What has happened? Is this blog defunct? No. So are we just lazy then? Well, yeah. But actually that's not the reason either. The reason that nothing much is going on here right now, and will not happen for a month or so, is that I am currently working on my master's project. I kind of need this degree, so all time awake is spent on it. Wish me luck! And I promise that we'll be back as soon as possible. Until then:
Ride safe!
Saturday, 28 November 2015
Thursday, 12 November 2015
... is going down (We're going political again)
Can bicycles save the world? By themselves, no. As a part of a bigger solution, maybe. We think that bicycles is an indispensable part of building a better future, in making the world a better place, in saving the environment. In order to stop environmental pollution cars need to be replaces by bicycles, people need to use bicycles to get to work, to school, to go shopping and so on.
But bicycles are not the solution to all problems facing the world right now. Anyone living here in the North right now can't have avoided reading or hearing about the huge number of refugees fleeing from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and other countries, trying to get to Germany or Sweden, where they think that they will be safe and able to build a new, better life for themselves. Some, like those from Syria or Afghanistan, mainly flee from war and terror. Others, like those from Bangladesh or some Sub-Saharan African countries, mainly flee from poverty. And they try to make it here, to the North, crossing the Mediterranean Sea on dangerous rafts and then walking, trying to get a ride on buses and trains through Europe, through Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria to Germany or to Sweden, then often through Denmark. Of course, some people take other routes, just today we heard a story on the radio about a man who fled from Syria to Norway, via Russia. (Actually he used a bicycle to make it across the Russian-Norwegian border up in the far North of Europe, since for some reason it is forbidden to cross that border on foot, but allowed to do it on bicycle.) A small number of refugees also continue to Finland, trying to find a safe haven there.
What to they face on their journeys? They risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea, they have to walk long distances through heat or cold, scorching sun or rain (soon snow too), they have to struggle to cross bordes, to find something to eat, some are treated brutally by European authorities and when they finally reach their destination they are met by people protesting, shooting fireworks at them, burning down the refugee camps. And just six hours ago the Swedish government initiated temporary border controls, stopping all people who can't show valid identification papers.
And then we have the beggars, mainly Romani people from Romania and Bulgaria, who are now found outside almost every grocer's and in every train station in every town here in Sweden, trying to sell magazines or begging, hopefully making some money to take home to their villages in Romania or Bulgaria and make their lives a little better. They are insulted, shouted at, spat upon and they are constantly being driven away from places where they try to camp.
(Perhaps it is important to be reminded of all the good people. All the people who volunteer, who spend their time and money to help the refugees and the beggars. Or simply those who say something kind and supportive to their fellow beings. Especially right now, when the xenophobic Sweden Democrats party are campaigning in Greece and are going to place ads in Arab newspapers, trying to deter refugees from seeking asylum in Sweden.)
Bicycles, on most occasions, can't help all these people. We in Ensliga Bergens cykelklubb think that owning a bicycle should almost be considered a human right but that doesn't really help here. And it's not a solution. So now what? Can we just let this go on? Well, no. While taking a step back and simply thinking that it's not our problem - it's someone else's problem - might work in a short perspective it won't work over time. Besides, it's not very nice. (And we shouldn't have to tell people not to shoot fireworks or spit at other people. That's purely common sense and nice manners.) Over time we have to work on long-term solutions, ending the war and terror and make it possible for everyone to live a decent life without having to flee.
Right now, though, we have to make sure that everyone that flees gets the right to get their case tried, to see if they have reasons to be granted asylum or not. Not just in Sweden, but all over Europe. We have to give everyone shelter, somewhere to rest and get a decent meal. And sometime inbetween right now and long term we have to give everyone the chance to make a decent living. It is not impossible. There is enough money and resources around to suffice, so that everyone could get a fair share - we just have to (re)distribute it.
Do you know what your long-term solution look like? We know how ours look, but it is clear that it will take time. In the meantime we will simply try to be nice to people, say nice things to them, put pressure on our politicians to make them take the right decisions and protest when they take the wrong ones. Everyone can make a small change.
And to make up for our political ranting, two pictures of a nice Columbus Pinta 1492.
It could use a wash and wax, but all in all it looks like a nice bike!
Ride safe!
But bicycles are not the solution to all problems facing the world right now. Anyone living here in the North right now can't have avoided reading or hearing about the huge number of refugees fleeing from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and other countries, trying to get to Germany or Sweden, where they think that they will be safe and able to build a new, better life for themselves. Some, like those from Syria or Afghanistan, mainly flee from war and terror. Others, like those from Bangladesh or some Sub-Saharan African countries, mainly flee from poverty. And they try to make it here, to the North, crossing the Mediterranean Sea on dangerous rafts and then walking, trying to get a ride on buses and trains through Europe, through Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria to Germany or to Sweden, then often through Denmark. Of course, some people take other routes, just today we heard a story on the radio about a man who fled from Syria to Norway, via Russia. (Actually he used a bicycle to make it across the Russian-Norwegian border up in the far North of Europe, since for some reason it is forbidden to cross that border on foot, but allowed to do it on bicycle.) A small number of refugees also continue to Finland, trying to find a safe haven there.
