Another link for the poor and unfortunate domiciled or otherwise present in countries where race coverage is non-existent save for the interweebz (they tell me it’s a series of tubes…): http://www.steephill.tv/. These lads bring it. Wall to wall links.
That’s right, baby. Pop the champagne. You earned it. The Argyle Aramda is on-form. Or, in the words of the utterly genius blog Big Ring Riding, “TIME TO STEP UP, FUCKTARDS. WINTER’S ALMOST DONE.”
Keep an eye on this website in the coming weeks and months: http://cyclingfans.com/. I think they will provide what you need if you happen to based in the U.S. (or another country that relegates professional cycling somewhere behind NASCAR, college football, golf & other stupid shit).
The other day, our friend Kip sent over a pretty funny video he made. It sums up just about every ride I have been on in the south west
So what the world needs now is another Shit People Say Video, I know I know, but we really thought the world needed one with giant sausages and talk of flatulence, a normal ride in our little New Mexico world
Steve Jobs’ persona is now slated to rival Buhdda but on a 2.0 kinda level. This is cool I guess, but more on top of that is how awesome it is that he looked to the bicycle as a reference of ultimate efficiency. That moment as seen in the following vid was back in the 80′s. And as much as he was a soothsayer regarding the evolution of technology, he was also – although perhaps unwittingly – on point with regard to the bicycle. Nothing is as efficient, and that has major implications for how our future is going to be shaped. Who here is not welcoming it?
I sit in wait and look forward to the day that this potential – the bicycle – sets off a sea change which will affect this country. A sea change that arrises on the collective realization that better living occures via less. Less as more. Less haste. Less dominance. Less greed. This I hope will create more demand for walks in parks and moments with our kids that cannot be replaced or virtualized. More rides with our friends and for ourselves, to beer and to places in the middle of everywhere, and more rides to the job and to the store for more beer. I sense a theme here. I think I will see this in my lifetime. #occupybikeseat. It’s been done before. That means it can be done again:
I made the trip to Minneapolis last week for Frostbike with AC and The M.A.F.E. to get some learn on and check out the QBP HQ. We made the hotel by 6pm Thursday and were 2 beers in by 630.
That shit is flat!
For the next 3 days we were treated to great (and I mean great!) food and drink, seminars, and an expo full of schwag. Much of the expo showed products we were all aware of, but definitely had a few new things as well. For fat bikes it was the new Hope fat bike hubs and studded Husker Du prototype frozen in a 6′ tall block of ice.
I have been on some rides in Flag recently when that tire would have made a huge difference! I also heard a few comments about a possible Big Fat Nate… That would be a massive tire! But actually not one person at Surly or Salsa was willing to talk about anything new and upcoming whatsoever for fat bikes. I did ask both Whiskey Parts and Foundry directly about a fat bike frame or fork and both said ‘no way, that would be Salsa’s department.’ So who knows… Here is a sick Ti Miukluk with the new Hope fat bike hubs and Marge Lite rims. This thing is light!!
…And I failed to get a decent photo of the Salsa full suspension fat bike so here is a link to Guitar Ted’s site for more info. Switching gears to different bikes, I really liked the new Foundry and Ridley bikes. The Foundry frames look so bitchin! Good lines and finish with understated graphics are pretty f-ing sweet. Ridley showed the new Noah Fast with integrated road v-brakes, and aerodynamic features. Get more details on that bike here here from an old Bike Radar article. That is the hottest road bike I have ever seen, but the yellow has got to go! Both Ridley and Foundry are promoting disc-cross bikes heavily which is perfect for that type of bike. Also you can use your extra 29′er wheels laying around, provided the rim width does not push the tire sidewalls out too far. Disc brakes make perfect sense on cross bikes. Oh yes they do!
With that I will leave you with a couple of images I took at the One On One bike shop during the All-City Bikes party… thanks to QBP for a weekend 100 times better than Interbike.
Our friends down at Fairwheel Bikes have been doing some very in depth product testing on new road bike components. Lots of calipers and tape measures. Stress testing machines and a whole bunch of engineering lingo.
Nah, they just went trials riding
Who knew those carbon plastic hoops would hold up so well!
I was fiddling with my cell phone the other day on my way to the Y for a swim. I butt dialed 40 Hands by accident and quickly hung up. My phone rang with in 2 seconds, and it was 40 calling me back. I answered it and explained it was a butt dial. We proceeded to talk for the next 31 minutes. It’s funny how we can just blab on and on about our personal lives, with the only link between us being this website. The conversation motivated me to post cuz the stoke just hasn’t been there.
