158: And Another Thing.

This has happened to me twice lately. We will be riding along and I will pull out my camera to snap a photo. Then, as if guided by a higher power whomever I am riding with will increase their pace at such great speeds as to not only drop me, but also ruin what could have been a perfectly decent photo.

Although I do kind of like the one above. Its blurry qualities convey something of an immediacy, speed. Both good things. Joe was riding his Seven and has it all kitted out with full wrap fenders and whatnot. Mine should be done early this week. Not my Seven, my fendered bike. It is an old timer for me. The first (real) road bike that I bought. Ah, resurrection can be such fun. Right Jesus?

While you are looking through Seven's site you might notice that they have something of a Gift Buying Guide going on. I love these, I really do. Make fun of me if you will, I do not mind at all. But it is only because I want, want, want. Maybe it has something to do with the culture that we live in, a way that I was brought up (doubt it) or maybe I just like nice new shit. Either way, Gift Buying is fun. So, when you are looking through theirs — I'll take the Tiberus Handlebar.

The next day after another little ride with CD I stopped by 21st Avenue Bicycles. This is the shop that our pal Kyle manages and does a pretty damn fine job if you ask me. I was surprised to see the CHUB made its way back onto the market. Remember when those things? They got it figured out, and they definitely look good. Or at the very least their packaging looks good.

Our little buddy, ready for action, one David Rose used to ride these on his Hot Tubes track bike up in New Hampshire. God damn if that bike/wheel combo wasn't the hottest thing around. That blue Hot Tubes was something to envy. Light, stiff and fast as fuck. Or maybe that was Dave? And now he is an amazing mechanic right here in North Portland. Hi Dave. Miss you.

He was the first to introduce me to the CHUB. As soon as he pulled them out and attached them to his bike pangs of jealousy swept over me. Although that was always prone to happen around Dave because he always had the sweetest bikes and always got the best deals on them. To say that I learned a thing or two from that skinny understudy to M. McCormack would be an understatement.

And we're back...

The other thing that I noticed while there (ok, there were a couple things) was this Ira Ryan frame hanging from their ceiling. There are a few more photos of it on their blog, but I am really digging this paint job. I think that the guys from Coat do all of his work, and if this is an example of it, well, then I am sold.


While I was in there we were discussing the Magic Flute pump from the PDW guys that Kyle wrote about a few weeks ago. I was carrying it with me at the time and commented on its size and portability and even thought of offering it to one of his mechanics to try out, as he was in the market for a new pump. I thought better of it and then headed on my way.

Only to get a flat tire four blocks away.


Carey made these tool rolls for the Rapha Continental riders this summer past. I had not really thought about all the craftsmanship that went into them until I unfurled it for the first time the other day. They look great and work perfectly when stuffed up under your saddle. Secure in place with a toe strap (see this) and you're good to go. Eli from Lemolo Bags crafted them out of waterproof cordura (I made that up, it could be something else) from Carey's designs.

And keep a watchful eye on the Continental part of the site this week as well. The Lost River Barn ride should be going up on Tuesday. This was one of the best most epic-est (that is not a real word) rides I have ever done. Taxidermy, banjos, moonshine and all.

157: An Introduction, and Drilled out Parts.

I'll wait seven minutes. Go watch the video titled Laatste Ronde Wereldbeker Koksijde. The last lap of this cross race got me pumped this afternoon. I even thought about bike racing for a few minutes. It hurt both my brain and my legs, but it looks like fun. (The above was from Cyclocross Middlekere last December.) Sterling is this weekend and I miss it, I really do miss it. It always seemed like one of the tougher races of the year. Maybe it was because I double flatted on the line two years ago?

Have done a little bit of riding over the break. Lots of coffee, lots of food, lots of friends, little bit of riding. Feels good and makes it so that you can eat more leftovers. Which, I do not care what anyone says, is the point of making tons of food. I made Mashed Potato Pancakes this morning. And I will do it again. You just watch.

Saw quite a bit of the Embrocation Cycling Journal Kit in the past few days as well. Thanks to everyone who sends over photos when you see guys out rocking it. It makes me happy.

