The Friday Cyclotouriste

A stylish, retro-looking shoe made by the Japanese company ASICS. These Onitsuka Tigers are modeled on classic Keirin (i.e. track racing) shoes of the 1970s. They don’t seem to be genuine cycling shoes, however — they have a slightly spongy sole which isn’t usually what bicyclists want. But they are on sale at Zappos (as of 03/29/12) and so I took a risk and ordered a pair.

This purchase is part of my never ending search for the perfect cycling shoe (see this post and this one too for the earlier chapters in this on-going saga).

The javelina generates strong opinions, both positive and negative. Some people love them (I’m one of them), but others can’t stand them.

Javelina are to Tucson as deer are to Marin County: They’re omnipresent throughout the urban environment and homeowners are aghast at the creature’s ability to trample and eat pretty much anything in the yard or garden.

They are extremely social animals — you often see small herds of them walking in single-file as they forage for food. They also take turns scratching their mates posteriors with their snouts. They will defend their young at almost any cost, but have terrible eyesight and so they will panic and charge if they feel cornered or threatened.

This is an Instagram-like interpretation of an iPhone photo.

The NAHBS was held in Sacramento a couple weeks ago. The bicycle below which was exhibited at the show caught my eye.

The builder is Mitch Pryor of MAP Bicycles in Portland. Below is another example of his work.

Speaking of art.

Did you hear a new painting by Van Gogh has been discovered? It’s stunning!

Read about the discovery here.

I love bikes and photography — and this talented artist does too.

Read about his creative process (and peruse his dreamlike and whimsical images) in this interview by Alexandra Cameron on her blog .

Or see more of Joel’s work on Flickr, including more bicycle shots like this one and this one.

Great stuff!

I thought summer was coming early to Tucson. Just last week, some of the Ocotillos (Fouquieria splendens) were beginning to bloom. Then came a sudden cold snap and today there’s snow on the mountaintops!

But here’s a taste of things to come in the Sonoran Desert as winter begins to leave us (the images below are from my 2011 photo archives):

Nathan

Show on map

Two video parodies — that I’m assuming were made by bicycling enthusiasts — which mock the unfortunate pretentiousness so often demonstrated by certain classes of cyclists.

The first video is from the lycra-clad Euro-racer’s perspective. There’s some hysterical satire in here. The first thirty seconds are quite rich and there’s another sequence from about the 1:30 to 2:00 minute mark that had me rolling on the floor (“Le Pelotan!”).

By the way, this was clearly filmed on Panoramic Highway or Ridgecrest Blvd. overlooking the Pacific Ocean. If you’re interested, I’ve posted many images of this gorgeous stretch of road on this blog.

The second video is presented from the righteous, urban cyclist’s perspective. Mind you the video is what is called  — NSFW — not safe for work — due to the rather crude, in your face language.

But if you’re interested, check it out on YouTube, where some people seem to think the video is celebrating bad behavior rather than calling these kind of cyclists out.

Staying with the theme from my previous post here’s another image from the world mecca of bicycle-friendliness — Copenhagen.

I heart good public transportation options (especially when coupled with wonderful graphic design like this).