Stopped in at the local IBD yesterday and the owner was leaning up against his latest build. It looked so sweet I asked for pics to share because something like this needs to be appreciated. No better place to do it than here. In his words:

Here you are. IF steel planet cross frame. Hand laced White Industry hubs to Velo Orange polished 22mm rims. Polished Paul brakes. Polished White Ind. cranks. King headset. Hand made wood fenders from Sykes in OR with skateboard veneer finish (one-of-a-kind) from Maple. XO. King cages. Enough said… Mike Hershauer, Focus Cyclery, Gilbert, AZ.

Apparently they are made from recycled skateboard decks? Just too cool. Mike has been building a number of sweet IF rides lately.

enjoy….

Let’s get it straight, everyone in here makes up the Drunkcyclist community. Contributors, readers, bloggers and tweeters, each providing unique perspectives that empower a movement. We live dissimilar lives with similar interests. Interests so rooted into our soul it produces that euphoric feeling which can’t be explained. We meet at the intersection of bikes and booze, finding balance between exertion and alteration. Exerting the effort and altering the mind to create a blissed out experience that’s felt by less than a percent. The simplicity of bike and the capacity of booze work in unison to create the appreciation for life and the land we roll. We seek simple joy and everlasting impact. We’ve felt the feeling and yearn for repetition, but time is short. Jobs, people, sickness and indolence clutter the schedule that should say RIDE. We stick together to provide smiles and meaning. To view all as one and relish the sport for what it is. We are the movement. #occupybikeseat

I wanted to shout out to DC Reader Ron for this morning manifesto:

“Today as I read a post about a book review I thought, “Ride bikes. Ride bikes. The only thing important about bikes is riding bikes.”  As a kid in the 80′s, riding untold miles daily on a BMX bike probably bought from a yard sale or if you were lucky from Hills Department Store, we didn’t have specific names for a type of rider. We didn’t have rules, classes, or poser arguments.  We didn’t have helmets, riding gloves, or maxi-padded shorts.  If you had a bike and rode it, that was awesome. The only thing of importance was time on the saddle (a name only used for horses back then) and having fun with your buddies.

Somehow, in these enlightened modern times, things have gone way off track. The “serious” riders out there need to remember what it was like as a kid to ride a bike. As an adult, it should still be fun, like titties and beer! It’s not work. It’s not serious. It’s just fucking awesome!

Go ride in dress clothes cause you’re too excited to take the time to change. Hang out in a parking lot and see who can make the longest skid mark, who can do the longest wheelie, or sweetest endo. To me anyway, it’s more about the ride than it is about the bike. The ride is life. The bike is merely a means to that end.”

That is all.

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As a disclaimer, up front, I was given a copy of THE URBAN CYCLIST’S SURVIVAL GUIDE to review. I want to be honest with this review, because I think as a cyclist I have an obligation to ensure we as a cycling community are doing good for ourselves, not harm. I did not pay for it; I didn’t pick it off the shelf and decide it was worth a trip home with me. I am going to try to temper my review, because I don’t want it to sound like I’m trashing the book for the sake of trashing it.

That said, this book has a lot of useful information in it, but I am not going to endorse it as a solid purchase. There are several reasons for this, and I should tell you that it probably could find a comfortable home on the right type of cyclist’s bookshelf.

It won’t be staying on mine.

I’ve ended up on a lot of hoods in my day. Careless drivers have almost killed me on more than one occasion, but generally, I have avoided major spills. I try to observe the rules of the road, and it genuinely pisses me off when cyclists are ignorant of the rules and put themselves and others in danger. Now that I got that off my chest, let me say this clearly:  I would never, ever, write a book that give the impression it’s okay to wish ill on those ignorant cyclists—nor would I, as a cyclist, wish to discourage those who are new to urban riding to treat other riders with anything less than respect. We’re all on bikes, after all.

In the preface, the author goes out of his way to tell his audience he wishes the cyclist who isn’t wearing a helmet would get hurt, just to prove how right the author is. He condescends to riders who ride in flip flops, or who otherwise don’t ride the way he does. Yes, I get pissed at ignorant cyclists, but I’d rather educate them than simply wish they end up on the hood of a car. I’ve ridden in flip flops. I’ve ridden without a helmet. I’ve run a stop sign or two in my day. Is the author inferring that I should get hit by a car and killed because I am just too stupid to live? Like I said: I generally observe the rules of the road and I try to be safe. I usually wear a helmet. But when he writes about this cyclist with no helmet and flip flops, he very well could have been talking about me. Why would I listen to a word he says after that?

That aside, the book is generally well written. I found many of the prose sections to be cloying and fairly unnecessary, however,  and as a guide book, it’s not easy to navigate. In subsequent editions, it may be a good idea to consider improving the navigability of the guide so new riders can find information quickly—more like a reference tool than a manifesto, as it struck me.

