The week is coming to an end so that our holiday can begin. Us kids at Kemyooter will be on holiday sabbatical for the next week and a half; Brian's going to revisit the picture above by heading to Colorado and I'm going to stay here in Seattle and take my visiting parents on a couple bike rides in the city, and everyone else will be relaxing and enjoy winter ales and family.
From all of us here at Raleigh - ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS - we will see you next year.
{words carey} It's interesting how certain bikes we ride get more attention than others...I guess it has to do with the details, color, component choices, graphics (or lack there of), and maybe even the way it makes you sit. I bring this up because I have recently been riding my 2008 XXIX around the streets of Seattle and on my commute. Out of all the bikes I ride (1978 Professional, Prestige, & One Way), this XXIX has gotten the most looks and comments. I thought it was just people ogling me, but as soon as I heard, “Wow, that's a cool looking bike – what kind is it?” I knew it was all about the bike and not my looks. Which is cool, because I think it's a pretty good looking bike as well.
I thought the XXIX would be a totally fun urban assault bike that would take the wear and tear of a long commute and also be a fun machine to navigate through the city---hopping curbs, popping wheelies, dropping down small flights of stairs, etc. The XXIX is always my first choice for the mountains, and after tons of miles on trails, I figured if its that much fun on dirt, then it must also be a blast on pavement.
I took a stock 2008 XXIX, which runs about $770, slapped on some Vittoria Randonneur Cross 700x38c, swapped out the 33 tooth chain ring with a 44, put a Surly 18 tooth cog on the rear, brightened the bars with starry big cheese grips, rattle-canned the front fork white, and took the decals off. The result---one of the most fun and stylish urban bikes I have ridden in years. Plus, I can ride it in the mountains anytime just by swapping the tires and the gear. Oh...and that's a super rad Twin Sixwater bottle sitting in the cage.
An ubber-fun urban/mountain bike that gets more whistles than I do!
Lower light, more layers, heavier bikes, heavier bellies (those damn seasonal beers), darker mornings, darker evenings, cooler air, and hoards of rabbits. A winter wouldn't be without any of these things and despite the "ER" on the end of every word above - we are enjoying it tremendously.
At the 9lbs last night Brian and I were talking about riding partners and how you can ride with so many different people and there are the 2 or 3 people that you just jive with; you know each others movements, decisions, navigation's, and style so well that you never have to think when riding them. Well, Brian is one of those perfect riding partners for me and I am amazed every time I ride with him how everything just works. It is almost odd how well we connect while riding - same observations, generally the same thoughts, same outfits (yes we are dorks - but the equipment works!), same coffee addiction, same beer addiction, and same bike addiction.
It has been a year since the first day Brain showed me the route to get into Raleigh and I remember being hella confused, fatigued, excited, and happy. I had never ridden 50 miles in one day ever...I had never had to get off my bike for a rest ever...and I had never ridden in the dark ever. So, after a year of riding with Mr. Brian in celebration of finding a great riding partner a bird took a nice big crap on his arm this morning...(oh, and I bought him a nice big 9lb Porter last night as well so I guess it kind of makes up for the poop).
"Ahh...man a bird just pooed on me!"
We just can't get away from the suicidal trail rabbits - they somehow made their way into All City Coffee this morning. One of these days a rabbit is going to get sucked into our wheels and he/she is going to be sorry for playing chicken.
ColdER weather means throw the toe warmERs on.
Brian was rolling with a bit of color coordination.
We were either pedaling super fast or the light was low - couldn't figure it out (smile).
This must be the new Zip Car fleet that is taking over Flex Car - we couldn't quite understand why the blue car was so boxy and didn't follow an aerodynamic form like the others?
Brand new bridge boards - so new you could smell them!
T'was the day of the USGP in the land of Port A 4Runner named Sue rolled on up, and backfired a report. The costumes were dawn, and taped up with care In the hopes my pants wouldn’t fall off, and show me all bare. The serious racers, on their trainers they sped While visions of victory clouded their heads With my helpers in their stockings, and I in my cap We slammed some whiskey real quick, to help break the cold snap
We approached the start line and caused such a clatter Everyone looking and wondering, shouldn’t santa be fatter?! The gun was fired and we were off like a flash With the first mud puddle I was covered from the splash The first lap was fast, and I was filled with fear That the beer I had last nite would end up on my beard My helpers they cheered as loud as they could And the naughty girl yelling almost caused me to crash in the woods In no time we were on the 3rd and 4th round The mud was so thick my wheels spinning in the ground When the snow started to fly, is when the delirium set in I was singing Christmas Carols, and sporting a huge grin
Finally the finish line came and the end was near I screamed as I crossed “you’re all naughty, now get me a beer” To the keg from Georgetown we immediately head We spread good Xmas cheer until that pony was dead. With the greatest of Xms Cheer the people we met shared their tent, fire and food Its amazing the combination of waffles and sausages could taste so flip’n good! And as we were wrapping things up, we saw the ‘father’ of mountain bike I gave him a Raleigh hat for Christmas, which I think he really liked.
