Go Clipless

29er fanatics, rejoice

29er fans, check your calendar now and clear two days in June. Twentynineinches.com is organizing a two day festival for 29er fans that should be both informative and fun. The event will be held in Decorah, Iowa - the defacto 29er capitol of the world - June 23 and 24, 2007.

Tim Grahl (Crooked Cog, Twentynineinches) and Guitar Ted (Guitar Ted Productions, Twentynineinches) are hosting the event and are hard at work securing some big names in the 29er world to provide demo bikes and contribute to the festival. Salsa has confirmed it's participation and rumor has it that some other big names may also participate in the event, including Gary Fisher, Cannondale, and Raleigh.

Event details are still being worked out, but the organizers are soliciting suggestions. One thing's for sure, these guys know how to make something happen, so if you live in the mid-west or your looking for an outdoor family vacation in June this this may be just the thing.

Dirt Rag goes behind the scenes at the Cannondale factory

The staff at Dirt Rag magazine took a tour of the Cannondale factory in Bedford, Pennsylvania and provide this write-up that sucks you in like the "making of Good and Plenty's" on the Food Network's Unwrapped. Why are we so fascinated with these "making of" style documentary's anyway? I tell you, I'm just mesmerized every time I watch an assembly line.

Anyway, it's clear that Cannondale has a pretty exacting quality standard. Their welds are immaculate and testing is very rigorous. With the exception of monocoque carbon frames (e.g. the new Rush Carbon) all of Cannondale's frames and parts are built in this U.S. facility.

The Bedford factory can churn out up to 400 bikes a day. If Cannondale were to meet this maximum everyday that would be 146,000 in a year. That's a lot of bike potential!

Check out all the behind the scenes bike porn.

Microsoft uses mountain biking to prove it's hip

Lest anyone believe that what I'm about to point out is happenstance, think again. Microsoft is slowly remaking itself after getting it's ass kicked by Apple, Google, and Firefox. Moves have been made behind the scenes to change strategy and embrace and extend Web 2.0, but this is a mountain bike blog so I'll not bore you with more of the background regarding this change. Instead, I'll focus on Microsoft's next stage in their shifting strategy; convincing the public (and Wall Street) that it is cool and deserves to be thought of in the same vein as the companies that have taken on the big behemoth.

Microsoft has a lot riding on the success of their "iPod killer," Zune, and is now getting the word out in force. But, the market for music players is about hipness, design, and the music, not the software running the device. J Allard is the executive in charge of the Xbox and Zune and by all accounts is not a conventional (for Microsoft) manager. He's a hard-charging, fast-rolling, forward thinking type of guy and he's a mountain biker. Downhiller, as a mater of fact.

And if this article is any indication, Microsoft wants you to know this. Why not use all that you can to reposition yourself as the king of cool? After all, what better analogy to draw for investors that Microsoft is choosing an alternative path, by using a popular alternative sport. Actually, it's genius really. With this one analogy, with Allard at its nexus, Microsoft can say to the market:

• We're cool.
• We're young and new.
• We're different and trying new things.
• And, we're going to kick ass.

So my question is, does it work? Check out the article (there's an excerpt after the jump) and let me know if it gets you thinking about Microsoft a little differently. Does it make you wonder, that although you may have written them off as a dinosaur crushed under the weight of bloated desktop applications, maybe, just maybe, they can pull another resurrection and keep the profit juggernaut moving?

The Mudbunnies' pretty and strong mountain bike calendar

No, this is not more men in the cycling industry exploiting women for their own gain. These are not the Neanderthals that don't understand that cycling needs to have a broader appeal beyond it's male dominated roots.

These are the Mudbunnies.

A group of more than 60 women in British Columbia that encourage each other to get out and ride and improve their skills. The group is trying to raise money to develop a racing team and to help the North Shore Mountain Biking Association (NSMBA).

Check out their calendar.

Tell me the Mudbunnies aren't both pretty and strong.

Introducing Go Clipless b-sides

When bands release singles promoting their new albums, they often showcase additional songs on that single that are not included on the album. These 'bonus' songs are commonly referred to as "b-sides" harking back to the days when singles were released on vinyl that included an 'A' and a 'B' side to the record.

Often these b-side songs would represent experimental material, remixes of the singles themselves, or simply the shit that didn't make the cut.

Enter Go Clipless b-sides.

The GC b-sides is where I'll put all of the stuff I find in my travels around the Web that I think is cool or worth saving, but that I don't have much to say about. Topics will be kept broad - bikes, music, and sex will likely rule the day - not necessarily in that order. Occasionally, I'll include topics such as, technology, marketing, design, and photography. In other words, there will be no focus. And, that's the point. The b-sides will be a stream of consciousness, having no particular agenda other than to serve as my own repository of stuff I want to save that I happen to be sharing. It may not always be suitable for work, so consider yourself warned.

So if you're interested...

Here's the address for you to bookmark: http://bsides.goclipless.com

But, I recommend subscribing to the feed.

So check it out and let me know what you think.

