Rides and Races - Toronto Fixed

So how did it really feel being up on the yellow line looking down?

Like Mitch said, the height/view thing is really weird when you get higher up on the track. The strongest thing you feel is when you're lower down - that's when the centrifugal force really sucks you down into the saddle. I found that as the day went on I started to just trust what was happening and pedal a bit harder/lean away from the track more. Things feel more stable once you get comfortable riding at a higher speed.

I am without a doubt jonsing for my next FCV fix.

For photos, I can't wait to take the camera back there again and get some really nice shots of people. I consider our last trip the test run ... now I know how bad the lighting is there but how much potential we have for some awesome photos. If people are cool with a flash going off I think that'll definitely help open things up a bit (the lighting's so top-heavy and far away that it's tough to even get a decent exposure of someone's face and still have it balanced w/ the track surface). Imagine the last photo I posted ... except with a huge pace line up near the top of the track and someone standing down near the apron for perspective to show off the insane banking. Oooh, and eventually there will be full-on race photos with lots of "must destroy" facial expressions and crazy bike angles. :)

Also, I hope Mr. Crabbypants isn't around next time ... hopefully we can bust out the handlebar cam.

Finaly I got some spd clipless shoes for the Elvish, I've never really felt secure enough to pull up alot with the clips and straps. I can pull skids and stop so much more easily now.

Steeker, I do plan on racing this summer, now that I'm fast enough.

Finaly I got some spd clipless shoes for the Elvish, I've never really felt secure enough to pull up alot with the clips and straps. I can pull skids and stop so much more easily now.

Steeker, I do plan on racing this summer, now that I'm fast enough.

Racing ... road/mountain/track/?

Racing ... road/mountain/track/?

Road racing this summer, Track when I get more comfortable, and when I get an actual track bike.

Racing ... road/mountain/track/?
I would hazard a guess and say he would do great in road and track but he has what it takes already for track P.S. Eyefloater or anyone what is your idea;s on the new narrow seats with the split gap in the middle?

Finaly I got some spd clipless shoes for the Elvish, I've never really felt secure enough to pull up alot with the clips and straps. I can pull skids and stop so much more easily now.


Which SPD's did you get? I'm thinking of switching from SPD to Egg Beaters.

What do you guys think Crank Brothers?

i got egg beater candies.
Nothing wrong w/ them yet. but my cleat is starting to showing wear.
Many people say they've have bad experiences with em' regarding the cleats wearing out and bushing crapping on them, but I got nothing to complain about.

Which SPD's did you get? I'm thinking of switching from SPD to Egg Beaters.

What do you guys think Crank Brothers?

They're just an old pair of Sidi dominators that my brother used to use, and I just had a couple of shimano spd pedals lying around that I used.

i got egg beater candies.
Nothing wrong w/ them yet. but my cleat is starting to showing wear.
Many people say they've have bad experiences with em' regarding the cleats wearing out and bushing crapping on them, but I got nothing to complain about.


That's what I've been hearing about Crank Brother pedals.

Hmm... What to get now...

well.. someone's are! They're MEC Espresso's (just checked).

Yeah those are Shiznaz's.


who in that track visit video was taking a photo with that old slr and what kind is it?

You're probably looking at ^'s Olympic om1 (I think). You saw me but for a brief second with my Pentax asahi.

Sounds decent to me. 8 pm tomorrow at Honest Ed's?

I vote for 9 Tuesday.


Hmm... What to get now...

Look Ke0 or SPD-SL. $40 For pedals + cleats you can't go wrong.

It's hard to describe, it's such a cool feeling

it's wierd being up high and looking down to see the floor ten feet below you, kind of an uneasy feeling at first but then you just get used to it.

The more I think about it the more I want to go back, you really need to experience it for yourself to know how it feels.

Yeah, being up top was cool just for the height, but I like the crazy compression from centripital forces down near the bottom where the corner radius is tighter. The term "human powered rollercoaster" now holds a LOT more meaning. :)

That's what I've been hearing about Crank Brother pedals.

Hmm... What to get now...

