Bikes For Sale

My friend Johnny is parting with his SS"CX" bike, it's a Fuji conversion so it's not fully CX in that it takes caliper, not cantilever brakes. It's a 54cm and has a great wheelset and crankset and he's only asking $275:



Click the photo for all the details.

I'm also trying to move the Fixed MonsterCross. It's not fixed and not monster now. Velocity Deep-V rims on Formula sealed hubs, Sugino RD2 crankset/bottom bracket, Maxxis cross tires (never ridden), front and rear Tektro brake calipers with Avid levers. Frame is a Schwinn 57cm. I'll even throw in the old monster tires and fixed cog/lockring all for $300.

Greenline Rentals

In my previous post I mentioned that there would soon be rental bikes available at the Shelby Farrms Greenline. That afternoon Emily and Cliff and I rode the greenline and saw our friend Jordan, already set up for business.


Check the website Greenline Rentals for rental rates and info.

Selling Bike Culture

The other day friend, ex-Memphian, and sometimes contributor Josh Gorman posted this picture in response to the Huey's menu:


Many moons ago I probably would have agreed with this statement, substituting 'skateboard' for 'bike', of course. Young, punk and wanting to keep something as much untainted and uncorrupted by the capitalist agenda as I could fueled my love of skateboarding, and partly what attracted me to bicycles and fixed gear bikes in particular. But skateboarding was only 30 years old then, not 200 years old like the bicycle is.

Bike culture has been many times, and currently is for sale. We sell it everyday when we advocate for cyclist safety and bike lanes. Sure, I'm talking about selling the idea of a bicycle friendly culture but even if someone sees a particular fashion style on a cyclist and imitates that in their boutique I can get behind that. Even when someone like Armani kinda just throws some bikes into a commercial because bikes are cool now I can get behind that. The simple ubiquity of bicycles furthers our efforts in immeasurable ways.

No one complains when there is a car in a fashion commercial. We need to sell bike culture like people sell car culture. It's a pretty well-known fact that "the grading of smooth roads in the late 19th century was stimulated by the widespread advertising, production, and use of [bicycles]". Pardon the pun, but we paved the way for cars, but cars and car culture really took off in the 50s and 60s with the proliferation of home television sets and the advertising boom. Bicycles need to take advantage of the lessons learned in advertising the same way that cars took advantage of our work on paved roads.

This will be difficult to accomplish at the local level but here are some ways you can help:

1. Ride your bike - as much as possible, let people see you riding. Get a removable basket and make short trips to Easy-Way for fresh veggies. Go to the bar for that afternoon beer or out to dinner; the side benefit is that you're burning those calories.
2. Talk to your non-cycling friends about the pretty flowers you saw or great workout you got while riding. They don't have a bike? They can rent one at the Peddler on Highland and pretty soon there will be rentals set up in Shelby Farms Park.
3. Attend Public Meetings - starting with this one tonight. I plan on meeting at Overton Square at 5PM and riding down Madison to Minglewood Hall for the meeting. Join me.
4. Borrow my bike. Want a cool bike (vintage, modern, or other) to borrow for your window display or advertising campaign? Holler - fixmemphis @ yahoo.com

Anything to up the face-time of the bicycle. This isn't something that we can have both ways: we can't whine about too few facilities and at the same time try to keep the culture to ourselves, especially when it isn't ours in the first place. But you can always be the bike fanatic, the same way there are people who are way more into cars than normal.

MCA Gibson Hall Bicycle Rack

Now this is a pretty interesting bicycle rack: a blend of industrial and artistic, taking cues from the building ornamentation and purpose. I'm guessing there's a max 4-bike potential. When I talk about max potential, it's about individual bikes. I'm not taking into account couples and friends with one lock. Just an aside... Gibson Hall now houses the MCA Office of Student Affairs. Being one of the first buildings that a potential student sees it's nice that they also see a bike rack.

Here's how it racks up:

Form - Artistic/Industrial
Function - Pass
Environment - Blends
Points of Interest - MCA Gibson Hall

The City Gas Guzzler

You may have seen this commercial before; it won a 2007 BTAA Award:

Memphis Bicycle - Huey's Menu

Filming Urban CX Route Wednesday

View Martyrs To Odessa in a larger map
I got a new bike-mounted camera and I plan on filming this almost-15 mile route this Wednesday early in the morning, 7ish if anyone would care to join.

