The Web and Cargo

The World Wide Web is a fascinating place where you can get lost for hours...lately I've been looking at different people's Flickr photo accounts, and daily I see things that blow my mind. The most recent addiction, has been images of rickshaw, or tri-shaws as they are sometimes called.




These are a few of my favorites. It is amazing what some folks can carry by bicycle...If you find these interesting, check out the book, Chasing Rickshaws that was published by Lonely Planet a few years ago. Some great photos and history.

Back On One

After mingling with several geared bikes for the last few years due to some knee issues, I've been riding my Gunnar Ruffian again quite a bit lately. That bike sure is fun...and it has me thinking about the Single Speed Worlds that are coming back to the States next year.
About a month ago, I pulled the Gunnar off its hook in the basement, put a 38 tooth chain ring on it, and some skinny tires and raced it at the Sun Prairie cross race. The race was a pain bath for me, but that had more to do with my fitness than the bike. Since then, I put On One Mary bars on it, flat pedals and Nokian tires to use it as a winter commuter. The Gunnar has been with me longer than any other bike I own, I bought the frame back in 2000 while living in Marquette and working at Lakeshore Bike. Back then it was the only mountain bike I had, and I hammered hard on it. Took it California a couple of times, rode the Single Speed Worlds in 2002 at Downieville on it, then at 10,000 feet a week later at Mammoth Mountain. When I interned at Bike, that was what I rode under the 5 Freeway and into The Space almost daily. Big Bear, Telonics, San Juan Trail, Noble Canyon, Flagstaff, all over the Midwest...Raced a couple of Ore to Shores on it, and a Chequamegon Fat Tire Forty on it...of course I wasn't as fast as Jesse, but few are.
Damn, I missed this bike...the simplicity. Like hammering nails with one hit. Spin but don't spin out. Trying to put the steel into the wood with one swing, again and again.
The one speed brings an ache back to my body that feeds my spirit, an I'm glad I still have this bike.

Early Christmas

There are coffee table books, and then there is the new Rouleur Annual. It is simply a beautiful book, and if you consider yourself a cycling enthusiast, do yourself a favor and buy it. It is available from Rapha. The book was an early Christmas gift from Mrs. P, and it was a very nice surprise...considering it was $70, and had to be shipped from the UK, this after she strickly forbade me from purchasing it myself. Needless to say, she has great taste in gifts.

Nice Rack...

I know, its been about 24 hours since I posted the last Portuer rack...but this one is pretty sweet too. This is a custom rack that was fabricated by Ahearne Cycles another framebuilder from Portland. This rack can actually fold up which makes it pretty appealing to me. This rack belongs to Eli who runs Lemolo Bags. Check out the rack and the bags.
There are some folks out there who don't like carrying your loads on the front of your bike, but I'm all for it. I like being able to keep an eye on my cargo, and I'd rather have the weight in front of me. Currently, I have two front racks: a Paul Flatbed and a 12 Pack Rack that was built for me by Leah Stargardter.

Bikes Of The BKB

Yeah, the BKB is about "racing" but thats not all. Slide on over and check out who we are and what we ride.

Form Meets Function

Most bicycles are just a commodity mass produced in Asia. Of those, too many end up hanging upside down in your neighbor’s garage, or get set out to the curb when the tires go flat. Those trashed cycles are how I became a mechanic, picking it all, harvesting what I needed, and experimenting with the rest…
There are still a few builders out there that treat the production of a bicycle with the old world craftsmanship seldom seen in the production of anything anymore. One such builder is Ira Ryan from Portland. He has a certain passion that has caught my attention a couple of times. Recently I was looking at his blog, and studying some of his Portuer frames. Simply stunning. Have a look for yourself. Note that sometimes form meets function. These bicycles are tools, that can pass for art.

The Wait Is On

I've sold my Surly Cross Check to a buddy, so now the wait is on for the new Surly Travellers Check frames that comes standard with S&S couplers. The word from some inside folks is late Feb./ early March 2008. Lets hope so...I know how sometimes the best laid plans can lead to delays on new products.

