STUFFE

I'M STILL NOT BUYING AN IPAD


But this is really cool. Lines and Colors features Brooklyn artist David John Kassan painting from life using an iPad. £600 is a lot to pay for a sketchpad, but people assure me that Apple's pricey rectangle does other stuff too.

FOCUS BOOKS
I really like this little productivity idea for cartoonists & artists from Kevin M at New Construction. To get over that "good book", or "first sketch" feeling (the hesitation before sketching in a really nice book, or before doing the first sketch in a new one). As he points out, it's also an inexpensive way to get into a particular thematic vein before starting work properly.

CYCLING INQUISITION AND RAPHA
In which Lucho articulates something many of us less stylish cyclists feel in the rarefied atmosphere of the big R. He also notes some disturbing trends in new "colorways";

If this is what cycling fashion is descending into, will someone please come over to my house and simply piss on my eyeballs?

Also on the subject of Rapha is this BSNYC piece, about Rouleur.

If you thrive on the history, imagery, and lore of the sport you will certainy enjoy it. However, I can't even take the Bible seriously, much less bike racing, so when I read Rouleur I generally feel like a child sitting in a religious service and trying not to laugh.

He has a point about the reverence of some of Rouleur's contributors, but it's often a fascinating read; the issue illustrated has a great piece about the Gendarmes who escort the tour that you'd probably not see anywhere else, and Tom Southam's piece about riding in the Tour of Britain is really good. Still, at least he takes the mickey out of Assos, so it's all good.

STUFFE

Look at all those lovely bikes! Pic from Garmin's Website.

TOUR PREP
Garmin-Transitions offer a look inside their Service Course, as they prepare for the Tour De France. The thing that strikes me is the sheer amount of stuff, and work to do. As the article says;

Each rider will head to Rotterdam with 6 bicycles: their race bike, one spare for each car, a roubaix bike, and two time trial bikes.

And every bike is being built up from new frames and equipment by the mechanics. The article gives a real insight into the behnid the scenes work of mechanics and soigneurs, and is well worth a look.

INFOGRAPHICS
Examining whether sequels live up to the original film, at Flowing Data.

TOUR PREVIEW #1

Well, let's face it and be honest about it: any time trial would put the jersey on Fabian Cancellara's back.

Over at Pezcyclingnews, this preview examines the first week of Le Tour.

Also, Pez have managed to get tour fixture Didi (The Devil) to pose with their range of kit, which is quite the coup...

TENNIS, AGAIN

Therefore, in 11 hours and 5 minutes, the energy burned would be around 8500 kCal. How much is this? Well, if someone like Isner, who weighs 110kg, were to run a marathon, he would burn approximately 4600 kCal. So, his 11 hour tennis match came at the cost of almost two marathons. Sure, it was "run" over 3 days in installments, but the numbers are extra-ordinary.

The Sports Scientists blog returns to Mahut vs Isner, and some estimates of the energy expended by the players. Interestingly, their commentary has been picked up by the Washington Post - it's good to see them being recognised in this way.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS
Cycling Weekly rounds up the results of the various National Championship races that took place over the weekend. I'm very pleased to see Stijn Devolder in the Belgian champion's jersey, and doomed breakaway specialist Thomas Voeckler take the French championship.

Interstingly Sky took all the podium places in the UK race, with Geraint Thomas taking the win.

THE GREATEST CYCLING PHOTO EVER

Simon Lamb offers this picture of Coppi and Bartali as the greatest cycling picture ever. I've not given this a great deal of thought, but it seems to me that the shot above (Anquetil and Poulidor on the Puy De Dome) would be my choice - a graphic illustration of their rivalry.

PEDAL TO PROPERTIES
This is a brilliant idea, a realtor that offers bike tours to prospective house purchasers. A bike is a great way to cover distance quickly, but in a way that still allows you to get the feel of an area. I met a chap last year who was house hunting by bike locally to me (and was able to tell him where the local Surly dealer was, among other things).

