Worms, Worlds, and Warlocks. Oh, and some bike stuff.
So that worm thing is the stuff that nightmares are made of, no?
We cant get it out of our heads.
Creepy.
The very un-wormy Megan over at onechick(dot)com is going to be providing us with photos now for a piece. Shes an ace photographer, and we genuinely appreciate her skillz and such.
Its nether here nor there, but El Corpo sent on an updated photo of the office.
Seems they had to move all of the desks out (we all sit behind the dumpster next door now) so as to make room for a slew of two wheeled goodness thats arrived. We even had to move Skys collection of Beanie Babies, and the coveted lava lamp.
Now then, weve been spying on what some of you pukes have been ranting and raving about on the forums and what not. Some love the bikes, and some hate em.
To those who love em, we say things like, 'we do too', 'no doubt', and 'Spookyboo, where are you?'
And to those who hate em, we say, 'everybodys entitled to their own opinion. No matter how ridiculous it is.'
(Insert a little Nelson Muntz laugh here)
Ok, now weve got Important one speed worlds info straight from Dr. Jon
He writes:
As the time draws nigh
“O soul, we have positively appear'd--that is enough.” ~ Walt Whitman
The entries for the singlespeed world championships 2007 will be open on Sunday first April 1st from 00:01 (british summer time - BST).
Places will be limited only if interest is extremely high. Don't fret, most if not all, will get in.
Entry will be through a paypal account.
The full instructions will appear on www.sswc2007.com from March 31st (evening) BST. Follow them and all should be well.
The cost will be £25 (uk pounds). We had to raise the entry cost slightly, but the race will be non-profit and if there is any extra we promise to buy a round at the bar. Hope this is ok.
We would like to take the chance to thank all the sponsors for being so generous:
Sycip Cycles Female winner custom frame!
Black Sheep Bikes Male winner custom frame!
Bontrager Components
Brian MacLeod
Cairngorm Brewery
Charlie the Bike Monger
Drunkcyclist
Endless Bikes
Giro
Inglis/Retrotec
Jo Burt Enterprises
One Speed Revolution/Graveltech
Phil Wood
Rockstar Racing/Carver Bikes
Shifterbikes
Singular Cycles
Surly
TF Tuned Shox
The Outcast
Hey El Corpo, wheres Swobo on this esteemed list?
When I was in Jr High, I knew a girl named Ellen from Boise. She wore funny pants, and had tremendously thick glasses. For the longest time, she was all I knew of this fare city.
Then a old messenger buddy that goes by the name of Schooly moved there, and keeps us up to date on all the cool bike nerd related happenings.
Check this for the latest.
And finally, Pirate Pete sent along this tidbit about folks on bicycles hurtling themselves along at 81 miles and hour. The fact that these contraptions vaguely resemble coffins were sure is no accident.
...Will somebody tell me just what the hell is going on here?
Speaking of not knowing whats going on..
"I can't support bike lanes. Roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks. My heart bleeds when someone gets killed, but it's their own fault at the end of the day."
-Rob FordToronto City Councillor
Email: councillor_ford@toronto.ca
HELP US FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
We urge all friends of the bike to send a message to Mr. Ford explaining why he is way off-base. We recommend that you don't use any threatening terms or obscenities, as hard as that may be to do.
I found this with help from the The Urban Cyclist, who in turn got it from the Surly blog, who in turn got it from Dale at Kona.
One good turn deserves another.
This just in from right around the corner from where I spend my days toiling for the man.
"Upset driver goes after cyclist
Apparently frustrated that she had to wait for a cyclist to turn, a
woman driving a red sports utility vehicle chased down and hit the
cyclist on the Eastside around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The incident started at the intersection of Gault and Frederick streets
as the cyclist made a left turn onto Gault. The motorist followed the
cyclist, who was riding down Gault on the sidewalk, police said. The
motorist got in front of the bike and pulled into the sidewalk at an
angle, blocking the cyclist, police said.
When the cyclist tried to maneuver around the SUV, the motorist drove
into the bike, police said.
