Did you get a gift that is a little out of the ordinary? (Tell me).

I have been asking friends and family what strange gift they have received (Doesn't have to be this year). Here are my findings so far;

1) A tap dance kit (received by a 200lb man)

2) A paper guillotine (received by a hair dresser)

3) A brand new paver brick from Mom

I don't want to hear about the LCD tv's or the Wii's. I want to see the odd gifts.

Happy Holidays!

Needless to say the past couple weeks have been hard....Heck it's been a difficult year. First I had a flu for over 3 months, I ran into some financial difficulties.... 

Then my Mom passed away. Those of you, and you know who you are, know the back story. It has been really hard. Hard to realize I can't call or email her, Hard to think about being happy again, Hard to imagine her not being there if I needed to talk. I miss her.

(that is from my sister's wedding, I was an extremely bad usher)

This week I have been dealing with an allergy attack. It's not the flu or the cold, believe me it's different. I still feel rundown though. I even stood on the sidelines tonight while friends raced go-carts at K1 Speed.

I am feeling better everyday. I hope to be riding again next week. I need to get back in the groove, soon.

I smell like smoke and my face feels sunburned. That was fun.

The Englishman turns 41 tomorrow so we celebrated today down at Moonlight Beach. Daggs, The Fitz's, Wallace and the rest of the crew met down at the beach for a fire to celebrate 2 birthdays. Old Brett and Sean clearly had dipped into the Vodka well before the meeting time. Fun was had by all, except my washing machine and hamper.

FIRST ANNUAL CAMPAGNOLO TOY DRIVE AND CHRISTMAS BIKE RIDE

"Mark your calendars for Saturday December 13, 2008 at 8:00am; this will be the kickoff of Campagnolo first annual Toy Drive and Christmas Bike Ride.
The ride will leave from the Campagnolo offices in Carlsbad ( CA) - 5431 Avenida Encinas, Suite C - at around 10:00am and we will head out for a nice ride on the coast; approximately 30 miles.
We will have some breakfast food and drink to fuel you for the ride.

It is not necessary to pre-register.

We ask you to bring a new unwrapped toy for children infant to 17 yrs of age. The toys will be donated to Children's Hospital of SD and Voices for Children- SD Chapter; these are two very deserving charities.

Please spread the word and pass this information along to anyone you think would be interested in joining Campagnolo North America staff and all Campagnolo fans.

We look forward to seeing you here, getting in a fun ride together and making a lot of children's holiday season brighter.

CampagnoloNA staff"

                                              
Every once and awhile I miss home....

Sometimes it's family, sometimes it's friends and sometimes it's the lifestyle. I recently saw an episode of "Thre Sheets" in which they traveled to Louisville to find out the difference between bourbon and whiskey. 

"All bourbon is whiskey but, not all whisky is bourbon."

Wikipedia offers a pretty good description but, I explain that bourbon has to be atleast 51% corn. Anyway during the show the host visits a new restaurant in town called "Bourbons Bistro", From the look of their 2 page Bourbon list I might need to make a trip to the 'Ville sooner than later. They offer 3 versions of my favorite bourbon of all time, Pappy Van Winkle. I have had the fortunate luck to have owned a bottle of 15yr, 18yr and 20yr Pappy. I am nursing a bottle of 18 right now. I will cry audibly when the last drop is poured into my glass (i'll keep the bottle in memory).

"There are no bad bourbons, just better bourbons."  

If anyone finds a bottle of Pappy let me know. I need to prepare for the inevitable.

Project GT is finished!

I took it out for it's shakedown ride this afternoon. Wow it's different. It is exactly as I remembered it back in 1992 but, different. The top tubes back then were short and flat. The wheelbase was long and the headtube is short. I love it!

Specs:

• 1992 GT Zaskar (ball burnished)
• 1993 GT Cro-mo fork
• 1992 Shimano M900 XTR drivetrain 
• XTR M900 Hubs laced to Mavic 517 rims (DT 1.8/ 2.0 spokes w/ black brass nipples)
• Syncros Cattle prod stem
• Syncros seatpost
• WTB SST gonzo saddle
• Onza Porc rear tire and Onza Aggro front tire (currently Continental tires)
• White Bros Titanium riser
• Oury grips
• Shimano Deore XT U-brake
• Shimano XTR M900 cantilever brakes

We had another record turnout at the Night Ride!

9 riders made it out to Lake Hodges this evening. It's great getting out there and riding away the stresses of the day. Thanks guys it was another great ride! See you in a week or so.

Here is a look at a day off for me.....

Get up around 8:30 and do a load of laundry. Get dressed and ride for an hour or so. Drive down to Pannikin. Walking up I noticed a couple guys wearing Slipstream jerseys but, assumed they were "posers" like all the Lance Armstrong's riding the coast on their Klein's. Then I see this.....

