Can't Win Em All!

Drool-worthy completed eBay auction items that I missed out on! All photos are links.

The UNstable: SOLID PDX

I know lots of designers who absolutely love bikes.  They are very unlike the bicycle mechanics and pro-am racers that I know.  Rather than their apartments and houses being filled with bikes in various states of disrepair, they often prefer to have one bike that serves multiple purposes.  This is at the core of the UNstable; as few bikes as possible to cover as many uses as possible.  The Oregon Manifest concept is just this as stated on their website:

"The two-wheeled revolution won’t come on the saddle of a race bike or a specialty bike. The utility bike is the transportation mode of the future for millions of Americans who want to live healthier, more sustainable lives, but don’t think of themselves as “cyclists.” The key to realizing this future is thoughtful, innovative bike design that fills multiple needs and fits into their lives."

This year's Oregon Manifest  challenged five design firms, each partnered with a framebuilder based in their home cities, to create the most efficient, streamlined, and progressive bicycle possible.  A sexy, functional machine for the non-competitive cyclist.

Go vote for your favorite of the five competitors over at the Oregon Manifest page here! 

The winning bike will be reproduced by Fuji for sale in the US.

No Rush...NY to LA in 21 Days.

Check out this recap of Joseph Holway's journey across the country to deliver the newest Search and State product to Golden Saddle Cyclery.  

Rare Bird: Stinner Rigid 29er Frameset

Here's another current eBay auction that surprisingly doesn't have any bids with only 11 hours left.  With modern touches like PF30 BB, front and rear (rare for a steel handbuilt) axles and a stem that has the top bearing race integrated into the assembly for use exclusively with a Hope headset, this thing rules!  It looks like you get everything except for a wheelset and the components are all incredibly clean.  Definitely aimed at a racer, this no nonsense bike will get out out on the short track course and the trails with no wait time for a frame from the great Stinner.

Check it out here!

No Show, All Go: Meet Your Maker Tour

I love the bike industry.  I love the characters it creates and the scenes it helps to support.  Trade shows have allowed me to make connections in the bike industry I otherwise would've missed, however; going on rides with these people I'd just met is a scarce opportunity, one that I'll always take if made available. That said, trade shows hosted in convention centers are terrible.  They separate the products from the conditions they are created to endure and the people who created them.  It's almost always expensive to bring your bike along to shows and are these events are often hosted far from the picturesque roads and trails we'd all prefer to ride.   

The California scene never fails to fly the tight-knit-scene flag high and this "Meet Your Maker Tour" is no exception.

In the words of MYM:

"The Meet Your Maker Tour wasn't hatched as a marketing plan but as an extension of what was already happening here in Northern California. When this cadre of industry nerds would get together and ride it was always on exceptional terrain and a welcome chance to catch up with each other, discuss the ever changing bottom bracket standards, and maybe conduct a little industrial espionage. At some point they realized that on any of these given rides there were several of the world's most talented builders and component makers cruising along some of the world's best trails and roads, and that it might be cool if the public were invited to come along. "

Framebuilders and component manufacturers who are participating include White Industries, Sycip, Soulcraft, Rock Lobster, Black Cat, Paul Components, Falconer, Pass and Stow Racks, Bruce Gordon, Paragon Machine Works, and Retrotec.

The next rides are as follows:

Wende Cragg in Bike Mag

This year's fantastic photo annual features a three page spread on Wende Cragg and her involvement in the very early years of mountain biking.  Go pick up a copy to read about how she became an accidental photographer.

Rad Getting.

Here's just another video of, depending on the time of year, your local handsome hobo randonneur, Jotul.

Jøtul's Quinetucket Traditions from Jamie Murrett on Vimeo.

Radball!

UNstable: Charlie Cunningham Mountain Bike

An early adopter of aluminum in the construction of lightweight, durable mountain bikes, Charlie Cunningham also fabricated a number of the components used on his bikes.  This particular model features such originals as Rollercam brakes, modified Hi-E hubs with an early Grease Guard fittings, toe cage flips, a custom high-rise stem, on the fly cable tension adjusters,  and hand-lathed seatpost QR and cable stops.  Did I mention this bike has dirt drops?  Check out the carefully re-shaped Cinelli road bars.  These are the precursor to the off-the-peg WTB dirt drops you'd see in later years.  Add in the magnificent original Steve Potts Charlie Cunningham original (thanks for the clarification @singletracktourist) fork and this is probably one of the most pristine examples of his early work.