I love my eggbeaters. The cleats do wear out pretty quickly, but I kind of believe in their reasoning: it's better for the cleat to wear than the pedal. I'll be shopping for a new set of pedals soon and I'll likely go for another set of crank bros (not sure which model yet). But, there are too many positives for the pedal design to not go with them again as far as I'm concerned.. 4-sided entry. good amount of float. small cleats. no upward release at all.

Which SPD's did you get? I'm thinking of switching from SPD to Egg Beaters.

What do you guys think Crank Brothers?

i think the bushing wear out way too fast and are expensive to replace. the cleats also wear fast which makes it too easy to disengage from the pedal. it's too bad because they are functionally a good design. why don't they use real bearings like everyone else.

why not stick with the spds if you have them?

That's what I've been hearing about Crank Brother pedals.

Hmm... What to get now...

Time atac alum mtb ones are working well for me.

So I just got a chance to take a look at the photos/video of your field trip... a few comments:

1) WOW You guys are crazy
2) I don't understand why you haven't attracted more female riders ;)
3) Incredibly crazy
4) Incredibly cool

btw. according to the Forest City website they only do the track 2 + 3 combo on the 4th Saturday of every month. So that means the following dates:

June 24
July 22
August 26

That's assuming that we can't arrange for something at a different time. I definitely want to do this fairly soon, but is June 24 TOO soon? I'd prefer to avoid July 22nd because that's the day before the bike rally to Montreal starts. I don't really want to wait until the end of August though. What does everyone think?

edit: I just emailed Mike @ Forest City and asked whether it was possible to do the track combo another day. I'll let y'all know when I hear back.

Hm, i was there from about 10:00 to 10:45 with one of the other fixed group guys. our black fixies were parked outside. i suppose i should've told you what to look for.

I left just after 10, I thought maybe the ride had been cancelled. Probably for the best, I was pretty tired from riding on Saturday. How far did you guys end up going? After I left Balzaacs, I went and rode the leslie street spit, and then out to the beaches. Nice day.

Hey, did I see a picture of Operator in spandex-or did I inhale too many fumes the last time I patched a tube???

I left just after 10, I thought maybe the ride had been cancelled. Probably for the best, I was pretty tired from riding on Saturday. How far did you guys end up going? After I left Balzaacs, I went and rode the leslie street spit, and then out to the beaches. Nice day.

we went up leslie to about stoufville sdrd, about 100km for me from door to door. i was planning on doing more but after lounging around drinking coffee and riding kind of slow i had to call it a day to make it home by 3pm.

Wes, those beat to hell MEC espressos are mine... I knew I left them somewhere... Also if you find an olympus lens cap its mine, but I have a feeling I left it at the velodrome (yet another reason to get out there again!) The old SLR camera by the way is an Olympus OM-2n. I have an OM-1n that I liked so much that I decided to buy an OM-2n. The motor drives are detachable and they are super sweet. The only SLRs I like more are Leicas but the cost of those is crazy. Great time on saturday by the way, extra thanks go to our most gracious drivers, Wes and Keith. I'll try to process and scan the roll I shot ASAP and get them up here for you guys to check out. If we all start selling crack, I predict that we could raise the money to build a velodrome in under 3 years.

i think the bushing wear out way too fast and are expensive to replace. the cleats also wear fast which makes it too easy to disengage from the pedal. it's too bad because they are functionally a good design. why don't they use real bearings like everyone else.

why not stick with the spds if you have them?


Cuz I want more clearance when cornering. I've come close a few times when cornering. Plus I don't feel like getting shorter cranks. I have these ones:

http://bike.shimano.com/catalog/cycle/products/component.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441763012&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302040276&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=1408474395181419&bmUID=1150126117031

They're multi-purpose, but mad heavy and I've sparked a few times cornering.

:eek:

Maybe I'll look up some pedals on the interweb...

Time atac alum mtb ones are working well for me.


Where did u get them? How much? How far out does the cleat come out of the shoe?

I have Adidas SPD compatible shoes. Will the Time cleats fit those?

Cheers.

