Spoke And Stringer

Kristian Crews' Spoke And Stringer, one of our Bristol stockist finally has his own cafe shop after a run of pop-ups. Down on the waterfront opposite the SS Great Britain. Propper coffee, and chilies in the chocolate Brownies YUM! The pintxos tapas menu is especially impressive. BP

Cupcake

CUPCAKE CANNON from Kamp Grizzly on Vimeo.
What hugely expensive slo-mo camera equipment was made for. G

Bygone Bodge

Clocked this classic Robin Reliant outside the most pleasant cafe No. 12 Easton, Bristol. Most steel cars of this era have long been sent rusting to the scrapyard, but the 30+ year-old fibreglass on this was no longer sea-worthy either. On closer inspection, what made me smile the most was the coat hanger ariel up-grade. I haven't seen one of those for ages! Do modern cars with digital radio even need an ariel at all? BP

DTRA Buxton This Sunday

If you like the look of the roads in the clips below, you could ride those on the way to this Sunday's DTRA meeting, at High Edge Raceway, outside Buxton in the heart of the Peak District.

Racing from 12. Spectators go free.

The DTRA are looking for marshals for this event. If you want to help, be there for 10.30. It'll be much appreciated. G

Poster art by Stevie Gee

UPDATE
Another local cultural must, is a visit to Bakwell's famous Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop for one of their 'puddings'. Eclipsed by the Bakwell Tart made staple by a certain Mr Kipling, the pud is the historical real deal (Thanks to native Richard Baybutt for setting the record straight). It looks like a home-economics experiment gone wrong but folk travel from afar to eat it. Beyond the delicious flakey pastry, I couldn't actually determine the ingredients of the sweet interior when I ate one last week. BP

(I just checked the photos on their website and the puddings shown certainly don't look as tanned as the one they sold me (above). Or do they save the duff ones for foreigners?)

SEE SEE

Thor Drake philosophizes about exploding antique 2-strokes, and defying gravity on them in SB#11. And there's no better place to kick back and read it cover-to-cover than in the See See cafe. BP

Dopple Gang

Damn the game's up..."Ben have you been moonlighting as a cult doughnut shop owner in Portland? I'm sure i saw you on Man vs Food the other night. Have you also roped SB's events officer in?" RichM
You can tell he's a fake, I would never wear such short socks. BP

Buxton is...

- the scrawniest track on the UK calendar. The parched conditions for the Saturday practice had me writing it off as the worst too, likening it to ricocheting around inside a dented biscuit tin, with prehistoric limestone crumbs acting as lubricating marbles. Choice polished rocks embedded at the apexes didn't inspire confidence either. Turning up late and then waiting for individual speedway riders to practice before a group of flat trackers could take their turn, meant I didn't get as many sessions in as I would have liked.
I bought some Buxton mineral water in a petrol station in Bristol on the way, and got a free re-fill in the pits from a dodgy looking ground pipe.- is filled with fresh sod (inc grass) when ruts appear.
- set in the magnificent Peak District. Drogo suggested we go for a ramble after practice. Skooterfarm Dave thought we were over-excited soft southern townies, and stayed in his van. We decided to head out to an enchanting castle on a hill in the distance, only to arrive at our destination 15 minutes later at a small folly; Solomon's Temple built in 1890, the panorama was spectacular from the miniature battlements.
- has a closed down radio and television shop called Douglas Rider, what a great name for a band! Loved the old Clarendon font block-letters above the door (same as used for the STUK number boards), now a bit wonky. Had a hot Indian at the Taj on the High Street.
Slept in the car - this time minus the seats, and with the luxury of an airbed. Even hung up some some curtains.Modified my on-board toilet to rectify the piss-fart issue of the Silverstone Mk1 model. Basically it's a 'Lightly Salted' crisp packet lined ankle boot. No trapped gas, and a stable unit which avoids low-light kneeling spillage. And warms boot on otherwise chilly morning.
After just a couple of heat races, Drogo finally admitted defeat in the face of the bitch Vertemati. Dave kindly loaned his Wood Rotax, which involved some deft swopping in-between races, with both riders now running the same number but in different classes.
- attracts all-sorts. An original Craig Vetter Triumph Hurricane. A step-through gang whose C50, C70, and C90s all had the same tuned 150 pit bike engine up-grade, and a straight-through silencer they picked up holidaying in Greece, that they noticed all the locals were screaming around with.- is Not somewhere to buy Bakewell tarts. I took the precaution of importing some of Mr Kiplings.
With overnight rain track conditions made quantum improvement, and with damping-down throughout the day, the going was excellent. Racing in all classes was fast and hairy. Jamie intent on tanning me in the Novices, ended up cooking the barrier several times. Stuart 'Popeye' Lovell steamed ahead in his own league as usual, leaving 'Brutus and Bluto' to bang their heads together. I held 2nd for most of the final (including all 7 novices), until relentless Jamie barged ahead and cleared off. But come trophy time, unbeknown to me, the points from the heat races were also included for the over-all ranking, so I did clinch 2nd after all.- home to a lively stock-car circuit just above the speedway oval. Great British entertainment.
On the way home I tried not to drive into a rock while gawking at the scenery like on the way back from Amman (denting my steel wheel and causing an instant blow-out), and nearly drove into a large deer that sprang out into the road from behind a heather bush instead.
The cherry on the Bakewell was picking up (the heaviest thing I have ever lifted) a Derbyshire Tobishi, to serve as a step into my shed.
- Brilliant. BP

