Our flagship Parser Express got a review over on Road.cc . We’re always grateful when folks take time to check out our bikes so thanks guys! We love the Express… such a tough bike with nothing you’re going to wear out after a few rides. Check out the full story here: http://road.cc/content/review/87286-fairdale-parser-express
Fifteen years ago I was a BMX pro riding around Austin with a single minded focus on BMX. I’d spend all day on my bike searching the city for the next street riding spot but hardly even notice I was on a bike, thinking more about the potential of the spots I’d find than enjoying the ride there. On one ride I found a rad old 1950’s grandma cruiser hanging out of a dumpster. I dug it out and dragged it home unsure of why I’d done it. I was so completely focused on BMX at this point in my life that I was actually embarrassed to be seen riding a non-BMX bike. A few makeshift repairs later I had it rolling as my grocery getter. On my first cruise I had an epiphany; this was FUN! That old cruiser reduced cycling to it’s most simple element… just rolling. There was no desire to push myself on that bike and there was no point trying to see how fast it could go. It wasn’t a work out, it wasn’t a challenge and it wasn’t a means to any end. It was simply rolling around on a bike and that was all it needed to be. Not to get too sentimental about everything but at it’s heart even top level BMX riding is built around that “feeling”. Learning to jump, and do tricks and push ourselves is just a next step (and next and next) built on that magic feeling of “just” riding a bike. I imagine it’s the same for pro road cyclists and mountain bikers too. You fall in love with the simplicity and then as your skill level grows you push your bike further and further and pour more of yourself into riding until it is anything but simple. For me hopping on that granny cruiser was the seed that has become Fairdale Bikes. It reminded me that bikes are a great experience on their own. I can certainly appreciate bikes as a “sport” or even as an “art” but that’s not for everyone (and shouldn’t be all the time for any of us). Some people don’t want to jump their bikes off houses or worry about their wattage output. Too often those people who just want to “ride around” are forgotten by the cycling world with it’s competitive driven industry. Racing and performance are great but we wanted to take a step back, to remember why we got into this in the first place. With Fairdale we wanted to create the vehicles, literally I guess, to help you experience some of the love of cycling we have enjoyed our whole lives. If you are a seasoned cyclist we hope to remind you of the fun that can be found in the simplicity of cycling. If you are a new rider then we hope our simple bikes will do all you need them to do without bogging you down in the complicated things you may or may […]
Seth Peterson from Penn Cycle up in Minneapolis built up a pretty sweet Weekender Frameset. He answered a few questions about it and we have some good photos. We always love seeing what people come up with when building up our frame sets. How long have you had it set up like this? The set up hasn’t changed drastically since I built it last fall. I had racks on it but I wasn’t filling them often enough so they have been replaced by a bag. I recently pulled off my Ultegra shifters and rear derailleur for a Rival/X9 outfit. So between 10 months and 1 month I guess depending on how you look at it. How many miles a week do you put in on this rig? I commute 125 miles per week and I get an inconsistent amount of additional mileage while cruising as well. What has been your longest ride to date? I did the Almonzo 100 which ends up being around 104, by the end of the day it was around 120. Have you had any other configurations built with this frameset? No but I seriously considered putting a 26in x3.5ish tire on the front with a different fork during some of the heavy snowfalls last winter. I think would have looked boss! At the shop we’ve sent out a few modified completes, mostly changing up the handlebars. Why would you recommend this bike to a customer in a bike shop? The internal headset and one piece steerer tube are a big deal. The rack mounts don’t require you to purchase a disc specific rack, the cable routing looks good whether or not you run a front derailleur. The geometry is really neutral I use mine for commuting, long rides, getting to the bar and a cross race here and there, a second bike isn’t needed. Come by Penn Cycle and I’ll recommend one. In addition to the question above…. What sort of bike builds could you make out of the Weekender frameset? It builds up really well as a road, hybrid, cross and all of the niches in between. If this next winter is like last winter I’ll probably see how weird I can get it. Thanks! Send us pics! What is your favorite part about your Weekender? If I’m picking one thing it has to be how good it looks.
