Around the 'net »
From around the ‘net 1
Normally I save my best links for later in the week but, since it’s only Tuesday and I’ve already got a good collection of material, I thought I’d do a quick, midweek link dump.
As the Turin Olympics approach, I’m starting to see a bunch of funding announcements for Canadian amateur athletes. The latest is Louis Garneau Sports’ announcement that the company has stepped up its sponsorship of the Canadian Cycling Association (CCA), with an official supplier agreement that will see the manufacturer provide cyclists with clothing, protective gear, and frames (!) until after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that Walmart was headed to court as a defendant in a Tennesse lawsuit involving an allegedly-defective bike. Now, there’s a verdict expected in another bike-related suit involving the company, one that alleges that ‘Walmart conspired to cover-up defective quick releases‘.
In the ‘blogosphere’, Ashwin has a couple of preliminary thoughts about the relationship between on-bike performance and a rider’s fitness level. It’s a worthwhile read and I can vouch for the veracity of Ashwin’s words; I’ve stepped up my level of fitness in the past couple of years and have noticed a distinct increase in speed and bike handling ability on the way down.
When BikePortland publicized a cease and desist letter sent by Specialized to Mountain Cycle regarding Mountain Cycle’s use of the name ‘Stumptown’, it created a little bit of a stir around the Web. Along the way, the news elicited comments that hinted at what some perceived as heavy-handed tactics by Specialized. Since then, Specialized responded to any inquiry from Jonathan Maus, and it looks as though the big ‘S’ is standing firm. It’ will be interesting to see how (and if) this issue goes any further in the realm of public opinion (via cyclelicious).
Elsewhere, Carl Buchanan has a good set of photos showing a rebuild of a Fox F80x fork, Bike Magazine made some tweaks to its front page, and The Steeps has a quick overview of a Crank Bros. Eggbeater rebuild. There’s also a neat little independent video about the mountain bike trails on Vancouver’s North Shore over at Commute by Bike and a discussion of high end bike parts over at RogueMechanic.