Now the racing season is over and for that I’m glad It’s time to misplace my pants, and watch my copy of RAD. To my couch for the winter, with it I will not part Covered in Cheetos, pizza crusts and only lifting my leg to…
...partly because I seem to say this far too often; I am a big promoter of fresh, organic, local, sustainable vegetables and a big promoter of bikes.
Seattle has had some epic weather the past 4 days with Saturday starting things with a lovely snow storm, blanketing the streets and city with a nice white glow. Sunday the snow left and the rains came down, and down, and down, and down... Monday arrived and the rain had no intention of letting up nor the 35mph winds, it was the second time in Seattle's history that we received the most rain in one day. I will admit I didn't ride during this epic storm, but I did think about it. It was about a year ago that my commute was only 12 miles round trip; so I rode to work every single day, rain, snow, or shine - yesterday's epic weather wouldn't have even phased me. But, now I think twice. With a 50 mile round trip to the office - wet clothes, foggy glasses, and soggy toes start to become pretty annoying after mile 15 not to mention a little cold. It is truly amazing how the addition of 38 miles puts me in a different mind set about riding into work - there's more effort, earlier waking hours, having to actually ride with a repair kit, charging lights, packing my clothes (I used to just wear jeans everywhere), pack a lunch (I no longer have the cafes of downtown at my finger tips), and actually checking the weather the night before.
So, the weather will pass and back out on my bike I will be...
This week it finally happened. It had to have been the longest New Years resolution I have ever kept…apart from the one to have at least one piece of bacon every week for the year, but that was more of a promise than a resolution. When the year freshly turned 07 I resolved to commute to work, by bicycle, at least 2 days a week for the entire year. This week…I didn’t ride in one single day. Instead of battling the cold and rain that hit Seattle this week, I opted for the comfort and convenience of my trusty 4Runner Sue.
At first I felt a little guilty about abandoning my resolution, and doing so with such little remorse about it. But I started to think back on the year and all the rides I did and I’m beginning to feel like I deserve the week off. The 20 degree days of winter with snow and ice blanketing Seattle slowed our commute but didn’t stop us. I went on a vacation to Maui where I clocked over 300 miles and summited Haleakala (sea level to 10,000 feet in 37 miles). I helped get our BEER Commute Challenge Team a top ten finish by riding 36 miles round trip every day in month of May. I did battle with my first double century in one day during Seattle to Portland, only to follow it up with the Portland to Seattle the next day. I started racing this year, tackling the NW Crit series with a focus and determination that hasn’t been seen since the big L left the sport. I took a week long beer, bikes, bb guns and tequila trip to Colorado this fall catching rides in Fruita, Steamboat, Fort Collins, and Colorado Springs. I took my lessons learned from the Crits and my mountain bike trip and started Cyclocross racing in the Single Speed division. Then there are the weekend mountain bike rides, the pub crawls, the 2am trying to get home in Seattle but all the bridges are up and the bike paths are under construction so I have to throw my bike over 2 10ft tall fences because I don’t want to back track 2 miles to the road and ride around…meanwhile commuting into work a minimum of 2 days a week. My ass is thankful that I don’t have a computer on my Rush Hour (my main commuter) to remind me how much time I’ve spent on my duff.
I’ve now convinced myself that I took the week off as prep for my last race of the season, the USGP of Cyclocross in Portland. The KISS KROSS crew has disbanded (we’re looking at a reunion race next year) so Bad Santa and his Naughty Helpers will make the trip instead. By the looks of the weather report for Portland, it should be tailor made for a surly Kris Kringle.
So this means I’ll be looking for a brand new New Year’s Resolution…any suggestions?
The Time Trial was simple. Ride the Cross course as fast as you possibly could for one lap…then puke. After finding out that there were over 150 riders registered for the TT our mantra became “place in the top 65”. Anyone outside the top 65 were then relegated to the Wild Card race later in the afternoon to try and qualify…unless they were able to complete various Time Bonus sections that the promoters had set up. The aero-bar down hill, the 3 sec beer slam, or the 6pk barrier bunny hop. We arrived with our rag tag crew of merry pranksters with just enough time to grab our registration, get our start time, and get suited up in our ‘working man’ gear. When they posted the times our entire team was shocked when only I had qualified for the following day. Fortunately Cleveland qualified because of a DQ, and Higgins lit up the Wild Card race placing 2nd to easily make it to the next day.
