And now to follow up on the rant on the automotive industry.
As I previously guessed, Jim did end up writing in with some observations, as did a bunch of other sharp witted individuals, but one that stuck in my brain was a correspondence from a particular (and remaining unnamed) curmudgeon who made a good point I would like to share, and then follow with my rebuttal;
"Hey, bailing out the auto industry for 25 billion (this time) is no more ridiculous than bailing out the Financial industry for 700 billion (this time). Both played the system until the bubble burst. I personally think the financial industry even deserves it less since all they do is skim money off the top of other people's efforts. At least the auto industry has to take a guess at producing an incredibly complex product that people will buy and in the appropriate quantities, etc. Seems a lot harder than moving imaginary money around. Also remember the auto industry did produce efficient cars, and the US people didn't buy them. They bought big vehicles. Sure that's what marketing told them to do but is the car companies fault or the fact that the US consumers are a bunch of fucking sheep?
The only reason the bicycle world keeps picking up on the auto industry bailout is because of the us vs them thing drivers and cyclists have toward each other. Which is ridiculous since almost all cyclists own cars. Hell the mountain bike industry would die if people couldn't drive to trails. Heck even roadies often put the bike on the car. And honestly, bicycles will never be a 100% viable alternative to cars. Now public transportation (buses, trains) plus bikes maybe but you can't tell me that a 70 year old lady in MN is going to ride her bike to the store in -10 degree weather. Or for that matter most sane, healthy people because it sucks to do so, and I mean really, really, really sucks, especially if its on a regular basis.
I didn't post this as a comment because it would just start a shitstorm which is not what your blog is about, well not that kind of shitstorm anyway."
It's a very good point, and I respect and appreciate where he is coming from. In my first response I simply said "You talk pretty", but upon further consideration, I thought it respectful to at least defend my position, and in my smartest, and most smarmy tone I wrote back;
"..Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, if any industry ignored what was on the table before them, shit the bed and then turned to the public to bring them back out of the hole, I would disagree with it.
This has nothing to do with my disdain for the automobile, or it's industry, rather it has everything to do with my disdain for the lack of accountability in corporate America, and that it ends up being my responsibility when I could have told them what was going to happen 10 years ago.
So screw you, smarty pants."
When you mess with the bull, you get the horns my friends. You get the horns.
That was a lot of words. Now how about some photos and a video to get our minds off of the dreary reality that is ours?
Fritz sent this shot on to me that he poached from Veronika Kalenzi;
I responded with the wildly funny "How are your Andre' Dugast tubulars treating you now, fancy pants?"
To which he replied "how are your $150.00 Andre' Dugast tubulars?..."
I told him to stop copying me, and then he told me that I was copying him, and now I'm so confused as to which one of us really is the funniest that I'm afraid I have to give up on the entire thing, and move onto items of more importance.
Like chicks, man.
This here peach goes by the name of MaLora Ann, and she's the mastermind behind the Lovely Ladies on Beautiful Bicycles calendar up there in Seattle.
Well, it just so happens that they're having their release party tonight, and if I was just about 100 miles further North, I would do just about anything to be present.
It's got a lot of things that I'm quite fond of going for it.
I like bicycles, I think girls are pretty great, and I have a fairly soft spot for bars, so it would really be a win, win, win for me.
If you happen to live in that particular neck of the woods, do me a favor and go in my absence.
I doubt you will be sorry.
Now then- before we get to the ever popular 'Kaptains Korner' segment, I am going to throw myself on the mercy of those among you who might be willing and/or able to cook up a nice graphic for said segment.
Maybe a kooky font that looks like pieces of broken wood nailed together, and a tall skinny man in an Evil jersey, sitting in a rocking chair, next to a pig wearing lipstick and a jug of moonshine.
You know.. Just as an idea.
Anyway, the graphic designer that can dazzle me with a header for 'The Kaptains Korner' will get a free Swobo T-shirt of their choice and a can of domestic beer of my choice.
Anyway, with that being said, lets hand the mic over to Dave;
"It's the holiday time. For some, a time of family and joy, for others, just colder weather. But seeing as we give stuff to each other, what do we dorks give? Chain rings? Swobo gear (shameless!), silly little household knickknacks made from cycling stuff? You know, lights at the ends of spokes, Santa on a bike figurines, ornaments made from empty White Lightning containers? I've decided on tubes. Everyone I know - and that's pretty much all folks who use bikes daily - will get one 700x23 inner tube. The valves will be Presta just for kicks. If you can't use it, you can regift it and give it to someone who can. It's pretty simple. If you are ok on tubes, then you can fashion a Christmas slingshot to launch projectiles at people you don't like. Or, make a sassy pair of suspenders. Perhaps a noose or an animal trap. The possibilities are endless."
I'd like some tubes, and the Budweiser socks I left at your house Dave. That's all I want for Christmas.