One of the easiest ways to keep your bike feeling new and fast is often overlooked by new riders. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone riding by the Fairdale office working extra hard because their tires are woefully underinflated. Having the right air pressure will keep you rolling more efficiently and help prevent flat tires. Team rider and expert mechanic Leif Valin wrote up a little primer on tire health. A good daily (or every few days) habit is airing up your tires. This will allow you to ride like the wind (there’s wind in your tires and tubes already, or at least there should be). It’s also a good time to check the state of your tires and tubes with an air pressure gauge and some visual inspection. Too low of pressure and you will get a pinch flat when you encounter a bump, pothole, or passed out hobo`s shopping cart. Look at the sidewall of your tire for the recommended tire pressure range (PSI). Check out the tread too. With a small flat blade screwdriver remove any pieces of metal, thorns, rocks, or glass that might be stuck in the tire and could eventually cause a flat. A good bicycle floor pump with PSI gauge and auto adjusting valve head is a good investment for any bicyclist (that’s a pump that will fit both kinds of valves you will find on bicycles). I air my tires up every couple days or before a long ride. Rubber is porous so over a span of time even if there is no puncture in the tire or tube they will lose air and eventually go flat. If you haven’t rode your bike in months and your tires were fine on your last ride but flat when you go to the shed they probably just need to be aired up. I know it doesn’t make sense that your tires will go flat even if they don’t have a leak, but it happens! This happens quicker on smaller volume higher pressure tires I.E. 700c road bike type tires. You could lose 20-30 psi over the course of a few days with a smaller diameter 700c x 23 tire, much faster than you would typically with a fatter 26in x 1.95 tire. The difference being pressure and volume, the 700c x 23 tire may have a PSI of 100lbs with a small volume of air. It’s under a pressure likened to working in a cubicle call center for Innotech = HIGH STRESS and HIGH PRESSURE! On the other hand the 26in x 1.95 has say 50 PSI and 5 times the volume, it’s not under the same stress and will lose air slower. Think of it’s pressure level like that of a hippy gardener that makes his own hours and grows free range mushrooms. When it comes time to add some air to your tires you’ll need to identify which type of valve you have. There’s pretty much only two […]
A few months ago I was waiting around at home for the cable guy trying to figure out what to draw. Rather then waste time planning it something out I just started going. Stumbled upon the old drawings today and dropped them into this little flipbook. -Taj
If you are interested in a Weekender here a pretty thorough review over on Road.CC. Thanks much guys!
Fairdale Bikes will be holding a Pop Up Shop with Sunday Bikes and Odyssey BMX in Los Angeles, Memorial day weekend. This is your chance to see and ride the current line of Coasters, Flyers, Weekenders and Parsers. If you are a part of the Fairdale Owners Club (if you have a Fairdale, you are a member) Ride it to LA Brakeless next weekend, 25/26 and get a free gift for being a loyal Fairdalerite. Every pedal moves you closer.
Wired posted a nice little bike story in time for Bike To Work week. Check out our Coaster getting some kind words! http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/05/bike2work
Well, to be honest I did very little bike riding for this post. I pulled my MTB out of the van and did a few mile snow bank crashing romp but otherwise I was just a normal tourist for a few days. I cruised along the coast of Lake Superior up in Northern Michigan and it was pretty amazing. I camped off what is known as “The Ship Graveyard” on Lake Superior’s shoreline. I hiked for several miles along the beach and never saw another foot print. I did stumble upon a few different old ship wrecks. On the drive over I had stopped off at Whitefish point to visit the Shipwreck Museum. It was strange to think that so many people had died just off the beach I was camping on. I suppose if you are going to sit alone on a beach contemplating life and all that is inevitable, but actually seeing the beached ship wrecks made for an introspective weekend. Not sure if I exactly remember my “tourist” information but Lake Superior is by far the largest fresh water lake in the world. They say if you made a swimming pool along the outline of the lower 48 states there’s enough water to fill the entire thing 5 feet deep. The coastline is made up of amazing sand beaches and rocky outcrops like this. I visited Miner’s Castle rock. Monty couldn’t resist taking a peak himself. Castle’s Rock used to be a lot more impressive when it was an arch, but that collapsed long ago. What made Michigan famous. For sale! Stumbled upon this lighthouse. So picturesque and perfect but not even a road to it. You have to hike out there. This is one of the old shipwrecks that has washed ashore. The shore line is filled with all these amazingly bright rocks. Geologist’s heaven. I picked up all kinds of fossils and cool rocks. The real reason I was the only person out there… it was freaking cold! I slept in the van one night but it was just about freezing. At one point the road I was on just ended in this 3 foot deep snow bank. With no cell phone service for miles I opted not to try and drive through it. After just being in Hawaii I found this sandy, sunny beach scene surreal. It looked like warm and comfortable water, but it was bitterly cold. More sweet rocks. Last rock photo I swear. See those two in the right foreground? They were all polished and full of cool stripes and stuff. If you want to see somewhere beautiful and quiet I recommend Lake Superior’s shoreline. Snowy beach.
Parser Express Review over at Road.cc August 12, 2013
What Fairdale is to me (today) August 06, 2013
Weekender Custom Build: Seth Peterson August 02, 2013
F-AIR-Dale- how to ride like the wind! August 01, 2013
Quick Draw July 30, 2013
Weekender on Road.CC May 28, 2013
Coaster article @ Valet Mag May 24, 2013
Pop Up Shop @ LABrakeless May 17, 2013
Coaster on Wired May 13, 2013