The cyclist suffered minor injuries, according to police.
The motorist fled the scene. Witnesses told officers the SUV might have
been a Mercury Mountaineer, that the driver was a heavy-set blond woman
in her late 40s and that the vehicle had a blue disabled placard hanging
from the rearview mirror."
Poor thing prolly had an important meeting at Curves she was late for.
Lets be careful out there, ok?
Gabba Gabba Hey, Chris and Gonterian save the day.
Remember that old saying that goes something like, 'when I see a blade of grass peeking through a crack in the sidewalk, I bend down and whisper it a few words of encouragement'?
Well this past weekend, JMac and I came across this mass of burls and chaotic root tangle out from which several giant Redwoods were growing, and from one of the near subterranean root formations grew this tiny sprout. I couldnt help but offer the little guy some encouraging words of my own.
Anyhow, the aforementioned Chris at Iheartbikes, computer wizard that he is, walked me through the process of changing the header photo, and due to the fact that this here publishing platform has a bit of a technical hang up, the process was far more complicated then anyone previously thought.
So thank you for the words of encouragement, the miles of computer gobbledeegook filled emails, and the sporadic name calling, but Chris is the one with the hard earned new wooly.
The photo was loaned by Mr Fabio Venni. If youd like to see more of his work, a good bit of it can be found here.
Plus, weve added a whole bunch of new videos over there in the video links for your time wasting pleasure. Put on your slippers, and take one in a day.
And in news of the Ghostshippiest kind, the dirts are at it some more.
This Sunday is the first alleycat of the season! Sponsored by Ghostship, EC Scorchers and Devil's Gear, it's the annual New Haven April Fool's race titled The Wharf Rat Alleycat.
Registration starts at 2. Race starts at 3. $5 to enter. Registration / Race Start at the Wooster Square Green on Chapel St. (located near The Devil's Gear Bike Shop and Fuel Coffeeshop).
You will need a bike, a bag or basket, a lock, $5 entry fee, and a pen.
They also state that you should bring along some extra cash on account of theyve got some of their wares theyre gonna be peddling.
No pun intended.
And finally, Gonterian pleaded at one point long ago, to be the Swobo poster child. This fella, as near as we can tell, had a candle lit for our return for just about as long as anybody, so heres a big thanks to him. Go by and see just what kind of trouble hes got brewing here at fixed impressions.
And he thought no one was listening.
Chris over at I heart bikes (dot) com has taken on the unenviable task of leading me down the road of computer enlightenment.
Its truly like explaining the color blue to a blind guy. I can almost promise that within 72 hours, youll never have to look at Mr. T again. You know, unless you want to, which of course you do cause hes Mr. T.
Now then, like the kids say, Hirmize is 'keeping it real' in Tokyo
"Hello,this is Hirmize from Tokyo.
I've shoot some movie about fixed gear culture in Tokyo before.
~A story of the street~
This is a race like oval track called Keirin in Yoyogi park.
We enjoyed all through the night.
This is a race called Zero-Shiki conpetes the fastest from A to B.
3rd is a Massan from SF.At that time,they held bicycke film fes in Tokyo.
So,Mash SF riders hang out Tokyo streets.
Thanks."
One thing in particular I truly enjoy about this job is getting items like these, from folks living thousands of miles away who are doing jackassery just like we do here.
It makes me feel kindof warm inside.
Also, Jamie Ritchie sent us some photos of our favorite saver-of the-day down in Auckland.
Superman was a kook. We like this guy.
Ill now offer a heartfelt thanks to all of the folks who have let us use their photos, and videos to continue to build a community of sorts here on the Bummer life.
Its been a pleasure to work with you all.
Despite how robust we here at Swobo may appear, we have the souls of poets, and when we are called such names as 'douchenozzle', it cuts us to the quick.
Remember, its nice to be nice.
OK...now I'm getting pissed. The guy who set up our home away from home here, isn't returning any of my emails (I'll withhold any names), so now we need somebody's help.