June 24
July 22
August 26


Zero chance of me making it out until August.


Hey, did I see a picture of Operator in spandex-or did I inhale too many fumes the last time I patched a tube???

No, that was my identical twin. I don't think we'll be seeing him again.

June 24
July 22
August 26


Zero chance of me making it out until August. July very iffy.

Zero chance of me making it out until August.

work?

ps. the track combo would be in the morning.

What does everyone else think?

work?

ps. the track combo would be in the morning.

What does everyone else think?


Those dates should be fine with me, as long as I can book the time off beforehand obviously.

That's what I've been hearing about Crank Brother pedals.

Hmm... What to get now...


i have eggbeater SL's on my road bike...and have ridden eggbeater C's on my friend's bike.

the stock cleats wear out real quick. i wore the cleats within 3 months and bought replacements (mind you, i do a ton of riding).

they now have hardened brass cleats...and that's what i'm using now. they last much, much longer...and also take much, much longer to break in :D egg beaters are typically harder to snap into when the cleats are fresh, but once they are worn in, it's super easy.

i noticed that with eggbeater C's, it was even easier to clip in. i'm guessing that they're using a lower spring tension on that particular pedal...

it's a good pedal with what seems to be gobs of float (coming from welgo or shimano spd)...and obviously easy to clip into. i'd recommend them!

June 24th is no good for me....got a 24 hour Mtn bike race that weekend.

+ June 24th is Broken Social Scene/Bloc Party/Fiest! whooo. so I can't do that day.

Road racing this summer, Track when I get more comfortable, and when I get an actual track bike.
Yer racing with the Cycle Solutions guys right? You might want to take out a membership with the Midweek Club and do some of their Learn to Race nights out in Mississauga. Very good prep for when you want to get into the Senior 3 field....which can be really sketchy at the best of times. If you are serious about road racing be prepared for ton's of training rides/races. Chin is coming up and they have a novice race...you might want to consider that for your first road race, it would be a good intro to road.

Originally Posted by somnambulant
June 24
July 22
August 26

July 22 could work for me not the other dates.

Hm, i was there from about 10:00 to 10:45 with one of the other fixed group guys. our black fixies were parked outside. i suppose i should've told you what to look for.

I'm not sure if you saw me, but I was in a yellow windbreaker with the silver brodie romax...I went in to use the washroom, then sat down outside to eat a banana and swill some gatorade. Were you in blue?

Oh, and I can probably make it for CV Tuesday night...

Alright. Well, I'll let this die then. June and July both appear to be bad.

Mike @ Forest City says:

"The cost for a T2/3 combo is zilch. Bike rental is included in the zilch too. We're just trying to drum up business in the slack days of summer." (this was regarding the "coupons" we got)

"This session only operates on the 4th Saturday. As the numbers don't dictate any more than one session per month I can't open a 2nd one unless I'm guaranteed a full class. I ran one last Saturday but that was for a certain group of people."

"I'd have to be guaranteed 8 people, plus I'd have to get permission to hold another session. As a volunteer it's an extra 6 hours of my time not to mention fuel costs! It's over an hour's round trip drive for me."

^^^based on this last bit I just emailed him to ask if we could convince him to come in a different Saturday for us.

Alright. Well, I'll let this die then. June and July both appear to be bad.

Mike @ Forest City says:

"The cost for a T2/3 combo is zilch. Bike rental is included in the zilch too. We're just trying to drum up business in the slack days of summer." (this was regarding the "coupons" we got)

"This session only operates on the 4th Saturday. As the numbers don't dictate any more than one session per month I can't open a 2nd one unless I'm guaranteed a full class. I ran one last Saturday but that was for a certain group of people."

"I'd have to be guaranteed 8 people, plus I'd have to get permission to hold another session. As a volunteer it's an extra 6 hours of my time not to mention fuel costs! It's over an hour's round trip drive for me."
So a fuel donation/bursary and maybe some lunch for Mike the volunteer and we are good to go. Since it is gratis the next time a small donation from everyone should be doable. I don't imagine the 8 people will be hard to come up with. Shall we try and come up with an alternate date and run it past Mike?