I will give the authors this: they write in matter-of-fact tones that I think we cyclists bristle at. The authors quite obviously have no love for us rule breakers, and perhaps they shouldn’t. We could all stand a little bit of self-examination and think carefully about whether our actions help or hurt ourselves as well as the cycling community at large.

My advice, however, to the writers, would be to try using a bit of honey to attract flies instead of flinging vinegar indiscriminately. The very good information in the book gets lost underneath a healthy dose of condescension, which turned me off immediately. This book has the potential to be good, but I think it could use some serious editing for tact.

The chapter about the history of the bicycle was interesting. I enjoyed it. Worth the purchase of the book? No. But a new cyclist can still glean some valuable information from this imperfect book. I’m concerned that new cyclists who read this book might be swayed toward believing we’re all as cynical, condescending, and arrogant as the authors are. That would be a real tragedy. It’s too bad; the sections that are useful could really help out new cyclists. but I wouldn’t want to wade through the aggressive writing to get to the interspersed gems.

There are things in each of our lives that make us giddy to jump out of bed in the morning and take on the world with a cheek to cheek smile. Things that provide pure joy no matter the circumstance. Never mind the throbbing hangover, you relationship problems, or your dead end job. These afflictions are meaningless and stand no chance in cutting you out of the activity you love most. For some, this feeling of ecstasy comes from a big fat IPA, for others, the act of pedaling and exploring a new route. For the more eccentric, just acting on your own whim brings an overwhelming sense of fulfillment. For me, there are two distinct things that make me feel like the king of hell, baking cupcakes and lubing bike chains.

It’s funny because before I knew how to make amazing cupcakes, I had no idea how to make amazing cupcakes. So I did what most of us do when we don’t know how to do something, went to the internet and watched a video. Betty Crocker videos not only provide quality instruction for building the perfect Princess Doll Birthday Cake, but the instructors are always a boon to the peepers.

Going along those lines, there are wet lubes, dry lubes, race lubes and big boobs, it’s complicated work, and so, I took to the digital universe to get instruction on how to get my chain all greasy before my next huge six-miler to work…here’s what I found:

Gnar Lube is one of the top porn producers in the United States, and they happen to make lube too (for your chain). Actually, I got that backwards, they make great lubes, and happen to be very talented adult film producers. Either way, I’m here to tell you that our amigos at this San Diego based company have things going on in more ways than one. The wet works with the wet and the dry works with the dry. I just got my first order of the stuff last week and when I opened the box, it smelled of magical vanilla lotion potion. Tell me the last time you got a package smelling that tantalizing.

Something else, Gnar partnered with the one and only John Slawta’s Land Shark to form Gnarshark which are “guaranteed to be gnar.” Shit, I’d thrown down for anything with that pitch! Slawta has become known for building some pretty slick rides, a few of which made it into the ’88 Giro. Andy Hampsten rode one, and Andy Hampsten was a baller. The man happens to be a hell of an artist too. I need to hook this dude up with some cupcakes. Cheers John.

In other news, if you aren’t on our facebook page yet, hop on over there because we’ll be running a weekly contest for those of you weekend warriors that like to get silly drunk and ride your bike. It goes something like this: Share what you are doing, or what you did over the weekend that makes you the biggest drunkcyclist for a chance to win amazing things. Winner will be chosen Sunday night. Submissions will be accepted until then to account for spontaneous, unforeseen drunkcyclist behavior.

With that said, I want to shout out to the first ever winner of this contest. Glen is a drunkcyclist from the southern hemisphere and had the most drunkcyclist weekend of us all. Way to go Glen, you rock. Glen was one of the five people that completed The 14th annual – 12 Pints (beer) in 12 Pubs in 12 Hours ride.

Here’s his race report: “Followed through with it. Ended up with only 5 left (out of 31 starters) at the end. Still feel sick and think the beer is trying to escape through the pores in my skin. Was a VERY slow ride to work this morning. All up had a great night.”

Cheers Glen!

Over the past few years we have seen the popularity of fat bikes grow exponentially. With the mainstream availability of affordable complete builds from the likes of Salsa and Surly, we are now starting to see a rapid evolution in gear. Titanium frames, carbon forks, more tire selection than ever, and even rumors of a full suspension frame. But the one thing we don’t have yet is a decent front suspension fork.

Some scoff at the idea of suspension on the fatty and say that you don’t need it.  Some people also say that you don’t need booze in your life either. Maybe so, but like booze, suspension  sure does make a lot of things more fun. When I got a package in the mail from my old friend Craig at Mendon Cyclesmith, I was pretty excited. The box contained an old Cannondale Lefty fork, some non-stock clamps, and a Rolling Darryl wheel with a bright pink rim strip. 

unicycle?