President Bush gets a Cannondale

Alternate title: The big bike brand arms race

It would appear that George W. Bush is now the proud owner of a Cannondale Rush Carbon. So far as I can tell there are no photos of him with the bike just yet. Only this article from the Associated Press that I found via BikeBiz.

What's up with all the big bike companies hoisting special edition bikes on the prez? First the Trek Top Fuel and now the Cannondale Rush...what's next...a carbon Stumpy?

Maybe it's time the president get with the big wheel revolution? Chris Sugai, why don't you send over one of those beautiful Niner R.I.P. 9's and educate the man a bit? It seems no mountain bike gift will be returned. Actually, it would be pretty funny if all the manufacturer's started sending their bikes to the president as gifts all vying to become the official bike company of the United States. The president would be in a real conundrum then...how would he choose?

From everything I have read the president is no slouch when it comes to riding. When you look at the list of riding locations in Maryland one has to believe the trails are similar in scope to Greenbriar or Gambrill. I've not ridden the trail at Quantico, but from what I read of the trail in race reports last year, many have said it rides a lot like Fountainhead. Not bad, really.

Anyway, questions abound about the new presidential bike:

Will another shop have to maintain the new Cannondale (Revolution Cycles is a Trek dealer)? If so, who will get the honor? This would mean of course, that the Secret Service would have to secure yet another shop and clear all kinds of additional employees that touch the presidential bike. Unless Revolution Cycles continues to maintain the president's bikes...in which case there is the question of the Lefty? How will Revolution cope?

More of the coolest cycling t-shirts

With the upcoming holiday shopping season upon us, it's time to update the coolest cycling t-shirt list. After all, t-shirts make the perfect gift. They're personal, inexpensive, and there is no shortage of unique designs available. So here are a few new shirt makers you may want to check out this holiday season, and don't forget to check out the full list.

First up, Flirtees. Hailing from Canada, Flirtees has some really fun designs for the woman cyclist in your life, maintaining a balance between pretty and strong - a phrase found on a few of the shirts. The illustrations are top notch and printed on high quality cotton t-shirts in vibrant colors. I asked Kgirl (my wife) to pick her favorites. She chose "Dirt Flirt," "I need to work on my tan lines," and the pink version of "Pretty and strong." Coming soon, "Girls ride too," a birds eye view of the handlebars made to look like fallopian tubes...you see...there's that balance again. (U.S. readers, don't let the prices fool you they're listed in Canadian dollars).

If classic road racing is up your alley, it's essence is captured in the designs made by Art by Opsal. More than just t-shirts, Art by Opsal designs posters, jerseys, and even cycling inspired polo shirts. Artist Brian Opsal starts by designing posters in a "turn-of-the-century, letterpress style" which layers colors creating a distinctive effect. Many of these original designs make it to the T's. The shirts tend toward a slim fit, but if you've got the body for them you'll be the hippest one in the brew pub.

Evomo designs apparel that captures the guts and the glory of that which is mountain biking. No riding apparel here (except the Evomo team jersey), the clothing is designed for riders when they are off the bike just "doing their thing." With names like "Hurl," "Blood donor," and "Balls out," these designs capture the emotional and physical aspects of the sport. Designs can be found on T's, thermals, and hoodys and are available for men, women, and even kids. The detail on these shirts is incredible. Just check out the stitching and 3D appliqué on the long sleeve "Splatter."

Twin Six was included in my original post on cool cycling T's, but they have really hit the scene strong this past year and have some new designs along with an expanded women's line. The company is most well known for it's distinctive jerseys, with it's t-shirt line carrying a more understated simplicity. Twin Six designs exude a retro, yet modern, hipster style. I love how designers Ryan Carlson and Brent Gale describe their motivation as a reaction to the "unwilling billboards, moving color explosions and unfortunate cartoon characterizations" of so many of the uninspired designs in the cycling industry. Twin Six can take a cliche and turn it into a classic.

There you have it...some of the greatest new t-shirt and apparel companies in cycling raising the bar for others to follow.

Oh, what's that you say? You want to know what happened to the Go Clipless T's we debuted at Interbike? Well, we're tweaking the design a bit so you'll have to wait until after the holidays. Perfect timing, right? ;-)

The hottest way to slow drivers down

The Danish Road Safety Council is serious about drivers following the posted speed limit. So serious in fact, that they will stop at nothing to get people to pay attention to speed limit signs.

The Council created this little gem of a video (not suitable for work) that demonstrates their latest techniques.

Gotta love those Europeans!

Brilliant fake Smiths - Morrissey song titles

Local downhiller, Captain Jack Sparrow of Conversations with Mud, noted that the titles of spam e-mails make great song titles for The Smiths or Morrissey. Favorite fake titles include:

Dear Mister

Bigamous Hand

Slapstick Escape

Check out the complete list.

This is either brilliant or the good captain has too much time on her hands...haha.

Back to basics

Freewheeling Spirit is returning to his roots:

Bikes, babes, and beer. Whenever life gets me down, I return to fundamentals.

Doesn't get simpler than that.