February 12th Alleycat Results
February 26th, 2010
We had 20 racers turn out for our winner-takes-all alleycat, and most of us assumed that meant $100 in Reilly's pocket. The route, if you decided to complete the checkpoints in the order I would have, was this:
Here's a list of the top ten finishers:
First place: Matt Hamm (holy shit)
2nd: Reilly (he was pissed)
3rd: Steven
Honorary 4th: Peter
4th: Rob
5th: Eric
6th: Brad
7th: Spencer
8th: Jeremy
9th: Roilen
10th: Chris
Below are a couple of pics from the final checkpoint. On the left is Hamm just after pedaling in, on the right is just one of the many spray paint tramp stamps the folks at the Shred Shed were applying (1925 35th Street).
You can see 83 more photos from the race on Marc Hughes' Flickr (thanks, Marc).
We're gonna do another bike soccer tournament here soon. Probably in early April, that way I'll have time to set up PBR and Red Bull as sponsors. I'll let y'all know.
Finally, the shop will go back to regular spring/summer hours starting next Monday. That means one extra hour in the morning Monday through Friday (10-6), and 11-5 on Saturday.
Remember Alleycat Races?
January 22nd, 2010
We're gonna have one. A classic alleycat. Come to the Track Shack on February 12th at 5 o'clock post meridien, hand me 5 dollars, and you'll receive a manifest (list) with checkpoints (addresses) on it. You may complete these checkpoints in any order you wish. The first person to complete all of the checkpoints and make it back to the Shack will get all of the entry money. Everyone else won't get a goddamn thing. More racers, more money. If you're faster than everyone you know, tell your friends to come, and try to take their money. Afterwards, maybe we'll barbeque?
Going Bananas in Hawaii
December 29th, 2009
This Friday, New Year's Day, I'm off to Hawaii, not to return until the 9th of January. Sam (and probably Juice and Jeremy, too) will be in the shop off and on between that time, but the hours will be even more irregular than the usual irregular winter hours (which are pretty much 11-6 M-F and 11-5 SAT), so you may want to call before coming down.
That said, if you can make it here before Friday, I'm having a two-and-a-half-day sale on Cinelli Superpistas. I have a frameset in pearl white and one in black, both size 56, and either could be yours for just $1400 cheap (MSRP is $1900).
Also, I recently became a Hold Fast dealer. If you've been searching for these highly demanded straps (took about two months for them to get ten pairs out to me), I've got 'em in a variety of colors.
So, until our next aloha, aloha.
Das Huffy
November 7th, 2009
As the cold season approaches, I get a chance to work on my own bicycle projects. I've wanted to make a road bike size coaster brake bike for quite a while now. John Wenner and I designed this frame, and he welded it up. So check out my new Huffy:
Speaking of winter rolling in, I might be changing my hours a little here soon. I'll keep you all updated.
Track Shack Custom Wool Jerseys
October 12th, 2009
I said I'd post a picture of these after they came in, so here it is. Our custom merino wool, long sleeve, non-itchy, zippered rear pocket jerseys arrived last week. They were made by the stand-up folks at Oregon Cyclewear. We already have just 8 left. I'm pretty excited about them.
To do something fun for the Bicycle Film Festival, we are teaming up with the Denver Mallet Mafia to present bike soccer and bike polo on November 1st at 1 PM at Civic Center Park. Be there. Shoot hoops, not homies.
One Year Anniversary Recap
October 5th, 2009
On September 27th we celebrated our first anniversary. Our buddy Lenny was there taking pictures, which you can see here. The winners for the Track Shack Attack II alleycat race were Reilly (who came in about two minutes before anyone else), Peter from Boulder, and Matt Hamm. Best Trick went to Brad, PBR Pick Up went to Tyler, and Galen beat out our very own Sam Turner for Foot Down. It was damn fun and thank you to those who came out.
Were gonna try to schedule a bike soccer tourney before it gets really cold, so keep checking back for details on that.
