A Skateboard, A BMX, A Basketball & a Trick Shot...

Some of our favourite things combined in one epic moment!

Angie's Clock Tower to Eiffel Tower Ride...

Anjie & friends at Carterton's Clock Tower

We just wanted to wish the very best of luck to local resident Angie Bryant, who is setting off on an epic 370 mile bike ride from our home town of Carterton on August 14th. Anjie hopes to raise £4,000 for head and neck cancer charity Heads Up.



WHEN Angie went to the doctor with swollen glands, she thought it was just another bout of tonsillitis.
She didn't realise she was suffering from throat cancer and would need a 14-and-a-half hour operation, followed by months of treatment.
Now the 48-year-old, from Carterton, has battled back from the disease and hopes to repay the support the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford gave her, by cycling with seven friends and family from the clock tower in Carterton town centre to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

To donate, visit justgiving.com/cartertontopariscycleride  - as of today, a fantastic £1,700 has already been raised.  If you can't donate right now, maybe you can just share this story with friends and family...

Good luck Angie!!

Wooden bike...

... a snip at just £4000 & just a 12 week wait for delivery...

When established furniture maker Seth Deysach was invited to be part of the Object Society design show in June last year, he decided to create something special for the occasion that combined two of his passions - creating things in wood and cycling. The single-speed, one size Lagomorph bike boasts strong, elegant lines and an impressive catalog of high quality components. Now the designer is taking special orders for the wooden-framed bike, with custom options available on request.

Personally, I'd be a bit too nervous about my wooden pride & joy ending up as a box of matches if I had a little accident... :0)

Danny Macaskill... crazy biker strikes again

Created by MacAskill in collaboration with Red Bull, "Way Back Home" shows the cyclist riding across Scotland to his hometown of Dunvegan in the Isle of Skye.




Travelling with his friend and filmmaker Dave Sowerby, MacAskill performs stunts at Edinburgh Castle, leaps over rocky terrain and jumps onto and over bridges in the Scottish Highlands.



The journey culminates with a return to the place where MackAskill first learned how to ride, his hometown of Dunvegan, where he skips past local hotels, jumps off railings and even front flips off a building.
Talking about his experience of riding from Edinburgh to Skye, MacAskill said: “My favourite spot in the riding clip is probably the bakery wall ride in my local village.  I found it by walking out of the bakery with a big pasty. And then I saw the grass bank and the wall and thought I could maybe jump up there one day.  One of the hardest tricks in the film was probably the front flip off Edinburgh Castle as it was blowing a force 10 hooly. It was also raining really heavily, if it wasn't for that it would have been easy.”



Danny MacAskill's first video, Inspired Bicycles, received 300,000 views online overnight and has since been played more than 21 million times.  This guy is awesome - I'm not even happy to take one hand off the handlebars for more than a few seconds, never mind the amazing shenanigans he achieves with what looks like effortless grace!!

Sir Steve Redgrave takes on the "World's toughest bike race"

Training to take on world's toughest bike race - Sir Steve Redgrave & his "Crew"...

It’s 10 years since Steve Redgrave became the most successful ever British Olympian, winning his 5th Gold Medal. In that decade he has continued to inspire millions while raising over £5 million for charity.
Sir Steve's latest challenge is regarded as the toughest endurance race in the world.   Starting on 9th June, Race Across America is a 3,000 mile cycle race crossing from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland.

Joined by a team of former rowers & friends, the crew of 8 will be riding across 14 States, climb 100,000ft and encounter every extreme of weather.  The Race Across America is one of the most respected and longest running annual endurance events holding legendary stature the world over. It is one of the pinnacles of sporting accomplishment, globally seen as the highest rung of the endurance sports ladder.  

Unlike other famous bike races, RAAM is not a stage race, just one long stage live to the very end. Teams typically cross the country in 6 to 9 days, averaging 350 to over 500 miles per day. Solo racers finish in 9 to 12 days, averaging 250 to 350 miles per day. Teams have a relay format and race 24 hours a day.  The Sir Steve Redgrave Crew aim to finish in under 9 days and to win their age category.  Just to prove how tought they are, RAAM competitiors face a race 30% longer than the Tour de France and solo racers usually finish in half the time with no rest days.

The Redgrave Crew aim to raise £100,000 - £1 for every foot climbed - for the Steve Redgrave Fund and Sport Relief. The Steve Redgrave Fund uses the power of sport and sporting activity to bring about positive change in the lives of disadvantaged children.

