Staying Sane

Paul's new Surly Fixed Hub chained to 29er

Shiny Bike Fixed up!

Barely having time to ride, Johnnys ready to ride . Paul is headed back to work!

Afternoon Out of Town "Gives"

Everywhere equals fixed gear country.

Very warmed up and ready to fly up a few hills on Craig Creek Road.

Dropping some pure water into Geezor`s bottle for him. Thanks!

Timbered Branch along the way on Monday`s 4 and half hour getaway.

Remember Kids ! Stay in school or you could end up looking like this old man.

With 32c tire on the back and steel legs for brakes what are the odds that Johnny Acorn is going over his bars when he get to the bottom of a little speed bump? A great bike under him but $ can`t but skill or balls.

Gettin` in some good training til the next chance to get out of town comes along.

Tablerockcycles Riddle

The Table Rock Cycles marching band consists of 7 rows. Tom and 6 other cyclist march in different rows and play different instruments. From the following cues can you determine each cyclist full name instrument and the row?

Schubert who is not the one who plays trombone marches farther back than Smith.
The boy who plays the drum marches in the middle row.
The trumpet player marches just ahead of Sam who is ahead of Faulkner.
There are no trombones in the first row.
Judy doesn't march in the last or first row.
Brian whose last name is not Miller does not march in the last rown and is not the trumpeter.
The flute player is ahead but not just ahead of Faye who is ahead of the Billings girl.
Both the saxophone player and Miller are ahead of Jilk who is not the one who plays tuba.
Max marches just behind the Truman girl and just ahead of the clarinet player.
Susan doesn't march in the last row.
Are you thinking clearly? You may get the answer in 1/2 the time it takes to ride the Bridge to Bridge.
Good luck!

Overnighter

Camp

Simple ride with nice back drop!

Wood cutting skills at hand!

Light camp, hope it doesn't rain

Captain's Camp

setting camp

In route to meet up in the creek!

Keepin it simple and light to camp overnight!

www.mapmyride.com/route/us/nc/morganton/521125474314086002

New Build from the Basement

Johnny and 1/4 Mike

Paul from winskinsprinting.com, get his bargain basement KHS Fixie

Ride of Labor

www.mapmyride.com/route/us/nc/morganton/650125228168646535

Geezer and I set out today around 9am and returned at 5:45 for something of 81 miles fixed crossbike ride in our beloved leftover Mountains. The route traveled to the base of Grandfather and then onto Blowing Rock and back via Wilson's creek. Stopped to filter water and snacks.
Good ride, check the link for detailed route if you care!

Reset Complete

Well this is a self taken shot by Geezer after getting through the Blue Ridge Brutal. He is smiling out of relief and being beyond loopy.

The veins in his forehead aren`t sticking out as far as for the Blood Sweat and Gears ride but the feeling of (wow that was hard) has left him just as dazed and confused. He either over estimated himself or under estimated the 9000 feet of not too steep? climbing. Seemed like a butt kicker to him. (and he has rebuilt carburetors and shared the meaning of life with dogs and such).

The really fine folks at the Ashe Civic Center still had pasta and garlic bread left for stragglers like this guy and it was sitting on the tail gate to be inhaled right after this shot.

All in all there isn`t a perfect way to honestly describe the ride. 40/16 gear was do-able on all but a couple of stretches of hill/mountain but as is the nature of the beast you`re screwed going up or down in the hills or that perfect combination of both.

Cramps ? of course. S-Caps and lots of liquid taken. At around 80miles especially and then they died out. Probably good that fixed gear keeps rolling along. Takes the choice of stretching legs out away. Some head wind was very good training I guess.

Could catch some other riders on the uphills and then hear them whizzing by over and over again on the other side. One rider was at about the same overall pace and we talked for about 20 miles( to the finish). Trusting what you think to a stranger that you are sharing an experience with resembles a bit what folks going down in a crashing plane might feel. Why filter your thoughts? we`re all going down. Nice to cut through the we haven`t been properly introduced crap. Very good to meet folks who are`t too shiny.

There were parts of the ride that only seemed safe from traffic in a relative sort of way - as in hey that truck or camper can`t run over and mangle all of us. Maybe that`s what minnows figure in thinking that they are safe from that big fish drawing a bead on them.

A few parts of the ride were just plain gorgeous. The stretch of the Parkway is as pretty as it gets (except maybe for the same spot in a few months).

