27 August, 2009

Icon Speed Cretin

Bike apparel maker Icon are carving out a niche in the states as a funky young bunch. Like quite a few manufacturers they've made a few specials to promote their brand, but they're running against the grain of the current fashion for very clean, considered bikes with a sophisticated finish and doing something a bit more freeform.

It's a breath of fresh air to see their more fun approach to things, click here to see lots of high quality pics of their many bikes, but here are a couple of my faves (click for biggety)

The brilliantly named Speed Cretin looks like more fun than a sack full of monkeys on angel dust, possibly as dangerous too.



The Rockets Dead Glare Reflex makes me want to race through a cyberpunk Shinjuku blasting out PWEI and grinding through sodium lit tunnels.



But my absolute favourite is the Operator, a rough and ready rescued Duke SS900 - when I finally get that job delivering pizza in Mega-City 4 this'll be how I roll...

26 August, 2009

American Cars

Been really enjoying the photography of Kevin Gray, his project American Cars puts me in mind of one of my favourite artists Robert Bechtle. The pictures capture the same sense of calm, almost mundane reality via a generation of cars that soon enough we'll not see down on the street.




Labels: ,

19 August, 2009

kick the buckets

The correct tool for the job... what could be more satisfying? Whether the job in hand is torquing up a bolt just so, or carving around a racetrack at speed there's an inherent sense of rightness about using precisely the right equipment to get something done.

Combined with my love of good design it's no wonder that I'll happily pay more for a quality tool - I am I confess a wee bit of a tool snob. Actually scratch that. I'm not a tool snob, I'm just a snob. Porsche are better than Hyundai and there's an end to it. Likewise I'll take Le Creuset over Tefal every time. It's not about the cost or 'bling factor' I'll have the Tokai Strat not the Fender please... just the names I trust to deliver better.

But what could be worse... the very epitome of fail, falling for the hype whilst missing the point by a mile than... buying the expensive named item and then using it incorrectly? Imagine the experienced engineer wincing in pain as his apprentice uses his combination square to prise the lid off a tin of paint. That is what I feel when I see this.


Sportscar bucket seats in the managers dugout at football matches.
When did this start? I don't follow football much, maybe somebody who does can help. I first noticed it during the World Cup in France. But Match of the Day shows they all seem to be at it now.

Is the world of football hypnotised by brandnames or full of idiots? Perhaps the logic went: my Ferrari is expensive, and is very good... it's seats must therefore be very good. You there, I must only sit on seats that look like this from now on.

Twats. Needless to say the job of a racing bucket seat are to keep you snugly in place in spite of substantial lateral G loadings with a squab that allows your feet to operate the pedals well, circumstances that have so far failed to materialise at Old Trafford. Every time you see one of these seats somebody responsible is broadcasting "I am a cunt who is in thrall to brandnames and no more able to think for myself than a festering dog egg".

The first team whose management I see reclining on a van der Rohe Barcelona Chair will be getting my lifetime support.

18 August, 2009

Rock and Roll

Rockingham 8th August '09 from driverchris on Vimeo.

14 August, 2009

Rockingham 8th August

What a blinder! It was the second visit to Rockingham for me and Mike and knowing the layout was reassuring - we'd stepped up to the inters.

We shouldn't have worried we were both fast straight off - in fact there were only four or five riders who got past us all day which was very gratifying, and all the horror stories about the inters group being a dangerous blend of speeds and talent proved untrue - good riding abounded.

This shot shows the Video VBOX that I've cleverly gaffa taped to the baseplate of my pillion seat cover, videos coming soon once I've edited some highlights together.


This is an interesting pair of pics - if you judge the angle of lean of the bikes they're pretty much the same but I seem to be dragging more knee. It could be that I have longer legs or perhaps Mike has a more classic riding style. I suspect it's because I'm a big tart who hangs off like a monkey cause it makes me feel cool.


Keen not to help load the trailer Mike decided to take some flying lessons in the final session, I call it lazy, laying around on oxygen in the medical centre trying to remember his name whilst I do all the graft. Tsk.

13 August, 2009

Bollocks

12 August, 2009

A Good Horse

It almost makes me want a young'un...






Images and Concept by Felix Götze