What to they face on their journeys? They risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea, they have to walk long distances through heat or cold, scorching sun or rain (soon snow too), they have to struggle to cross bordes, to find something to eat, some are treated brutally by European authorities and when they finally reach their destination they are met by people protesting, shooting fireworks at them, burning down the refugee camps. And just six hours ago the Swedish government initiated temporary border controls, stopping all people who can't show valid identification papers.
And then we have the beggars, mainly Romani people from Romania and Bulgaria, who are now found outside almost every grocer's and in every train station in every town here in Sweden, trying to sell magazines or begging, hopefully making some money to take home to their villages in Romania or Bulgaria and make their lives a little better. They are insulted, shouted at, spat upon and they are constantly being driven away from places where they try to camp.
(Perhaps it is important to be reminded of all the good people. All the people who volunteer, who spend their time and money to help the refugees and the beggars. Or simply those who say something kind and supportive to their fellow beings. Especially right now, when the xenophobic Sweden Democrats party are campaigning in Greece and are going to place ads in Arab newspapers, trying to deter refugees from seeking asylum in Sweden.)
Bicycles, on most occasions, can't help all these people. We in Ensliga Bergens cykelklubb think that owning a bicycle should almost be considered a human right but that doesn't really help here. And it's not a solution. So now what? Can we just let this go on? Well, no. While taking a step back and simply thinking that it's not our problem - it's someone else's problem - might work in a short perspective it won't work over time. Besides, it's not very nice. (And we shouldn't have to tell people not to shoot fireworks or spit at other people. That's purely common sense and nice manners.) Over time we have to work on long-term solutions, ending the war and terror and make it possible for everyone to live a decent life without having to flee.
Right now, though, we have to make sure that everyone that flees gets the right to get their case tried, to see if they have reasons to be granted asylum or not. Not just in Sweden, but all over Europe. We have to give everyone shelter, somewhere to rest and get a decent meal. And sometime inbetween right now and long term we have to give everyone the chance to make a decent living. It is not impossible. There is enough money and resources around to suffice, so that everyone could get a fair share - we just have to (re)distribute it.
Do you know what your long-term solution look like? We know how ours look, but it is clear that it will take time. In the meantime we will simply try to be nice to people, say nice things to them, put pressure on our politicians to make them take the right decisions and protest when they take the wrong ones. Everyone can make a small change.
And to make up for our political ranting, two pictures of a nice Columbus Pinta 1492.
It could use a wash and wax, but all in all it looks like a nice bike!
Ride safe!
Saturday, 7 November 2015
Bulgarian Open 2015
Did you know that the Bulgarian Open 2015 is going on right now? According to wikipedia, Bulgarian Open is a professional and amateur, minor-ranking snooker tournament. No, we're not turning this bicycle blog into a blog about snooker. We just felt a need to complain a little. Because today, when we were watching TV we zapped by Eurosport. From 8:30 to 20:30 they were, and are, broadcasting live from the Bulgarian Open. They are broadcasting twelve hours of live snooker! How is snooker even considered a sport?
Snooker fans all over the world might exult, but we would consider having to watch twelve hours of snooker a cruel punishment. And honestly, twelve hours live? You really couldn't find anything else to fill your tableau with, Eurosport? Especially considering that there almost always seems to be some snooker tournament going on somewhere - how important are these tournaments anyway? Is snooker really that popular? We would prefer watching Tour de... South Dakota, or Kalaallit Nunaat Grand Prix, to watching more snooker. Actually, we would prefer watching almost anything, to watching more snooker.
In the meantime, in the 2015 UEC Cyclo-Cross European Championships, today. Admittedly, cyclo-cross isn't our favourite sport, but it sure would have beat snooker. Anyway Sanne Cant won the women's title, and Lars van der Haar won the men's title, so congratulations to them both. Well done!
And luckily we have other things to do anyway. Like writing this blog post. Or learning to build bicycle wheels (it's harder than one would think). Or reading a book!
Ride safe!
Snooker fans all over the world might exult, but we would consider having to watch twelve hours of snooker a cruel punishment. And honestly, twelve hours live? You really couldn't find anything else to fill your tableau with, Eurosport? Especially considering that there almost always seems to be some snooker tournament going on somewhere - how important are these tournaments anyway? Is snooker really that popular? We would prefer watching Tour de... South Dakota, or Kalaallit Nunaat Grand Prix, to watching more snooker. Actually, we would prefer watching almost anything, to watching more snooker.