Last week for Valentine’s Day, Dominic and I drove up to Rays indoor MTB park, our second year in a row. It was a blast. It’s a long hectic day because it’s a 4 hour drive each way and the dogs have to go to the babysitter the night before, but man, is it worth it. Unfortunately I had a little accident on the pump track with the camera in my back pocket, and the camera broke. I was able to get a couple of pictures and one video from the memory card though.
We wore matching outfits, cuz that’s how we roll.
#occupybikeseat
This year, there was way less crashing. I mastered the bumpy logs I couldn’t ride last year, as well as the teeters (in above video) and most of the wooden ramps.
Dominic didn’t go near the foam pit, since last year he fractured a couple of ribs when his handlebars went right into his ribcage on landing. He was more about doing 360′s and triple tail whips for the 15 year olds watching, waiting for them to say “YEAAAAA” when he finished a trick. We stayed for about 4 hours, perma-smiles all day long. We love it up there. It’s just a big ass playground for bike dorks, both young and old.
Besides our trip to Rays, not much is really going on in my world.
The coffee shop job is growing on me in some ways…who would have thought green tea and vodka are a popular combination? I continue to strive for that perfect shot of espresso and dish out vegan baked goods (NO! That vegan muffin is NOT good for you just cuz it’s made with egg substitute!) and laugh at the hipsters and their funky facial hair. I often wish I could take pictures of them and start a new blog: The Customers of Sidewinder. I have to admit, they do tip well, most of the time.
And the weather has been very NON winter-like, so I ride a lot. Outside.
Since Gnome’s flight is booked, registrations are completed, and the campsite is confirmed, Mohican training has officially begun, for both of us. Wednesday I went out for a 3.5 hour ride, trashing my legs in the hills of Kentucky. Long, steep climbs that made my lungs beg for mercy. It felt so good. Three months of running stairs on a weekly basis helped a TON, I have to admit.
This will be my only “race” for 2012, and once completed, my road bike will be hung up in the basement for the remainder of the summer and I will ride fixed on the road, and my Voodoo in the woods. That’s the plan. Dominic and I will enjoy our bikes, not race them.
The winter weather continues to be mild and tomorrow’s forecast promises more sunshine and a high of 50. I have a ride planned, I hope you do too. #occupybikeseat
I will leave you with this kind of NSFW music video of a band called Die Antwood. Listen to it at your own risk, cuz once you do, you won’t be able to get it out of your head.
The rolling party known as Singlespeed Arizona happened a couple weekends ago in Tucson. I was busy slaving away at work trying to score brownie points for some future trips. But our man with the camera, Devon Balet, was there doing his thing and he was kind enough to share some images and a video with us.
Well that was a snazzy little video. Here are some pics that sum up the vibe pretty well:
Single Speed Arizona is the type of event that even if you are present, you will continue to hear new stories from the weekend for weeks after the race. SSAZ is a true cultural event that is less about going fast and more about having fun.
The man of the show, Dejay Birtch left everyone with a great piece of wisdom, “You may choose to ride it fast, but the people behind you are having more fun”. I couldn’t agree more.
It's a single speed ride, of course there is beer.
SSAZ includes you removing your front wheel for the start. Some people tried sneaking out of it...
No removal of front wheel? Get down and give me 10! Krista Park had no problem with this
The Tucson desert makes for a beautiful backdrop for a race, the group rolling out to the official start location
while you are riding...Devon is in the bush getting stronger
Now I am not one to miss a gathering of the tribe, even if i do have to work. So I called up my trusty partner in crime, Scandinavian Jesus, to see if he wanted to drive down to Tucson with me for the after party. He couldn’t find any reason not to. So we loaded up the townies and hauled ass to T-town to get a little rowdy. We got to downtown a little before the party started so we bounced over to Che’s to pre-game. I looked up from my drink and saw this:
Old meets new
That right there is an old school DC sticker with a brand new one above it. Drunkcyclist has some roots in Tucson. I posted this on our facebook page and somebody suggested we make more “…pay me” stickers. I think that has to happen. Stay tuned
There was a pretty cool band at the party. I’m a big fan of homemade instruments…
anybody remember their name?
The night quickly became a blur…I remember spraying people with beer and half of them being stoked and the other half not so thrilled. I lost SJ and he some how woke up in my truck the next morning. I had a slightly difficult time tracking down my bike in the morning, but eventually found it. Locked right where I supposedly left it. Taking all these things into consideration, I would say we had a pretty good time. Next year I’m going to have to actually do the ride cause it seems that DeJay knows how to throw a party.