Thinking different

It was this week in 1903 when a couple of bicycle mechanics from Dayton, Ohio flew the first airplane near Nags Head, NC. The Wright Brothers were two of my first heros, and as a child, I had the chance to run in the sand dunes at Kill Devil Hill where they flew. They chose the Outer Banks of North Carolina for the constant wind, and the abundance of sand to crash in.
Ironically, I visited their bicycle shop, though it is no longer in Ohio. It is actually in Detroit, Michigan. Henry Ford bought it and moved it to Greenfield Village...
Wilbur and Orville looked at things a different way, and used what they knew, the bicycle, to solve one of the greatest puzzles of mankind: self powered flight.
This is a pretty good site where you can learn some more about them.

Santa had a pretty good time

Pete D. Photo

This past Saturday was the 2007 installment of the Milwaukee Santa Cycle Rampage. I went last year and met up with some pals south of the City, and we rode up to the Café Hollander to participate. It was a great time, but I kept thinking that it would be fun to roll down to Milwaukee with a heavy crew.
So this year, I put the word out about two months early and continued to beat the drum of support. Last year was a pretty subdued winter, weather wise. It was pretty dry and in the 40s, with no snow. This year was a bit different.
We finally rolled out of Sun Prairie at about 8:45 am. We had 2 cars packed with 9 people and bikes, determined to show Milwaukee that Madison knows how to party, Santa style.
We spent the whole trip down driving into the teeth of a winter storm, and that would pretty much set the tone for the day’s weather: freezing cold temps, dark skies and snow…
Arriving at the Hollander, we saw a tent set up outside and dozens of Santas already milling about. We found some parking spots, got our Santa suits on, and headed back to the bar, found some friends, and helped ourselves to some free beers from the keg the bar had provided. Peter D'Antonio who runs Cog Magazine, has some great shots here.
There was about every type of bicycle represented from recumbent trike, to fixed gear to full suspension mountain bike, and Santas of all ethnicities quaffing brews, and mixing and mingling in a holiday way.
The signal went up, we posed for a group photo and we were off…I won’t bore you with the details of each individual leg, so I’ll just lay down an overview:

After leading a Madison chase group up to the lead, I settled in and chatted it up. Suddenly our Milwaukee leaders collided with each other during some cell phone abuse, and then just as suddenly there was about 6 Santas from out of town in the lead…we wandered for a while until someone that had some idea where were going came to the front. We rode for what seemed like forever, before stopping at a townie bar with a Schlitz sign out front. There you could buy smokes, and smoked butt (whatever that may be), and PBR in a can. Santa was happy. (BTW, Lyle was posting in real time here so you can follow along w/pics.)

From there we headed to the Lakefront Brewery with a stop for some Christmas Polka music and dancing. At the Lakefront, Santa was welcomed with two free beers each, and we established a new religion of sorts not unlike the Amish. Our un-named religion will accept up to SRAM red, but nothing beyond that….I’d give you more details, but the rest is fuzzy…

From there Santa headed to the Milwaukee Ale House right down town. Some soft core Santas continued to bail from the group and the snow began to fall harder. We found a loading dock to conduct some legitimate holiday business, and then entered the Ale House to warm up, fuel up and regroup. It was here that Madison Santas talked the Trocadero Santas into heading to Koz’s for some customary Mini bowling.

At this point, Santa was really feeling the Holiday “spirit” and doesn’t really recall much of the ride between these two establishments, but once we got to Koz’s and saw the same bartender as last year, his memory gets a little better. Koz’s was once again the highlight of the ride…especially since this year they had a skull bong just waiting for Santa to pound beers out of. It did get weird when one of the locals convinced Lyle and I to go meet some kids down the street…here we were absolutely intoxicated, smelling like, and dripping with beers, posing as Santa for some kids on some side street in Milwaukee…it was kind of bizarre, so we quickly headed back to the small alleys and pins of Koz’s. Well, eventually we needed to get going, so we set out on the 6 mile slog back to the Hollander. By now it was getting dark, and the weather had totally deteriorated. It was a death march directly into the wind and growing darkness….but we all made it safely. I’d like to thank my wife for driving us home in the blizzard, and to our Milwaukee hosts for showing us a good time again. Until next year, Merry Christmas.

BKB Twin Six threads

It is official, and it is bad ass. The BKB/Twin Six T-shirt is out, and you can get one here. Tomorrow is Santa Rampage, look for a full report sometime Sunday or Monday.