Photo Dave Roth

One example of this would have to be this photo of Abby Jenkins. She is the newest racer to the Embrocation family and I have to say, for her second season (I think that is right) she has been Killllling it. A handful of top-tens in the Women's A races at the Cross Crusade this year. With a strong finish in the mud at Barton Park taking 7th, which put her at 9th in the overall. The best part, she is also really awesome and really really nice. Those are both requirements for the Racing squad. Niceness and Awesomeness. Have yet to figure out a proper measurement scale for the Awesome.

This second one, also by Official HUP United Team Director/Photographer Extraordinare Dave Roth is also great. But what is even more remarkable about it is, well one, that I am hiding in the background and two, that at this exact moment two photographers pushed the buttons on their cameras. That is me dressed as a green Bibendum - the Michelin man's real name "Bib" for short. Next to me in the red is one Mike Davis - PDX Cross Photographer and all around great guy. He shot the Oregon Manifest Contstructors Challenge Race and besides that rumor has it that he worked for the White House...

This Krugers race was pretty fun. Despite the beer spray in the face. Lots and lots of mud is always a good thing. But the light was pretty awesome there as well. Had some fun photographing Ira Ryan's Cross bike before the race. Solar flares I love you. You make things look so nice and pretty, unless you are in a Michael Bay film (like Transformers2 - so bad - so wrong) then dear Solar flare, you are overused and make me tired.

Three highlights here are this.

1) His Font. Pretty amazing and looks great when this big. If I were to get an Ira Ryan (a boy can dream can't he?) the logo would be displayed in this way. This is also similar to the one that Bill Strickland got on his bike, and we know that if there is anyone to try and imitate these days, it would be him.

2) FSA SL-K Brakes. New new new goodness. Test pilot.

3) This is how to lighten up your Rival brake levers. Sure, sure, it voids the warranty on these bad boys, but you wanted light, right? Things to note here are the distance between them (apparently Ira did this without a guide) and that he used a smaller gauge bit as he descended the lever. That, my friends is PRO. Maybe Ira should also give people lessons on how to PRO up their bikes (#1 Ride at the Front, always.)

This week/weekend though has been a whirlwhind tour of whipped potatos and leisurely paced rides, which I cannot argue with at this moment. But that is only because I am planning peak number 23 of the year to happen right around the time of Cyclocross Nationals. Wait, that is something like one peak every two weeks...

We shall see about that.

156: In Your Eye.

So, last week Kyle wrote this nice write up about the Magic Flute on the Embrocation Cycling Journal site. I could tell that the kind folks over at PDW were really stoked about it as well. Want to know how? Because they emailed me to tell me. Then they sprayed me in the face with a can of beer.

mean I get it, that is just kind of how you do things around here (in the cycling industry?). In fact I'm thinking of trying it the next chance I get. Maybe even on Thursday when everyone is gathered around the turkey I'll break it out...

Someone will go "So, thanks everyone for coming, I just wanted to say..." and that is when I strike "Blammo!" can of beer in your face. And then we laugh at the hilarity of the situation.

Lets not gloss over the real issue behind that video though.

What happened after I set my bike down in the mud? Where did the slipping out of my control come from and why? Was it the mud on the ground? It was quite slick and deep there. Maybe it was the mud on my bike? There were certainly a few laps when I had some trouble getting the bike over the barriers as it weighed something close to 50 lbs when the race was through. Either way, thanks for the beer D.

Now is the season for buying. Now is the season for Wanting. Want on this.

Freeman Transport - Fine Leather Goods.

Some nice goods arrived from the folks over at Freeman Transport the other day. Beautiful looking leather goods. While you are over there check out the hot new Blog portion of their site. It includes some of the finest names in the industry. One day you might find something from Oakley, Sidi or even Chris Distefano. The next it could be Rapha, MASH, or Secret Forts. The two that I'm liking recently are James Selman's Armstrong Beloki post and Garrett Chow's secret Wiccan ceremony with his bike.


In any case, helped along by Billykirk (never quite been able to figure these guys out until now) these are some pretty fantastic looking pieces. These double toe straps are the sturdiest looking straps I have ever seen. Giving ol Mr. Christophe a run for his money.

However the Passport Holder is the sexiest of the lot. Maybe my hankering for travel has swayed me in this direction though. I keep thinking back to the winter cross in Belgie and the Spring campaign this year. What is it going to be? Off the beaten path or tried and true? Either way the Passport Holder is going to get me there....

