Introducing the Alpen Bike Capsule.
Do you need a proper home for your bike? This company is banking on it with a totally new concept for safe and elegant bicycle storage. Patent-pending, it’s not ready yet, but you can get on a waiting list now. Like a giant clamshell, it protects the perfect pearl that lies within and makes a most definite statement whether bolted down to your fabulous penthouse deck or attached to the Airstream…
photos courtesy of Alpen
This year’s tour route includes many of the iconic climbs that we all know, love and aspire to, along with a couple of beastly outliers that will be crazy to watch.
In particular, today’s Mont du Chat is severely challenging: an average grade of 10.5% for 8.7km.
We wanted to pay homage to the famous climbs and avenues du Tour with this year’s tour collection. Rue du Tour is the result. As with all our limited edition products, when they’re gone, they’re gone, so don’t get dropped!
Polka dot kits, accessories and utter nonsense permeate the cycling-centric month of July. We found some real delights this year…
Circa Ceramica – handmade in Chicago
Kask KOM helmet
Twinsix Socks
Oom fit and flare Olivia Dress
And of course, an $11,000 awaiting bench throne
My neighbor, Flo, feels like she has a whole new lease on life thanks to an ingenious addition to her bicycle: the MIT-designed Copenhagen Wheel. Flo is not a hardcore cyclist, but is a smart cookie who works for NASA and has a ‘sky’s the limit’ approach to just about everything. She read about MIT’s Copenhagen Wheel and got herself on the waiting list for one of the first ones to become available. Flo’s been flying up the hills in the neighborhood ever since, truly addicted to this shiny red device that required little more than a rear wheel change and about $900. She let me take Florence for a spin up the local hills in turbo mode and I now feel ready to join the Tour peloton. MIT truly has reinvented the wheel with this beauty.
Motor doping for we non professional riders.
Rather than requiring you to purchase a complete electric bike, the Copenhagen Wheel was designed to turn the bike you already own into an electric bike with regeneration and real-time environment sensing capability. It’s a self-contained rear wheel hub that houses a motor, 3-speed internal hub gear, batteries and sensors. No external wires, removable batteries or complicated set up – you use your smartphone to unlock your bike and simply change modes/gears. This video explains it all:
Gives you back your 30 year old climbing legs.
According to Superpedestrian, the company that owns and distributes the Copenhagen Wheel, you get 10X your normal pedaling power.
By enhancing your most minute movements to make your pedaling more powerful, the new Copenhagen Wheel helps you go farther faster, so you can bike almost anywhere.
Yes, it adds significant weight to your bike, but the trade off is significant power assistance. You have 5 riding modes that give you a broad range of experience: standard, turbo, eco, exercise and off. Range is up to 30 miles; top powered speed is 20 mph.
Each Thursday during the Tour, we’ll be introducing something very special, available only on our website in limited quantities. We’ve kicked things off with our best group but they’re selling quickly so our apologies if your size is not available…
Yesterday’s Tour prologue in Dusseldorf had us dreaming about riding along the Rhine River and disappearing among the many vineyards. Leave it to the Europeans to have a 1233km Rhine Cycle Route that runs from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea of Rotterdam, crossing through Switzerland, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
Much of the Route through Germany travels through wine regions, with abundant wine taverns that welcome cyclists. It was with all this in mind that we developed our “Along the Rhine” limited edition print for 2017. Nearly sold out in Breakaway Mesh, with limited availability in Soleil LS and Signature TDF Gloves.
Way more fun than dancing with them. New for summer and perfect for your 4th of July cycling celebrations. All this and 5-star rated, too!
Training wheels are a thing of the past. The new thinking in getting kids comfortable on bikes is to get them started on a pedal- and drivetrain-free balance bike to help learn the basics. Kids sit low enough and learn to balance and steer with both feet on the ground. Strider Bikes is one of the manufacturers credited with bringing this concept to children (though the pedal-less bike is an invention from the 1800’s).
According to Strider CEO and founder, Ryan McFarland, “Strider Bikes teach balance and inspire kids as young as 18 months old to enjoy the freedom of two wheels. Tricycles and training wheels are a disservice to all. Most children who start on a Strider Bike transition easier and faster to a pedal bike than those who start on three wheels.”
Tons of options for toddlers have flooded the market in recent years, with everything from beautiful, handmade wooden bikes like the ones from Heritage Bicycle (photo above), to the colorful, lightweight aluminum Woom with geometry designed with the youngest rider in mind: 18 months.
They’ve become such a phenomenon that there’s an actual race series, the Strider Cup, with events for 2, 3, 4 and 5 year olds. If you need a smile today, check this video out of last year’s world championship in San Francisco:
If a friend invites you to a Solstice Ride this week, be very careful what you wear. It sounds like a wonderful idea to celebrate the longest day of the year with a group ride, but in some places, a Solstice Ride has a particular dress code: none.
Most famous of these celebrations, the Fremont Solstice Cyclists have been parading in Seattle for years. In their own words,
The Painted Cyclists have long been a fixture of the Fremont Solstice Parade experience. The parade is produced by the Fremont Arts Council; it’s a fantastic and whimsical celebration of the return of the sun, complete with larger than life puppets, floats, and street performers.
The Painted Cyclists engage and entertain the crowd with our boldness, bareness and enthusiasm. Join us as we welcome summer to Seattle with an outpouring of artistic expression, fossil-fuel-free travel, and fun.
For those who prefer to lightly shield themselves in colorful splendor, celebrate the maximum hours of sunlight with the protective armor of our Soleil tops and bottoms. Get yours while there’s still plenty of daylight ahead.
1. All-New Terry Saddle Shape.
We started with a slightly narrower overall shape and lower profile than our Butterfly and Liberator Saddles. It’s not too narrow so it will support any kind of riding, but this shape nails it for mountain biking where fore-aft mobility is key. It’s flat across the top so you don’t feel like your sit bones are spreading apart, and it also has a slight rear elevation to give you a platform to be able to push against as you climb.
2. Svelte, yet Comfy.
Even though it’s a narrower saddle, we were able to engineer our widest cutaway through the center, providing flexibility and eliminating pressure points against soft tissues. I took a brand new Topo on a 5-day mountain bike trip (with no back up saddle!) and fell in love within 15 minutes of riding. It’s the kind of saddle you stop thinking about before you take your first drink out of your water bottle.
3. Vegan Friendly.
The Topo’s cover is made of a durable, synthetic Fibra-tek that’s easy to maintain and guaranteed to last. What’s more, it’s debossed with a topographic map of Vermont’s renowned Kingdom Trails (looks absolutely amazing on my Juliana).
4. Born in VT but handmade in Italy.
We work with the best manufacturing partners in Italy to source the highest quality materials. Saddle making is an art form and a matter of national pride. For over 120 years, our manufacturer has been a leader in design innovation, new technologies and biomechanic research. We’ve partnered with them for over 20 years to solve the specific issues that are unique to female cyclists. The new Topo benefits greatly from this partnership.
5. Ride it and Love it Guarantee.
Not sure the Topo will work for you? Take advantage of our Ride it, Love it or Return it Guarantee. If it doesn’t work for you, return it within 30 days and we will happily refund your money.
Topo Specs:
Length x Width: 262mm x 150mm
Weight: 290g / 10.2oz
Rails: FeC Alloy
Cover: topo map debossed on gray Fibra-tek
Price: $99
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