ATTENTION ALL LIST MEMBERS!!!!!!!!:
Summer is upon us! And in the spirit of longer days and longer rides, it's time once again for the more or less monthly meeting of the Brooklyn Velo drome Vintage Wheelmen.
The BVVW group is comprised of about 25 hardcore certified freaks, who will hangout and talk bike stuff for about 2 hours. The BVVW is a tangent of Gr uppo Sportivo Pergolizzi.
This will be an informal gathering of all N.Y. metro area cyclists who shar e an interest in vintage bicycles and cycling history. As always, youse is all invited.
The meeting will take place on Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 6:30PM.
Meeting Location:
Dave Perry\u2019s BIKE WORKS NYC 106 Ridge Street (in Manhattan\u2019s Lower East Side)
Just 5 blocks from the Essex-Delancy F, J, M, Z, subway stop. 1 block from the Williamsburg Bridge.
Beer and Pizza immediately following.
This month\u2019s meeting: \u201cLooking Back and Looking Forward: Cirque, NAHBS, UBI and Upcoming Rides and Special Events\u201d.
A number of us will give a wrap-up to those who couldn't attend Le Cirque e arlier this month in Leesberg, VA. If we are lucky enough to be joined by Mikey Schmidt, perhaps we'll get his thoughts on this year's North American Handmade Bike Show. Also, I plan to share with the gang my experience at the United Bicycle Institute and will be bringing my first frame and other course materials for show and tell.
We will also be discussing a few exciting events that we are planning for t he coming summer weeks! Please note that the following dates are TENTATIVE. More details to follow at both Thursday's meeting and in future emails.
- A studio visit with Brooklyn artist/cyclist Taliah Lempert is being plann ed for a Saturday in mid July! For those of you who are not familiar with T aliah's work, she is the talented woman behind http://www.bicyclepaintings.com . T aliah gave a presentation at Le Cirque a bout 3 years ago. She has made a name for herself by lovingly painting gorgeous portraits of bicycles, many off which are "on topic" vintage lightweights. Taliah paint s friend's bikes, does custom commissions and has even had studio sittings by bikes ridden by Greg Lemond, Andy Hempsten and Connie Carpenter just to name a few. This will be a rare opportunity to glimpse into the working studio of a yo ung New York painter who contributes greatly to our community. I encourage you all to make it out! After a brief studio tour, we will take a look at paintings both completed and in-progress and will have a chance to ask Taliah about her studio pract ice and life as an artist in NYC. We will conclude our visit by taking a brief walk through Williamsburg, Bro oklyn and heading to the Radegast Biergarten (http://www.radegasthall.com/) , where there will be enough Brats and Beer to feed our large army of bike nuts.
- RIDE ALERT! After much talk, I am finally planning a BVVW group ride for an upcoming Saturday in July. Michael Allison, an NYC cyclist for 50+ year s, will lead us from Central Park on a trip up the lush and green west side of the Hudson River Valley to the town of Piermont. We'll stop there for lunch and picnic at a little park on the Hudson and head back to the mean s treets of NYC. The route is yet to be determined but will likely be some c ombo of River Road, 9W and all of the small and sleepy suburban streets tha t Michael has discovered over the years.
- I am planning an upcoming meeting with a presentation by a couple of memb ers about the history of framebuilding in NYC. (One is confirmed, I have y et to ask the other.) I'm hoping that I can ask those of you with knowledge about this rich tradition to share anything you know about Power, Drysdale , Brennan, Corky, etc. Please contact me if you think you might like to co ntribute.
- Kissena Velodrome Day! Jamie Swan had a great idea and suggested that a BVVW gathering at the local track might be great opportunity for us to gath er for a ride. People with or without track experience should feel welcome , just come prepared with a fixed-gear bike! We'll likely discuss the hist ory of the Kissena Velodrome (in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens) as well as basic riding tips, track safety and etiquette. It's about time we let the old track iron stretch it's legs where it really ought to! Still deciding on a date/time, as we have to contend with scheduled races a nd training sessions. Not sure if we are shooting for an evening or a week end. Perhaps a Saturday afternoon?
Stay tuned....See ya Thursday.
Matthew Bowne L\u2019Assistente al Despota Onnipotente Devotion_finesse@hotmail.com (347) 414-0067
Brooklyn, New York