NEW Blog!

That's right! Oh so exciting. TPW is now officially retired forever. I have launched a blog and have been posting to go along with the photography work I do in the field.

Hey, come on over and join us at Caffeine Photography THE Blog.

Cheers!

Happy New Year

Ah the beginning of 2008; may it bring us all blessings.

Due to some technological difficulties the postings will be scarce from now "until." There will however be posted updates to the photo blog through Flickr and Twitter.

Thanks & God-speed.

Cycle Jerks Vids

Colorado is a sweet state. Denver is a cool town. Being a bike messenger in Denver might not have the status of New York but could still be right on. Check out these guys below from Cycle Jerks that like to pull tricks on their fixies when they aren't delivering packages.



Nice moves but come on...WEAR YOUR HELMET!

CYCLEHAWK Messenger NYC

Maybe the most known messenger company in the world. These guys have been in films (PEDAL, Red Light Go), Magazines (Bicycling), Talk Shows (Ellen), and are now sponsored by big companies like Adidas, Crank Brothers, Swobo, and Bern helmets. This is how they do:



If you're in the 212 and need a package delivered from Central Park West to the Lower East side give em a ring. Chances are a guy named Squid will show up ASAP ready to launch your package daringly through the streets of NYC. Oh yea and he doesn't use brakes!

Ride safe lads, and don't forget your skid lid...

Hmm What Gear Should I Choose?

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--Credit: Cyclingnews.com

Bike Stand FAQ

As a pro mechanic I get asked a lot "What bike stand should I buy for my bike?" So as I am answering this question via email I thought I would post my reply. No pics, just the facts.

I have done some research and have found an "issue." As you probably know most bike stands clamp to the seatpost for numerous reasons and most bikes in our world come with a round seatpost. However ironically the Soloist Carbon seatpost and S-Works Tarmac do not fall under that "most" category. What does this mean? Your seatpost may not be able to fit in the traditional bike stand clamp and you never want to clamp a carbon frame in a clamp either. This is all just from the pictures I have seen and maybe it is not as ovalized as I am thinking.

Either you still will be able to use the traditional clamp like the Park Tool PCS-4 and the Ultimate Support Pro-Classic or you might have to use a road bike specific stand like the Park Tool PRS-20 and Tacx Spider Team.

Here's the breakdown on stands. You get what you pay for so obviously if you buy the most expensive stand then you get the best stand. If you go with the traditional clamp stand and stability is most important then go with a Park Tool stand, but if mobility (lightweight) are more important aspects then i would go with the Ultimate Support. On the flip side however when going with a road bike specific stand the Tacx Spider Team is more stable than the PT PRS-20 but the Park Tool stand is more mobile and easier to move around. In closing this thought though all listed stands are of excellent quality, I am just being precise.

What do I own/use? For mountain bikes: Ultimate Support Pro-Elite; for road bikes: Park Tool PRS-21.

Cheers!

Join TREK, Let's Change the World

"Obesity rates are through the roof, congestion is clogging most major cities, and the reality of global warming has set in. A simple solution for all of these problems is the bicycle. In 1997, the government spent $20 million on bicycle trails. Now, that number is $800 million a year."

Whether or not our ice caps are going to be non-existent in five years will be a debate until the end of our time. But two things are incredibly true: our air is not as clean and the people breathing that air are not as lean.

To combat these issues, the TREK Bicycle Corporation has altered their company's focus from having one of the most technologically advanced bicycle frames in the pro peleton to now a company not so much focused on yellow jerseys. They have created a program that allows the customer and his or her local bike shop to work together in helping to solve our country's and even earth's problems that some people just can't understand. This program is called 1 World, 2 Wheels.

So here is how to get started making an impact along side others with the same goals: go to the local TREK dealer and make sure they are involved in the 1 World, 2 Wheels program. Then work with them, local advocates and governments, the National government, and IMBA in finding ways to get the word out how much fun riding a bike can be and how much it can help us all.

It is time to stop fearing global warming and supporting GLOBAL COOLING.

