Saturday, June 23, 2007

Wa Wa Wee Woo!



Got the 44c Mutano Raptors yesterday. They look crazy. Can't wait to hit some good trails. Been raining like crazy so I had to settle for Pease Park and some crushed stone out to 183. Through the East Side on the way home.

Cool tires and the fatties fit fine, but the bike was definately not built with these in mind. Bit of a toe overlap, but its only an issue with slow turns with the peddles turning.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

360 to Spicewood Springs

Yep, it was a good week for riding. I'm at 220 miles for the week. Its been a while since I've put over a hundred in during a week. Commuting helped. We'll see how it lasts, Tara's back home tonight from 2 weeks of traveling. Pretty stoked to see her. All but 25 of those miles were fixed.

The downhills on 360 are fucking scary on a fixed gear. My legs felt like they were going to explode.

Constitutional Law! What do you THINK?


In 2005 a Supreme Court case decided the fate of 2 displays of the 10 Commandments at Kentucky Court Houses and our at the Texas Capitol (see photo). Click on the link, it'll bring you to the CNN report on the deciscion. I thought it was pretty good one. Heard it on NPR. Saw the display at the Texas Capitol before. Seems like a lot of road or mtn bike rides (if you ride to the trails) take you through the Capitol Grounds. I saw it before the decision and never really had a problem with it. I am a freak and a liberal so I really believe in the separation of church and state. I'd actually be very happy if our gov't was god less. Uncapitalized in order to not discriminate between those who worship many or One. I though Animism was pretty cool when I learned about it in high school, but although I see some reason for spirituality and even mysticism, I think I believe in the eternal Dirt Nap. Dirt to Dirt, dust to dust, literally. If you think about it, is that not eternal life, on the molecular level? Personally I think that idea is pretty cool. But fuck it, what do I now?

I ride beer and and drink bikes. Nobody is buying my training videos.

Better Week





Picked up another 20 miles today. Buddy Brook called me up to go for a ride down to Town Lake. He was on his 24-inch bmx, I got to ride my 1x1 with platforms. First freewheel ride of the week. Up to about 170 miles for the week. Pretty nice considering only 20 miles were with a freewheel. First 100 were riding 39x13 fixed. Fixed that and switched the cross check to 39x14. Handled Mt. Bonnell pretty well and is great on the flats and I can handle steep downs with it. Just ordered some 700cx44 Mutanoraptors for the cross check. The thing is going to be bad ass. I'll throw those tires on the wheels that came with the Unit 29er. 39x16 free with that for the trails when I want to ride dirt with a drop and 39x14 fixed for the day to day. It going to be sweet. Ended the evening with some tacos and pitchers of Real Ale Full Moon Rye Pale Ale. My favorite beer. Pretty sweet.

My bro Brook rocks the short shorts! On the ride dudes were trying to pick him up and the ladies were telling him to put on a shirt. Except the punk rock chicks. They were telling him he was one hot bitch. My theory is all the punk rock men wear the tight ass jeans. Their chicks get a preview of their cocks through the pants. My boy was letting it hang out with those short shorts.

Red Rockets and Short Shorts. No mention of the gay-m here or the gay this or that. I know what my orientation is and I'll fly that Rainbow Flag with pride.

Who's the bitch?

Oh yeah. Here come an edit, so when I am talking about rides, if you're interested I'll probably be linking a ride map via the title to the post. You probably don't give ahit, but maybe I actually have some Austin Readers, so there you go. I'll try to remember for some time to remind that the link is there, but ya' know.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Good Week


60 miles on the dam loop sunday. 2 days commuting to work. peddler tuesday loop tonight through some rain. took the long way up shoal creek to north austin. wore all my jerseys except long sleeve and wool. all the shorts are gone except the ones that are worn out.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

What the Fuck

Click on the title.

Yeah, it sure is friendly for cyclists down here. Just read about some downed brothers in Iowa on my homeboy Squirrel's blog.

Saw this on the local fox station tonight. Don't worry, I don't watch fox for news but was over at a friend's. This is really fucked up. The dude crossed the line and fucking plowed into this dude.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Pull Over Son

Commuted to work today by bike. Got pulled over crossing under I-35 along Grand Avenue. Guess your not allowed to lane split in Texas, at least when a sherrif is around.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Dam Loop

Rode the dam loop with my buddies Rey and Jeremy. Pretty sweet having the cross check back so I can do rides like this. About 60 miles when all said and done. 39x13 was pretty steep, but a lot less spinning on the way down. 39x14 would probably be perfect.

Title is a link to a google pedometer map.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Willits

Rode by the Willits shop yesterday and KVUE was there doing an interview. Hung out and talked to Jared and Wes while they weren't being interviewed. Wes was having me ride some bikes. Got to ride one of his personal monster x's, built in 2000 as a concept bike. Strutted ti fork, custom stem and bent seat post. Fucking sweet. Maroon on the front of the frame, the stem and seatpost to match the schelacked (sp) bars and maroon swift saddle. Pimpin.

The clicking on the title should provide a link to the video on KVUE's website. There's a shot of me in there riding the monster x back up to the shop.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

SINGLESPEEDING DEAD?

Andy Corson writes a bit of an article in 63xc.com about singlespeeding and how its dead. Not so much dead, but the element of cool and fringe is gone. Interesting take and I am sure most singlespeeders have realized that for a while.

As someone who started singlespeeding cause i wanted a cheaper bike and didn't want to have to work so much on my bike, cool wasn't that big of a deal. i though it was cool and its pretty fun keeping up with someone with gears, but I got into it more for the simplicity. Probably why a lot of people who do already ride bikes get into it.

Now the newbies, that's a different story. I suspect many are doing it cause it is "cool". My buddy Ryan was telling me they get a few people now and then coming into the Peddler saying they want one of those bikes "without brakes", having no real clue what a fixed gear is and means. Ryan will explain to them that they want a bike that needs to be constantly peddled while movie, which they had no clue was the case. Okay, maybe they don't want to be like that hip cat they saw blasting through traffic on the Drag.

So singlespeeding and fixed gear are into the mainstream, no longer cool, and therefore dead. But there are people on bikes who may not have been on one otherwise if this certain type of bike may not be riding. And to me that's cool.

My question is, now that singlespeeding is dead, does this mean people aren't going to get way too much money for an old, heavy steel frame with horizontal drops on ebay?

Whatever, ride for yourself and fuck what's cool.

And its the end of 63xc.com. The offroad fixed gear forum. The link isn't goign to die, but its the end of the quarterly updates. Bummer.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Sweet



Man, riding a gear other than 34x18 is pretty fun. Up Mt. Bonnel for a beer at the Dry Creek Saloon and on north up some more hills. 39x13 was a bit tough up, but pretty nice coming down.

The deer had some scary eyes.

Rode with my homeboy, Ryan. On the old school Basso.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Cleaned Up



Garage has been looking like shit due to all the home improvement and it just being hectic in general.

Cleaned the shit up. Wow, I have a work bench.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

bad luck with bikes



Been having some bad luck lately. Bent my fucking fork riding the greenbelt today. My glove was wet from a stream crossing and my left hand popped off going off a ledge. Well, a big log was coming real quick and instead of wrestling the bike, I plotted a way to eject. Went over the bars real smooth and rolled out of it. Just some scratches, unfortunately my fork got bent back. Interesting ride characteristics and my toes really overlapped the wheel.

The creeks flowing pretty sweet and made for some good swimming on the way out.