Sideburn at Reilly Rocket next Thursday

Last week I managed to do a site visit to Reilly Rocket in North London and it's a cool place. They're putting on a BBQ for our release party too. No booze though. Tea, coffee and lovely tarts. Click here for details. GI
Ollie. He's in charge. He's from New Zealand and likes watching the Tour de France on the big screen in the afternoon. Go join him.
This is the Suzuki dealer Reilly Rocket is next to.
And this is Reilly Rocket. It will have new stickers on the window. We want to see some tasty bikes out here. Travis from Colorado is judging the show. Whichever bike he thinks is displaying the most radness takes home a big prize. Could be a chop, bobber, street tracker, hell, it could be a Lambretta or even a bicycle. Who knows what's going on in Travis's noodle?

Reilly Rocket

This neat cafe, Reilly Rocket, in the East End of London now stocks Sideburn. We haven't been yet, but they're hosting a bit of a Sideburn knees-up there in July, probably a Thursday night, you're all invited. Watch the blog for details.
They're behind a Suzuki dealer on 507 Kingsland Road. The corner of Tottenam Road & Kingsland Road London, Hackney E8 4AU. G

Fred's Pie Stall

From our friend Simon, who has lived at least four lives already. He has been/or still is a merchant seaman, ship captain, tour manager for world famous bands, record label owner, Ducati obsessive, father, husband. All that and he still wishes he could be a Wrench Monkee.

The photos of you wearing masks in Milan reminded me of the early-mid 90's when I managed (????) the arts performance group/punk band "F" (while Oasis did their demo downstairs). Ask Ben about John F, they where at liverpool arts college together. John was a holographer, well still is, but did all sorts of design work (anarchy advertising) and used to do the stage design and lights for the Bunnymen...well also any arts type events.
This was the revenge of the CLONES a bunch of them parading around Liverpool dressed as such. The Fred's Pie stall was Jake (ex-Bunnymen), Tim Whittaker, ex-Deaf School and painter) and Damon (ex-Bunnyman drummer now Massive Attack fellow), all living in same flat... Fred's pie stall was a controversial stand as it had no pies or anything at all except a selection of hip flasks and disgruntled customers drawn by the queues of clones awaiting non-existant pies.
We also did the mobile auto mission where we had a limousine with John and Karen in rubber bondage gear and motorcycle outriders and cavalcade parading through Saturday rush-hour liverpool. Kids where running out shouting 'Whose tha? Is it madonna?' Caused chaos, traffic jams eventually the Police pitched up and had a huge showdown while Kev the onboard solicitor negotiated on behalf of Arts Council, I snapped away and eventually we ended up with a real Police Escort with blue lights cars and bikes to fukk us off.......
All in all F was as described by my old mate Dave Balfe (teardrops, blur, Sony etc...) as a Vanity Project...a crap ensemble producing crap which because we were slightly pissed occasionally thought was really cool and avant garde......all in all along with my very own recrod label STIKKI Label a very successsful money pit which produced some of the finest landfill and cases of energy/oxygen wasting. We probably caused global warming due to the amount of hot air produced....I still have some lovely flyers and suspect the stacks of CD's still support the wonky table back in the rat infested warehouse on Dock Road Liverpool 7
ahh the joys of youth
crap photos by simon mills

