Happy 4th

I know I've posted this before, but it still makes me giggle.



Have a fun and safe 4th of July. We'll see you Monday with (hopefully) all my appendages still attached.

Soaked to the Bone

After several days of record temps I was wilting like limp asaparagas. Now I resemble a drowned rat. This morning might have been the second hardest rain I've ever ridden in.



Thinking ahead, I rode my "rain bike" (the one with fenders) home last night, because the weather reports said we might have isolated thunderstorms today.

For once they were right on the money. Thunder, lightning, and it was pissing rain. The ride from the house to the train station downtown takes all of 10 or 11 minutes. In that time I was thoroughly drenched. After drip-drying a bit during the 15-minute trip south to my stop in Tukwila, it was then back on the bike. The rain was just a gentle sprinkle as I started the ride from the station to the Raleigh offices. Two blocks into it, and the skies opened up. It dumped, and then dumped some more. It was actually pretty comical - the trail looked like a creek. At the office I had to wring my gloves out. Twice. Now I'm just hoping everything dries by 5pm.


Oh yeah, fenders and rain gear are a joke in that kind of downpour.

Shut My Word Hole

Friday I rode home alone. I uttered a total of 4 words on my way home, but my mind wouldn’t shut up. This is a brief excerpt from my thought pattern on my ride to a BBQ after work.

Man is it windy today. This morning the tail wind was rock’n, the sun was shining and I almost rode right past the entrance to Raleigh. Now, that same tailwind is a kick’n headwind. Feels like 10,000 puppies licking my face.

I can’t tell if this song is annoying or really good.

The Jackson 5 are awesome, and this re-mix is poppy. But is it too poppy?

Keep on filling up your SUV with your Costco gas. This engine is running on Burritos today.

Bah, I thought if I left work early I’d be able to avoid all the runners. I think there are more now than normal. Amazing what warm weather does for trail traffic in the NW.

It just looks cool seeing your reflection moving in a window.

Great. Soccer tournament. Time to put my hands back on the hoods and pay attention. HEY! You in the Audi! Watch where you’re going! Ding Dong.

Will I get a free peep show from the Cowgirls today? Nope. Stupid van.

Man is it windy.

Ahhh, the Union guys are hanging out and celebrating Friday with some Barley Pops. I can’t wait till I have a beer in my hand.

Rabbit Alley. Hands back on the hoods. Little bastards.

Ugh, that long wind channel is coming up. Man is it windy.

Awwww, fresh goose poop all over the trail. That’s just great.

What’s this? Oh, someone’s sitting on my wheel. Wish I had a wheel to sit on. Man is it hot and windy.

This straight away just really sucks. Just put my head down. Turn the pedals. I think it’d be faster if I got off and walked. Don’t look at the flag to your left…don’t look…don’t look…suck.

Holy crap is it windy. Almost out of the wind channel. What’s this? The wheel sucker is passing? Wow. He’s really trying to push it in this wind. He needs to work on his form. His upper body is bobbing and his knees are all over the place. Did he just look back? Aw no, is this a race? It looks like he’s really pushing it.

South Park. I hope all the lights are insync with me today. He just looked back again. I think he’s trying to drop me. Looks like he’s cutting through the neighborhood, I don’t want to fight the oncoming traffic so I’ll go under the bridge and meet up with the trail again.

Hey, the neighborhood smells like lavender today.

There’s that guy again. Looks like he sat up. His hands are next to the stem. His knees are a little more piston like. Oh no, he’s back in the drops again. He definitely saw me when we went around that corner.

Will this wind ever let up?

TXT…Bring Ketchup?

Ketchup?! I’m in the middle of the industrial shipping yard. Where the heck am I supposed to find condiments?!

TXT…Where?

I can’t wait to be on that roof top with a cold beer in my hand.

Alright, hands back on the hoods. Time to jump in traffic. Look back…plenty of space. The racing commuter doesn’t think so.
“Have a good one” I say. He just looks at me while a heavy wind escapes his mouth.

Man is it windy.

Ketchup?! Where the heck am I supposed to get ketchup? I guess I’ll just swing in a fast food-a-ria around the OR office. Buy some fries and grab a handful of ketchup packets. Wow. There’s a pretty good line in here. I don’t think they’ll notice if I just grab some packets. Maybe I’ll grab 2 handfuls.

OR parking lot. Do I lock my bike up? Nah, I’ll just jam in this railing.

This view is awesome. Almost as awesome as this beer is tasting right now. Man am I glad to be out of that wind.

That's it.

No, you can't have those 2 minutes back of your life.

Air of Anticipation

I know that Stevil at the Bummer Life is really good about getting all psyched up over all the new bikes he is constantly getting. (How the hell does he pull that off?! I work for a bike manufacturer and don’t get as many new bikes as that guy!) He posts the pictures of the frame before he gets it.
When he gets it.
While he’s building it.
While he’s sleeping with it.
And when it first encounters Danzig’s mustache while eating bacon.

