186: TJ Does it Right-er.

Tim Johnson's Twitpic.
Looks like it was a new bike Tuesday.
I love those days. So hot with the National Champ Colors.

Go Tim!
Channel Cru Jones.

His Twitter so that you can tell him good luck at Worlds: twitter.com/johnswah or just follow his exploits from the sidelines.

There is still some CX racing left to do.

185: Sven Nys Does it Right.

The Golden Globes were the other night. Did anyone watch that? I did and I thought everything about it was funny. Possibly lost a few Twitter followers at the same time, but whatever, you were not taking those awards too too seriously were you? I think that Ryan Thomson summed it up best in a text to me later that night "It is like the Cat4 of the Awards shows." And I could guess what CAT1 and 2 are, but what do you think CAT3 would be? Toronto Film Festival Awards? Banff?

Here were some of my favorite moments of the show:

1) Ricky Gervais openly drinking on the screen - right before introducing Mel Gibson.

2) James Cameron speaking in Na'vi (I typed "Nabis" and then looked it up) his retelling of Pocahontas is supposedly phenomenal, but when he spoke, I swear I heard papyrus. (found via Viewers Like You on Twitter)

3)Mickey Rourke

3.5) I'm not even going to mention the T. Phinney cancer blunder, because the NY Times Twittered about Michael C. Hall's head wear. That's the New York Times. Phinney is a child and should have his cell phone taken away. NYT, well they should know better. Thank god for this guy. I wonder what actually happens in "Media Training Day?"

Truth*

4) TJ trying to bust me out for being a hippy and watching TV in PDX. Are you fucking kidding me? Television is hilarious. I just watched a Hershey's ad with two Mermaids (well, one was a Merman) swim through a chocolate ocean to find a treasure chest full of almonds. Life cannot get much better than that. Besides Hippies watch tv and have golden retrievers, and drive jettas, and "make" dreads with their hair.

5) That Ninja Assassin got overlooked. And so did Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus (can someone tell me why it took so long for us to hear that Lorenzo Llamas AND Debbie Gibson are in this?)

Besides, go easy on me Cycling Fans. This is what I went to school for, studied if you will. I tried to take every class I could about Cycling, but then I realized that there were no classes about Mountain Biking or the Specialized Rock Hopper which were the two things that I was really into.

So, I took film classes instead and then rode through homeless camps on my Rock Hopper down by the river on my free time (truth.) But this is also why I think I like You Might Find Yourself so much. You can pretty much post any photo of Toshiro Mifune and I will be hooked. Or T. Malick (what indeed is up with Tree of Life?), or an interview with the guy who designed the Funny Games movie poster and how Tim Roth wouldn't have worked with it. Those are all good things.

But so is this...

P.S. have you guys been following this Sven Nys book? Molly let me borrow it at the beginning of the cross season. Ok, well, it might have been earlier in the summer, but check it out MC, I still got it. This book kills me too. Sven does it all and goes the distance in terms of skills, and even in a few cases bikes. He'll take a turn on the MTB...or should I say VTT?

He finds time to put his toe in the "Zand" and I'm guessing talk about the implications of finding that dreadful adversary on the cyclocross course. I for one am a big fan of Zand... seems like a feature that the West Coast cross races are really lacking. Gloucester had it, Northhampton and Beacon CX had it... and no one can seem to find a sandpit out here.

But Nys also talks about running which is nice. Seriously here, could we not have found him a Rabobank Track Suit? Or little running shorts with a slit up the side? Actually, I do not think that fans of Sven would even know what to do if they saw him in "Street Clothes." Last year when Molly and I were travelling there we did see some clothes from the Sven Nys Collection, but those have mysteriously disappeared from the interwebs. Fear not, I have the catalog (do you have it MC?) Somewhere and will dig it out...


Don't worry, I saved the best for last. Think about this one next weekend when you are watching the World Championships unfold (Stybar! Stybar!). Think about his son Tibeaux who has been watching daddy's every move (I mean look at that armor.) Please, every parent that is out there, make a book like this about your profession and then give it to your child.


But really, the payoff here is that Molly re-created this photo (from Memory no less.) I smell new rider cards coming on. Maybe something with Dolphins, Sven-like poses and maybe Debbie Gibson? You Down?



*sorry about the poor photos.

184: Commute and an Ira Ryan bicycle.

So, I do not know if you have noticed it around town here, but there are a lot of people commuting via bicycle. Which is why commuting is fun late at night because no one else is out there doing it. You can cruise along, every once in a while seeing another cyclist on the road.