DISC BRAKES IN CX
The news that the UCI has embraced a post-war technology shocked many of us last week, with their allowance of disc brakes in cyclocross. Bikehugger has a good piece about this, with the following being one of the conclusions I think they're absolutely right about;

...we are perhaps now on the eve of the next big revolution in bicycle equipment. Cyclocross is the doorway through which disc brake systems integrated into dropbar shift/brake reach the consumer as well as the natural path for discs to reach UCI acceptance to road racing.

VELOCLUB DON LOGAN
...becomes an investigative journalist. No, really.

CHARLES BURCHFIELD
I'd not heard of him either, but this post and lines and colors is a great introduction, and his work is lovely.

SPACESUIT OF THE WEEK
Or, features I wish I'd thought of. From Kitsune Noir (and my eternal thanks to Gem at Bianchista for introducing me to that blog) comes the spacesuit of the week.

STUFFE

THE JOURNEY THAT SAVED CURIOUS GEORGE
I'm not sure how well known Curious George is in the UK - my daughter loves him, and had several of the books (and the dvd on repeat) when she was younger.

Urban Velo points us at "Curious George Saves the Day", an exhibition of the art of Curious George, and the history of his creators.

the authors who created him, Margaret and Hans A. Rey ... were German Jews living in Paris when they fled Nazi persecution on bicycles Hans fashioned from spare parts. Their journey is documented in Louise Borden’s 2005 picture book, The Journey That Saved Curious George.

It's odd to think of such a joyful, innocent character coming out of the horror of the second world war, something Rey mused on himself;

At such a time, Hans A. Rey wrote in a letter, “it feels ridiculous to be thinking about children’s books.” But that is what they were doing, prolifically, including a book about a monkey named Fifi, who later became known as Curious George.

To link back to cycling, anyone arriving at the exhibition (which is at the Jewish Museum in New York) will get a $2 discount on admission throughout June.

CYCLING INQUISITION
I'm surprised more people don't know about Cycling Inquisition - the writing is great, and his focus on Columbian cycling and cyclists is, as far as I know, rare in English language blogs.

Yesterday saw another good piece on Columbian Cycling culture, the race report that runs long because riders have to tell their mothers they've finished safely, the rider who works as a coal miner. It's great, and you should read it.

THE ELECTRIC TRAILER

Power assist can make a lot of sense for Cargo Bikes - but if you're not hauling stuff all the time, you end up with an e-bike whether you need the assist or not. So what about an electric trailer?

COMMUTING IN THE HEAT
Bikecommuters.com rounds up its posts on riding to work in the heat - if our hot spell continues here, this could be one to bookmark...

CLAMPDOWN
The Police in London began a crackdown on road users who disobey traffic law yesterday. Whilst I question slightly the implicit assumption that an equal risk is posed by all of them, enforcing traffic law can't be a bad thing. Cycling Weekly has more.

COMICS
Nedroid Picture Diary, and Savage Chickens both contain valuable life lessons in their latest comics.

TENNIS
Not a sport I follow, but the epic match between Mahut and Isner caught my interest. The Science of Sport blog deconstructs the match here.

WWII URBAN SKETCHER
Wonderful stuff from wartime artist William A. Smith, over at the Urban Sketchers Blog.

FARGO ADVENTURE RIDE
Great pictures of what looks like an awesome ride.

This ride is about fun, adventure, challenge and friendship. It could be argued that the routes and adventures are designed to highlight the versatile and capable Salsa Fargo, but I would argue the routes and adventures are planned to challenge folks and that the Fargo is simply the right tool for the job.

More detail, and a link to Gnat's flickr set of event photos at Salsa's Blog.

YORK CYCLE SHOW
A great piece at Velovision with lots of pictures. Look at the lugwork on the Hetchins, for one thing (third pic down).