2 Team issue Slipstream/ Garmin Felts complete with Argyle Zipps and custom Garmin 705's. Oooops.

I drank my iced mocha under the shade. When they got up to leave I asked them if they were training. No, they rode 600 miles with the CAF Million dollar challenge. I introduced myself to one of the guys who looked familiar. It was Danny Pate! He was a cool guy, willing to talk to a bike geek like me. I dropped a few names and talked about the ride down. Slipstream is definitely one of my top teams, especially now.

Even though it was my day off I decided to drive down to the CAF expo and help at the booth. The expo was packed as usual. I ran into a bunch of friends and clients. Sarah Reinertson was at her booth the "Sarah Bear". Dick and Carlene Lansing from Chicago flew in for the ride. Mark from Ramona borrowed OMR's bike and did the bike leg. Etc. Sonja from Zoot/ Zipp/ SRAM worked our booth. She was selling wetsuits, shoes and compression for us. Problem is the first 3 hours we were told we weren't allowed to sell. Huh? It was worked out.

I walked around and headed to the SockGuy booth. The usual suspects were there. Foley was upset that I had a beer and he was empty handed. He immediately sent one of his lackeys to the liquor store. I think the miss me....

Bigos and I helped Sonja pack the gear and we headed back to Solana. At the shop I met M&M and we decided to go to Pizza Port for dinner. It was M&M, Sonja, Me and DB (Douche Bag for short). After dinner I headed to CVS to get a card for my nephews birthday and then stopped by M&M's house to help setup Mark's new PS3 and Rock Band. I laughed at them for awhile and then came home.

It was a full day.

Socks: Angry Dragon

Song: "Mean Mister Mustard", Beatles

All of us know at least 1 person who has or is suffering from Breast Cancer. 

"Shimano and five renowned bicycle frame builders are offering five custom bicycles being auctioned off to raise funds for the Young Survival Coalition (YSC) this month of October which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Shimano Alfine Pink Ribbon Fundraiser is LIVE, lasting through October 30, 2008. It is a special way for people to help raise money and awareness for Cancer research while acquiring works of art. 100% of the proceeds go to the YSC.

Each handcrafted bicycle is unique - with its own flair and personality. From the custom bicycle designs to the custom paint and graphics to the unique accessories like custom leather bags and real wood fenders, each bicycle tells an individual builder's story and reflects their own style. The custom frame builders include, Ellsworth Handcrafted Bicycles, Rock Lobster Bicycles, Sycip Designs, Torelli Bicycle Company and Vicious Cycles."

Please help if you can. 

Many of you have seen my Ti SyCip. Most of you may not know that at the time of ordering that bike, I donated cash to Susan G Komen. That is one of the reasons for the pink ano parts on it (also it looks really good). A couple women very close to me have suffered the disease and any help will count.

For more information on the auction, visit https://www.youngsurvival.org/donate/Shimano-Alfine-Auction or http://ysc08.charitybuzz.com/viewLots.do

Well it's that time of year again.

The shop is having the Big Sale starting this Friday (Oct-17th) till Saturday (Oct-25th). All 2008 bikes will be on sale & one item at 40% off (excluding bikes, Oakley, Zipp and Speedplay). Both locations are having the sale so come on by!

B&L Bikes

 

Help a fellow 2 wheeler.

A friend of TeaBag has lost their bicycle. Keep an eye out for it. It's a Silver Electric bicycle with a surf rack and several stickers on it. If you see it or know anything you can email me at; probikesupport at mac dot com.

BikeRumor - Interbike 2008 - Chris King Bottom Bracket from Tyler Benedict on Vimeo.

The "Art of Cross" race this weekend was a huge success! They reported record numbers in attendance, Congrats Guys. In the Cat 4 race, they had over 60 racers and in Cat 3/4 they had around 75. That's major in a SoCal Cross race. 

Matt Breyer took his first win of the season. If he doesn't watch out he'll be moving up to Elite 1/2/3 soon. Ben (CeloPacific) got second in his race. It was his first race on a cross bike. Everett (Adam's Avenue) made an appearance on a geared Gunnar. Why is this news worthy? E is a award winning SSer, I guess he wants a new challenge. Mike Telega (Oakley/ Cal Giant) came in 4th in the Cat 1/2/3 race, his first race in 3-4 years. Brent Prenzlow made the first race of the season look easy, he took the win in the Elite Cat 1/2/3 race. Congrats Guys!

More pictures can be found at my Flickr page (link on the right or click here)

Idaho Mountains- 1

DB- 0

Get better buddy.   (photo provided by Tater)

"Jay Sycip joins Chris King
By BikeRadar

Jay Sycip. (King Cycle Group)

Jay SyCip has joined King Cycle Group and will work as a Product Manager for Chris King Precision Components and Cielo Cycles in Portland, Oregon. Jay comes to King after 17 years at SyCip Designs in Santa Rosa, California where, along with his brother and business partner Jeremy, he became a fixture in the modern frame-building community. Noted for his creative design style and elegant fabrications, Jay is a graduate of the Art Center of Pasadena.

