SoCalCross

John, over at ProllyisnotProlly, had made an awesome post about SoCalCross, a cyclocross event ridden strictly on track bikes. The significance is in the difficulty of such an event. A normal cyclocross race is usually done on geared cyclocross bikes or even mountain bikes with suspension, on a dirt course that has hills and obstacles requiring the rider to dismount and shoulder their bike while they run/jump over said impediments. Doing this on a track bike is so much rougher: lack of suspension, lack of brakes, no freewheel, and only one gear!

One of the riders was this gentleman:



Drop handlebars on his authentic, brakeless track bike. It's a great image.
I hope to still be riding strong at his age!

Also,

Doggie race:

View my Screencast here!

Survey time

I would like to know how many people in our class can ride a bike, and if they can, when they learned. So, please take a look at the survey here!

Whether you can or cannot, will be answered by adding a value of 1 to either Yes or No.

As for whether you can remember when you learned how to ride... not everyone can remember such a specific detail, so answer as best as possible.

Book Report: Marketing For Dummies

Very recently, I have read Twitter Marketing for Dummies. Basically, what is discussed are the commonly known in's and out's of using the, Web 2.0 application, Twitter, as a social networking tool for marketing and, in my opinion, how these can also benefit one's success with social sites on a general scale.

I have never read a "For Dummies" book before but I found the content to be almost informal and easy to follow along. The visual layout made reading it casual and quick. The book is split into five comprehensive sections. The first section is basically what is covered in CIT154 about Twitter and how significant it is today. The next sections covered the heavier marketing aspects including creating a marketing strategy, this includes marketing principles and practices that can be made through Twitter. Multimedia to gain interest, frequent Tweets to maintain attention, and using the system of tweeting to test waters of the market.

The marketer's job is to educate an audience, have this audience's interest enough to sell a product to them, and provide service through the use of Twitter. To do this, acts of common courtesy is required which reflects the human nature of wanting to help others as we socialize. That level of interaction makes this application successful in joining customers to service providers. Using a website as a means of advertisement means that the followers are the customers and a websites content should be appealing to them, the customer. To use a website is to use a computer, and not many people like to talk to a computer, but rather the people behind them. For the reason that we are communicating with others, there are rules of etiquette. One basic rule is to be honest. Honesty is important for any relationship. The goal is to create a fanbase, listen to their wants and suggestions, and applying this input. Marketing tweets should often consist of other media content, such as links to images or videos but it is most important to build a relationship. This includes posting about day to day life, having a sense of humor, and relating to the followers. Becoming someone others can identify with makes others reach out so it is important to communicate with them, sending a thank you and replying to their comments. Work that is done offline is as essential as the work online. Although one should be personable but also know that anything personal, or anything that should be said in person, should be said in person.

The final section consisted of chapters that consisted of checklists of do's and don't's which is a common sense summary of the book; following these rules and implementing them in the Twitter I have made in this class would give an extended purpose for that Twitter. If I were to contine using Twitter and had an agenda to build a business from it, I would definitely recommend this book as a starting point. I would also recommend it in general as a starting point to "success" of a Twitter (many followers, building relationships and communities, having a free voice, and being heard). It is interesting to note that this book was published in 2009. Almost three years have passed since it was written. During its infancy, I knew it as an interesting way to blog, social networking sites such as Twitter have a foothold in society today. Twitter will continue to be a household name and we will continue to hear of them in news and everywhere we go.

Flickr

I had uploaded four images onto my Flickr that are significant to me and this blog. The images are in chronological order, with the first one being a picture of a friend's bike in downtown Las Vegas.

This picture is of a new 2011 Cinelli Vigorelli. The colors on the past versions on this frame model were lighter on a blank, white canvas but this year's edition uses yellow and red on a black background. The frame is constructed of airplane-grade aluminum and costs a pretty penny. This bike belongs to a friend of mine and this was when he brought it out for me to see for the first time.

The second image in the Flickr slideshow is a picture of my bike being ridden in the street-wear boutique, Stussy by Neek. He's performing what's called a trackstand - on a fixed gear bicycle, when you pedal backwards, you go backwards. Trackstanding is balancing between going forward and backwards, allowing you to be stationary on the bike.

The third image is a shot I took with my phone during the Mash Drag race during this year's Interbike. The race was a A to B race hosted by MashSF .

