Commuter Pro Tip!

Kermit turned me on to this a month or so ago, and it's definitely been good to know. Have you ever seen those little strips in the street right before a traffic light?



I had always thought they were weight sensors (and thus useless to bikes) but as it turns out, they're inductive loops - little metal strips that can detect when metal is above 'em, and then trigger the light to change. So if you can aim right for 'em, you should be able to set it off with your bike rim! Some of 'em are easier than others, but I've had particular success with the light at Midland and Highland, which is nice since it's on my commute.

A few days past breaking news, but still noteworthy:

The final stretch of the Southern Bike Lane has been painted! I have yet to see the bike stencil or any signs, but the physical line is definitely there.


View Final Stretch of Southern Bike Lane in a larger map

That little section of Southern from Goodlett to Perkins was always a bit nerve-wracking, seeing as how the speed limit was 45. It's not unheard of to see cars zooming along at 55. While a little white line doesn't make cyclists invincible, it does at least discourage cars from forcing you into the gutter and draws attention to the fact that there may, indeed, be bicycles present.

And hey, at least now when you say you're on the Memphis Bike Lane, people will have to say, "Which one?"

Bike Stuff for Sale!

So once again, I'm selling bike stuff. I've finally stopped denying that my Charge Plug Freestyler is just too big for me. It was okay set up with the stock fork and 23c tires, but with the tall trick fork and fatty 38c tires, it's waaaayyy too big. I've been wanting to get a new bike for awhile now and the fact that I'm not too happy with this current setup has prevented me from wanting to actually ride. So I'm parting out my old bike to fund a new bike!

First up is the Charge Plug Freestyler frame and fork.


I'd like to get $150 for the frame, fork, and headset, plus whatever shipping will be if you don't live in Memphis (prolly around $15). I have a Dimension stem that I'll throw in for another 10 dollars.

The frame is a size small, which is around a 52cm, and would fit someone that was slightly taller then me perfectly. I'm 5'5", so it would be suitable for anyone my height up to about 5'8". It's made from Tange plain gauge cromoly steel and has super burly tubes. The geometry is tighter than actual fixed gear freestyle frames and has a relatively short top tupe, which is how I got by riding it for so long, ha. With the stock fork, it's not the best for tricking, but with a different trick fork, it would work great for someone a little taller, probably around 5'10 or so.

However it does barspin a 700c wheel with the stock fork!


I know it seems a little tight, but it DOES BARSPIN! I promise, I've done it a hundred times. This would be a great bike for someone who is serious about riding fast, but likes to trick around a little bit every once in awhile and throw bars at red lights :D

The original powder coat on the frame is a dark reddish purplish, but it didn't match the colors of all my parts when I first got it, so I spray painted it a matte black. I've spray painted bikes before without much luck , so I didn't prep the frame at all before painting it, I just slapped it on top of the clear coat. It's held up shockingly well and only has a few scratches where you can see the original paint showing through. You might even can get the spray paint off with some stripper and the original paint should be protected by the clear coat, but I honestly think it looks pretty good, especially for a bike that's been thrown around a lot out of frustration (yea I'm one of those people).

It also has hella tire clearance. I was running 38c tires and it could probably fit up to a 40c in the rear. However, it won't clear the downtube for barspins with anything bigger than probably a 25c.


The deal includes an FSA Orbit headset, which is not sealed, but it is still very good and has never given me any problems. This bike was brand new in March, so is still relatively new.

Up next is a Volume Fu Manchu fork. I want $100 for this, plus shipping, so $110 shipped. The fork is black with a 1 1/8 inch steer tube and has been cut down to about 7.5".


This fork is in really good shape. It has minimal scratches and still works great. The only flaw it has is a pinch on the steer tube where the stem was clamped down too much, but any stem should still fit over this.


This does not affect how it rides or how any stem fits over it.

Next is a pair of 165mm Sugino Messenger cranks, gunmetal color.


I hadn't cleaned these up before taking this picture, but they should shine up really nicely. I've ridden on these for almost a year, and they're still in great shape. They have a few scratches but overall look great. They come with a 44t chain ring, chainring bolts, sealed Sugino bottom bracket, and crank bolts. I got the bottom bracket the same time I got the cranks, but it still feels super smooth and tight. I think I paid $100 for just the cranks and chain ring, so I'd like to get $90 for everything mentioned, $100 shipped.

Finally, my DMR Wingbars.


I don't really care to get much for these. They look cool, but her kinda heavy and hurt my wrists a little on jumps. I can't get one bar end out because the bolt is stripped but you can still get a grip over it and I'll include the other bar end if I can find it, lol. I'm asking $10 for these, $15 shipped.

All these prices aren't necessarily firm, but if I don't sell anything by the end of this week, I'm going to put stuff on ebay at these prices. There are additional pictures on my flickr also. If interested, email me at cnotestn@gmail.com or text me at 901-326-4008.