Author Archives: josh

Amy Dombroski: Colorado’s Young, Leg-Crushing Cross Diva

Posted on May 14, 2012 by josh| 1 Comment


Amy at the 2012 Cyclocross World Championships in Koksijde, Belgium. Photo by Mat Howie

When Amy Drombroski gave up ski racing for a new found love of bike racing in 2006, she didn’t mess around. She won the U23 Cyclocross National Championship her first full year of racing. In 2009, she took the U23 National title in cross country mountain bikes and then, just a week later, took the title on the road as well. Now, Amy’s spending her cyclocross season in Europe, chasing world cup titles and learning to race in their deep, fast, aggressive fields. We talked about the ups and downs of Amy’s short but full cycling career to-date, how she earned the nickname “Cross Diva,” the growth of women’s cyclocross, and more.
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Posted in Cyclocross, Interviews, Racing

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How a Bicycle is Made

Posted on May 11, 2012 by josh| Leave a comment

… or at least how Raleigh’s were made in England in 1945. This short documentary from the British Council is an amazing period piece. The film’s War-era government propaganda style is entertaining. The footage and explanation of 1940s bike manufacturing is fascinating. I’m especially impressed that the factory is nearly self-sufficient, making all the tubing, lugs, bottom bracket shells, and components needed for bike building. Enjoy.

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Posted in Bike Industry, Everything Else, Frame Builders, History

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Noah Budnick: New York’s Tireless Alt-Transportation Advocate, Part 2

Posted on May 1, 2012 by josh| Leave a comment


Photo by Elly Blue.

Noah Budnick is Deputy Director of Transportation Alternatives, a New York City bicycling, walking, and public transit advocacy group. TransAlt is regarded as one of the leading-edge transportation advocacy groups in the United States and Noah is right in the mix organizing and educating New York residents, pushing for policy and infrastructure reform, and more. Part one of this two-part interview covered Noah’s personal attraction to cycling, views on transportation options, and more. Part two picks up with New York City’s major bike infrastructure overhaul and its impact on ridership, how to increasing biking nationwide, and the anti-bike federal transportation bill.

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My First Bike: Jeremy Shlachter

Posted on April 26, 2012 by josh| Leave a comment

My First Bike explores the origins of professional frame builders by going back to the start and looking at the first bike they ever built. Today’s My First Bike features Jeremy Shlachter, the builder behind Gallus Cycles in Fort Worth, Texas.

Give me the short rundown of your first frame: when was it built, where, materials, any special details about it, etc?

My first frame was a track frame built under the guidance and watchful eye of Koichi Yamaguchi at his frame building class in Rifle, CO in December 2006. It was made out of True Temper tubing that Koichi had designed many years before, along with Long Shen lugs, fork crown, bottom bracket shell, and Henry James Dropouts.

As far as lugged track frames went, it was pretty standard with steep head tube and seat tube angles, high bottom bracket, and short chain stays. I went for a wishbone seat stay attachment, but other than that kept it straightforward as I was mainly trying to get my head around basic techniques of brazing and filing.

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Noah Budnick: New York’s Tireless Alt-Transportation Advocate, Part 1

Posted on April 24, 2012 by josh| 2 Comments


Speaking at the Los Angeles Bike Summit. Photo by flickr user Gary Rides Bikes

Noah Budnick is Deputy Director of Transportation Alternatives, a New York City bicycling, walking, and public transit advocacy group. TransAlt is regarded as one of the leading-edge transportation advocacy groups in the United States and Noah is right in the mix organizing and educating New York residents, pushing for policy and infrastructure reform, and more. In part one of this two part interview, Noah discusses his early love affair with bikes, his views on the severe crash that hospitalized him in 2005 and his eventual recovery and return to bicycling, his appreciation for transportation options, and more.

When did you first get into bikes? Were you one of those kids who learned to ride and never stopped or did bikes come later?

I rode growing up in Vermont. Low traffic dirt roads, potholes to “jump,” lots of coaster brake skids. Fun.

I don’t think my experience growing up and riding is that different from most people. In fact, if you’re the type of person who rides a lot and is really into bikes and doesn’t think there’s much more to say about biking, then I’m writing this for you. I’m writing this for me too, to see what kind of new ideas come out, what new ways there are to talk about ideas, how people will react to them and then what we can do with it all.

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Posted in Advocacy, Interviews

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