The winner of this year's competition was Tony Pereira who I highlighted a while back when I caught a glimpse of his Roaring 29er.

To check out other killer builds and see more about Tony's creation head on over to the Oregon Manifest's winners list.

This one belongs to a former Discovery cohort. He managed to score this frame for $100 on account of a broken brake bridge. Which of course makes it perfect for a fixed.

lemond filmore with ox platinum tubing, velocity aerohead rims (non machined), sugino RD cranks, carbon riser + seatpost, brooks saddle, formula hubs, 46x16

Still to be done. New seat post, new seat, new pedals....and then it'll be time to think about how I want to carry a patch and pump kit.

oh..and I did discover a great spot to photograph my bikes. Happens to be 2 doors down from me.

One thing I know for sure though, is that my Raleigh/Urban Assault Vehicle will be taking several cues from the XO.

If you haven't done any research on these machines I seriously suggest you do. You can start here .

For the low low price of $65 this Raleigh Super Course is mine. It was a great find at the Bike Man's shop in Middleborough, MA. Thanks to my brother and sister for picking it up for me as a b-day gift.

Reynold 531 Steel | Strongbuilt Cranks

Now comes the fun part. Building it up.  I'm hoping to start with a new set of wheels built by Strada.Stay tuned.

This one here is my current favorite.

For a mere $499 you can own the abuelo 3-speed men's bike.

oooh, a pretty bell. Just what every man needs on his bike

Found this one over at Werd today.

The Paratrooper is one of the many folding mountain bikes that Montague offers.  Its patented folding design was developed and designed to allow airborne soldiers to drop out of airplanes and helicopters into combat.  The 24-speed Paratrooper is advanced with front and rear mechanical disc brakes with brake pad adjustment.  Known for its durability and load bearing capabilities, this bike has also developed a following with everyday commuters and weekend warriors.

Now if you're like most and don't need to jump out of a plane with your bicycle. You may like to consider some of their other fine folding options. Like the wonderfully named BOSTON.



Check out the ad they ran in the most recent issue of Peloton Magazine.

And of course...don't miss the Official Ritte Racing Public Apology

Ritte Apology for Potato Vodka Ad from Ritte Racing on Vimeo.

The big I'm getting is this exact model. (but, not this particular bicycle...this is a shiny one I found on the interweb thingee. The one I'm getting is not so shiny).

My plan is to strip this bicycle down and build it back up as a single speed with the classic bmx 44:16 ratio.

Advertising Agency: The Drawing Squad, Jakarta, Indonesia
Creative Director: Khairul Akbar
Art Directors: Rio Feroli, Norman Prasetyo
Copywriters: Adri Zainuddin, Anton Adinugroho
Photographer: M. Ilham Soegandi
Published: July 2010

In the meantime, please wipe that drool off your keyboard. It's disgusting.

GHP frame, fork, stem, seat post, seat clamp. Redline cranks. Sun Ringle/Rhyno Lite rims, Shadow Conspiracy seat, ODI Mushroom grips, Tektro brakes, and Wellgo magnesium pedals. Over $900 into it. Weighs in at 22.15lbs. Not too shabby.

Highlights: Hutch Cranks, Ukai Rims, Suzue hubs, CW bars, A'me grips, BMX Tech-style number plate, Cheg Shin Comp III tires, sweet white pads, Chrome on this bike is bright and clean, incredibly quick bike. Seriously, is the quickest bike I've ever owned.

The Bad. No serial number. No hutch stem (it's a run of the mill tange), Left VP bear trap pedal has dent in it. Currently has new style Sinz brake setup. (I did this because i actually raced this bike at the track last summer and found that the old diacompe MX were seriously outclassed by new braking technology). I do not have the diacompe mx rear brake. I will however, throw in a white and a chrome Lee Chi brake lever.

$405 shipped in the US (shipping to other locations will have to be recalculated)
Please take good care of her. This one is hard for me to part with.

I've got to thank Cyclelicious for finding this one. What an insane looking contraption. Sure looks like he has to work pretty hard to get the wheels moving.

In honor of memorial day, I spent the rest of the day breathing new life into these fallen warriors of the asphalt.

The first bike is a blue Murray Monterey 3-speed bicycle that is still in amazing working condition. Why Sarah didn't take this one home with her I will never understand.

