Some Bicycle Things I’m Stoked About On A Friday, November 21st, 2025.
It’s Friday again. An odd day, in a weird week. I’ve been spending way too much time daydreaming about taking banjo lessons. No, I don’t have one cubic ångström of musical talent, and I can’t play a lick of guitar. Wednesday night on the weekly ride from somewhere, Mike told me you can borrow banjos from the public library, and my dream of earning fame and fortune as a cycling-themed troubadour was reborn.
Can you picture it? In my frayed-up Core Rat vest, clawhammering out my original Dylan rip-off, ‘Leopard Print DH Pants’, or picking on some Metallica with ‘Every Shift Matters’. A sponsorship-focused Pink! cover called ‘Just Give Me A Reazon’. Hahaha, dare I suggest ‘The Pink Knolly Club’‽
On a loosely related note, on Thursday, bicycle philosopher Mr. No-Manners-No-Spanners himself, Brixton-Jim, had me deeply reflecting on barriers to success. For the record, I can neither play the bagpipes nor ride a unicycle, but the introspective question is, which one is the larger barrier to my next career as North Van’s answer to The Unipiper?
Fort Starling
Historically speaking, is there anything those Brits like better than erecting forts here, there, and everywhere? And now Lord Joe, Duke of Starling, is at it again in Czechia?!
Okay, okay, but did you know that Ústí nad Orlicí, where Fort Frames has been joining tubes since 1994, was once called “The Manchester of Eastern Bohemia“? Oh, what’s that you say, everyone has access to Wikipedia? And Bristol, UK, where Starling is based, is a three-hour drive from Manchester, UK, anyway? Oof, tough crowd today.
Starling isn’t shedding {pun intended} any Bristol staff with the move to have their most popular models braised at Fort. Rather, well-stocked frames will be built in Czechia, and from Bristol, they will be increasing the availability of their rarer models as well as their forever-frame refurbishment program.
You know what that means, Marty? Yep, you’re going to have to try even harder to resist buying a Beady Little Eye.
I know a few aging single-speeders, like my younger {shade intended} brother Crash Test Kevin (CTK), who are struggling with the hardtail-related, rather than one-speed-related, aches of #1FG life, and the boosted availability of the BLE could build their bridge over harsher landings.
Regular MEAThead, Marty, would note here that Starling just needs to add a derailleur hanger insert add-on for folks who want the sometimes option of running a multi-speed setup on their suspension-hardtail. I mean, I’m as singularly focused as the next one-speeder, but there’s a reason I’ve not hacked off the hanger on my Arcturian Voyager.
Anywho, I’m stoked that Joe & Co. will have more capacity to lean to their small batch history of weirder bothy builds. For those who give a FAQ, there’s a bunch more information chez Starling.
Better North Shore
Whether you’re North Shore adjacent or just a community planning nerd, I’d like to take a few sentences to introduce you to the good works of Martyn, Heather, Greg, and Duncan, collectively the founders of Better North Shore, a positive-change non-partisan society focused on local livability.
They present a solid mix of municipal affairs reportage, an example of citizenry stepping into the void created by the death & decline of local news sources, as well as appeals for improved transit, abundant bicycle parking, and safer cycling infrastructure that are the only common-sense ways to improve mobility in a city.
If you’re killing a bit of time on a rainy evening, there’s an archive of interesting information. I always enjoy receiving their e-mail updates. There are plenty of folks grumpy about the fact that so many people want to live on and come to the North Shore – it’s an amazing place – but too few happy pedalers are trying to push a positive shift in how we do that.
Harald Paints
We said goodbye to Toxik Harald this week, and I wanted to add a personal note here in SBTISAOAF to include some of the lovely work that he did for me over the years I knew him. My favourite moment was Harald and tiny-Claire flipping through a sample book, trying to help me decide on a colour for the first fork that Walt built me.
Thanks for the beautiful bicycle art, Harald.
Jessie-May Strikes Again
I don’t consume as much mountain bike media as I used to. Yes, some of that comes down to the blenderization of much of the content. And, yes, I know folks who live in glass houses shouldn’t launch drones. And, also, yes, I know I’m on the edge of the “back in my day” age bracket. But generally, stuff just isn’t as sharp, as irreverent, as individual as it used to be.
Anyway, I loved Jessie-May Morgan’s introduction to Pinkbike’s recent 15 + 2 Hardtails For Hooning roundup.