We need to figure out how to change that damn picture on our blog. The first person to successfully hand walk Stevil K. through changing our homepage photo gets a new wool jersey.
I particularly like the last one. In comparison, the disgrace that is my studio might explain why I make such crappy work.
Just take a long second and stare into this fellas eyes.
Anyhow, as long as were being 'whitebeltwearingfixieridingpettythiefs', Ill throw this photo I stole from Jon Suziki up. Being well aware of how things in Europe can get a little fuzzy sometimes, were curious if some random stoners munchy induced feeding frenzy resulted in the missing arm.
And now a message from super hero, Andy May:
"To the Boys and Gals of the Cycling world :
Two Legs and Gears are for Pussies"
:)
Love to you all!
Andy May"
We cant really argue with that, Andy.
Id wager to bet that the guy on Andys right went home after being beat and sold his bikes.
And why the hell not? Ill throw this one in for good measure.
Firstly, my man Jonny is on the case of the header photo. It sounds like a Hardy Boys mystery. Im gonna figure this thing out if it kills him.
Plus, this just in from El Corpo.
"Erin, the sales maven, is signing up our newly established dealer base at the moment. We will only have a very small number of retail dealers scattered across the U.S.. Call us if you want a list of where these dealers will be."
Do you have a phone number? I dont. Its like being locked out of your parents house.
Try erin@swobo.com. Shes a pretty friendly gal. Im sure shed love to help.
“BIG RIG” is a broad portrait of modern America as seen through the eyes of long-haul truck drivers. Spanning 21,000 miles, 45 states, and dozens of truck stops, director Doug Pray and producer Brad Blondheim (the team who created “SCRATCH”) went far beyond just the chrome and coffee culture and made a film that delves deeply into the lives and personal struggles of these working-class heroes, who are, literally, carrying the nation upon their backs.”
Boobar, who used to drive the Rock Shox truck has a belt buckle that says "IF YOU BOUGHT IT, A TRUCK BROUGHT IT"- although personally, truckers give me the creeps.
Between the emails weve received today concerning direction on how to change the header photo, and me smashing my face upon the computer in the process, I think it just may be time for a cocktail.
Of course It could be argued that thats actually why I cant wrap my mind around this seemingly simple task.
My retardation aside, or perhaps speaking of retardation, Darin Bendall sent us this photo of himself celebrating Mercury day last September. I personally have had the pleasure of competing against him in the first annual 'Mustache Bash' and though he is genetically challenged in the facial hair department, he can fall down and do 'the worm' in the dirt with the best of em.
Next up, we arrived at Swobo World HQ today and got this little slice of warm fuzzy weirdness in our mail box.
"Hello,
I was a bike courier in Christchurch, New Zealand about 8 years ago when I got my black pug. I named her Swobo after your company cos I really liked the sound of the name and my boyfriend at the time had brought me back a really cool wool Swobo top when he went to the Bike Messenger World Champs in San Francisco.
To be honest, I had thought that Swobo the brand was defunct and it was only recently when I did a random web search that I was pleased to see your brand is still alive and kicking.
Warm Regards,
Patti & Swobo
New Zealand"
Funny thing is I named my kid the same thing for the same reason, and Ill be damned if the two Swobos dont look identical.
Furthermore, Chris at Circle A Cycles sent us photos of some of his new work.
I loves me some Chris Bull, and I loves me some Circle A Cycles.
Now then, we have this epic shibang happening in our own fare burg, as well as Toronto, Mexico City, and New York. If you find yourself near any of these locations, go there, and dont be square.
Dig?
I knew you would.
And how about this for a concept-
Anybody gonna be at any of these, why not fill us in on the action. Take some photos, write some words, and email them on to us in a somewhat timely fashion.
We got this email about local favorite dumb jock Jordi Cortez from Bobo. Bad times have been brewed.
Photo courtesy of Master Larry Rosa.
