El Cyclista

09.02.10

A nice illustration of “Coppi” sent to me by the Italian artist Riccardo Guasco. Reminds me of the glory days of illustration and artists like the great Cassandre. More of Riccardo’s work here.

08.19.10

Outlier Summer Shorts: The Only Alternative to Lycra

Photos by Emiliano Grando and Bjorn Wallander

It is hard to find the perfect pair of shorts. They tend to be too baggy or too long, and never seem to be comfortable enough to ride in if you are just heading out and about. Also compounded by the fact that the more you wear them, the worse they look. I have never been one for different shorts for different occasions, except for racing. So last weekend prompted by our new riding buddy and photographer Emiliano, and seeing some of Outliers clothes around the studio I headed over to Williamsburg to see for myself what looked like some really well made clothes. Sometimes when you pick up a product or a piece of clothing you know instantly two things, 1) you are going to buy it without asking the price, and 2) you will regret not buying two. Outliers Summer Shorts are such a product. But if there was any doubt I was hooked by the “water demonstration“. When placing the shorts on a table Abe proceeded to pour a bottle of water over them, only to see the water bubble and run straight off the shorts. Yes my friends these shorts are water repellent. Sold!

The shorts are made here in New York with an imported Swiss technical fabric called Schoeller Dryskin Extreme. As mentioned they repel water incredibly well and when saturated will dry in 15 – 20 minutes. The 4-season fabric has a little elasticity to it (a four-way stretch) that makes them very comfortable to wear. The cut is pretty much perfect. They sit just above the knee making them perfect for riding and evening out your cycling tan. They have a stylish rear pocket design that remind of a well cut pair of Paul Smith trousers, and mesh front pockets that if you get a soaking will breath and dry quickly. I tried them on in the shop and walked out wearing them and have been wearing them for the 5 days since, even after spilling my Stumptown coffee on them which wiped straight off. I think I am going to be wearing these for most of the summer. A great company run by a great bunch of guys who love riding of all types and want to contribute some quality enduring products to the bike community.

The Bosberg, Crossberg and 1919 From Ritte Racing

We have been fans of the Ritte team for ages. Apart from being one of the funniest teams around (check out their blog), they have also managed to produce a quality team bike that is now available to the public like you and me. Named after the Bosberg climb, it is a light all-around race frame. The features include carbon dropouts, an integrated seat mast, a BB30 bottom bracket and massive chain stays for power transfer. Also a tapered 1.125″ to 1.25″ head tube giving it very precise handling. You can find these features on a lot of bikes today, but what really makes the Bosberg pop is the paint job. It is a pretty unique looking design, and has now been updated with a beautiful matte black carbon finish, (just like my Storck) with a high gloss finish on the paint. Pretty classy right?

According to the guys at Ritte it will also make you roughly 240% more attractive and 312% more intimidating (Ed: ? So while you might attract more ladies with a 240% increase in charm – you will scare them off when they get close with your 312% improvement in the intimidation category. Net gain, you have a 72% better chance of either charming your way over the line first, or scaring everyone back to the feed zone).

Back to the real facts, a medium Bosberg frame with uncut mast weighs less than 1000g, the fork with uncut steerer weighs a scant 350g. Bolt on SRAM Red and a pair of racing tubs and you are in the 14-pound race bike range. All of this with a nice finishing kit for under $5K. If you are interested, it is as easy as going here. They have also extended the line to include the mean looking Crossberg (I think I like this design best) and the 1919 time trial bike, both below, all available at the Ritte site.

08.15.10

Elcyclista Kit In The Wild

Above 1: Taking some sun on the Ghisallo ferry post ride.
Above 2: Topping up in the camper on Lake Como.

Above 1: Brad got a flat on Riverside Drive.
Above 2: On River Road, the weekly climb.

Above: Anwen sneaks a peak at the Tour, She likes Andy.

A TransAm Honeymoon: Kissing With Helmets

There is no better way to discover a country than from the seat of a bike, and America has undoubtedly one of the richest mixes of landscape to see. I have an Ernest Hemingway quote pinned above my desk (yes I know, an unlikely fan of the bike) that says, “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. You have no such accurate remembrance as you gain by riding a bicycle“. It is with that quote that I wish Brett Clever and his wife Edie the best of luck and safe riding on their epic ride across America, on their HONEYMOON. Yes I said honeymoon. They are taking on an amazing 4,787 mile ride from Astoria, OR, to Brooklyn, NY, along the TransAm route, undoubtedly something they will remember for the rest of their lives.

Brett and Edie have planned this trip down to the last detail, and knowing Brett as one of the the local New York scene’s most competitive Cat 2s, it wasn’t hard to get some support from some of the best bike brands out there. The bikes are killer. Two matching IFs with a custom paint job influenced by a 87 Haro Team Master, that will let us see them coming into Brooklyn all the way from Illinois. Topped out with matching white Ritchey, FSA, Chris King, and Ultegra parts, makes for one pretty nice “touring” bike. Some custom Lightweight jerseys from their friends at Rapha will be keeping them nicely ventilated, but out of all of the detail, my favorite item has to be the custom”Kissing With Helmets” head badges by Jen Green, the name of this whole adventure. Check out the Kissing With Helmets site, Brett and Edie will be posting as they travel (if they can find Wifi in Kansas). I can’t wait to see and hear the stories from this one, we will post when we get news of their travels.

