Joker

Congrats Alakline!! Yes, you should definitely put your "Toys" on the registry as well. You have friends too and maybe they'd feel better about going in on a PS2 for you than hooking up an egg poacher. Some guys won't step foot in Williams Sonoma. Home Depot is also a good spot to register. Target is good. Circuit City. The more you register for the more options your friends and family have. Trust me, you'll get the practical things for sure. It's the fun extras that make the gift opening a good time. Tell your fiance that she needs to think outside the kitchen. Even after you get married you have a year to buy all that stuff at a discounted price. So does your family and friends. Hell, you could always register the "Toys" without her. And then smile real big when she unwraps a DVD player... As for the bike situation, in my home my bikes are basically that. My bikes. If I have the money to spare and that's what I want to spend it on, my wife is cool by it. I buy her a shit-load of stuff all year long anyway. (I work at Nordstrom and she benefits from it) Our system is this... one bank account for bills and going out to dinners or with friends. One account for savings for trips to visit parents or friends. And we both have our own seperate accounts that is our "Play" money. That's where bikes and Macintosh crap gets bought. And soon DVD movies. Storing your bikes does cause a problem. Mine are stored in our dinning room right now because we live in an apartment. If I had a garage or a basement... that's where they would be. I keep my tools and shit in a closed area that guests won't see. That's all the wife cares about. Our house is a bit like a page out of Wallpaper* magazine. Retro-modern furniture and lamps galore. Everything that is unneccesary is hidden. Kinda scary. Sometimes I just love to let go and leave crap on the floor in the kitchen... watch the little lady cringe. Pull out the Swiffer and go to town!

Sleepin' like a motherfucker... I'm not sure what happened, but I just felt the need to sleep for the past three weeks. Felt kinda good. Dlush... congrats!!! Married life isn't that much different from having a boyfriend, really. The only difference is people accept your living together and you get a whole shitload of presents for being in love. Being married is good. I wish you all the happiness and more my two wheeled friend!! Cinnamon... good luck this weekend!! Have you seen the Road to Paris documentary? Apples... that's all I'm gonna say. Hesh... I'll tell you what... you get me the black one for christmas and I'll get you the silver one. Deal? You've got an extra ten grand lying around don't you?

Listen to whinning bitches about your rain! Shit... come to Portland. You'll love the rain in SF after visiting here. I haven't rode very much for the past two weeks because not only does it pour out here, but it's also dark by 4pm lately. Training on the back roads of Portland during rush hour in the dark is not fun. The indoor trainer has been in full swing but isn't the same kind of ride at all. Better than nothing. On a seperate note, I bought a new bag today. It's by a company called Chrome. I fuckin' love it!! Big, bomb proof and the fastner is an added kitsche-cool factor thrown in for looks. Padded shoulder strap built in already... I'm set. It's been a long time since I've had a new bag. My Timbuck is kinda getting thin in some areas. I think I've had it for about six years... still a good bag though. Cinnamon... Did you race yet in Baltimore?

In my personal point of view, 90% of the architecture out there is shit. It's cookie-cutter crap. Sure it was designed by an artist but they have no originality. Kinda like 90% of the writers out there. It amazes me when I see new buildings going up in my city that look just like the building next to it that was built twenty years ago. Where's the progression? The building was dated before it was even built. That's sad. A waste of time, energy and money. Architects like Frank Ghery and Zaha Hadid break ground. They make architecture interesting and controversial. They make you take notice of their artwork. You can walk through a city all day long and when you roll by a Ghery building... you're gonna stop and look. Kinda like 10% of the graffiti out there. When I was heavy into bombing it was about aesthetics and placement. I was an "Aesthetic Terrorist"... If I hit a building not only did the placement on my hit matter but so did the building. I had respect for progressive architecture. Other than that it was fair game. I don't think architects really think about graffiti as a problem to counteract in their design. Nor do they probably care about their buildings getting hit. Especially if the building is art itself. Just a thought.

Cinnamon... I'm sending out good vibes for the nationals for you. I wish I could be there to cheer you on. I have some cycle-heavy friends in B-more so I'll make sure they go. Skot... I know it looks as if they don't lock their bikes but they do. I thought the same thing when I was over there. I found out one night when I was drunk as shit and had a long way to go to get back to the hotel. I was going to steal a bike to make the trip quicker, but my "guide" said they have a locking mechanism in the rear hub area. So it looks as if it's left unlocked... but it's locked. Have fun in Germany and the rest of Europe!! Dibs... the rain is very unfriendly when the road heads south. Make sure you clean your brake pads and rim sidewalls after every wet ride. Or you could be looking at a blown sidewall in the future. Happy riding everyone!!!!