Was I happy with the time I got etc.? A bit over 8 hours is SLOW . I have two conflicting feelings which is like an answer of sorts to the old question, "Are you bragging or Complaining?" - Very greedy and Very Grateful.

Didn`t want to eat too much Ranger Rick brand wonder gruel before taking off into the hills.

For some reason the crowd of serious cyclists getting ready seemed hilarious. Pretentious behavior lives in various forms. At least I didn`t shave my legs or switch to bladed spokes. Team superstition rides on. One person`s smooth calves = the next person`s morning diet ritual.

Thank goodness Johnny Acorn showed up. Friends are indispensable even for hardened recluses.

The cruel side of being a responsible citizen sometimes though is having priorities kick the crap out of previous plans. Even Super Man has to sleep once in a while.

So - how can this be? Just a minute ago I had this neck of the woods all to myself and now strangers are pouring in from everywhere. At least I grabbed over 9 sweet hours of sleep with a few Valerian Root capsules and a deluxe Ranger Rick brand mattress system. Coffee is made and protein/oatmeal/raisin gruel is about to go on the range.

Reset by Bike Ride

Nobody at home except that old geezer over there in that little white pickup truck (and some folks would disagree with you on that).

The Kitchen and tons of carbs to go with the dose from the day before. Reading material and a little solitude. Need to relax and rest and find a managable corner of the world to do battle. (with myself of course)

Notice the stealth tech anti theft bicycle cover over beloved fixy.

Still Nothin

One tired,stressed,frustrated,old geezer with aching lower back and bad head ache. Also the right priced motel accomodation and the Geezer suit.

Don`t Know Nothin

A pretty place to get away from it all for an evening and try to get some sleep before the big ride. No permission was granted to "camp" in the parking lot but none was denied either. One nice shady spot under a cherry tree and after folks got their packets just a little road noise. Call me cheap or frugal or just weird - works for me.

I Don`t Know Nothin bout Nothin

The Ashe Civic Center parking lot - day before the ride and during early packet pick up. Sort of a rural area? A beautiful part of the planet with some very fine people.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090727/NEWS01/907270323

Table Rock 30mile Fix

Geezer testing his legs a week after BSG 100

Ride of choice

Lowes Time Trial #3, July 15, 2009

Wednesday night was the 3rd installment of the 2009 Lowes Time Trial series in Charlotte. Clear skies, warm weather, and only a moderate breeze made for a good night for the 10-mile event.
Warming up in the pit garage prior to our start times.

We typically have start times close together and end up on the track at the same time. However, on this night we had Amy's son with us, so I waited to start until Amy finished her race. This gave us the chance to get some pictures of the race action. Amy's in the final countdown to her start.

Amy had another good ride and continued to shave time off, finishing her leg in 28 minutes, 6 seconds.

I also continued to improve, finishing in 26 minutes, 26 seconds. Go Table Rock Cycles.

A kid's ride was held prior to the main event, giving kids a chance to ride on the track. The proud mama poses with son Addison just before his ride.

Addy honing his sprint at the famous raceway. Future green jersey wearer?