Brett: I am not sure that Drum and Bass is going sound right on those long flats of Kansas. I suggest “The Wild Hunt” album by The Tallest Man On Earth. The cover alone will give you a hint of what you are in for…

08.13.10

An Interview With Julian Franco, From Franco Bikes

We are at nearly the one year point in the history of Elcyclista, and every week literally brings us in touch with new people who share our passion for riding and design. A few weeks back I was flicking through an issue of Cycle Sport (I still buy print) and came a cross a full page ad for Franco Bicycles. It looked like a nicely produced frame and prompted me to check out their site, to find they were doing something different and interesting. At the same time, Julian Franco was sending me an email to say he had found Elcyclista and loved what we were doing. Love it when that happens. We swapped emails and crafted a virtual interview, below.

How did you get into the sport?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been into bikes. I vividly remember my 9th birthday when my uncle, who was a big roadie at the time, showed up for my birthday party and had a dark blue Masi road bike that he had just picked up. I remember it had Campy on it and he trained on tubulars. I thought that was the coolest thing ever. That same birthday, another uncle gave me a Murray BMX. I got more and more into it, and I eventually wanted a higher-end BMX bike, but my parents wouldn’t buy me an expensive one. So I “de-tassled” corn (I grew up in the Midwest just outside Chicago) for the entire summer when I was 12 so I could order a new Robinson from Frankford BMX, a mail-order company advertising in the back pages of BMX Plus. I raced BMX for a while and eventually graduated to mountain bikes. Then in college I was racing a 250GP bike as part of the AMA Superbike Series and used a mountain bike to train on when a mechanic friend of mine, Mike Rockwell (another roadie) got me out on an old steel Bianchi to “chase some school buses” for fitness. From that moment on, I loved it and I’ve been on road bikes ever since.

Reading the background on you guys, it sounds like you have put together an interesting business model. How did the Franco brand get started?

My cousin, Hector, and I have both spent our entire careers in consumer goods. Hector on product development as an industrial designer and engineer, and me on the business side. Our experience there was really pretty simple. We would partner with retailers and base every decision on consumer insights, always focusing on the customer needs. That meant if we kept the focus on the customer, the business would take care of itself. Having bought a lot of bikes ourselves we didn’t think that was the case in the bike industry. We’d find what we thought was the perfect bike and then we’d have to try to find it, since our local dealers didn’t always have them in stock. One time in particular, when I was looking for a specific new bike in my size, that meant printing off a list of US dealers for that brand, and calling every dealer from the east coast to the west until I finally found it. I found it in Utah, and since I was on vacation with my wife, she didn’t appreciate my efforts that morning as much as I did! Experiences like this and our network of contacts allowed us to create a company that did exactly what we wanted when purchasing a bike. Franco Bicycles was born.

(more…)

08.09.10

The Bicyclists

Not much to say about this other than it makes me smile every time I look at it. It looks like they are meandering through the countryside together and singing their favorite “Head Song” out loud. It is the work of artist and print maker Jose Pulido, also know as Mis Nopales Art. His prints are wonderful, and also very affordable. Get them through Etsy.

08.02.10

Carbon Ti Upgrade Parts

Loving these colored bike parts from Italian Company Carbon Ti. They are maybe more famous for their light weight Ti skewers, that weigh in at around about 35 g and have been spotted in the pro peleton this season. They currently don’t have a distributor in the US, but with the wonders of the internet they can be purchased in Germany at Nano Bike Parts. Also check out the colored chain ring bolts, very nice

07.30.10

The Rapha Lightweight Jersey

It is a rare occasion that I will go out and ride and not be in my Elcyclista jersey, but stashed in the middle of my “pile o’jerseys” I keep the Rapha Lightweight jersey I bought last year. This jersey is made for the current conditions we are having in New York. A heat index of 103, really! Now looking a slightly off-white it is one of the most comfortable jerseys I own. Putting it on again I rediscovered the details that make Rapha products that little bit special. The built in pump sleeve in the back pocket and the middle zip pocket (with the ring pull, making it easier to use). It makes me smile when something is designed just right. They are back in stock. Go buy one, you won’t regret the little bit extra you will pay.

07.28.10

Cicli.co / Milan

I can’t find much out about Cicli.co, a company from Milan that we found on our recent trip. They make a very unusual and cool looking commuter bike. They work in partnership with Spernicelli Bici one of Italy’s premium vintage bike restoration shops. Check out their site for some beautiful vintage rides. Would love to get a test ride on that power arm crank they have instead of a chain.