what you have been waiting for

That for which.
Soul. Soul. SOUL.

And, plus I took "ownership" of this yesterday:

That is correct. Your eyes are seeing a plastic, electrified version of a street bicycle. That is the photo with which I announced to my friends that I am, variously: a "sell-out", a hypocrite, "thinking outside the box", and a f*g (disclaimer- c'mon. I know how this was intended, and by whom, and we love the gays. They have the best clubs and good senses of humor. No disrespect.)&that "I'm pretty sure [I] have to shave [my] b-sack now"...depending on who is talking. My own sweet wife said it looked ___. No one loves it.


You're all jealous losers.


That is a bicycle I would NEVER purchase, even if I could. It goes against every tenet of cycling and Life I hold dear save one- holy afterburners, Batman! that thing is going to be a _other_ucking rocket. So fast.

I am against child labor in foreign countries. I am dead against plastic. I am deader against electrified shiftiness. I am against radial lacing- ain't seeing even 175lbs ever again. I am against internal routing- seriously, what a pain in the ass. I am against glaringly silver chainrings on an otherwise matte ride.

Why do I "own" it? Well, because it rides so nice. At our shop, we have what's called a "dealer agreement" and are required by this to purchase a certain number of bicycles at certain price points. Our owner, who is not coming at this from a cycling background, is coming at this from a background of being a flexible and open-handed fellow. To satisfy part of this agreement , he has instituted the policy of employee leasing- whereby we agree to build a certain number (so lowball! if you could have been there for the late night drunken speculation at the New Stairs regarding what that number might turn out to be..) of bikes off the clock in exchange for the use of the bike (almost whatever one we wanted) for a year. Next model year, the bike will be sold at cost and we all win.

So now I have the perfect storm regarding this plastic, electrified street bike. I grudgingly concede that carbon fibre rides hella sweet. But that ish breaks and is breakable. This frame is made from the orphaned tears of tatterdemalion(!)  6 year old Taiwanese robotic orangutangs, not by one of my so-called "friends" down the road. I would never, ever purchase it for myself, even if I could afford it. If my frame is made from blood sweat and tears- they should be the blood, the sweat and (most of all) tears of someone I can heckle at the local cross race.

As for the electric, well- it's middle fingers up to all of you, and especially to me. Gimme some friction shifting barcons and all is well. Repairable. Unbreakable. But- hand it to me for a year? Why the efff not?

So. I'mma show up at the Makers Meet tomorrow in Santa Cruz and talk mad shit about how great this bike is...from the back.


And if y'all need more, check this out.

proceeding apace

Things are tough all over. Blown out G springs, aluminum ferrules oxidized to barrel adjusters, unobtainable Sturmey Archer cable ends, missed deadlines. Traffic is insane down here cuz of the big golf show. Sitting in an idling car surrounded by other folks in idling cars makes me crazy. Part of it is the lack of consideration or attention shown by other drivers- for instance, if the "lady" in front of me at that one intersection would just pull up the car length she left in front of her, another car (at least) could get through the light. Funny how none of that stuff affects me when I'm gadding about on a bike.

Relatedly, we rode those commuter trails under the real night after the full moon moonlight and it was dappled perfection. The NeckRomancer excels at rolling around half in the bag on barely visible singletrack. Suits me.

A straight line exists between me and the good thing. I have seen that line and it's direction is known to me.

press relations have soured

A few thoughts in relation to our recent long driving Road Trip...

Did y'all see "Crazy Heart"? My favorite part of that movie is Bad Blake getting out of his car and his belt buckle is undone. That is the only way to log some miles comfortably.

Fast lane, slow lane. Learn which is which.

Old friends who "jokingly" assign themselves the 2nd tier by saying "we are old". WTF? As cliche as it might be, stupid as stupid does. Or something. Give me a break! I'm fucked if I'll knuckle under based on numbered days. Everbody's gotta start where they are; handicaps fall where they may so let's get to the getting anyhow. What's the alternative?

POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE, MY PEOPLES. You are kidding yourselfs if you think you got hardships anyhow, you.





Lastly, for now, the Full Wolf Moon is nominally scheduled for Monday the 9th but has been postponed until Wednesday the 11th. Unless I beg off cuz I'm old.

traveling through this old Life

Wow.

You know how your pedaling can be without effort? Even on the climb?

Yeeeeeeeesss. It's like that. Like that. Like.

there's something else...

A wiki wiki wiki.



Sorry? No, really. Are you ready for the time of your Life? Seriously. I look at the clock, at the old clock on the wall, and it is almost time for cyclocross?!?

Duuuuuuuude. It is August!

Welp, the 1st race round these parts is CCCx #1, on Sunday, September 11th! Heck yes, that's real soon. D says he wants to race 14/unders this year. I support that. Whooo! I support that a lot. But, I'm a little concerned this means I may have to race as well, and I have the poor fitness.