"Jordi broke his hip this past Sunday while riding with the Berkeley High
Team. He had surgery Sunday night and had 3 pins inserted into his femur to
keep it together. I spent some time with him last night to present him with a
signed team jersey from the BHS crew and a bottle of wine. He will not be
riding bikes for a very long while and will have some serious recovery ahead.
Just a silly little crash, but he landed direcly on a super hard rock that
was sticking out of the ground in such a way as to hit his hip like a can
opener - bang, broken femur. Ouch. The only positive outcome was that they
gave him morphine."
Years ago, a bunch of us would keep tally of our crashes in hatch marks on a wall at Berkeleys Missing Link Bicycle Co-op. Jordi and I were always in a close race with one another, but our efforts were always dwarfed by the one they call 'Crater Maker'. Anyway, it looks like by losing big time, Jordi finally won.
We here at the Swobo Death Star wish Jordi a speedy recovery.
In other news, Dont forget about this bash thats just around the corner.
And well finish with a photo of Geno derbying the brand new heavies.
Isnt derbying with a trike against some kind of rules or other?
Or was she just collateral damage?
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot, this came in from Ryan the intern. I dont know where it happens, and my calls to El Corpo on the matter remain unreturned, so if you know, you should go.
Its not like youre signing away your soul or anything.
This weekend the trails in Marin were all abuzz about the previously mentioned trail booby traps, then lo and behold, what should arrive in the inbox but the following petition...
You know, we dont know if this will make an impact, but then again, we do know that folks calling out for a change in numbers sometimes does.
Personally, Ive not spent a great deal of time riding a bike in Chicago, but after Oprah Whinfrey got hit by a cyclist a few years ago and then began a short lived campaign to ban bikes from the downtown streets, I did my part to make my voice heard, because I know that the bureaucratic process is a slippery slope where money talks and the bullshit tends to walk. If you take a second and help out the trail access issue, well buy you a spritzer. Clicky and signy.
Next up, a trailer for 'It came From Detroit'.
Anybody got a copy they could lend?
Mick Collins is my hero, and I Loooovvvve The Dirtbombs.
Thirdly, we now present you with the winner of the, 'Oh good god, I cant believe you got that tattoo' competition.
Id rather have a tattoo of a giant joint next to a bongo drum.
At least hers is symmetrical.
Speaking of tattoos, the ruggedly handsome Troy Denning, and his lovely wife Jessee Lee have this here art gallery and tattoo studio in New York City that goes by the name Invisible NYC. As usual, Im a day late and a dollar short in mentioning that their reception for Damion Silvers new work was this past Thursday, but the show will be up for a month or so, so if you find yourself in the neighborhood, stick your head in and check it out.
Intern Ahern, El Corpo, and the ever lovin' Boehmke (thats 'Bim-key' for those of you who dont know bicycle royalty when you see it) enjoying waffles and omelets this morning, minus the waffels and omelets.
This photo reminds me of a story. I used to work in a bike shop in Berkeley, and there was a homeless fellow who lived behind the shop named Eugene. One morning my co-worker Skot and I were out back, and Eugene was brown bagging it. Skot asked if he had a beer in the bag, and Eugene replied with "No, no... Its coffee." Later in the conversation, He pulled an empty malt liquor can from the bag and tossed it in the recycle bin. Skot pointed out the obvious to him that he was actually drinking beer, to which Eugene shot back, "Areebody got they own keina coffee."
Anyhow, for those of you who are as tired of looking at the header photo of the Mr. T stencil as the rest of us in the Swobo camp are, this might explain why it doesnt change. Ive clicked on every single button on this here publishing platform, and try as I might, I cant figure out how to change that damn photo.
Just so you know, were 'working' on it.
And in an attempt to try and avoid the wrath of El Corpo, the above photo was actually taken sometime well after lunch. Honest.
And now finally, and in the usual style of constant non-sequiturs, I offer a story about more booby trapped trails right here in our own back yard. The full(y), maddening tale can be found here. Lets be careful out there, ok?
Not that the photo here has anything to do with license plates, but do you all remember a few months back when we mentioned that Colorado had gotten the green light to go ahead with the 'Share the Road' license plate project?