In the meantime, in the 2015 UEC Cyclo-Cross European Championships, today. Admittedly, cyclo-cross isn't our favourite sport, but it sure would have beat snooker. Anyway Sanne Cant won the women's title, and Lars van der Haar won the men's title, so congratulations to them both. Well done!
And luckily we have other things to do anyway. Like writing this blog post. Or learning to build bicycle wheels (it's harder than one would think). Or reading a book!
Ride safe!
Sunday, 1 November 2015
Giant ATX 777
I got a Giant ATX mountainbike today, from one of my neighbours. Or rather, I got a Giant ATX mountainbike frame. My neighbour had found it somewhere when he was out riding, he wasn't particularly interested in it for himself but since he knows that I'm into bikes he wondered if I wanted it. "Sure" I replied, thinking that if I won't be using it myself I could donate it to the bicycle kitchen. He didn't know much about the bicycle and neither do I. It's an aluminum frame, 26" wheels (I think), probably from 2013... Obviously someone took it to pillage for parts. So it misses... well, pretty much everything. And the parts that are left... well, the pedals look as if someone just went at them with a rock or something and the crankset is rusty and in a pretty bad state. It also has gotten a dent in the chainstay.
Well, either way, whatever I decide to do with it, I have to report it to the lost property office of the police first, and then wait for at least three months.Which means that I might not get to do anything with it, of course, but it's the right thing to do. If it is a 2013 frame someone might really miss it. And anyway, if it was my bike I know what I would want other people to do. But here it is right now.
Ride safe and take care of your bicycles!
Well, either way, whatever I decide to do with it, I have to report it to the lost property office of the police first, and then wait for at least three months.Which means that I might not get to do anything with it, of course, but it's the right thing to do. If it is a 2013 frame someone might really miss it. And anyway, if it was my bike I know what I would want other people to do. But here it is right now.
Man, did you hate these pedals?
Fiona inspects the frame.
She's very thorough!
The dent in the chainstay.
The frame still looks pretty straight, though...
An Acera front derailleur, a rusty crankset and a dry leaf.
Ride safe and take care of your bicycles!
Thursday, 15 October 2015
Hallo Deutschland!
We will be going away for a little while, to Germany. We will be back quite soon, but we wanted to tell you. Also we wanted to take the opportunity to show some pictures from Germany. Germany is fast becoming one of the best cycling countries in the world, which is super cool, because what do you think of when you hear "Germany"? No, lay off the nazi jokes, that was 70 years ago. And put the "eating meat and drinking beer" aside too. OK, really, you could think of a lot of things when you think about Germany. Like a beautiful country. Good music (Kraftwerk, Alphaville, Atari Teenage Riot, Kruder & Dorfmeister... and so on). Good films (Good bye Lenin!, Barbara, Lore... and so on). Friendly people. But honestly you also think about cars, don't you? Mercedes. BMW. Audi. Porsche. Opel. And the now infamous Volkswagen...
But you don't think very much of bicycling, right? However, that might be changing soon. Pictures from Berlin and Munich are making us really impressed and glad. And hoping that we could see the like over here too. So check out this cool article from the European Cyclis's Federation.
And ride safe!
But you don't think very much of bicycling, right? However, that might be changing soon. Pictures from Berlin and Munich are making us really impressed and glad. And hoping that we could see the like over here too. So check out this cool article from the European Cyclis's Federation.
And ride safe!
A cyclist in Cologne. Chic and cool. (We borrowed this picture from European Cyclist's Federation. Hope that's OK!)
A traffic area in Munich... and how cool is this? Will we ever see something like this in Gothenburg? (We borrowed this picture from European Cyclist's Federation. Hope that's OK!)
A bicycle lane in Berlin. This is how it's supposed to look. Note how the pedestrians are not standing in the middle of the bicycle lane! (We borrowed this picture from European Cyclist's Federation. Hope that's OK!)
Monday, 12 October 2015
Product review 1: Knog tools
In January we wrote that we had products that we were going to test and evaluate, and then review. Since then we haven't really done that, but now is the time! Or, actually we wrote about the K-Edge chain catcher on the 5th of May, so in a way this is the second product review. But it is the first product review to get that headline.
The Knog foldable monkey wrench (or shifter spanner), to the left, and the Knog 20 tool, to the right. It began with the foldable monkey wrench. I found it at a good price, thought it looked kind of cool and also thought that a monkey wrench is a good tool to have, and this one would fit in my saddle bag. So I bought it and put it in my saddle bag. Then it simply stayed there for some time, because I didn't need it. (That always seems to be the case, doesn't it?) But after some time eventually I used it... I was trying to remove a saddle from an old bike, needed to loosen a bolt, took the Knog foldable monkey wrench out and... the bloody thing slipped and bent. To be honest, the wrench had felt a bit flimsy from the start, but now when I used it the adjustable part just bent. Not much, not more that 2-3°, but that still made the spanner completely unusable. Not a very good thing, now is it? I was furious.