Snow tires and cold toes

Winter has been bitch-slapping the roads lateley, making travel by bicycle pretty tough. We've installed the Nokian's on the fleet here at Snot Rocket world HQ, and we've gotten some new warmer gear in prep for what looks to be a long, cold winter.
Speaking of winter, the big Madison swap is about a month away, and I know I've been saying it since '04, but it's about time for another print version of the Snot Rocket. So if you have a winter commuting narrative, send it to me, and I'll try to include it. I already have a few from a couple of years ago, but there is always room for more.

Coffee+Bikes

Saw this on Velo News the other day, and had to show it to others:

At the world cup in The Netherlands, Legg snapped a shot of the Italian national team mechanics making coffee. This is the electric Moka model from Bialetta and can be bought at Williams Sonoma for around $100.
photo by: Mark Legg

As someone who has made a living fixing bikes, I can tell you that a good cup of strong coffee is essential.

Santa Rampage

This is what you need to know:
Meet-up at Cafe Hollander, 2608 N. Downer Ave. Milwaukee at 10 am on Dec. 15th 2007 for this years installment of Santa Rampage. If you are wondering "what is Santa Rampage?" perhaps this recap of last years event will help to:
1.) Answer what is he talking about.
2.) Get you off your lazy ass and into a Santa suit for a fun day of Santa debauchery.

"Went to the Brew City this weekend to ride in the Santa Rampage with Lord Hayden Claus and Miss Katie Claus. Let's just say, anyone who likes beer, bikes and buddies should put this one down on the calendar for next year. About 30 Santa's met at the Hollander Bar north of downtown Milwaukee. After some free beers were consumed and some photos were taken, DJ Nicolas fired up his BOB trailer with speakers and the squadron of Santa's headed off to the Hawaiian Holiday sounds of Bing Crosby. It was not unlike the scene in "Apocalypse Now" when the First Air Cav descends on that village to Wagner's Flight of the Valkries.

No one expects a squad of Santa's, and needless to say, no one fucks with a squad of Santa's, even in Milwaukee.

Anyhow, Ho's were dispensed, Nog was consumed, and consumers were rampaged. We took slight detour through the aisles of a local market, much to the horror of some shoppers, before getting some much needed libations at the Nomad. Santa's were treated to some Smithwick's and Pabst. A most beautiful velvet Elvis painting was beheld in all of its glory. (It must be noted, that for $5 you can have what is known as 'the treatment' at the Nomad. The treatment consits of a can of PBR, a shot of Jamesons and a cig.)

Off we went, spreading cheer, and sipping a flask. The streets were pretty deserted and spirits were pretty high. Kid's love a group of Santa's on bikes, and coincidentally, so do homeless dudes at bus stops, especially when they think Santa might give them booze. Downtown we took a hot lap through the mall, when Lord Hayden Claus heard the quote of the day; when some gangsta types yelled "Santa just rushed up in that motha fucka." We hit up a Mexican grocery store for tamales, before heading to Koz's for some mini bowling. Santa loves mini bowling, and he also loves PBR from the tap, especially if the tap is a small bowling pin. He loves PBR so much; all of the PBR at Koz's was consumed. Maybe it was the tamales, or perhaps the Hank Williams juke box tunes, either way we ran out of booze and had to move on. By then some of the soft core Santa's had moved on, but the rest of us proceeded to Ben's Bike Shoppe, for some Premium Sterling Beers, which taste better shot gunned. There was a Santa group piss behind the dumpster, and we were off in search of more beers. Our search did not take long, after all Milwaukee is America's most drunk City. We landed feet down at Mary's, for tiny bottles of High Life in buckets.

When our group had consumed enough, we split, bidding adieu to Sanchez Claus and Happy Jack, pointed our two wheel sleds SE towards Bay View and set off. Near our destination, Lord Hayden Claus, in a Metallica moment, swerved into me, and sent us both to the pavement. Though our bikes were fine, I ended up with a bloody meat puppet for a middle finger. Can't wait till next year!

Get Some!"

Decide to ride.

Wisconsin State Cross Championships

Here are a couple of more shots by Robin Davies from this weekend's race. The first is of ZR showing off some his legendary handling skillz, and the second is of the muddy trench, aka, race course. Once again to those who raced, you are truely hard (wo)men, and I doff my foam dome in your direction. Well done. Also, welcome to any first time visitors stopping by from HTATBL. Nice to have you, stop by again soon.