THANKS
To those of you who made kind comments about "STUFFE" posts - it's appreciated. I'm still figuring out what the format should be (just links, some commentary) and you may have noticed it isn't daily any more. I'm playing it by ear, truth be told.

STUFFE

TIPS FOR CYCLISTS

This is really very funny. I especially like the shouting out the window bit (that it comes out as un-intelligible garbage is entirely true, personally I always imagine it's a compliment about my bottom, or something.)

OUT RAPHA'ED

Moncler Gamme Bleu Spring/Summer 2011 Runway from LAT Videos on Vimeo.

Moncler launched a cycling themed haute couture collection at the Vigorelli velodrome. Whilst I'm not certain the gear will be as good for riding in as Rapha's undoubtedly is, (those bike pattern capes in particular look like a colossal pain in the arse) it's certainly going to be more expensive.

Cycling Weekly has its own take here.

The only problem I have with cycling being fashionable, is that at some point, it inevitably becomes unfashionable once again. Once the trendies ditch it, what happens then? The optimists hope that the majority of people keep pedalling, having seen the convenience of getting about a city by bike. I hope they're right.

COMMUNITY PACE CARS
I love this idea. As noted on the Urban Velo blog;

Basically you get a black and yellow diamond shape car window sticker with Pace Car on it. By having this sticker you agree to abide by the road rules and be courteous to cyclists (and obey the 1.5 meter rule) and pedestrians.

It's simple, and it's done by one of the few road users motor traffic will take notice of, i.e. other motor traffic. It's sad that everyone can't drive in the way the pace car programme suggests (after all, this is how they're taught to drive) but the idea of setting an example with your own driving is an excellent one.

NEW!
There's a new Velocast!

BELGIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

"But the riders make the race, and here's where Belgium is unique. Almost everywhere else the top riders are guarding their form. Only in Belgium can top international stars be planning as much for their home nats as for the Tour -- or more so, in some cases."

A good piece at Podium Café about the Belgian National Championships.

"NONE OF US IS THE FAVOURITE"
There seem to be echoes of last year's "The road will decide" attitude in this year's pronouncements from Mr. Armstrong about the tour.

STEEL BICYCLE LINKS

You could find these on Google yourself, of course, but to save you the trouble;

Spokesman bicycles - Which Frame Material is Best?

(See also the sidebar, with the "Metallurgy for Cyclists" links).

Roadbike Review - Why You Should Be Riding Steel

Smartcycles: How Light do You Need Your Bike to Be?

IBike.org: Bike Frame Buying

Breton Bikes: "Steel Yourself"

Bike Race Info: Bicycle Frame Materials: Steel, Aluminium, Ti or Carbon

STUFFE

WHAT CAR HORNS ARE REALLY SAYING
A great comic from "The System".

MORE NAKED THAN NAKED

...although work safe, I think. Phil Plait's Bad Astronomy blog has these oddly disconcerting X-Ray "pin ups", created for a medical equipment manufacturer's promotional campaign. Some good may come of them, as Mr. Plait points out;

Check out what stilettos do to your metatarsophalangeal joint between the metatarsal and proximal phalangeal bones! Perhaps one outcome of these pictures is that the next time I see a woman wearing 4 inch heels, this’ll be what I think of.

CLOSE TO FLYING
Cozy Beehive blog points you towards this interview with world champion Cadel Evans, partly promoting his book, "Close to Flying". It's interesting stuff, although I can't help feeling that the Cadel Evans story has more chapters to be written yet. Cozy Beehive has an older, interesting article about Evans that you can read here.

MAJOR THE MOVIE
Marshall "Major" Taylor was American and World Cycling champion in 1899, a feat that makes him the first black world champion of any leading sport, according to the film makers.

Urban Velo has a small piece linking to the preview of the Major Taylor film here.

CARGO/TRAILER CORNER

Moving House by bicycle, from the Utility Cycling blog.

Of course, moving your entire house by bike is pretty extreme - but a weekly shop? Piece of cake...

