Check out Snow White and the lovely people of Bike Polo Toronto on CTV!

This past weekend tons of bike polo players from all over the great lakes area came together for the Great Lakes Winter Classic.

You can't embed videos from CTV- but you can check it out here!

Congrats to all who came out to play! Here are the top 3 Teams from the tourney!
1st - Mallet Of Mayhem (Alexis, Robbie OTT, Chris VAN)
2nd - Who let the Dads Out (Javier BOS, Paul NYC, Jonathan PGH)
3rd - Beardsicles (Nate, Zach NYC, Nick TO)

Am I Invisible?

A very rad photo contest has come to light in NYC, brought to light by Bicycle Utopia NYC.

Anyone out there have any more photos of us Nightshades in NYC?

 

“Am I Invisible? A Portrait of New York Bicyclists” is an open call for photographs and photography-based art that capture the cultural diversity and individual style of New York City's distinctive bicycling community. Launched by Bicycle Utopia, a portion of the entry fee will go to Transportation Alternatives, New York City's oldest and largest bicycle advocacy organization."

Want to know?

Are you a writer or journalist? Are you an entrepreneur or a social media maverick? Do you like the best design has to offer in cycling and fashion? Do you enjoy MegO's point of view? Do you like bikes and babes, good times and great graphic design? You should sign up for DEUXDEER's mailing list:

Sign up!

DEUXDEER is MegO's entrepreneurial venture with Monika Koch; together they ride their track bikes to the beach and talk about good design and moral standing. They are also both half-polish. Naturally, they had to start a creative agency that combined their passions for their passions [good design and bikes]. DEUXDEER was then conceptualized over many, many cups of coffee. 

Bikes Are GOOD

While working for Momentum Magazine, I got to know a bit about Cliff bars as I was investigating them for potential advertisers. Talking to a former employee, I learned that getting them as a print advertiser was next to impossible, as they tend to fund grassroots projects and things like recycling bins at races. Well, I see why they stick to their guns about grassroots. These guys are freaking awesome. Here is why:

"In the U.S., it's estimated that 40 percent of all urban trips are two miles or less. Unfortunately, 90 percent of those trips are usually by car, which adds up in fuel and carbon emissions. CLIF Bar created the 2 Mile Challenge with the goal of replacing 100,000 car trips with bike trips. In addition to preventing hundreds of pounds of carbon emissions, the 2 Mile Challenge will award $100,000 in grants to nonprofits doing inspiring, impactful work for bicycle advocacy and fighting climate change"

So I am a follower of GOOD Inc, the positive based Californian media company that is most famous for it's infographics and thought provoking videos. GOOD running a rad competition with Cliff to allocate some of these 2 Mile Challenge funds.



Go to their website to learn the simple three steps that could earn you $5k for your favourite charity!

This is going to be tough for me.... Going through all the Nightshades Photos and choosing one may be hard!

Lovelovelove....

ORONTAS? YES, PLEASE.

So, it's not very often that I get excited (like stupidly excited) about waterproof grease or chain lubricant - but Orontas, a Toronto-based bike care company, changed that pretty quick for me. All of their products are biodegrable, made from plants, petroleum free, and made in Canada. What's not to love?! While inspecting the chain cleaner (with what I can only describe as glee), my buddy Mark commented "Sooo basically, you could use this as mouthwash." (Except... don't).

Then, today hit 2o degrees. It was a day of bbq's and bike rides (and advanced poll voting - go vote!) - and of course some backyard bike love (as you can see below my Huffy's chain needed some serious affection). I hauled out the tool box, threw on some flip flops and set about changing tires, truing wheels, and making my bikes sparkle extra shiny in all this newfound sunshine. And I have to say, the Orontas stuff worked great. Sometimes, awesome things come in unsuspecting packages (Or rather sleek minimal packages, that resemble hair products more than bike repair ones - I do love me some good design!).

But ultimately, anyone who's manifesto states that they're not a brand, but a wreckless commitment to do better.... just wins.

Ginger Bread Man Race

Last night Vancouver was full of bike related awesomeness. Bad Party put on an alley cat that involved getting a decoration for a ginger bread man at every stop and the race route around Van looked like a Ginger Bread Man. I was at a check point with Dustin from Prohab, Cody and Darcy (who are just total babes). We were handing out shots of hot spiced whiskey. Needless to say this was the PERFECT type of stop for us, as we were all about quality contolling the whiskey. Needless to say my night kinda looked like the above photo. God bless and keep Saturdays.


My bike locked up on the street was way to bring attention to the corner. Yelling "CHECK POINT" at racers when they passed by worked the most. Randomly yelling "CHECK POINT" at any cyclist going by was also fun.


Cody and I at the check point.


We made the racers stand on a post and do a shot Karate Kid stance styles.

After that there was the Gastown Gold Sprints at Malone's. My friend Jessie Winter took some rad shots of the spins!


jessewinterphotography.com

Great job last night Vancouver, tres fun!

Eco T-shirt Contest!!!

FYI: T-shirt Monster and Environmental Defense are having a contest!

Armchair Activism.... Hallelujah!

Anyone who knows me, knows that one of my favorite things is armchair activism. Yes, we're all busy, but it's a pretty big privilege in my opinion to be able to change things by hitting 'send'. And we all know what Spiderman feels about that.

My fellow Nightshades' adventure in NYC has led me to want to share this one group. Reverend Billy and The Church of Stop Shopping may be the coolest live performance/activism/evangelical group that I know off. They are all about spreading awareness about rampant consumerism through the awesomeness of live performance, and you know how us Nightshades feel about that.

So, sign their petition to save NYfuckingC public space! Public space is your right! Even if you're just a group of tourist trouble-making bike gang bloggers...

We, the undersigned, believe the historic Pavilion at Union Square must be kept public space for use by the people of New York City. The Pavilion's priceless legacy as a platform for children and families, musicians, and progressive political activists must not be subverted by a backroom deal to turn it into a restaurant. The Union Square neighborhood is saturated with restaurants, yet New York City is starving for public space.

The First Amendment, invoked in public space, is a community's greatest weapon against repression and exploitation. Emma Goldman and Paul Robeson and countless activists have demonstrated this at Union Square, winning the 40 hour work week and other freedoms we now take for granted. A high-end restaurant on the site of the Pavilion will have a chilling effect on the essential demonstrations and organizing that take place on the north side of the Square to this day, and will swindle the families and people of New York City out of yet another commercial-free space for community use.

We call on the City and Union Square Partnership to preserve and invest in the Pavilion as a public space for the public good, and terminate their plan to convert it into a restaurant.

Sincerely,
The Undersigned