70 miles today and my right knee is killing me. Then the wifey gave me a good thrashing for not wearing a helmet. Women... don't they understand that biking is about how slick you look and not about safety? Hills that are six miles long are not fun... till you get to go down the other side.

This one's for Willy... A courier friend of mine was telling me about his altercation on Friday with an old man driving a Ford Expedition... with the 30 day temporary tag still in the window. Anyway, my friend was rolling along delivering a package when this nut decides to make a left turn real quick like without signaling while my friend is on the back end left side of his vehicle. Totally mushes him into a parked car but without injury. He looks to see if the guy even noticed what he had done and see's that he's looking right at him through his side view mirror... with a smile on his face. So he clips back into his pedals and hauls ass to catch the guy. About two car lengths away he pulls his U-lock out of his back pocket. As the guy slows for a red light, my friend rides by and takes out his side view mirror with his U-lock. He thought at most he just destroyed it, but when he looked back to see the guys reaction, he noticed that the whole mirror had completely come off. The guy got out of his Expedition screaming at my friend and freaking out. So my friend slowly rides ahead... starts to turn left at the light... looks back at the guy and smiles. U-lock justice, baby.

Waterfords are definitely a very well built frame. But with the frames starting out pretty high in price, once you put a decent set of equipment on it you're well over Tearz spending limit. Unless, Tearz you want to build a bike little by little. In which case... sky's the limit. Check out www.worldcycling.com for high end frames. They have a small selection but pretty good. Even Colorado cyclists have some good frames. And everyone is selling at discounted prices righ tnow to make room for next years models.

Tearz... I guess the first thing to do would be to have your local shop do a full measurement on you using a "fit-stik" or a fit-cycle. This is by far the most important step if you ask me. If your bike doesn't fit right... that first long ride is going to tell you so. The second thing is figure out your price range. Be willing to go above that range by at least $100 if need be. And then from there it's a matter of what you like and what is going to fit. I've seen a high-end Giant, similar to the ONCE squad's bike selling for a little more than $2000... that's with Kysriums. Not a bad bike for the buck. Though those blade forks look a bit odd. A higher end Cannondale isn't so bad either. I bought a low end (R400) for my winter/ rain bike and I dig it. The gruppo is for shit but I can eventually change it out. Don't rule out Cannondale. Especially with their new line coming out. Black is back!!! Trek has a good bunch of high-end bikes available. And you can't go wrong with any of them in my opinion. Though I'm a bit biased because I run a Trek5000 myself. Well built bikes and they handle nicely. Good warranty too. Lemond has a few bikes in the under $2000 catagory that are damn nice as well. The problem with Lemond is that they all have a long top tube. Which is great if you have a long torso or long arms. If not... it'll feel like you're on a time-trial bike. Even Scwhinn had (and I do mean had) some nice higher-end models last year. With Dura-Ace, Kysriums and all kinds of crap for about $2200. If you can find a shop that still has a few or can get you one... they might make you a deal. Bianchi has some nice bikes as well. Anywhere from about $1400 to the price of a Honda Civic. When I was looking for my winter bike I saw a bunch in the $1700 range that were full Campy Veloce or Mirage. Not bad my friend. Thing about Bianchi that I've noticed though... they outfit their bikes with really narrow handlebars. Like a 40 or something even smaller. Most shops will switch it out for you though. Nice built Italian frames with Italian gruppo. For the buck you can't beat it. Specialized might be worth looking into as well. I don't know much about them but I'm sure they at least have a $1500 -$2000 model that's worthy. This is also the perfect time to buy a bike. It's the end of the year so shops are selling at discounted prices. Even outdoor stores like REI or Copelands has road bikes for cheap right now. I even saw that Saeco Cannondale, with Campy Record gruppo and Kysriums selling at Costco!! For $2400!! That's a hell of a lot cheaper than any bike shop. As Phil Ligget says... "Give it a go" and good luck in your search!

I've spent the last two days riding my ass off on my Pista and I've come to a few conclusions as well as lessons I learned: 1: Don't tailgate going downhill... or ever for that matter. 2: Pay attention to what's in front of you and who's darting out from a side street. 3: A fixed gear bike works all the muscles an 18 speed doesn't. Which would explain all the sore muscles in my thighs. 4: Skid stops were invented by the devil to rid the weak from riding a fixed gear. Especially in the burbs. I kinda love/ hate him for it. 5: Know your limits... I was hauling downhill towards a light that is always green when I do this route. I had no worries of needing to stop because after the light the road goes up. My luck... the light turns red as I'm about 100 yards away. This is the moment that I learned to skid stop. It was rather amazing, to me. I just hankered down on the crank arm like it was natural and I skidded to a nice slow pace. I looked around with this huge grin on my face as if I was hoping that someone I knew saw it... nope, just a guy in a pick up shaking his head. I haven't had a problem stopping sice that incident. BUT I don't think it was very smart hauling down a hill without knowing what I was doing. Hence #5's lesson for Joker. I have found that riding with track handlebars is a bit difficult when it comes to grip. But I really like the feel of the bends in the top as well as the drops. I don't have them taped all the way so maybe that's part of the problem. Anyway, just thought I'd share my enthusiasm for the fixed rides of the past few days. It's making me consider riding the 12oz. wine country ride on a fixed.