And then you run into the super commuter. And he wants to race, or at the very least, he wants you beat. Or at the very, very least, he wants you off his tail. Now, normally I don't mind these types of people. Well, I do mind them, but normally I do not let them get to me. You see, one needs to hold on to that little seed of competition, nurture it, feed it little bits of emotion and talent, and then — and only when it is ready — Unleash! But not on commuters.

Do not let these people coax it out of you. Seriously.

Already spent too much time on that one. Speaking of commuting, I may have found one of the nicest commuter, or "porteur," bicycles that I have ever seen. When I went to meet Dan Sharp at Extracto last weekend I saw it casually leaning out in front. I was scared and a little bit shy at first, but after working up some amount of courage I sidled on up and asked if I could take some photos of her. Not a big deal...


Everything about this bike was done right. The colors (a beautiful concoction close to the Celeste), the logo color (Gold), the fork and front rack (cream), the choice of parts - Ultegra - Elixir and Chris King, and even the saddle and grips are tight. Seriously guys, great job putting this together.

Big fan of the off color fork. I think that the days of same color fork are behind us. Can we get together on this one please? Nah, I'm just kidding, but I do like that we're mixing it up these days and the guys at Coat, (I think) did a great job with this bike. Look at that gold sparkle.

I have been trying to convince Molly to highlight the Gold in her kit for the next iteration of the PBS team kit. We'll see how that turns out. But I really think that the Gold could highlight each and every one of the members of that team. And by members I mean individuals. Stay gold ponyboy.


Now try to wrap your grubby little paws around this one. The PDW Dapper Dan leather grip. Gee I wonder who that is named after. In fact this brings up a good point. The last time I saw Mr. Powell he again tried to blast me in the face with a beer - ok, to be fair - it was more of a joking replica of the last scenario - but it made me nervous none the less. More awesome grip making, less beer in the face spraying guys. What is this? A Iowa-Grant High School Field Party? Yes? Ok, just checking...

Ten Speed thumb shifter? Sheldon pushed so hard for these, you don't even know. And Elixir? No idea what this is or what it means, but it looks nice and that is way more than half the battle. Especially when it comes to a disc brake.

-----------------------------------------
TV interlude - Late Night
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Anyone else notice these things?
1) Sci-Fi Channel changed itself to "ScyFy" weird?
2) Carson Daly is better than Jimmy I-Want-To-Jam-My-Fist-In-Your-Ear Fallon
3) Somehow Jimmy IWTJMFIYE Fallon still gets good guests like Sigourney (hot) and Jeremy (Hurt Locker) Renner - fucking rad people - shitty host.
------------------------------------------

No rattly fendos with this little guy in place. What a great addition. This is what you get when you hire one of these "Ar-tease-ans" to build your bicycle. And even though it looks like a piece of art, that does not mean that you should not be beating the piss out of this thing.

The non-traditional pump peg is another great addition. Whenever I see people riding with their pumps jammed next to the seat tube, angled in between the seat and chain stays I get nervous. What if you hit a particularly jarring bump in the road? And that little bad boy goes all Breaking Away in the spokes of your rear wheel. - I know that you do this Gus - but it still makes me nervous, no matter how exquisitely PRO you are.

Top this beaut off with a Brooks and some CK hubs. Maybe the toughest built in rack that you have ever seen and you've got yourself a little "porteur" action going on. This is how you do it Grant. A little bit race (which you get with every Ira Ryan) a little bit Gucci (which you get with Gold) and a little bit travel (porteur) and you have a racy sturdy steed that is worth of any wall or showroom out there...

Ok, sleep time. The new issue is coming along swimmngly. In case you were wondering. Is anyone going to the NAHBS? Because it is going to be released there. At our booth. Yes, you read that right. At the booth. Stop by.

183: A Few Things

Just going to jump right into this one.

1) Chris Milliman's photos are showing at Bloc 11 Cafe in Sommerville. Go see this, if you are into that sort of thing. Here are a few shots from the show, but it looks to be a doozy. In a good way. I incorrectly guessed some of the style of photographs and was quickly and justly corrected by Mr. Milliman himself.

"No, dude, those are original 4x5 Polaroids, shot with a Speedgraphic press camera and Pola back. One of a kind originals! One-of-one. There's even a selection of 5 CX 4x5 Polaroids I shot in belgium, they're in the back hall...they're f-in dope."


I guess that is more than you can hope for in an artists statment. Intrigue, exclusivity, and even a bit of technology. Head over to check out his photos as they will be up for the remainder of January and the whole month of February. Maybe get a coffee while you are there. If you really want to plan in advance you can follow them on Twitter where they put up their lunch specials daily.