My Favorite Bike - Emily

As many of you know, I have a couple different bikes. I started to ride my pink cross bike the most, mainly because it's pink, duh. It wasn't orginally pink. It was a maroon Benotto that my friend Beth found in the trash. It was too big for her, so she secretly gave it to Cort to give to me for my birthday. Cort later rattle canned it pink at his brother's house (it was a good moment:)


Because it was an old road bike, it had 27 inch wheels; so we put a 700c wheel set on it to give me room for wider tires. This means I can ride off of curbs with less impact, run over small impediments in the street and switch terrain without much hesitation. Riding fun singletrack like the Old Forest Trail in Overton Park is not a problem. Pink bike is also a single speed which gives me more of a stable workout. I do like gears sometimes, but only for long distances but I usually just grab my pink bike anyways because its more comfortable.


Cort put a quill adapter on the handlebars to give me more options so I can enjoy riding without suffering from neck tension later. It also has handlebars that are swept back so I'm not stretching my back and shoulders too much (i hate that!) and since I am more upright I can see in front of me without bending my neck up unnaturally (i hate that, too!).


Cort put a fancy bag full of emergency goodies just in case, although he always checks my bike before i leave<3.

New Collection - Memphis Bicycle

Bikes are really everywhere in Memphis. Maybe I notice them more than the average person so I'm going to start sharing them in a new collection.

This one is on the back side of The Happy Mexican downtown.

Downtown YMCA Bicycle Rack

A couple of years ago my friend Sean Quigley suggested opening a gym in which all of the machines provided the utility power. It's certainly not a new idea, Anthony shed some light on bicimaquinas a while back and a new bar has opened in Portland where folks can pedal to power the electricity: Hopworks BikeBar. So why hasn't anyone harnessed a full gyms-worth of power?

Here's how the rack racks up:

Form - Industrial
Function - Pass
Environment - Doesn't mimic
Points of Interest - Downtown YMCA

Meet Memphian #366, Overton-Broad Connector, Urban Art Trail

366/365
Doug Campbell has a beard, panniers and teaches economics at the University of Memphis. He was photographed at the Overton-Broad Connector Design Workshop where he was taking pictures of me for his blog, Biking In Memphis.

That looks familiar, right? I'm totally biting I Love Memphis. She has several times linked to fixmemphis but I can't recall that I've ever linked to her, so... Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

And speaking of Doug, he has a good review of the Design Workshop. I will add to his review that the type of lane that links the SF Greenline to Broad is a separated bike path running the west side of Tillman. It will be 2-lane traffic like the SF Greenline, crossing Sam Cooper and making a sharp left onto Broad (the only difficult part of my ride to the workshop) where it will eventually split to coincide with the "bike lanes" in place on Broad. I think that type of design is integral to give pedestrians and cyclists the sense of safety they have on the SF Greenline. The designs were drawn up with public input by Looney, Ricks, Kiss and funded by Livable Memphis (which needs to update its website).

Remember the description of the workshop: "a premier example of a safe and innovative bicycle/pedestrian facility and urban art trail that serves as a ..."

Urban art trail? That's one of the parts in which I was really interested. Alas, there was nothing about art at the workshop and John Weeden from the Urban Art Commission was not there so I couldn't ask him any questions.

But! I jumped onto the V&E Greenline as part of my Urban CX route and noticed some new art laying to the side. There are a few more pictures on my flickr; though you will have to get out there to see them in more detail.


Sometime in the future you might see a "disco ball" hanging off the side of the Sears Crosstown. Combine that with Guillame Alby's mural on Broad Avenue and the Urban Art Trail is starting to shape up.

New Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons being installed on SF Greenline!

A new pedestrian hybrid beacon will be installed at highly trafficked intersections along the greenways inside the City of Memphis. While slightly different in appearance, this beacon functions very similarly to a conventional signal in that it stops traffic to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross safely.

Currently, two beacons are being installed along the Shelby Farms Greenline - one at Highland and another at Graham.

