Simple Simon

Yeah, yeah, another world record. But we've really got to applaud this 43-year-old Beijing man who accomplished the hellish feat of maintaining a plank position for a record of four hours and twenty-six minutes.

Tiananmen Square remains one of China's most historically renowned landmarks as well as one of its most popular backdrops for photo ops. Photographers from Xinhua recently released a set of "then and now" photos showing visitors who posed in front of the iconic city square as far back as 50 years and then again in recent years.

Some £1 designs from this morning’s competition

"Michael Barrymore, giving a thumbs up with ‘Awight?’ round the edge" - Garry Brogden

"Prince Harry in his SS uniform" - Thomas Nugent

"This is a serious issue. Something simple, yet elegant. Something that can really demonstrate how great Britain is. Obviously it has to be the crudely drawn cock and balls." - Phil Jones

I’ll be submitting one of these to HM Royal Treasury so fingers crossed.

A Jim Bowen 747

As requested by Toby Phillips

gamzeemakara:

an exciting trilogy of wolves eating watermelon

Richard Sachs and House Industries tried something new this year for their cyclocross team, Four bikes, four different hues and they all look amazing. Thanks to Dan Chabanov for sharing! See all four bikes below.

The post All the Flavors of the Richard Sachs Cyclocross Team by House Industries appeared first on The Radavist.

Noddy holder waiting for Christmas

As requested by David Eade

From www.stuffnobodycaresabout.com

Postcard Views Of The Interior Of Old Penn Station

Because it was dismantled over 50 years ago, many people are familiar with the grandeur of the original Penn Station only through photographs.

The station was opened to the public on September 8, 1910 and the cost of the exterior alone was over $100 million.

Seen from the exterior, the beautiful McKim Mead and White masterpiece represented a merging of modernity and classic architecture.

The interior was spacious and wondrous to behold. But according to the Pennsylvania Railroad, the owners of Penn Station, by the mid 1950’s, it was also grimy, outdated, in need of costly repairs and difficult to keep clean. These conditions existed mostly because the Pennsylvania Railroad let the station fall into that state.

The Pennsylvania Railroad knew the land the building was sitting on was worth more than the station itself. This grand monument to railroads and public space was sacrificed to “progress,” the development of the Penn Plaza office buildings and a new Madison Square Garden.

Without regard that a great civic wrong was being done, Penn Station was demolished between 1963 and 1966. It was replaced by a banal, claustrophobic, ugly underground maze also called Penn Station which bears no resemblance to the original, to cattle chute passengers to their trains.

More than two generations of New Yorkers have lamented the loss and contemplated replacements to bring about a new edifice and station worthy of the name. The Farley Post Office (also by McKim Mead and White) between 8th and 9th Avenues directly across the street from the current Penn Station is often discussed as hosting a remodeled station, but nothing has been done to bring those plans to fruition.

Here are some postcard interior views of the original Penn Station. (click on any image to enlarge.)

The post Old New York in Postcards #9 appeared first on Stuff Nobody Cares About.

Chinese scientists are hard at work developing a supersonic submarine that will potentially be able to travel from Shanghai to San Francisco in under two hours, shorter than the flight-time from Shanghai to Beijing.

The operation was a success for the 46-year-old farmer who underwent an operation on August 28 to replace part of his skull with a 3D-printed titanium prosthetic.

In case you missed it, here are some neat shots of last night's ginormous super moon, or perigee moon, 'posing' behind various Chinese landmarks.

To bid Mr. “Shut Up Legs” adieu, Trek has created a chrome bike, helmet, shoes, and custom kit.

“Jens’ team-issued Madone 7 Series is a chrome-colored vision that took Trek Project One artists more than a week to perfectly polish. Trek designers, having worked with Jens in the past, understood the moments and teams throughout the rider’s seventeen year career that hold the greatest significance and incorporated them through a graphic that runs the length of the top tube. The down tube includes a running tally of the number of souls Voigt has crushed in his career of attacking, though the number is a conservative estimate…”

“The Bontrager Velocis helmet that will adorn Voigt’s head has been painted to match the bike, complete with chrome and a graphic complimenting the artwork appearing across the top tube of his Madone. His Bontrager XXX shoes have been given the same chrome treatment, creating an almost mirrored effect. The Bontrager Race Shop Limited jersey and shorts have also been updated slightly. Written across the back of the jersey is Jens’ goodbye message, “Farewell Fans!”. As if to promise the rest of the peloton that his retirement is real and that their days of futilely chasing the hard-charging German are soon over, the rear panel of his shorts reassures the competition with the message, “One last time”. ”

See more at Trek Factory Racing.