Here is a video clip that Newt sent us of a young, but still totally sucking Keanu Reeves;
For those of you who might find yourselves in The Bay Area, why don't you stop by and see our friends at American Cyclery this weekend, as they are having a blowout sale on all of the goodies from their basement's darkest corners, with the exception of The Gimp.
Maybe if they're feeling especially generous, they might even crack open all of their cases of Campy high flanged track hubs and Caramba Double Barrel cranks that they've been sitting on.
Maybe while you're there, you can put your name on the waiting list for the 2009 Dura Ace group, complete with the $289.00 chain.
As 6'7" mentioned in passing on Thursday, one misshift could lead a brotha' to financial ruin.
But as they say in my 'hood, 'that would be a YP (your problem), not an MP (my problem).'
We've touched on nearly all bases today.
Car parts? Check.
Girl parts? Check.
The Captain's parts? Check.
Bike parts? Check, and check.
I will also mention that Saturday night in my home, and sometimes home away from home of Santa Cruz, the moldy maestros of mayhem, Mudhoney will be playing, and it promises to be a Superfuzz, Bigmufferific time.
The last time I saw them, as they began playing their seminal hit 'Touch Me I'm Sick', the girl standing in front of me wearing tiny braids with beads on each end, began dancing so furiously, that I was almost beat to death with the Cat o' nine tails upon her head.
I'll see if I cant avoid a repeat performance.
So for now, and until next time, get rad.
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Comments
it's been my observation that women on bikes go up 1.2 on the 1-10 rating scale, so a 6.8 becomes an 8.0, or 8.2+ if she's riding the same make of bike.
Perversely, men go down 1.2, methinks due to the lycra.
Yo Doug...Toyota has a long standing agreement in Canada that they pay the exact wage as agreed upon by CAW with the big three. The big difference is Toyota employees don't pay union dues, and Toyota labor leaders don't fly on private jets, ...unlike the UAW.
GM spends $17,000,000 annually on Viagra. (http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/04/gm_viagra.html)
Maybe they should stop fucking around with tax dollars and get competitive.
Posted by: Commiecanuk | December 17, 2008 11:34 AM
Of course we need cars, though i don't own one, I understand. What we don't need are these cars. Bad companies fail, end of story. We could give them $14B, $140B or $0. Either way, a failing company will still fail. it's just a question of when.
Not to mention the old adage two wrongs don't make a right. The financial bailout boondoggle, doesn't justify continuing to handout money. Sure, people will lose their job. Will it suck? Sure will. But, if they're truly skilled and employable they'll find another job.
And if you're ignorant enough to put your retirement savings in risky investments, that's the chance you take...
This is part of problem with the general decline of our country. It's always someone else's fault and someone else's responsibility to fix it...ughhh
Posted by: justin | December 15, 2008 06:12 AM
Chezedog,
Who's railing against anything other than the fact that the public could conceivably be picking up a huge tab for an industry that has been mismanaged? It's not a bike vs cars thing- that's got nothing to do with it, and I suspect you talk to the most passionate of car guys and they'll think this is a raw deal too.
Posted by: Strange Brew | December 13, 2008 05:26 AM
cars??? How about that calendar. Saweeet.
Posted by: matt | December 13, 2008 05:06 AM
Like it or not, the hipper-than-thou little bike world you revere cannot exist without the very same entities you rail against.
We're all in this together, for good or ill.
Look for lotsa ill.
Posted by: Chezedog Leafblower | December 12, 2008 09:48 PM
I dig your company, but if we let GM die, so will Swobo.
Cause we're all inter=connected.
Posted by: L-vis | December 12, 2008 08:10 PM
Thanks again for supporting the calendar! I'm wearing my jersey right now at work, looking sharp and keeping cozy. It will keep me warm on my ride in to the release party. Thank you so much!
Miss March
Posted by: Cassafrass | December 12, 2008 02:09 PM
The failure of the car industry in the 21st century is inevitable, in my opinion. Why? Because we can't really afford cars in the big picture, and "Green" cars don't solve anything. They don't create new jobs, they don't solve traffic problems, they don't support sustainable communities or infrastructure development, and they don't even save that much Co2...(http://www.channel4.com/4car/ft/feature/feature/8074/).
So any "bailout" better damn well have some long term thinking attached to it, and those folks who stake their whole life and business on car parts better start thinking about doing something else. Maybe some of the "bailout" could include some "bait" money to get people interested in retooling our country for the future...
Will that happen? Not unless we demand it...
Posted by: blacksocks | December 12, 2008 02:01 PM
Um, make that Miss October. I am so out of the loop, I thought I was January. Sorry for trying to steal your month, Mara... :)
Posted by: kat | December 12, 2008 01:24 PM
Thank you so much for your support of the Lovely Ladies Bike Calendar!
I can't wait to sport my new jersey tonight at the release party!
Miss July
Posted by: Gretchen | December 12, 2008 12:42 PM
Steve,
You've got Mudhoney, we've got the Melvins, Sunday night. Sweet young thing ain't sweet no more...