You can follow the "Redgrave Crew" & Sir Steve's progress (& also make a donation) at http://www.redgravecrew.com/

Good luck to all in the Redgrave Crew!

Photo of the week...

It's been a while since we've seen a photo worthy of posting for our little "Photo of the week" slot, but I think this one definitely qualifies!!

See http://williampedalson.blogspot.com/2010/02/rigors-of-winter.html for more...

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Yikebikes

What do you reckon to this then?! It looks pretty alien, but then I guess the modern bicycle did when it first put in an appearance...



Unlike a bike though, without battery power the Yikebike is about as useful as a chocolate teapot on a very sunny day... It needs recharging every 5 miles or you are left with just your own two feet for company! It will be certainly be interesting to see whether this product develops & gets over it's initial flaws.

Happy weekend everyone!

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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!

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/ !

BMX Star...

If you don't fancy venturing out during this damp squib currently known as the British Summer, then why not while away a few minutes indoors playing this free BMX game online?!

Check out http://www.mousebreaker.com/games/bmxstar .

Moursebreaker have lots of other great free games for you to try too.

Thanks to Sam Johnson for the great link.

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Buying a bike (BSO) this weekend?

A word of warning then, from Helen Pidd at the Guardian - don't buy it from ASDA.

Here is Helen's review:

"Earlier this month, Asda boasted that it was to start selling "the cheapest
bicycle in the UK". Having bought into the notion that to get a half decent new bike you had to pay at least £300 for it, I was intrigued to find out what you'd get for less than a quarter of that amount – Asda's adult machines cost just £70.

And so it was that I have spent the past month juddering around London on a 26in British Eagle 18-speed women's mountain bike in a patronising purple shade. My first outing on the Purple Eagle ended on a sour note when the handlebars started turning in an entirely unhelpful and counter-intuitive way every time I rounded a corner. The headset was horribly loose, and I had no tools on me to fix it.

Herein lies the first problem with buying what bike snobs refer to as a BSO (bike shaped object): you have to build it yourself. The Eagle comes in bits, meaning you have to attach the pedals, front wheel, handlebars and saddle to the frame. Asda's PR folks made mine, but the lesson is the same. Are you sure you know how to put it together properly? If not, you can either take it to your local bike dealer and hope they won't laugh you out of the shop when you ask them to do it for you (and if they oblige, you'll pay at least £20 for it). Or you can risk getting it wrong. The best-case scenario is that, like me, you end up walking home. Let's not contemplate the worst case.

The second problem was the grip-shift gears, which are operated by twisting the end of the handlebars. Very quickly I wished that British Eagle had concentrated on getting three gears right rather than making 18 substandard ones. Every time I went over a speed bump I changed gear; even on the flat there was always an irritating clicking sound which spoiled every ride. On the scale of annoyance, it was rather like being at the cinema and having someone kick the back of your seat all the way though the film.

To test the bike properly I decided to take it on a grand tour of north London's Three Peaks: Crouch Hill, Highgate Hill and Muswell Hill.

Yorkshire folk will no doubt dismiss these bourgeois mounds as mere hillocks, but tackling them on my weighty (18kg), graceless machine felt like I was scaling Pen-y-Ghent on a pedal-powered tractor. The good thing about mountain bikes is that they have super-low gears, but as the Purple Eagle could never stay in any gear for long, I may as well have been on a single speed.

After 40 miles or so of gentle bimbling, I took the bike into my local bike shop, Two Wheels Good, and got the owner, Jonathan Boyce, to give it a once over. He groaned as I wheeled it in – "We see these a couple of times a week and so often the repairs cost more than the bike," he said, adding that he gave me "four to six weeks" before the bike was too jiggered to ride. Jonathan's advice for those on a budget is to scrape together £100 to buy a decent secondhand bike rather than waste money on the Purple Eagle or any of its relatives.


Here are some of the flaws Jonathan noticed:

1. The Purple Eagle is a ladies' bike. So why the men's saddle?

2. The components are rubbish and made out of the biking equivalent of a supermarket own-brand. The derailleur, gear shifts and more are made by a brand that sounds like Shimano but isn't. It's even written in the same font.

3. The brakes are made from plastic, rather than more expensive aluminium, and so will flex and bend, wasting energy.

4. The handlebar stem is the old "quill" style (instead of attaching to a steerer tube it fits directly into the headset and screws onto the forks), rather than an a-head stem.

