We use Slack as our workplace communication tool at Pinkbike and we have a #randoms channel which we use to share an assortment of videos and stories from all corners of the cycling world on... We thought a couple of the moments from the past week were too good not to share with a wider audience, so here are some of the highlights.
World Tour Riders Battered by HailThe Criterium du Dauphine is the traditional precursor to the Tour de France and, due to a truncated season, its field is stacked with the world's best riders this year. For road cycling fans, Primoz Roglic's Team Jumbo Vizma battering Chris Froome's Team Ineos into submission is the main story of the week but most riders were battling a different foe in yesterday's stage, the weather. Shortly after the lead group sprinted to the line, a hellish hail storm swept over the Chartreuse Mountains and a lot of the slower riders were bombarded by pellets of ice.
Some riders jumped into the woods at the side of the road for shelter but others toughed it out and ended the day covered in welts and sores as you can see from the photos taken of Tim DeClerq and Maxime Chevalier.
Mike 'Hucker' Clark's No Foot Take Off | Pedal your heart out then sit back and enjoy |
Simon Cowell Breaks Back on 'e-bike'Humanoid wart Simon Cowell made headlines this week, not for exploiting the dreams of a young singer this time, but for breaking his back on an e-bike. Or, at least, that is what was reported.
CyclingTips looked a bit deeper into the issue and discovered that Cowell wasn't on an eMTB as we would imagine, with around 250 watts of assistance and a speed limiter, but an e-motorbike capable of putting out 20
thousand watts instead. In most countries, these would need to be licensed vehicles and certainly aren't the kind of things we'd expect to see on trails.
This didn't stop the press going to town on e-bikes for Cowell's injury, for example,
ABC claimed the incident "renews e-bike safety concerns" and USA Today asked "
How safe are e-bikes".
The UK Bicycle Association tried to quell the flames by issuing a statement that said, "The Bicycle Association, on behalf of the U.K. cycling industry, would stress that what are usually referred to as e-bikes for sale in U.K. cycle shops have almost nothing in common in technical or safety terms with the electric motorbike which was ridden by Simon Cowell. There is very little risk of any electric bike bought in the U.K. causing an unintentional wheelie.” But by that point, the genie was out of the bottle.
As CT's Iain Treloar brilliantly puts it, "e-bikes are recast not as a conduit to exercise, but as something to be feared, and those people that ride bikes are – even if just subconsciously – marginalised a little further.
Given bikes make people healthier, and people keep getting less healthy, that has the potential for far wider-ranging health ramifications than a reality TV star having a rough day. But then again, I guess this was only ever going to go in One Direction."
Jesse Melamed's Psychosis French LineYou can take the rider out of enduro, but you can't take the enduro out of the rider. We spotted this cheeky shortcut on Jesse Melamed's Psychosis run that lets him cut off a corner and keep plenty of speed going into a flatter section. Jesse says the line was pointed out to him by a local and although we're sure other riders took it, he is the only one that has posted a video of it. Some commenters in our article asked Jesse about it and he said, "I figure if I've seen it then a Frenchie has seen it, but that works more at the EWS". Our view? If it ain't taped off, anything goes.
A Lego Mountain Bike with a Working 4 Bar Suspension System | Suspension test of the world's finest downhill bike. It uses a 4 bar linkage which is the same as the real Scott Gambler frame |
Nathan Williams 'Why Not?'Paying for a BMX part will definitely be an alien concept for some, but edits take a lot of work to make and Nathan Williams wanted to do something special with this one. Filmed over 3 years and shot entirely in 4k, Williams wanted the freedom to create something truly progressive and that means going independent and hoping people would pay for the finished product. We've seen the full thing and can confirm it's absolute insanity.
| With no deadline in sight 'Why Not' featuring Nathan Williams is an independent video project shot in 3 years from California to Texas! With the idea of creating a new platform for a rider and filmer to produce their own content, we wanted to try something different and really take our time to create something special! Shot entirely in 4k/5k 'Why Not' features some of the most progressive riding BMX has ever seen in the highest resolution for your eyes to enjoy! |
More info,
here.
Hope's Space Age Track Bike for the Team GB Olympics Team | We wanted to share the first part of our incredible journey leading up to 2021 and the dedicated team determined to make it a success.
Since starting out in 1989, we have proudly become world leaders when it comes to engineering bicycle components, something we have done purely to help us ride our bikes more! We manufacture almost every part for a bicycle including hubs, brakes, headset, stems, bottom brackets and lights - all from our home in Barnoldswick, Lancashire. Manufacturing all products on-site gives us total control on quality and delivery schedules and was one of the reasons which led British Cycling to say it was a 'no brainer to partner with us for this project, even it would become be our very first road bike!
This video shows never before seen footage of our committed team making history by creating one of the fastest bikes ever made and finding an innovative way to progress the design of track wheels. Plus, hear from British Cycling on how a cup of coffee turned into a manufacturing first.
We wanted to share just how labour intensive but also how satisfying creating the HB.T has been, revealing the whole process from creating the mould to perfecting the layer of lacquer! We are proud to say all elements of the HB.T are sourced, made and constructed under one roof here in the UK. We show off our experts who give an insight into their day to day activities working side by side to create a truly artisan product.
We also proudly show off our unique carbon track wheels which use an extremely fine-tuned monocoque structure and weigh less than 700g! You can even catch a glimpse of some of the first rides by the Olympic development squad - achieving PBs from day one! |
Its like a trans-bike.
New category. “Trans-bike”
How?
Most people on our planet DON'T wear helmets while riding.
It is bad for them, but you, and people with that opinion?
Common sense is not a flower that grows in everyone's garden
Just stating what I've experienced so far.
Believe it or not I have a hole in my head, since I was 9, I wish I've had a helmet, but who goes to playground wearing a helmet or expecting a psycho to hit you with a rock for no reason? So I was wrong.
Also my friend got shot twice in a belly a couple of years ago, we all know he should have had a BP west... he was wrong.
I think you need to know that I know. But I also don't care about myself, I watch for others, I don't want to hurt life in any way.
ah that explains it then
Cheers!
I’ll see myself out.
I think foreigners find Americas tipping culture a bit alien, but that doesn't excuse not tipping when I know servers do rely on it over there.
I know I'm an alien, but given the choice, id rather tips were abolished : staff were paid properly, the cost of food was set by the menu and that's the final cost,I don't need all the pleasantries (after all, I'm here to enjoy a meal with my friends..not the staff), Staff aren't try-hards but they're conscious of hygiene, and staff just work as efficiently as they can.
To me, tipping causes issues such as prettier waitresses getting tipped more, staff treating some people poorly anticipating a poor tip from the looks of their clothes or whatever..and also the fact that staff are often only being nice for the tip..it seems a bit fake
That said, I respect how you do things and I always tip well when I'm in America
Cowel : does wheelie - breaks back ....
World's a dangerous place. We need the media and Joe Biden to protect us from ourselves
1. Pushing the boundaries of the rule past their obviously intended purpose is generally the preserve of the not so nice people.
2. Spare a though for us local race organisers who don't have time or resource to tape a whole course and rely on people to not destroy trails because they're not quick enough to win by sticking to the obvious course.
Hypocrites, doing everything they can to justify what they promote.
One love!