The really cool thing, though, is that when I wrote to Knog and made a complaint about it, they offered to send a new tool to me completely for free, when I could show them the receipt (or rather, a photo of it). They have a two year warranty on their products. Now they didn't stock any more monkey wrenches so instead the sent me their 20 tool. A small (50x50x22 mm) tool containing:
2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 mm hex keys
A T25 torx screwdriver bit
A Philips screwdriver
A flat head screwdriver
8, 10, 13 and 15 mm open wrenches
3.22, 3.30, 3.45 and 3.96 mm spoke wrenches (I haven't measured them, but according to Knog that's them)
A chain tool
A bottle opener
20 functions! Not bad! So far I have only used the Allen keys and the bottle opener, so I can't really say anything about the other functions, but the Allen keys and the bottle opener work just fine. And this tool feels more solid than the foldable monkey wrench too. The only complaint I have is that the T25 torx bit have a tendency to come loose, but since you fold the tool at least it doesn't get lost. Other reviewers, like Bikeradar, who have tried the spoke wrenches and the chain tool have said that these functions are crap. Also, since the tool is short, square and a bit bulky, using it in hard-to-get-to places on your bicycle might be hard or even impossible.
Knog are super consistent. Their products are not about "form follows function", it's totally "function follows form". But I rather like that. You instantly recognise Knog tools, and they are good-looking. (This 20 tool even matches the colour of my bicycle.) They also seem to be really nice people, environmentally conscious and Australian. And eventually, by taking it out and gently tapping it with a hammer, I managed to straighten the bent bit on the monkey wrench, so now it works again. It still feels flimsy, though.
So the bottom line:
Would I recommend Knog tools? Yes. That is, should you find the foldable monkey wrench at a good price, go ahead, buy it and then use it patiently and carefully. You'd be hard pressed to find another monkey wrench that fits in your saddle bag. (However, it looks as if this tool is now out of production.) And the 20 tool I recommend with the same conditions: Buy it at a good price. The functions are useful but might be hard to use, it is solid, easy to fit in your pocket or your saddle bag and good-looking. Also, the soft edges on both tools makes it less likely to damage inner tubes also lying around. That's really good.
Ride safe!
The Knog foldable monkey wrench (or shifter spanner), to the left, and the Knog 20 tool, to the right. It began with the foldable monkey wrench. I found it at a good price, thought it looked kind of cool and also thought that a monkey wrench is a good tool to have, and this one would fit in my saddle bag. So I bought it and put it in my saddle bag. Then it simply stayed there for some time, because I didn't need it. (That always seems to be the case, doesn't it?) But after some time eventually I used it... I was trying to remove a saddle from an old bike, needed to loosen a bolt, took the Knog foldable monkey wrench out and... the bloody thing slipped and bent. To be honest, the wrench had felt a bit flimsy from the start, but now when I used it the adjustable part just bent. Not much, not more that 2-3°, but that still made the spanner completely unusable. Not a very good thing, now is it? I was furious.
The really cool thing, though, is that when I wrote to Knog and made a complaint about it, they offered to send a new tool to me completely for free, when I could show them the receipt (or rather, a photo of it). They have a two year warranty on their products. Now they didn't stock any more monkey wrenches so instead the sent me their 20 tool. A small (50x50x22 mm) tool containing:
2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8 mm hex keys
A T25 torx screwdriver bit
A Philips screwdriver
A flat head screwdriver
8, 10, 13 and 15 mm open wrenches
3.22, 3.30, 3.45 and 3.96 mm spoke wrenches (I haven't measured them, but according to Knog that's them)
A chain tool
A bottle opener
20 functions! Not bad! So far I have only used the Allen keys and the bottle opener, so I can't really say anything about the other functions, but the Allen keys and the bottle opener work just fine. And this tool feels more solid than the foldable monkey wrench too. The only complaint I have is that the T25 torx bit have a tendency to come loose, but since you fold the tool at least it doesn't get lost. Other reviewers, like Bikeradar, who have tried the spoke wrenches and the chain tool have said that these functions are crap. Also, since the tool is short, square and a bit bulky, using it in hard-to-get-to places on your bicycle might be hard or even impossible.
Knog are super consistent. Their products are not about "form follows function", it's totally "function follows form". But I rather like that. You instantly recognise Knog tools, and they are good-looking. (This 20 tool even matches the colour of my bicycle.) They also seem to be really nice people, environmentally conscious and Australian. And eventually, by taking it out and gently tapping it with a hammer, I managed to straighten the bent bit on the monkey wrench, so now it works again. It still feels flimsy, though.
So the bottom line:
Would I recommend Knog tools? Yes. That is, should you find the foldable monkey wrench at a good price, go ahead, buy it and then use it patiently and carefully. You'd be hard pressed to find another monkey wrench that fits in your saddle bag. (However, it looks as if this tool is now out of production.) And the 20 tool I recommend with the same conditions: Buy it at a good price. The functions are useful but might be hard to use, it is solid, easy to fit in your pocket or your saddle bag and good-looking. Also, the soft edges on both tools makes it less likely to damage inner tubes also lying around. That's really good.