Happy Halloween

Buxton

Let's be honest, some of the UK's speedway tracks are shit 'oles
- or they are built near existing shit 'oles. But Buxton is different. It wouldn't be any greener if it was ploinked in the middle of a golf course. Set in the heart of the rolling Derbyshire Peak District, on Sunday 1st August High Edge Raceway hosts round 5 of the UK short track championship. Practice stars at 11am, racing starts 1pm.
What's more the local delicacy of Bakewell Tart will be served in between each heat race. BP

That takes the cake

Saw this DSC Boner cake on the Death Spray Custom blog, with the same design as the budget XS650 street bike we feature in Sideburn 4, and it reminded me of the dirt track cake Mrs I made me for my last birthday. Aren't cake-baking wives great? GI

Just A Blur

Matchbox in size, the Maurice Einhardt Neu gallery was rammed for Dai's Jan.21,2010 exhibition. Being just next to Mother ad agency probably helped numbers, it was so heaving I didn't even get to see the band, I've been on rush-hour tubes that were less busy. As well as the usual suspects mentioned in GI's invitation post, it was good to meet up with some of my old gang from the Mean Fuckers. Once the cider ran out, it was on to The Owl & The Pussycat pub for a few more bevies, but me and Red Max Steve - who had brought along the refreshed SRs he had rebuilt for Dai, were peckish and headed for the Rootmaster [sic] double-decker bus restaurant parked up behind the Truman Brewery, with old friends of mine Karta Healy and Nick Ashley. We were only informed once bundled into the back of Mai's Nissan Skyline GT-R; that was even more cramped than the gallery, that it was a French run vegan set-up. I'm not sure if the look of fear on Steve's face was the fear of wether he (or his quiff) would survive some cross-London Fast & Furious lane-splitting, or the prospect of having to eat garlic flavor mung beans. The food was truly Exceptional. Thanks for instigating such a great evening Dai. BP

UPDATE
As Steve was up in town earlier before the masses, he actually got to see the band, This is what Playband look like rehearsing.

Death Spray Custom's latest work

From Death Spray Custom

'Here's a new DSC piece, hopefully it's the first chair ever posted on Sideburn's blog. (It's a vintage Eames Plastic Side Chair for all the chair nerds out there)
Also attached is an exciting action shot, where a mug of tea, a delicious mille feuilie and SB 4 is being enjoyed.'

See the Death Spray Custom Boner Brigade XS650 in Sideburn 4

Human Cannonballs Dick Smythe & Co.

A horizontally opposed flat twin is not exactly the first engine configuration that springs to mind for flat track racing, but the 1929 Douglas DT was the dogs bollocks of it's day - and many consecutive years thereafter. This brochure was picked up by our vintage shingle antenna Mick Phillips, via our friends (step-cousins twice removed) at Classic Bike Magazine.

'Manufacturer to His Majesty the King' and 'By appointment to the King of Spain' you don't get accolades like that for motorcycles these days. 'Due to its low centre of gravity, even weight distribution and perfect balance, it can be "broadsided" at angles that would mean a spill with a single-cylindered mount. Power as silky sweet as that of a turbine. It accelerates with a snap and a surge. Speaking of this acceleration one well-known rider said that it was akin to being sucked up by a gigantic vacuum cleaner... If you have aspirations to Dirt Track fame, do as the Champions did - get the right machine - the Douglas.'

Why were those piss-pot helmets always so tall? - the retro Davida ones aren't quite so comedy. I guess they were originally developed for human cannon balls, and impact was only ever TDC. According to MP "Racers always carried several rounds of bread and dripping, and a flask of tea in their helmets."
BP

Sideburn in Milwaukee

The beautiful Fuel Cafe, Milwaukee has stocks of Sideburn 1 and 2. And coffee and cheesy toasted artichoke and the Super Burrito (surely they've got to name one after Gene 'Burrito' Romero soon). Announcement over.

nominate your local bike shop

We're looking for shop stockists for SB magazine. If your local bike shop serves excellent coffee and has a pretty mechanic, but lacks quality reading matter, give us a shout! We are currently sorting out a new and improved US distributor, to reduce the shipping costs & waiting time to our American customers, but we are always looking for new openings. You don't have to be a bike shop, maybe a tattoo shop, skate shop, record shop? We're open to suggestions.
photo courtesy CHOKE who stocks SB in LA.

Ever wondered how they make Danish pastries?

While in Copenhagen recently, to do a story on the Wrench Monkees for SB#2, we stood in their workshop drowned by pint glasses of coffee (no dinky cups, or mugs for these animals) and watched our hosts serve up the national speciality, freshly made on their bench-mounted Bosch CSB500RLE. Delicious.