5. The rear derailleur is hooked onto the axle, rather than bolted straight to the frame, making it almost impossible to adjust the gears properly.

6. The cheap plastic pedals will "simply fall apart before long".

7. The rear wheel was badly out of true.

8. The front wheel wasn't round, and was wobbling about the place as if the bearings have already gone. Apparently this shouldn't happen on a decent bike until you've done at least 1,000 miles. (We can at least help you out on that one Helen! )

But the biggest problem I had with the Lumbering Eagle was that it was horrible to ride. Every time I was due to set out on it, I cast a jealous glance at my lovely, nimble racer and prepared myself for the unpleasant ride ahead. This is the real downer with cheap bikes: they put you off cycling."

Oh dear! And if that wasn't enough to put you off a budget purchase this weekend, then read what Real Cycling have to say about it, at:
http://realcycling.blogspot.com/2009/07/hangover-from-buying-cheap-bike.html

You have been warned... Happy shopping!!!

Bike Fishing...

A couple in America have had a pretty nifty idea folks.

They've designed a rather nice bike-rack for fishing rods, thus combining two of our favourite hobbies. How clever are they?!

See http://bikefisherman.com/ for more details...

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Tour de France

If you are excited to be following the Tour de France again this year, you really must visit their website (click on this post's title to take you straight there). This 3500km, 21 stage race has a mightily impressive field of international cyclists & teams, battling their way across France. They take on flat stages, mountain stages & time trials in a Herculean effort to take the yellow jersey, as they arrive in Paris on Sunday 26th July.

We may not have succeeded with Wimbledon & England cricket may be struggling (the men's game anyway - well done ladies!), but there are Brits storming up the leader board in this year's Tour - all hail Mark Cavendish & Bradley Wiggins.

Currently in 7th place on time, after stage ten of the tour, Bradley looks ready for a strong finish. And as for Mark Cavendish, he is currently in 2nd place on points after stage 10. There is so much excitement still to come!

You can watch live streaming of the event on the Tour site & also keep bang up to date with the results - come on Mark & Bradley!

Something for the weekend...

We at SMB Bearings really pride ourselves on bringing you the latest cutting edge innovations (that James Bond himself would be proud to be seen around town with) & we truly feel that we've found a cracker with this one.

From a range of products rather doom-ladenly entitled "Innovate or Die" we bring you the Bike-Yak, a fusion of sea kayak & bicycle, for those days when a flood of biblical proportions prevents you from reaching the corner shop any other way.

If you'd prefer a product designed for somewhat happier times, then why not try this one...

...It doesn't show you the elephantine proportions of your thigh muscles by the time you've reached Bognor though.

Happy weekend everyone!

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Naked Bike Ride...

At a loose end this weekend, footloose & fancy free?

Then why not head to London's 6th Annual Naked Bike Ride...

... watch out for sunburn though, this weekend's meant to be a scorcher!

New this week...

We present the latest in mobile technology for your bike...I bet this costume seemed like a really good idea at the start of the race...

This guy's name is Bodge & he is pictured participating in a US road race this weekend.

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The we move on to Japan & a man who has, in all seriousness, strapped a gas barbecue to his bike... mmmm!

What else would you do with your bike rack eh, except turn it into a potentially lethal death-trap?! Still, I suppose some people live for adrenaline...

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Closer to home, this weekend also saw the annual Smithfield Nocturne Bike races in London.

We present to you the "Commuter Race".

The competitors, dressed in business attire wait 30m away from their folded bikes & at the drop of the British Flag, the competitors have to run to their steeds building them as fast as they can and setting off on a 5 lap dash around Smithfield. In true commuter spirit, winner takes all - there’s no second chance when it comes to catching your train… There is fierce competition, barging and even a little cheating as our commuters race to prove their skills.

Danny Macaskill - Crazy Biker!

For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, check out this -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z19zFlPah-o.

Danny is based in Edinbugh & is a You-Tube sensation right now, due to his crazy bike antics!

We were impressed & scared in equal measure...

We do all kinds of wheel bearings!

Check out our catalogue here!

Technological innovation brings us the "Warmseat"

For slightly more practical help with your bike, why not visit www.smbbearings.com/BB_BRGS.htm

for a great article about replacing your bike's bottom bracket bearings, the photos are a real help too.
To help you get a better understanding of bearings & their performance on/in bikes,

check out www.smbbearings.com/SMBtechdata.htm

for loads of technical information & help on bearings.