World Cup Soccer has been awesome indeed..... what kind of CV is it tonight I've been stuck in all day

well the 24 is St Johhny the Baptist day and as I'm not living in MTL nor a separatist I WON'T be burning Verdun. Gottsa get me damned shoes.
edit: flipped the stem and it feels nice.

Any of the dates that somnambulant listed would be good for me, it would be even better if we could set up our own date for all of us to go, we could easily come up with eight people. I'd be more than willing to donate some money to mike for gas and food. I'd like to get back out there before the end of the month. :)

will ANYONE be going for an intro at the 'drome? To get the dude there?, donations are go andconfidence is high.

I'm not sure if you saw me, but I was in a yellow windbreaker with the silver brodie romax...I went in to use the washroom, then sat down outside to eat a banana and swill some gatorade. Were you in blue?

Oh, and I can probably make it for CV Tuesday night...

uh, blue wool jersey, blue cap, black fixie. that was probably me. i was looking for other fixies...

World Cup Soccer has been awesome indeed..... what kind of CV is it tonight I've been stuck in all day

anyone know which TV stations are broadcasting the games? i only get CBC / CTV but i'd like to watch a few from the comfort of mine own home.

So a fuel donation/bursary and maybe some lunch for Mike the volunteer and we are good to go. Since it is gratis the next time a small donation from everyone should be doable. I don't imagine the 8 people will be hard to come up with. Shall we try and come up with an alternate date and run it past Mike?

sounds good. As far as I know, I'm good any weekend between now and July 16. So that gives us the first 3 weekends in July.

anyone know which TV stations are broadcasting the games? i only get CBC / CTV but i'd like to watch a few from the comfort of mine own home.

I heard they're streaming online as well, but I might be mistaken. Not really the same as watching it on tv either. :)

I'd like to get back out there before the end of the month. :)

hahaha.. me too. I don't think that's going to happen however. :D

i know we have tinkerd with the idea of custom jerseys but i think we should definately have t-shirts made. my t collection is not looking good. who has ideas for logos? nothing cheesy!

Just a heads up. There will be an alleycat race this Saturday. Details are a bit sketchy at the moment but this much I know. 5 checkpoints to be done in any order... finish is on the Island so you will need a few bucks in yer pocket. Drinks and cameraderie on the Island for a couple hours. After party at 276 Carlaw.

i know we have tinkerd with the idea of custom jerseys but i think we should definately have t-shirts made. my t collection is not looking good. who has ideas for logos? nothing cheesy!
Stick man track rider doin the Nathan Fabian? I can sell a few in here to offset the costs and maybe get a better deal on bulk? I might be able to sweet talk Sam at U.T.W. to provide us with some nice American Apparel shirts. Rob Bikeophile's Dad owns a sil;k screening company so we could prolly get a good deal from him.

I heard they're streaming online as well, but I might be mistaken. Not really the same as watching it on tv either. :)

they're showing games on cbc??!?!
omni1 and 2 are free channels (channel 47 and 52?).. just swivel them antenna ears!! between those 2 channels, and this:

http://www.ghacks.net/2006/06/09/worldcup-preparations/

edit: just get the TUVplayer and you're ready to go!! the stream is quite compressed (lotsa artifacting) but you can see the ball and the players. it takes time to start-up so don't get discouraged if nothing comes up for a few minutes.

you should be able to watch every game. that's what i did all weekend. 6 games baby!!!!

i've got svhs-out from the laptop to my tee-vee. foreign announcers beat the dreck coming out of espn any day. GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL GOAL ...GOOOOAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

edit: oops, mis-read your post. they're not showing games on the cbc.

World Cup Soccer has been awesome indeed..... what kind of CV is it tonight I've been stuck in all day


CV tonight should be chill, with some variety. What do you think 32flavours?

World Cup Soccer has been awesome indeed..... what kind of CV is it tonight I've been stuck in all day

anyone know which TV stations are broadcasting the games? i only get CBC / CTV but i'd like to watch a few from the comfort of mine own home.