Well California has got a petition to get the same thing cooking here. Not that well have any fewer beer cans thrown at us, or folks trying to run us down for sport, but if it opens a few more eyes to the fact that roads are for everyone to use, were all for it. Why not clicky, and signy?
Ive got nothing else. I hope the Dublin contingent says well in harms way this weekend. We here at S.C.H.Q would expect nothing less.
I trust everyone will have a safely insane weekend,
and you know, like the kids say,
'Up the punks'
Further more, after much searching, I finally tracked down the creator of BMX Plus's own 'Radical Rick', Mr Damian Fulton. Are any of you old enough to remember him? The ever masked BMX cartoon super hero who along with his sidekick, MX Mug delved month after month in adventures of the BMX-iest kind?
Yeah, well, I gushed, and told him that his drawings served as great inspiration to my budding artistic mind.
Among other things he responded with, he concluded with the following:
"As for your comment, "Radical Rick proved to be one of the most influential
aspects of my young art career." After viewing the drawings on your sight,
not sure that's a complement. Hardly seems any of the higher ground morality
and clever fun of the strip made an impression.
Your stuff is definitely disturbing.
Damian"
Now then, how after 27 years could any of that 'higher ground morality' have been lost on me?
Could it be that perhaps it wasnt, and Ive since been influenced by a few other things in the last -I repeat,
TWENTY SEVEN YEARS?
This correspondence has been swimming around in my head all day, and I cant seem to shake it.
If someone wrote to me and told me that something I did almost 30 years ago made such a profound impression on their then 10 year old mind, I hardly think I would respond with a criticism such as this.
But apparently that might just be me..
I will now leave you with this clip of the future ex Mrs Kinevil.
I think she might be lacking in some higher ground morality as well.
Firstly, from our friend across the pond, Graham, who was kind enough to allow me the use of the photo of this guy- who in my book was last years winner, comes the St. Patricks Day Massacre in Dublin.
Oh how I wish I had my tele-transport machine on line. Graham was even kind enough to offer me his bathtub to sleep in should I make an appearance. With accommodations like that, Id be a fool not to go. All the news thats fit to print can be dredged up here.
Secondly, our main man, the Buddah of the bag, Roland at R.E. Load Bags is putting on the April Fools Day race again this year in Philly. Its still a fair piece off, but you surely dont want to miss this extravaganza if you can help it.
Next up, Jessica formerly of Spot Brand sent me this video, saying that it made her think of me. Aside from her mom being able to drink me under the table, Jessica and I obviously have a 'special' relationship.
mmmm,mmm. Is it getting hot in here?
Now here we have a shot of a young lad puking, simply on account of cause its pretty sweet.
And finally, I leave you with this. Hurl looking like a dick, and then Hurl looking like even more of a dick. Hes got a wicked jump start on this years mustache party.
Remember, Guns dont kill people, people with mustaches kill people.
Speaking of which, Ill now include this shot of yours truly from my sexier days. Somebody call 911, cause Im on FIRE.
Getting lost in the middle of somewhere, and David Yow.
I just returned from a much needed 'vacation' of sorts. Now when most folks think of vacations, Oakland might not seem to be the first destination that springs to mind.
Thats kinda the beauty of getting away from your daily grind. It doesnt matter where you end up, it just matters that youre there.
I landed in Marin first, and got blown off in the mother of all blow offs by Friendly Paul and Loudass, so Bee and I spent a few hours playing in the woods on our own.
That was followed by napping, drinking, and barbecuing at JMacs ghetto palace.
The plan was to head into San Francisco to peep David Yows new band Qui, but we got sidetracked at the bar, and missed our chance to get tickets for the sold out show. Fair enough- They were also playing the following night at a newish bar in Oakland called the The Uptown, so we drank into the night.