The post Trek Factory Racing: Jens Voigt Farewell Tour Madone 7 and Kit appeared first on The Radavist.

It appears China's war on terror has devolved into a McCarthyist witch hunt, the latest 'extremist' measure concerning the banning of beards, burkhas, and headscarves on buses in Karamay, Xinjiang. Well known fact: only uyghur terrorists sport beards.

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

Featuring 100,000 square feet of smog-filtering surface area, this structural facade will break down harmful oxides in sunlight to improve air quality all around it.

The building, designed by Italian firm Nemesi & Partners, is being created for an exposition in Milan themed around planet-friendly sustainable designs.

The amorphous and organic form is both a reference to trees and other types of air-purifying plants but also a way to provide a maximum amount of exposed surface.

Like a forest, this facade will cast complex shadows and provide shade in and around the building. Its form references both nature and man-made land art.

Rooftop solar panels tucked out of view will add a further but less-visible green dimension, generating electricity for the building below.

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[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

The blank concrete facades of urban Tehran offer an irresistible canvas for playful large-scale murals that seem to bend reality in unexpected ways. A city of 12 million people that has been politically and economically isolated by Western powers for decades, Iran’s capital isn’t exactly known for a sense of warmth and fun. But artist Mehdi Ghandyanloo is helping to change that, with the blessing of Tehran officials.

Optical illusions make it look as if bicyclists are riding up the sides of buildings, children climbing sixth-story window frames, monstrous goldfish emerging from underwater structures in oversized aquariums. Some buildings appear to be folded like accordions, others playing host to all sorts of gravity-defying activities.

Many of the murals have a decidedly Dali-esque feel. In ‘Life Cycle,’ ladders float within ocular cut-outs connecting one level of an open elliptical space to the other, while men walk along the ceiling against a bright blue sky.

“The city is an architectural mishmash with buildings often having only one facade and the other three just left blank and grey. This doesn’t make for a beautiful city but it is a great environment for mural work. I think the municipality really felt the need to bring some cohesion or at least colour to the often confused and smog-smeared architectural face of the city.”

Detailed views of dozens of these murals can be seen on the artist’s Behance page.

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[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

Urban sidewalks, sewer grates and dingy underpasses aren’t exactly the most likely places to find beautiful large-scale ornamental lace, but for artist NeSpoon Polska, that’s exactly where it belongs. The Polish artist creates both spray-painted street art and crocheted installations for interactive displays in all sorts of public spaces, from street lamps to abandoned houses.

Calling it ‘illegal city decor’ and ‘public jewelry,’ Polska wanders around Warsaw, swiftly painting parking meters, utility boxes, blank signs and other blank (and often ugly) urban surfaces. Some, like a giant mural taking up almost the entire side of a three-story building, are created with permission.

“Jewelry makes people look pretty, my public jewelry has the same goal, make public places look better. I would like people who discover, here and there, my small applications, to smile and just simply feel better,” says the artist.

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[ By Steph in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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Firstly, the hats:


How awesome are they?  Well, they're so awesome that Walz has already sold through the first run.  However, you can rest assured that the people of Santa Poco are sewing like the wind to produce another batch, which means that new ones will be ready to ship in about three (3) weeks.

Take it from my scalp, they're worth the wait.

However, if you absolutely must have a hat before then, you can always buy one from Stevil:


I have one and it's also awesome, though in a totally different way from the "Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" hat, which is why, ideally, you should own both.  (Really you should own two of both for when one's in the wash.)

Also, I understand from Stevil's site that he's suffering from some form of "Wanker's Wrist" and could use some doctor money, so help the people who help you waste time at work.

You're welcome.

Secondly, the IMBA World Smit draws ever closer, which means in less than a month I'm going to Collarady:


Did somebody say "evening reception with special guest speaker, BikeSnobNYC?"

Friday, 8/22: Destination Dirt—Investments and Payoff in MTB Communities (sessions open to all attendees), content focus for professional land managers and tourism folks, bike demos, night riding on Emerald Mountain and an evening reception with special guest speaker, BikeSnobNYC.

Unfortunately for you, they most certainly did.

