So, below you can see a video bike check. Here are some still shots of the bike with some added angles you may not have gotten from the vid.

Here’s a bike check I just did for All City for the new Dropout Prototype. There’s a couple of tricks sprinked in too

Mike Carney’s Bike Check from vincent shim on Vimeo.

BIG, BIG, BIG, BIG thanks to All City, Vinnie, Velocity and Handspun. Keep rollin y’all

It came, it got built, it’s been ridden. I grabbed my Droupout frameset yesterday and built it up as quickly as I could, despite the fact I had to go into work for a few hours. I can’t give a full review yet, and won’t for a little while, but what I know thus far is that I am deep in lust. The ride couldn’t have gone much better last night. Here’s to many many more…

All City Trick Comp 2009 from BikeJerks on Vimeo.

Last night was the first real “riding” that I had done since the car crash last week. I had been real hesitant, partly in due to a sore body, but more seriously apprehensive because I didn’t know if my frame was doing to be rideable. The down tube has some serious swoop to it and the seat tube has got some bend as well. After riding hard last night, holding back nothing, it turns out I’m going to be able to make this thing work for atleast another couple of days. The All-City Championships are this weekend and it would be crushing to miss it the biggest comp of the summer. Luckily, I’m not going to. Atleast that’s how it would appear now. I was landing everything that I had been landing before and I even began to work on some new stuff. It was a great feeling to get tricking again with some good progress being made. Big thanks to scissorneck for coming out too. The boy has got mad skill, he just needs to ride more. Homeboy learned how to pedal grind last night. Mad props boy!!

Tonight was a hell of a night. I’ll set the scene before getting into the juicy stuff. After riding hard all night yesterday and having a successful tricks n’ drinks I just wanted to go out cruising this evening. I went over to the other side of the river (St. Paul) to lay low with some friends before rolling out to a show. The majority of the party set out to bar while greg and I got a little hung up and started 5 minutes later.

This is where it gets fun(ish). For the locals, I was going down the Marshall Hill about to cross back to minneapolis, for anyone else, it’s one of the most epic hills we have here in the twin cities. There is a stop light half down that in my absolute worst nightmare scenarios a car would make a left hand in turn in front of me at the wrong time.

Being one of the few big hills here, I make it a point to bomb it as it’s not an everyday thing I can get going 35mph on my bike. With my front and back lights flashing, tonight was the fateful night where my worst nightmare would come true. I was a 1/4 block away from the corner of Otis when I saw the car start to creep. Then with no hesitation, I wouldn’t be surprised if the pedal hit the floor of the car. I tried skidding and swerving out of the way, but before I could think to use any other avoidance tactics I was traveling 35mph but with no bike between my legs, later to be retrieved under the front end of the 80 yr old woman’s car. I picked my left foot up right before impact as I didn’t want it to get pinned between the front bumper and my bike which left the entire force of impact to be put on my downtube and then consequently my right leg. I was doing a nice, graceful mid-air tumble right up until the pavement came into play. I tucked and rolled, brazed my head a little on the ground and popped right up with a surge of adrenaline I have never experienced before.

After all was said and done, my body damage was minimal at best. Literally, to have been faced with possible death, and to walk away with a sore neck, a bump on my leg and some blood on my arm I would say I am a blessed man.

Although my bike didn’t fare so well. The downtube on my cutter has a massive dent and a mellow archers bow to it now, the seat snapped off and my brand new tied and soldered Chukker (rear) is tacoed beyond repair.

first thing tomorrow. This brakeless fixedgear freestlye rider is getting a commuter helmet. Ride safe everyone!

EDIT: I’ll have pictures posted soon of the damage

In the words of the founder/organizer Jeff Frane:

I was thinking about this years event and I’m starting to get very excited. I honestly believe that this will be the best one yet (it’s gonna be a hell of a time). If you can get here, please do. Nothing brings out the best in an event like a heavy out of town presence. There will be four days of riding and parties and the alleycat course itself is easily going to be the most fun, gnarliest, and epic (not in the overly nostalgic Rapha sense, in the holy shit! I can’t believe that just happend way). If you’re a racer and going fast in the city is your bag.
This race will deliver in fucking spades.

If you’re a person in Minneapolis and you happen to want to host a stop in your backyard please contact our volunteer coordinator. She can be reached at evilantimartha (at) gmail.

See you all there

Thanks to a ton of help from All City Cylces, Velocity Wheels, and HandSpun Wheels, I’ve got myself a nice new set of spinners on my steed.

After riding these beuts for the better part of a week, I am absolutely astounded at how nice they are. My initial worry was the weight issue. My previous wheel sets have included, Weinmann DP-18’s, Velocity Deep V’s and a Velocity Blunt. Wheight wise, these are right on par with the Weinmann Dp’s. The weight is barely noticeable as a compared to Velocity’s deep V’s. They make up for it as the strength is like nothing I’ve ever had on a bike before. Handspun Wheel hooked up the spokes, nipples and lacing of the wheels, not to forget the tied and soldering that happened for the rear wheel. For all the stairs and gaps I do, these things are rocks. In addition, I have yet to de-bead the tires.

There is something really special about getting on a set of wheels with hubs that have never rolled the street before. The butter factor is unreal. The All City hubs have never felt so good. From the first pedal off it felt like a cloud. We’ll continue to see how everything fares after an extended term of thrashing. For now, it’s happy trails. Here’s a to a good ride.

Come on down to SalonRox tonight to see a bunch of my art on the walls. There will plenty of other local artistic talent in the building along with some DJs spinning vinyl and some prize giveaways. It’s on 50th and Xerxes from 5-9. Hope to see you all there