Ride safe!
Saturday, 10 October 2015
Tuesday, 6 October 2015
Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal
We are impressed with Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal, the Mongolian rider who participated in the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond last week. So we did a search on her on the internet and tried to find out a little more about her. Now, finding information about her isn't that easy. It's not easy to find information about cycling in Mongolia, to begin with. There exists a Mongolian Cycling Federation and they have a facebook page (no, we really don't understand much of it). We did, however, find an interview with Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal made a couple of years ago here. And we hope that it's OK if we repost that interview here (with some corrections), on our blog, as well. Here it is:
That's Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal in the middle. (We borrowed this picture from Japan Cycling Federation. Hope that's OK!)
Ilaria: Hello Enkhjargal, please introduce yourself. How old are you and when did you start racing?
Enkhjargal: I'm 20 and I bought my first bike in 2005 just for fun. (Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal was born in 1992, and this interview was posted in November 2013.)
Ilaria: Why did you start? How did you pick up this sport?
Enkhjargal: My coach Davaatogtokh suggested I do this sport and he said to me: If we start training we go for a big goal. National champion isn't enough, I'd like a Worlds and Olympics winner. We met in 2012 March.
Ilaria: You told me in Florence - after the ITT race - that in Mongolia few women race by bike. Has it been difficult for you to get to this level? What difficulties did you face?
Enkhjargal: In Mongolia there are few women racing by bike but now many girls and children are insterested in cycling and are about to start. It has been hard for me, of course, but one year and half it's very few to get to this leavel. I'm really happy.
Ilaria: You told me you race on the road but that in Mongolia roads are not good. How can you train? Do you train there or also abroad?
Enkhjargal: In Mongolia roads aren't good and there is also a lot of traffic. Training is very dangerous. So I use to train far from the city. But in winter is very cold - 30 degrees - and I have to use an indoor trainer.
Ilaria: Do people use bike to daily move in Mongolia?
Enkhjargal: Not really, but in summer riding as a sport and as a healty execise is quite popular.
Ilaria: From where in Mongolia do you come?
Enkhjargal: I live in the capital city Ulaanbaatar.
Ilaria: Is your family happy? Do they support your sport activitiy or did you have to persuade them?
Enkhjargal: I live with my mother, when I was six she made me start with sport. She supported me a lot so far.
Ilaria: What kind of rider - and person - are you?
Enkhjargal: I'm very patient and also outgoing.
Ilaria: What's your "dream race", the race you'd like to win?
Enkhjargal: I have already rode my "dream race", that's Cycling Worlds. Also I'd like to race and win the Olympic.
Ilaria: How is a your typical training day?
Enkhjargal: Sometimes my day is very busy. I wake up early to go far from the city. It takes time. I train three hours, then I eat my lunch and rest for one hour. In the afternoon I train by MBK for ability or I go to the swimmingpool and do some easy exercises. After that I eat my dinner and study English. In add every night I write in my diary what I learnt and what I have to learn.
Ilaria: How did you feel taking part in Worlds?
Enkhjargal: I'm really happy because I have raced together so many good famous athletes. I wanted to know where I stand, what's my level. Now my coach and I found a criterion to set my training and we understood where I must improve.
Enkhjargal: I'm 20 and I bought my first bike in 2005 just for fun. (Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal was born in 1992, and this interview was posted in November 2013.)
Ilaria: Why did you start? How did you pick up this sport?
Enkhjargal: My coach Davaatogtokh suggested I do this sport and he said to me: If we start training we go for a big goal. National champion isn't enough, I'd like a Worlds and Olympics winner. We met in 2012 March.
Ilaria: You told me in Florence - after the ITT race - that in Mongolia few women race by bike. Has it been difficult for you to get to this level? What difficulties did you face?
Enkhjargal: In Mongolia there are few women racing by bike but now many girls and children are insterested in cycling and are about to start. It has been hard for me, of course, but one year and half it's very few to get to this leavel. I'm really happy.
Ilaria: You told me you race on the road but that in Mongolia roads are not good. How can you train? Do you train there or also abroad?
Enkhjargal: In Mongolia roads aren't good and there is also a lot of traffic. Training is very dangerous. So I use to train far from the city. But in winter is very cold - 30 degrees - and I have to use an indoor trainer.
Ilaria: Do people use bike to daily move in Mongolia?
Enkhjargal: Not really, but in summer riding as a sport and as a healty execise is quite popular.
Ilaria: From where in Mongolia do you come?
Enkhjargal: I live in the capital city Ulaanbaatar.
Ilaria: Is your family happy? Do they support your sport activitiy or did you have to persuade them?
