a fashion show during Milan’s mens fashion week.  Thom Browne’s Gamme Bleu collection for Moncler, inspired by the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia was on display- models riding around the velodrome to an orchestral version of Queen’s “Bicycle Race” and to Kraftwerks “Tour de France.”  I appreciate non-traditional venues for events, and an aged velodrome makes for an interesting fit for something like a fashion show.  You can see more of Moncler HERE- including the jackets designed by T.I….

Moncler Gamme Bleu Spring/Summer 2011 Runway from LAT Videos on Vimeo.

See more photos from Style.com (photos above taken from their site) HERE

Hey Seattle!  Think your summer is all but lost- there is an alleycat on September 4th where all who mourn it’s passing can come out, race bikes, and revel in the fact that we have a long wet winter ahead of us…

Meet at Volunteer Park (I assume by the donut statue) at 2pm on 9/4

Race at 3pm.  $5 entry.

If you’re in town, get down!  Glad to see people throwing races!

Meet at 5pm to hang out and enjoy tunes by DJ NLJB

Music by Concours d’Elegance and Sap’N at 7pm

Short films followed by Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure at dusk (around 9pm)

And on Sunday…

Come down to the Boxcar Alehouse in Magnolia (3407 Gilman Avenue West) for Emerald Sprints!  Lots of bike parking and good times to be had.  Register at 6pm race from 7-9.  Don’t be a stick in the mud spokes, come out and support!  There is even a FACEBOOK page for it!

It’s been a while since a penny farthing has made it up on the blog.  Using the survey that was posted last week as a guide, I came to find out that people other than myself have a soft spot for those beautifully dangerous machines of simpler times and harder skulls.  No promises as to the consistency of penny farthing posts, but we’ll give it a go.

“Toad on a penny farthing” or, “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in Los Angeles”