Chris posted a link to the final shots of his new 'cross bike below, but the thing looks so sweet I think it's worth putting a couple of shots on our page, too. To review, Circle A is the company that's doing the work, and if you want to see the full portfolio of his build click here.
And no, I'm not talking about his (our?) newfound BMX skills. Exciting though the General Lees are (and yes, pics are coming), Chris has an even more exciting bike in the works -- and being worked on -- all custom-like.
Check out the sweet, sweet love at Circle A Cycles. And I mean it: Chris's bike gets front page billing on the blog, and you get to see the tubing as it slowly emerges as the Professor's fastest new ride.
Be sure that you click the "slideshow" button as it will guide you through Chris's bike as it comes into being. With all due credit to the photogs at Circle A, I stole one pic to give you a little taste:
I promise that the pics on their blog only get better from here. There's no word on what the paint scheme will look like... Chris?
Oh, hello. Did I mention that el Pirate and I got bmx bikes? It's true. I haven't owned a bmx bike since probably 1985, which was probably the year that Li'l Dave was born, so needless to say, I don't know what the hell I'm doing. That being said, bmx bikes are fun. They're like riding Ali's mountain bike but smaller, heavier, and featuring platform pedals. And while I'm sure the only thing more exciting about reading about my exploits in a Cat 4 road race is reading about tricks I tried, but failed to do on a bmx bike, I will save those tales for another time. Instead, I'll outline my program for success. Since a lot of talented professional cyclists come from a bmx background, I think I can learn some skills that translate to other forms of cycling (and possibly some life-lessons, too). Therefore, I've set the following goals (in no particular order):
1) Learn to bunnyhop. It'd be cool on a bmx bike but would be really fun to break out in a cyclocross race.
2) Learn to corner. While mountain biking, I like to brake a lot in the middle of corners. This is supposedly not cool and bmxing should help me to stop.
3) Not die.
4) Not get beat up by punk kids. I've been road biking for years and have been made fun of by everyone from kids to the elderly, so ridicule doesn't much faze me anymore. But if a bunch of teenagers see a poser (me) on a bmx bike, there is a chance that they'll decide that I am not cool and should be informed of this not with words, but with their fists. As mentioned, I road bike a lot and have a weak upper body so, yes, kids could beat me up.
5) Watch a double feature of "Rad" and "BMX Bandits".
6) Acquire more bikes. The catch is to acquire new bikes with very specific characteristics such that no current bike I own would quite work, therefore making the new bike a necessity.
7) Not injure myself in a way that would prevent me from other forms of cycling.
8) Not tell my mother that I've bought a bmx bike and have been riding it around downtown Durham at night.
9) Not have to tell my mother that I've injured myself on a bmx bike I had been riding around downtown Durham at night.
10) Never use the term "shreddin' the gnar".
11) Blog sparingly about shreddin' the gnar.
Never ones to let the grass grow underneath their feet (punny!), our partner Trips for Kids - Triangle and their fearless leader Andrea have their new, community-driven bike shop open for business. GrassRoots Bikes is not your regular bike shop: rather than focusing on profit, they're committed to the community, and will funnel any revenue back into the shop and Trips for Kids.
As if the cause weren't enough, they're also carrying some great boutique brands that you can't get at your average shop. Steel lovers will rejoice at the sight of Soma Fabrications and Surly on the roster, while BMX and 'cross freaks can get their hands on Redline. Perhaps most exciting is the fact that GrassRoots will be carrying the sweet-riding 29er steel of Vassago. Not only can I attest to the big-wheeled loveliness of the Jabberwocky, but they're approved by none other than the Professor himself, seen rolling here in full Jabber style:
Ah, yes, the sweet poetry of the Professor of Smooth ripping up the pump track in short-bus style: truly an example of the Kantian sublime if there ever was one (on two wheels, at least).
They'll also be carrying White Industries and the ubiquitous Park Tools, for those of you who need to get your bling or wrench on (respectively), as well as the usual array of hard-to-find parts and must-have accessories. In short, they're a fully functioning bike shop, albeit a super cool one.
This is certainly something for both our team and the community to be excited about, and congrats go to Andrea and the rest of the dedicated Trips for Kids crew -- not to mention our own Dave Bryan -- for making this happen.
The League of American Bicyclists awards Bicycle Friendly Community awards to municipalities across the country each year. Our neighbor Carrboro is the currently a Bronze Level Community. NBC national news did a story last night on the prime time news about the ground bicycles are gaining as a transportation option. Check it out.
Loyal readers will recall that Hollywood announced his plans to purchase a new mountain bike at the end of the season earlier this year. After Sauser's win at mountain bike world's H. told me that the 2009 Specialized Epic would be his chariot. But at other times, our star has indicated acting on his long held preference for hardtails. In the spirit of the Professor's query, it's time for the readers to decide Hollywood's new ride. Specialized rolled out its 2009 models this week and Hollywood is among many things, a Specialized man. What will it be friends? The 21 lbs carbon Epic dualie? The 19 lbs carbon Stumpjumper, billed the "new hardtail for hardcore riders"? Who is more hardcore than Hollywood?
The geography lesson:
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No leprechaun sightings.....sorry.
Found this great video on Youtube.com about adult bicycle safety. Wanted to share it with all our readers. Here it is.
Thanks for watching. Hope you learned something, or if you know someone who might benifit, pass it along.
Fourth of July ride, Chapel Hill Trails. Ben and I drove down Tobacco Road to meet up with Dave and Linus for some mountain biking. Ben and I tried to do some warm up riding, but kept getting lost on the trails, looping back on ourselves. Like the Blair Witch Project, but without the video camera and the screaming. Also no witches. Luckily we soon met up with a crew of Chapel Hill luminaries who led us on a great group ride. It was hot, in the mid-90s, and while BCC style is all about team kits (okay, Dave was still rockin' the sleeveless t-shirt and baggy shorts) Chapel Hill style is all about tattoos, body piercings, and shirtless style. Mountain biking with a Camelbak and no shirt sounds kinda, well, chaffey for my tastes, but whatever keeps you kool, right? (I didn't take a camera, so I'll spare you pictures.)
Truth be told, this is what I love about mountain biking. There is still so much room for individuality and personal style. While roadies push for conformity (take this style guide, for example), in mountain biking anything goes, as long as it goes. Out of the dozen or so riders we had out yesterday, we had:
geared vs singlespeed
steel vs carbon fiber
29ers vs 26ers
shirts vs skins
bibshorts vs baggies
tubes vs tubeless
long-travel suspension vs fully rigid
clipless vs platform pedals
bottles vs camelbaks
energy gel vs beef jerky
hung-over vs not hung-over.
Which styles won? None. Everyone's set-up enabled them to ride like they wanted. Does form follow function? Does function follow form? Who knows. Just get out and ride.
Brian (the man known to some as "Hollywood") has gone back home to Alabama for the weekend. Want to know what he's doing?
Raleigh cyclist says she was hit by car intentionally. Here is a link to the report. http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/3138484/ . It's hard to believe that some one would try to 'door' a cyclist. I ask why, why would someone do something like this? I think I would rather take my chances with bears in the wild then ride some of the roads around here. Lets keep our heads on a swivel and not give drivers the satisfaction. Enough said.