Chris Milliman - The Cover Prints

Keep wanting because I have a few more for you. Chris Milliman prints are looking pretty good this time of year. Word on the street is that he is going to be in this area for the USGP and Nationals (maybe?). Hopefully we will be able to find some crazyness to get into with all the mayhem that is sure to ensue. Check out his most recent blog post to see what happens when he hangs out with Lars Boom. No big deal.



Word on the street was that Boom was taking all this time off to just prep for Worlds. Then he is going to swing back in there like he was not gone at all and snatch that shit up. Or something like that. I will be curious to see how that race pans out this year. But we need to get through Nationals first... Who is it going to be?

More Later. Always, more later.

155: Word of Mouth

I have been alternating between laughing, crying, throwing up and crying when I just watch this video. I started out laughing because I thought it was a joke. Oh, look, there is Brian Bell in a Snuggie. Well, is that not hilarious or what? Then this dark spot grew over my heart when I realized that it was true. Can someone please order this for me? I really want to hear their new album. Seriously, you get a free copy of their album with every purchase. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Just sayin.

Moving on. Way on.

photo by Dan Sharp

Did anyone else think that Sigourney Weaver was hot in Alien? Not just because she was all sweaty (partly though) but because she kind of kicked some Alien ass as well? She is now speaking delicately to me through Planet Earth, Shallow Seas 2007. Very nice what they can do with the HD these days.

Over this a-way I wrote a little bit over here about being able to catch up with the Embrocation Racing Team over in the Boston area. I did not do such a great job as James and Perri were the only two that I got to see race. And of course Colin Murphy. He will be cleaning out his Spooky locker and moving it over to the Embrocation locker-room at the end of the Cross season. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty excited about this.

Not only is he a great guy to hang out and chat with. But he also understands the meaning of the word Embrocation (that is his leg on the left of frame in the above photo). In fact, and this may be a little known fact to Colin himself, but he was the first person to utter this very word to me. I went home that night, I had been trying to figure out a name for this little publication that I was kicking around ideas for... and I said, outloud, to no one in particular, "what was the word that Colin kept using for the stuff that we put on our legs?" And there you have it. True story.

So, I took this picture (see below) for Colin. I figured because he is an Engineer that he could decipher some sort of a meaning from the symbols contained within. I stood and looked at the paint on the grass for some time before giving up on that BS.

The stage was definitely set for a cross race at Plymouth South High School though. Mist falling over the grounds a McCormack brother racing, Matt Budd with his Gentle Giant stairs a-la Arrested Development pretty great day of racing all in all. However, I do have to say that the Gentle Giant truck was not only a great spot of entertainment for the kids, but it also offered me the best view of the start of the race. At first I was not quite sure as to how I was going to see it, what with the throngs pressing in and the sheer number of participants. With the Gentle Giant Challenge Truck there to help me out I was all set.


Off to bed now, where I will force myself into a Lucid Snuggie Weezer dream. Thanks guys for keeping it real. One more question though, does this make all our experiences together in High School not real too?

Snuggie...
Snuuuuuuggggiiiieeee.

Weird.

154: Everything Will Be Ok — Part Three (things)

1) Has everyone seen this already?

Maybe I just missed it. Sir Paul Smith doing a trackstand? Nay, stop the presses. Sir Paul Smith doing a No Handed Trackstand. I would say that is worth noting. Hipsters. Adam Meyerson take f-ing note. If you can be Knighted, as in everyone has to call you Sir, AND can do trackstands you automatically win. Whatever it is, you win. Now, all we have to do is get Paul Smith to do Trackstands for the queen herself (not Cavendish, the other queen) and we should be all set. Has this been passed around by the troops and I just missed it? (found via Daisuke's Twitter)

2) Chris King's Foray into the Future.

I know, I know, it has been a long time coming, but I think now could be the time. Check out what is happening over in Mellow land down in Austin. Here is a photo of the new Ceilo Cross Bike. Blue, blue is good. What about Purple though? Anyone have any idea what happened with Purple? How do we get that one back? Or the one that they did for Vanilla. That blue that was almost a, well it was an annodized Blue. (Cielo Twitter or Flickr, you choose - try both)

Speaking of which. I thought I saw that cross bike somewhere else. At NAHBS last year. Could be a different bike, or maybe it was because I was distracted by the EDGE Carbon wheels this time around. I have to say, I'm kind of digging the low profile carbon. What is everyone's take on that? How far off are we to just riding all carbon all the time? Anyone have any R-Sys I can borrow?