JIM DENEVAN

Lines and Colors blog has these amazing pieces by Jim Denevan;

...an artist who makes his works in the sand and earth, but in a much more elaborate and large scale manner. He makes his marks with a stick or rake, stirring up the sand to make it darker and walking carefully while making the pattern.

Given the amount of work he must put into them, I find it amazing that they're done in such an ephmeral medium.

Also from Lines and Colors are these beautiful posters for America's national parks.

THE LAST CITY CYCLING
Can be found here.

When I started riding to work, City Cycling was one of the resources that I used a lot - once you get past the basics, sites like City Cycling provide other people's real life experiences of riding in traffic, and beyond that, food for thought about cycling's place in your life, and in society generally. I was also fortunate to have some of my writing published in it, thanks to tireless editor Anth.

Although this is the last monthly issue, City Cycling will live on, albeit in a different form, so keep your eye on the site for news.

"THE LITTLE GUYS LIVE HERE..."
From drawn.ca, Kevin Huizenga's blog about cartooning practice. I like the illustration that leads the article, it says an awful lot about the difficulty of transferring your ideas to paper.

R.I.P. FRANK SIDEBOTTOM
I'm from Timperley originally, so Frank Sidebottom has flitted in and out of my consciousness from time to time throughout my life. I remember once seeing him wave from a house on one of the Timperley bus routes (as we all waved back).

Chortle and BrokenTV both have good pieces about his life and work.

STUFFE

FIRST THINGS FIRST
Richard Mitchelson has another run of "Legends" shirts on the way. This time, the roster includes Bernard Hinault and Robert Millar, among others. I love these - Richard's talent in this limited format is evident if you look at the Hinault portrait, I think - it's recognisably Bernard, even without the more commonly portrayed "La Vie Claire" colours.

To use a phrase from the Velocast, "I'm havin' one".

THAT WORLD CUP FEELING
Comes to Monkey Photo Manchester. (Or any other website you fancy).

STIPPLE
Lines and Colors blog has this piece on Noli Novak, a staff illustrator at the Wall Street Journal.

Contrary to what you might think if you haven’t tried it, you cannot apply stipple mindlessly; the dots must be laid down carefully, with attention to the spacing between them. Get two dots too close to each other and you have a glaring error, dark enough to stand out in your otherwise smooth tone.

Given the difficulty of the technique, it’s a delight to have a bastion of modern stipple illustration in the form of the “hedcuts” (”headline cuts”) that have graced the pages of the Wall Street Journal since 1979, when the style was codified by Kevin Sprouls. The WSJ hedcut style, in which stipple is used in conjunction with engraving-like cross hatching, is employed for small portraits of well known figures, and has become an identifying characteristic of the paper.

You can see Noli's "Hedcuts" blog here, and her flickr art set here.

"I DON'T BIKE TO THINK"
The System has a great comic today - which is also going to become a t-shirt.

It reminds me of what (I think) Murakami said about distance running, that he did it to create a void in himself, where running was all there was. Of course, you are thinking when you ride, about how far you've gone, what route you're taking and about the traffic, but it's very focussed, and not about the worries of the day, in general.

THE HAND OF FRIENDSHIP
Nedroid Picture Diary shows us, once again, that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. IN COLOR!


GLASSES
I've no idea of the original source of this, but it features on Flowing Data - the difference a pair of glasses can make. A great idea, executed beautifully.

FISHER, CARGO BIKE
James at bicycle design has a piece that muses on the changes to the Gary fisher line. It also features a look at a bike that first appeared in concept form as the "El Ranchero", a longtail cargo e-bike, that looks rather nice (it's also available as an all human powered bike). The name is now the "Transport", and the e-bike version is the "Transport +" more detail on those bikes at cyclelicious.

HOW THE RACE WAS WON
Cyclocosm covers the Dauphiné in this video post.

