Thanks Orin.  Great race.  Henceforth I decree every alleycat shall conclude with a massive feast for all involved, it is the numero uno way to celebrate.  If you would like a spokecard, stop by the shop and swoop one up.  Next one is soonish, plus I am throwing another Halloween race this year, prepare for damnation…

Fun, Fun, Fun. This is your only chance to ride an alleycat this summer (I’ll refrain from any commentary on that subject) so grab 3$, a bag and yo bike and come over to Fixed&Free at 5pm on Saturday. This will be short and fun with a BBQ for everyone involved afterwards. Prizes include free-range, organic steaks, super fresh crab legs, other gourmet goodies, and this, one of only 200 made. Get your ass on your bike and come have a good time – it’s been WAY too fucking long since the last one…

This highly detailed technical illustration was rendered by my brother documenting his recent experience riding in the Dona Anas outside of Las Cruces. Watch that line of fire.

Sorry for the short notice, but this will be going for the next month and a half. Hawke has received USAC approval to run a fixed gear class at his informal crits for the rest of the summer. To clarify, these are considered “insured training rides or practice sessions, basically like playing pickup soccer at the park”. There are no prizes, though I may try and put together a points system as a little incentive for those who come out regularly. Its basically a chance to meet some roadies, push yourself a bit, and have a good time. Also, since it doesn’t seem like there will be any races in the near future (unless Jake or myself can motivate ourselves) this will be a cool opportunity to get a little competitive if you are so inclined. The first one is this Sunday, 7/18. It is located way the hell down 2nd St and starts at 4pm, with the fixed gear class at 6:15. Helmets and brakeless fixed gears are required, though you may simply disconnect your brake if you have one. Also, no bullhorns or forward-projecting barends (we don’t want any core sampling) and if you can bring $5 to help cover licensing and insurance costs that would be awesome. Get full info and directions here. Come ride! There were only six of us last time which made for a pretty teeny peloton, let’s try and do better this weekend…

Wow. What a crazy couple years its been. Huge thanks to everyone who supported us through the ups and downs of the past two years, without the incredible and diverse community of cyclists that come through the shop, we would not be where we are today. The evolution of the shop has been amazing, and with some big changes on the way, don’t expect it to slow down anytime soon. Sam, Luke, Jacob, and everyone who has volunteered – your hard work has made Fixed & Free one of ABQ’s favorite bike shops in 2 short years. Congrats!

That’s right. You can now show your support for your favorite bike shop in full Lycra. The price is right and the design is tight (not to toot my own horn), so get down to Fixed&Free and place your order. They’ll be available in about 7-8 weeks.

this is what goes on when there are no customers around.

So if you haven’t checked out the awesome vintage Holdsworth frame at the shop yet, stop by and take a gander.  It’s a stayer bike like this one, built for crushing land speed records behind a motorcycle, or in this case, a fucking Le Mans race car.  Note the chainring – special prize for who guesses the correct number of teeth…

enjoy this long weekend.  ABQ Century next week – who’s riding?

Don’t forget. Tuesday night, 7 pm, fixed gear criterium race. Fixed only, no brakes, no bullhorns or forward projecting bar ends. Directions and full info here. Don’t miss, if we get a good turnout this might become a regular thing…

Check the rest of Robin’s photos at Cranks505.

Fixed gear criterium race is on. Tuesday, Apr. 27, 7 pm. All the info here. So stoked!!

Sam Miller gets daps on Trackosaurus Rex. Awesome. Download Grand Canyon’s new album here.

Last week I was approached by Hawke from Team Cross about a Fixed Gear Crit he is interested in organizing. It would be on a closed course on the southern end of 2nd St., 10 laps, approx. 20 min. race time. This would be part of their Informal Tuesday Series with road crits at 6, fixed around 7pm.

Here’s the problem – the USAC is requiring additional permits for the fixed gear portion (fucking bureaucracy) and so Hawke is understandably reluctant to spend extra time and money if only 5 people show up. I am personally really stoked on this, both to race a fixed crit and to do an event that could bridge the roadie/fixie gap. If you are interested in participating, shoot me an email (dpolks85@gmail.com) or hit the comments so I can get a good estimate of the turnout and pass that on to Hawke.

head over to Cranks505 to check it out.

Finals tonight, 8 pm. I’m offering folks one last chance to qualify for sprints. Get there at 7 for timed qualifying heats, there’s a lot of swag on the line so come flex those calves! Plus a brand new tire for longest skid, the usual 40′s of O.E., and all the standard mayhem. BIG games of footdown, too. Don’t miss this, it’s gonna be lovely tonight.

Great weekend. I have a grip of photos and video to go through, will get those up soon. Congratulations to the winners, Team 3G from Phoenix, whose grandfather/father/son trifecta was pretty much unstoppable, despite a valiant effort by Denver’s Jagwolves, who took second. Big thanks to everyone who made the drive, all our sponsors, and Bret, Jake, and Robin for their hard work in making this happen. I think I need to get a polo bike now…

Tomorrow. Santa Fe. 16 teams. NM, AZ, TX, CO, CA. Rad prizes for players and spectators.

I will be taking the 9:30 train with some heads, anyone who wants to join me, meet at the station at 9:15. You can hop on the 11:30 if you like and still catch plenty of the action. Directions from the Santa Fe South Capitol Stop to the court can be found here. Salaciously sexy prize preview will be posted tonite, check back for that.

This is genius.  The Monkey Like Shiny 15-mm U-lock Socket.  Seen at Tracko.

The Duke City Classic kicks off this weekend with the Regional Bike Polo Tournament, featuring teams from all over the Southwest – NM, AZ, TX, CO, even CA! If you’re not playing, come kick it courtside and cheer on the action. It’s always more fun with a crowd and there just might be giveaways for spectators. The Railrunner departs downtown ABQ at 9:30, 11:30, and 2:30 on Sat., 9:30 on Sun.  We will all be riding the 6:30 train back from Santa Fe. There are directions to Herb Martinez Park here. Bring booze, food, etc. This is a public park so we want to be discreet with our drinking – brown bags, novelty coozies, flasks, nalgene bottles, etc. Come spend the weekend in Santa Fe with us – the last time we rolled north it was drunk madness and fun times all around…