Here is a little more about Cielo from Chris Aguirre (he left Portland for greener pastures, boo.)

3) Cyclocross Nationals in Bend, Oregon.

I wish that I had a twitter account to link you to with this one. Is it going to be a knock down dragout fight here in Oregon? Will the hometown hero (Trebon) be able to bring it home? Or will it rain more than .025 of an inch and then the out of towner (Johnson) will pretty much run away with it? Or, option three (personally the one I'm rooting for) is that D. Timmerman (oh bearded one) walks away with it. Or at the very least sneaks it in to the top ten. It is going to be big, it is going to be awesome. Keep your eyes peeled for some of that action.

153: Everything Will Be Ok — Part Two.

First off I wanted to re-post this video that I believe Bikesnob put together. But let it be known that I do not condone this type of behavior. People should not Do The Marijuana. Anyone having anything to do with the Devil's Drug should be punished. Like whats his name, Phelps -The sinner. I mean swimmer. And the Sumo Wrestler who was just kicked Out of the Sport. Maybe a little harsh there guys.

Also there is this:
Marty from Geekhouse was one of the people that I was hoping to meet up with while in Boston. That however, did not happen. Sorry Marty. He is a great guy though and it makes me happy when people put together bike racing teams. Especially ones with great people and crazy looking kits. Oh yeah, and David Wilcox races for them, and he is pretty much the best. So, there's that.

I also saw Marty when I was in Vegas in September past. It was not that long ago. This is still relevant. He was hanging around the SDG Saddles booth when I saw him. He helped to design a saddle for those guys. The (Allston) Rock City (personally, when I lived there, I called it Awefulston, but that's just me) He showed me his kit at the same time. Ah-mazing. In any case, go hang out with these guys at the Middlesex.


Forward.

I had some responses to my comment about not sitting next to attractive people on airplanes. I appreciate those responses. Really I do. It makes me think that you are reading this. Which apparently you are. It also made me think really hard about whether or not I have actually sat next to someone attractive on an airplane.

1) I sat next to Ira Ryan once. He is pretty. But I am not talking about people that you went to the airport with. I am talking coincidence.

2) Michelle Rodriguez and I were on the same flight through Atlanta. She is attractive, but she does not count as a real person. And I did not sit next to her.

3) Sat in the middle of a Women's Volleyball Team. I was a little excited at first. Until I realized that they could and would break me into little pieces if they wanted too. And they weren't attractive... its not that I am hating on unattractive people here. Just pointing out FACT. Like the Carbon stuff from Specialized.

But feel free to relay your stories to me. That is what I ultimately want to be, a conduit in the storytelling world. Let us create our own folklore here people. Rich Bravo, I'm directing this at you. Because if anyone out there has a story about sitting next to someone attractive, it is going to be you. Do not hold back.

One last thing for you. This shop PAPERCUT just started carrying Embrocation. I read about it last year in Monocle and thought to myself. Wow, if only a really sweet shop like this would carry Embrocation that would make me really happy. And now they do. And then when I typed "Embrocation" in the Sök bar. Yes, I just typed "ö".

152: Everything Will Be Ok — Part One.

Somehow I always piss a lot of people off when I go back to Boston. But trust me I do not do it on purpose. And god damn if my liver does not hurt. I am sorry buddy, I know that when you suffer we all suffer. Just remember what that wrestling poster in the High School Cafeteria said Pain is Temporary, and Awesome. Bring it. And then, while you are standing there reading it someone on the wrestling team sneaks up behind you and twists your arm until you screech in pain and lie face down on the floor. I think that is how it went anyway.

Here was my little list of travels.

Can I interject, on myself, to ask a question here? Has anyone ever sat next to someone attractive on an airplane? Do attractive people fly? Or are they just transported via sunshine and stripper dust to wherever they need to go? Just a passing thought. Don't read into it too much.

