creepyfriendly

FOOSHed.

The AM rolled out like the morning prior. Southwest single track: dodging dog walkers and steaming doggy treats. Ducking out just in time to be BPW'd and heading for the dirt bike practice track before the mandatory bagel stop. 21 is a long way from the 16 but better than 1.8.

Distinguishing the Dr. Jekyll from Mr. hide is easy on an empty stomach. Prick or stick, doesn't matter as long as the mental is set straight. To late for that date. Time to suffer. Repair later.

In the meantime, Click to catch Marko in action!

Fast practice.

As the snow fell we pedaled. The ground work was established as the temps dropped, plateaued, and rose. We honed our velo sense through the slow months of a record breaking snowfall. As we sat down with the masterminds behind Gary Fisher we discussed how to improve on performance. Weight. Weight, was the topic that we'd circle back to time and time again. Whether it was our beings that had to drop or the bikes... we settled on frame. It was obvious that Fisher created it's lightest hard tail ever in the super-fly which just so happened to be a 29er. The issue at hand was the not so single speed friendly dropouts so with a little help from Uncle Ned, Ray Ray, and the masterminds behind the plan we tested, designed, and came to the conclusion that old school was the way to go. The sssf drop out resembles that of what we all grew to love whether it was a track bike, 1x1, or bianchi. Enter the horizontal drop. Adapting a disc slot to drop out isn't anything you haven't seen before as we left the lower tab open for complete caliper adjustability while the gear inch changes. The bolt on axle is in it's second phase as the first conglomeration of custom drilled end caps to adapt the Bonty king earl axle failed. We settled on a Bonty branded dt ss hub laced to a race x lite hoop all of which passed the "man torque test." Ultimately, this bike will win races and we have many folks to thank for that.

The spec is nothing you haven't seen before as we use grandmas old saying of "ride what works." Littered with Bonty bits this dirt bike falls within the parameters of a light bike. 19-ish lbs gets the job done and feels like a champ as it climbed quarry ridge a handful of times this morning. The first real test of many comes this weekend as the Darkness and I will be in full soul crushing force at the SSUSA race down in TN. Get some>>>

Dirt bike Derby.

I heart...

Flogging the rain.

65.5 inches to victory.

Operation soul crusher showed up yesterday. The elves have been busy... too busy. The Darkness and I scurried to dial the new metal in our lives. Enough to tire the line at the rock cut xc race and put the hurt on each other. Brutal. >>>>>RACE REPORT<<<<<

A belly of new pics have been added to the "08" gallery thanks to our friend Marty "martini" Larson. If you're in the area I encourage you to check out Marty's new shop, the prairie peddler. Yep, a tasteful location glowing with velo pride. The right idea indeed. Thanks again Marty!

Practice...

I arrived at the SW/Fox ave juncture with time to spare. As I sat in the morning sun waiting for Marko I began to count the commuters. Some dressed in lycra, some khaki's, some casual. Bikes of all shapes and sizes passing at different rates. A unicycle, a trike, a recumbent, an xtra cycle. 43 cyclists in 7 minutes. Nearly everyone smiling and riding. The significance of my day was realized by 43 individuals with the right idea as Marko woke me from my utopian cloud.

"Ready?"

"Do you have a multi-tool? I keep messing with my saddle height"

"Yep." (unzips, zips, shuffles through two jersey pockets before revealing a faded red tool)

"Hey, do you think not being stretched out can mess with your leg length which would in turn cause you saddle height to be fuckered?"

"It's hard to say really."

As we dove into the SW track I felt a sense of enjoyment. A 1/4 inch raise of the saddle is all it took, once again proving the simplicity of my life.

Sponsor row has a late addition for the 2008 season. The details are ironed out and you guessed it, Surly will be the cog of choice for both Marko and I. We've been riding these soul crushing cogs for three years and are stoked to have derbied our way into the black hearts of the boys up north.

3 - 2 = 1.

Two-a-days.

The fact that a contingent of cyclists were involved eased the small talk. Some things never change as old friends broke their fall with their body. The alcohol appeared to ease the impact as we laughed and shared the customary shots. It was nice to lay on my back despite the pull out brace jabbing my kidney. The faux AC did nothing for my sore throat as the search of adequate coffee in a foreign place remains a feat. Oh, and then there was that race we fit in.

Cryptic conundrum.

We're a bunch of kids. Deep down habits never change. Riding off a curb at speed, skidding through an abandoned parking lot, rolling illegal trail, we're all pedal pirates. No matter what our childhood admirations, we're here for the same reason so please don't pretend you don't know. It's ok, I'm your friend. Our pace may differ at times but after all we're pedaling in the same direction...

Deep down we're all kids even you Dick Trickle.

Crash project.

On top of the clutter there's a list. A list that can abide and guide whether the circumstances. From time to time the list gets dislocated, shifted beneath the clutter that clogs the arteries of life. I've lost my list in the past only to be find it in the most inconvenient place. Since, I've scribe it in concrete. Priorities.

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It's hard to believe that I could be slipping the race chamois on in a couple days. Short sleeves? Depends on what Iowa/Illinois hold. The legs are twitching for action and regardless of not having the new bikes we will be dressed to shred. 36:18 seems about right...

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Recapping on ARTCRANK08:

"At 6:55, people were lined up outside the door of One On One, waiting to get in for a first look at the posters. At 7:00, the doors opened and in they came. And came, and came, and came. By 7:15, the line at the cash register stretched halfway through the shop, and stayed there for four hours. By 7:30, the line of people waiting to get in the front door stretched almost to the corner."

"We stopped counting people at 835, but conservative estimates of the total attendance go up to about 1,000. Five posters sold out on opening night. And more are headed that way. Perhaps now would be a good time to remind everyone that the show runs through Saturday, May 3."

-Charles Youel
ARTCRANK commander

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Check out the knapsack of photos.