SUPERFAN!

Driving rain, 4 inches of snow, gusty wind? No problem. The superfans thrive on those conditions! Robin Davies Photo.

Vision

Tim Parr of Swobo wrote this a number of years ago. It ran in an issue of Blue Magazine, and I can recall reading it at the time and thinking how right on it was. Looking back now, and reading it fresh, it sounds even more right on, and kind of helps lay down the track of what it is I want to do.
Read it.

Winter

Wisco got slammed by old man winter this weekend. We hunkered down by the fireplace on Saturday for one of the most relaxing days I've had in a while. Should have done some more snow shovelling, but there will be plenty of time for that....Yesterday made the trip down to Hales Corners in Milwaukee to watch the State Cyclocross championships. In a word: Epic.
Now I know Epic is a word that gets tossed around quite a bit, but this event was epic in every sense of the word. As we were standing there on the course watching riders slog past in a foot wide muddy trench, one of my fellow SuperFans turned to me and asked, "How could the conditions be any worse?" It was around 32 degrees, with several inches of icy, slushy snow on the ground. And it was pouring rain...it was a driving rainstorm...I thought about that for a few minutes, and between blasts of my horn, and shouts of encouragement, I said that I couldn't imagine how it could be much worse, short of being shot at.
Big props to those that braved the conditions to race, or even watch! It was a great season!
Just ordered some Lake winter shoes, something I've been thinking about doing for several years...I've been drawing lots of motivation from Mike Curiak's blog a man who can make being really cold sound really appealling.

Road Trippin'

This is a custom bag from RELoad, just look at the detail!

Just got back from a 2000 mile plus trip around the east coast, down to Raleigh NC, to Philly and back to Wisco in a week. Saw a bunch of family and freinds, and packed a bunch of great stuff into just a short period of time. We had the great pleasure while in Philly to not only eat some cheese steaks at Delassandros, but also to stop by RELoad Bags again. There are tons of bags out there these days, but I don't know why you'd buy anything else...Cool store, nice folks. Parked right out front was a really bitchin' Bilenky cargo bike too. Stayed for a couple of days near Manayuk, PA, so of course we stopped by Cadence to checked it out and I got my Rouleur fix on.
And got to ride some singletrack in the Wissahickon. Highly recommended. Thanks Lil C.

Thanks

To everyone that was here last Sunday. Sorry for the lateness of that...Sun Prairie loves racing at the Speedway, cowbells and Tequila. And if you don't like them in that order, figure it out. Most fun cross race....since last year. I'm already making plans for '08 kids.

Tacos, Tequila & Toe Spikes

This is a Photo James Lalonde took last year at Sun Prairie of Erik Jellum and Marko Lalonde racing through the beer pavillion at the Angell Park Speedway 'cross race. This year, I'd like to see 10 times as many folks packed in there cheering. Although this year isn't the State Championship, it will still be a great race.
I know for myself, last year's race set the standard by which all other 'cross races are measured. If you aren't doing anything this Sunday, Nov. 18th in the afternoon, come out and watch. Hell, grab a bike and jump in the fray!
And afterwards, we'll roll the five blocks back to Casa Powell where the beer and Tequila are on ice, the fire is warm and the laughter will be loud!
DO IT!

Check out what Andy Gregg is up to

You can see his work here or here. If you are into bikes, chances are you'll love something that he has created. Check it out.

Cog Magazine

I had the opportunity to check out a cool new mag called Cog this past weekend. They are out of Milwaukee, and they've put out a pretty good 1st issue. Check it out when you get a chance!

Build it, Carry it

Ran across this link again this morning, this time on Urban Velo. Check it out for yourself!

The Future....

....Looks pretty sweet right?

