Baum Cycles

Only seemed like yesterday that Darren did a wip around Baumland for those interested in a ride that not only supports a great cause but would also be an excellent opportunity to meet some Baum customers out doing what we love seeing them do, riding their bikes.

It's now less than a week away, so almost too late for some last minute training! However Darren, David, myself and some Baum special guests are more than ever looking forward to what should be an excellent event.

Without looking to place too much of a premature jinx on it, the weather outlook is appearing to be quite favourable. I know from first hand experience how much more chilly it can be at the top of Benwerrin compared to the top. But we'll all take a forecast like below

any time compared to what Victoria dished up yesterday.

Look forward to catching up and meeting as many of you as we can, especially if you're happy to give us a bit of a sit and a chance to catch our breath.

Vai vai vai!

This green and Ti menace floated past and caught my eye yesterday. I cant remember any other bikes from in the bunch as I was too busy trying to chew my stem off the steerer tube.

It's a Saturday morning, the air is crisp and you're riding with a few mates out through sleepy suburbs towards an area with quiet little roads that wind and climb in and out of the still fog.

Every so often you'll pass someone heading the other way, it's obvious that they've been out doing a ride much like the one you're on your way to do. "Wow, really? How early did you get up mate? Sheesh, you're crazy!" you think to yourself. Moments later they've been dismissed, there's a ride to think about, are your legs fresh or fetid? Do these socks make your ankles look fat? Does your mate really think that's an appropriate bartape colour?

A few hours and many attacks that last only until the rabid dog gives up or someone cracks then you're rolling back along that same sleepy road heading home. There's a couple of cars now, your mind is free of the ills of the week, your legs are filled with a warm glow and your stomach will soon be filled with coffee and cafe treats. You look up and notice coming towards you is a rider or a small group, it's obvious that they're heading out to do a ride much like the one you've just finished. "Wow, really? How late did you get up mate? Sheesh, you're lazy!" you think to yourself. Moments later they've been dismissed, there's a ride to think about, are your legs fresh or fetid? Do these socks make your ankles look fat? Does your mate really think that's an appropriate bartape colour?

I don't know how or why we believe it, but the passion of our conviction(s) tell us it must be true. Everyone else is doing it wrong.

Just a quick post to show some of the new additions to the Baum family that have rolled out of Baum Land over the past month or so

GTS burnt orange Corretto. Customer a big fan of the Eddy Merckx orange and wanted a contemporary take on a colour that we normally use in our traditional schemes.

GTB Rattlesnake Cubano. Colour was chosen to reflect the customers love of red wine. It also just happened to have one of the hottest paint names that we've ever come across. Di2 equipped with climbing shifters, as smooth as a bottle aged for 10 years.

GTB matte and gloss black Corretto which went out to Germany, so sadly not much luck for any Australian residents hoping to see this one on our roads any time soon. Understated yet still eye catching at the same time.

All of these we were certainly sad to see leave, as with every bike there's at least one of the staff who looks and says "I would ride that for sure!". Here's to many happy kilometers for their owners.

An local boy, old customer and very dear friend of the 'family' has done us inconceivably proud these past three weeks.

Congratulations Cadel and Chiara!

- Baum team

Quite an exciting week in Baum, with both my new Lefty 29'er (Extensa, Shimano XTR)

as well as Nick's Pink Giro tribute bike

bikes part of the State of Design Festival Made to Measure Exhibition in Melbourne this weekend and Sydney the next. Drop in and have a look for some fantastic examples of innovative design as well as a glimpse of an almost radioactive orange Jared laid down on the mountain bike.

On the radio, Triple J listeners would be familiar with a 'Love Week' running on their Hack half hour. One of their segments was about 'strange loves' with our very own Nick being invited in to the ABC studio to be interviewed on his love for his bicycle. If you missed it you can Podcast or stream it it from the Triple J website and can rest assured that the only thing Nick loves more than his bike is helping customers with the love they have for theirs!