DAMN!!! I think The LAW is cursed by the two-wheeled witch or something... Alright Dibs... I'll give the 'ol revenge a try:dazed:

Oh hell yeah Cinnamon!! Nice flicks and all my best to you for the nationals! Reston, VA. hunh? That's where I started writing 16 years ago... On the bike... I've been training very little this fall so far. Team rides started last weekend and I missed the first day. I made Sundays ride but had to head back home after 85 miles. My legs were aching after staying seated in all the hills we were doing. And after five hours in the saddle, and having not ridden very much... I was wiped out. I think I finally recoverd today. I'm thinking it's time for a energy drink whilst on the bike. Water isn't cutting it. I may have asked this question before, but what's in your water bottle for sustained energy?

The things we do for our bikes...

Thanks for the info on the Pearl Izumi booties. I own the Typhoon ones but when it's raining... water gets through. I bought these things called "Stormsocks" from a ski shop in hopes to keep my feet dry. Well, they do but my sweat doesn't escape. So I'm thinking about making them in to a base layer for my booties. That should keep my shoes and my feet dry. We'll see though. Hesh... have you seen the new Velonews? The De Rosa in there is sweet! So is the Pinarillo Prince. Well, for ten grand it should be nice anyway. A Colnago with full Campy for only $1400? What's wrong with it...

Hesh... sorry you're having a bad day. Those are never good. Mr. Law... I own a pair of Windstopper gloves like Alkaline mentioned. They're made by Castelli and cycling specific. Very nice and very warm. Especially if you have a base layer under neath. I suggest anything with the Windstopper logo. Look for it. When you see it, you'll know. And unfortunately, all things in this catagory are exspensive. But when it comes down to frozen fingers or not... it's best to spend the extra $20. Anyone have any suggestions for cold/ wet weather socks? I have a nice pair of windstopper booties, but when the rain comes down... the feet get wet.

Thanks for the info Hesh. I figured it had to have something to do with it being specifically for the street. Dibs... yeah, you gotta eat on the road. If you're going to be out for more than an hour bring some food. I usually bring two Cliff bars with me when I'm on a ride. I don't always eat them both though. And for every hour you ride you should be going through a water bottle. Especially in the warm weather. I was on a 90 mile training ride a few months back with some guys from Net Zero and Team Oregon. A few days before I figured I would prepare by getting in some miles and trying out a new (to me) sports drink. Endurox R4. I kept fogetting to make the drink on the previous rides though. So come long day in the saddle I have two water bottles and a "platapus" filled with Endurox. I head out with the cat2 and cat 3 riders on what becomes a hideous day on the bike. I guess what Endurox basically does, to me anyway, is relaxes your muscles to help recovery. So after about 75 miles in to the ride... I was jello. I wasn't worn out or anything, just felt like laying down and watching cartoons. I felt like an ass because for the last 20 miles they had to wait for me at the top of every hill. Talk about feeling sheepish.

Hesh... I don't know much about Track frames but around here the Surly seems to be the Don-da-da frame of choice. Or the Bianchi Pista... both for street level riding. On the Track (Alpenrose) it's Cervelo and Cinelli. A few Cannondales and a few Pistas. Back to the Surly though... what is it about these frames that are so hot for the street level rider? Is it a "Cool" factor or is there something about the way it's built that make it superior on the street when compared to other frames? I'm just curious... I'm not in the market for a new Track frame just yet. Go for the threadless stem and fork. It seems to me that it's the wave of the future. All the new bikes are threadless and it's getting harder to find quill stems because of it. And you can get a pretty decent stem and fork for fairly cheap. That's cool that you wrote a paper on Track racing! I should go to the library and look for those books as well. Any info on training, especially over the winter is good info. Yeah, the Alpenrose Track isn't the smoothest track in the world but it's open to the public. Which is really cool. There have been days when I've gone there after work and there was no one there the entire time I was riding. Kinda nice when you're just learning.