The following morning, J and I embarked on a road spin through Point Richmond, and on this fine Sunday morn, we were flying solo. Its incredible to me to think that this whole 25 plus mile loop is situated smack dab in the middle of such a densely populated area, and yet we were relatively alone for a majority of the ride. Finding peace in the middle of an industrial wasteland isnt such a preposterous concept after all.
We followed up the ride with more urban exploring, beer drinking, napping, getting sunburned, and so on.
Later in the night upon our arrival at the bar, the doorman actually invited us to bring our bikes inside, and for this he wins the best doorman of the ever and ever award.
Now then, back to the action. How many adjectives can one use for getting drunk? Banjaxed, trashed, lit, cracked, shattered?...
We did it all with the grace and prowess of trained professionals.
Then Qui began, and proceeded to fill my ears with a veritable maelstrom of auditory chaos. It was with great joy that I finally was witness to this new project involving one of the most incredible performers Ive ever seen. The guys gotta be pushing mid 40s, and hes just as dynamic, and energized as he was the first time I ever saw the Jesus Lizard some 15 years ago.
Afterwords, we poured ourselves back into the street,and while making a burger run, narrowly avoided a skirmish with some ghettofabulous knuckleheads who took exception to Js claim that they almost ran him over while making a burger run themselves. We then retreated home to prepare for the best hangover of 2007.
This was one of the most satisfying vacations Ive ever had, and it only cost me 60 dollars, and a substantial portion of my liver.
So there you have it folks. 48 hours of bikes, beer, and blistered ears.
...And for now, I sleep.
The Hobo Girl finally came through and forwarded me a review and some pics of the Minneapolis Melee.
It might just be me, but Im still confused.
The Hobo Girl writes-
'Well you probaby heard from the other mpls kids that it was fun. the cops came and busted it up, my co-workers and reconized me. they said "we now know why all of you have clean records". ha ha.'
'Then a few of us went to luce and got pizza. i manged to loose my wallet, but i didn't notice until i tried to pay a cabby for my ride home. couldn't bike after so many beers in that snow. oh, goodness. anyhow, i got back to luce and b-rad had gone home. it was not his fault. it was mine, but a night in shining armor appeared, Tom, and he paid for my cab home. I could not even walk at this time and i am sure i looked funny with my moon boots and snow pants. i am sure i was just as lippy as ever.
i got home though and took a mid term the next day.
this hobo girl owes the night in shining armor more than the price of a cab ride home,.me denk hij bereed een zwarte fiets, Surly 1/1, Thank You, gracias, Tusen Taak, Dankejvel! dank u zeer
conclusion, snowballs was fun and at least my pants didn't fall off like they did in Target Boutique today. Seriously, I looked down as I stood in the toothpaste isle and my trousers were at my knees.'
Foot note- 'oh, credit should go to Froto aka lando calrizon, for taking those photos.' See? It says it right down there.
"Chuck Norris is such a badass, when he walks into a room, he doesn't turn on the lights, he turns off the darkness."
Chew on that for a second.
Anyhow, the following are listings Ive been collecting for random goofballness thats transpiring nation wide.
Weve got Kansas City, weve got Richmond, Va., weve got San Francisco, weve got Milwaukee....
Its a veritable cornucopia of good times for the trouble makers.
By the way, these here photos were used without permission from the incredible portfolio of Toby Barraud. Click his home button, or go over to his new home in our photo links to see his complete portfolio.
Well start off announcing that the Kansas City knuckle heads have their own little eeevent coming up. KC Gravity Racing has all the info. Im gonna race my bathtub.
Now in our own back yard, weve got this cryptic happening.
You know, be there or be square, champ.
The Kids in Richmond have a huge amount of happenings happening. Get a pen and paper, and write all of this down.
Then stick that piece of paper in a safe place, and refer to it often.
GFS (Get Fun Squad) presents Black Label Races 7 pm Shafer Ct.(single point sprint for a 12 pack of Black Label Beer / bimonthly)
March 4th: Sonny Hutchins Memorial Criterium register at Bikereg.com (road and track events on closed oval intended for go-karts etc.)