I wanted to mention a couple of my favorite things at Interbike this year. First, the whole 2010 Cinelli line is going to be wonderful. I'm very excited about the colorful, affordable Cinelli Gazzetta framesets, made with Columbus tubing, that will cost less than half of their currently produced steel frames. And the Bootleg Mystic Rat complete fixed gear bike that should retail at around a grand is most excellent. Get your pre-orders in with me if you want one of these this winter.
For the second year in a row, about the coolest thing at the show was the Sturmey-Archer S3X three-speed fixed gear hub. I've heard a lot of rumors about people getting these somehow, but as far as I know no one is distributing them yet. As soon as I can get some, I will.
We're Closed For Interbike!
September 22nd, 2009
Track Shack will be closed Wednesday, September 23rd through Friday, September 25th for Interbike in Vegas. We will be open on Saturday and Sunday we'll see you all for the anniversary party. Until then, check out the Mash Vigorelli we just built up for our buddy Luis.
We Made it a Whole Goddamn Year!
September 12th, 2009
I'm just as surprised as you are. Guess we're gonna have to throw a huge party.
There's gonna be some pretty sweet prizes to win along with the chance of getting your name on a plaque that's glued to a prostetic leg that sits in the corner of the Shack. What an honor!
If that's not enough excitement for you, our old buddy Jen is throwing an all lady alleycat just days after, on Halloween. The Femalleycat, or Pussycat, as we've been referring to it, should be pretty fun.
Oh, and there's a bunch of new stuff in the shop. The new Track Shack shirts from Super Screenprint are totally rad. And just in time for the cold, I am getting a very limited amount (12 of 'em...well, 11, since one is for me) of long sleeve Track Shack custom merino wool jerseys. I'll be sure to post a picture of them as soon as they arrive. Last but certainly not least, remember when I promised PK Ripper fixed gears? Well, they're here. I have black ones in 54cm and 58cm, complete, for a grand each. So come and buy one already.
Casey Snyder's Custom Hubs, Superpistas, and Our One Year Anniversary
August 7th, 2009
Check this out. Our good friend Casey Snyder, who used to work at Wheat Ridge Cyclery, has turned his focus to a bicycle machine and fabrication shop he runs from home. He brought by a couple of his handmade hubs laced to a pair of the new Velocity B-43s. The wheelset is retailing here for $750. Here are the specs for his custom hubs and some pictures.
The high flange hubs are:
7075 hub shell
7075 axle with stainless steel time certs
angled flanges with 61mm hole diameter
any spoke hole count avaliable
fixed
fixed/fixed
fixed/freewheel
comes only in high polished for now
The lugged hubs you see are early prototypes, look for low flange and possibly high flange in the future
All hubs are handmade and handmade to order
We finally have some brand new, handmade, steel Italian framesets in the shop. Come check out our Cinelli Superpistas in white and black. They're pretty damn pretty.
September 27th is the Track Shack's first anniversary, and it lands on a Sunday. To mark the occasion, we're gonna have a BBQ and an alleycat and play some footdown in the parking lot. Jot down the date.
Mike Tyson Tattoo, Frank's Mash Vigorelli
July 7th, 2009
Damn, now that's cool.
Cinelli Mash Vigorellis, PK Ripper Fixed Gears, Snakes, Oh My.
June 27th, 2009
Did you know that we do custom painting here in the shop? One of our painters, Tim Huran, redid this NJS Bridgestone, and it matched so well with a Velocity snakeskin wheelset that I had to build it up. It could be yours for $1175 cheap!
I've had a lot of questions lately about Cinelli Mash Vigorellis. They will be available beginning the first week of July, and four of the first shipment are coming here. Speaking of limited edition stuff, we're also expecting to get three of the DC Shoes/SE Racing PK Ripper fixed gear complete bicycles. Pretty goddamn awesome.
Frame Building Courses, Bike Soccer 4, Sam's ArtCrank Poster
May 2nd, 2009
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Our good friend Johnny Wenner of Wenn frames and the Fahrenheit Collective is going to teach framebuilding courses right here in the Shack. The course will be one day a week and last one month, probably on Saturdays. There will be a maximum of two students per course. The cost will be $400 plus the price of tubes (a tubeset costs between $150 and $500 depending on quality), and at the end of the course you will have a frame made with your own hands and to your specifications. To sign up, come down to the shop and make a $200 deposit. At which point, we will set up a time to get together with Johnny and pick a tubeset. I'm very excited about this, so I hope you are, too.
