Just Picked Up some Waterproof Speakers for some Winter Cruiser Rides…

Nov 12, 2008Posted by in Blog | Comments Off on Just Picked Up some Waterproof Speakers for some Winter Cruiser Rides…

Although we’re fortunate to not have nearly as much wet weather here in Hermosa Beach,CA as other parts of the country, that doesn’t mean you won’t get caught in a downpour on a cruiser ride.

Granted, no one melts in the rain. However rain as I’m sure you are probably well aware, isn’t the best thing in the world for a bicycle stereo system to be exposed to, and can easily ruin one.

What’s more even though it doesn’t rain as much in So Cal as in other parts of the country, you can get some pretty foggy nights on a fairly regular basis here near the beach. As we head into this time of year it’s not uncommon to come back with damp dripping speakers whether it’s raining or not.

With those factors in mind I set forth to find me some waterproof speakers and I ran across these by Pyramid…

http://www.shop.com/31697375-p.shtml

I actually picked these up (Pyramid 5071WP 2-way Waterproof Speaker System) from Amazon for about the same price…I think Etronics was the seller on Amazon that I bought them from.

I was a little skeptical at first about them. I couldn’t find one third party review about these speakers anywhere on Amazon. However, my buddy Julio, who also has them on his bicycle stereo system swears by them.

So i picked them up and hooked them up to my soul cycle head unit. They sound awesome! I just connect them to the stoker bar on the back of my xtracycle, although they are small enough that you could probably bungee them onto a rack on any bike. The lows and the highs come out really clean, and I can turn up the volume much louder than my last pair without much distortion.

And of course the added benefit that they are waterproof makes them one less thing to worry about while on a cruiser ride.

Of course the soul cycle head unit and my ipod cost considerably more than the speakers. Both of those items are definitely not waterproof, but I’ve found that placing a couple plastic see through bread bags over the head unit and ipod keeps them dry. Heck use a third bag if you are concerned.

Curious what other people’s strategies are for cruisin’ in the rain with a stereo system. Obviously it’s not something most of us plan to do. But undoubtedly at some point you could get caught in the rain.

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Southbay Cruisers: The Roller Derby Ride III Recap…

Nov 12, 2008Posted by in Blog | Comments Off on Southbay Cruisers: The Roller Derby Ride III Recap…

The evening of November 1st, 2008 started off with a threat of rain, but our spirits weren’t dampened as it turned out to be another great Roller Derby Ride! The weather turned out to be just perfect. We met at Hermosa Pier and got things kicked off with some jump roping on Hermosa Pier. With the Super Hero Ride right around the corner, and given that Roller Derby players are pretty much Super Heros in their own right, we headed off to the Toyota Center cruisin’ to our Super Hero mix.

Our route was one of our favorites. Starting off on the Southbay Bike path, we eventually made our way through residential Manhattan Beach, the Manhattan Beach Mall, and then industrial El Segundo. Our favorite part of the ride took us underneath the Douglas Station “Roller Coaster” Tunnel where we had fun racing back and forth a few times before continuing on our journey to watch the Angel’s City Derby Girls compete.

Once there we were treated to another intense roller derby match. We’re still bascially lost on the rules of the game. Let’s see the jammer, she’s the one with the star, scores all the points, and everyone on her opposing team is trying to stop her, right? At any rate it was an intense game with many spills and falls. And we saw our very own Southbay Cruiser Sonia Sanchez help her team, the Block Steady Crew, to victory against the Prison City Derby Dames.

We cruised back to Hermosa after the game and finished the night eating at Rocky Cola Cafe. It was another awesome night of cruising. We look forward to more Roller Derby Rides next year!

For photos of this ride and a look at other upcoming Southbay Cruiser Rides see our website at www.southbaycruisers.com .

Up Next…The Super Hero Ride III: Cruiser Ride/Barbecue/Games/Karaoke on Nov 15th! This will be EPIC!

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Welcoming Solano Cyclery, Ken’s Bike & Ski, and The Bicycle Chef to the Rock the Bike

Nov 12, 2008Posted by in Blog, V3 Mundo Cargo Bike | Comments Off on Welcoming Solano Cyclery, Ken’s Bike & Ski, and The Bicycle Chef to the Rock the Bike

Welcoming Solano Cyclery, Ken’s Bike & Ski, and The Bicycle Chef to the Rock the Bike

Ever since Interbike we’ve been signing up some great new Dealers. Here’s a small profile of a few of them:

The Bicycle Chef, in Sacramento, CA

The Bicycle Chef in Sacramento, CA

With their recent move to a spacious spot on N Street just outside Downtown Sacramento, The Bicycle Chef has redoubled its commitment to supporting commuters and lifestyle cyclists. Manager Whit told me that they actively support sustainability by encouraging customers to keep and repair old bikes. They make a lot of people smile that way. And it only boosts their reputation when people are rolling around town, psyched that they’ve got that good bike feeling again and all they had to buy was a pair of brakes and new tire. And now they’re going to be the Sacramento joint for Mundo test rides. They’ve got the affordable, bright red single-speed Mundo, perfect for flat cities like Sacramento.

 

Ken’s Bike & Ski:

This is the kind of shop you want to buy a bicycle from. Ken’s is huge in size but still owner-operated, and has been in business for decades. I could tell by the questions Ken was asking about the Mundo as he pondered it over, that this shop that supports every sale with superior service over the life of the bike, not just the first year or the 30-day tuneup. In other words, it means something to buy a bike from Ken’s.

I personally prefer not to test ride bikes in a parking lot, and conveniently, Ken’s is located next to a few good residential blocks where you can pedal hard and test the bike out. They’ve also got the bright red single-speed Mundo in stock.

Solano Cyclery:

Solano Cyclery

Located on Solano Ave. in the Berkeley/Albany area, Solano Cyclery was our host for the street party / Xtracycle rally on Solano Stroll. This fellow Xtracycle dealer has a great reputation for quality service and shop spirit. They picked up the Down Low Glow when they heard about its unique Side Visibility safety benefit. Another cool shop that cares about your safety and style. Definitely worth a visit, and they have the Down Low Glow in stock, which is more than I can say for Rock the Bike at the moment.

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Stopping by the field on a foggy night.

Nov 12, 2008Posted by in Blog, V3 Mundo Cargo Bike | Comments Off on Stopping by the field on a foggy night.

Stopping by the field on a foggy night.

Cool moment, amazing light, had to stop and take a shot of our trusty new 18-Speed Mundo.

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Like Where’s Waldo for Halloween Critical Massers

Nov 6, 2008Posted by in Blog | Comments Off on Like Where’s Waldo for Halloween Critical Massers

Video: LalaVirnana
See if you can spot yourself in this still shot of last Friday’s Halloween Critical Mass passing under a downtown building.
Plus, check out the Down Low Glow in action at 0:55 through 1:30! I had no idea it would be that visible from above. Plus, what the heck are the light up tires you see at 3:39 – 3:50? And check out MonkeyLectric in effect at 4:00 The funny thing about this footage is that I thought I was in the back of the pack, but there was still 4 minutes worth of Critical Mass behind me.

Also, Check out McKenzie’s tunnel footage from last Friday:

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My people in London are up to some good stuff.

Oct 31, 2008Posted by in Blog | Comments Off on My people in London are up to some good stuff.

My people in London are up to some good stuff.

Sam Valiant is a Flickr friend, so when posted this new sound system in progress, i took note. Serious bass potential with this rig. Something tells me I’ll meet Sam some day.

DSCF1477.jpg

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