On The Road

A friend of the Snot Rocket, Charlie Brigham, is riding his bike around the world. You can follow his progress here. He left from Madison a couple of months ago. I recieved a dispatch from him this morning describing each state he has visited since leaving. This is what he writes about the state of:

PARANOIA

The sun is setting over my shoulder - not much time left now. It's the end of a day of pedalling, I'm hungry and fatigued. An hour's time, a little less, is all my window allows; any more and any site I pass will be invisible to my eyes. "Where will I rest my head?" I ask, without any vestige of a plan; just peel those peeps a little wider in this final dusky drive. There's a likely candidate, that hill there, topped with trees... but wait, a driveway looms ahead, a house is back there, close. Too close. Around another bend then, another possible spot, off the highway's bank; a dense-woods thicket, well concealed and never tread. But brambles yawn from everywhere, and how will I get down on in? I can't, or if I can, I'm sure to fill my gear with holes, and those gray clouds don't look too nice tonight. Keep searching then, let's see what's up this hill. Finally, I find a path that leads way back; no tires have marked its ruts in ages, though the rusty gate and sign proclaim my guilt. Whatever, fine, it's too late to continue now; it's this or ride in the dark, one lonely biker out alone; and at night I'd rather have concealment: its dangers are more predictable than a DUI or joyriding teen.
Yet still, I'm extra careful, in those high-risk slots of time - Is anyone watching me slip in here now, and are they making sinister plans for after dark? No, I'm just water-breaking, till the traffic's out of sight, and until I hear no dogs that bark, nor their master's eyebrow raised.
Okay, I go, and make it - now at least the road is blind; I search around at first, way deeper than I need, to catch a view from other sides: I'll need a foot-tall fire. I'm kind of clean here, I say, not harming anything at all; but if the morning tractor route goes past my little hedge, or a consummate woodsman decides to take a midnight stroll, I'll have to use my wits, and quick, and if it's going to come to that, then....
Anxiety; it bubbles in my mind as I quietly clear a bed; I try to keep it calm, but visions of what might just happen keep popping in my head. The loudest noise I make is sticks, no more than I should need; I break them under my tarp or tent, imagining the directions soundwaves fly. A zipper here, or velcro there, I've learned it doesn't travel, but still I stop and freeze to listen at frequent intervals, and learn what's out there hearing. I'm on my toes like this until I'm all set up for food, and then a different sneak of sense begins - the fire. It's pure stark light and smoke, and shines upon the trees quite high. It's not as bright as LEDs but licks and flashes, catching eyes. I've got to eat tonight though, and man I love that blaze. I have to trust my positioning, and see from others' sight - this far from where they'd be looking, it's at most a random flash, and at this distance from that road or hilltop house, they'd really have to try. Tomorrow daylight may illuminate the smoke, but tonight I'm sick of worrying, and illogically over-wrought with fears.
These things combine to justify some calm, and as I sit and heat my food I relax a bit, and let my thoughts unwind. I get used to the sounds around me, and the distances of each, and soon I only flinch at falling flukes, a walnut or dead branch. In the dark of these woods, it's hard to tell a critter from a sneaky man, but as I worry which it is out there, I know it goes both ways. Perceptions and the sense of such, each play half in this tricky game. A game I'm good at, I remind myself, and all that effort I made tonight will keep me safe from harm. A sleepy yawn and thoughts of rest come on, and the coals have all burned low. Eventually it's late enough that no locals will be up, it's time to fall to dreams; of course rest lightly just in case - oh wait, what's that, I bolt upright; oh shit, it's Saturday, that's a drag-racing pickup truck I hear, just over that next hill!

Ghostride, a Marquette Tradition

Back in the day, some buddies started keeping track of the holidays in Marquette, Michigan by riding the Holiday Crit Series. Kind of like alleycats, but with less posing, and no messengers, or prizes...they were bike rides at the bro level, and damn were they fun. There is still a core group doing them, in this the 7th year since that first race. Below is a ride report from Jeremy Pickens detailing last night's ride:

dude, the ride last night set a new precedent. Starting in the fit strip about 45 minutes late(typical), about 35 proceeded to high school for some beers. From there, to the wright st. cemetary for some more beers and bottle rockets. after which, the group splintered at tourist park with some proceeding to the next stop--the dead river bridge--while others went to the Wright Place to refuel. Well wouldn't you know it, as my group rolled up the to the dead river bridge (underneath as if you were going to ride the nct) there was ligh, not artificial, but fire light. with the thought that some group had poached our intended destination, it was revealed that no, another group had not poached our spot. rather, the fire was contained in dozens of carved pumpkins there to greet us. more impressive, however, was the fully stocked 12 foot bar with stools that Speck and Stella had brought out there while we were en route. seriously dude, an entire homemade wooden bar, stocked, with accompanying stools. amazing! I'll send you some pics when i get them downloaded. Goetch was in rare form, setting of fireworks like it was his job. from there, a game of foot down behind the dome let to an after party at Larsen's that capped the evening. Nevin resurrected and rode the pbr cruiser, and no cops to speak of. all in all, a good ride. poured a little out for you.

