Sunday past...

Most gave the BFF (Bike Film Fest) 'alleycat/scavenger hunt' a go. No last place for me as I wigged out and did checkpoint duty. Was pretty cool as you had to collect a few different items on the way and do random things at each stop. It finished up at the streetparty put on by the BFF where we met heaps of bike fanatics and saw some crazy bikes. The highlight of the arvo was the BMX 'bunny-hop' comp. Some stayed on till the evening to catch a number of bike related short films.

The 'Manifest'...

I think 41 inches was the standard of the day...

A couple of people asked if I still had my BMX and if it still looked the same. Yes and this is what it looks like now...

Looks like it's gonna be a wet one...

Roll up! Roll up!

Hey guys,

Another good event is coming up!
A bit of fun and all money going to charity.

ALLEYCRAP...

Not that the Alleycat yesterday was crap (far from it actually).... more the fact that I'M crap. It was nothing and everything I expected..... especially the part where I came last, or what they laughingly call - DFL (Dead Fucking Last).  It was my first ever bike race of any kind and it reminded me of how unfit I actually am. 

All that said, it was a super fun day. I think 25+ racers at the start and everyone bar a couple finished the race due to punctures or what have you. For those who have never experienced one of these things before, yesterday was basically racing up and down the CBD about 8 times, from checkpoint to checkpoint - all in under 20 minutes. I think the winner might even have done it in even less time! Cars were honking, trams were dinging and people were cursing left right and center as this massive pack of idiots on wheels flew through every intersection and red light. We ended up at Flagstaff gardens for beers and snags, and where the final results were announced. 

The weather was awesome and everyone was super cool, from kids to couriers and every other random that rides track bikes on the street. Big congratulations to one of our own boys Luke, who came a massive third! I think the rest of the Cranky crew who entered placed in the middle somewhere. All in all a damn good effort (except on my part :( ). 

Also a big shout-out to the MDMA crew for putting on this event....Dimmos being the master of ceremonies. Cheers to everyone I met on the day for making me (and everyone else

) feel welcomed. Everyone had a great day and all kept it safe even tho I would have had a field day if I was a cop!!! 

I didn't get any pics at all until the race finish, and even then I was just to puffed to care. So here are a couple. To see more check HERE and HERE for some action shots of the day.

Dimmos of MDMA / Sausage Fest

And the most 'discussed/debated' bike of the day...

THIS SUNDAY...

Not sure sure what everyone wants to do this Sunday. As you know there is an Alleycat on at 3pm. At first I was excited about it, but some have said that its gonna be one of the hardest and most difficult ones to date. Having not entered one before, I'm not sure if wanna personally take this on. Maybe just do a few checkpoints instead of the entire thing? What does everyone think? We can always ditch the whole thing and go ride somewhere else otherwise.

On another note, the No Comply exhibition that opened last week was a success. Check out the link for the rest of the works and the opening night. This was our (BBot) contribution.

WAMBULANCE

So this 'Cranky Sundays' group has been going for almost 6 months now. Officially most of us have been riding as a group every Sunday for almost a year. The group is made up of 16 - 40+ year olds who come from various walks of life and who are into very different things apart from the bike/riding. Most of us are self confessed sneaker heads in one way or another and have gotten sucked into the 'fixie' thing for one reason or another - hype being the main culprit. In saying that, not all of us ride fixed. Some started out 24" Cruisers and some are single speed. Whatever it is, this bike thing is something new and exciting for us to talk about and participate in. 

In the time this rouge group was created, much has evolved. We've lost a few 'key' riders over the past few months and are about to loose a couple more. All mainly due to them moving overseas for work or to live. But we have also gained more than a handful of keen riders who turn up every weekend for a roll. Some come from BMX, some from MTB and some skating. I would say that 95% of us are decent riders, but nowhere near what you see on the videos of people mashing in traffic or doing endless tricks. The man basis of this ride is just that -  a Sunday group ride.

The reason for the insight into 'Cranky Sundays' is because in the last month, I've been hearing all sorts of chinese whispers. Like every other sub-culture, there is always a little bitching. But what got me was that we have been accused of being 'gay' and that we have jumped on the fixie bandwagon cos of the hype and that our rides are shitty and boring and unorganised.... and that you have to wear shit like Supreme to come riding with us...?

Errr excuse me? 

Let me get this straight. The reason why this blog was started was not to compete with the other blogs/forums/groups out there. It wasn't to showcase what the fixed scene is about in Melbourne. It was so we could post the date and place to meet on Sundays so we can go for a group ride. It started out with everyone texting everyone else and we met up. But we thought it would be much more convenient to just post it on the net so anyone can check to see if its on. And what's wrong with posting a few vid's and pics while were at it? We have never claimed to be any sort of group and we have certainly never preached about anything. We have never discriminated and we have never made anyone feel left out or behind.

What's worse is that I know for a fact that some of these 'haters' have come with us a few times - and who have now progressed onwards with their riding (or mindset about the whole culture). I also know that some of these are people that we know - pretty well. 

Sad.

Bottom line is - We will keep having our Sunday rides like we always have. Gay or not, people still seem to be showing up and we have fun. Everyone is welcome to hang out regardless of what bike you ride and who you are. And if you don't like it, thats cool. No need to have a bitch cos we ain't 'extreme' enough. 

So fuck all ya'll haters who think you are better than the person next to you!

All that said...I've never been to a race/alleycat before (cos I work every Friday evening/night). This is on a Sunday so maybe we can....

LINK

Philwood Update

Empire from Empire on Vimeo.