Where is my focus?!

Got up this morning...I Tweeted about it...like everyone seems to do on Twitter.

Rode in this morning....wanted to tweet it. Instead I replied to some other peoples Twats (is that the past tense of tweet? The whole thing is still confusing to me)

Built up a couple bikes for the MS Society. One lucky raffle winner is getting a Clubman and another is getting a Supercourse.

I grew up in NoDak so I was surrounded by John Deere tractors as a kid. Something tells me my current kid stage would like these toys...

{Cover of Issue 12 of Rouleur}

{found on a site that was forwarded to me...absolutely NSFW!}

{part of the largest train set around}

Had 3 different Magazines sitting on my desk with Raleigh bikes in them...

1) Dirt Rag has the sweet picture of Angela riding a Eva 8.0 AND has a Clubman in a Sealine ad on the opposite page.

2) LA Confidential has a Clubman pictured in their Crush Worthy section

3) Road Bike Action added a picture of a complete Raleigh Team bike as the header to their Carbon page of 'Finding the Ultimate Frame Material'. (If you get this publication, check out their 'buyers guide' and then check out the ads...looks totally unbiased to me)

I was delivered a Mo's Bacon Bar...mmmmm, delicious.

And yet, for some reason, I'm having a hard time focusing.

Maybe because early in the day, I found out about this...

I have no words...

Bored...

And not a thing happened this week. Unless you count...

We got some new stickers in this week. They turned out pretty sweet and seem to fit in perfect at your local Tavern.

Kyle...our very own Product Manager...has started to ride into work again, in an attempt to work off the winter Pint work outs. So I have someone to ride with every now and again.

We've started our meetings to make the Rush Hour Revolution bigger and better this year.

The sun came out...sort of...this week. Trying to spark a little hope in hearts of Seattlites.

{so it was more like a Black and Tan}

Speaking of Black and Tan...well...at least the Black stuff...I HAD to dive into Loretta's yesterday on my way home to share a long distance Car Bomb with Brother-In-Law on his Birthday.

{the only time I ask for a smaller shot...that glass won't fit}

I got to ship off an unusable XXIX frame to the kids at Yakima for them to use in their Test Lab. I really hope I get some pictures back from them with the results of their tests.

And while we may have just finished our 2010 bikes, that doesn't mean we can't start dreaming and creating new bikes for 2011, does it? I think we came up with a pretty sweet rig, and a great graphic for it this week.

So, yeah. Pretty quiet week around here. We'll see what kind of boredom I can find this weekend. And if you think about it...tomorrow, everyone is being encouraged to turn their lights off for an hour to raise awareness of the global climate changes. I can't help but think this might have another effect. Something similar to a phenomenon know as Power Outage Babies. (but that's just me)

X Files Ride

No aliens. No Sasquatch. No Loch Ness monster. No Scully or Molder. Just a ride with no proof other than the word of those that did it.
I wish I could have provided grainy, shaky, blurry proof of any of anything we did on Sunday. However, riding home the other day I had the misfortune of my camera falling out of my messenger bag.
I've already built a small stand in front of my house to sell 'Beacon Hill Lemonade' to the hobos, knitted 40oz coozies to sell, and tear away clothing for the folks working my street. Hopefully it won't take long...
It was just a huge day of monumental riding without any photographic proof...that's all. Just the stories of the 8 intrepid riders who pedaled onto Galbraith in Bellingham this past Sunday.


So without any photographic proof you'll just have to take my word that Sundays ride was hard. No...not just hard...the climbs would have brought tears to Ned Overends eyes. The descents would have shook the logos right off Greg Herbolds kit. And the mileage would have left Johnny T curled up in a ball gripping his thumb with his lips. That's how hard it was.

Eight guys. Sixteen gears. (I always include walking as a gear) And eight different stories. Each one of those valiant riders rode the exact same trail, but if Nat tells you it was 20 miles...I could say it was 40. If Kevin said we climbed 1200 feet...Keith would say it was 6000 feet. If Brett said it was a little tacky with patches of mud...Brian could say we were fjording the entire time.

But no matter the story, each one rode away a little weary that day...and we all smiling as we toasted our first beer.