Well, I have a new rig on the way. I have pictures of what the frame is going to look like. And it looks hot. Personally, I think it’s the best looking Raleigh we’ve ever done. And everyone who’s seen the picture whole hardily agrees. I want to post the pictures so badly, but I think I’d rather wait until I have it in my possession before I reveal its hotness. I do know that my parts have started to show up for it. And I’m checking the mail room like Ralphie waiting for his Orphan Annie Decoder Ring. A couple weeks ago my FSA Energy Handle Bar, Stem, Seatpost, and Energy crank showed up. It was soon followed by my White Candy 2 ti pedals. What really got me going though is when these showed up…

Ahhhhh. Carbon Force Brake Levers with all the guts removed.
Plus I got a few other choice parts that should be showing up soon. I can picture it now...WOW. Backwards…WOW
Upside down…MOM
Backwards…MOM

If you’re in Seattle this weekend there’s going to be some more ‘alternative fun’ going on in Georgetown. If you ride your bike south of Seattle you can check out the chainsaw wielding skeleton as it takes on a hedge trimming Lobster. It’s freak’n sweet!

Alright. The sun is out and I had THE best ride into work this morning yet this year. There was something about pulling my arm warmers off, feeling the sun, and being pushed by the wind. Often during the winter it’s easy to forget there’s a 14,000ft volcano outside of Seattle. When it shows up in the summer, it’s truly breath taking. I'm going to head out and enjoy Part II of my ride.

Enjoy the weekend.

Neglect

It feels like I've been neglecting this here site lately. Summer is upon us in the bike industry and we're all running around like we're on fire.

Everyone here is enjoying a break in the the Seattle winter and getting some vitamin B while riding in. We've started a 'Commute Challenge' that I'm going to tell ya'll about in another post. It's got a lot of people pretty excited and riding into work more than I've ever seen. People on bikes...I know it's radical concept, but we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, this past week we started our summer of Bike in Movies at my house. Seems simple enough. Bikes, BBQ, movies outside, and your favorite beverage in your hand. We're trying to run an entire Bike theme this summer. So we started with Better Off Dead. A classic John Cusack movie about a boy, a french girl, a mountain, Pig Burgers, and the never ending quest for $2. I'm looking for more suggestions of Movies with Bikes in em...got any?

This weekend Fremont hosted the Summer Solstice Parade with some Raleigh and Diamond Back bikes. I still think the Portland Naked Bike Ride is trying to play catch up to us. Saturday nite I rode to, what has become, a Seattle institution. The Mariners suck, the Sonics are leaving, it's another couple months until we're all let down by the Seahawks again, but Roller Derby...that's the ticket. When the bouts were over the Seattle Travel Squad proved, once again, why they're one of the best teams in the nation and they got their groove on. On the tables, on the bar, on the town!




Sunday was all about the ride. The ride and trying to find some locations to shoot some new Lifestyle shots. Yup...that time of year again. I'm going to try and do as good of a job as Carey did last year in giving ya'll a little sneak peak as to what the 09 bikes are going to look like and what we're offering. Stay tuned.

This week. Did a quick photo shoot. Considering I asked one of my baristas at All City to be a model, the morning of the shoot, I think it turned out pretty good. This is the Circa...

Yesterday, found myself riding home with yet anther bike attached to my back. Another? Yup. I had a Team Time Trial frame attached to me on Friday to drop off at a local shop. Yesterday, I drug home a Supercourse that I used in an Ad shot that will be appearing in Road Magazine in a month or so. I may ride with a messenger bag, and not be a messenger...but dang does that sucker get loaded up!

The weeks almost over...but I'll let you in on some of the weekend happs tomorrow.

Go Ride.

Slow days...

Taking a break from racing this past weekend, and finally went on a casual road ride. Gotta say, I love a slow bike ride with no agenda and no plan. When getting on the bike is all that matters and everything else fades away. The sun shines on your head, and the breeze kisses your face. There isn't work waiting at the end of the ride, only a welcoming porch and a cold Rainier. The ride takes time, but it's time to look around and time to think about things other than 9 to 5.

{75mph is awful fast this close to Lycra}

{a bridge of our own}

Then I came across a rather bizarre scene...one that put a smile on my face for the rest of the day. I think this is one of the best signs I've seen in a long, long time.

{how can this not make ya smile?}

{I mean...really?!}

Stopped mid ride for an Americano and some warmed up bread pudding with caramel sauce on it. Riding home on a full belly keeps the pace rather slow, but that was the name of the game. Besides...I knew what was waiting.

Holy Crap!

My Raleigh Team Bike and I are a banner on the Rapha website. I wrote earlier about the ride we all did in honor of Andy Hampstens memorable stage. Turns out the folks down there decided to add the ride to their list. Check it out here.

Anyway. Yesterday we had a break from our June-uary weather and the sun broke out. Amazing what a little Vitamin Sun will do for you.

{this just makes me happy looking at it}


{a little excerpt from our ride yesterday, I'm slowly learning video stuff...}

Made it to a good friends 40th Birthday last nite. Shoot...I remember when turning 21 was a big deal. Then 30 seemed like things were creeping up on me. Now my friends are rounding 40...which means I'm not too far off as well.

40 is the new 20...right?

{happy birthday Shenanigans}

{Sidi smut}

Who knows what the weekend has in store. Georgetown is having their music festival...and I loves me some Helmet. A good friend is having an entire going away day. And it's Fathers Day on Sunday, so make sure you give your Pa a call or go fire up the grill with him.

The suns out, the weekend is calling, and it's time to go to work.