And, plus, I have it on the poor authority that Surf City will step up this year again and as well- beginning October 30th. BAM! Perhaps some more Peak Season, too? You tell me.

I may have some work reschedulin' to do.



You may have some more Isley Bros to listen to.

Who wants to race?! Whooo! You know what they say about rubbing.

drawing the admiring gaze of all who have eyes to see

After 2 nights chasing the moon (sol0! You losers don't even care if a mountain lion eats me) I am dragging.



Dragging my arse up the hills of Toro Park. I have to get those trails wired at some point if I have designs on poaching the to-be-annexed 672 acres off the East end for camping and such.


This is a picture of poor product placement. I hit a dip, my rear wheel hit the koozied beer and kicked it sideways. Who has 2 thumbs and forgets a shock pump?


Lucky it didn't burst.

Trail riding in Toro is confusing. There are the usual intersecting trails to who knows, but several of what are clearly heavily ridden thoroughfares are signed as "No bikes".

I assume these signs are in error.

I took the likely singletrack (Gilson?) to the West side of the main road and ended up climbing Olasson until I found myself at the saddle. Airplane Trail seemed the good line from there, and it kind of was. Badly hoofed up (the cattle are so pesty there- terracing countless trails across the fall line and shitting everywhere) but shaded and somebody is maintenancing it. There's even a nicely placed slat bridge. Dumped out at the old homestead to climb a little more Ollason until I made the mistake of getting involved with Redtail Canyon. whoa. Lots of little ring grinding hoping the next corner would top out. You get in so far you have to keep going? I do. Cougar Ridge wound me down. Bumpy. Sandy. Hottt.
I will return, but it was a bummer driving 20 minutes to go for a ride. These trails may be worth hitting via cross bike this winter, when it's smoothed out some, but.



Hey, Texas in the 1980s, I remember you.

come and see a fat, old man sometime

D_____ and his buddy Q___ ventured out at dusk to see the original True Grit at the outdoor Forest Theatre. Bonfires at the corners of the stage and coozied beers in your hand. It's juice pouch if you're nasty.

Heading up the hill toward the dirt connector in the foggy twilight was sublime. I almost took a picture then. Wished I had a camera capable of catching those 2 bumbling their way down, across, and up on the way home; stiff, cold, and in the dark. Dark. Little headlamps pushing short cones into the fog, at nipple height to a one eyed fat man. But still- willing.

It makes me fog up meself, watching them pick up that torch. Westerns? The Duke? Filmed in Ridgeway? (D tripped on the location of the film when I explained it's nearness to his accustomed winter retreat- the Mountain Belle hut above Ouray.) But mostly the bumbling home in the dark aboard the bicycle.

Willing.



If you got 5:48 to spare, and you're willing, I think these 2 videos are ones to watch.



By now you know how we feel about Ry Cooder.

ridicule is nothing of which to be scared

For those of y'all who visit to keep up with the latest in bar styles and hippest music...



you are in luck, Friend.





D_____'s new bar set up on his new ride.



31.8 matte black riser mated to a frame matching white stem is out. Back-swept Nitto Jitensha (too narrow for me) held with whatever stem I had lying in the parts box (in this case Bontrager Race -oooooooh) that would work is in. I also shoved his saddle forward.



Don't hate. Celebrate.

Once upon a time called "Right Now"

Apologies for the cover, but there's no versions of Blaze Foley performing this one up on the Youtubes currently, and it's been my soundtrack of late. Skip to 41 seconds to avoid the talky talk:



...ride a bicycle but my ass gets sore. I used to be stupid, but I ain't no more. Might just be stupid to you...

Rain's been falling down relentlessly around here. Happily, this has not been a hindrance to my time atop the bicycle. I been riding till my ass gets sore. Lots of nighttime riding these days, now that I received some hand-me-down lights. Beat old Ni-Cad yellow tint Night Rider, but...it works! For what more could I ask? And, plus, Full Moon action keeps extending for days on either side of the waxing and the waning. It's been primarily fixed, since that's a good beater and who cares if it gets wrecked by weather/conditions? It just keeps quietly running.

Stay off the trails! Please. They are waterlogged but good. I know that mysterious yellow orb in the sky makes you wanna go get some, but really-let the trails drain first. I checked, and the wetlands in the Ord are lakes right now. We'll have water well into summer.

The boys and I been doing some maintenance (ask D about his bee stung ear and neck) for what that's worth (since the Monterey Pines keep dropping) and we believe we have found the new alternative to the demolished but lovingly remembered Stairs. Ask me where if you see me on the trails. You know, after they're dry...

do not fail to lend a hand and try to help him

Have a smile for him wherever you may meet him.

prepare for every possibility

Pilderwasser reminded me of Jane's Addiction. I haven't listened to them in years and years.