Day Two. SSCXWC.
I knew we were involved in something special when the promoters’ called up all riders name by name from the previous days time posting…got everyone settled…and told us to turn around. Many groaned…I started laughing…this is awesome! Making the pros fight for the title by having to navigate their way through all shenanigans lined up in front of them. When the gun went off I did my best at boxing out Adam Craig as long as I could…and then focused on the Tequila Shortcut (brilliant) which I dutifully hit on every lap until they ran out of Tequila. The shots defiantly warmed me up and took some of the sting off the Dodge Ball I took to the face in the Dodge Ball alley, but made me think I was hallucinating when I came across the Bikini Girl in the forest. I hit the kicker every lap, took a beer hand up every lap and even made a couple dollar preems outside the beer garden…by getting up on a podium where my cheerleaders were standing, working the crowd and mack’n on my girls.
By the end of it all our cheerleaders became the podium girls and I learned I will NEVER wear leather pants in a Cross race again.
I gotta say thanks to Cross Crusade as they put on the funnest cycling event I’ve ever done. Although they were brazen enough to say that we were giving Seattle Cyclocross a better image. Better?! We’ll see if we can’t put a little tarnish on it next month as they requested our presence at the GP Dec 1st and 2nd.
Final Results for Team KISS KROSS…not that it matters.
ACE…55th
STAR CHILD…45th
DEMON…37th
LIVER…DFL
We will leave you with some pictures {CLICK TO ENLARGE}
KEMYOOTER is approaching its 2ndlovely, exciting, rad, passionate, funky, influential, and just all around cool blog year! So...for the up coming year we’ve decided to add a little diversity and throw in an “etc”; which basically means adding lifestyle stories since bikes are a big part of our lives.
If you read our intro copy in the 2008 Raleigh catalog, it goes a little something like this:
{CLICK TO ENLARGE}
“At Raleigh, bicycles are our passion and lifestyle. We design them, we build them, and we ride them. We race. We commute. We climb and descend mountain trails and passes. We strive for the perfect ride everyday. Our bicycles are a product of this passion.”
With that said, bicycles are definitely a lifestyle for us; we breath everyday to pedal our machines so we can breather harder and deeper; to and from work, on the race course, navigating city traffic, rolling on single track, hitting the pubs, touring, getting life's essentials (groceries), and creating new experiences. The straight-up Kemyooter title just doesn’t cut it anymore – it’s a bit restrictive. So…we welcome you to the new “KEMYOOTER ETC. - a richer, tastier blog.”
After all, this whole blogging thing has enabled a much richer global dialogue to take place, showing the world our doings on a more transparent organic level. We really are more than just a corporate bike company comprised of robots that sit at computers all day manufacturing bikes and shipping them. We actually ride them, tinker with them, smile with them, drink with them, master them, fall in love with them, and crave them everyday. We hope that over time this venue will foster inspiration, laughter, ideas, questioning, learning, creativity, community, and promote a hell of a lot of cycling.
SSCXWs are this Saturday and Sunday in Portland OR. Over barley pops one nite, my friends and I decided it would be a great idea if we signed up for it. So we did. With the race looming on the forecast like so many winter storms in Seattle, I went to Donida Farms this past weekend for a little taste of what I was in for.
Who’s the freak’n masochist who came up with this idea?! Not only is it hard enough trying to ride skinny tires through muck and mud, but let’s throw some barricades and running hill climbs in for good measure. Oh wait…now lets get rid of the possibility of shifting. Who’s the masochist now?!
Objectives for my first cross race…
1) Clear the barriers…not catch my foot and fall like a screaming white girl in a horror movie. Check. 2) Stay upright…well…skinny tires aren’t MTB tires…I went down but popped up so fast that a lot of people missed it, but those that caught it were cheering louder. 3) Don’t puke…check. Don’t ask me how…but check. 4) Don’t finish DFL…check. Heck, I actually missed the top 10 by 5 sec.
Lessons learned at my first cross race… 1) PBR is better left for after the race 2) What was a great line in the mud on one lap is the worst line the next lap 3) There is nothing graceful about jumping in the air and slamming your ‘junk’ on a skinny saddle 4) When spectators slap you on the ass…that means go faster. (Cross crowds are the greatest ever!)
Can’t wait for this weekend as KISS KROSS descends upon Portland.