Ok, back to the trip. Get on plane fly to Boston. Land and get picked up by James with a sweet Ridley bicycle perched atop his car. Head directly over and check out Superb Bicycle. Relish in its amazingness. But only for a short time and then go next door and drink as many pints of Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA. However can I just say that the shop is looking great and if you are in the area head over and check this one out. Also pal Meighan is throwing a little art show over there the first week of December, so you may want to check that out too because it looks like these guys are moving AND shaking things up over there.


The other thing that was pretty neat about this night was finding out that Jason Hollingsworth (you may remember him as DJ Mayhem from our party in Vegas) has a hidden talent. Fret not, it is not as weird as it sounds. Just hidden. Besides doing all the ordering for the shop, aside from heading up all the renovations that turned little Boston Bicycle into the hip boutique that you see before you... he also folds a mean Paper Airplane. Yes. Paper Airplane.

In fact if you dig deep enough, into HIStory you might even find a champion of flight. Our little Jason was in fact a state champion Paper Airplane competitor. Longest in flight I think was his event. One could not even make up stuff like this. Too good.

Again, I am not going to lie. I was this close (imagine me holding my thumb and forefinger about an inch apart) to buying that Nari Furi jacket that J was rocking. That thing looks good. A little crazy for my tastes but then again I never claimed to have taste like Jase (I was trying to rhyme just then.)

And that was just the first few hours of the trip... What is left you could be asking yourself?

Well, I will give you a little precursor and then try to maintain my focus for the rest of the week. Or night? Or just the next few hours. We'll see what happens.



On Deck.
-Andrew drinks me under the table at the Middlesex 5 Year Aniversary.
-Meeting with JC from Selectism (he was there drinking too and we didn't know)
-I missed your sweet sweet scents Bloc11
-Tyler, Clint and David Lee from IF are people too. Good people. Great people.
-Kaiko and I drink our combined weight (110lbs collectively) in coffee.
-Realize I forgot my computer charger.
-Drink to forget problems (it is the city, not me)
-Shove Chocolate Truffles in face when realizing that meal was not happening.
-Think about racing Cyclocross, don't.
-Phone in some Tweets.
-Hello Seven Cycles.
-Tosci's has great Egg sandwiches.

And all this while attempting to vacate from an old apartment. Where do the days go?

151: Stop Motion.

Just watched the new Grizzly Bear Video and thought that you should too. It is a nice song and a fucking amazing video. Found it through Its Nice That. Have you seen that website? You should certainly check it out. Great format.

If you crave more of Allison Schulnik.

This reminds me of a time in Film School when we were required to make stop motion films. I had the Genius (dumb) idea to have a pumpkin carve itself. It was fall, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. In any case I spent about 20+ hours seated in front of my camera, painstakingly - inch by inch carving this intricate face into this pumpkin. Now you have to remember that this was a time before the boom of video...

In any case, I was so goddamned proud of myself for carving this pumpkin, for keeping my cool all through the night and not rushing through it. So when the film finally came back from processing and I found out that none of it actually turned out...I gave up on stop motion.

But I am glad that other people can make it work, because it looks great and I feel like I have some sort of appreciation for the time it takes. I put over twenty hours into my little short that was just under a minute.

It also reminds me of the amazing Filmic talents of Jan Svankmajer. Here is one example it is called Meat Love. Molly, if you are reading this, look away. I would not want this to taint your Vegan race career.

150: Ride till you Yak.

photo courtesy Brian Ellin

Before I start...if you have not taken a look. Go over to Cool Hunting and check out the little interview that I did with Brian Fitchner. Great people over that way, thanks for the props guys...

I thought there should be something really dramatic about the 15oth post of the year.

Would it be about the experience in the mud last weekend? Or the Thunderdome that Dylan and his Yakima crew erected in the middle of P.I.R.? Or how CD swung from said Thunderdome like a half naked Chimp throwing Marshmallows at people's heads?

Or Maybe it should be something product related... how nice the Edge Wheels handle in the Mud (seriously, those Cubus tires - the jam) or how the Edge Bar and Stem combo rattled the teeth in my tiny head (size small helmet) in a good way. Maybe how I just kept hitting the Ridley Cross bike and it just kept hitting back? So good, so functional, so great looking.