Here's the How-To for motorists and trail users.

Overton - Broad Connector Design Workshop Tonight

Hope to see you at tonight's workshop at West Memorials, 2481 Broad Avenue - starts at 5:30pm.

The Overton-Broad Connector will be a premier example of a safe and innovative bicycle/pedestrian facility and urban art trail that serves as a catalyst for urban revitalization and business development. Upon completion, it will provide the connectivity for cyclists of all types to enjoy traveling from Shelby Farms to the Mississippi River and beyond.

Memphis Zoo Bicycle Racks

The Memphis Zoo, rated top zoo in the country in 2009 has two bicycle racks each capable of handling eighteen bikes, but the positioning of each limits the number to 9. With the parking situation in shambles at the Zoo, I'm surprised they haven't given discounts for people who ride a bike or walk. But then, they do charge for car parking.

With all of that money they're raking in it would be cool to see some animal shaped racks like the large sculptures gracing the courtyard.

Here's how the racks rack up:

Form - Utilitarian
Function - Another Half-Pass
Environment - Donate these to someone and get some animals out there
Points of Interest - Memphis Zoo

Rally Cat Reconaissance

I'm going to ride Wednesday morning and route find for a potential urban cyclocross race. 9AM-ish. Moderate to fast pace. Beers afterwards. Reply if you want to join.

Diamond In The Rough

The Sears Crosstown building has been the backdrop for many an aspiring photographer's black and white urban decay meditations and surely every Memphian has thought, "That would make a cool skatepark, shopping center, gallery/museum/cultural learning center, school, beach club, library, gym, whatever..." You can make those suggestions to the appropriate channel here. Personally I imagine it as the setting for Bruce Sterling's "Bicycle Repairman"; a post apocalyptic apartment building requiring some climbing training in order to be a resident (you already knew I was a sci-fi nerd).

But who's gonna back these ideas? The job of attracting the potential investors has been left to three artistic projects, decided upon by the public at a $25/ticket dinner curated by MemFEAST. One of those projects, titled "Diamond In The Rough" pairs locals Eli Gold and Colin Kidder in a collaborative venture to hang a "disco" ball made from 100 bicycle wheels from the side of the building.

If you're scratching your head and saying "WTF?" right now, please take a moment and click this link. Now you see what they're trying to accomplish.

When we think about connectivity in cycling terms it's about navigation. (I love that there are bike lanes on Southern but I still ride on "unprotected" streets to get to them.) Kidder and Gold have brought connectivity into the visual realm and have wittingly created a destination. With their efforts to sync the proposed Greenline developments with their vision they will be attracting any number of ideas and investors to the Crosstown doorstep. The amount of people riding the Greenline is only increasing and there are people out there who will ride the length to say that they did it and who will stumble upon Kidder and Gold's sculpture; then there are people like me who will ride to Sears Crosstown just to see it. I just really hope their creation is kinetic like that which atops Live From Memphis headquarters.

Get more information at the Overton-Broad Connector Design Workshop this Tuesday at 5:30PM:

From Livable Memphis: Overton-Broad Connector

The Overton-Broad Connector will be a premier example of a safe and innovative bicycle/pedestrian facility and urban art trail that serves as a catalyst for urban revitalization and business development. Upon completion, it will provide the connectivity for cyclists of all types to enjoy traveling from Shelby Farms to the Mississippi River and beyond.

Looney Ricks Kiss (Architects and Urban Planners), Alta Greenways (Bicycle and Pedestrian Planners), Fuss O' Neill (Transportation & Landscape Planners) and Powers Hill (Civil Engineering) will be conducting a design workshop for the Overton-Broad Connector area. Come share your input on the future of the area.

Event Date
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
5:30pm-7:00pm

Event Location
West Memorials, 2481 Broad Avenue

Metalworks Bicycle Rack

You remember Gadsby Creson and her maquettes, don'tcha? Well, this is not a replica, this rack is life-size. Fittingly affixed in front of Metalworks, this is one of the most abstract racks Memphis has seen. Not mimicing anything, that is, excepting that Broad Avenue mayhaps surpass South Main as the de facto art district in Memphis. That's a long way off, though. Galleries in both districts need to take a cue from Odessa and frequent the amount of exhibitions. But I digress, let's talk more about the rack.