If I had $5K....

I would already be making a beer run in this machine. And when I say beer run, I mean 4 kegs. Learn more here.

On the money

'A "snot rocket" is a slang term referencing the act of holding one nostril while forcefully exhaling through the other mucous filled nostril resulting in a "rocket"-like projection of mucus from the nose and sinuses'

Oh Wikipedia, you know everything don't you.

Check it...

World Bicycle Relief in the national news. This is one organization that is truely getting it done. When you have a minute, read this story from MSNBC.

Best website I've seen...

Do yourself a favor and go to this site. I wouldn't lie to you would I?

Resurgent Cineribus

It is just about Devil's Night, and where I'm from that used to mean something. The city of Detroit used to catch fire this time of year...in the early 1980s there would be hundreds of fires on Devil's Night all over the ghetto.

2007 Cross Mid Season Report

I'd have to say that this year is every bit as good as last year in every respect, if not better. As always, I'm impressed by the two wheeled prowess of the Brothers Lalonde, but this year Lyle Hanson (who last year was Cat 4 pack fodder) has been contesting for the Cat 3 top spot with a very strong Casey Masterson. Along with Lyle, my homeboy Ruckus, the Cat 4 Darkhorse, has proven that cigs can only make you tougher...and Jenny Sue has the fever as well, the fever to kick some ass.
Lots of Milwaukee racing coming up in the next two weekends, and I'm looking forward to hopping some barricades and tipping some long necks in the brew city.
Team Magnus and the BKB continue to keep the scene on lock down, but I gotta say Team Pegasus from Milwaukee is talking my language lateley.
Also, seeing some new faces out there like "Docksider" Frank Chemotti and Nils show up for several races has been pretty sweet.
Big ups to Robin Daveis, Djonn and Scott Shapiro who have shown me that gettin' old is just a state of mind! They regularly put the pain down on the youngsters!
Well, like Dio would say, RIDE THE TIGER!

Spunday!

6 Day Racing

Just for your knowledge, if you happen to be in Europe for the next couple of months...
Six-Day Race 2007-08 Calendar

Oct. 22-27 - Amsterdam
Oct. 25-30 - Grenoble, France
Nov. 1-6 - Dortmund, Germany
Nov. 8-13 - Munich
Nov. 20-25 - Ghent, Belgium
Dec. 11-16 - Zuidlaren, Holland
Dec. 17-22 - Maastricht, Holland
Dec. 27-Juan. 1 - Zürich
Jan. 3-8 - Rotterdam, Holland
Jan. 10-15 - Germany
Jan. 17-22 - Stuttgart, Germany
Jan. 24-29 - Berlin, Germany
Jan. 31-Feb. 5 - Copenhagen
Feb. 7-12 - Hassalt, Belgium

Get some!

Thanks Robin.

'Cross!

Its on.

'Cross!

Right now!

Go check out Kevin's stuff right now!

Dugast Mystery Solved!

I emailed Dugast to get to the bottom of the rumors I'd been hearing, and here is the answer I got back:

Hello,

No, that is totally untrue. Maybe there is a confusion with the facts of a
few years ago. About 6 years ago the old owner of the company, named Andre
Dugast, decided to retire. At that moment Richard Nieuwhuis bought the
company and began to produce on his own. Right now we have a production
which is twice as high as when Andre Dugast was the director.

Kind regards,
Tamara Willems

Mystery solved. Now go buy a set, shoot, buy two!

Cross has arrived

It really started a couple of weekends ago, but this weekend is the official arrival with the Madison Cross weekend. Races at Cam-Rock and Badger Prairie promise to delight both super fans and racers with tight, classic cross action. I am stoked beyond description, and I can't wait to start clanging a cow bell! Keep your eyes on the The Snot Rocket in the coming weeks for all of the details for the post race party at Snot Rocket HQ following the Sun Prairie race and Angell Park Speedway! Three words: Tacos. Tequila. Toe-Spikes.
And the word on the street is that there will be a Burrito Cross race somewhere in Wisco on the weekend of Nov. 11th.

