A bike on a rope!

Following on from the welcome contributions of Korea and Japan, I continue the world tour of the bizarre + bike with this gem from Russia.

Why? No idea.

Nonetheless, thank you Russia!

Robocyclist

The Kondo KHR3HV biped. Isn't he cute?

Yesterday it was Korea, today it's Japan. Here we have a modified Kondo KHR3HV biped (you can get your own unmodified version here for USD$1738.80) that has been taught to...wait for it...ride a bicycle!

Competitive Exercise Biking!

The CPS9200 spinning bike. Once a direct route to boredom. No longer...

With Phnom Penh as my home these days (flat, busy, dusty and dangerous roads), I've been spending a lot more time on spinning bikes than I'd like. And up until now, I've been bored. Having seen these videos though, courtesy of the International Organization Jackie Spinning Championships, I'll be able to assuage my boredom by incorporating an exciting dance routine into my otherwise dull training sessions.

Thus far, I'm not too good, so I'm not prepared to show you my moves just yet. For now, you'll have to be content with the performances of a couple of my spinning idols...

2012 Giro!

This is a photo of the trophy

It may still be 191 days away but that doesn't mean we can't get excited about the 2012 Giro d'Italia. Which may be in May. In fact it is. And the organisers of the event clearly feel the same way if the release of this video is anything to go by. With some dramatic scenes taken from last year's race, a dramatic* theatrical voice-over and some, uhm, dramatic*  striking music, I am left in no doubt that next year's race will be dramatic, theatrical and striking!



* I would like to thank Microsoft Word's Thesaurus for contributing to the variety of adjectives penned in this prose blog post. 

I think therefore I shift

I think therefore I shift (photo from Prolly is not probably)

What if I told you that you can shift gears on this bike with nothing but your grey matter? You'd probably say, "You Parlee crap!" But I don't, I Parlee the truth. With the Toyota Prius X Parlee Concept bike, you can change gear simply by thinking about it. Doesn't seem possible? No it doesn't. But according to my computer nerd friend IT and Technology Consultant, this sort of technology is now available.

Cambodian Mountain Bike Series

This is the start of this post

I returned to Phnom Baset on Sunday for the final round of the Cambodian Mountain Bike Series for 2011. I was hoping to make amends for my showing in the previous round where, for the first time in my life, I failed to finish the race. Then, I was sporting number 13 (which I chose). So, despite not believing in fate or numerology or ghosts, this time I chose number 12. It didn't help. I was sitting about mid-field and feeling as OK as can be in these sorts of situations (read totally exhausted) when on lap three of four my chain snapped. So, for the second time in my life, I failed to finish a race.

This and that...

It's been a long time between drinks for those that sip from The Weekly Cycle cup. That's because I, The Weekly Cycle bartender, have been extremely busy being lazy.

"If only I was on a bike..." McNulty, some time in 2007

So, for those of you getting the DT's, I apologise (sure, it maybe a little haughty to think that anyone's so hooked on The Weekly Cycle gear that a week off causes the shakes, but...yeah...whatever). I've received plenty of emails asking me to provide a fix; "We need a re-up, Mr. Weekly Cycle...hook a brother up" has been the general theme of them. Well, here it is, and you've hooked up to the main supply. This shit's pure (I've just finished watching The Wire, so I'm feeling all B-more gangster like).

So for this Friday, a bit of this and that...

Australian 24 Hour Mountain Bike Championships

Today's entry is a guest-post from my mate Jesse Carlsson. Below is his report on the 2011 Scott Australian 24 Hour Mountain Bike Championships which took place last weekend in Canberra. Jesse raced in the Open Pairs division with my other mate, Alex Denham.  And not only did they race, they won.
 

After Dan broke his elbow a few weeks ago, the Orbea team was down to two for the 2011 Scott Australian 24hr Championships in Canberra. There was only really one option – enter the pairs category. So that’s what we did.

Jesse...seeing double

The Age; bipartisan or arse hole?

In the last few days, the Melbourne-based newspaper, The Age, has been going to town on bicycle-themed stories. Some of them promote cycling as God's answer to all problems transport, some of them portray cyclists as suicidal maniacs, while others seem to simply report that there is a war on the roads between cyclists and motorists.

Is this too much to ask? (from LAStreetsBlog.org)

Of course, ask The Age, and they'll say they're just reporting the news. But from the prolific nature of these bicycle-themed articles and the diatribe of acerbic comments made by readers (drivers and cyclists alike), I'm left in no doubt that articles about the so-called "bicycle wars" sell newspapers. So, it might just be possible that The Age has an agenda in promoting said war. Which leads me to wonder; is The Age simply reporting the news, or is it a massive arse hole stoking the fire of what was once a small problem but is quickly becoming more bonfire-esque?

"I want that one" says the pro

In the last week or so, Mark Cavendish's move to Team Sky has gone from certain to doubtful. The reason is quite simple; the new World Champion wants to continue winning on Specialized bikes, while Team Sky riders roll on Pinarellos.

Cav on his Specialized

I'm not certain of the details of the deal, but I believe Cavendish was under the impression that Specialized would be coming with him to Sky. Only problem there is that Sky have a contract with Pinarello through 2012.