retains 100%of it's strength

My shoulder still holds up to repeated high-speed crashing into wet manzanita in the middle of the night. I checked.

sacrificial bonfires

Burn up the old. Ring in the new.


Velocache is a true Tournament of Champions. You- yes, you- can have your Giro, your Tour day France, and your Vuelta. Fancy stage racing puts type-A dopers on their saddles, but what puts your butt on your saddle?

Velocache could be that motivation.

It gave me a reason to ride the stiffness out of my tired legs today. Instead of sitting around inside, I braved the gathering rain clouds and sat around outside.


My sweet ride was the Black Cat cyclocross, with it's fancy new fork (for which I still owe $78.33 to Rick...), and it's fancy new brass fenders, and it's fancy new mudflaps.



I realize this is sub-prime fender season...but all these ducks have just aligned, so I'm making hay while the rain threatens.


This is the 2nd ride with these. The flaps are well proportioned and have a simple/clever stiffener in the horizontal strip which forms a curve, allowing thin flaps (and so, light flaps) to be as stiff as much thicker (and so, heavier) flaps.

I lik them. They appeal to my low brow, yet snooty, bicycle aesthetic.


I have a single nit to pick. They performed flawlessly on pave, but immediately upon hitting the singletrack downhill, the rear flap sucked up into the fender. After the 3rd suck up, I strapped the flap:


When I returned to the relative sanity of riding my drop barred skinny bike on pavement, I unstrapped the flap and it was smooooooth music. Fenders and off-road riding are a poor mix; this has been proven. Sticks, twigs, pebbles, matter- these are things that can stick between the fender and tyre and cause a axeident. So I am happy to ride these flaps with my shiny brass fenders on road rides.

Check out Tom's work. It's Good Stuff: This colored text is a link, which- if clicked upon- will take you to the Tauro site.

bold talk for a one eyed fat man

What I was getting at with the clothes and gear in True Grit was the practicality of it. See, I see some folks who won't commute without their neon yellow jacket (and truly, who doesn't look well in that?) and I see some folks who won't ride trails without their bibshorts. To say nothing of HRMs, power meters, and GPS synched ride profiles.

The only thing I won't ride without, is a bike- though I do have some reservations about heading off with no pump/patchkit. Also, I like a multi-tool. With a chaintool. And maybe some snacks. But I (digress) understand the "need" for specialized clothing/gear. One could flip that however, and consider how clothing/gear that works very well to ease the journey (thermoregulate, etc. however you like to think about such) can be your daily driver as it were.



If your ish is wool (at this time), you are good to go whenever. And plus, you will smell as fresh as is possible given, well you know. No need for anything more than getting in that saddle and riding the range. The only thing you need is to ride.


Folks want to need stuff. That's cool. Want to need an $11 case of canned beer and stuff it someplace in the woods I can find it.

you're the one barking

I lost a lot of Roshambo, I'll tell y'all that much.


Oh! my aching liver...back from Interbike, mind and wallet emptied. Some people fuss about Vegas (which is mooter than ever since the show is going- without me- to Anaheim next year) but I enjoy the place once a year. I stayed in my van, sleeping on residential side streets, so I saved on the cost of a hotel room. I missed all of y'all reading at home (looking at you, Moab) who've been faithful hallwalking/heckling companions at shows past, but there were plenty of Good People with whom to gawk at bike bits and talk about bike rides.

I particularly enjoyed the Demo this year. I wore my finest Primal Wear, and had a banana in my chamois so you knew I was glad to see you.

I rode the Salsa Fargo and liked it quite a bit. That's good since I took delivery of an XL/22" upon my return. (I got it on sale!) It will replace the Karate Monkey as my all arounder/camping bike. The taller headtube and 6(!!!!!!) bottle mount options will be well appreciated. I liked the Woodchipper bars on the demo even though they are a mere 46cm, and I hope the changes made to this year's model (change in BB height, 5mm shorter chainstays) are minimal enough that I haven't jumped the gun in pulling the trigger sure as shooting, so to speak...even though there is now to be a titanium option. Whatever, I'll be swapping parts from the Karate Monkey (including it's creaktastic drive train) and riding them until they break beyond repair.

It's how I roll.

I rode the Santa Cruz Tall Boy, and was well impressed with it as well ( save for the double pinch flats on the pinner Maxxis tyres). I have no desire for a new full squish, but I wanted to feel the ride. The 29" wheels felt well placed and as snappy as I could want. As always, the Santa Cruz folks were pleasant and knowledgeable.

But what I really rode? For the better part of Day 1, and all of Day 2 (forsaking all others) was the Surly Pugsley. Yep. That bike. The one we've all- myself not least- pointed out as being ridiculously single use. I rode that monster up the fire road for laps on the long singletrack down and had no trouble at all keeping up with whomever on whatever. It wasn't grotesque in it's heaviness- it was like the graceful and stylish fat man of days gone by (remember Sidney Greenstreet, remember Huey P. Long) as it danced it's dance of PARTY TIME! Those big wheels soaked up every bump and dip, allowing me freedom to take any full squish line that struck my fancy. And plenty struck my fancy. I fancy the Pugsley as an insanely capable camping bike, among other things. Though I can't see getting one at this time (it is pretty limited), that doesn't stop me from wanting one.

The Surly trailer is every bit as sturdy as you'd expect. The Surly staff is every bit as sturdy as you'd expect, as well. Nicely done all around.

The show itself? Eh. The more I see, the less I covet. In corners and odd places there were shiny bits to tempt any of us (Euro-Asia had the hammered brass fenders from Honjo!), but overall it was more of the same. I am continuingly glad that cargo bikes and real world bikes are the current "in thing". Raleigh and Bianchi have very nice lines this year. Swobo continues to make things and make them well, and I am favorably inclined to their worldview. Talking to a brand manager about the excess of "Stuff" is a refreshing change of pace.

You know there're better photos and reviews other places- go look at them.


...ask me about my 1st tatoo.

Shiney shiney.

Yes, I know it is bad form to post pictures of mock ups. That is a given in the tradition of geeked out bicycle-related-picture-posting internet culture of highbrows such as ourselfs.



Well, maybe that's just me. Would you like my review of the fenders' performance now? They are markedly shorter than Honjos, both front (sadly) and rear. The hardware looks different too, from my brief examination through the bag. Order extra stays (they come with 2), as the front tends to flex some, and you don't want that. Your local can order them for you from Merry Sales.



I am waiting on the actual fork for this bike before installation; which, as opposed to the virtual one you see represented here, will be fender compatible.

Shiney brass fenders. I am going to let them tarnish to a weather beaten mellowness, which will understate the unspoken message of how much better my bike is than yours and by logical extension how much more Quality a Person I am than you. Sorry to be so harsh.

Licensed to ill?

It is as if "they" have reached into my dreammind and brought out a picture of my deepest bicycle desires...

photo from SOMA Fabrications via the flik'r mixte group pool

BRASS FENDERS?!?!?!?!?!?!? Are you kidding me?
I didn't...well, yes-but...when....who distributes....

The fenders are tagged as Tanaka, but my searches have come up with naught. Someone help me realize my dreams of the Big Time, and all my dreams will come true. I'll be happy at last.