Bike Soccer 4 is on the way. I'll have to check if Civic Center is booked a couple of weeks from today, and if not, we'll schedule it for then. Also, I'd say it's about high time for an alleycat, so we'll get going on that, too.
If you missed it, ArtCrank was a total blast. Here's Sam's poster (hopefully soon to be painted on the side of our building):
CINELLI!
April 11th, 2009
We are now the only official Cinelli dealer in Denver. I will be keeping Vigorellis in stock, and of course we can order anything else Cinelli. Hey, it's what Kanye rides.
If you happen to be reading this update on the day that I wrote it, tonight is ArtCrank. The Track Shack crew will be there doing scantily clad tune-ups, and I am going to put on an exotic wheel lacing seminar beginning around 7:15 or 7:30. Be there, it'll be awesome.
This Is My Third Time Doing This Update
March 16th, 2009
I wrote a ton of stuff, then I lost that, then I wrote it over again, then the power flicked off for a second, and so I lost that, too. Now I'm going to make this a minimal update. Just the important stuff.
We're becoming a Cinelli dealer.
We're throwing another bike soccer tournament. Bring your 3-5 person team to Civic Center Park on Saturday, March 28th at noon. Have a team name and a theme ready. Uniforms or costumes are encouraged. We'll round up some PBR.
Jeremy's bike got stolen. It's a black NYC with a carbon fork and Spinergy wheels. If you see somebody on it who isn't Jeremy (lanky white kid, dirty shirt, shoes that don't fit) feel free to take extreme action.
If you're reading this, my update finally made it! Thank the deity of your choice.
New Stuff!
February 10th, 2009
Firstly, sorry it's been so long. Secondly, pictures from the January 17th bike soccer tournament can be checked out here (courtesy of xrocksthespot). Unfortunately, I had to miss it to go get married, but word on the street is that it was a blast.
Juice has been hard at work getting started on preparations for this year's all night dusk till dawn Gang Bang race and scavenger hunt. If you missed it last year, you basically have to come. If you were there last year, I already know that you'll be there again. Here are the rules, regulations, and sponsors from last year, and here's the page with last year's results. I remember being exhausted and huddling around a keg at 5 in the morning at the post-race party, watching over 100 racers in their now-tattered team costumes toss their bikes all over the front yard of my old house, spilling beer and burritos and bicycles up and down my block, on a Sunday, just across from an old church in Five Points. I hula-hooped my ass off at 1 AM at 3 Kings Tavern. I drank whatever Gang Bang Special they had at dozens of bars down Broadway and into Cherry Creek, only to lose my bar manifest and do it all over again. I searched through parks for stickers under slides and inside mailboxes at 3 in the morning. This year promises to be even better. We'll keep you posted.
There's some new stuff in the shop. A brand new Raleigh Rush Hour, size 55, is hanging in the window. It's a great looking bike and we can easily get other sizes if you're interested.
I've been meaning to get up a picture of that Pinarello I mentioned in a far earlier post, that a friend is selling off. Equipped with a Campy Anniversary Edition gold inlayed gruppo, it is probably the nicest bike I've ever seen. If you have about 4 grand to drop, it's well worth it. If you don't, he has a handful of more moderately priced, but still really beautiful, bikes to sell, all sizes 52 through 54. Call us if you want to check them out. This one's a 54.
If you've been in our shop, you probably know a little about Battlesteed. We get a lot of questions about it. Battlesteed is what we couriers used to call the shop when it was functioning as a kind of clubhouse and messenger repair joint, which it did for a couple of years. Since opening as the Track Shack, Battlesteed has been taken over by Sam Turner as a sort of brand name for his t-shirts, posters, and custom leather work (double toe straps, lock holsters, saddles, top tube protectors, all of which he can make for you if you come in and work out a design with him). Here's a design for some baseball t-shirts we're in the midst of getting done through our friends at Super Screenprint:
Bike Soccer Tournament Volume 2
January 14th, 2009
So, PBR wants to give us free beer, but in order for that to happen, we need to have an event. That said, we're hosting another bike soccer tournament at Civic Center Park this Saturday, the 17th of January, at noon. Get your team of 4 or 5 together, same as the last tournament, or you can show up on your own and jump onto a team. No fee to enter and there will be plenty of PBR. We'll do a few other events, too, so be there.