Although I have to admit, I have a thing against Lefty’s. I have just never liked them and I have no idea why. But I have also known Craig since I was 19 years old. He was sort of my bike shop mentor when I was a shithead kid. He introduced me to a lot of cool shit like wool jerseys, handmade steel frames, how to build wheels, and strong IPA’s  just to name a few.  So I tend to trust his judgement.  So if he sends me a fork with only one leg, I will ride it.

It seems my friend has spent these winter months refining some new clamps for a Lefty that offset the wheel enough to run a Surly Larry tire. It’s amazing what you can think of when you have enough beer and a cold upstate New York winter.

metal bits

I have only been riding this setup for about a week now and I must say, it’s been fun. I just felt it was too unique of an idea not to share with you all. Riding the thing, you get the obvious advantages of a little suspension squish on the downhills like you would expect. But the biggest advantage I noticed is during seated climbing. It just smooths out the ride enough to keep the front wheel from bouncing off-line while I’m gasping for breath with my tongue is hanging out of my mouth. This was quite a surprise on a bike that I have only, up until now, ridden rigid.

I am going to long term test this thing and report back to you guys if you are interested.  I am even thinking about bolting this front end on to my singlespeed 29er and see what that will feel like. Craig said he is going to send along a newer model that will rock my socks off since this is just a prototype with an older fork body. We shall see…

keeping it fat at sunset

I am pretty greatful to have the opportunity to test out this little piece of retro meets innovation. A little squish can go a long way. I also find it pretty cool to be re-purposing some old stuff in the process. So if you have an old lefty sitting in the garage (one with removable clamps) and want a fun little project, contact Craig.  He can get you some clamps and guide you in the process. Heck, he even has whole front ends available if you want to go that route.

CX Worlds in Koksijde is a big deal. Like the fucking Super Bowl or something. Next year, it will be held here in the US, in Louisville, a 90 minute drive from my house. Post race, they made a big deal of passing the UCI flag over to the US. I saw these pictures on Mark Legg’s Facebook page and he graciously gave me permission to post them here.

Joan Hanscom, race promoter for CX Worlds 2013 revieves the flag

I wonder how Pat McQuaid felt about the flag being passed over to a female? It must be hard for him to contemplate how a female could be capable of handling such a big race.

A little bird told me “There’s a lot of old school men in the UCI and the race promoters are all a boy’s only club. It will take some time but Cyclocross is leading the way for women.”

It’s becoming a woman’s world now, so they better get the fuck over it.

Pat Mcquaid and KFC

I can’t wait till next year’s CX Worlds. Hopefully with Katie racing on familiar territory, she will kick some major ass. I will be there, cheering loudly.

We have teamed up with Pioneer Sales Marketing to bring you guys the first DC t-shirt in 2 years. We are really excited about this and I can’t wait to get these out there to you. 20 bucks gets you a kick ass, high quality cotton t-shirt and maybe even a love letter from Dave over at Pioneer.

Time to start the DC movement. Time to #OCCUPYBIKESEAT !

ORDER HERE!!

The Chandler BMX park is a pretty amazing oasis of concrete in the desert. It’s right down the street from my work and occasionally I will go for a little “business lunch” to ride it. Flailing around doing straight airs and wall rides can really break up an afternoon of corporate America.

 I always see some impressive riding from the kids when I am there. Then I see a video like this and I am blown away.  

This was all filmed in one day and this kid is only 17 years old.

I really need to up my game. I might just take a long lunch today.

STOKED! I just registered for Mohican.

This year Gnome is joining me. How fucking rad is that? He will go for the full 100m and I am doing the 100K. I think he will finish before me, regardless of whether or not he goes with gears or SS.

Gnome and I keep in touch on a pretty regular basis. I kinna love the guy. He is like a brother to me. We talked on the phone at length over the holidays about having a goal – something to strive for – and this just works for us. We discussed the possibility of him coming here to do the race with me. Spend some time with Dominic and I. Do some shit we didn’t get to do the last time he was here. Finally he agreed. The planning has begun and we are stoked.

from: Gnome:

Fuck it. I love Ohio. Cincy is some dirty gnar, no doubt. And those goddamn beautiful pups? I can’t wait for them to tackle my shit to the floor. You know this. I’m making up for lost time. For the past three or four years of disillusionment… the reason I deleted it all.

While I’m there, I’ll do it; I’ll go for broke on the big Hundy (100 miler), and I’ll roll it SS. The last time I rolled a hundred miles single speed was in 04, when I won the Brian Head Epic. I don’t expect to win this, and I don’t care. Instead, just give me the route and let me roll. I can’t imagine a better place to get a little loathing on that there in the woods where life is real and so is the dirt and so are the roots and so is the fucking humidity.