Only, before you go, be aware that I believe (since I haven't actually seen the show yet) that these photos are a selection of Chris' travel photography. While there may be an odd cycling photo or two, the focus of the show is really more about travel.

2) Mo Bruno-Roy Ultimate Super Raffle Extravaganza (January 13 — March 01)


Mo is going to the World Championships. She and Matt are headed over there right now. Here is the only shot that I got of her racing when she was at the USGP here in Portland. Now, the thing is, Matt and Mo (which together make up MM Racing) have to foot the bill for this trip themselves. I know, great deal huh? "You made the Worlds Team, now here's you're bill." To make up some of said bill they have put together a sweet little raffle that includes a custom Seven Cycles frame. Not too shabby. Check it out here in BikeReg.

While you are at it though, do not feel too bad for all that money that USA Cycling could have put towards their worlds selections, because it was instead diverted to their CX Juniors program...hmm. Rad Racing anyone?

3)

4) Washingmachinepost in general.

brian just did a nice little interview with Dan Sharp over on the site. But while you are there you might do well to check out a few of the other things that he has going on. Things like..oh, I don't know A FREAKING CIELO bicycle turned up at his door for him to check out. Not a big deal, just another day at the office. But, speaking of Cielo I was so lucky as to get inside and take a sneak peak at these good looking bikes the other day. Check that out here.

5) The Rapha Continental Rides: Blue Mound

photo: Daniel Wakefield Pasley

The rides that we did this summer are going up in full now. We posted just a little snip earlier this summer (or we tried to) and now the full ride is going up. There is a little write up each week as well as a photo story to accompany. The photos have been pretty damn spectacular, as we didn't get to see them as they happened.

The first photo in the series there kind of cracks me up because it looks like Piers is actually half choking on something. But the truth of the matter is that he is probably doing a pretty good job of cracking everyone else at the table up. Those brits and their sense of humor.

Ok, that is all for now. Now go find something else cool on the internet. Or, help a teen you know unlock the Secrets of The Teen Ninja Mystery.

182: Black Hamer

There is Black Hamer, and then there is After Black Hamer. If you are fortunate enough to know what Black Hamer is, then by all means fill me in, because I have not been able to suss it out. Try as I may. Also, if you see this Black Hamer sign around anywhere, go check it out. My spellcheck keeps wanting to correct me into "hammer" weird.

But try not ask too many questions, do not make everyone all nervous and shit, just go with it. And if anyone looks at you weird when you show up I suggest doing one of two things 1) flip them off and then mind your business like you belong or 2) punch them in the face and then act like they were asking for it.


Don't do that. That is straight up mean. (Note the Zone in the top photo).

I think, if I may be correct that Carey S-H and Ethan, or "Thar" as he is known in some circles teamed up on the design of these little spoke cards. I like the hand drawn element as well as the slight nod to the travel pass.

While you are at it out my new Favorite Blogger Amanda. Her take on this event is much better than mine. I think because she has some idea of what is going on. Send her stuff. Comments. Love. T-shirts. Whatever it is just send it to her. It doesn't matter. She's prepping for the Big Blam at the beginning of February.


I have heard for a while that there are some fun places to ride at night around here. So I set out to find them. I didn't. I got lost. They told me where to go and as soon as I took off. Whoa, way lost. Rumor has it that the route was even marked. No Biggies Smalls, as I have taken to saying lately (it is better than getting a "Blow J Simpson" if you ask me).

Srrrsly. I was so lost it wasn't even funny. Except it was funny, because after about 2.5 minutes of being lost I resigned myself to that fact and then just cruised around in the woods. Enjoying the wet dewy sensation of just riding around in the woods. At one point I went crashing off the trail and into the underbrush, to which I just lay there laughing my ass off before getting up to ride my bike.


This is Kyle giving my Hayes Nine the Stink Eye. No idea why? Maybe it is because I have this "rigid" fork whilst he cruises rough terrain on that cushy beast he calls a fork sucks up all the hits? No one knows what that look means.

When we reached the top then we started our descent to the rock at the bottom. But first we gathered and went over the rules. "This is a timed event" said no one in particular (he wished to remain unnamed) and then we went off in Time Trial fashion. There was no start gate, only a bearded man telling you when to take off. This is just an example of a man with a beard, so you know what I'm talking about. A sexy man, albeit.

We parked our bikes in a tree while we waited. Seemed like the right thing to do at the time. You know, humans asserting themselves over nature. How it should be.


