Come on out you fun loving bicycle enthusiasts for the the last alleycat of this glorious winter season.

The race is on 3.14.10. Registration is at 1:59pm at the Cambridge Common, a stones throw away from Harvard Square, bring $5. Tell your parents that you are wearing a helmet so you can save 2 dollars, cause its $7 without. You could by a 40 with that money you will save.

Ride Safe, Ride Hard, Have Fun.

Thanks to Clark Filio – Artist in Residence Open/Chorus Collective – for designing the Poster.

Coming this spring season is a bunch of fun:

New Shop, New Gallery, New Products, and Delicous Beverages to Consume

and a possible Alleycat.

Clark here. Bike zombie apocalypse here at ground zero, Union Square. Send supplies. The UN denied our request for aid. I have seen the heart of darkness, it is cold. Tell my family I love them.

Filming Myself in the Snow from Quarter Productions on Vimeo.

The mastermind behind Quarter Productions was out filming himself on his BMX bike during the snowfall today. A few short hours later, a brand new video appears.

You can find him at: iloveqp.com

Open Bicycle (in its current Hawkins St. incarnation) will be open by appointment only starting Monday the 15th of February.  We will be devoting our energies full-time to completing the build-out at our new space at 21A Union Square, next to Sherman Cafe.  In the interest of taking as little as possible with us, we’ll be having a ONE DAY ONLY SALE tomorrow, Saturday the 13th.  20% off ALL NEW PRODUCT.  Come get it.

Please contact us at: info AT openbicycle.com with any questions or to make an appointment.

Thanks!

Sometimes things break.  Something shifts in the grander scheme of universal continuity or the seemingly inexhaustible runs out, and you may find yourself with a object or plan or relationship that doesn’t function as originally designed.  Sometimes your visions outstrip the constraints of our material reality/collective dream/cosmic hologram.  Often times the fix is simple- you can assess the situation, dig up some tools, tangible or otherwise, and sit back in not-too-smug satisfaction as the 2-part epoxy sets and the old becomes new (or new enough) again.  Other times you write and re-write the future, delete and revise dead-end scenarios, obtain unsatisfactory alternatives, or demo it all back to the studs and start over again.  What I’m getting at here, (in a roundabout manner) and hopefully without animating the Pied-Piper zombie of Horatio Alger, is that efforts are enough, provided you have the right visionary vector.  The act of the well-guided attempt will prevail over the acts of the armchair philosophers, economists, and the army of politik-ers gagging on silver spoons.  Just theory + determined praxis = the shining path.

Long-term function involves dirt, wear, repair, replacement, bloody knuckles, surprise, anger, surprise at being angry, bouts of weariness, joy running through you like electric current, disappointment at your self and others, new friends, lost love, lost faith, coffee shakes, sudden returns of steely-eyed determination, over-long conversations, inexplicable happenings, tearing things up only to find something beautiful, fixing things up only to find it looks like shit, forgetting what you are doing, searching for reasons to do what you are doing, and doing what you are doing.

Yes, that’s pretentious French Situationist graffiti on my bike.  It means, loosely, “Stop fucking around.”  OPEN is moving, to a smaller shop with more room for our future.  The trip to the Carib that I promised myself last year is canceled, the beer budget got doubled, and my friends are starting to suspect that I’m a deluded monomaniac.  They’re sorta wrong, if short-sighted: OPEN is about Union Square and Somerville and Boston, clean air, purposeful yet lazy rides with picnic lunches, sexy calves, quadriceps cramps, and the belief that utopian life is possible right here and right now as long as you don’t dwell on the utopian part of the whole thing too much.

I think it’ll work out.  We won’t be launching any “collabos” with international designers or hip hop artists from NYC anytime soon.  I spent the money for the tradeshow booth on dinner for my friends.  It turns out “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is highly effective as a doorstop.  I’d rather we be big in Lower Allston than big in Los Angeles.  I still believe in revolution, but there aren’t any black bandannas, epic State overthrowings with orchestral soundtracks, or bomb-lit trench-side romances in my dreams.  What will make significant working social change possible is precisely that it becomes an everyday phenomenon.  What makes all of the personal transformations you imagine at night possible is precisely the sum of those half-tubes of adhesives, work-around bits of wire and string, early-morning brainstorming sessions, all the gypsum dust in your hair and the aches in your arms.

Is all this ambiguous and seemingly unrelated?  If so, it’s because it’s not about me, or OPEN.  Its about our community, its about your day at work, it’s about your dreams and friends and the things you’re planning on building.  We’ve got some bike tools and some Quickcrete and a half-bottle of rye and lots of crazy ideas; stop by and we’ll excitedly help out.

Walking toward the shop from our ritualistic AM stop at Sherman Cafe with coffees in hand and laughing in the late morning light, we spotted a distinguished-looking gentleman wheeling what was obviously a classy track bike down the train bridge.  Waving the fellow down, we were introduced to Tim Dixon, bike-lover, furniture-builder, and Imron-sprayer extraordinaire.  Hailing from California and the heyday of West Coast craft builders, Tim was dropping in to show us this extremely elegant Sam Cotten track bike and chat a bit about his new wet-paint operation in Boston.

