On my way to the Yellow Bike Project collective meeting I stopped by East Side Pedal Pushers' old 6th St. location and noticed a sign with a new address written on it: 1414 East 5th Street. Sure enough, when I got home I checked my email to find the following message sitting in my inbox:

yo man

Lee and shop moved to 1414 East 5th Street (5th and Onion) Here are some photos from the move

Great news, thanks for keeping me informed Gideon! I'm really glad that Lee and crew found a good place to land, and will need to swing by and check out their new digs whenever I'm in the area next. It's only 6 blocks away from the old location and right down the street from my second favorite coffee shop! Be sure to check out Gideon's flickr gallery to see some really nice artsy looking pics of the move and all the people involved. Y'all rule!

Looks like lots of stuff is going on with regards to the Austin cycling community these days. First and foremost, does anybody know what happened to East Side Pedal Pushers? It looks like Lee and crew have closed up the 6th St. shop in accordance to their landlord's wishes, but I'm unsure if they've found a new location or what. I've tried calling their listed number but it just rings and rings. If anyone knows what's going on, please let me know. I'm really hoping that they landed on their feet somewhere close by, as that area needs a knowledgeable commuter bike shop to keep the East Side rolling on two wheels.

Secondly, it sounds like the Yellow Bike Project is in a bit of a bind, at least location-wise. Due to come code violations they were unaware of, the Yellow Bike crew has been forced to disassemble the shack they were operating out of at their Treasure City location and down-size the operation so that it can be run out of a shipping container that they previously used for storage. As you can imagine, this doesn't leave a lot of room for much beyond the barest shop essentials. Professor Conti has gone into more detail on his blog about the issue, but for all you DIY bikers out there, this has been a pretty large blow. I usually don't push people for donations, but if you have ANY SPARE MONEY at all and you happen to repair your own bikes, it would behoove you to donate some cheddar to the Yellow Bike Project. They also need donations of skilled labor and parts, but due to the cost of building a building, money is first and foremost on their list. Last I heard they had around half of the $250k they needed to build and open the new shop on the Weberville plot of land, so please help out in any way you can.

Mellow Johnny's has been leaving an even larger footprint in the downtown area as of late and I've been loving it. Not only did they partner with some crappy mix station to give away almost 750 bicycles last month and offer to hook the BAC meetings up with coffee (I personally appreciate that Ben!), but they've recently updated and expanded their website in a big way, giving each aspect of their services its' own page. The new site goes into detail about their commuter hub program, which is something I'm especially excited about. For $1 you get to drop off your bike, use their showers, store shit in their lockers, and if it's a Friday they'll even hook you up with free coffee. Talk about awesome if you work in the downtown area or take a bus from there (like I do oftentimes). Lets just hope the showers there don't turn into the 24-hour fitness showers. I swear that place was like Craigslist casual encounters for the workout crowd...

I'll only mention this one briefly since it's been covered much better than I could possibly manage already (nice article y'all), but last time the Bicycle Advisory Council met there was a bit of discussion about the upcoming removal of all the downtown parking meters in favor of the one-per-block parking kiosks, and how this would adversely affect the bicycle parking situation in the area. One solution mentioned that is already being implemented in Toronto is to turn the posts into dedicated bicycle parking instead of removing them entirely. With that whole reduce, reuse, recycle thing being all the rage with the kids these days, that would be a hell of a solution if the powers-that-be could figure out a way to make them not look so crappy. I mean Austin's full of brilliant metal workers (I'm lookin' at you Avi!), but even if they just go with rings on poles, nothing can look worse than a parking meter so no biggie. Guess it wasn't that brief.

The League of Bicycle Voters are currently launching an initiative they're calling "Project Catapult". This is an attempt to identify immediate needs in the Austin cycling community and get them addressed sooner rather than later (re: 12 years to implement 1/3 of the old city bike plan). To this end they recently opened up an online survey, asking locals to identify what major issues affect them in their daily commutes. If you bike around this town any appreciable amount, please take a few minutes and fill it out!

This one's just a personal thing but I'm mentioning it because she's rad; Annie P is planning a ride this Saturday. Flyer forthcoming, but based on her last few I'm sure it's going to be sensational.

Keep your eyes peeled for more news as I hear about it, and if you know something I don't, holla!

The Dirt Dirby is happening tonight for the LAST time this season, so if you want to get your skinny tires muddy you better get out there! They've got a mountain bike group too, so it's not just for the cyclocross freaks either. If you don't know what I'm talking about, look at this:

Yeah, I know a lot of the racers look like SERIOUS BUSINESS riders, but there's beer involved and Fred's raced out there on his fixed gear gunnar, so I know it can't be all chamois and meat-heads. 5:30pm the gates open, 6:30pm is the first race. You DO NOT have to be registered with any of the big racing organizations, it's strictly pay-per-race. The track is out in Del Valle, so if you need directions, here you go.