Myles and I had a good time chatting because we were at the ass end of the start. Which meant for about 3o minutes we just stood around like any good citizens would, waiting. There were, maybe, three people after myself, but it did not matter, because as I mentioned before, I saw no one the whole time. Completely enveloped in darkness except for the glow of the CatEye.


All in all, this was one of the most fun nights that I have had on the bike in a long time. Or at least since the last before that that I rode. And the time after for that matter. But it didn't matter and that was the point.

Then we celebrated by hitting up the Cig Machine. No Export A's? Out of luck again.

181: Hot Lime

Ok, so maybe this ride we did happened a little bit ago, but as I like to say: How do you put a timestamp on awesome? I do not actually say that, and it actually was not that long ago, but it sure as hell was awesome. We met under the guise of darkness and headed out into the moonlit night. And then all hell broke loose. Nothing like a little night time riding with your friends. I finally got an excuse to pull out the Igleheart Mtb. Such a sweet ride I have to say.


It got me thinking about this bike though and how much fun this has been over the years. What with it being a new year and all I thought it was ok to reminisce just a little bit. Chris and I cooked up this bad boy for the NAHBS event that took place in Portland a couple years ago. He needed a 29er to show off to his adoring fans and I needed a 29er. Ok, well, that might be stretching the truth a little bit, but I found that it would be a great time to get a 29er because I wanted one.


When it was completed and about to head off to be painted - by the fine folks over at Vicious Cycles I might add - I came up with the name for it. Guilt Trip. Odd name? Maybe, but also maybe not so much. Sometimes I look, longingly mostly, at the bike and feel bad that I do not ride it as often as some of my other bikes. Ding. So, I guess that it works that way. It is good to remind yourself every once in a while. Exhibit A: New running shoes in corner of room

There are a lot of great things about this bike. Where to start? The headtube badge is an eye. Get it? Eye-gleheart? I knew you would. The center is a stainless ball bearing in case you were wondering. Another great thing about this setup is that the two side pieces of this makeshift badge also protect the paintjob from that nefarious cable rubbing syndrome that happens almost every time. Instead of placing a sticker there you can rest assured that your bike will be fine.

I like my tubes doped to the gills.

Chris also has a thing for Stainless "little bits" as he calls them, which is why the seat collar and the rings around the headtube are made of stainless (dropouts too, forgot to photograph those). He used to get these from the huge stainless beer brewing tanks that he would fix up on the North Shore of Mass. So, I guess that makes the case for not being able to separate beer and bikes once again.


I would say that the fork is a throwback to the Fat City days, however it is not necessarily a throwback because it is still being made. Chris Igleheart was one of the welders for not only Fat City (Chris Chance and the makers of the Fat Chance bicycles) but other New England staple Rhygin, and also down to NC for a stint with Brew Bicycles. I do not gather that lasted very long and then he was out here to Portland, OR to build bikes for a number of people (have seen a few around town) before making the trip back to New England.

The Iglebike.com logo on the side of the fork was also designed by the same cat who made the Yo Eddy for Fat City. Not a bad little line of heritage there if you ask me. And the cable routing hardware is cool as well. Use the little clasps to hold down your cables.

This is what happens when you fabricate everything yourself. "Alien Ears" is what Chris calls them. "Ant Antennas" is what I say (just made it up).

The other thing that it interesting to note about the Guilt Trip is its colourway (feels posh if you spell it like that). When the bike arrived at Vicious they called to see what color it was supposed to be painted and I deliberated over it for days. Or weeks I can not remember. We went over all the colors that they had until I settled on this one which I think was aptly title "Hot Lime." I liked it so much that Craig Roth and I used it in the Cambridge Bicycle kit that we were designing at the same time and all the bikes that Mr. Igleheart made that year (for the team) came out the same way. Funny how that happens is it not? I believe (from the sweet Velonews Photo spread containing my friend Rob Mayer in it,) that they are still using this color for their team bikes. To which I give an emphatic thumbs up.

Also, try not to be too surprised when you see the amount of white that is on this mountain style bicycle. Maybe that is a roadie thing, and will piss off the mountain bike world? Hopefully not. But, Jason over at Superb Bicycle found these Straitline levers for my Hayes 9 and I could not resist. He acts like he is all "street" and "trackbikey" when he is over there, but we know the truth, because whenever someone mentions DH or Freeride he is the first to jump out of his chair and go "ooh ooh, me me." And when the chance came up to add the white bar and saddle to the combo, eh, why not?


I love this bike because it so much fucking fun. So much fun. Kind of like the After Black Hamer ride, which was also SMFF. So, you have that to look forward to. Hot Lime.