Pavé has a Dauphiné wrap up (among other things) in text form here, as the "Monday Musette".

STUFFE

ENGINEERING CORNER
Cozy Beehive has an interesting piece on the forces experienced during a sprint crash.

Is that a lot of force? Depends whom you talk to and which industry they belong to. But for the Boy Racer, it would really seem he were getting slapped hard on his back by a Sumo wrestler applying 10 times the former's body weight in force, roughly about 6 Kilo newton or 1300 pounds.

You can read the article here.

THE DAUPHINE
Cosmo wonders in this piece whether it's time to re-examine the one week "tour tune up" races. I was a bit busy to follow the Dauphiné properly, but rather wish I'd made the time now.

REMINDER CORNER
Karl On Sea's Ironman is looming. He's doing this particular piece of lunacy (an Ironman is 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile run) in aid of a fantastic cause, Macmillan Cancer Support, and you can sponsor him here.

SHARE THE JOY
A nice piece at the end of Cycling Inquisition's latest article, about remembering to tell the nice stories about your commute, as well as the horror stories too.

TRAILER CORNER

Burley have a guest post over at the bike trailer blog, with a bit of company history, and some information on their "Travoy" trailer. The idea of the Travoy is that it mounts to a seatpost hitch, and can be removed & wheeled with you when you get to your destination (a bit like a cool shopping trolley, if you can imagine such a thing). As they say;

Since you can take the new Burley inside with you, there’s no need to worry about locking up what’s in your pannier bag or leaving anything outside. And if you don’t want to stand the trailer up in your office or a restaurant, it folds down to briefcase-size to fit under your desk or in your cramped downtown apartment.

It's another neat solution in a growing number of neat solutions to carrying large things on a bike. How large? Well, there's a list in the post itself, but my favourite is pictured above...

STUFFE

THE VUVUZELA
Science of Sport today;

I was going to crack on with the science series, looking at fatigue, but something that I almost have to discuss is the controversy that is rapidly building momentum regarding the vuvuzela. This is the name of the traditional horn that South African football fans blow at football matches. If you have watched even one single minute of the action so far, you know exactly what it is. Either that, or you are concerned that every match is about to be halted by the world's largest swarm of bees.

I rather want one, to be honest. The Science of Sport blog article is here, and their other coverage is worth reading too.

UK ANTI-DOPING
Cycling weekly covers the new agency which is;

"responsible for ensuring sports bodies in the UK are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code, running an education and information programme, managing intelligence and processing possible cases of anti-doping rule violations."

I must admit, I'd not heard about this, CW's articles on it are here and here.

BASIC SKILLS FOR BIKE COMMUTERS
The Bike Commuter blog is mulling a "Bike Commuting Basics" series - if you've anything you think they should feature, add to the comments in this post.

Also at Bike Commuters is this look at the Soma Double Cross (which is a nice looking bike). I have my doubts about mudguardless commuters, but that aside, their build looks like a practical, fun bike.

SURVIVING THE ETAPE
Via Gem at Bianchista is this excellent series of tips for riding the Etape du Tour - well worth looking at if you have this (or any other large event) in your sights.

FROM HARE KRISHNA, TO PUNK SINGER, TO DRUG DEALER, TO VEGAN CYCLIST
In fact, that hardly does John Joseph McGowan's story justice at all. A great interview over at Cycling Inquisition;

Back then, people I knew would ask "how much did you spend on that bike?", and I'd tell them...but then I'd tell them they could have bought three of those bikes with the money they spent on beer and cigarettes.

SCOTT PILGRIM'S WORLD OF PAIN

A preview of the upcoming Scott Pilgrim game. As one of the commenters points out, it's very reminiscent of classic side scrolling beat 'em ups like River City Ransom, Streets of Rage and others that consumed my early teenage years and I'm rather looking forward to it.

URBAN SKETCHERS
Introduced to me by the fabulous drawn.ca blog, I love urban sketchers.

