Seen in the Shop - Caribe Basso Loto

One of the cool things about being in a bike shop most days is that every now and then (this prob happens more in other cities) a sweat-worthy bike comes in for maintenance. Not that I have anything against carbon, but it hasn't had enough time to "age". By that I mean the lines of carbon bikes have yet to considered classic, the paint schemes are mostly annoying (flames? come on!), and they just haven't been around long enough. Hopefully in the future we'll see some carbon frames turning up on CL for a hunny or two, but until that day comes I'll take a steel frame over anything. Like this one: a 1990 Basso Loto in the Caribe color scheme:


Check out more pics of this beautiful bici on my flickr.

Now read more about Basso and see the catalog from 1990 with the different color variations of the Loto here.

Memfixed - a fixed gear forum for Memphis

I saw this over at Gritty: Memphis now has a fixed gear forum - memfixed. Started by transplant Rem, he's Daniel's cousin and will be helping him out in the shop downtown. Head over there to the forum, log on and join the discussion.

Lofts At South Bluffs Bicycle Rack

The Lofts at South Bluffs are river-side of the South Main Arts District so this harp-shaped bicycle rack fits well into the area. Of course this rack was also created by Jill Turman. The rack is tucked away on a back street that sees mostly residents of the lofts and employees of Contemporary Media (Memphis Flyer, Memphis Magazine, etc...). I'm pretty sure it sees it's fair share of usage but was unfortunately empty on the day this photo was taken.

Here's how it racks up:

Form - Artistic
Function - Pass
Environment - We ARE the birthplace of Rock'n'Roll. And you can totally rock out with your harp out.
Points of Interest - Lofts at South Bluffs, Memphis Flyer

Tiger Lane Crit Series

Red Ant Racing has hooked up with the Young Avenue Deli to bring a crit series to Memphis. The Tiger Lane Crit Series has had a few reschedules due to inclement weather but now that it's looking nice outside again the race is back on. It's a wonderful time to hang out with a lot of people involved in the cycling scene and watch some pretty fast racing. At race #2 there was a guy from the Trek U23 (under 23) team who just blew the 1, 2, 3's away; to the point that he was 30 seconds away from lapping the pack. "The only one in the photo" as the saying goes.

Not only do you get to see some good racing you get to see some beautiful bicycles. For instance this custom Speedvagen dressed in Record 11:


I've always been a fan of Sacha White's frames, specifically the cross stuff. Always race quality that doesn't sacrifice aesthetics. Really, he just piles the aesthetics on. Check these:


The next race is Wednesday May 18th at 5:30pm. Check http://www.memphiscrits.com for photos and info.

University of Memphis Law School Bicycle Racks

I'm a little troubled by this bicycle rack. I mean, this rack really has everything you want: created by a once-local artist (yeah, you guessed right, Jill Turman), it draws on its environment and offers plenty of parking. What's troubling is that there are no bikes parked here. For some reason they (they being, I'm assuming, University of Memphis) put another pair of bike racks near these. The Jill Turman Scroll Racks are in the upper left corner of these racks:

You know the three most important factors in real estate and retail? Location, location, location. The wave racks are easier to access: curb level parking vs. carrying the bike up 5 steps. I think it would be nice for the U of M to remove the generic wave racks and replace them with the scroll racks. If not, I'm sure there's a book store or library in town where these would be more appreciated.

Here's now they rack up:

Form - 1 artistic, 1 wave
Function - both pass
Environment - 1 works, 1 doesn't bring anything to the table
Points of Interest - University of Memphis Law School, Confederate Park, The Little Tea Shop

Our Moving Dilemma: Walkability, Rideability and the Old Kind of Convenience

CP and I are looking for new digs to habitate so we can save money for several reasons: to buy a house of our very own, purchase a new car and travel more and far-er. The last time we moved, which was only last year, it was a hurried decision. We had a very hard time finding a cute place at a cute price and landed our awesome house fully equipped with a "cat"io (y'know, for the cat)and backyard. However, those amenities come with a price.