Bike Soccer Results
December 3rd, 2008
We had four teams and roughly 25 players show up for bike soccer on the 29th. It was cold, it was wet, and there was much drinking. Very fun. The bums at Civic Center Park seemed to really enjoy it. Dr. Henry Killinger and the Magic Murderbags went undefeated and championed the tournament, soundly beating the formidable LumberJax in the marquee matchup. The Basically Unemployed, led by everyone's favorite underager Perry, suffered the most humiliating loss of the day, having the game called after being down 18-0 at the end of the first half. Team Foreign and Dirty, an underrated squad of motley miscreants, put up a couple of good fights, but it was not to be their day. Here are some pictures taken by Sara Ford:
The Street Tumblers are putting on a relay race on the 7th. Check the flier and come out:
Also, we have some new framesets in the shop, including an old school size 52 Schwinn Madison and a beautiful grey NJS Bridgestone, size 55. I'll get some pictures up soon.
Lastly, Denver's own Anchor Bags (Jordan Ourada) finally has a website up at anchorbags.com. Check it out.
Bike Soccer Tournament Update, Rules
November 28th, 2008
Firstly, Happy Thanksgiving! Secondarily, Bike Soccer is happening tomorrow. If you have a 4-5 person team ready and a theme/color picked out, come down to Track Shack and register or show up tomorrow at noon ready to play. If you don't have a team, but want to play anyway, show up tomorrow at noon with two dollars and we'll try to get a team together for you.
So, it's going to go down round-robin style. Each team will play two to three games, then the teams with the best records will advance either to the semi-finals or the finals (depending on the number of teams we have). All games before the semis and the finals will include two ten minute halves, with the teams switching sides between them. The semi-final and final matches will be upped to two 15 minute halves.
The game starts with the 4-5 members of each team against opposite walls of the playing field, and the ball in the center. At whistle blow, three players from each team race for the ball and play commences. To score, players use their bicycle wheels to roll the ball into the front of the other team's twelve foot wide goal. When a player in the game touches his/her foot to the ground, he/she must immediately rotate out for a substitute waiting against their team's wall. The player subbing in cannot enter play until the player subbing out rides to him/her and they slap hands.
Although some amount of nudging is legal, You may not take your hands or feet away from your bicycle to make contact with another player or the ball. Doing so will result in a penalty shot.
When a penalty shot is awarded, the player fouled lines up in between his/her goal posts. All other players from both teams line up behind the fouled player on the outer wall of the field. The team that committed the foul picks a player to defend. The ball is set on center field. When the whistle is blown, the offender and the chosen defender battle it out alone for ten seconds, but the defender may not touch the ball until after the offensive player has. After ten seconds, the whistle is blown and the remaining 4 players rejoin the game.
If the ball leaves the diameter of the playing field, it is returned to center and the two teams face off again.
No upturned Kevin Bacon bars are allowed. All other bicycle styles are allowed, so long as they have two wheels and are not motorized. All other rules, fouls, etc. are left to the discretion of the referee during gametime.
Good luck, and godspeed.
Bike Soccer, Li'l Joe's Bike, and a Metalocalypse Party
November 19th, 2008
Here's a nice example of what Track Shack can do. This frame of Li'l Joe's was picked up at the Veloswap. We gave it to our friend Tim Huran to get painted (custom jobs $120 and up). The crankset and fork are from Kazane and the leather double straps are made by our own Sam Turner. Note the rare superdrop Yamaguchi stem, the Campy seatpost, and the Squadra track saddle, all from us.
Also, Bike Soccer Tournament Day has been established! We will play on Saturday the 29th of November at noon. Anytime before then you may come down to the Track Shack and register your 4 to 5 person team. You will need a team color or theme, a name, and ten dollars. If you'd like to volunteer to be a scorekeeper or announcer, come down to the Shack or call to let us know.
