Open Bicycle

The first stage of the Giro took place in Amsterdam earlier today.  The 8.4Km TT marks the launch of one of the more exciting stops on the way to the TdF- details on Steephill’s site.

I apparently was a bit ambitious about blog frequency in my last post, and there’s good reason.  Solid spring weather has found us happy and healthy here in Union Square, Somerville, with plenty of projects, plans, and moves to accommodate. A few things of note:

We’ve been running all over the Northeast arranging the final touches for the new shop.  Our socially-conscious design vision (and our long-since-over-budget build-out allowance) compel us to recycle and reuse as much as possible in our transformation a 40-year old barbershop to a clean and functional shop.  We found dozens of recycled steel shelves (from a now-defunct RAD Fabrications) up in New Hampshire to organize our stockroom and make room for all the new product coming.  A blisteringly fast shot down to south Connecticut scored us a few made-in-NYC vintage oak library ladders for our roomy upstairs (cool story on the Putnam Ladder Company last year in the NY Times) and a rush hour crawl back.

We dropped by Sean Milnes’ lovely house in New Haven to relax a bit and pick-up Sean’s wheels for repair.  Turns out doing this:

Leads to this:

(Photos via Ride Tyrant’s Flickr)

Sean’s off on a East Coast trip with Shop Cultur on what may be one of the first FGFS “pro” tours this June, and we spoke a bit about what the scene is shaping up to be.  Manufacturers are making new product to meet the evolving demands of riders like Sean and enterprises like Shop Cultur signal the rise of FGFS in the ‘burbs and smaller cities that don’t have shops like OPEN to cater to their needs.  Inevitable schlocky bandwagoning aside, it’s a win for everybody when a small group of committed pioneers create something that gains mass appeal and support, and we at OPEN are constantly looking in to new product, events, and education to encourage this growth.  Sean is a genuine, kind, and focused person and is exactly the kind of individual who personifies our philosophies and attitude.  We’re super happy to have him as part of the family.  Be sure to check him out on the tour (details TBD) and at the BFF 2010 in NYC this year (OPEN will be there for the films, races, comps, and street party, as well).

Last note / shameless plug:

Chorus Gallery, formerly adjacent to the old OPEN shop, is getting ready to occupy new (and larger) space down the street and is holding a pop-up gallery and live-painting fundraiser at  Trina’s Starlight Lounge, May 12th, 2010. Drink specials, good art, and fine people will be in abundance. Come out and support Chorus Collective as we move towards reopening in Union Square.

All that being said, keep an eye peeled on this site / RSS / word on the street as we rapidly approach our re-opening.  The shop is looking good, the weather is getting consistently clement, and we’re becoming terribly excited.

I needed a bicycle that would take me back to being 15 years old, when I was smashing my S&M Challenger through trees and trails and stairs and rails. I needed a bicycle that could pop me through traffic and manual across the raised divider. I needed a bicycle nimble and quick, sturdy and strong, and light enough to flick through the streets. I needed a bicycle to get me to the booze store and back again in comfort, something I could put miles on around town and still be able to stand up straight afterwards. BMX wasn’t gonna cut it, nor big bikes or a fixed bruiser, and trying to hack a Surly Steamroller into my dream ride wasn’t working out. I needed a bicycle built for the city and it needed to have balls, and there was nothing on the market that even came close.

Joshua and I sketched out the necessities and went to Marty Walsh, of Geekhouse Bikes, and said “we need you to build this super bike.” Marty said “I’ll build the bike, but let’s add all this other cool shit to it, too.”

Please, now, read about my super bike.

55t CDS chainring/22t cog/113mm belt, Profile BMX Race crankset & spider, Deity Decoy pedals.

The seat stay split and bolt that allows the belt to slip in. Hope Pro II rear hub.

The Phil Wood eccentric bottom bracket that’s necessary for belt installation, removal, and tensioning. Note the mountain bike chainstays.

Deity Fantom stem, TWENTY14 bars, LEAN grips (for small lady-like hands,) and King headset keep me connected to homebase (Portland, OR.) Paul Love levers for grabbing.

Yo Marty oversized fork + Greg Melms super-badass custom 20mm front dropouts. Hope Pro II front hub. Avid mechs @ 160mm.

Marty Walsh’s through-the-triple-triangle internal brake cable routing. Nuts, totally nuts.

Notes, after 3 weeks:

• rides like a BMX. little, like me, and can be thrown around like it’s nothing.
• 22lbs 9oz
• belt drive is silent and snappy and my right calf stays nice and warm all snuggled in my non-rolled up pant leg
• chukker 32h rims are steady. they love stair drops.
• flat matte black powder from sugarcoat…twice. i’ll let Marty tell that story!
• deity components are holding tough. stem and bars are very lightweight, but otherwise standard faire. the pedals and grips, though? i’m never going back, they’re balls.
• single speed spacer kit from Rennen Design Group, made here in MA, made the belt drive alignment way easier.
• vintage turbo saddle donated by joshua makes my ass happy

So, after 18 months (yep, one whole year plus one half of another year) of scheming, planning, and building, I finally have my bicycle. And yes, I’ll totally let you ride it.

Edit: forgot to mention and say thanks to Justin Keena for the awesome photos.

All is quiet on the OPEN blog as of recent, and for good reason.  The last few months have seen us demo-ing, planning, moving, remodeling, and redesigning the bike shop at our new location of 21A Union Square, right in the heart of the community and next door to our favorite hangout, Sherman Cafe.

Withing a few short weeks, OPEN will re-open with the same friendly and welcoming service, quality local and international frames, components, accessories, and apparel, and some new surprises and developments that we’re quite proud of.  Keep an eye on the blog… I promise to start paying attention to the world of the internets again and resuming the daily updates, photos, and rants as soon as possible.

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