1 World, 2 Wheels

Never Doubt That A Small Group Of Thoughtful, Committed Citizens Can Change The World, Indeed, It Is The Only Thing That Ever Has... -Margaret Mead



More to come...

State Bike Laws Center

Have you ever been told by someone that you are not allowed "by law" to be on the road as a cyclist? Maybe someone has pushed you off the median or hurled a bottle in your direction and you wished there was something you could do about it. Well you DO have a right to ride on the road and YOU CAN do something about the pesky motorists that thinks you "can't" be there.

The League of American Bicyclists has created a web page where you can easily search the local laws of your state or one you could be visiting on your next trip. The State Bike Laws Center has all the info needed to equip any cyclist with the knowledge needed to challenge any ideas that bicycles aren't allowed.

But since we all know most people can't drive...Wear Your Helmet.

Urban Velo #4 is Out!

How about a FREE magazine? Scratch that, how about a FREE magazine about Bicycling? Nevermind, ok now think of a FREE magazine about Bicycling focused on urban riding, photography, and articles you really want to read. Yea that should do it. Urban Velo is the name of the publication and you can get it here through a downloaded PDF.

Also while in CO I wanted to micro-blog the events but couldn't at the time. Well now on the top of this page is a Twitter badge where all the updates to immediate news will be posted. My Twitter Home page can also be viewed here.

STU's Over I'm Headed East

Yes that is correct my short stay in Colorado Springs is now officially over. As a matter of a fact I am no longer in CO. The last couple of days at STU were sweet. We basically re-built every fork and shock within reason that RockShox sells. It is amazing how everything works and the thought process the is involved with the designs of these machines. One of the coolest happenings of the whole week occurred when 4 product managers came down to speak with us. These are "the guys" behind SRAM. They make the decisions regarding different product. Being able to speak with them and voice our concerns/thoughts was a right-on experience. As I get to home base I will get edited pictures and thoughts of the week posted so I can share as much as possible.

Thanks to Hercules, David, and all the guys at SRAM for their patience and hospitality throughout the week...

STU Day 2 over & It's Snowing

It's morning of STU Day 3 and to all of our delight there is a bit of snow coming down. Even though Pikes Peak is hiding behind the clouds on this overcast day the snow makes up for everything.

Yesterday Herc and Dave flooded us with theory behind the whole suspension world. I mean why even have suspension? What would you say? Then we jumped right into coil v air, SAG, damping, oil, and the list goes on and on. The best part was doing surgery on two different forks; the most interesting being the World Cup SID.

Now Day 3 throws us right in the middle of fork re-build once again. Let's see what more there is to learn...

IMPORTANT: Buy Your SIDIs and Colnagos Now!

This just in: SIDI shoes and Colnago Frames will increase in price by at least 10% starting December 1, 2007. In the past three months the Dollar has decreased in value 9% when compared to the Euro. This all means that importers are having to pay even more to bring the European goods into the States. Of course this increased price is passed onto the local bike shop who then must charge the customer more. So hurry before its too late!

By the way I just got my hands on the new 2008 RockShox SID. It's wicked sweet!

High Winds in the AM

Usually when the time has come to arise and begin a day the alarm on my BlackBerry screams at me until I am out of bed. However, this morning was different as the sound of 40-50 mph wind gusting by my room window pulled me out of bed about two hours too early. Still surprised that cars have not been lifted off the ground but we are all holding fast.

A few cyclists were asked the big question: Speed or Comfort and Why?
Here is my favorite response: "When I want comfort, I'll take the bus. When I'm on the bike, I'm seeking that thrill that comes from 19 pounds of aluminum...keeping my 170 pounds only inches away from the asphalt surface as I hurtle down the hill at speeds that induce traffic citations.". --Bicycling Mag June 2005

Alright the bell is about to ring; back to class...