The Cycle Jerks have set a date for Clusterfuck '09. It will happen January 30th. Stay tuned and keep checking their site for more details.
Finally, Juice is throwing a Metalocalypse party at Three Kings on December 4th. Come listen to some excellent cover bands and watch season two!
New Stuff You Haven't Bought Yet
November 11th, 2008
I know, we've been promising a bike soccer tournament for a long time. It will happen, I swear. Might be cold, though. Or icy.
So, If you've not been in the shop this past week, here are some frames you haven't seen.
The second to last picture above is Sam's old Bianchi that we built up for a friend. Notice the "(blank) Screwed Up This Bike -- Track Shack" sticker. The last picture is of a Casati road bike I got for me, but it is the least beautiful bike of ten or so that our buddy Jason is selling off. If you ride between a 52 and a 54 and are interested in things like never ridden black and gold Pinarellos from the '80s equipped with full Campy Super Record Anniversary Edition gruppos and other Italian gems, stop by and we'll get him your information.
Unfortunately, the blue Pinarello Surprise has been sold, but that brand new green Kazane is a size 52 and inexpensive. The gorgeous pink Casati is a size 56 (and it comes with a Campy headset and bottom bracket). The Samson keirin frameset is a very rare size 57.
New Card Design Courtesy of Phil Carlson
October 30th, 2008
Phil made this, which I may use for my business card:
Also, we have new stuff in the shop, like a beautiful pink size 56 Casati track frameset and a sweet green size 52 Kazane. An old new stock blue Pinarello (size 53 or 54, I think) frameset is on the way. Come and see them all before they're gone.
Tryouts Race Results
October 12th, 2008
There were fourteen racers for the frigid Tryouts race this past Saturday. The route that twelve of them chose was as follows: start at Union Station to 2535 17th Street to 930 West 7th to 482 South Broadway to 1221 South Clarkson to 1165 South Pennsylvania to 2000 South Colorado to 650 South Cherry to 1200 17th to 2601 Blake to finish at Market Street Station. The winner was Peter from Boulder at an estimated hour and nineteen minutes. Runner-up was Galen. We proceeded to steam up the windows at the Shack and cozy up to some PBR. Thanks for coming out! Keep your eyes peeled for more info on the Bike Soccer tournament that we can hopefully put on before all out winter.
Update on the Tryouts Race
October 6th, 2008
The race to get mediocre wages for extraordinary work from Chris "No Car" Grealish and the D/B gang has been pushed to this coming Saturday, the 11th. It will still begin at noon and I believe that Phil Carlson will be giving me a list of addresses to know at the end of the work week. The push forward is so that the recommendation can get to the D/B higher-ups before hiring time.
Track Shack Grand Opening
October 5th, 2008
The Track Shack is now open 9-6 Monday through Friday and 11-5 on Saturday. If we're there Sunday, we're open then, too.
A big thanks to everyone who came out Saturday the 27th of September for our grand opening! It was a huge success. We had nearly forty racers for our Miss and Out around downtown and very little police interference (sorry about that, Derik). The winner of the race was the always interestingly facially haired Garrett Suydam (I hope I got that spelling right for the prostethic leg trophy plaque). Other winners included Sam Turner for Foot Down (2008 NACCC champion of the event) and Scot LeFavre for PBR Pickup.
Here are some more pictures from the grand opening from our good friend Derik "Price Gun" Penny:
Looking to the future, our pal Jen Nordhem, who runs Cycle Jerks, is quitting her job as a messenger over at Denver/Boulder Couriers. This will unfortunately take out the only female messenger left in Denver. However, the Boulder-run company, generally acknowledged as offering the most grueling job in town, usually leaves its Denver hiring decisions up to the Denver squad. That being said, after so much interest in the position, the crew has decided to put on a race. The winner will receive a job recommendation from all five remaining DB Couriers. Also, Track Shack will be giving away schwag and hosting the awards ceremony. Here's the flier for Tryouts:
On the horizon is a bike soccer tournament in the amphitheatre at Civic Center Park. Get your five person team ready as we hash out the details and find a good Saturday or Sunday to play.
Until next time: shoot hoops, not homies.