Measure Once...

Cut Twice?

My dad is really good at woodwork. He's a regular Terry the Toolman kind of guy and I know deep down that he could show that Over Plaid Wearing Bob Villa a thing or four. He's built everything from coat racks, to desks, to beds to a couple of the friggin houses we've lived in. If there's ever a flood that start to encompass the globe...I'm making a B line for my dad's house.

Running down the evolutionary chain I received many things from my Pa. I got my fathers humor, his ability to pay attention when the TV is on, some of his dance moves, and his follically challenged scalp. But no where in there did I receive his knack at being handy. That was passed down to my little sister who made a stellar lamp in high school that I still use to this day.

PJ...Inside Sales Person Extraordinaire, former Messenger and occasional grouch without a beer in hand...acquired a space that he's turning into his very own PJ's Bike-O-Rama. Last nite he was hanging up some peg board so I stopped on in to help...management style.

{Yup...looks level boys}

{Hey...look at all the bikes}


{What do you mean it's too short?! Cut it again!}


{Shiny...and warm}

{See...I told you guys it'd turn out fine}

The Bike-O-Rama is coming along nicely and should serve many people well this summer. Not necessarily in a 'bike fixing' kind of way. Maybe more in a 'hang out around a bunch of bikes while drinking beer in the alley way' kind of way. Should be a screaming success.

The Sun Came Out

And I'm going to ride. If it's nice where you are...you should too.

If you're in Seattle...the Bike Expo is going on this weekend. Raleigh will not have a booth there this year, but I'll be there.
Wandering around.
Because...
Well...it's bike stuff.
And that's what bike people do.

This Changes Everything!

The little bit of news I just received via Twitter/Facebook/Nerd-dom validated all the time I've been putting into these things.

Sent from CX Magazine....

I've already made contact with the guys who are going to be running the series, and about shot beer out my nose when they said their series would NOT be associated with USA Cycling.

Which means...no rules regarding race attire.

Which means...I'm going to form a team like that of my SSCXWC team to show up at each race.

They're also resurrecting the “Grail de la Grunge” competition between Washington and Oregon. I can only assume that the battle that will rage in Tumwater this fall will be likened to some of the greatest sports rivalries of all time.

Seattle MFG Cyclocross...Must Feel Good

I don't know about good...this is making me feel GREAT!

Funraiser

There's only an 80% chance of rain tomorrow. You should go!

{Who is that handsome man?}

Tour? What Tour?

The Tour of California is over. Levi went on to 3peat. A guy by the name of Lance was there. It rained, there was snow, some really expensive bikes, there was a Doper Devil, and I earned the Lantern Rouge of posting the rest of my trip.

So...instead of trying to remember stories, complaining about weather, or making up Haiku's about the trip...I'll just purge some random pictures from my camera and move on.

{The Yakima Vigilantes were a Valentine treat to see in Sacramento}

{While the Doping Control RV was checking the athletes, they should have been checking the spectators. The crowds were insane, even in the driving rain}

A couple of easy steps to brighten your mood...

1) "Find" some balloons after the race is over

{These will do}

2) Distract the Local Law enforcement crew who was eyeballing you "finding" balloons

{Officer, the Duke Boys went thata way}

3) Insert your own soundtrack and enjoy

{.......}

Classy Establishments are all the norm in Cali...

{No Rainier in this Club}

{but the High Life could prove to be in interesting muse....}

If I had made it all the way down to SF with my bike and didn't ride the Golden Gate Bridge...I don't know if I ever would have forgiven myself.

{Yup...it's a bridge}

Managed to get one completely dry ride in on my last day in the "Sunshine State". Andrew from CXMagazine took me for a pretty sweet spin. While I spent more time in the car getting there and returning...the ride he took me on was soooo worth it.

{it was all sunshine days and lollipops this day}

{I seem to remember a site that involved 'something on' Top Tubes}

{Is that even still around?}

{So long California...until...well...maybe Sea Otter?}

I fell like I can move on now in postings...as this has been hanging around my neck like an albatross.

It's been a pretty random week around here...full of surprises. I'll try and get some of it up tomorrow.