Craigslist Ad

A few things from the bike shop.
Date: 2009-05-27, 4:05PM PDTWhoo-hoo Seattle , the sun is out! Let's discuss a few things before you fumble with swapping the unused ski rack for the unused bike rack on the Subaru. So yes, you've noticed the sun is out, and hey!- maybe it would be cool to to some bike riding. Let's keep in mind that the sun came out of all 600,000 of us, so for the most part, you're not the only one who noticed. Please remember that when you walk into my shop on a bright, sunny Saturday morning.. It will save you from looking like a complete twat that huffs "Why are there so many people here?" Are we all on the same page now about it being sunny outside? Have we all figured out that we're not the only clever people that feel sunny days are good for bike riding? Great. I want to kiss all of you on your forehead for sharing this moment with me. Put your vitamin D starved fingers in mine, and we'll move on together to some pointers that will make life easier. SOME POINTERS FOR THE PHONE: - I don't know what size of bike you need. The only thing that I can tell over the phone is that you sound fat. I don't care how tall you are. I don't care how long your inseam is. Don't complain to me that you don't want to come ALL THE WAY down to the bike shop to get fitted for a bike. I have two hundred bikes in my inventory. I will find one that fits you. Whether you come from the north or the south, my shop is downhill. Pretend you're going to smell a fart, ball up, and roll your fat ass down here. - Don't get high and call me. Write it down, call me later. When I have four phone lines ringing, and a herdlet of people waiting for help, I can't deal with you sitting there "uuuuhhh"-ing and "uuummm"-ing while your brain tries to put together some cheeto-xbox-fixie conundrum. We didn't get disconnected, I left you on hold to figure your shit out. -I really do need to see your bike to know what is wrong with it. You've already figured out that when you car makes a noise, the mechanic needs to see it. When your TV goes blank, a technician needs to see it. I can tell you, if there is one thing I've learned from you #$%ing squirrels, it's that "doesn't shift right" means your bike could need a slight cable adjustment, or you might just need to stop backing into it with the Subaru. Bring it in, I'll let you know for sure. - No, I don't know how much a good bike costs. For some, spending $500 dollars is a kingly sum. For others, $500 won't buy you one good wheel. You really need to have an idea of what you want, because every one of you raccoons "doesn't want to spend too much". FOR YOU INVENTIVE TYPES AND DO-IT-YOURSELFERS: - Just because you think is should exist, doesn't mean that it does. I know that to you, a 14 inch quill stem makes perfect sense, but what makes more sense is buying a bike that fits you, not trying to make your mountain bike that was too small for you to begin with into a comfort bike. - If some twat on some message board somewhere says that you can use the lockring from your bottom bracket as a lockring for a fixie conversion doesn't mean that: A: you can, or B: you should. Please listen to me on this stuff, I really do have your best interests at heart. - I love that you have the enthusiasm to build yourself a recumbent in the off season. That does not mean however, that I share your enthusiasm; ergo I won't do the "final tweaks" for you. You figure out why that Sram shifter and that Shimano rear derailleur don't work together. While we're at it, you recumbent people scare me a little. Don't bring that lumbering @#$%&ing thing anywhere near me. A DEDICATION TO ALL THE HIPSTER DUCHEBAGS: -If you shitheads had any money, you wouldn't NEED a vintage Poo-zhow to get laid. Go have an ironic mustache growing contest in front of American Apparel, so that I can continue selling $300 bikes to fatties, which is what keeps the lights on.. - Being made in the 80's may make something cool, but that doesn't automatically make something good. The reason that no one has ridden that "vintage" Murray is because it's shit. It was shit in the 80's, a trend it carried proudly through the 90's, and rallied with into the '00's. What I mean to say is, no, I can't make it work better. It's still shit, even with more air in the tires. SO YOU'RE GONNA BUY A BIKE: Good for you! Biking is awesome. It's easy, it's fun, it's good for you. I want you to bike, I really do. To that end, I am here to help you. -Your co-worker that's "really into biking" knows all. Stop asking for his advice. He could care less about you having the right bike. He wants to validate his bike purchase(s) through you. He also wants to sleep with you, and wear matching bike shorts with you. - You're not a triathlete. You're not. If you were, you wouldn't be here and we both know it. - You're not a racer. If you were, I'd know you already, and you wouldn't be here and we both know it. - So you want a bike that you can ride to work, goes really fast, is good for that triathlon you're doing this summer (snicker), is good on trails and mud, and costs less than $300. Yeah. Listen, I want a car that can go 200 miles an hour, tow a boat, has room for five adults, is easy to parallel park but can carry plywood, gets 60mpg, and only costs $3,000. I also want a unicorn to blow me. What are we even talking about here? Oh yeah. Listen, bikes can be fast, light, cheap and comfortable. Pick two, and we're all good. ABOUT YOUR KIDS: Your kids are amazing. Sure are. No one else has kids as smart, able, funny or as good looking as you. Nope. Never see THAT around here. - I have no idea how long you kid will be able to use this bike. As it seems to me, your precious is a little retarded, and can't even use the damn thing now. More likely, your budding genius is going to leave the bike in the driveway where you will Subaru the bike to death LONG before the nose picker outgrows the bike. - Stop being so jumpy. I am not a molester. You people REALLY watch too much TV. When I hold the back of the bike while your kid is on it, it's not because I get a thrill from *almost* having my hand on kid butt, it's because kids are unpredictable, and generally take off whenever possible, usually not in the direction you think they might go. Listen, if I were going to do anything bad to your kids, I'd feed them to sharks, because sharks are @#$%^&'ING AWESOME. I hope this helps, and have fun this summer riding your kick-ass bike! Location: Seattle