It could also be an analysis of the Single Speed Worlds. I mean, Brian (from Raliegh) and Virg (from Shimano) helped me, but I got a pretty kick ass little single speed going for this race. I only lasted about three laps and then I got a piece of someones skirt, or wig, or maybe it was the bacon handup (no joke) but either way I could not take any more of the circus act (I was bonking hard) so I just stopped. Somehow that seemed like an ok thing to do at that point...

Check out Brian's photos from the race. He shot them on his Yashika T5. And I officially want one of these now. So, if you feel like sending me a camera. I will put it to good use photographing people and hoping that they turn out this good. Seriously, I am ready, hand it over.

In the first photo is Ryan from the Veloshop. Seriously, I want to hug this man whenever I:
a) see him.
b) hear his shouts from across the course.
c) look at my bike.


My only question is this... what is going on behind these two beautiful ladies? Eyes up my man. Keep moving, nothing to see here...this is a married woman and her sexy (also taken) friend. I get why you might be doing what you are doing, but keep an eye out for the cameras. The nerve of some people. And you there in the Red. Why are you hugging yourself like that? It just looks weird. No one else is doing that...

In any case, look through his Flickr as there are some really great photos and captions there. My favorite is Dr. Dinosaur and the Seahorse Captain. Whatever that means. Go have a look. Then, when you are done looking there. Take a look at a couple other sites that B runs. Both Race.cx and The Cyclocross News.

And that, my friends was a pretty great little race day we had there. I did get some photos of the Thunderdome as they were putting the finishing touches on it. I know they are around here somewhere...

149: More Norddal.

Looking forward to the upcoming weekend. This video confirms it. Am listening to the patter of the rain at the moment it warms my heart. I started watching this little video and thought "yes, this is what we need." Can I also just say that Dylan is pretty bad ass in the mud. Watch his start, he rides away from everyone. The "flat bar guy" from the Signal team (which is how he will forever be known to me) the rest of the Vigilantes, and well, everyone else. And then came in with a Top 20. Bam.


Molly Cameron got some good footage in there as well. Maybe she knew that she was being filmed and wanted to review this later? Or maybe Dylan is just getting amped for this weekend and was riding away from everyone? Just a thought.

Ace Thumbs up to Mr. James Crowe though. Day Two he killed it in a nice fashion. By Winning.

I am not going to lie, I am psyched to try out the Single Speed category this weekend. My first ever foray into the world of bicycle racing was on a Single Speed Mountain Bike in the W.O.R.S. races a couple years ago and J. LaLonde kicked my ass. I am quite sure it will resemble that in some way.

Vigilantism.
While we are at it, can someone please comment that the Bike Vigilante's Website just took a turn for the awesome? Seriously, was it this beefed up a week ago? I do like how Major Van Weelden started out strong and not-so silent and then slipped into an Avett Bros induced soft delirium near the end. Way to go buddy.

Will this somehow play into the weekends festivities? If so, I will put on flat-bars no problem. That way I can "keep it fresh all over the course." It is what you have to do.

Norway.
I am not saying Norddal anymore. It just looks odd with its two "d's" and I am not Norwegian. I am Scottish and therefor probably too drunk on Sheep Dip to give too "d's" go. It is in my blood. Yet that being said, the new photo essay of "Norddal" looks fantastic and so does the finished product.

It is official. I like things that are printed, on paper, and this is one of those.


PVB was asking about this one. Apparently he saw Slate leak a few of the photos to twitter earlier in the day. I only know this because I was actually holding up said photos. So, I guess they were not leaked at all. We did the usual catalog treatment this year, but also did something with Ben Ingham's photos that are a little different.


The front cover gives the co-ordinates of Norway in case you were interested in plugging it in to your Garmin and going for a ride. Or better yet. Just plug it in to Google Maps and see what happens. I will even give it to you so that you do not have to figure out how to type "degrees" in. (alt 0). I am just going to run it because it is pretty amazing.

62º 17' 32" N, 7º 26' 18" E

Norddal

Flickr if you so choose.

Do not really have too much to say after something like that. I know why Ira Ryan looks so good in all these photo shoots. Because every time he goes out there he goes for broke. It is as easy as that. You cannot get much more simple and beautiful than that. And apparently you cannot get much more simple and beautiful than Norddal or Norway or whatever you want to call it.

Why do I have the (good) feeling that it is going to be another muddy morning tomorrow?