So last Friday I wheelied/crashed my tallbike and banged the HELL out of my leg. This morning (four days later) I woke up and lo and behold, I've got an honest to goodness BRUISE! If you know me well, you know that I don't bruise. Ever. I'll shred skin before I bruise, it's lame. I'm actually rather envious of the many bruises I see or take part in creating, due to my dogged inability to attain them. The bruise I found this morning made me happy, and has actually given me even more reason to go check this event out in the hope of receiving more...

The Austin Area United, Trail Bicycle Riders Un-Able to Coast (Aautbruac for short) are going to be doing it again this Sunday! Fixed gear drivetrains are the rule, but from the sound of things last week there were mountain bikes, cross bikes, even a fully fendered brakeless commuter bike with semi-slicks out there tearing it up. If they can do it, what the hell's my excuse? Oh that's right, it's the day after the Full Moon Cruise. 12pm at Walnut Creek, if you're awake and have a fixed gear bike that can survive some jarring and fit some fatter tires (track frames stay home), bring it! I'll be on my Rob Roy.

Did I lie?!?

Nic JUST sent me this flyer and let me tell you, I'm psyched! Now I gotta go find me a Frankenstein costume and some bike-mounted armament and I'll be all set. Sunday, January 25th around 6pm be at Drungo's Ice House (29th and Rio Grande) with $3, your bag and some flashy lights on your bike and you'll be good to go. Costumes from the movie are optional but STRONGLY encouraged. You know you want to. There'll be $1 PBRs all night long for racers, isn't that worth $3 even if you finish DFL?

P.S. I don't know how the race is gonna be scored but I say that anyone dressing like "Machine Gun" Joe should get some extra points or a time deduction. That'd be awesome!

Looks like the badass bikers of the Paper Street Bicycle Club are at it again! The Snot and Tears race last month was their first foray into alleycat racing, but it most certainly won't be their last. According to hushed whispers overheard in an undisclosed bike shop last weekend, they're going to be putting on another race later this month. January 25th, to be specific. From the sound of things this is going to be an out-and-back race with a cash pot for the prize. Details were kinda hazy but I'm sure there'll be plenty of clarification as the date approaches.

I know a lot of you are tired from 3 back-to-back races over the last few days, but as of the time you read this you'll have just shy of 3 weeks to get back into fighting form and tear it up. I've seen a couple new contenders for the local alleycating crown make a big show at the last few races, as well as a few of the regular performers failing to show or showing but failing to place. Shit's been awesome! Hell, I'VE even managed to place half-way decently in a couple races, so if you even THINK you have what it takes to have a good time and (possibly) even do well at this alleycat business, YOU DO! SRSLY! I'm a fat guy on a goofy bike and I have a blast! In the paraphrased words of Mr. Zimmer: "You're going to like the way you race, I guarantee it."

Here's the word according to the official site:

FrankenBike # 42

FrankenBABE! All girls on bikes get a free bike tune up @ FrankenBikes' FrankenBabe.

Rio Rita
1308 E. 6th

January 31, 2009 12 Noon- 4pm

Looks like their schedule is back to the last Saturday of the month, noon to four. This time around they're meeting at Rio Rita, so if you don't show up for the bike part deals or free tune-ups for the ladies, at least show up for the cheap drinks and killer margaritas! TEQUILA!

There was a ridiculous amount of biking awesomeness that happened in the past week. Though I missed out on Critical Mass and a few other things due to being on the West coast, I did get to participate in a few races and do lots of tall biking around town. They say a picture's worth a thousand words, so I'll just shut up and get to the photographic evidence of the greatness which transpired over the last seven days...

There are many more pictures of the weeks' festivities (including of events I missed), but if you want to see the rest I'd suggest checking out Brian Birzer's First Night Austin set, Michael's Hangover Rover set, Doug's HUGE Hangover Rover gallery, or Jamie's most recent pics in her photostream. Great stuff y'all! I had a blast.

It's so good to be back in Austin.

If anybody needs a reason to wear your underwear on the outside (like y'all need a reason), here it is:

That's right, the Midnight Ridazz are gonna be doing a super hero ride! Dig out that cape, find a mask, and fight the crime of sobriety on the biggest, baddest pub crawl in town. 9pm at Donn's Depot for a beer or two, then off to some of the choicest and/or seediest bars in town for an unforgettable (though possibly hazy) booze cruise through the streets of Austin. Remember your flashy lights and if you think you're gonna be falling down, why not strap on the brain bucket? It even looks superhero-y!

Here's the 6th in a series of fast-paced urban rides, designed to get your blood pumping while not leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere, choking on a cloud of dust and testosterone if you're not as manly as the ride leader:

These rides are usually around 20 miles, give or take, so it's long enough that bibs or cycling shorts might be a good idea, but short enough that you can leave the chamois creme at home. I dig what Daniel's trying to do with these rides: bridging the gap between us hairy-legged (oftemtimes that goes for both sexes) weirdo bikers and our strange events/cruises, and our smoother, leaner roadie brethren with their training rituals/roadie rides. I know oftentimes theres a lot of perceived (and occasionally actual) animosity between the various biker camps, but any event with the goal of bringing everybody together is hella cool in my book. 7pm this Thursday at Cafe Medici on West Lynn. Bring your fast bike and your lights!