One for our Homie...

Sad news about an industry icon via BRIN:
Hub-Maker Phil Wood Passes Away


BAXTER, IA (BRAIN)—Phil Wood, the man responsible for sealed hubs and bottom brackets, died on March 14 at his daughter's home in Roseville, California. He was 83.

He started the Phil Wood Company in 1971 as primarily a hub maker, though he offered other components. He sold the business to Peter Enright and a group of investors in 1991.

“I feel so lucky to have talked with him about a week before he passed away, and he mentioned again that he was so lucky to sell the business when he did,” said Enright, Phil Wood Company’s president.

“We talked off and on over the years, usually to catch up on news about his friends in the bike business. But he was quite happy to return to the farm after selling the business to help raise his granddaughter,” Enright added.

Wood was a problem-solver working at Food Machinery Corporation. Had he not been bothered chasing bearings for a hub he was rebuilding for his daughter, sealed-bearing hubs might have taken years to hit the bike market, Enright noted.

“He was complaining to Spence Wolf about why no one offered a sealed bearing hub and Wolf told him to make his own hub. A little while later he asked Spence how many he should make. It took Spence a bit to remember what he was talking about. He said make 50 hubs and the business was launched,” Enright said.

Wood’s family is deciding on funeral arrangements at this time.

“I’m glad he and I were able to have that last chat. He was a little bothered he wasn’t as ambulatory as he once was but he was content to move on,” Enright said.

A memorial service for Phil and his wife, Vada, who passed away December 18, 2009, will be held on April 17, at the Calgary Baptist Church in Los Gatos, California, at 11:00 a.m. Phil is survived by his six children.

—Matt Wiebe

Turd on your shoes?

Via Pedalconsumption:
In an attempt to let the world know how committed they are to their footwear line, Chrome announces their Turds For Gold Shoe Exchange. For two days only, Chrome will be slinging a new pair of shoes to anyone that sends them a worn-out pair of kicks.

"There are a lot of great shoe brands out their but few, if any, are made to handle the harsh demands of riding in the city," says Chrome Marketing Director, Matt Sharkey.

“Our shoes are built to hold up under the toughest conditions and are designed 100% to address the needs of the everyday city cyclist. Not only did we want to build a shoe that was durable and functional, but we also paid close attention to overall fit and timeless style."

The exchange begins on Wednesday, March 17 and ends promptly the next day on Thursday, the 18th. Packages must be post marked by 3/18 to qualify and should include a return shipping address and shoe size info.

Please ship all packages to:
Chrome Industries
Attn: Turds for Gold/Sharkey
580 4th Street
San Francisco, CA 94107

Expert Texpert Choking Smokers!

We still ride BMWs.

Go Austin!

The NAHMBS weekend in RVA was awesome! Saturday was good times all around. The guys from TrickTrack, andRVA fixed put some ramps in the park and good stuff ensued. I spent more time popping wheelies and enjoying the sun than taking photos of the mayhem, but I'm sure there's plenty of pics and vids to be found on the interweb. The show at Re-Cycles got plenty of people out to take a look at some of the latest offerings from FBM, Profile and BMW. Re-Cycles is an awesome shop with plenty of drawers containing some vintage and just plain weird stuff for any kind of bike around, along with a selection of hot new parts. Definitely worth the stop for anyone passing through RVA. Thanks to Evan and the guys for having us.

V2. Clusterfork!!!!!

Coupla' quick and dirty pics of the newly arrived double-butted/heat treated version of the Clusterfork. I'll be hopping on a chinatown bus to go slipping and sliding down the interstate to the NAHMBS festivities in RVA in about an hour. Stop by and have a slice of handmade pizza and maybe even a hand-opened beverage or two at Re-Cycles on Sat. See ya there.


1140 grams.



Tapered ends on the leg for foot clearance? Let's see some hang-5's on those axle's!

NAHMBS woohoo...

WoOt!

Re-poached from NSMB:

Rocket Fuel Friday.

We'll take one of those, please.

Mas snow.

The snow hasn't stopped dumping since last month's snow race, and we're getting antsy trying to figure out how to keep our pedals turning when it's 17 degrees outside and the roads and trails are buried in a sheet of ice.
Luckily, the internet has a few ideas to keep you moving through till spring no matter what your riding style.

Go big:

Keep it simple (aka who needs front teeth?):


Dentist is to Serotta as ....:



Said dentist meets Into The Wild:


Snow sport / bike culture crossover:


If you're bummed no one makes snow tires for recumbents:


As we stay bundled up welding away here at the shop, drop us a line and
let us know how you guys are curbing the cabin fever this year.

Don't be Hitler.

The trails are still wet and and rutted with the track of impatient newbs which, of course, means the forums are rife with the same winter interweb fights and ranting as last year, and the year before, and the year before...

Thankfully we were sent this gem from the SORBA forums , so watch, have a laugh, and don't be a Hitler.

Ruh-Roh.

Anyone got an extra bill(ion) to spare?
According to VitalMTB, the sugardaddys to Mountain Creek and various other Snow/MTB parks around the world may send some of their assets to the auction block.
Deets after the Drop (ha!).
From VitalMTB:

From the sounds of things, creditors holding $1,400,000,000 ($1.4 billion!) of debt on Intrawest are planning to foreclose on the company within the next week and a half. Intrawest currently owns more than a dozen resorts, including Whistler, Winter Park, Panorama, Snowshoe, and Mountain Creek (think Diablo Bike Park). Any number of these resorts may be auctioned off to pay the outstanding debt.

What does this mean for your favorite bike parks? Only time will tell. If it's in your budget, we'd love to see a mountain biker pick up a resort or three ;)

Click here for the full details.

Metalhead.

Suck it, Winter.

And we thought our shop was cramped.

Rocketfuel.

Let's get ready to tumble!

Even with the mountains covered in snow the boys at Blue know how to get their ride in:

Blue Mountain 4X Biker Cross from Spinteck Limited on Vimeo.

The smack talk has already started.

Deets:
Register now for the 9th Annual Winter Downhill Bike Race at Blue Mountain Ski Area!


 WHEN: Saturday, January 10, 2009


 WHERE: Blue Mountain Ski Area (Palmerton, PA)

 TIME: Registration is from 8:00 A.M.-10:00 A.M at the upper lodge. Race begins shortly thereafter (approximately 10:30 A.M.)
 Pre-Registration is recommended


 PRICE: $20.00 per racer
 Checks can be made payable to “ESRC”

• Race is biker cross style (on snow downhill) with four racers per heat. Top two advance per heat

• Course will consist of bank turns, rolls, drop offs, tabletops, etc.

• Bike and helmet are required; pads are recommended. Studded tires are permitted


This race is sponsored by the Eastern Schuylkill Recreation Commission (ESRC), Ed’s Course Designers, and Blue Mountain Ski Area. For additional information or to register, contact the ESRC (Jason) at (570) 668-2919. For directions, contact Blue Mountain Ski Area at (610) 826-7700.