With the way this rack is positioned any bike will pretty much be blocking the sidewalk. Which, in my opinion, is better than having a table set up behind it:

"Hello, I will make your pretty bicycle rack inoperable while I distribute information on how to make your city more bicycle friendly." I don't know if that was the case, but it seems likely. Much like the absence of recycling bins at BPAC meetings. (Noticed that, too, did ya?)

The more logical thing to do would be to put the rack nearer to one of the district termini, freeing up the sidewalk for browsing the galleries. Also, the bike lane is not sidewalk overflow, everyone.

Here's how it racks up:

Form - Artistic
Function - Half-Pass: It will accommodate 9 bicycles but they block the sidewalk
Environment - Artistic in an art district
Points of Interest - Metalworks, Urban Art Commission, The Cove, Odessa

My mom is greener than your mom

Okay, really the greener thing would have been to email me but I think maybe she was really happy that she got these stamps and felt the need to use one. Then again, she mailed me an article from a magazine so I don't think she could have emailed it.



You can get your own here.

Morvelo Official Tour de France T-Shirts

Another save the date for ya: July 2nd. The Tour starts.



Grab it, and several other styles, here.

Sekisui Bicycle Rack

This is what I'm talking about: parking right next to the front door. Seven bike capability with a smoker's post curiously placed right next to it. That won't deter me from enjoying some miso soup, though.

Here's how it racks up:

Form - 7 Bike Wave
Function - Pass
Environment - Doesn't work
Points of Interest - Sekisui

Save The Date - Midnight Classic August 27th

I don't know if we'll be bringing out the pedal car this year or if we'll just be cruising out in flip-flops Dennis-style, but it will be fun either way.

Pei Wei Bicycle Rack

I think the planners of this shopping center stuck this bike rack out next to Union (a busy thoroughfare) to entice people driving in their cars, like, "Go home, get on your bike and come get some asian food!" Otherwise the planners would have put the rack either closer to the building (one of the perks of riding a bike is being able to park next to the entrance) or on the Belvedere (which sees a bit of bike traffic) side of the center. That being said I haven't actually seen people use this rack. They tend to lock up to the parking signs near the doors. But kudos to the planners for their spirit.

Here's how it racks up:

Form - 5 bike Wave
Function - Pass
Environment - Doesn't Blend
Points of Interest - Pei Wei Asian Diner, Baskin Robbins

My Perfect Summer Bike Riding Dress, Racerback Included

This dress is ideal for Memphis summers because of its light tee-shirt material. It's even better for bike rides since I can wear a sports bra. Just bought it in 2 colors last night here for 10 bux a pop-enjoy!

Shelby Farms and Greenline Benefit

I saw Karen from Otherlands out today and she gave me a poster for the June 18th membership drive fundraiser for Shelby Farms and the Greenline at Otherlands. The Earnestine & Hazel's Band, The Dan Montgomery Band and The Magic Kids have lent their talents to the event. It's $5 for park members and $10 for non-members, and you will be able to sign up for a membership there. the event starts at 8PM and remember: Otherlands has plenty of bike parking!

YoLo Bicycle Rack

In contrast to Bari's bicycle rack, YoLo's bicycle rack is positioned correctly, maximizing the available spaces and not restricting sidewalk usage. Having only eaten there twice I have to admit that I like it. Em and I were talking and decided that YoLo really needs a shaded deck. When they were building out the space we thought they were going to put a deck to the side but it's just a few parking spaces now.

Here's how it racks up;

Form - Double-sided six bike portable (they bring it in and out)
Function - Pass
Environment - No ice cream shapes here.
Points of Interest - Yolo, Lenny's Sub Shop

CourierCX - Teaser

Alleycats with a little bit of 'cross thrown in are becoming more popular. We tried our tires at it a few winters ago with the Cyclocxt on one of the coldest days of the year. Needless to say there wasn't much race action. But other cities have done it: Pittsburgh, PA with "A Frozen Hell" and "A Balmy Heaven", Oakland, CA has the Rally Cat, Minneapolis, MN brings it monthly(?) with the Bandit Cross, and Washington, DC just recently had their CourierCX:

CourierCX Teaser from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

Now is not the time for a race like this in Memphis. But maybe when it cools down a little bit. I have some ideas in mind for a course.