The fourth picture is a shot I had taken in the Philippines. Me and my family had finished eating McDonalds and we were waiting for our driver. A few people on bicycles road up to the restaurant's parking lot, ready to pack their bikes into their cars. I was able to stop these two guys and asked to take a picture. I suppose it was odd for them 1) I'm a foreigner 2) no one really stops people to take pictures of their bicycles! I was interested in his bike first and foremost. The only other KHS I've seen in person has been an entry-level track bike constructed in Taiwan and sold as an affordable way to start riding fixed gear.

PI

Hello all! There has been a delay in posts due to my travels. I am posting from the Philippines! Even though there are modern amenities here such as the Coffee Bean that I am posting from, a lot of the country is still very poor and behind technologically and thus my lack of access to the internet.

I have added a Picture gadget to the blog and posted an image of a "tricycle" as they are referred to. Here in the Philippines, any and all modes of transportation are used. There are modern air-conditioned taxis and public transit like buses but there are also other forms that are more affordable to the lifestyle of the people here such as  Jeepneys and bicycles, both motor powered and man powered. The streets share all these vehicles and on several instances I've even see horse-driven carriages.

Bike Wiki !

JudyNV had posted http://bicycle.wikidot.com  as an example wiki on our Wiki Assignment, an informative and organized wiki that I hope to add  more to. Luckily, my blog is also on the topic of bicycles.

Here is a link to as well as a small contribution to that wiki. The article is on how to travel with your bicycle. Information about how to pack it and ship it in an economical fashion are described.
 http://bicycle.wikidot.com/bicycle-on-airplane

2011 NACCC

Earlier this month was the NACCC, or North American Cycle Courier Championships, which was held between October 7 - 9 in Austin, Texas. Cycle couriers, or more commonly known as "messengers", across the country were invited to hangout and compete in races and other events in Austin. The NACCC is an annual event held in a different city every year by messengers, for messengers. 

Events common to messengering competitions are goldsprints and alleycats. 

Goldsprints are a form of racing done on stationary bicycles. These bikes are docked onto bicycle rollers, which is a device that offers little resistance for a cyclist may train and develop form. Computers are connected to these rollers to collect data such as the speed and revolution of the rollers. This data is transferred to a "dial" chart that is projected onto a screen or a wall that can be seen by spectators. Whoever spins through the dial the fastest wins.

Alleycats are races that emulate the everyday job of a messenger. Several checkpoints are given and at each one, the messenger must present a manifest and have it signed. Some alleycats involve the actual carrying and delivering of items, just like a messenger would do at work. There is no fixed route, the messenger can go whichever way they want (or are forced) to go. 

Messengers form a tight-knit community around the world - when visiting another city, they have friends that have them stay at their place or show around the city. The most important part of these events are the connecting and networking aspects. People that ride bikes for a living, just having fun.

Great coverage and awesome photographs may be viewed from John "Prolly" Watson's Blog here.

Across Country

It is amazing what sort of feats people can do. In the modern age of cars and hotels, there are an adventurous few that would partake in the strenuous danger of bicycle touring.

As I was riding today, I bumped into this guy. I recognized the type of bicycle he was riding by the bags that were slung on the side of the rear wheel. It is a touring bike, which is used for long distances, where one would ride with loaded paniers  (bags that attach to the bicycle for carrying larger loads) full of essentials: clothing, food, shelter, all of which is used on the journey. Different sets of clothes are for battle the different types of weather that one may encounter. Food is obvious, proper sustenance is required to keep the body going especially when cycling for double digit hours at a time. And shelter is used for the many stops taken on the journey for rest and recovery.

I had followed him for about 200m where we talked a bit. During our conversation which was interrupted by passing traffic, I never caught his name but what I was told was where he came from and where he was riding to. He lives in Ohio and had ridden all the way over here in Las Vegas. He mentioned something about California and the horrid weather coming here; I'm not sure of what route he had taken exactly.

Talking to cyclists is enlightening and sustains my respect for others not only with similar interests but with the spirit and courage to do something amazing like this man.

My friend, Sirashoke, moved to the east coast almost a year ago. He posted up a photo of the remodeling of the shop that he works at in Tennessee.

Check out Midtown Bike Co. Downtown Memphis's Facebook here.

Post #1

Hello, my name is Michael and welcome to my cog blog. You might ask "what in the world is a cog blog?" First break down the two words. Cog, a part of a gear system, such as one found on a bicycle. Blog, a web log much like any other site you would find on Blogger.

Here, I will be sharing knowledge of bicycle culture throughout the world. Learn how bikes have influenced cultures and subcultures internationally and on a much smaller scale. I would like to introduce great personalities to others and share the rich culture of cycling.

Enjoy!