"We are thrilled to bring Jay onto our team," said Diane Chalmers, Vice President of Operations for Chris King Precision Components. "He's a respected builder and a person we have always enjoyed. He's a great fit for this company. Plus, I hear he's a good cook. Perfect timing for the opening of our new cafe later this year, wouldn't you say?"

Jay adds: "I've worked only for myself since I left school but couldn't dream of a better place to go to work than Chris King. I really can't believe it even now. It's an incredible feeling to join this company and to bring my family to Portland. And what better time to move to Portland than at the start of the cyclo-cross season? I'm very excited to be here.

"Working with Jeremy and building the SyCip brand from scratch was a dream come true," he said. "With SyCip thriving and all the resources in place for the company's future success, my brother and I felt it was an opportune time for him to take the reins from this point forward. I can assure everyone that SyCip will continue to offer top notch custom bicycles. My family and I are really excited to have made the move north.

"Portland is not just the city my wife is from but its also a great place to raise our boys - not to mention having one of the best bike and food cultures around. All that tied in with this very special opportunity to be a part of the team at Chris King is a once in a lifetime chance."

While Jay has a new number and e-mail address, he will be unavailable during the day for a number of weeks as his training will take him through the full range of jobs at King. Just as each new employee does, Jay will spend his first week in the Assembly Department and work through a range of customer service jobs over the course of a few weeks. Finally, Jay will spend several more weeks on the production floor learning the production processes prior to beginning his work with OEMs, builders, and retailers.

For more information, visit www.chrisking.com.

Cinnamon Star, SSMike and I are in the video. Find us.

Good golly it's been a long time.

Lot's of stuff goin on. Here is the abbreviated summary;

1) Cinnamon Star and I drove up to Nor Cal for the SSWC08 race. We rode China Camp State Park a few times, 1 of us rode 40% of the race course and we ate some really great food (GoFish & Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen). Hands down the best food I have ever had yet. When you go to Cindy's ask Fran (the bartender) to make you a Mint Julep.

2) On the drive home I got a call, I won the Carver 96er frame they were raffling at the race! My frame is on the way. Thanks Tex!

3) I got home, parked the car and started riding the beach cruiser to work. Last Friday I went out to my car to get my floor pump.....I saw something shiny on my front tire...... The tread was coming off! CS and I dodged 4 really scary bullets (especially driving down the grapevine). I haven't driven my car in a week, I have to admit I miss it.

4) My new Toyo's are getting installed Friday. Can't wait! I need to run a bunch of errands that I can't do comfortably by bike.

Song: The Band "Up on Cripple Creek"

Sock: Retrotec

I was using a couple new products on the trip and I would like to mention a few of them.

a) Hammer Heed "Subtle Melon", If you like cantaloupe or honeydew melon try it! It's really good. Not too sweet not too sugary. It worked extremely well all during the rides. I used 2.5 scoops for a large bottle. ($17.95 for 30ish servings)

b) 2009 Specialized S-Works MTB Shoe, I was hesitant at first to wear a shoe with fishing line but, the are amazing. The fit, feel and function are top notch. Not to mention I got the highly anticipated White version. I have 1 of 10 pairs in the country. ($285.00 should be available by the end of September)

c) BROOKS B190 saddle, Hands down the best beach cruiser saddle on the planet. It looks perfect on my Electra plus it's really plush. I rode it in this years Midnight Madness and have been commuting on it for a couple weeks. ($175.00 only available in black)

That's all I got.

I feel like I need some time off......wait a second.

Yep Cinnamon Star and I are headed up to Napa for the SSWC next Thursday for 5 days. We lucked out and we were invited to stay with CS's brother and sister in laws house. We might even eat at one of their eateries. They both work in the Food Industry in Napa. Hey I like food! 

As far as the race goes, I would love to say we are racing. And if I said that , yes we both would rock the clydesdale class. And yes I do outweigh CS by 20 pounds and 3 inches shorter. Alas we are not racing. We are going up to ride the course. I am also looking forward to catching up with the SyCip brothers and misc friends that will be up there. It should be a blast and stories will follow....

Bike Project: 1992 GT Zaskar (M900 build)

Socks: WRC.com

Music: Devo "Whip it" 

A couple new things have been added to the fleet....

I got my Brooks B190 installed on the beach cruiser, Wow. It is leaps and bounds better than the stock saddle. It better be it weighs a little over 4 pounds.

My GT Zaskar frame came in as well. It's a 1992, ball burnished with the XT U-brake. I am still gathering the parts. If anyone knows of a decent 1993- 1994 Shimano XTR M900 or M910 front derailleur in bottom pull 31.8 clamp, let me know.