STUFFE

BIKES, BEER, TRAILERS

Have Keg, Will Pedal from marty benson on Vimeo.

Biketrailerblog has this nice story about a group of friends transporting a beer keg from their local craft brewery. The trailer used is a Wandertec Bongo, and the film made about the trip, and the brewery is above.

WORLDS COLLIDE DEPT
Karl on Sea has a series of nice modifications (calling them hacks does them a disservice) featured on bikehacks.com today, in this article.

The modifications were all carried out on his wife's Raleigh shopper, and vary from the sort of modification I've seen up to now...

RICHARD MOORE
Podium Café has a great interview with the author of "In Search of Robert Millar" here. It also mentions Moore's next project, which sounds like a must read;

PdC: So your next book is about the 1986 Tour? When is that coming out?

RM: It’s going to come out next June for the 25th anniversary for the 1986 Tour. Couple things, some of the people who read the book about Millar said they’d love to read a book about Hinault, another fascinating character. But rather than just write a book about Hinault I thought could I structure this book around an event.

MUSIC/PHILOSOPHY/QUOTES
From the System comes this wonderful site, "Music Philosophy" which is;

"a weekly graphic/typographic interpretation of philosophical song quotes. All the posters look great as an iPhone desktop wallpaper, so feel free to download them. Hope you enjoy."

Shutt Velo Rapide Shorts - Review

FIRST THINGS FIRST
My "first look" at the Shutt VR Standard bib shorts is here. It's probably worth reiterating that I paid for them, and got no discount or special treatment you couldn't get yourself (see the "First Look" post for full details).

THE PREAMBLE
A couple of weekends ago now, the weather finally cleared enough for sane people to consider doing their morning rides in shorts. Having let my Shutt standards sit in the wardrobe for a couple of weeks since purchase (I was back in 3/4s, as it had mostly been perishingly cold) I was keen to give them a proper test, and decided on my favourite 60 mile route as the ideal first run.

Since then, I've also worn the shorts for a commute, and this review is based on those experiences.

WORN
Pulling on the shorts, two things are immediately apparent. The first is the quality of the lycra they're made out of - it's a nice, satin touch material, not the wet feeling shiny stuff we're used to in cheap shorts.

The second thing is the length, or rather, the shortness of the leg. I have to say, I like this. we will talk of it more, but Mrs Monkey (not given to flattery) remarked that it was a very fetching look, and I approved too.

Once the bib is donned, another thought springs to mind, and that's that the sizing is small-ish. At this point, I'm not overly concerned - all bib shorts work best when in the "on bike" position rather than stood up straight.

RIDDEN
One thing is apparent as soon as I set off, and that's that that nice cushy pad we discussed in the "First Look" at these shorts isn't all show in any way. The Pro-Logo Nago PAS saddle is a stern challenge to any pair of shorts, and the ShuttVR standard's pad does a great job of taming it. It's not a complete job, but the Shutt standard bought me some time in the saddle feeling mostly comfortable that my other shorts haven't.

The length (or shortness) of the leg is another thing that you notice too. The closest thing I can think of to this is the experience of wearing white trainers - there's a period where you're constantly catching sight of your feet, and for a split second thinking "GOOD GOD!" and then remembering what they are. This is how you will feel about your thighs for a little while in the Shutt Standards. Rest assured, it's a good look, trust Mrs Monkey.

Unfortunately, the smaller sizing became apparent as well - I think, for my next pair, I'll go with a size XL. In my case, the size L is near, but the bib isn't quite long enough for me. As a result, I ended up with some of that lovely padding in an area that, let's say, did not require it, and some adjustment was needed from time to time to relocate the pad. Oddly, this was more apparent on the commuting ride (I guess because the ride is more stop/start, and my position on the saddle changes more) than on my 60 miler.

