The T-Level Infinity Roll-Top Backpack isn’t new, it’s been around the scene for quite a while now. But after reading Pedal Consumption’s review about it, I went searching the world wide web a bit to find out more about the bag. And at the Wherehouse webshop, I found this lovely leopard printed version of the Infinity Backpack!

I’ve always been a big fan of flashy designs or prints (why else would I ride a burgundy frame with neon green wheels on my street racer and black frame with flashy gold and green accents on my FGFS bike). It’s a shame I really can’t afford this bag, and actually, I really don’t need any new bags added to my collection. But that doesn’t stop me from falling in love with this bag!

Despite the fact I don’t need it, this bag is added to list of things I’m gonna buy as soon as I get out of debt control in 2,5 years! Right behind getting my sleeves done by Eric and a trip to SF!

I’ve never made a secret about me not liking 26″ wheels in FGFS. I might have softened my opinions about them, coz people are seriously killing it on 26″ setups, but me personally will never be seen riding a 26″ FGFS bike. But that’s mainly coz I’m too tall…

700c for life!

And now Wolfdrawn made a really nice shirt to support us 700c lovers! Get it here.

I posted about these lovely shoes on December 22nd last year, and today I got an email about the newest update about this project:

Hey Votske,

First off, thanks for signing up for the mailing list. This joint venture between Feit and Outlier has been moving along nicely. The first Supermarines are getting hand-stitched together at Feit Master Cobblers Southern China and they expect to be able to ship quite soon. We can’t give exact dates, but we are close enough to start taking preorders, and expect the shoes to ship sometime in late February. We received a lot more sign ups on this list than we have shoes, so unfortunately we can’t promise anything on availability. The Supermarines are all going out on a first come first served basis, click here to get in.

As for the shoes themselves, let’s get into some details. Like all of Feit’s shoes the Supermarines are handmade using traditional shoemaking techniques that today are generally only used by high end dress shoe companies like John Lobb, Alden and Tricker’s. Making shoes by hand allows us to produce small volumes at very high quality levels. It’s not cheap, but the results are worth it and we work hard to keep the costs down by selling direct.

Outlier and Feit both share the same dedication to using the absolute best quality materials around and it comes through in these sneakers. The upper is made from two materials and uses only two seams, one to attach the tongue and one to close up the rear. The outer material is Supermarine Cotton, a highly water resistant and extremely breathable fabric made solely of the longest staple Egyptian cotton. The inner is a double layer of French calf leather, an extremely soft and breathable material. So supple that it makes you want to not wear socks.

The Feit/Outlier commando sole is a similar combination. A full length French vegetable leather outsole provides an excellent combination of flexibility and stiffness, while a two piece Vibram sheet rubber layer ensures solid grip and traction. A cork midsole adds in natural breathability and shock absorption. Everything is sewn together using the traditional handmade Goodyear welt construction. Waxed cotton laces, a 3M reflective heel cap, a discreet lace tuck and a buffalo leather insole with natural latex arch support complete the package.

The end result is a different sort of sneaker, highly water resistant, extremely breathable and all around a pleasure to wear. We expect to ship them by the end of February and are available for preorder in Flat Black and in Olive. The preorder price is $260 and will likely go up for the general release.

Go get them! Coz IMHO they’re gorgeous! And I can’t effort them…

Fred Perry is gonna release a small collection of their classic polo shirts, transformed to cycling jerseys, including high collars and zippers. They will release in the Autumn of 2011. Caring about fashion, or wearing world champion stripes might not be cool to a lot of our messenger friends or racing purists, but I like the polo shirts! And if I had the money, I’ld buy them!

Seen on Selectism.

I thought it was time to do another review of my Nike Zoom Tiempos. I got them for almost half a year now, and I’ve ridden with them a lot! They’re my standard racing shoes and last summer, they were on my feet during plenty of FGFS session. That would be enough to kill any pair of sneakers… But as you can see in the pic above and below, the upper has almost no signs of wear. You can see they’re worn in, but unlike most shoes worn in straps, the Zoom Tiempos are holding up fine!

The bike friendly features on the inside of the shoe actually work. I was kinda skeptical about it, but the insole is still stiff after almost 6 months of constant abuse. Not as stiff as they came out the box, but still more than stiff enough (insert “that’s what she said” joke here). And the full length zoom air does what it’s supposed to do, when you have to jump off your bike during a FGFS session, it keeps your heels safe, but the best part is: you don’t feel your pedals wearing into the arch of your feet. This means you can ride for hours and not have painful feet. Unlike riding in let’s say Vans.

And the outsole works fine too! You can see they have minor pedal wear where the pins on my bmx pedals are. But other than that, they’re fine! I’ve thrashed 2 pairs of fixed gear Vans in the past because the sole fell apart while the upper was still in perfect shape. But these cycling friendly Zoom Tiempos seem to be bombproof!

So if you’re looking for cycling friendly sneakers that last for ages, get the Nike Zoom Tiempos.

I got mine from Crooked Tongues, but the 3M “Paris” color way I’m wearing, is sold out. They still got the “New York”, “Japan” and “Mellow Johny’s” color ways. And they’re on sale right now: £40 instead of the £80 they once were.

More bike related designs from Dark Cycle Clothing can be bought here.

Polipo made a u-lock holster for all the hipsters amongst us that don’t wear belts or a shoe string instead of a belt. According to the Polipo it fits most u-locks and pants.

Get it from the Polipo webshop for €17,-

ZLOG & the Grime worked together to create this tshirt for the opening of the new the Grime shop at 191 Henry St. New York, NY.
Get it from either the ZLOG Boutique or the Grime Store.

Although it’s not intended as a bike workshop apron, I wouldn’t mind having one of these to use in the chopshop. 
I guess everybody once had that situation where you were planning to do just a small bit of maintenance to your bike, whithout having the risk of getting dirty, but somehow you still got a nasty grease stain on your favorite pair of raw denim which can’t be washed…
So goodbye to those situations by wearing one of these stylish aprons! Completely handmade of rugged heavy duty canvas in Ballard, Washington using all locally sourced materials.
More info en detail pics can be found on the Blackbird blog.
For $85 it can be yours! Get it here.

Found it on the Blackbird blog through Hypebeast.

Vans is becoming more and more a brand that keeps showing it’s dedication to the fixed gear world. They now have released another fixed gear themed Era. Thicker suede on the toepiece, reflective accents on the laces and the back of the shoe makes them perfect for riding.
I only hope they made the sole a bit harder, coz I had two pairs of the last fixed gear themed Eras, and the upper lasted for ages, but I had to stop wearing them coz the sole fell apart…
If you wanna take the risk, get them from Premier.

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