It got to a point last week where I had been in town for 17 days in a row. I haven’t been home more than 7 days in a row since before our little Leadvilleshit show and I was starting to go a little stir crazy. In a moment of genius on Thursday, I put the call out to the facebooks to see if anybody was leaving town for the weekend and would let me and my bike tag along. It went something like this:
Is anybody driving far away from Phoenix this weekend? Can me and my bike tag along? I will pay for a bunch of the gas and I have the way home covered
Within minutes my friend MonaLisa chimed in and said she was driving to San Diego. Well then, I guess we are going to San Diego!
I have always wanted to ride from the ocean to home in one push, and I am really surprised I haven’t done it already. So I threw some 28mm tires on the touring bike and was amazed that it only took me 45 minutes to pack everything I needed. I jumped in the car Saturday morning and we were on our way. When we finally got to the ocean, it was a little later in the afternoon than I expected and I had to slightly alter my plans. I went down to the beach and dipped my toes in the ocean then turned around and started my trek inland.
the end of the west
My old friend The Canuk met me at Ocean beach and guided me to the little slice of heaven known as Stone Brewery. This visit lasted well into the night and officially postponed my trip by a day. It was totally worth it. Good beer is good.
Rolling east out of Escondido the next day, I headed up the mountains towards the town of Julian. A punchy little 7 mile climb kept me warm even as I ascended into the rain and cold. When I reached town, I got myself a couple slices of their notorious pie and a couple cups of coffee for motivation then headed back out into the weather. I was told that it would be all downhill for 15 miles out of town and it would eventually put me back on the desert floor(where I belong). Since I neglected to pack any kind of long pants or even knee warmers for this trip I really couldn’t get to the desert fast enough. Up to this point, I had done all the riding in shorts using DZ-nuts on my knees as a makeshift embrocation. The road went screaming fast downhill as promised. In about 1 hour and 20 miles later, I went from my teeth chattering in the cold to 70 degrees and bluebird skies in the desert.
Leaving that mess behind me. On to the desert!
Once back down in the desert, the miles just melted away. I was gifted with the most insane tailwind and it felt like I had a motor. I covered a good amout of ground and called it a day just west of the Imperial sand dunes. I woke up Monday moring feeling pretty damn fantastic and had my coffee overlooking some very impressive sand dunes and a little company from mother mature.
sand and wind seems to be the theme of my winter
would you like some owls with your coffee?
I was pretty excited to have the same tailwind as the previous day, but unfortunately the terrain on this day was a little more hilly. Roller coaster roads meandering through sand dunes and craggy mountains. It seemed like the entire day was spent pedaling down the the side of one hill as fast as I could and then try to coast up the next incline as far as possible before you had to pedal again. As if I were riding up, over, and down a giant Sine wave through the desert. It was a good game to help pass the time. Just as the sun was setting I passed a sign that said it was only 32 miles to Blythe, CA. That was the border with Arizona and I made it my point to keep riding until I crossed the Colorado river. I stopped to put on lights and to make some food. When I had a little laugh at myself when I realized just how geeked out I am about Titanium gear. Sometimes you find the simplest things funny when you are tired and alone on the road.
I reached the state line around 9pm and was greeted by a vicious sand storm. That tailwind I have had for two days finally turned angry and I was getting my payback. Even though I was feeling good and wanted to push on, I decided it was probably best just to hunker down for the night and wait for the sun.
The next day I was faced with 138 miles of riding along the shoulder of the freeway and frontage roads. Not the most inspiring thought when you already have a couple hundred miles in your legs, but totally attainable. I set out down the road with my packs full of food, water, Cokes and a tallboy. Just as the soreness starts to work it’self out, the rain started to fall. My whole life became miserable and my pace slowed way down. After about 40 miles, I realized that I probably wasn’t going to make it all the way home on this day. I sucked up my pride and made the call for extraction. I hate making that call. But my knees were swollen, I was wet, cold, and all the stoke had left my body. 90 miles short of my goal and the ride was over. And so it goes…
right about the time my spirit broke
Moving on to this weekend, the DC crew is heading down to the Tucson desert to roll the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo. The Epic Rides crew and Kona are using the event to do a good deed and give away a bike at the same time. Buy a raffle ticket and win a bike with ALL of the proceeds going to the University of Arizona Cancer Center. That kicks ass.