I must also mention the mesh back and straps - I was surprised at how much difference this makes to long ride comfort. It was hot on the 60 mile ride, and my Nalini shorts would have been pretty hot & sweaty at the back. The mesh of the Shutt Standards did a great job of dispersing this heat and sweat.

IN SUMMARY
The best shorts I've ridden in so far, and better than anything else I've found in the price range. For £29 plus postage, you get a really comfortable pair of shorts at a price equivalent to pairs with less comfortable pads, less comfortable lycra, and lacking nice features like the mesh back and straps of the Shutt standard.

Be aware of the short leg (to avoid a stripey bike tan, don't start wearing them mid season if you've previously worn longer shorts ;-)) and the smallish sizing (think dhb sizes, which run small too).

VITAL STATISTICS
I am 6'2" tall, 33" leg (pants inseam) and have a 32" waist.

The shorts reviewed are the Shutt VR Standard bibshorts, in size L.

You can read my "First Look" at the shorts (with pictures of the pad &c) here.

STUFFE

Locals & Tourists #32, Manchester, by Eric Fischer

LOCATION
Redbikes has found a useful tool for visualising your GPS tracks.

Flowing Data covers an interesting project based on geotagged photos. Initially, it showed where most photos are taken in a city - the author has, however, extended the project to differentiate between visitors and locals - really interesting stuff. See the picture above for local (to me) interest.

Lastly, Brendada was kind enough to point me in the direction of this interesting project, "Uncertain Eastside" again using GPS/Geotagging.

COMICS
If you follow Nedroid Picture Diary, you'll know that Beartato is the steady rock to Reginald's mercurial flightiness. What you may not know is that he had a rebellious youth...

DEALING WITH NEGATIVE PRESS
This article from Bicycling tells of a novel way for cyclists to respond to Daily Mail style attacks in the press - make your donation to cycling charities in the correspondent's name. The correspondent in question may be on his way to becoming the Bicycle Coalition's biggest supporter...

SHAVING
Karl on Sea has a guilty secret... (Don't forget, you can still sponsor Karl's Ironman triathlon, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support here).

LIGHTS
I know it's the wrong time of year, but Velo Orange covers some interesting lights from Dutch company "Spanninga".

"most interesting is their "Reverse-Beam Technology". They claim it's one of the most efficient LED systems available. The LED bulb is mounted just behind the lens and aimed rearward at a mirror that focuses and reflects the light. This minimizes light loss and gives a strong focused and lateral beam."

I think this is similar to Busch & Muller's designs (although I could be wrong).

JOCHEN GERNER
Features in this post from drawn.ca. His densely populated sketchbook pages are fascinating, as is the pared down, schematic style of his published work.

Rememberance of Beers Past

Or things I wish I was Doing, I suppose.



Cheadle Hulme.



Prague.



Heald Green.



Rouen.



Wheelock.

STUFFE

DEPT OF WOW
A couple of things from Phil Plait's excellent "Bad Astronomy" blog;



This amazing picture shows the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Secondly, he discusses the finding of evidence that life *could* exist on Saturn's moon Titan. It's not so much that, as the fact of Titan itself, the solar system's second largest moon, and bigger than Mercury or Pluto (PLANETS, ffs)! The universe is an amazing place.

COMICS
Today's "The System" is pleasingly recursive.

PVP comments on today's landmark release of "Invincible Iron Man" (digital and print editions on the same release date). The fact that the digital copy is priced at *more* than the print edition shows just how badly publishers are still missing the point (imo, anyway).

WORLD CUP
I have to admit, I'm already sick of the World Cup, largely because everyone keeps telling me how much I love it (thanks, popular culture). When the tournament starts, I may start to feel better disposed towards it, admittedly.

However, there will almost certainly be something of interest at the Science of Sport Blog, which is beginning a series related to football and the World Cup this week.

