CRANKY'S BIKES

LEGALIZE IT!

jimc — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:13:11 +0000

Please, sign the petition below (or HERE) and help out the local, Moorpark, BMX community.

(NOTE: the Moorpark Skatepark was NOT named after Sean Morr…)

Best Of 2011 By Shane McLellan

jimc — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:49:11 +0000

This new edit by local ripper and filmer, Shane McLellan, features some of Santa Barbara’s local riders (including Sean Morr, John Glassett, Quincy Dean, and Matt Petrissans). And our own Nick Castillo (shop mechanic) gets the banger! Great job guys.

2011 Mixtape from shane mclellan on Vimeo.

North American Handmade Bicycle Show

jimc — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:50:06 +0000

The 2012 NAHBS lineup is looking amazing, and it even includes some up-and-coming SB and LA builders! We’re thinking of renting a van for the weekend and taking a trip up to Sacramento. Who wants to go? (Check out the exhibitor list by clicking HERE or on the image below.)

CicLAvia Route Announced For April 15th In Los Angeles

jimc — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:09:43 +0000

Who else wants to go?

Tonight – Wheelhouse Farewell Ride

jimc — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:03:04 +0000

Independent Fabrication

jimc — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:42:29 +0000

Chris Rowe is a painter over at IF, and he can be seen prepping and painting a bike in this video. We worked as messengers together in another life, and it is great to see him creating incredible artwork, again – this time in New Hampshire. (Thanks to Marty, from Geekhouse, for blasting this on his facebook…)

Independent Fabrication from Logan Hodson on Vimeo.

Wal-Mart Now Sells “Fixies”

jimc — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:22:37 +0000

First off, I don’t like “fixies”: even the name sounds horrible. I like track bikes – frames and geometries on bikes that are designed to be ridden on the track, yet they provide aggressive and responsive handling on the street. (…with a lot of toe overlap on the front wheel. Can’t handle it? Get a different bike, maybe even a single-speed.)

Secondly, the newest offerings from bicycle manufacturers, especially the cheapest “fixies” are disposable pieces of junk. After years spent working as a mechanic and messenger, I am having a hard time watching so many kids come by the shop with these piles of dangerous dung between their legs. These ‘bikes’ are built horribly, but they still have the capacity to travel fast enough to seriously hurt people. Please don’t buy this if you care about the person that will be riding it:

This is the reason that hordes of cycling enthusiasts will not stick with the sport. As Pete always says, “you don’t get what you don’t pay for.”

Best Map Yet Of Lower Tunnel And Jesusita From Cranky’s

jimc — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:30:40 +0000

View Larger Map

Interested in a great mountain bike ride from town? This is the best map we’ve had sent our way so far. This is the route we usually take on the Church Ride – complete with the section through Rocky Nook Park and the lower section of the Tunnel Trail (Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride). So, you’re looking for a good ride that takes 1 1/2 – 3 hours? You should definitely consider this gem, because you don’t even have to load the car to get to the trailhead! Please, use a bell on the descents. The front country hikers and equestrians sure do appreciate them. You can pick one up at the shop, and check HERE (SBMTV) to find out how you can be a part of your local trail advocacy and care crew. (Be sure to “give yo’ shop credit”, ya heard.)

Need Tickets For The Bicycle Film Festival?

jimc — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:23:30 +0000

Click on the image below (or HERE) to get your tickets. (NOTE: Friday’s shows – Program 1 and 2 – will be in the smaller theater with 125 seats, so it’s not a bad idea to secure your seats by getting a ticket online…)

I Want To Go To The Film Festival…What Should I See?

jimc — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:33:15 +0000

Well, we hear this a lot. It’s tough to say that one set of films is better than any other – the quality of all the films is extremely high, and you are bound to get something out of it, no matter what you see. However, if you are only going to make one showing, here are some loose themes for each program:

Friday, Jan. 19th-

Program 1) Recreational/Sport – This program highlights some cool races…off-road, cyclocross, track, and more, but each race has some little twist.

Program 2) BMX – This program features some cool BMX movies including a short directed by Joe Rich (owner of Terrible One) and a documentary on BMX in Ghana.

Saturday, Jan. 20th-

Program 3) Counterculture/Activism – The main film in this program, “Monkey Warfare”, premiered at the BFF in 2006 and went on to win the Toronto Film Fest Special Jury Award.

Program 4) Inspiration – This program showcases two local directors (Isaac and Jacob Seigel-Boettner) and Bici Centro in Santa Barbara in the featurette “With My Own Two Wheels”.

Program 5) Urban Bike Culture – This section of films has some bangers, including a short directed by Spike Jonze, Lucas Brunelle’s helmet footage, and the “Wolfpack Marathon Crash Race” from LA.