Actually, I was into halfpipes when that movie came out. And I could have sworn that I read in BMX Action magazine that the guy who did all the tricks, especially that scene, was a flatland trick rider. I want to say his name was something like Pat Romano. I remember seeing him at an exhibition show in Rockville, MD. with Mike Dominguez and R.L. Osborn. He did some pretty cool shit on a fixed 26"...

Watched Paris-Tour last night on OLN. Richard Virenque is back! Stayed out in front with Jackie Durand for quite some time, even with major winds blowing. Coming to last few kilometers he attacked Jackie on a slight incline and never looked back. Even down to the last kilometer with the peleton closing in so close. Erik Zabel must have been furious. As Virenque crossed the finish line he yelled something in French with major conviction... I'm sure whatever it was it had several curse words in it.

I've ridden Campy and I've ridden Dura-Ace. Both have their pro's and con's. Though I would say lower-end Campy is a better bang for your buck than lower-end Shimano. I think what I personally don't like about Shimano is that the whole lever moves when shifting. It's a lame annoyance, I know but for some reason it bothers me. I do like how quick the response in shifting is though. Though I don't like that you can't move the front derailer little by little for those drastic chain moves... 39/11. What I love the most about Shimano in comparrison to Campy is the brake hoods. They are way more comfortable for the stretched out riding position. But I still like Campy better. I think it's because it's one of those things that I can feel. I can feel it when I shift. I dig the thumb shifters. The hidden cables. Though it's all really a matter of preference. I've found that people are the same way in this arguement as some are about Mac and PC. You just have to ride each and see what feels right for you. Has anyone tried a rig with those Mavic remote shifters?

Sexual frustration? Eat ice. The C-40 is a dream bike! Absolute dream. I test road one... with no intention to buy, obviously, I don't have $6000 laying around... and the ride was perfect. Smooth. Although I did feel like I was going to break it. I really think that bike is made for small and lightweight people. I'm small, but not lightweight. 5'9" and 170 is not light by any means. And the Campy Record was perfect. All in all... lovely ride. If you have the means, and the bike shop friend... I highly reccomend a test ride. The Cinelli Track bike is a slice of heaven as well. Also a pocket burner...

Damn Hesh!! What... are you like 7ft tall or something? That head tube is super long. That lacing pattern is slick! I've seen messengers around here with that before. It looks real difficult to true.

I haven't used rollers since I was racing BMX back in the early eigties. How's that for showing my age? At the moment I have a Blackburn stand which works fine for me. I use it often in the winter months especially when I don't have time to gear up and go for a proper ride. Even 30 minutes on a trainer is better than nothing during the winter. I usually watch a race video to keep my in tune with what i'm doing. And to keep me from getting bored. When you're on the road cruising around, you've got visuals to keep your mind stimulated. But indoors... in one spot... you'll go mad without entertainment. I wouldn't be a slave to one if you get one. This is my opinion though. I'm kinda geeked about this Cutters ride. Kinda scared as well. I can't imagine the looks we'll get out on the road. A bunch of hooligans with stained red lips from wine... the horror... I've spent the last two hours searching the web for a deal on a Campagnolo Mirage gruppo. No such luck. I finally got a winter bike (Cannondale R600) but it has Shimano Sora equipment mixed with Cannondale equipment. And I'm all over the place trying to ride it!! I need my Campy!!! Cyclocross is rockin' like Dokken! That'll be my next big purchase. Then again... my wife may have my head if I get another bike. We're running out of room...

May is better for me. I'll be fiendin' for some sun by then anyway...:D

All good advice. Thanks guys! Tearz... going from a 5 to a 4 isn't really all that hard. It's all a matter of technique, truthfully. Knowing where to be in the bunch, when to attack, counter attack. If you can keep up with the 5's or even keep them at bay chances are you can do the same with the 4's. Even the 3's. The higher catagory you go you realize that they pretty much keep to one speed (if the course is flat) for the whole race... except the few who are trying to win. Whereas, and this has been my experience, the 4's and 5's "yo-yo" throughout the race. Fast to slow... fast to slow. And that can wear you out quicker. My advice is to stay within the first seven guys of a the leading bunch. Pick your draft spots according to wind and work at the front only if neccessary. When it comes time for point sprints... watch for gear clicks and attack with whoever moves. Same with the finish line. And just to note... I'm a cat 3/4. So I don't know all that much myself. I too, am not that dope. Though I hope the advice helps. Lush... I've never had a bike specifically for the rainy season so I'm not sure on the life expectancy. Dibs... A Zurich? Wowzers! That's nice bike to let someone borrow. That's cool that you're doing all those morning rides. Any goals or just for the love of it? I still owe you a package... don't think I've forgotten you.