New Bike App for the i-Phone

http://www.tsg.la/mybikeinfo/

Here's one for all you techie bike people & those owning more than one bike - I can't wait to delve into this one. Velo Girls in the USA (http://velogirlscoaching.blogspot.com/) give the following review:

We've hesitated to pay too much attention to most "bicycle" apps for the iPhone before because they seem to have limited value, but this one looks very interesting .

When travelling, you want to make sure you can set up your bike just the way you have it while you're home. If renting or borrowing a bike, you want to try to match your current geometry and fit as closely as possible. This info is super-handy if you're planning to purchase a new bike, too! In the past, that probably meant carrying around a little piece of paper with your measurements on it.

This app allows you to enter all that important information right on your iPhone. At first glance, it's super thorough -- probably more thorough than the average cyclist needs (or can figure out for him/herself). You can even add really important information like serial numbers and purchasing information -- all necessary if your bike finds its way into the hands of someone else (like a bike thief).

There's even a section for you to keep maintenance records so you know when to replace your chain! And (with a little help from a friend) you can record your vital body measurements. As a bonus, the developers have added an RSS news feed with some of the bigger cycling new sites (and you can add your favourites to customize the feed).

Thanks to http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/cycling-accessories/bike-apps-for-the-iphone/ you can also see a list of other useful i-Phone apps currently available - well worth a look we reckon!

White Air '09 Festival

From September 18th-20th this year, Brighton hosts the White Air Festival. They have some great bands & some amazing extreme sports on display & if you're in the area you'll be able to see & participate in:
Aero GP, Aquathlon, BMX, Bocking, Brush Boarding, Capoeira, FMXFreesports Park, Gliding, Graffiti, High Diving, Inline Skate, Jet Ski
Kayak, Kitesurfing, Land Windsurfing, Land Yachting, MMA Martial Arts, Motocross FMXMountain Biking, Mountain Boarding, Orb, Parachute RAF Falcons, Paragliding, Paramotoring, Parkour
Powerboat, Powerfan, Red Arrows and Falcons, Rollerskis, Ropeboarding, Running, Sailing, Sailing Dingy, Scuba Diving, Skate, Slackline, Stand Up Paddle board, Street Boarding

Doesn't this just sound like the most amazing weekend - EVER!!!!!

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Ways to use a bicycle...

Here at SMB Bearings, we are always amazed (but not always in a good way) by human ingenuity when it comes to the multitudinous ways there seem to be to ruin a perfectly good bicycle...



For those of you who are secretly impressed, you can find out more from http://steamboatwilly.org/ !

Twittering...

We are Twittering now - & not just in a speech impediment/alcohol induced fashion! If you fancy it, you can follow us at http://twitter.com/SMBtechgeeks - we'll try & think of something exciting to tell you every now & again!

For any fellow twitterers, we do have the exciting news that Tony Hawk will be messing about at Gamescom http://www.gamescom-cologne.com/ in Cologne, Germany this Friday. The legend will actually be skating (yes, he still does!) so anyone lucky enough to be in the vicinity could catch the legend in action. Update 21.08.09 - his MTV giftbag included 4 sausages...!!

RC Models...

We've found this great article from http://www.rcgawker.com/ to help you make your own labels for your RC model - never more will you have to purchase expensive decals, you can now custom-make your own!

"For starters you will need to decide what sort of sticker you want to put on your RC model.

In my case I wanted to put my web site logo on my RC car. You can use any graphics editing software such as Photoshop, Corel, Illustrator, Pixelmator (Mac OSX), even MS Word. As long as you can print to a color printer you should be good. You can “gang up” as many logo’s or images you want on a single sheet of paper, just be sure to leave enough room to cut them out. In my case I used Adobe Illustrator to create my site logo and print my stickers. After you have settled on your art work the next thing you will need to do is get clear labels. Avery makes a clear label that works perfect for this. You can get them in full 8 1/2 X 11 sheets from Office Max or Staples or order them online. They come in Laser or Ink Jet printer style, make sure to get the correct one for the printer you are using. Once you have printed out the artwork on the clear paper you will want to apply some clear package tape over them. The reason for this is twofold, first it provides a rich glossy shine to your stickers, secondly it protects the sticker from weather and scratches.

That’s pretty much it. Cut out your stickers and enjoy".

Thanks RCgawker!

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We've recently been talking to Tom Cook at Jet Model Products in America (see more at http://www,jetmodelproducts.com/). We've been wowed by his models & thought you might be too!

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And here we have a few examples of RC model ownership not going quite so smoothly.... !!

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Online store in development...

In response to your demands for an online store, we're currently in the process of building one for you! We plan to make available online a range of our hobby bearings & also a new range of ceramic hybrid bearings, for those of you wanting to go to the next level in performance terms.

We'd love to hear from you, to let us know exactly what you'd like to see for sale online, so please do get in touch. For example, as well as our range of hobby bearings we're also thinking of including a range of lubricants (that you'd normally have to buy by the barrel-load) to help you maintain your bearings, skate t-shirts & decals etc...

Never fear! For those of you who need a bit of extra help, technical information or something listed in our catalogue that you can't see for sale online, we'll still be available via ye olde telephone or email ;0).

We have over 2000 different items in stock in our UK warehouse at any one time & we only plan to list about 200-250 sizes at this stage, to see how you like them. We look forward to hearing what you think about it all & what you'd like to see online.

Watch this space for updates!

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