Stretchin' the PBR into the muscles to make them real loose.
Dismount. Run like hell (smile of course). Descend.
I don’t know if we were out to do good on Saturday but things definitely turned evil. A Super Hero bicycle ride around Seattle, helping citizens, performing ‘feats of strength’ and making the city a little bit safer.
Feats of strength…
One handed hill climb in Gas Works Park Super toe down at the “Wall of Death” One handed kiddy pool rim ride in Greenlake Super Hero scramble up the Fremont Troll Consume a Slooper Sized beverage at the Sloop in Ballard Like a bad Episode of the Tick our collection of Heros took on the city. Midwest Girl and Retail Sales Guy were so overly polite to some people they turned and ran. Sanitation man picked up errant trash while anorexic Hulk proclaimed “Hulk not Hungry”. Captain Bubble Wrap protected various packages as Orgasmo aimed his gun at others. Nom de Plum proved the pen was mighty while Bathroom Matt and his scrubber of Justice walked all over the rest of us in ‘Superness’.
During our Super Patrol of the city we stopped and helped mild mannered citizens along the way. Making sure cross walks were clean and clear of cars. Turning ordinary photos people were taking into Super Photos by adding ourselves in the mix. Showing BMXgroms the Super way of riding the BMX course. At the end of our Super Ride only Bathroom Matt (earning the title of Most Super Hero) and Captain Bubble Wrap were still riding/standing until we came across Chuck Norris. Two swift round house kicks to the head and our Super Day was done…for some of us. As the sun set on our fair city…Captain Bubble Wrap (protector of packages) rode into the sunset and continued his search for injustice as Evil never rests!
"Ahh...man a bird just pooed on me!"
We just can't get away from the suicidal trail rabbits - they somehow made their way into All City Coffee this morning. One of these days a rabbit is going to get sucked into our wheels and he/she is going to be sorry for playing chicken.
ColdER weather means throw the toe warmERs on.
Brian was rolling with a bit of color coordination.
We were either pedaling super fast or the light was low - couldn't figure it out (smile).
This must be the new Zip Car fleet that is taking over Flex Car - we couldn't quite understand why the blue car was so boxy and didn't follow an aerodynamic form like the others?
Brand new bridge boards - so new you could smell them!
T'was the day of the USGP in the land of Port
The serious racers, on their trainers they sped
The first lap was fast, and I was filled with fear
In no time we were on the 3rd and 4th round
With the greatest of Xms Cheer the people we met shared their tent, fire and food
More images:
...partly because I seem to say this far too often; I am a big promoter of fresh, organic, local, sustainable vegetables and a big promoter of bikes.
It was about a year ago that my commute was only 12 miles round trip; so I rode to work every single day, rain, snow, or shine - yesterday's epic weather wouldn't have even phased me. But, now I think twice. With a 50 mile round trip to the office - wet clothes, foggy glasses, and soggy toes start to become pretty annoying after mile 15 not to mention a little cold. It is truly amazing how the addition of 38 miles puts me in a different mind set about riding into work - there's more effort, earlier waking hours, having to actually ride with a repair kit, charging lights, packing my clothes (I used to just wear jeans everywhere), pack a lunch (I no longer have the cafes of downtown at my finger tips), and actually checking the weather the night before.
Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships - Portland, OR
were involved in something special when the promoters’ called up all riders name by name from the previous days time posting…got everyone settled…and told us to turn around. Many groaned…I started laughing…this is awesome! Making the pros fight for the title by having to navigate their way through all shenanigans lined up in front of them. When the gun went off I did my best at boxing out Adam Craig as long as I could…and then focused on the Tequila Shortcut (brilliant) which I dutifully hit on every lap until they ran out of Tequila. The shots defiantly warmed me up and took some of the sting off the Dodge Ball I took to the face in the Dodge Ball alley, but made me think I was hallucinating when I came across the Bikini Girl in the forest. I hit the kicker every lap, took a beer hand up every lap and even made a couple dollar preems outside the beer garden…by getting up on a podium where my cheerleaders were standing, working the crowd and mack’n on my girls.
KISS KROSS Kheer Krew
The commander and chief
SSCXWs are this Saturday and Sunday in Portland OR. Over barley pops one nite, my friends and I decided it would be a great idea if we signed up for it. So we did. With the race looming on the forecast like so many winter storms in Seattle, I went to Donida Farms this past weekend for a little taste of what I was in for.
Stretchin' the PBR into the muscles to make them real loose.
Dismount. Run like hell (smile of course). Descend.
Portland and the SSCXW look out for KISS KROSS!
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