You probably know Graeme Pereira by his work, his were the magic fingers behind the editing desk for Rapha's Great Ocean Road Classic and Victoria Alps videos. Together with wife, Simone – a designer by trade – he curates a small space in South Yarra, taking an aesthete's eye to cycling culture with their gallery-cum-boutique, Endless Cycling Gallery & Boutique. Quite literally joined at the hip with Melbourne institution Shifter Bikes, the gallery has come out swinging hard, bringing photographer Timm Kölln's epic five-year project The Peloton to Australian shores.

Kölln's documentary style black and white images of cycling have lead the popular recast of cycling as a romantic theatre of human triumph and suffering. You've probably seen his portraits of the pro tour peleton before. The utterly shelled faces of riders against white seamless have seen some exposure both online and in print, but screens and magazines are not photographic master prints. Do yourself a favour and see the exhibition in person, the images are present and deep.

They're also for sale, and would look a treat on the walls of our fitting room.

UPDATE:

It seems I'm late to the punch. The Peloton exhibition is no longer running. All is not lost however, this from Simone:

The Peloton exhibition has finished and came down at the end of last weekend, and a new exhibition as part of the State of Design Festival is now up. We are waiting until the end of the Tour to finalise the orders for Timm's prints (in case Cadel manages to win, and anyone would like to change their print orders). So people can still order prints until Monday, and we still have copies of The Peloton book available for purchase, and from what I can see online, we may be the last ones to have available copies!

See you there.

If you've visited the workshop or been fitted here you've probably heard at least part of this story. For those of you who haven't heard the full story and for the friends we've yet to meet Director Mick Sowry has put this mini doc together. Thanks Mick.

Event: Albury Wodonga MTB Club 6 hour Enduro

Location: Nail Can Hill Albury

0955  Lined up at the start line knowing I have not done enough training.  Did not even warm up.  Figured I should save my reserves for the race.  Goal is to ride non stop, so I will start slow.

1000  Gun goes and we are off.  Heaps of people pass me as we ride up the fire road.

1115  Two laps in and I am getting the hang of the track.  Some rocky sections where there is no clear line are rough on the bike.  Feeling fine.

1230  Issue with gears.  I had a miss shift on the front and stomped on it in frustration.  Rear cable slipped a bit through the clamp screw.  While riding, planned the fix back at the pits.

1245  Coming into pits I yell for a torx and allen key.  Roll into pits and fix problem in about 30 seconds.  Of again and shifting is perfect.

1300  Gentle cramping starting in my quads

1425  My mates in the race village, who are racing a triple, yell that I am in 5th place and 4th is 3 minutes in front (in 40+).  Not as good as I hoped.  3 laps to go so making up 1 min per lap will get me to 4th.

1500  More cramping – quads and sometimes hamstring, adductor and even triceps.

1510   Last lap was good – pushed a bit harder.  Brain fade at the start of this lap.  Have to get my head back in it. 

1535  One lap to go.  Mates yell out I am in 3rd with 4th a minute behind me.

1545  Leader of 40+ category laps me.  We have a chat before he rides off.

1617  300m to go.  One rider close behind and one close in front.

1618  150m to go.  Pushing up the hill to pass the guy in front and stay away from the guy behind.

1620  The track funnels into single track with 30m to go.  Jump on the pedals flat out and jam it into the single track in front of the guy in front.  Both quads cramping hard with every pedal stroke as I sprint flat out to the finish

1622  I find out that the pass I made with 30m to go scored me 2nd place!

 That was the only time I did not ride this bit.  Rear tyre slipped on a root.  Really.

We at Baum Cycles are very pleased to introduce our new dealer for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Carsten Baelkner of Eaven Cycles - whose passion for bike extends across all makes, road, mountain and even cyclocross.

Just yesterday Carsten sent us through a picture of his new Exserta fully built and fresh back from a weekend at a German bike exhibition, one of the biggest in their country.

I think you will agree it is clear as to why there was a good proportion of the exhibitions 30,000+ visitors stopping by the Eaven Cycles stand for a closer look.

Completing the build is a new Tune prototype crankset, AX wheels and Syntace and Tune components – all of which gives it an extremely impressive final weight of 8.3kg (without pedals). Given it's a XXL sized frame, we had to tip our hat to Carsten for a job well done.

So if you are in or visiting Germany or the trails around that part of the world keep an eye out for this beauty tearing around the single track. Otherwise drop in to his store and say hi!