Cruise

Another thing I get from my old man, is an appreciation for classic American cars. Yeah, more 'Mericans need to ride, but hey I like chrome as much as the next Detroit native. Saw a decent article on the Woodward Dream Cruise. It has some good links. Frank DeBlase Photo.

Real PRO

My wife's old pal Josh just rolled through town on business. He and Jen went to lunch and stopped by the office afterward. He asked me to take a look at his mountain bike as it was making some strange noises. Upon pulling it out of his van, it was immediately obvious to me, someone had put a ball bearing in his frame.
"Have you recently had work done on it?" I asked.
"Yes, a tune up." He replied.

Turns out, he had work done at BGI in Indy. For those not in the know, a bearing in the frame is the oldest gag in the book, something you do to your buddies, or enemies. Not to decent paying customer. Having worked at shops for a decade, wrenches are the guys (or gals) I'd go to bat for every time. But not this time. In closing:

Hey guys at BGI, A bearing in the top tube? That is not PRO.

You guys are fucking hacks.

The Planetenradträger?

I'm a tinkerer. It's what I do. It was inherited from my old man. I find I can zone out, get greasy and get stuff done. Late at night is when I do my best work. All I need is some rags, some tools and some decent light.
Recenty, I aquired a Sachs Torpedo Duomatic 2 speed hub. It has a coaster brake, and a little grease port. German made. Found it in a junk pile. The knowledge that it is sitting on my work bench has me on pins and needles. It has a great weight to it. It feels solid, well made. It represents a challenge.

You see dear reader, someday I want to be known as the "Coaster Brake King". A quick paddle out into the Internet void to surf for info led me to a decent blog post about buying and rebuilding such a hub. That post included a link to a german site with even more info. Then another. Fanatical information.

There is a certain purpose to me finding that hub...and that excites me.

New Blog

A nice dude Russ Roca I've gotten to know through the industry started a new blog about touring, check it out if you get a chance.

Builder

Say what you will about Rapha: too expensive, over the top, the best clothing on the market, pink, classic euro thrash, or is that classic euro trash?
Any way you slice it, their new Continental project has my attention. The profiles of builders on their website are compelling. Make sure you look down the side of each page at the shop photos for each. It is the details that draw me in.

Hey I'm Back

Took a break from the internets over the last few days. Hey, buy my bike. You'll be a lot cooler if you do, I promise.
Nice work Marko on your fourth place finish at Single Speed Worlds. Yeah, not many folks can beat Mark Weir, Carl Decker or Barry Wicks anyways, so whatever.

Feed Yukon. He haz hunger.

Oh, Flint. You Can Always Make Me Laugh

Thanks Patrick for the Graphic.

Perhaps the saddest city I've ever been to, Flint Michigan is a cautionary tale for every city. "This could happen to you."

But,Grand Funk Railroad is from there, so they have that.

My Kind Of Movement

The Slow Bicycle Movement. Style over speed, indeed.

Confirmed Kill

A putrid wiff of the end.
A humbling peace.
Flies feast.
Trucks never yeilding.
Unblinking, mouth open as if to say...

We're all going to end up this way.

Fonzie Back In Brew Town

They dedicated the Fonz statue in Milwaukee today. Happy Days are here again.