The 2nd bike, a 1976 Iverson Cycles Corporation 'Olympic Games' bicycle, was a bit worse for wear but it was definitely the more unusual of the two. Check out all of the Olympic branding on it.

The original print ad

THE BEFORE

So, for the next couple of days, I reached into my bag of Photoshop tricks. I pushed some colors here, played with some curves there....cloned, kerned, masked, filtered, tracked, cropped, duplicated, and dodged my way to something I am proud to have been a part of. Unfortunately, my dreams of wild compensation never materialized......despite the grueling hours spent in front of the computer listening to music I love and sipping margaritas. I'm sad to report that a shiny new Bosberg (size L) never arrived at my doorstep.

Behold, the first Ritte Racing print ad.

THE AFTER | Click image for a closer look. Seriously, the copy is awesome and deserves to be read.

To get even more behind the scenes imagery from this shoot. Head over the Ritte's blog.

It surprises me how often I get emails asking for updates on the well-being of my old Casati Cometa. For those just joining the conversation let me provide a quick recap. It is an aluminum road bike that had a 2 inch long crack in the headtube. Despite the overwhelming amount of online advice that was telling me that the frame was junk, I took a chance and paid $50 to a local welder who has a side biz specializing in bicycle frame repair. Its important to note here..that he was very familiar with welding aluminum. That's important. OK, that's about it. You are now caught up to speed.

So...how is it holding up?  These days I'm spending the majority of my time on my BMC, so the Casati is not my primary bicycle. But, like The Nationals latest album, it is certainly in heavy rotation. After the weld, I stripped the frame down to bare bones. It's now set up as a no-frills single speed with a demanding 53/16 gear ratio. It requires no special shoes or other cycling accoutrements so it's my first choice for quick spins and 'recovery' rides. I've probably logged around 200 miles on it. I can honestly say that those 200 miles have been completely free of worry. In fact, I treat that bicycle harder now than I did when it was my primary roadie. There may not be any knobs on the tires, but I never hesitate to take it down dirt and gravel roads. Hell, I've even gotten to the point where I rocket down a steep (as in steep enough to sled down in the winter) and narrow dirt footpath near my house. The weld has held.

My advice is this. If you've got a frame that you love and hate the thought of parting with it. Call your local welding shop. Chances are there is someone there who can patch that weld. And for cheap money. The heat from the welding will destroy the paint in the afflicted area...but that's a small price to pay for salvaging a frame you love.

As for how it looks. Judge for yourself. I think she's still one of the most beautiful bikes I've ever owned.

The frame bag is nice, but Retrovelo's bread and butter is definitely in their bicycle designs. Check out a few samples below.

Simple Beauty

Bobby Julich and the Saxo Bank team along with Specialized have done a wonderful, wonderful thing. Paying homage to the 1985 cult classic American Flyers which featured Kevin Costner riding a Specialized Allez, the Saxo Bank team will be tearing through the mountains of California aboard these gorgeous looking commemorative edition bikes.  Can you say...GO SAXO! Be sure to check out Road Bike Action Magazine's Component by Component breakdown

Oh and Trek?  Logos are to be used sparingly. Please remember that.

Built for Phil Wood ("Build it strong. Keep it simple. Make it work.") this titanium machine is gorgeous. I can't wait to get up close to this one this weekend.

Maybe I was a bit harsh on this beer brewed by the guys at Lakefront Brewery. Because you know what,....I'm guilty of always purchasing wine with bicycles on the label. And who doesn't love Fat Tire Ale?

I chose the BMC SL01 for a few reason. #1. Technology: I loved the theory behind the carbon/aluminum hybrid. The more I read about it, the more I was sold on it. #2. Cost: I was able to find the frameset (frame, fork, headset, seatpost, seatclamp) marked down from $999 to $699 on Competitive Cyclist. That price tag came in $150 cheaper than the CAAD9. No doubt I'll use that $150 for some other upgrades. #3. Availability: I called two local shops to track down a 56cm CAAD9 this weekend and the best they could offer was mid March. That sealed the deal. I'm not waiting until mid March to get back on the road.

So there you have it, soon enough I'll be starting a new chapter with the BMC. I can't wait to get to know it.

