Denis Stepanov – Welcome to the Family from Shadow Conspiracy on Vimeo.

The Shadow Conspiracy welcomes Denis Stepanov to the team. Give his recent edit a watch, there’s some rippin’ riding, not to mention The Doors. Good stuff.

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As a little preview for NAHBS, Ahearne Cycles posted a few photos of a fat bike recently completed. I really can’t wait to see this in all its glory.

Couple more below.

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photos: Christopher Norris

We’ve had a few days of decent weather lately, and they were certainly well-received by us. I got out on the Soma this weekend for the first time this winter and Norris has been out crushing miles the past couple on his Surly Cross Check. Man, I can’t wait for springtime.

See a couple more shots of Chris’s Cross-Check below.

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Marin Bikes 2012 Mount Vision from Marin Bikes on Vimeo.

Pretty awesome videos showcasing the 2012 Marin Mount Vision, an all-mountain bike designed to do-it-all.

This video really makes me miss my old Marin, a 2001 Rocky Ridge. The bike was my first real mountain bike, and it left me with a life-long cycling bug.  Hopefully the chap I sold it to in the UK grew just as fond of it. Damn, that was 11 years ago…

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45NRTH, is a new brand to the cycling world, owned by QBP and focused completely on cold weather & winter cycling. See what’s up their sleeves at Frostbike – rumor has it they’re gonna make a studded fat bike tire.

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Saturday was one of the nicest days we’ve had in Burlington lately and I tried to take full advantage of it. We had 40 degree weather, mostly sun in the morning, and not too much wind. I had a big list of things to do that day, one goal being to find this tunnel and walk through it; I also wanted to get the Soma out for a quick jaunt.

It’s such a nice feeling riding a bike with 100 psi under me again, especially after spending most of my riding days on studs. At this point with the winter the way it’s been, I could either take a huge snowstorm and be content, or just have straight-up spring hit. I think I’m leaning towards the latter. Couple more bike/nature photos below…Happy Monday everyone.

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This Appelhans, which belonged to Gus Juner, aka “Augie”, has to be one of the most pristine  examples of Willy Appelhans‘ craftsmanship…just look at the condition this 80+ year old bicycle is in! “Augie”  was one of three brothers in the Juner family, often described as “cycling royalty”. They embodied old-world cycling secrets, and just to have been given advice from one of them was quite an honor.

Appelhans came to the US from Germany in the early 20th century as a professional racer, and eventually became one of the era’s best framebuilders. Lance Claudel was even his apprentice at their New York shop in the 30s!

See a couple details below – photos via Classic Cycle.

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Beautiful work as always.

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Since Culture Cycles is relatively young, I’ve just now started going back in time and exploring where we’ve been in our two short years of existence.

February 2011 reminds me of Firefly Bicycles…”First there was Fat Chance, who forever changed the way steel bicycles were built, then upon their move out of Boston to Glen’s Falls, NY a new brand was born: Independent Fabrications. If you’ve been following IF recently you may know that they have made big plans to move to New Hampshire to do bigger and better things.”  That made way Indy Fab originals, Tyler and Jamie, to begin working as Firefly.

Just one year later and look how many stunning pieces of art bicycle they’ve created…Here’s to one year down and another one easy, keep it up guys!

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photos: Velociao

Wow, what do we have here? This 1985 Pinarello Record has been completely restored, polished and given a heavy dose of TLC. A completely chromed Columbus SL frameset is dressed to impress with a Campagnolo Super Record grouppo and a 6-speed Maillard 700 Super freewheel. Campy Record low flange hubs to Mavic CX18 rims keep this an ultra light build, said to be under 8kg as pictured.

I love the pantographed Cinelli 1R stem. Have a look at the rest of this beauty below, there are countless stunning details.

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Built with Columbus Thron tubing and sitting on 20″ Skyways, this Amaro Angeli Tarantela is built to be a serious street thrasher…not to mention a bar-spin machine.

