Recently, I was leant a set of pocket wizards (3x receivers and a transmitter) from a friend who no longer had a use for them since having lost his trigger finger in a terrible sniper accident. Ok, the sniper part is bull; but he hadn’t been using them and thought I could really benefit from them. The other day I decided that I would start practicing with them; coupled with a SB800, 2x SB26 and enough batteries to send Marty back to the Future I started snapping off some self portraits. Overall the experience was enlightening (pardon the pun) in regarding light placement, intensity and diffusion but more than anything else I learned that I had alot to learn.
By the time I made it over to Affinity Cycles in Brooklyn to buy my much anticipated Lo Pro frame, I had built it up in my head so much I was convinced that I would be disappointed. I thought for sure, I would walk in to the store to be confronted by a group of unapproachable fixie/cycling hipsters, but my prefabricated opinions couldn’t have been farther from the truth. I strolled in about 10 minutes after opening, my Gimme Coffee mocha keeping my hands warmed on the drizzling New York winter morning, the store was in an orderly and unpretentious disarray. At the counter I was greeted by Jason Gallagher while directly behind him Miguel Fernandez worked methodically on that mornings project. I could tell immediately by his work ethic and focus, that once he had serviced your bike, you could rest assured in the mechanical sanctity of your ride. He didn’t say much, preferring to nod occasionally when he agreed with Jason or chime in to explain the convoluted technicalities of NYC bike laws.
The new year has brought with it professional redirection, a handful of resolutions, and what at the time seemed like an insurmountable amount of work piled up on my desk causing a regretful hiatus. Having dug myself out, I now have the opportunity to present a little prize I’ve been sitting on since New York. As we all know I capitalised on my trip to New York by sourcing the parts for my dream build but what you may not be aware of was that I took advantage of the situation to interview my favourite NYC bike shops. Over the next 4 weeks, I’ll be posting a series of interviews focusing on past, present and future of the fixed gear sub culture and those responsible for putting some of the nicest rides on New York streets and possible the world. A big thanks to Jason & Miguel at Affinity, Dave Perry at Bike Works, Joe & Ken at Brooklyn Machine Works, the boys at Grove St. Cycles, Jahoon at Chari & Co and last but certainly not least Fritz at Continuum for their patience and accommodating me and my questions.
I was restlessly floating around the internet at 4 am when I came across this conceptual gem. This final university project of Wytze Van Mansum in collaboration with Cannondale and its a true engineering marvel, at least aesthetically speaking. I’m not sure how the drive train works but I like the void in the crankset, as well as the locking handlebars and the rear brake lights. Though I wouldn’t trade in the Affinity for it, I think its testament of where bikes may be going.
I’ve greedily kept this completed gem to myself while uttering “mY PreCioUs” under my breathe. But seeing as I’m feeling rich with christmas spirit I thought I would share. I put it together the day we landed from our 32 hour flight. It’s everything I had hoped for; the true stand out in my regard is the Sugino 75 BB and Crankset combo. Its like pedalling in…um..butter, well you get what I mean. Seriously though it has nothing to do with the standard drive train on my ‘09 Fuj Track. You can feel the responsiveness and BB and the crank set working in unison coupled with the stiff straight fork and the Phil Wood hubs the bike rides better than I could have hoped for. So without further ado I present to you my ride.
I literally dreamed this bike into reality, I had my heart set on building one way and I refused to be swayed any other way. Every part was sourced for specific reason and I owe a big thanks to NJS Exports, Track Super Market, Green St Cycles, Chari and Co., Affinity, and Gear for making it seem so easy.