Lastly, the NYPD is getting real smug lately about nabbing Citi Bike thieves:

What happens when you steal a @CitibikeNYC, do a bad job repainting it & ride it around the #109pct ? You get Caught! pic.twitter.com/qLxcOChtKF
— NYPD 109th Precinct (@NYPD109Pct) July 25, 2014

That's nice and all, but what happens when NYPD takes your bike so the President doesn't have to look at it, or because it's a crucial bit of evidence against the driver who killed you but they don't feel like investigating?


I would have tweeted that same question back to the NYPD, but the truth is they scare the living shit out of me, and until I sell enough hats to move up to the country and retire I still gotta live here, you know?

And now, I'm pleased to present you with a quiz.  As always, study the item, think, and click on your answer.  If you're right you'll blurt out HOLYFUCKINGSHIT! like it's one word, and if you're wrong you'll see a steampunk motorized pennyfarthing.

Thanks very much for reading, ride safe, and remember that you can never have too many hats.


--Wildcat Rock Machine





1) Oh, those fixie riders and their irreverent knuckle tattoos...

--True
--False





2) What is this supposed to be?

--Some kind of bike art
--Some kind of macaroni art
--The HSV-2 virus
--Four people "doing it"






3) Back in 1989 the recovery drink of choice was:

--Chocolate milk
--Orange juice
--An egg cream
--Your own urine






4) This guy is getting ready to:

--Zoobomb
--Yarn bomb
--Hillbomb
--Daven











6) Alec Baldwin is the Rosa Parks of bike salmon.

--True
--False




7) So it's official, gravel bikes are just hybrids now.

--True
--False




("Pensioners?"  Yeah, we don't have pensions in America, they've all been raided.  You'd think The Economist would know that.)

When it comes to men’s track racing, a handful of names come to mind and Chris Hoy is at the top of the list. I can’t imagine how stoked Shand Cycles must have been to build him this incredible Keirin-homage track frame.

Head over to the Shand Flickr for the full photoset!

The post Shand Cycles Built Sir Chris Hoy a Keirin-Inspired Track Bike appeared first on The Radavist.

Thanks to @MSNLucyMaps!

Run for your lives! The Bubonic Plague surfaced in Northwest China's Yumen, killing one person, and forcing authorities to cordon off the city.

Eighteen-year-old Xiaopan was giving a friend a ride home his bike this Monday when he suffered what has been described as "a man's most terrible pain".

The Shanghai Municipal Archives is currently exhibiting rare photos of our favorite city in its younger years. The exhibition comprises a portion of the 3,000 images taken or gathered by Francesco Maria de Taliani, the Italian ambassador in China from 1937 to 1946.

I took some liberties with this illustration…

In 1920, the Czech play “R.U.R.,” or “Rossum’s Universal Robots,” was written by Karel Čapek. The story followed a manufacturer who makes a race of servants that ended up revolting, killing everyone in their wake. Karel wrote about these sentient beings and first coined the phrase “robot,” which derived from an Old Church Slavonic word for “forced labor.”

Now, it may come as a surprise to you, but over the years, robots have in fact killed many factory workers, worldwide. More often than not, it’s by shear chance, but the facts are there and as robotic technology continues to advance in factories, one debate has risen: “are we signing our fate?”

All this may sound silly, but for some reason, a recent New York Times article tied into a piece I’ve wanted to write about how you should buy handbuilt wheels. Not just to support your local bike shop, but because the more our industry relies on “R.U.R.s”, the less people it employs… Also, robots will kill us all, dude.

It’s just a thought. Click on below for a visual representation of these OSHA-documented robot fatalities and head over to the New York Times for an interesting piece on the robot labor force.

The post Buy Handmade Wheels Because Robots Kill appeared first on The Radavist.

Along with great technology comes great responsibility. A female Taiwanese university student described as being a "smartphone addict" sent over 30 consecutive messages to her boyfriend in an hour out of anxiety upon realizing that he had "seen" the messages without replying. Overcome with anxiety himself, the boy finally suffered from neurasthenia, Oriental Daily reports.

All you need to know about how to look professional while preparing for a world cup downhill is right here in this easy to follow guide. Read up at PinkBike!

The post Team Robot Leogang Track Walk appeared first on The Radavist.

Undercover photos from a Dongguan factory show plainclothes employees kicking around piles of rice vermicelli ('vermismelly') on the floor with their bare feet, trampling over them as they walk about and even laying down to take their afternoon naps on piles of the nasty noodles.