March 17: Ides of March Alleycat: The Ides of Mario 1pm Holly St. Park (hosted by GFS)
March 18: GRCD Bike Polo Tournament tba (Gnarly Rad Cadaver Dawgs 2nd Annual tourney.)
March 31ish: Cycle-Slaughterama tba(Cutthroats sponsored weekend jam- chariots/joust/footdown/beers up etc.)
April 15: Go Fast Turn Left! Va BAR register at Bikereg.com (same as sonny hutchins with more track events.)
Oh yeah, the Richmondites also have this coming up as well. Goodgod theyre busy.
Next up, straight outta Laverne & Shirleys home town of Milwaukee, we have the sixth annual Milwaukee Messenger Invitational. Rumor has it that the winners will receive a bunch of brauts, cheese and beer. There I go stereotyping again...
If youre a stones throw from any of these venues, do us both a favor, and get yo' skinny behind to em, and have a blast.
And for now, thats all the news thats fit to print. If the early season listings are any indication of how hectic this summers gonna be, the derils nation wide are gonna have their hands full.
Now then, get a load of crazy legs.
Im working on a record here. Ive had about 25 crappy days at work in a row.
No half steppin here, kiddo. I like to go big.
Anyhow, When I finally bailed out today, tail tucked deep between my legs, I headed for the hills.
It always, and I do mean ALWAYS does the trick. Back pack with a couple of beers, an egg sandwich, chips, gummy bears, and my tall friend. All of my problems, with the exception of the hacking cough drifted away. Might I recommend the same program for yall.
The Handmade show was a gas. Lots of stuff, lots of lugs, lots of glitzy glammy paint jobs, lots of mindblowing artistry, and lots of nice faces. It was like Vegas, but without the extra ordinary load of daily B.S.
Hey champ, best go fetch your drool cup now.
Highlights include: Desalvo Cycles has some of the most breath taking bikes Ive ever seen. I recall one Interbike trade show, the security told me to remove myself from the Desalvo booth on account of he didnt like the way I was looking at the cross bike on display. Kinda like in cartoons, when the predator eyes its prey all dressed up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Pure beauty and grace. Steve Garro, AKA the toughest man in the world, made his much anticipated arrival, with the lovely Denise along side of him. His bikes rule, and so does he. Steve Garro is my hero, hands down. Pereira won my personal prettiest bike award. I was so excited by this bike, I took a blurry picture of it. Like 7 Seconds, theyll attack in red and black. With a springer fork, and gold accents, it gave me eye boners.
Rick Hunter unveiled a batch of some of the prettiest bikes Ive seen him build to date, among which was his 29er green machine. With a new website in the works, the family Hunter has got some exciting things building momentum. Keep your eyes peeled.
Mo from Rebolledo has not only got a brand new baby boy, but a whole line of exquisite bikes upon which your eyes can feast. Crumpton unveiled the retardedly light all carbon fixie that was featured on the frame builders forum a few weeks ago. All told this bike weighs in at 7 pounds. My fat ass broke it just by looking at it. Waterford went way over the top with polished flame gusseted everything. I likey. Meanwhile, with Sasha at Vanilla, the hits just keep on coming with the premiere of the Speedvagen cross bike.
On my way back from lunch with Steve, his lovely, and overwhelmingly tolerant girlfriend spied a bunch of meat under a truck, which was rad.
Who doesnt love a bunch of derelict meat? Soulcraft loves derelict meat.
They also love the Ross Shafer built, highly limited fixie, they had on display. And so did I.
My man Jonny Cycles was in the house. The originator of the chopper from Hell, as well as the 29er- Crazy Captain Wes Willits was there, Ira Ryan Cycles was at the party with all of their beautifulness, everybody's favorite mad scientist Paul had a bunch of tasty goods on display, and Bilenky bikes wins the most beards employed by any small frame builder award.
There was a host of others- Retrotec, Sycip, Patrick Cycles...The list goes on and on. I was sad not to finally see Circle A Cycles in the flesh, as I have long held a deep and powerful romance for those bikes. One of these days Alice... Robert Ives even rolled through, and said he was going to, on a very limited basis, start building bikes again. I told him with an 8 year waiting list, hes got the longest one in the industry.