Part List
Frame: Affinity Lo Pro
BB/Crank Set: Sugino 75/ Blue Sugino 75 49T
Front: Phil Wood Hub / H Plus Son / Blue Rubino Pro
Rear: Phil Wood Hub / Velocity B43 / Blue Rubino Pro
Handlebars: Nitto x Tee19 / Black Nitto RB021
Stem: Thomson
Head Set: FSA
Seat Post: Nitto x Tee19
Saddle: Kashimax Black Ostrich Aero
Cages: BO Gear FRS Straps
Cog: Phil Wood 16T
During my trip back home my aunt Joelle gave me a fantastic gift, my late uncle Peter’s TLR; a Zeiss Ikon Ikoflex 851/16 that dates back to 1936 – 1939. This medium format camera is an amazing piece of photographic hardware. This hearty antiquity is equipped with a Tessar 1-3.5 75mm lens, runs on 120mm film, equipped with a top view finder and sports a lever focus indicative of a pre ‘37 fabrication. This was my first experience with a TLR (twins lens reflex). I scanned over the body and all its knobs and buttons I couldn’t help but be surprised at how complex this 70 year old camera seemed. I started to imagine the lives it had had, and all the different hands it must have passed through to make it to mine. As a movie caliber flashback montage scrolled through my mind I was left with a memory of Peter teaching me to develop film in the darkroom in his home in Montreal. As I look back I realise that my time with him was my initiation into serious photography. Now I have the honour of restoring his old camera.
This is it, the cornerstone of my build, a matte black Affinity Lo Pro frame. I’ve had my heart set on this heat treated 4130 chromo tubed marvel for the last 7 months, in that time I have literally counted Lo Pro’s bunny hopping over me to lull me to sleep. What drew me to this frame in particular was the colour, I love the matte black, its strong without being flashy and it seems to eat up light when the sun hits it. It’s a pursuit frame so the top tube drop about 2 inches providing for a much more aggressive riding stance. I think the lugged 1 inch straight bladed forks look great, I find the the gradual taper gives the frame a complete look as well as providing the a responsive stiff ride. Finally, and this was a deal breaker, the graphics are subtle, aesthetically complimenting, and perfectly positioned, my favourite being the sans serif Brooklyn down the rear of the seat tube. If your interested in learning ore about this frame I’ve included the technical specs below.
So, my trip to New York came to an end and I’m not too proud to admit that I boarded the flight teary eyed and with a heavy heart. I had a wonderful time, I got to see a lot of people I hadn’t connected with in a long time and got to rediscover NYC. Although, I’m quite remorseful that I wasn’t able to spend time with certain people I hold very close to my heart. I hope they don’t take it as my not caring but rather poor prioritizing, and to those people, you know who you are, I’m sorry. Besides that, the trip went better than could be expected; I spent quality time with the family, built my bike, interviewed some of my favourite bike shops (coming soon!), made new friends and reignited my love affair with my city. I tried to fit in as much as I could and it wasn’t even close to as much as I wanted. I guess I wasn’t quick enough like a lazy pigeon crossing a New York Street. So as I sit here homesick, all I can say is I’ll be back and when I do it’ll be to settle in. Good bye New York.
A few months ago I recognised that I was in desperate need of a keychain and quickly I came to realise that finding a good one is quite a challenge. A hanging chain or lanyard was out of the question and I refused to sport anything with a logo. I hoped for an accessory with character and personality. Progressively, I’ve accumulated an assortment of trinkets to embellish my keys that feel right in my pocket. A strip of cloth adorned in the colours of the countries I’ve called home (France, America, and Australia). A presta to shrader valve adapter made of solid brass by Stephen Davis Phillips in the shape of a bullet, that I picked up at Chari & Co. A subtle 8Gb memory stick in the shape of a key made by the reliable hard drive maker, Lacie. And, my personal favourite, an antique pocket compass that I found at the Digby & Iona stall at Pop Up flea market I stumbled across early in my trip.
When I arrived in NYC my first port of call was Chari & Co to get my wheel set built up. For some time now, I’ve had my heart set on a pair of H Plus Son Rims laced to Phil Wood hubs. Though when I got to Chari they informed me that they only had one machined H Plus Son. I must have been obviously disappointed by the news because Ken came out from behind the counter to hand me a Velocity B43. The rim looked great, and near identical to the H Son except for obvious weight discrepancy. I had considered the B43 when planning the build but was scared off by the weight, but when you’re 220 lbs. whats an extra 185 grams, right? Plus I’ve heard that they’re near indestructible. Hopefully the weight I lose by having deeper rims and therefore shorter steel spokes will recoup some added weight. Anyway, I told them to go ahead and build the set, I wanted to get the order in as early in the trip as possible to have them ready by the time we I left. Much to my amazement, I received a call the very next day to inform the wheels had been completed and were waiting for me. This was my first experience with Chari and I can honestly say that I was impressed and they deserve their flawless reputation.
