Best email of the day from our new friend in Italy. Thanks pal!

I honor your amazing blog with another paints about Fausto Coppi!

cheers
RK – Italy

Found here.

There is a bike shop in Germany (pictured) that uses 120 bikes on a wall as a “sign.” Made me think of the single 19th-century trade sign I posted several months ago. I like the idea, I like the graphic effect and the grandeur of it all. It creates solid public sculpture.

damn, only 24 & Nino Schurter simultaneosly has the World Cup & World Championship title.

Cycles Gitane, as the company is called in France, has one of the richest histories in the world of cycling. They have supported some of the best riders, most notably Bernard Hinault and one of our favorites, Laurent Fignon.

Fignon rose to prominence in the 1983 Tour de France. At the age of 22, he was hired to ride support for Hinault. Hinault injured his knee in his Vuelta a Espana victory and didn’t start the Tour de France that year. Fignon was tapped as team leader since he was riding so strong and went on to win the 1983 Tour de France. The French rider then stuffed a back to back win in 1984 in France and the Milan-San Remo and the Giro d’Italia in 1989.

Most people remember his epic year of 1989. He had just come off 2 major Italian wins and looked to steamroll the Tour. Greg Lemond had just returned to cycling that year after almost being killed in a hunting accident. Fignon lost by a mere 8 seconds to Lemond who came back from a 50 second gap to crush Fignon in the final time trial in what would be his last significant placing in a major event but the closest Tour ever.

We liked the way he rolled; leather hair net controlling his golden locks, attention to accessories (his glasses), his choice in brakes (Deltas) and of course his skills on the bike.

Image of Fignon on the track taken from the super www.GitaneUSA.com

*Peep the delta brakes.

Sam Schneider's 1st NRC win, Jo Kiesanowski 3rd & Brooke Miller 5th

When I first moved to Boston, in 2006, I quickly realized that getting around via public transportation was miserable.

My first apartment was in Jamaica Plain—across from the last T stop. Getting to work involved a half hour train ride followed by a 12-15 minute walk. It wasn’t long before I decided a bike was completely necessary. Being someone that came from a BMX background and didn’t use brakes—simply because I couldn’t maintain a straight back wheel—a road bike was out of the picture. I needed something quick, simple and easy to maintain—I’d be riding year round after all. So, a fixed gear it was! I’ll admit, I really liked the idea of riding through traffic finding the perfect line to maintain momentum. I’ll have you know I started with a front brake.

I ended up piecing together an old Panasonic road frame. It was huge. When I began my search for a bike to convert, finding something above a 56 was rare. I eventually stumbled upon a 64 and scooped it up. Even with old, square geometry that was pushing it. Regardless, I could stand over it (barely). It served me well for over a year until I snapped one of the seat stays right off the seat tube. Damn the BMX background. It’s just too hard not to casually hop up and off curbs. Oops, RIP Panasonic Conversion.

Oh, and the commute? 10-15 min total.

As someone who has ridden BMX semi-seriously for most of my life, I can say that I didn’t become a cyclist until I started riding this conversion. Prior to this bike, I hadn’t ever used a bike as my main source of transportation by choice. Sure, I got around on my BMX before I had a drivers license—but as soon as I got a car I was driving my BMX bike to places to ride. Spending 4 years in Boston without being dependent on a car really made me appreciate cycling. Riding a conversion introduced me to track bikes and then to road bikes. I can’t get enough.

All My Bikes

The Gravel Racer is available again. Operators are standing by. Photo by Chris Milliman

For more shots of Team Montana going to the sun, close your eyes and click this word.

I’m guessing here, but I’d put a six of PBR on the line here and say that David Rowland didn’t make his mark on humanity by being the poster boy for The Dapper Man.  It was the mark on your ass (on more than one occasion I’m sure) that was his mark.  Think of it as his brand– the cowboy type, not the Arnell Group type.  It’s aptly named the “40/4″ chair because you can stack 40 of them up and they only reach 4 ft.  That means you can store a literal ton of them in a very small space.   And as fate’s fickle finger would point out, the guy holding it (David Rowland, the designer) strangely enough couldn’t get anyone to make the damned thing*.  But an order in 1963 by S.O.M. (for 17,000 of them no less) caused them to be put into production by a little company called GF Furniture Systems. We’re talking tens of millions of these things were made.  RIP David Rowland.

*This, of course, would not be the first multibillion dollar design icon that was a hard sell to a manufacturer (i.e. Aeron Chair).

MASH Photo Spot stickerpacks now available!

The intended purpose is for it’s user to offer up a suggested location for others to create a scenic image of their own. A play on Kodak’s original Photo Spot campaign found in theme parks, and national parks around the world. We look forward to this being an ongoing icon for others to share their own favorite locations from rides around the world. Send us your photo, and we will be adding them to a photo series at mashsf.com