Later in the day, Curtis Inglis and I had a conversation about how good it was for him to finally not only NOT be sleeping on a warehouse floor, but to be living comfortably, and with a backlog of customers to boot. Its incredible to see that there is beginning to be enough of a market to support the folks whove been at it for a decade, or two, or three, but for the new faces who are the burgeoning future of this craft as well.
Rumor has it that the shows going to be on the East Coast next year, and with that move, the promise of the appearance of more Eastern builders living in the shadows, and banging out the love, one torch stroke at a time is exhilarating. Start saving your pennies now.
Oh, and speaking of artistry, who should be at my house when I got home talking with Demonika about very pricey and immaculately engineered sex toys, but my main man, Friendly Paul, who is now gainfully employed at Jimmyjane. Very excitedly he exclaimed 'theyre like the Chris King of vibrators!'
Yeah, a whole day of nothing but perfection.
And finally, in totally unrelated news, Ive just found my favorite thing, ever, in this.
Like I said, perfection.
SWOBO(dot)COM has all of the details.
Like your sisters hot friend, they are mesmerizingly beautiful in an ugly kind of way, theyll always do the trick, and you can lock up a mean skid and never drop your sixer.
I mean sure, you can go bar crawling on your Nagasawa, get drunk and forget
where you locked it.
Of course you can ride your Masi to the store to pick
up a perfect avacado, and leave it outside the market unattended for 'just a
second'.
Youre perfectly capable of engaging in an impromptu derby atop your custom Landshark one speed, and we have no doubt you could ride your vintage P.K. Ripper down the escalator at the train station.
You could do all of these things.
But you wont, cause we have faith youre not stupid. Mostly.
Click on SWOBO (dot) COM and scream "WHOO WOAHNNA GET THEY DERBY OHN!?
Seriously.
The time is now, brown cow.
For most of the day, Ive been at the N.A.H.M.B.S. Or was it N.A.M.B.L.A.?
Never you mind. Six dollar Bud lights never tasted so good. However, the contraband beers in my false bottomed back pack tasted better.
Anyhow, Ill get a full(y awesome) report in a matter of hours. Until then, feast your eyes on the new line of bashers, thrashers, and debutante ball crashers. Im buying an extra just for ghost riding duties.
Now then, why does everybody think bike riders are dirt bags?
Steven Hamilton is radder than you, and its time to respect the rock.
Steven Hamilton and I share the same first name, that however is where the similarities end.
You know, growing up in Colorado, my friends and I were always turning over any stone we could find to discover the local music scene.
Photo credit, Kyle Carstens.
There was Uberfall, Brother Rat, Psychotic Reaction, Bum Kon, Happy World, Burnt Fase, and so on, but the scene there was always kind of marginal, and generally tended to fall off the radar as far as national recognition went. Of course The Fluid was from Denver, and aside from consistently putting on one of the best shows of any band Ive ever seen, they were the only underground band to make a mark on the proverbial map.
And why wouldnt the music scene there be a bit of an isolated capsule? The biggest city to the East is Kansas City, which has always had a solid romance with Chicago, and any influence to the West may as well been a million miles away.
Ive been away from there from some time, but Im always keeping an eye on whats happening. Two very solid bands now hail from my fare former city. Planes Mistaken for Stars
and Kingdom of Magic
Though as Im looking around the internet, what do I come across but this? It may have been a little scene, but it was ours. Even in my little town of Evergreen we had a few bands. Anybody remember The Odoriferous Toejabs, Bellicose, or Senders Message? Perhaps in hind sight, it wasnt so bad there after all.
Anyhow, Im glad to see that theres still quality music coming from Denver, and perhaps the rest of the world will soon realize what those on the Front Range have always known. There will forever be those on the front line putting the 'rock' in 'the Rocky Mountains'.
Somebody call 911, cause Im on FIRE.
