NACCC 2016 – NEW YORK CITY

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The dust has finally settled. Sleep somewhat caught up on and work life resuming its normal flow. Realization sinks in of how truly rad and well organized the New York City NACCC really was. The week had everything you could have wished for in a championship. I’m talking everything – bandit cx, track day, warehouse partys, bagels, bands, sprints, footdown, killer qualifier, weather, 4am bars, cheap coffee and an incredibly challenging main race. New York, being a reasonable place to venture to, attracted couriers from all over the North Americas and many contingencies from over seas. NACCC brings together people from all the stems of messenger work. Its truly something special to have all your favorite people from all over the world in one spot…all on vacation (mostly).  Though there were Alley Cats and side events daily, the main race took place on 10/9 (Messenger Appreciation Day) and 60 or so qualifiers tricked themselves into delivering fake packages for 3 hours in less than ideal conditions for no money at all in hopes of being deemed the fastest, quickest witted, most professional courier in North America. Work simulation races are like no other, It takes more than just bike handling and speed, it takes concentration and focus..well legs don’t hurt either. This year Christina Peck (SF), who has displayed these traits countless times in multiple cycling disciplines, took home all the gravy- spanking the competition placing First Woman and First overall. Nico (chi) presented next level “Perpetual Professionalism™” raced in a collard shirt completely buttoned, took home the Men’s championship title. Standing in line at checkpoints with these two- you would have never known how badly they were beating you. The industry is only growing and the individuals in the industry are only getting faster. Events like these are extremely important and well just a damn good time. See y’all in MKE! – Sean

The start of the main race – it had just stopped raining. it was go time.

A rider from NYC’s own Samurai Messenger – Being professional probably- at the pbma/redbull checkpoint

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Fuego, a messenger from Paris, properly using a v rare halfskie mail bin.

The manifest was double sided, and the jobs had no value printed. Racers had to use a rate sheet to determine if the job was worth their precious time.

“this is a funny looking cheesesteak” – me

Racer getting after it in the Cargo Race

Chas took home another top 10 and king of track this time around!

Unloading all the packages for the main race. Volunteers and participants alike helped restock packages from checkpoint to checkpoint to keep the jobs flowing.

THE CHAMPION

Words: Sean

Photos : John Daniel Reiss

Crit Month

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MISSION CRIT – SAN FRANCISCO, CA

RED HOOK CRIT 9 – NEW YORK CITY, NY

SHORT LINE CRIT – LONG BEACH, CA

-Sean

GSC: WHITE

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John and Kyle posted a very nice build from the Work frames we developed with Chas and Cinelli. By only offering frame sets we commit to a custom approach to building bikes, and seeing how frames are approached from so many directions re-affirms our vision. The detail work on this production frame set is understood by the mechanic, the photographer, and the rider. Personally, the Sugino 75’s strike a cord with me. All of the bikes we have developed with Cinelli have been single speed up to this point. A rider can take parts from a track bike and build a SSCX/FGCX, commuter, trainer, or city bike. These Sugino 75’s with rotational wear are a symbol of this story. Ride what you have. Break it, replace it. Thanks for sharing. Check their full spec at Golden Saddle, and The Radavist sites. Have a fun weekend!

CHAS CHRISTIANSEN X MASH 10 YEAR

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Fall 2015 created so many memories for us, as we traveled, and set up events to share the new book and video release. Once we were back on the ground, the Cinelli MASH 10 year Parallax frames arrived at our shop. This frame is really special for the team. It is 100% their input for the geometry. Garrett Chow designed the art work for all of the 10 year pieces, with the frame being the crown jewel. Chas had been planning his build for months, getting all of the components lined up. He is supported by Zipp, so they custom drilled him a set of 32 hole rims and laced them to the Phil Wood MASH hubs. The build is finished with Izumi, MKS, Cadence, Continental, Newbaum’s, and San Marco. For all of the effort that went into 2015, it is really powerful to see a race machine like this live on for years to come.


TCB #3: 99 of these frame sets where produced by Cinelli. The first 10 went to the team. MASH has #1, Garrett has #2, and Chas has #3.

Vallejo Race Report: Rainier Schaefer

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I started in the third row for the very wide and very steep uphill road start. I found a line on the very outside of forty-five racers, and got a good jump. Unfortunately, in the center of the first or second row, something happened and it looked like a wheel was exploding mid-sprint. The racer was flailing around as his bike jumped around under him like a crazed bull. This threw me off—but not as bad as I’m sure it did those behind him.

I came around quite a few dudes before we hit the dirt. After a couple of turns we rode a loose and sketchy dirt chute that was six inches wide. I think I was just inside the top ten at this point. The new Scott Chapin, Justin Abbott, was leading the way with Derek Yarra a few spots behind. Over the next couple laps I, maybe a little too furiously, tried to pass (my first cross race of the year, afterall). I was making moves on a couple leg-sapping grassy hills and definitely hit it hard on the pavement climb. These features helped me move up a few spots. However, a few technical spots on the course made me lose just as many.

First, I came around one sketchy ninety degree sidewalk corner and sprinted hard. In doing so I completely lost control of my rear wheel and my rear end flew in the air sideways toward a cliff. I lunged the other way at a chain link fence and bounced one-handed back on two wheels. It was a miracle! Second, I lost my front wheel in a u-turn off soft dirt, falling and losing a spot. This type of crash is very typical for me. The third crash, occurred in one of the many dark corners of the course. Digging deep into my pedals over rutted dirt and roots I skipped my rear wheel and again completely lost control of my rear end, sending me spinning off my bike into the dirt and losing a couple spots.