-Pinto
Posted by: Pinto | December 12, 2008 12:15 PM
Good thing those evil bastard Republican Senators killed the auto bailout! (?)
Posted by: JP | December 12, 2008 11:29 AM
We had fun making the calendar and couldn't do it with out your support!
I am so excited about the Swobo jersey! Thank you!!! I am wearing it tonight to the calendar release party and all weekend riding as it's supposed to SNOW this weekend. ah yeah!
xoxo
Miss February
Posted by: Caroline | December 12, 2008 11:25 AM
Hey, thanks for promoting the Lovely Ladies on Beautiful Bikes calendar release party tonight. Almost all of us Lovely Ladies will be on hand for calendar signing, so anyone reading this in the Seattle area, this is your chance. Also, thanks a bunch for hooking us up with some sexy jerseys - I haven't got my hands on mine yet but I can't wait! You guys rock.
Love,
Miss January 2009
Posted by: Kat | December 12, 2008 11:02 AM
YAY!!
Thanks for supporting us lovely ladies on bicycles!!
I LOVE my new jersey!!
You're FANTASTIC!!
miss january
Posted by: mara | December 12, 2008 10:55 AM
And to add to Doug's comments below... Toyota and Honda won't acquire the same legacy costs because they don't offer retirement plans. Company retirement plans have been replaced by 401K plans which the Financial industry destroyed recently and continues to destroy even with a $700 billion bailout.
Also realize that if the big 3 go, so most likely does most of Toyota and Honda stateside manufacturing as well as quite a bit of the other manufacturing that is still in the USA. Most of the vendors do work for all of the companies and losing the big three likely represents a large enough portion of their business that they will not be able to stay in business without them.
Posted by: yafro | December 12, 2008 08:15 AM
Hooo boy! Those Record High Flange track hubs are SICK! Especially since they're NJS brah! The holy grail of track parts, better get to the sale before I do. But as far as chains go, I'll stick with Super Record 11 speed. That shit's only going for $100. In stock too, by the way... Cheers mate.
Posted by: Spaceman | December 11, 2008 11:01 PM
Jim,
Who in GOD's name uses "heck"?? All the props for your "hell" whent down the shitter with the utterance of "heck"...If andybody around me said "heck" they would need a dential bail out plan....Are any of those Seattle chicks single?? This winter is already getting really long.
Posted by: CFO | December 11, 2008 09:23 PM
the gimp rocks, hard
Posted by: bloodline | December 11, 2008 09:05 PM
Everyone fails to realize the amount invested into the big three. Military vehicles, buses, everything comes from the manufacturer which happens to produce a big amount of jobs.
Its also not entirely their fault, as linked here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buy_American_Act
Secondly, the wage gap that most people cite as a huge point of argument (non-union=$30/hr vs. Union=$70/hour) is totally false. The unions just recently agreed to a new "bring contracts down to earth" deal that makes the big 3 competitive with Honda, Toyota, and the like. That $70/hour calculation can only be accomplished when you factor in legacy costs, or retired benefits. You see, the big 3 have been in the USA for a long time and their workface as aged and gone into retirement much sooner than Honda or Toyota. So the now larger benefits number is calculated into the "how much it costs per car" equation, greatly distorting the entire chain of numbers, creating the discrepancy.
Now factor in our own problems, like the huge cost of healthcare in our country and you see why these legacy costs are actually costing our companies dearly.
As your smarty pants reader suggested, people did NOT buy the green manufactured American cars. One reason why is that most people wanted a hybrid car that shouted "look at me, I drive a hybrid" that now everyone associates with the Prius. Even Honda hybrids that looked like normal cars did not sell well. America's thirst for the other meat was large, and the big three were happy to supply (its running a business, not a government eviro watch).
I am in market research by trade, and one thing ‘we’ notice is the mentality of younger consumers. They are willing to pass on GM for Toyota without blinking an eye. To put simply, our tastes have changed. So what’s the problem with GM? Why can’t they provide us with MPG efficient vehicles?
Ford actually has a 40+ mpg ford focus diesel sitting over in Europe, selling like hotcakes. But they don’t bring it over. Why? Because of a lack of demand for diesel cars in the U.S. Europe’s diesel infrastructure is very good, and it manifests a huge demand for high-mileage diesel vehicles (which just so happen are cheaper to manufacturer). We cannot even get the benefit of this European design over here, because of consumer demand.
Conclusion: Its easy to sit here and blame some critical areas of the American Automotive market on a few surface level variables. This is way beyond any theoretical ganja-smoking hippy to accurately predict, and I worry that letting them fail would be a grave mistake.
Everyone is torn. No one is alone. Buy American.
Posted by: Doug | December 11, 2008 07:55 PM
The gimp...nice...disgusting, but nice.
Posted by: Mark | December 11, 2008 07:15 PM