Remember?




So today. Select bike. Bounce bike. Hear rattle. Tighten rack. Tighten headset. Lube chain. Air tires.

Affix trailer. Spin wheel. Adjust cones (ignoring unfixable hop in wheel). Adjust cones. Adjust cones. Replace wheel. Tighten QR. Curse aloud. Adjust cones. Replace wheel. Tighten QR. Bounce trailer. Tighten pivot/cotter bolt. Bounce trailer. Load tools. Roll out.





Look at these oaks. This is still out there. There are these trails.


Surgical strike mission: repair Mudhen Express Overlook. Marginal success. I will say that the BOB trailer with a light load is a bouncing shit show. Some extra weight would have really helped to keep the trailer's hitch dropouts on the skewer. As it was they was a lot of rattling. A lot of rattling.

Is that Toro in the distance? Yes.

one of the few authentic mountain racers in the classical tradition

Damn.

put this in you

You feeling it?

I'm feeling it.

I prefer this one

so I'll repost it.



Merle does a nice cover, but it is a cover. And, here's one that won't break your heart, but may break you up:



Anyways.

emergency Bluegrass intervention

For Gunnar, who may be the only one who bothers to really listen:


To start.


Suffering. Familiar and well worn, like a climb that huuuuurts and is awesome.


Talk about your training.



...and if you wanna see some folks getting it right while updating, look no furtherer.

here's something relevant

Uma Kleppinger has some good things going on...



I polish my rivets by dint of hard pedaling.



The seat of my pants is shining like aluminum foil.

One for the rangers...

Sons of bitches always bore me.

Hey Paul.Hey Paul.Hey Paul, let's have a ball...

Whoa. Remember how good the Pixies are?

slow descent into madness

Listen to this:



and don't let that Seasonal Affect Disorder bite you in the ass: "The countenance of one man brighteneth another." La la la lala lalala, ride your bike, maing. That'll brighteneth your countenance. Especially if you keep your ish lubed.


The Kampe Monkey is held together with tics and creaks at this time. I fully expect the BB to explode any ride now. I am in desperate need of new drivetrains. (New drivetrains for all my bikes!) I gotta get it together and put some pieces back together. I wanted so badly to ride the fixed Crosscheck, but that's been disassembled since just prior to SSWC2009. Ditto the SC Blur, which I wanted to ride for the New Year's Blue Moon. What the hell?

Whatever. I rode my bicycle and it was as Good as Good can be. (Could have been better with a new drivetrain, just sayin')


Reload on the one side. I heard something large in the bushes and cut the stop short to haul ass down the hill.

Through Monterey briefly, and then back up the ridge and over for some more dirt. Chased a roadie who attempted (but was unable- !haha! you backwards glancing utha ucka) to drop me, only to slingshot off his draft through the apex of the curve and into the dip leading onto doubletrack. Yessssss, it feels good to apply maximum effort and just feel that jump. Short lived, ok sure- but that feeling. I love that. It feels good to go fast.


Brief stop in the other woods to resupply there.





So my Program of Excellence (wherein I kick ass at every opportunity by, like, doing the dishes or mopping the floor, or doing the laundry, etc) was/is on. To this end, I got home and swept and mopped and did laundry...and then swapped bikes for the Big Dummy to go and fetch J. We'd been on (high tens all around) for a trailer bike ride home yesterday only I cannot find the hitch. My Program of Excellence should include cleaning my bench area. He was all fired up to ride and then disappointed to drive, so I thought I'd surprise him today. I rode the 9 miles out the valley and arrived at 4pm. Turns out L had picked him up for his new basketball league at 2:30pm.
Oops.
The Big Dummy feels like crap. The rear brake is binding someplace along it's (literally) 6 foot cable/housing span. I keep remembering that it needs some kind of kiddie derailleur protector mounted over the caliper, too. The load presses in and effs up the caliper action. I remember this when on the bike, but promptly forget to address it when at home. {Note to self.} Also, the frame feels off in it's tracking. I hope it's just that I am unused to it. I tried hard for it to be fun in spite of mishaps, and it kind of was.

Bikes. And bike riding.


Oh, hey! Do I have your size Small charcoal Chrome knickers? Hows about your long sleeve woolen Hunter Cycles jersey? Perhaps a part (wtf?) of your clip-on fender? Cuz none of that is mine.



Finally: Holy ________! I am so blown away by Lyrics Born!!!! People who know: why did you let me sleep?! People who don't know: please turn this up



now you know.

bay bay won't you keep me...HAPPY

Stones over Beatles. Heart over mind.




Please. Please do not sleep on Thin Lizzy.




Yep.




You see where all this is heading of course. Yes. You do.