Welcome to this week’s roundup!
We have a mixed batch of videos this week, but I had to start this week with the Cycle Oregon announcement. The video shows the entire 45 minutes of the Cycle Oregon announcement party. If you want to see the highlights, go to 15:15 for Joyride, 19:45 for the weekend ride, 24:20 for the route descriptions of the big ride, and 43:55 for the full route summary.
Our next video is a few years old but very appropriate for winter- it shows the feeling of winter biking in Finland. They seem to be glossing over things like getting sweaty on uphill climbs and sliding/falling. Maybe that’s just me.
You’ve heard about the “motor doping” or e-assist bike in cyclocross? Here’s a demo from one manufacturer. The demos usually show larger batteries than are in competition- in this case, both water bottles are actually batteries (similar to the old Niterider lights).
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What’s changed in pro cycling in the past 10-15 years? GCN interviewed some of the more, ah, experienced pros, to ask. The focus on marginal gains and on more intelligent training (instead of “base miles” or LSD) are things I immediately thought of.
The Canyon brand isn’t available in the USA. They’ve been careful about expanding into new regions. It’s been rumored they’ll be headed here soon. GCN has a great factory tour. Not only are they factory-direct but they also produce their bikes in Europe, which is unusual. Their test bike inventory is impressive.
This is a fun video showing the ambiance of six day (track) racing. It’s light, it’s fast, it’s easy to watch.
This is a similar video for showing ambiance. It’s a Rapha promotional video, but it captures the feeling of cycling for me.
Mikael Colville-Andersen, the opinionated personality behind Copenhagenize, is producing a TV series this coming year. I don’t know if all episodes will be about Montreal but the trailer is. There are certainly some elements mentioned that apply to all cities.
I really enjoyed this night ride through Seoul (S. Korea). Riding at night in a large city can be fun. The tone of this video reminds me of the Ryan Gosling film Drive. It’s interesting the rider chose to wear a helmet but to pass on using any lights.
Don’t adjust your screen when this video starts. It’s called “UPSIDE DOWN” for a reason. It shows riding in a very cold Slovenia. I like the look of the video. What do you think the meaning is? I have an idea.
If you believe in the argument that all helmets are the same, as they meet the same specification, that has been changing in the past few years with MIPS helmets, which are designed to mitigate the rotational forces that cause TBI and DAI (in my case, it prevents another DAI). Here’s a vdeo from Trek talking about their Bontrager MIPS helmets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRMLOPpA24o
This week’s honorable mentions: rear-facing camera showing a crazy Land Rover driver, climbing snow-covered mountain roads in Japan, timelapse of a custom frame builder, elegant video showing cyclist and downhill skateboarders descending at very high speed, PathLessPedaled’s “River Zen”, and details on the new Wahoo ELEMNT bike computer (“we know that you know this is a product video”).
Inclusion criteria: If I’ve missed something, post it in the comments! I prefer videos published in the last week or so. Note if there’s a specific point in a long video that is worth highlighting. Also note if there is colorful language. I will delay videos containing pro racing spoilers by 7 days.
– Ted Timmons, @tedder42