The good thing was that I learned from each of these. Thereafter, I played it safe exiting the sidewalk turn, ran the dirt u-turn, and soft pedaled rutted roots. The bad thing was in one of those incidences I landed on my rear derailleur. I discovered this when shifting into my largest sprocket and put my derailleur into my spokes.

Strong-man Swanson came around me after my last spill and I was grateful—his steady riding was a relief to the furious elbow bumping, wheel skidding, sprint/brake riding of the first few laps. Swanson and I picked off a few riders for a couple laps as he motored along, but Keith Hillier popped by both of us on a grassy rise and got a good gap. After a lap chasing with Swanson, I gave it all I had into one grass climb and came around Swanson just before the top. Now it was up to me to catch Hillier, who had a little less than twenty seconds on me, and I had a solid nine laps to do it.

Eight to go and it was still up to me to catch Hillier.
Seven to go and it was still up to me to catch Hillier.
Six to go and it was still up to me to catch Hillier.
Five to go and…you get the picture.

That is, until one to go. I closed ten seconds in the first half of the lap — at this point he was very close. I just needed one more solid effort — I had to get around him on the road climb. After the road climb, the latter half of the course was single track, single track sidewalk, single track run-up and a bunch of turns (for all intents and purposes also single track). I sprinted as hard as I could up that road and just as I was nearly coming around him near the crest he looks back and says “shit!”. He accelerates ten meters over the top and maintains his lead going into the single track to finish second.

Rainier Schaefer

Photos courtesy of Tim Westmore.

MASH CINELLI 10 YEAR PARALLAX FRAME SET

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Today we are celebrating 10 years of working on the MASH project. To commemorate our creative relationship with Cinelli, we have taken the race tested geometry of our Parallax frame set, and asked Garrett Chow to bring his best work to the table. The result is very special to us.

“All designs of MASH Ten Year Anniversary products are based on ‘X’, the Roman numeral for Ten: ‘X’ is comprised of the intersection of two lines or, can be seen as two angles in tangency. This rationale serves as the basis of the vanishing point(s) in linear perspective —the means for representing three-dimensional objects and space on a two-dimensional surface.

The design elements and visual language of all #MASHtenyear products–from premiere flyer to the frameset you see here–are derived from plotting equidistant points along the periphery of the MASH logotype, and then tracing these points back to a vanishing point. Scaling the ‘wireframe’ derived from this exercise, and varying the distance of the vanishing point and placement of the logotype above and below the horizon line yields myriad permutations of this visual language.” GC

This frame set, in this 10 year color, is limited to 100 total pieces.

The frames are only available for PRE-ORDER through our site, and physical shop in San Francisco California.

Garrett will hand scribe each frame in the order we received the pre-order. The first order we receive will be frame number 1, and the last will be frame number 100.

These are expected to land in California in November 2015. About 60 days from today. Order HERE.

There will be no cancellations available for this pre-order. Please purchase with confidence.

CINELLI MASH WORK FRAME PRE-ORDER

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Today we are opening our second pre-order for the 2015/2016 Cinelli MASH work frame-set. If you missed the first delivery, we will have a new delivery at the end of this month (July 31st). Please contact us with any questions, and look forward to seeing these bikes hit the streets and trails!

PRE-ORDER 2015 CINELLI MASH WORK FRAME SET

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Today we are opening a pre-order for our first steel frame solution with Cinelli. The 2015 Cinelli MASH Work frame will arrive in the US near the end of April 2015.

This frame set has removable canti brake studs and can be built several ways: Single Speed Cyclocross, Track, Work, and Criterium.

Available in five sizes: 50, 53, 55, 57, and 60.

Includes the frame, fork, sealed headset, seat collar, and brake studs.

27.2 Seat Post

English/68 Bottom Bracket

1 1/8th Threadless Headset

100/120 hub spacing

We are pleased to share a special project we have been working on with Chas Christiansen and the team at Columbus/Cinelli. Enclosed are some details of our first Columbus steel frame set. This unique platform is intended to solve for a broad range of needs with one bike. Chas travels heavily—racing alley cats, working as a messenger, racing cyclocross—so this bike was born from those diverse needs. The geo has a high bottom bracket and is aggressive in nature, but allows for weight to be carried on the front rack while feeling stable. The frame and fork have removable canti brake studs, so the bike can be ridden as a clean fixed gear, or single speed cyclocross frame set including internal cable routing for the rear brake. Both the frame and fork will clear 35c tires for dirt, or a smooth street tire. We kept a raw look that preserves the weld heat markings by adding a clear coat to the steel. This treatment celebrates Columbus, whom we are proud to call family. Garrett Chow drew on the historical Cinelli and Columbus art archive to detail this frame set in a timeless manner.

Pre-Order HERE today!

2015 Cinelli MASH Parallax Pre-Order

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Today we are happy to open the pre-order for our 2015 Cinelli MASH Parallax frame set. We are looking forward to offering both color ways in this calendar year. Today you can order the full charcoal option, with orders in the shop, and on our site being filled next month. Be the first to get your HERE!

WALTON’S CUSTOM CALIFORNIA STATE CYCLOCROSS CHAMPION CINELLI ZYDECO

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In the Golden State–California–sunsets are seldom drab and uninspiring. The color-palette rendered as the sun slips below the edge of the Pacific is the concept behind Walton’s hand-painted, California State Cyclocross Champion race rig. Sandwiched between walls of ink-black night sky lies the last sliver of daylight: the bike’s gold leafed front-end fades through orange to vermillion, then into violet, and finally, fuchsia… You’d almost believe this photo was shot last July, instead of during the calm before the ‘Storm of the Decade / Century / Millennium’ now upon us. Thank you, Walton! Alongside our sunsets, you are most golden. 

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