Enkhjargal: I live with my mother, when I was six she made me start with sport. She supported me a lot so far.
Ilaria: What kind of rider - and person - are you?
Enkhjargal: I'm very patient and also outgoing.
Ilaria: What's your "dream race", the race you'd like to win?
Enkhjargal: I have already rode my "dream race", that's Cycling Worlds. Also I'd like to race and win the Olympic.
Ilaria: How is a your typical training day?
Enkhjargal: Sometimes my day is very busy. I wake up early to go far from the city. It takes time. I train three hours, then I eat my lunch and rest for one hour. In the afternoon I train by MBK for ability or I go to the swimmingpool and do some easy exercises. After that I eat my dinner and study English. In add every night I write in my diary what I learnt and what I have to learn.
Ilaria: How did you feel taking part in Worlds?
Enkhjargal: I'm really happy because I have raced together so many good famous athletes. I wanted to know where I stand, what's my level. Now my coach and I found a criterion to set my training and we understood where I must improve.
(We borrowed this picture from Snipview. Hope that's OK!)
And just to be clear again: We did not do this interview with Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal. Originally it was made by someone name Ilaria (obviously) and was published here. We hope that us reposting the interview is OK. Other than that we are even more impressed with Enkhjargal now. We have been riding bikes in -30 degrees and it's horrible. So we wish her the best of luck in the future and hope to see more of her in all future races!
Ride safe!
Monday, 28 September 2015
Just a quick note
... about the results from the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, that ended yesterday. And actually just about the results from the Women Elite Road Race. Because what is there to say about the Men Elite Road Race? Peter Sagan won, Michael Matthews came in second and Ramunas Navardaukas was third. 110 out of 192 contestants finished, 82 did not. (That's 57% of the riders finishing the race.) And there were no Finnish riders in this race.
The Women Elite Road Race, on the other hand, was both interesting and fun, as there were no clear favourites for this race. There were some crashes, a couple of attacks and for a while it looked as if Małgorzata Jasińska from Poland could win, but with 900 metres to go Lizzie Armitstead attacked, then dared Anna van der Breggen to begin the sprint which she did, but being cool, calm and collected Lizzie Armitstead won. Congratulations! Lotta Lepistö came in 40th. Unfortunately our favourite rider in this race Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal didn't finish the race and Laura Vainionpää, the second Finnish rider, didn't start. 88 out of 138 contestants finished, 50 did not. (That's 64%.)
40th out of 88 really isn't that bad! Especially considering that for example The Netherlands had seven riders, so had USA, Great Britain had six riders, so they were able to employ tactics, the whole team working for one selected rider. When you're alone you have to fight so much harder. We're not saying this to try to diminish Lizzie Armitstead's achievement, we're saying this to explain that 40th place is actually really good.
And Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal... How can you not like a cyclist from Mongolia? She's pretty good as well, she won the individual time trial at the Asian Cycling Championships in 2013 and she is the 2015 National champion of Mongolia. Too bad she couldn't finish the race!
(All small cycling nations deserve a little extra respect, we think.)
Ride safe!
The Women Elite Road Race, on the other hand, was both interesting and fun, as there were no clear favourites for this race. There were some crashes, a couple of attacks and for a while it looked as if Małgorzata Jasińska from Poland could win, but with 900 metres to go Lizzie Armitstead attacked, then dared Anna van der Breggen to begin the sprint which she did, but being cool, calm and collected Lizzie Armitstead won. Congratulations! Lotta Lepistö came in 40th. Unfortunately our favourite rider in this race Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal didn't finish the race and Laura Vainionpää, the second Finnish rider, didn't start. 88 out of 138 contestants finished, 50 did not. (That's 64%.)
Lizzie Armitstead sprinting to the finishing line. (We borrowed this picture from UCI. Hope that's OK!)
40th out of 88 really isn't that bad! Especially considering that for example The Netherlands had seven riders, so had USA, Great Britain had six riders, so they were able to employ tactics, the whole team working for one selected rider. When you're alone you have to fight so much harder. We're not saying this to try to diminish Lizzie Armitstead's achievement, we're saying this to explain that 40th place is actually really good.
Anna van der Breggen from the Netherlands, Lizzie Armitstead from Great Britain and Megan Guarnier from USA. (We borrowed this picture from UCI. Hope that's OK!)
And Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal... How can you not like a cyclist from Mongolia? She's pretty good as well, she won the individual time trial at the Asian Cycling Championships in 2013 and she is the 2015 National champion of Mongolia. Too bad she couldn't finish the race!
Enkhjargal Tuvshinjargal at the race. (We borrowed this picture from Heaton Johnson's Flickr page. Hope that's OK!)
(All small cycling nations deserve a little extra respect, we think.)
Ride safe!
