Girls on Bikes II

Shamelessly thieved from the Chicks & Bikes blog.

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New Roadtrip Blog

Some of you may recall having seen Antti's bike at COTY (in case you forget there is a recap below), anyhoo the reason for all the badges beneath was that he had basically ridden from Helsinki to Amsterdam in additional to the paltry 100km most of us did. Those curious about the route he took and things he saw on the way can now catch up on his new blog here. Enjoy!

The ubiquitous "girls on bikes" post

Growing up I regularly used to read mountain bike magazines and lust over the seriously expensive bikes that took off in the UK during the late 90s. One image which I also spent more than my fair share of time eyeing up (bear in mind I was a teenager) was that of an agony aunt nurse who gave tips on improving your health and becoming a fitter rider. Now obviously they didn't cast a fifty-something male doctor with a gut and receding hair, they went for a busty brunette in a low cut top with cleavage that'd make Hugh Hefner spill his bourbon. I can't find the original picture but it wasn't a million miles from this.

Fast forward ten or so years and it seems hard to find a cycle blog these days without some gratuitous "girls on bikes" type post with loads of women hanging their tightly clad bodies over a fixed gear bike. Granted these are slightly more tasteful on the whole (in some cases maybe not) but they do continue to reinforce the stereotype that cycling is a male sport.

Now I like any other red blooded male LOVE these shots - don't get me wrong, I'm not going to get up on my high horse and criticise them. The mix of pretty girls and custom bikes is incredibly intoxicating to all but the most puritan male. That said, it would be enough to put me off cycling if it were the other way round and I couldn't open a magazine without seeing some chisel jawed guy spreading his legs over the latest custom bike; in short there needs to be a re balance towards tasteful shots away from what looks more like a Loaded cover shoot.

So here beginith my attempt to move away from "Hot Bikes, Hotter Girls!!!" type blogs, towards "Cool Bikes, Cooler Girls". Let me know what you think (and yeah, I know that name sucks ass). Similarly if you have any cool pictures (featuring either males or females), send them in to me. No self portraits please gents.

Courtesy of one of those sexist blogs I dig so much - Chicks and Bikes.

This week, I aaaav been mostly buying....

....a one of these.

As you can see she is currently living in my flat. I picked her up yesterday and I'm too smitten to lock her up in the basement. Short term plans are a bloody good clean, ditch the chain guard (although that may change) as well as adding new pedals and grips. Longer term a Brooks or 346 saddle, bent springers (rude not too), bigger tyres (possibly with new rims) and a 5/7 speed rear Nexus hub. Maybe if I find time a new paint job too.

The bike has currently affectionately been christened the Bitch Cruiser by my lady (I'm modding it for her to use).

Some background; bought by the previous owned from GT in Bristol some 12 years ago. At the time he was told it was one of only six that made it to Blighty. Since then it has been ridden occasionally. It is completely unmodified aside a surfing sticker and rubber on the back of the chain guard to reduce noise. Single speed with coaster hub.

And by way of explanation for the post title - click here.

Lowrider Bikes Blog

Maybe it is a glitch in my RSS reader, who knows, but Lowrider Bikes has just been updated with five really top notch articles on how to create your own fibreglass tank. Check it out here.