The conversation started and we began looking. In the beginning, we said we'd consider Downtown and East Memphis in addition to Midtown. Our first prospect was housed right smack on the greenline, an obvious bonus we thought. Well, it took us a minute to drive there and once we started thinking about places to eat/go, we figured out we might have to drive part of the way. Then i thought about how i would probably have to drive to work and while Cort was accepting of that (thank you, baby), I didn't like not having more options. So no-go on that place. It even had a pool.

Our second and third looks were both very cute and in Midtown, but with a catch; they were caddy cornered with East Parkway and Union. One even had a washer/dryer. While we liked them, I wanted to be able to walk to dinner or the movies or the park. Living near such busy streets limited this option and quite frankly made it less romantic; dodging cars while holding hands is only sweet the first few times.

We tried several other places that were too small for too much money, really dirty or falling apart (our budget is not huge). We have another month to find a place and now with clearer criteria, I think we'll find a perfect pad. It will be close to my work so I can walk or ride, it will be central to local restaurants so we can walk or ride to eat and it will have a washer/dryer (please)! I didn't anticipate having these standards, I feel like I don't walk or ride nearly enough, but apparently I do. Seriously, me and my (oh my gosh my impulse was to say husband!!!) fiance love walking to dinner or riding to eat. It is really easy and fun-I almost can't believe I'm saying this. We run into people we know all of the time and can have a quick convo at a red light or passing by a restaurant. I don't want to drive everywhere anymore. Hm. Imagine that.<3

Movie Night - Breaking Away

Malco Theaters is once again bringing it to the big screen. This time they have teamed up with the Memphis Hightailers for another bicycle movie screening. What movie, you ask? None other than Breaking Away. Unlike the last event, tickets are only available online through the Memphis Hightailers website so be sure to register as soon as you can. The movie will screen Monday, May 23rd. A perfect comedown after all of the bicycle events from the weekend.

Similar to the last event (where proceeds benefited Livable Memphis) the proceeds from this event will be donated to the National MS Society in the name of Pat Boyd, long-time Peddler employee and friend who recently passed. Pat's sister has Multiple Sclerosis and he was a big supporter of the MS150 ride from Memphis to Tunica.

When you register you can even make an additional donation.

Civic Center Plaza Bicycle Rack

This nine-bike wave rack sits at the northern edge of Civic Center Plaza. If you're not familiar with the name Civic Center Plaza, it's where most of the Shelby County and City of Memphis government offices are located. Still not familiar? It's the place with the fountains that shoot up out of the ground. Yeah, now you got it. Perfect place to lock up, let the kids out of the trailer and let them play around. They go crazy for those fountains. Remember that scene from Billy Madison where the kid sits on the sprinkler? This is like that, but on EPO. I've seen kids do it, too. It probably feels like getting racked. Did you see that? I made a pun.

Anyways, here's how the rack racks up:

Form - Wave
Function - Pass
Environment - By the books, government work, baby. And they probably paid twice the price.
Points of Interest - Memphis City Council

Stolen bike alert

Taken from the UofM library tonight: blue and tan road bike conversion with a campy front wheel and a Michetrack hub laced to a white velocity aerohead. If seen or found please contact me or joel at outdoors.

S. Main / G. E. Patterson Bicycle Rack

So yeah, a pretty generic name for this bicycle rack. There are so many shops right in this area that I didn't want to be unfair to anyone by naming it for another shop. As you can see from the photo the bicycle rack sits right between Delphinium, a long-time South Main resident and Hoot + Louise, a newbie to the area specializing in vintage dresses.

But those shops aren't the big name you think about when people mention this corner. It's not American Apparel, either. The honor goes to Arcade Restaurant, Memphis' oldest cafe. Sure you can get a damn fine breakfast there but what really makes me salivate are their pizzas. Large, loaded, New York-style pies. Don't get me wrong, I'm a regular at Memphis Pizza Cafe. The Arcade pizza is more of a treat because they close early. I think I might have to make a special trip when a beautiful day comes along.

Here's how the rack racks up:

Form - Artistic (Jill Turman)
Function - Pass
Environment - Memphis Rack!
Points of Interest - Arcade Restaurant, Earnestine & Hazel's, South Main Arts District