Thursday, 24 September 2015
Ugly bicycle spotting, 3
Here's another pretty ugly bicycle:
Or actually the bike itself... No. It is ugly. The blue colour is kind of nice, but the decals, that gold colour of the decals, don't match at all. And that triathlon, fast forward seatpost... Ew!
So what can we say? It's probably a very fast bike. And it probably is less likely to be stolen, due to it's looks, which is a good thing. Interestingly, when we googled "Everest Sora Racing" all the top hits were from Norwegian sites... Is Everest a Norwegian bicycle brand?
Ride safe!
Or actually the bike itself... No. It is ugly. The blue colour is kind of nice, but the decals, that gold colour of the decals, don't match at all. And that triathlon, fast forward seatpost... Ew!
So what can we say? It's probably a very fast bike. And it probably is less likely to be stolen, due to it's looks, which is a good thing. Interestingly, when we googled "Everest Sora Racing" all the top hits were from Norwegian sites... Is Everest a Norwegian bicycle brand?
Ride safe!
Friday, 18 September 2015
... and trendies!
So bicycles are hip now, no one has missed that, have they? They are no longer simply means of transportation or sporting equipment, they are now trendy accessories. You can walk around with a bike frame in your hand but bike frames are kind of heavy. (Unless they're carbon, but then they're really not that cool to walk around with.) You can also roll it along slowly or just stand and kind of hang over it, like posers do. Preferably wearing a bicycle cap and/or some other cycling-associated clothing... Like this 1980's Adidas sweatshirt:
There's no doubt that this girl totally rocks this sweater, but... let's just say that our opinions about the sweater are mixed. Oh, and we're definitely not calling her a poser.
If you take your bicycle outside at least you're kind of using it. But then there are those who simply hang a bicycle on a wall, buy some bicycle-inspired interior decoration, posters... but not because they like bicycles and bicycling, just because it's trendy right now. This Monday our local newspaper Göteborgs-Posten had a full page about bicycle-inspired home furnishing in their housing supplement. And because Göteborgs-Posten usually acts like they hate bicyclists, never miss a chance to explain how horrible bicyclists are, how bicyclists take up space on the streets, are ruthless, hate cars (and Göteborgs-Posten loves cars) and so on... Because they act like that, we simply decided to steal some of their tips and publish them here. So here goes:
1. First of all we could mention that we're working on a blog post about storing your bicycle: How to store your bike, in style, part 2. (Part 1 here.) Göteborgs-Posten mentions two bicycle storing products. One which we will take up in that future blog post and Cycloc, which we mentioned in that old blog post. "Decorative even when you don't have your bicycle hung up." Ehm... No, it's not.
2. Then they mention Bruce Doscher's posters. They're actually really cool and not too expensive either. They're not the official posters from the races, though. Do a search on the internet for some super cool posters from the 1960's and 1970's. Or try this!
3. A miniature bike from Afro Art:
(We borrowed these pictures from Donny Fung's tumblr page. Hope that's OK!)
There's no doubt that this girl totally rocks this sweater, but... let's just say that our opinions about the sweater are mixed. Oh, and we're definitely not calling her a poser.
If you take your bicycle outside at least you're kind of using it. But then there are those who simply hang a bicycle on a wall, buy some bicycle-inspired interior decoration, posters... but not because they like bicycles and bicycling, just because it's trendy right now. This Monday our local newspaper Göteborgs-Posten had a full page about bicycle-inspired home furnishing in their housing supplement. And because Göteborgs-Posten usually acts like they hate bicyclists, never miss a chance to explain how horrible bicyclists are, how bicyclists take up space on the streets, are ruthless, hate cars (and Göteborgs-Posten loves cars) and so on... Because they act like that, we simply decided to steal some of their tips and publish them here. So here goes:
1. First of all we could mention that we're working on a blog post about storing your bicycle: How to store your bike, in style, part 2. (Part 1 here.) Göteborgs-Posten mentions two bicycle storing products. One which we will take up in that future blog post and Cycloc, which we mentioned in that old blog post. "Decorative even when you don't have your bicycle hung up." Ehm... No, it's not.
2. Then they mention Bruce Doscher's posters. They're actually really cool and not too expensive either. They're not the official posters from the races, though. Do a search on the internet for some super cool posters from the 1960's and 1970's. Or try this!
3. A miniature bike from Afro Art:
(We borrowed this picture from Afro Art. Hope that's OK!)
That one is really super cute. And that's it from us now.
Take care!
Sunday, 13 September 2015
Hipsters, fixies and plastic models
There won't be any real bicycles today either. Or... OK, we could tell you that we just watched Shelley Olds win La Madrid Challenge by La Vuelta, followed by Giorgia Bronzini in 2nd place and Kirsten Wild in 3rd. And we think that it's great that La Vuelta follows Le Tour, and organises a race for female bicyclists, in connection with the final stage of La Vuelta. Female bicyclist deserve big races! They work just as hard as the male bicyclists but are paid less.
