Author Archives: naptrax

SPD Shoe 2010 buyer’s guide Pt. 1 – Casual Shoes

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spd_casual

Following up on my last post, I recognize that not everyone wants to make their own SPD-compatible shoes.  So what are your “off the shelf ” options?  Well, I’ve done a lot of research and here is the first installment of my two-part “2010 buyer’s guide” based on the coolest shoes I have seen that are currently for sale.  My criteria here is to list shoes that would look and feel good at a casual office or social occasion, the kind of shoes you can wear all day, anywhere, without looking like a total bike dork.  This first list is of leather low-profile shoes that have a European style.  Part Two of the buyer’s guide will focus on sneakers that are SPD-compatible.

Check out the rest of the 2010 buyer’s guide after the jump: Continue reading →

Nike Dunks with SPD cleats

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For a while now, I have been searching for cycling shoes that are fashionable and comfortable enough to wear every day.  A while ago I got a pair of 611 Filter shoes (reviewed here) that have become my favorite every day shoe.  However, I still felt like I hadn’t attained the holy grail of sneaker cool – Nike Dunks.  Nike did this themselves a year or so back with the Gyrizo shoe for the Beijing Olympics, but only a small number were made and they sold for around $300.  Even if you can afford that price tag, you can’t find them for sale anywhere…

…And so this past Sunday, I busted out my tools and made good on my dream to create an unholy alliance of Nike Dunks and SPD cleats:

Read on for a complete tutorial on how I made them.

Continue reading →

Catnap – Caturday house mix

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deep_house_cat_2

Here’s a live 60-minute mix I did on Saturday.  I just grabbed a small stack of house vinyl from my collection and hit record.   It ain’t perfect but i think it flows well and has a nice funky vibe… mix of Chicago, French, and NYC house from the 1990’s.   Featuring tracks by: DJ Sneak, Dmitri from Paris, The Rurals, AV8, Kevin Yost, Jordan Fields, Montefiore Cocktail, Jamiroquai, Claudio Cocolutto, NLC, Aleem, and Bjork.

Listen now:

Download here (right click and “save as”)

time: 60min /// 110 mb /// 256kbps .mp3

Vintage Colnago Super Pista

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Scoooooooooooooore!  Scooped this beautiful Colnago Super Pista from a gentleman up in Harlem yesterday.  I’m still unsure of the exact year and model, but I believe it to be a late 70’s – early 80’s Super Pista, probably one of the Colnago Mexico series.  It has a Campagnolo C-Record gruppo; 165mm Pista crankset, hubs, headset, seatpost, and bars.   Rims are Mavic sew-ups with Wolber tubular tires.

Overall the bike is very clean considering its age and the fact that the previous owner rode it often.  My only complaint is that some dummy drilled the fork for a brake (arrgh!).   I am planning on giving it a complete disassembly, cleaning, polishing, and lubing.   And some fresh bar tape, of course.   The stem is a Nitto Jaguar that I will probably replace with a period-correct 3TTT Colnago pantographed stem, and I plan swapping the saddle for an official vintage Colnago one, and maybe even splurging on some vintage C-Record track pedals.  This is a truly rare bike and I’m kind of in awe of it.   It will likely take me a few weeks (maybe months) before I accumulate all the correct parts, but I can’t wait to post the “after” pics when I’m done.

Check out more photos after the jump!

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Kilo TT OS – retro fixed on a budget

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I just saw this new “experimental” frame from the folks at Bikesdirect / Bikeisland.  They added a second top tube to their popular Kilo TT bike frame, and widened the front fork and rear triangle to accept 700×38 wheels.  It’s based on the vintage designs of the early 20th century, sometimes referred to as “scorchers.”

Looks like a lot of fun to ride offroad, in the snow, etc.  Or perhaps re-paint it and make a modern-retro townie to match your tweed jackets.  It should be available for sale by the end of this week, a limited run of full bikes at Bikesdirect for $450 and framesets for $250 at BikeIsland. Sizes available are Small – 53c C-T, Medium – 56c C-T, and Large – 59c C-T.

Catnap – Pimp Fiction 1998

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PimpFiction_new

Here’s the second mix I unearthed in my dusty backups, a mixtape I made with my friend Zakee on a summer afternoon in 1998.  “Pimp Fiction” is a mash of good stuff, from 60’s and 70’s soul, blues, funk and disco gems to 90’s acid jazz, triphop, and rap.  It’s reassuring to hear such tight selection and I’m glad to be able to add it to this archive.

Listen now:

Download here (right click and “save as”)

time: 70:34 /// 165mb /// 256kbps .mp3

Tracklist after the jump… Continue reading →

Catnap – Tha Dub Wars 1997

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The Dub Wars 1New Dubwars Back Final copy

I made this mix back in the summer of 1997.  I had my turntables out on my parents’ porch and I was getting irie late into the long nights, mixing dub and playing with my first FX box.  It was a wicked little steel box with just two knobs, effect and dry/wet.  All dub is timeless, or exists in a place outside of time, but the “old skool vs new skool” thing is because the tracks alternate between classic 70’s and 80’s jamaican dub to 90’s UK electronic dub.

This dub selection includes King Tubby, Michael Rose, Barrington Levy, Scientist, Michael Rose, Renegade Soundwave, and of course some Bob Marley and the Wailers.  Dig the dub and here and there, listen for me having some fun with my new toy.  Tracklist after the jump.

Listen now:

Download here (right click & “save as”)

time: 69:03 /// 126mb /// 246kbps .mp3 Continue reading →