Once your done with that video. Check out the behind the scenes footage from their recent shoot.

Time to look under some sofa cushions.

A mere 2.9lbs. I do like that.

Seeing this bike reminds me of something I used to do as a kids. I'd take a 20" bmx frame and put smaller wheels on it and remove the brakes. Basically...doing our best to turn it into a rideable clown car. Then I rustle up some friends and we'd find the biggest and scariest tree filled hill and try to see who could make it down without leaving their teeth in the trees.

This was my first ride on the bike so there was definitely a lot of stopping and adjusting going on as I tried to dial it in. After almost 30 miles I'm not quite sure I've got it quite right yet. The bike itself is stiff and blazes along on the straights and downhills. It definitely has some get up and go. I didn't push it on the downhill turns so I can't say for certain how it handles, but from all indications it tracks the turns nicely. The one part that I didn't like about the bike was the way it climbed. Granted this could be a product of my inactivity, but there was something about my position on the bike that made it really difficult to get any sort of momentum going on the climbs. And when I got off the saddle I felt like I was too far forward over the handlebars which is very odd because the frame seems altogether too large for me. It's probably poor fitness but I can't rule out that it's the geometry or the sizing of the frame in relation to me. Either way, it's as close as I've ever come to quitting on a climb. But I'm going to hold off on final judgement until I've had some time to get back into shape. The holidays and my recent trip to Alaska have reaked havoc on my fitness (12lbs heavier than my racing weight in Texas and less than 50miles ridden)

Still...I can already tell that it's not going to be that magical fit that I had with my Casati Cometa. Which incidentally, I intend to take to a welding shop and have it repaired. Stay tuned on that one. I've never seen or heard of anyone trying to repair a cracked headtube. Keep your fingers crossed that I don't wind up with a fork thru the heart.

I didn't catch the right light today. I'll have to head back and take some better photos later.

Frame, fork, seatpost $2850 for stock and $3450 for custom. Sadly not for the poor. Sadly not for me.

Dear Speedvagen, would you kindly accept my beautiful Ellsworth Flight as a trade?

DT Swiss/Hugi hubs laced to Mavic 317 Rims with Hayes rotors. Love the anodized silver as well. Going to match up nicely on my Dean.

I did take it home with me though...so I'll add this to my list of projects to play with.

My photographs don't give the paint justice. It's a beautiful torquise color.

A one off design which has been given the title Lance District features the carbon fibre District frame that is set-up with a carbon fiber composite yellow belt drive system that completes the look well accustomed to Lance Armstrong.

Now, I'm not going to lie, Reynolds 631 steel isn't my first choice for a frame, but it sure beats 4130 cromo.  Lots of photos for this one, because the eye candy never stops.

www.pilencykel.se

That seat looks as though it was inspired by a Swedish snow plow!

Here are some specs and some photos.

Specifications

• Dean Duke
• 3Al/2.5V Titanium construction
• Matte Satin Finish
• Rim and Disc (51mm IS) compatible
• Rockshox SID Race (Dual-Air) Rear Shock with 1" rear wheel travel; adjustable rebound dampening
• Bi-Ovalized Shaped Downtube
• Breezer-style hooded dropouts
• S-bend shaped chainstays and seatstays
• Replaceable rear derailleur hanger
• Top Tube Cable Routing
• Seat collar included

Geometry

• 19.5" Center to Top Seat Tube
• 23 1/8" Effective Top Tube (Approx)
• 4 5/16" Head Tube
• 17" Chainstays
• 68mm Bottom Bracket Shell; Standard (English) Thread
• 1 1/8" Steerer Compatible
• 27.2mm Seatpost
• 31.8mm Front Derailleur (Top-Pull)

I'm a big fan of that lifetime warranty.

But, with the death of one bike comes the birth of another. Luckily for me I had a sweet Ellsworth Flight frame basically fall into my lap. So in the upcoming weeks I'll be swapping components.

GHP frame, fork, stem, seat post, seat clamp. Redline cranks. Sun Ringle/Rhyno Lite rims, Shadow Conspiracy seat, ODI Mushroom grips, Tektro brakes, and Wellgo magnesium pedals. Weighs in at 22.15lbs. Not too shabby.