Can I thank the DC-God known as DB for fronting the entry on this? Even if I can, he’s a real champ, and he’s hard on himself so much, so that the rest of us DC types don’t have to be. On that, I can’t thank him enough. Now registered, the next step will be to board a sub-sonic flying tube out to Ohio, and chill for a while, and ride, and be as I do and as I am. I can’t wait, and it will be over too soon.

Viva los Dios De Duce Pistas!

-Gnome

That Gnome. He’s a heavy layer of cheese whiz, ain’t he? God damn that little bastard.

Last year, I was just learning to ride a mountain bike. I got my rad Voodoo and began training in March. We went to Versailles and rode.

I remember thinking “what the hell have I gotten myself into?”.

I spoke to people who had done the race and was told to climb hills, lots and lots of hills. So in April, after 2 weeks off my bike from a dumb injury, I began to train. I rode my mountain bike as much as mother earth would allow. If I could not ride trails, I rode the fuck out of my road bike, endless miles of hills, miles, hills, and miles. I climbed Sycamore hill downtown 20xs one day – 4500 feet of climbing in 19 miles. I trained my fucking ass off for all of April and May. When the trails opened up, I rode loop after loop at Versailles – so much that I never went back there last summer.

The memories of that day are clear in my mind. I look back now and think it was the best day I have ever spent on a bike. I am still wearing my yellow Mohican Adventure wristband…

100 miles or 100k loop consisting of 11,000+ feet of climbing along mostly singletrack, doubletrack or dirt roads, spanning 4 counties through some of the most remote and scenic areas in the rolling hills of Mohican Country. Climbs of nearly a mile, with elevation gains of 300+ feet, rock gardens, streams, and more!

Just got an email from my buddy AfghanBMXer.  Seems he has been hard at work snapping some pictures of the people on bikes in his “neighborhood”. Not quite sure why his photos motivate me to ride so much, but they do.

 Too tired or sore to ride? Bike doesn’t fit right, saddle sucks, bar tape is ripped, cables are frayed? You have to wait to get that professional fit before you can do a “real” ride. Don’t have the right shoes? Wool, gortex, cotton, or whogivesafuck? Is it cold? Maybe it is raining or snowing, or you forgot your sunblock. Watts, calories, BPM, miles, feet of climbing or Km/hr. The trails are too muddy, not enough time to get a real workout, too much traffic on Sunday mornings in the burbs…  Loose the excuses. Find the time. Get out and ride this weekend. You know these guys will.

Back in my college days I had a roommate that had a lot of IF bikes. All steel, all campy, and all with custom paint jobs. We didn’t dare touch them or even think about riding them. But this roommate also liked Guinness beer, a whole heck of a lot. Whenever he would get all tanked on that creamy black gold I would ask him if I could take one of his bikes for a ride in the morning. Oddly enough, he would always say yes.

He was a hell of a guy when he was drunk.

This video brings me back to those days

…and maybe this one too

I had me a busy weekend here in Fort Collins, full of bike rides and going away parties.  With my advisor’s blessing I left school early on Friday to get my shit together and meet the CSU Cycling gang for a mountain bike ride.  The weather was perfect and spirits were high as we began the climb up Maxwell.  Halfway up the climb I heard a “ping”, and felt my chain drop off.  Further inspection revealed that I had lost a chain ring bolt, and my front sprocket was slightly bent.  Walking down the trail and trying to figure out how long it would take me to walk to the nearest bike shop to get my bike fixed, I remember that one of Fort Collin’s local pros lived pretty close to the trailhead.  I gave Jeff a call, he told me to stop on by so that my drivetrain could be fixed.

Getting my drivetrain back to working order

After finding the right pieces, and using some good old fashioned elbow grease, my drivetrain was back to working.  Even though there was some daylight still left I decided to cut my losses, head home, and get ready for a night out on the town to celebrate a fellow graduate student’s moving out of town to start a new job.  Needless to say the night was nothing short of great, defined by smiles, laughs, and the telling of stories we have already told one too many times.

Obligatory group shot

Group stop

Saturday brought another day for mountain biking and a going away party, only this time the activities were combined.  After several years of great service, Fort Collin’s City Bicycle Coordinator, known as “DK” by almost all, has decided to take a job as the bicycle coordinator for the city of Davis.  A group of about 12 met late in the morning and we made out way to Michaud for some hot laps.  Once again the weather was exceptionally great for January, and we spent the next two hours enjoying the trail, passing a flask around, and each others’ company.  At about 2 pm, what was left of the group made our way to Bar SS in Laporte, CO, where pints of beer were tipped back in honor of DK.  As expected it was a great day both on the trail and at the bar, shared amongst good folks.

One of the best places to finish a bike ride