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SHAWN SWAIN IN TEXAS from Charlie Crumlish on Vimeo.

Shawn Swain’s footage from a trip to Texas.

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Couple new offerings from Queen City Dry Goods. See some more of Matt’s work here.

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“Going nowhere faster than the speed of light”

Yup, it’s that time again. The Old Spokes Home is throwing a series of goldsprints races in Burlington, Vermont with the first coming up on the 22nd at The Monkey House (Winooski).

Its time for some Mad Dashes. Spring approaches; get the blood flowing! Picture two single speed bikes set up on stationary rollers, and two racers going head to head in a 250m, 500m, and 2,000m races. Speeds and times simultaneously projected during each race. A wild event for racers and spectators alike, registration is $5 and will be from 6:30pm – 7pm. Races begin at 7pm. Prizes will be awarded for racers and fans alike from the Old Spokes Home and Maglianero, as well as drink specials from the Monkey House.

This is the first race of 3 races we will be hosting. All racers are entered into a drawing for a grand prize to be awarded at the final event regardless of placement. Race all 3 events and you get 3 chances at the grand prize. Free Bass will be providing listening pleasure after the races, check out the Monkey House website for details. Keep in mind that these are real bikes, wear or bring appropriate footwear (sneakers) and clothing, and come out ready to ride, ready to cheer, and ready for a good time.

Poster by Christopher Norris

Join the Facebook event page for more info.

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Saw this post on  Fairdale and Prolly, but had to pass it along. It’s funny, cause there’s never been a time while I’m out on my bike and don’t notice at least a few of these violations.

Too much funny business going on out there, keep your head up! Love the artwork too, these are some great drawings – especially the fish (Phish) drawing, cause that’s something you see quite often around Burlington…damn hippies.

Head over to Fairdale to see the rest of his findings.

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1 out of every 2 drivers are on the phone.

1 out of every 5 drivers are texting.

1 out of every 25 drivers has an open beer in their cup holder.

1 out of every 6 drivers will make a right turn through a red light or stop sign faster then would seem safe on a green light.

I’d like some warm birthday wishes to Mr. Ernesto Colnago who turns 80 today, and my what an impact he’s had on the sport. Thank you Ernesto!

via Headset Press and Cycleangelo

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Remember that Lotus Super Pro Aero I posted last week? Well I got an email from a nice named Ronnie from Alabama and he recently picked this Super Pro Aero, the limited production run of the original Super Pro Aero (pink) which was designed to break the transcontinental time record.

Where does one come across such a rarity, and in such condition? Craigslist of course. Talk about a great find! Thanks for sending these  over Ronnie.

Couple more shots below.

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Wow, I’d love to be riding wherever this is…the bike is quite entrancing too. Have a closer look at the Amaro Cardinale mountain bike below. Also be sure to check out some more Amaro Bikes here.

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GEORGE BOYD from Mutiny Bikes on Vimeo.

George Boyd goes pro for Mutiny Bikes – his debut footage makes the promotion seem long overdue. Oh yeah, this was all shot in one afternoon.

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The White Canvas Project is coming to Los Angeles for its second round and will feature the works of Leba, Food One, Koffinz, Memuco, Death Spray Custom, David Walker & SheOne – I can’t wait to see some coverage!

The event takes place on February 24th at the iam8bit gallery in W.Sunset, LA.

Oh yes – Death Spray Custom, one of my favorites, has this way of consistently blending art and functionality into anything he works on; much of which has to do with 2-wheeled mobility.  Just take a look at some of DSC’s work here.

“A dose of dry wit and automotive urethane paint is the chosen medium for DSC (Death Spray Custom). Brought up in Wales on a diet of two wheels, DSC often works in themes of subversion and desire, often in the world of mobility. The results are simple, striking and shiny pieces of work that purposefully blur the lines between art, brands and consumerism.”

Check out the video from the first four-day paint jam and get an idea of what to expect (if you’re luck enough to be in LA for this).

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