Bari Ristorante Bicycle Rack

One of the nuances of bicycle racks that I've picked up on (as I'm sure you have as well) is orientation with their surroundings. What we saw with the Art Center bicycle rack, as well as several others, is that you can inadvertently limit the number of bicycle spaces available depending upon how the rack is positioned. With the Bari bicycle rack, not only are they cutting the available spaces in half but are also (when bicycles are appropriately placed) limiting the amount of sidewalk traffic that can pass safely. Notice that with my rear wheel touching the building and even with my front wheel askew there is not enough room for two people, or even one wheelchair to pass.

What should they have done? Placed the rack on an east-west line. The available spaces are not diminished, the bicycles do not stick out further than the middle crack (more or less), and the rack is then visible to Cooper Street's vehicular traffic.

Regardless, I'm glad to see that a local restaurant is inviting cyclists to their tables. The food at Bari is great and I hear the owner rides a bit as well.

Here's how it racks up:

Form - Wave
Function - Fail
Environment - Doesn't blend
Points of Interest - Bari Ristorante

Memphis CVB Bicycle Rack

This is like the bicycle rack breeding ground. And what a perfect place: the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau. When people stop there to get info it's like, "POWHN!, we are a cycling city." You know what I call this? Foresight. Over the next few years Memphis will become the premiere place to cross the Mississippi River via bicycle with the construction and completion of the Harahan Bridge Project. Now I know that cycle tourists are often very frugal, utilizing websites such as warmshowers.org to find like-minded people to stay with. When I see tourers come through they are usually here for a few days, checking out the record studios and museums and eating barbecue then pedaling off for Chicago, Portland, California, etc. But with so much planned bicycle (and electric car) infrastructure Memphis has the potential to be the destination instead of a checkpoint. It's time to leverage what we already have and entice cycling companies to headquater here. You want year-round cycling? Done. You want local breweries. Here's a pint glass. Direct flight to Amsterdam? Here's your ticket.

Of course there is more to this than bikes, beer, and babes... wait. No there isn't.

Here's how the rack racks up:

Form - Wave
Function - Pass with 50+ potential
Environment - Not really
Points of Interest - Mississippi River, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau

Betty and the Bike

Em found this while going through her Archie collection.

Jefferson Davis Park Bicycle Racks

These two wave racks flank Jefferson Davis park, a nice little respite on the river. It is the last stop on the River Walk before you cut up to Confederate Park. The rack on the right is in good shape but the rack on the left looks like someone backed into it. Perhaps it was Tommy Volinchak's Buick? But look: it still functions properly.

Here's how they rack up:

Form - Wave
Function - Pass
Environment - Nothing Doing
Points of Interest - Jefferson Davis Park, Mississippi River, River Walk

Art Center Bicycle Rack

Tucked into a corner, this six-bike rack limits itself to only three usable spots. That's fine when you think about the materials you usually buy from the Art Center. I've ridden over there and been able to stuff some silk-screens and some paint into a messenger bag and been fine. I can only imagine trying to ride home with one of those large drawing pads; it would become a proper sail going the right direction! My recommendation for the Art Center: paint that bicycle rack!

Here's how it racks up:

Form - double sided six
Function - reduced to 3 onaccounta location
Environment - a stock rack at a creative place doesn't jive
Points of Interest - Art Center, Farmers Market Midtown

Bill Cunningham rides a bike and takes photos

... for a living!?!

"Bill Cunningham New York" is a documentary film about a New York Times fashion photographer with decades of photos in his files. The film will be screened at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art on Thursday, June 2nd. Get there at 6pm for free wine and collage-making. $7 for members, $9 for non-members.

It might seem like the bike plays less into this story than the photography but a cursory google search suggests otherwise. Juleskills thinks she might have spotted his bike outside of NYT:


Sounds like a pretty good date to me: I get to look at bicycles and Em gets to look at fashion.