Non-fans may also find this "World Cup Translated into American" guide of use.
Germany, for example, are The Dallas Cowboys;

"They may not have won the big game the most times, but they’re close. And no one’s been to that game more than them. They’re hard to root for if you’re not from there, moreso than France, even. That’s partly cultural, sure, but it’s mostly because they do so much damn winning (especially in the '70s and '90s). The team is always made up of a combination of straight-laced leaders and absolute looney-tunes. It’s dysfunctional but seems to work. One of the all-time great squads, like ‘em or not."

Also related to the world cup, I saw Greater Manchester Police's "Football Hero" campaign on a couple of busses today. Reading the poster, it seems being a Football Hero is easy, just don't get plastered, and if you do, don't then kick someone's head in (although on the experience of last time, even this may be beyond some "fans"). You can read more about the campaign, and get a free World Cup planner/poster here.

GET THIS
There is a new Velocast. Do I really need to say more?

There's also a new As It Occurs To Me (AITOM!) - it should be said that this isn't for everyone, within the first ten minutes there'd been blasphemy, sexual swearwords, fictional incest (you get the idea) it is VERY funny though.

RIDE TO EAT?
Salsa Cycles have interviewed nutritionist Namrita O'Dea about eating for riding. Apparently it goes beyond sticking some winegums and a bit of soreen in your jersey pockets, who knew?

PRE TOUR TUNE UPS
Cosmo has a good round up of the pre tour races here. As he points out Vacansoleil continue to show the UCI & ASO that they're deserving of a place that sadly, they don't have.

STUFFE

LANDIS
This is old, but on the off chance that you've not seen it, it's well worth a read. The Science of Sport Blog reviews reaction to Floyd Landis' allegations (as of 27th May). It's full of good stuff;

However, the point is that cycling has slowed up, and while there are numerous factors (race situation, conditions etc.) that contribute to this, the suppression (not the removal) of doping is one strong possibility.

Lots of good commentary and links for further reading, highly recommended. Personally, I really like that they take the "So what?" attitude to the oft repeated "defence" of cycling that other sports have doping problems too (on which less harsh spotlights are cast).

For those of you who cross train, there's also a good piece on the Barefoot Running movement here.

MOTORISED DOPING
Two good debunkings of the allegations against Mr. Cancellara from Cosmo, and the Cozy Beehive (here, here and here).

BIKEHACKS "BECAUSE IT'S THERE" DEPT

Using a bike wheel to store your pans, and the MONSTER BIKE (strictly speaking, isn't it a trike?)

BIKE COMMUTING ESSENTIALS?
There's a nice post on the Utility Cycling blog about clothing for bike commuting. Predictably, it's brought out the hair shirt brigade, who balk at the very notion of bike specific clothing being thought of as essential.

Here's the thing. People are different - for me, anything up to about 5 miles is doable in my regular clothes (and I run errands of that sort of distance regularly on the Brompton without bike specific gear). Past that distance, sweat starts to make cotton uncomfortable, and the benefits of bike specific kit become more apparent. As Dave Moulton points out here, people didn't wear "racing" gear in the past because it was expensive, hard to care for and uncomfortable. That's no longer the case, and you have the choice, if you want it. As Dave says;

I would not dress up in Lycra for a short trip to the post-office or store, but if I am riding for an hour or more, I love it and would not go back to wearing regular clothes for a long ride. The modern clothes are so comfortable, and the great thing is, I can throw the shorts and jersey in the washing machine, they are almost dry after the spin cycle, and air dry in a few hours.

WOODCUT
Lines and Colors blog features these wonderful woodcuts by Canadian artist Lisa Brawn. There's something about the fairly modern subjects & colouration, rendered in a medium we associate with aged prints that's undeniably appealing. The commitment required to work in this way astonishes me too.

Also from Lines and Colors is this wonderful look at the backgrounds from animated films.

COMICS
A bumper harvest of three panel strips at "Hark! A Vagrant" demands your Lols.

Also, if you know me, you'll be unsurprised to learn that I was unable to resist the lure of Hyper Monkey Force.