STU Day 1

After a morning run 6,000 feet above what I am use to (man this air is thin), I made the short walk from my hotel to the SRAM development building. Upon entering the "classroom" I was instantly amazed at what I saw. I had just entered one of the most technologically advanced classrooms I had ever seen. Pictures are to come but we are talking about amps for the instructors with mics, multiple projectors being fed video from a micro lens camera, shop "lab" tables that would put most LBSs to shame, an entertainment system, pots of coffee ready to drink, and bike parts that were waiting to be broken down. You are right, this is the bike industry that we are talking about and not a presentation by Steve Jobs (Apple CEO). Impressive!

Moving along...after all formal introductions we immediately dove into the theory side of why SRAM develops product the way they do. But this is what I really like: our instructor, Hercules, first asked us what is it about SRAM that we didn't like or had questions about. I think that question is very important because not only do they want feedback from riders and shop owners but also the actual grease monkeys that make their stuff work. Bravo!

Even though I ride SRAM X.O and Force I can already tell I am going to be totally brainwashed by the time Friday rolls around. Everything just makes soo much sense. Let me digress for a moment. Here is the deal: assuming I get the go ahead from SRAM I am going to share all info that I can just not here all at once and not now. Each day I'll post the basics of the day and maybe really cool stuff I learned during that time period. Then later on I hope to get on some podcasts as well as publish some documents with detailed info. But back to the events at hand.

Today; wow there is no way I can "sum it up" because so much was discussed in theory followed by lab time of totally disassembling a Rival shifter followed with rebuilds, bleeds, and hose sizing of Juicy brakes. But here are 3 tips: check your bike's chain line, always put your dual suspension bike at its max travel point when installing a new chain, and keep your cables and housing clean. Contamination is the worse possible problem for a shifting drivetrain.

I'll leave you with this: some people really like Campagnolo because of the "ease" of servicing the shifter. I officially challenge that statement or rumor and will proclaim that any mechanic with 1± year of experience could break-down/re-build a SRAM road shifter blind-folded. It is that easy. Good evening...

Flight Status & Gorgeous Weather

"Houston we have landed." (Literally) Awaiting my ride to the hotel while enjoying the gorgeous weather of today. Sun is shining, wind is blowing, and man is it great.

"I thought the rockies would be a little more rockier than this". --From "Dumb and Dumber"

Awaiting Flight in HOU...

The airplane...what an amazing machine. The fact that I can fly across country in 3 hours still impresses me. So once again this is one of the few times I will use TPW as a microblog but this is the best way for right now. Google please open Jaiku back up!

While I wait let me talk about the Specialized Epic that I have just re-built. We are talking without a doubt the most efficient double-squishy 26" bike out there. Add a no longer available Fox F100X with BRAIN like features, SRAM X.O, & Stans No Tubes.com ZTR rims with 240 hubs; there is no mountain I can't climb really really fast. That will be the featured bike next week with pics to come.

With only one more flight left, I will be in CO soon enough!

Did you wear your helmet today?

I'm Back and I'm Off

Haha good morning! Wow it feels great to be blogging again. Soo much in the and my world has happened since the last time I posted but today is a great day to be alive. (And I got to ride my re-built Epic yesterday.). The endorphins mixed with a Grandé Non fat Mocha Latté No-whip is giving me that wicked sweet feeling that everyone wishes they could enjoy all day.

Anyway thanks to everyone for their patience. Right now I am in the airport waiting to board a plane en route to SRAM Technical University in CO Springs. Daily/hourly I will post through my BlackBerry as a Blog and Microblog what I am learning/experiencing. Colorado here I come!

"Will you make the leap?"

Mephistopheles

"Let's plunge ourselves into the roar of time, the whirl of accident; may pain and pleasure, success and failure, shift as they will. It's only action that can make a man"

---From the film Overcoming

Mint Chocolate GU is Coming

September 15, 2008 Mint Chocolate GU will begin to ship to your local bike shop. That isn't all either. 10% of every purchase will go to the Challenged Athletes Foundation. "This group has been supporting the dreams and aspirations of physically challenged athletes since 1994."

But after you eat this mint chocolaty "energy" what do you do with the empty packet? Eat it? Throw it down on the road? Neither...stash it back in your jersey. For every 50 "empties" you save and then send GU, they will send you 5 FREE GUs back! Download the coupon and check it out.