And we could also tell you that lately we have become a little obsessed by mountains. Or obsessed by "mountains" - we don't have any Alps or Pyrenees up here in the North. We do have the Scandinavian Mountains, but even they are quite a bit from where we live. So we have to settle with what we can find, slopes about one or two kilometres long, with an average grade of 7,5 % (i e for every 100 metres ridden you're 7,5 metres higher up). And as we mentioned a week ago, on the hardest stage of La Vuelta the last climb was just under seven kilometres long and averaged 11,2 % grades, with slopes up to 21,67 %. Compared to that we've got nothing. But hey, we just have to make do with what we've got, and as we're not pro bicyclists we're actually OK with what we've got too.
But what we wanted to tell you today is more of a continuation of the last blog post. Check out these photos:
Pretty cool, aren't they? Plastic (or possibly metal) model bicycles, fixies and hipster male dolls! Complete with Cinelli T-shirts, even... (But where are the fixie-riding female dolls?)
Ride safe!
And we could also tell you that lately we have become a little obsessed by mountains. Or obsessed by "mountains" - we don't have any Alps or Pyrenees up here in the North. We do have the Scandinavian Mountains, but even they are quite a bit from where we live. So we have to settle with what we can find, slopes about one or two kilometres long, with an average grade of 7,5 % (i e for every 100 metres ridden you're 7,5 metres higher up). And as we mentioned a week ago, on the hardest stage of La Vuelta the last climb was just under seven kilometres long and averaged 11,2 % grades, with slopes up to 21,67 %. Compared to that we've got nothing. But hey, we just have to make do with what we've got, and as we're not pro bicyclists we're actually OK with what we've got too.
But what we wanted to tell you today is more of a continuation of the last blog post. Check out these photos:
(We borrowed these photos from Italiaanse Racefietsen. Hope that's OK!)
Pretty cool, aren't they? Plastic (or possibly metal) model bicycles, fixies and hipster male dolls! Complete with Cinelli T-shirts, even... (But where are the fixie-riding female dolls?)
Ride safe!
Wednesday, 9 September 2015
This post has nothing to do at all with real bicycles
Other than that it started with a bicycle ride to a plastic model exhibition. And as amends for all this non-bicycle related stuff, we'll start with some pretty cool plastic models of bicycles. There is this:
one, which is probably quite easy to find. It's not super-exciting but OK. And possibly you could modify it. Ditch the mudguards, the chain-guard, the kick-stand and the luggage carrier and you have a fixie. With some drop handlebars and a racier saddle you could even make it resemble a racing bike. Or just keep it as it is, if you're into more standard bikes. That's cool too.
Then there is this:
which actually is a racing bike. It looks really cool and it's even made in Italy. It's probably quite hard to find. And if you find it it's probably really expensive.
And lastly there are our photos from the plastic model exhibion. There were a lot of models exhibited, but these were our favourites:
That's it. Ride safe!
(We borrowed this picture from Hobby Search. Hope that's OK!)
one, which is probably quite easy to find. It's not super-exciting but OK. And possibly you could modify it. Ditch the mudguards, the chain-guard, the kick-stand and the luggage carrier and you have a fixie. With some drop handlebars and a racier saddle you could even make it resemble a racing bike. Or just keep it as it is, if you're into more standard bikes. That's cool too.
Then there is this:
(We borrowed this picture from Italiaanse Racefietsen. Hope that's OK!)
which actually is a racing bike. It looks really cool and it's even made in Italy. It's probably quite hard to find. And if you find it it's probably really expensive.
And lastly there are our photos from the plastic model exhibion. There were a lot of models exhibited, but these were our favourites:
(We think this one was called Villa Nautica, and it is made from a plastic model of a ship, paper and other assorted materials. According to the description there are some scale model figures in there but we couldn't spot them...)
(This Vulcan bomber is cool. And huge!)
(A WW I bus)
(Some kind of desert truck)
(A Finnish Hawk)
(An F-16)
(Another F-16)
(A Viking!)
(This model was really impressive. It even featured a detailed, lit hangar deck!)
(Helicopters, above and below)
(Nautilus - the submarine from Jules Vernes' novels)
(Yep. We get it.)
(A Victor. Cool and huge as well.)
(Some Star Wars models. We're not really fans of the Star Wars films, but these models are cool.)
(Maschinen Krieger)
(This figure needs no introduction, does it?)
(The contrast between this minion and the monsters behind it...)
(This guy we just couldn't figure out. He spent some time arranging some tin cans and tightly drawn strings, and then started playing and to be honest it sounded... crap. Really, we can appreciate stuff like Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz, but this just sounded like some mentally deficient guy randomly beating some tin cans and tightly drawn strings. He's not mentally deficient.)
(A Rocket Bunny style car, apparently)
(Tyrrell P34 race cars, above and below)
(A gold and black T-Ford. Nice!)
That's it. Ride safe!
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