Wednesday, March 19, 2008

1 Degree Fiji Fun Cycle



What a great day... everyone I spoke to had a blast. All our sponsors asked me "what are we doing next?" We even made it on both editions of the evening TV news.

The 1 Degree Fiji Fun cycle was organised by Fiji only Cycling Club, Velocity. Held on March 17 we had over 200 cyclists of all ages ride a closed 10km road. We gave away over FJ$4000 worth of prizes including two return tickets to New Zealand flying Air New Zealand and had $5000 worth of merchandise in the form of gift packs fro each entrant.

The event was a huge success.

I've uploaded the pics here

Here's the winner of one of the Air New Zealand tickets.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

And now for something completely different...

My last post was about a hugely expensive, carbon, flyweight bike. Here's the opposite end of the scale. Not that scraper bike is particularly heavy.. but it's the antithesis of the super light, high tech, custom made road bikes.

Scraper bikes are the newest Hip-Hop craze that has its roots in the Bay Area of San Francisco. The Urban Dictionary defines scraper bikes as: 
1. A relatively recent phenomenon from the Bay area (specifically Oakland) in which people modify bicycles to resemble (either functionally, aesthetically or philosophically) the famed "scrapers" of the hyphy movement 
Hyphy means to act crazy or stupid. Hyphy is the bay area's answer to South Central LA's Krump. When you ride your scraper bike you should be hyphy "retarded"...

2. A new trend that is a part of the San Francisco Bay Area Hyphy Movement in which people ride their tricked out bikes and go stupid, dumb, retarded while on their bikes. Generally, the bikes have nice designs, such as duo-tone paint jobs, and rims or spinners. The term was coined by the rap group Trunk Boiz of Oakland, California. 

Maybe it will catch on here.... the "coconut scraper bike"... what say?




<

3kg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Think you've got a light bike? Have a look at this.

German cyclist, Günter Mai, built himself a bike that weighs about the same as a laptop.

Just about everything was custom made including the Lew wheels at around $ US$15000.




● Frame: SPIN Custom by Marc Siebert (677.5g)
● Fork: THM custom Scapula SP Tuned by Thomas Mertin (214.0g)
● Cranks (incl. BB): THM custom Clavicula by Thomas Mertin (366.7g)
● Headset: custom integrated headset (26.7g)
● Chain: KMC X10SL Silver (214.8g)
● Saddle/seatpost combination: Schmolke seatpost tube w/Speedneedle upper by Jürgen Mikus (the maker of the Tune Speedneedle) (77.0g)
● Cables: PowerCordz Derailleur Cordz (for the derailleurs as well as the brakes) / 4.5mm pneumatic hose for housing (15.6g)
● Brakes: AX-Lightness Orion, modified by Günter Mai (88.6g)
● Front derailleur: Campagnolo Record, customized with carbon parts by Bernhard Langerbein of Bike-Tuning-Parts (28.5g)
● Stem: Nordischer Rahmenbau by Oliver Grest (custom length and angle) 110mm x -8deg (53.8g)
● Bar: Schmolke custom TLO by Stefan Schmolke (111.3g)
● Brake levers: Campagnolo Record, modified by Günter Mai (86.5g)
● Chain rings: small ring carbon 36T, big ring alu 50T modified by Günter Mai (69.2g)
● Rear derailleur: Sachs Huret, customized with carbon parts by Bike-Tuning-Parts (48.3g)
● Skewers: Tune Skyline by Uli Fahl (16.3g)
● Chainring bolts: Tune (9.3g)
● Pedals: Aerolite Titan, tuned by Günter Mai (65.2g)
● Cassette: Recon Alu block 11-16 6speed, 11T sprocket steel - modified by Günter Mai (52.8g)
● Shifting levers: BTP carbon downtube shifters (9.0g)
● Wheels: Lew custom boron by Paul Lew, modified by Günter Mai (704.4g)
● Tires: Tufo Elite 110 (218.0g)
● Seat clamp: BTP carbon 34.9mm by Bernhard Langerbein (6.0g)
● BB cable guide: Campagnolo (2.7g)
● Bar tape: Veloplast (only on the top of the bars) (12.3g)
● Tire glue & air: (20.0g)

● Total:3194.5g

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Are you aware?

I found this TV commercial, produced by the cyclists mate, Lord Mayor of London, Ken Livingston.


Monday, March 10, 2008

Cycle and Fly with Air New Zealand




Air New Zealand has offered two return tickets to Auckland for the most creatively dressed cyclist at the 1 Degree Fiji Fun Cycle. The have also taken the 2nd tier Sponsorship package and will be providing an Air New Zealand bandanna made specially for the event. Vinaka vakalevu to Alan Rome and all the gang at Air New Zealand. We have other great prizes; Mobile phones from Vodafone and kids bukes from Wai Tui cycles. When is it on I here you ask. Monday 17 March. Registration from 7am, the cycle starts at 8am.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Holiday Inn joins the 1 Degree Fiji Fun Cycle



Friday 6 March at 11am we will announce Holiday Inn's sponsorship of the 1 Degree Fiji Fun Cycle. We'd like to thank Holiday Inn General Manager, David Travers and Business Development Manager, Fane Niumataiwalu for their support. And it looks like Holiday Inn will be doing more withg Velocity in the near future... stay tuned.