Dugast, RIP?

I heard a rumor yesterday that Dugast is no more...is this industry scuttlebut, or the honest truth? I'm trying to contact Dugast to find out. The tires are considered the gold standard when it comes to 'cross rubber. The word came from a US Campy distributor who allegedly visited the factory in Belgium only to find it shuttered...don't touch that dial...when I know you'll know!
In the mean time, put in your toe spikes and lets get spun!

Falling Heros

Landis, Vino, Riis, Museeuw, Ulrich, Hamilton, Mayo, Rasmussen...we're running out of heros and it's slowly killing the sport of professional cycling. I'm going to go have a drink.

Pro Cycling

Best T-Shirt ever.

It's been one of those seasons you'd kind of like to forget. So much scandal has over shadowed an otherwise awesome pro road season. This t-shirt really sums it up for me. On the bright side, it's cross season!

News from Rivendell

The Bombadil 650b mountain bike from Rivendell has been a long time coming, but looks like it's getting close. They've offered a sneak peek on their site. They are also starting to get some tire choices...they have my attention.

Rawland Cycles Olaf

This pretty much sums up why I think these bikes kick ass.

Rawland Cycles

Here is a cool new company from across the Mississippi Rawland Cycles They are doing two bikes, both based on the 650b wheel. They released the bikes at Interbike in a small booth kind of off the beaten path. Very cool stuff, check em out!

ZR Cycles

ZR Cycles. Frame builder. Mustache grower. Donut eater. Cross racers. Kind man.

Long Bikes Are Coming

This is the new Kona Ute long bike. Their web site says it'll retail for $800, which sounds like a lot...Considering I got the front half of my Xtracycle Free Radical for free out of the trash, and paid for the kit from Xtracycle...if you're handy you can do better than $800 for sure but it's still cool to see. Looks like it won't work with Xtracycle stuff, but I'm sure we'll see next week in Vegas. No word on when it'll be available. The Surly Big Dummy was at Interbike a year ago, and you still can't get one. It'll be interesting to see who else has one this year.

Get Down With This

This is one of the more interesting things I've stumbled across in the savage wasteland known as the Interweb. Kind of makes me smile...like the bicycle can save the world.

New Wheels

I've got some new wheels on the ZR 27.5. First off, some brand new Velocity Blunt Rims, with black DT spokes and DT 240 disc hubs. Then yesterday, Zack set me up with some full prodcution Pacenti Neo Moto tires. I had been using a set of pre production Pacenti tires, called Baby Bears, but since the bike will be on display at Interbike, well it should look as pro as it can. The wheels are stout, but still reasonable.

Road to Recovery

Some of you may have heard, some might not, but on Sept 1st Tara Llanes who races for Giant, was seriously injured in a crash during a 4-cross race at Beaver Creek in Vail, CO. She sustained severe injuries to her head and back, and is now paralyzed below the waist. You can find out more about her here:

Road to Recovery

If you love cycling, check it out. Please, if you have the means, help her out.

dp

Velo Storage

Yeah, my priorities were questioned when I talked about building it. But when it was done, and all my bikes were in one place, it all made sense.
I procured most of the elements while working at Saris, though they had no interest in marketing or manufacturing it themselves. For the tiny apartment I lived in at the time, it was pretty sweet. 5 bikes, and gear storage, and hardly any floor space was lost.

The Bicycle in American Society

I’ve been around the cycling industry for more than a decade now and I’ve seen a few trends come and go. What I’m still waiting to see catch on is the bicycle as a legitimate form of transportation. Most of the bigger companies (Trek, Specialized, etc) seem to be catching on with their newer city style bikes. It is a step in the right direction. It’s has been my personal belief since I was a child that the bike is more than a toy, but we as an industry haven’t figured out the way to get that across to the masses here in the States.
Perhaps that is a product of our urban planning. Maybe we are fat, lazy slobs. Maybe I’m just a crazy nut, who’ll one day be run over by a pick up truck as I fight for that little bit of asphalt space I feel I’ve earned.
Any way you slice it, it would be a better place to live, drive, and raise kids if there were more people riding, and less people driving.
That’s what the Snot Rocket is all about.

On My List

God Almighty, I hate mosquitos.