Sam Cotten, he explained, was a friend of his who had a part time framebuilding operation in Hollywood, as well as being an actor and amateur philosopher.  Tim cut some Cinelli lugs into delicate shapes and had Sam build him this frame, which Tim then painted.  The result, with the perfectly-matched C-Record kit and Cinelli bar/stem combo, is about as classy as they come.  Yes, that is an extremely rare semi-sloping Cinelli track fork crown.  Yes, those are Record Crono tubular rims.  No, we’re sorry, but you can’t ride it.

Tim is starting up his spray operation again here on the East Coast, and we’ll be offering his services through the shop.  Please do drop in to gawk at his ‘90 Cotten and start dreaming up your new paint scheme.

In a dizzying turn of events, OPEN will be moving locations next month to become Sherman Cafe’s newest neighbor.  We’re excitedly planning a fresh new build-out and cozy little storefront and looking forward to even-easier access to Union Square’s finest coffee and sandwiches.  Chorus Gallery is going to be homeless for a bit, but a new benevolent conglomerate has been birthed and we’re looking forward to seeing the staggering variety of projects that will come from it.

Along with all of the exciting new initiatives, we continue to hunt for the finest products for your non-conspicuous cycling-related consumption.

Dana over at Recluse whipped by on his enviable Zunow last week and dropped off some of his newest creations.  Seen here are his new updated tool roll with a hand-waxed construction ($25) and a nice assortment of his custom top tube pads ($30).  And yes, that is the hotly anticipated re-released Campagnolo “peanut butter” 15mm wrench, all a-bling. $44 and it feels like love.

That blank spot on your wall where your compartmentalized record of 2009 used to hang is the perfect place to put the 2010 Thought You Knew calendar.  Benefiting the Chicago Women’s Health Center, these calendars (featuring your choice of gender posed along with their bikes) feature some pro photography and pretty people.  They also help you figure out what day it is and prevent the forgetting of loved ones’ birthdays.

We also keep some actual bike parts and accessories around.  Popular this winter: Izumi chains, (bushingless techno-wizardry from the Isle of Japan, $26-$90) Chain-L no.5, (winter-proof chain lube in the coolest bottle ever, $12) Seedssewn winter caps, (up-cycled materials and cutting edge style, made in Medford, $30) Vittoria Randonneur tires, (utterly indestructible urban tires with subtle tread and double flat protection, $30) Ironclad Cold Condition Waterproof gloves, (without equal and short money at $40) and the performance-boosting and elegantly “bobo” Phil Wood bearing upgrade for your winter Formula wheels ($8 per cartridge, a decent six-pack for the install).

We’re saving much of the really cool stuff for the new store.  Fresh lugged steel from some coastal connects, handmade courier bags, and a slew of bike-lust inducing vintage parts are in the pipeline for our grand (re-)opening.  Details to follow, or just pop by and catch up on the gossip.

I was asked to review some Arnhem Suede Shoes by Chrome, but they do not make them in my size. So I gave them to my Co-Habitant, the gentleman pictured below.  He has been wearing the Chrome Arnhems for a month now and is surprised by how much he likes them. He wears them without clips, and the soles grip the pedals firmly in all but the worst weather conditions. They are also comfortable to walk in: He has spent 12-hour work shifts on his feet in these!

But the really interesting thing, is that the suede is fairly water resistant, as well as road-salt resistant.  I though for sure the shoes would get ruined if he wore them in the snow and slush, but they are fine in the winter.

Open carries the Chrome Arnhem Suede Shoes in men’s sizes 7-14. If you are female, I believe that a size 7 translates to a ladies’ size 9.  I wish Chrome made these in my size, because they sound like great cycling shoes.

It seems my earlier prognosis about rod brakes has come true.  Yielding to the demands of the times, Open is clearing its stock of fixed gear bikes to make room for some shiny new (or rather, crusty, old) roadsters.

Well, maybe I exaggerate again; the fixed gears are staying. But the roadsters are coming too.  If you attended Spoke Count, you are probably acquainted with the 1936 Raleigh Lady’s Tourist that hung suspended from the ceiling. And if that wasn’t enough, Open is collaborating with the newly formed Boston Retro Wheelmen to develop a programme of workshops aimed at vintage IGH bikes.

Why? Because vintage three speeds are good. Built like tanks, they withstand pretty much anything the city throws at you. They are easy to ride and easy to maintain. They love you and they want you to love them back. So if you live in the neighborhood and have an old, forlorn 3-speed that needs resuscitating, bring it to Open and it shall be cared for in the manner it deserves.  Restored vintage 3-speeds are also occasionally available for sale.

[pictured above: Somervillain and Biking In Heels tend to their steeds during a Boston Retro Wheelmen meeting.]