“As the temperatures drop and the ground hardens, many a hardy mountain biker will opt for less comfort, not more. For them, ’tis the season for their knee cartilage to abandon all hope. Crepitus is coming for us all eventually, and perhaps it is better to have slayed and lost, than never to have slayed at all.“
{Above photo: Spooky Slacker}
After that first paragraph, it’s a fairly straightforward litany of some small percentage of the hardtail options on the market. A nice mix of budget CUES builds and prototype thirty-two builds, with some “Sit on my Pace and tell me that you love me,” but with many of the obvious options left out.
I look at it as Pinkbike performing a community service to remind folks that, regardless of budget, choosing to ride a hardtail is an interesting, fun, and viable option.
As with the last awesome thing I stole from Jessie-May {If Mountain Bikes Had Never Existed, Would You Still Be a Cyclist?}, I wanted to say that I’d be in for a lot more editorializing stuffed into the industry news and olds of the day. Let the writers write and all that.
Loam 2 Recall
“Wait, Mandrew, you’re stoked that PNW had to recall pedals?!“
Whoa, no, but I’ve seen enough recalls from brands big and small(er) that I think we have to be impressed with how PNW is handling the things they can control. New axles, which are easy to install, are on the way, but while we wait for them, PNW is sending out a set of their composite pedals to keep people riding.
I have broken a couple-or-few pedal axles in my time, some of which were not even covered under warranty. The fact that PNW has issued this recall, with the associated monetary and reputational expenses, after seeing four pairs of broken axles (0.16% sold) says something positive about the folks there.
If you’re a Loam 2 owner, all the information you need is here at PNW Components.
Twenty-eight Teeth
Did the ground become soft, or is it just me? Either way, I took some of my own advice – Let Go Your Ego – and dropped a couple of teeth off of my front chainring last week. I almost immediately regretted it, being extra-too-spinful on the road, and notably slower on a few smoother downhill trail sections. Pump, pump, pump, but when it’s time for a pedal-boost, the difference is notable.
But, then, single-speeding is at least in some part the acceptance of being in the wrong gear almost all the time, and the 28x22t I’m running right now is the more-right gear when I’m pedaling up the No Quarter Climb or Old Buck. I’ve recalibrated enough over a handful of rides that features are fine, and I wasn’t winning any road sprints with a couple more teeth up front.
The gearing choice has made for a more pleasant experience on most of the Wednesday Night Lights Ride, and Brian doesn’t put the boots to me, or laugh at me, too hard on the paved parts of the bike-bus route home.
Sir, You Have A F*cking Arrival {HAHAHA}
If you have the means to have a fleet of bikes, there are all sorts of reasons to have a hardtail, and as previously covered in Sir, You Have A F***ing MegaTower, N+1+1 is an extra obvious choice if you’re going to be riding with groms.
And, if your grom is going to crank their way up to the trails on a single speed, well, I mean, what a fantastic opportunity to follow their example. Especially if you have a ‘sick’ frame with sliders and a box of parts hanging around already, am I right?
Yeah, so. Shoutout to AQ for grinding out those #1FG miles on Fromme. Sitting, standing, walking, and #JerryWillowsHatesMyBike, welcome to life in the wrong gear, kid.
Okay, that‘s a wrap for SBTISAOAF for this week. Live on a Friday, no less. The local trails are still busy, even with the shift in weather and early darkness, so maybe I’ll see out there digging or pedaling one day.
Whether you’re North Shore adjacent or coming to MEATengines from elsewhere, welcome, thanks for reading, I’ll post, yet another, gentle reminder that we’re {I’m} excited to receive more Bicycle Valentines. I know a fair few people are working on them. Thank you.
Larry Talker Tunes
I saw Model-T at the NSMBA AGM last night, one of many folks who pedaled there, which was awesome to see. He did submit some LT-Tunes for this week’s SBTISAOAF, but something-something absolute power corrupts absolutely, I decided to pick the tunes again this week. I know, the total MEATengines pricktator.
Jesse Welles is everywhere these days with his Dylanesque spirit and the vibrant, maybe cheeky is the word, way that he shares his message. He’s also talented AF {aluminum frame?} as evidenced here by his duet-cover of Have You Seen The Rain with Matt Quinn.
In terms of where to start, I’ve listened to this (two-hour!) live set – Live @ Thalia Hall – from last month a few times this week, and it’s just so awesome. Enjoy.
Welcome to MEATengines, I hope you enjoyed this piece. If you did, please consider making a donation, buying me a coffee. Any questions, concerns, or comments; feel encouraged to drop me an e-mail, or join us at r/MEATengines.