That's it right now. I am looking forward to the Night ride this week. I am wondering which bike I am going to ride.

G

Do you like dessert like I do? I remember my grandmother making some awesome cakes and pies. It's hard to find pastries and pies that can remind us of home. I found one such place. 

Most of you know, and have purchased pies from, Elizabethan Desserts. Check her out, she is saucy and an unbelievable artist. She also now has a blog;

Elizabethan Desserts Blog

For a couple years now I have been searching for some old friends I haven't seen in awhile. I finally found one the other day.

A 1992 GT Zaskar

I'm stoked! This was one of those memorable frames that I should never have sold. It was back when I would sell the old to pay for the new..... I haven't done that in awhile. I have a semi-complete Shimano M900/ M910 XTR group that is going onto this frame. Can't wait!

The other 2 are more rare and likewise will be harder to track down. 

1) A 1992- 1993 Klein Attitude (Green to White to Pink, I called it Aquafresh)

2) A 1994- 1995 GT Xizang (Polished Titanium)

Someday........

Here is a great article on SyCip from Bikeradar.com.

SyCip Interview

Deep though of the day....

I guess of all my uncles I liked uncle cave man the best. We called him uncle Cave Man because he lived in a cave and because sometimes he'd eat one of us. Later on we found out he was a bear.


from Deep Thought by Jack Handey

Well it's crunch time.

I am moving my workbench and tools on Sunday and the rest on Tuesday (hopefully...). I have been organizing, shredding, trashing and packing for the past 3 weeks getting ready. I'll post some pics when I get there. The move is not geographically huge (Leucadia to Cardiff) but, I have been in the sam house for over 5 years now. It's time.

I ran a bunch of errands today. I heard there might be a Red Mango opening up next to Seaside Market. I drove past and it was Open! Since I am on my "nutrition adjustment" desserts have been scarce. The yogurt at Red Mango is awesome. It's really low in calories, no fat and has some protein plus you can add toppings. My favorites are cranberries, almonds and cocoa puffs. Try it out.

The Tour Divide Race

My friend Mary (Siren Bicycles Co-Owner) is racing the Tour Divide this year. She is the only woman competing and is doing awesome. Checkout her blog for pictures and stories. She is using a SPOT satellite tracker you can actually see her progress and follow her. You can also see the leaderboard here.

Blurry I know.....

From this photo (taken in 1977 mind you) my posture and abnormally unbalanced body shape is still there. Yikes. heck with that, check out my afro.

I had a long week. I am glad I have tomorrow off.

Music playing:

Aqueduct Heart Design

Last bike in the stand:

Jens' New Titanium Seven Sola 29er

I am going to make a bold statement...

After watching the Giro on tv or reading the live coverage on cyclingnews, I am not looking forward to the TdF. The Giro had some great stages. There weren't many if any scandals. No reports of doping, etc. The TdF has become a farce, a soap opera if you will. Don't get me wrong I'll check the reports every once and awhile but, I think I am over it.

Anyone else getting that sour taste in your mouth? It's garlic covered frites.

G

Not that anyone will miss it or even know that it was gone for awhile. I am working on a new ProBikeSupport.com site. I want to host my photo's and possibly some of my artwork there as well as info about me.

Go check it out in it's infant stage. 

G

I am afraid to admit this on an open forum but,.....

I am really enjoying catching up with old friends on Facebook. It's not nearly as slimy as myspace but still. It's easier to chat and catch up with friends, you should check it out. 

The shop has been slammed lately, thank god. I love it when it is busy and we are overbooked, I have my work cut out for me. We have been receiving loads of new product including new bikes which helps.

I worked the Encinitas Century again this year. This time I was in the WRX and JRowe was in the B&L truck. This year seemed to have more amateur cyclists than last year if you know what I mean. Either way I had fun, it's great to help people complete a goal. Lots of flats, a couple weird repairs (including duct taping someones sole to her shoe) and really hot temps. 

If you haven't heard through the grapevine... I am moving to a new apartment soon. I am really excited for a change in scenery. I never really wanted the cottage I live in, it just worked out best at the time. The new place is in Cardiff-by-the-Sea (west of the 5) and has an ocean view if you stand on your toes. Plus it has a garage that I have needed badly for awhile.

****UPDATE****

I forgot to mention that I will be living next to the coolest guy in California. Not to mention his friendship was instrumental in me getting the apartment.

That's about it right now. 

G

THIS is what it should look like.

What's the issue with this picture?

I somehow came into contact with something I am allergic to. For the past 6 days I have had itchy, burning red eyes. It was pretty bad Monday & Tuesday, I stayed home from work. Thanks to Zyrtec and Allergan Eye drops I'm beginning to feel like myself again.

I stopped by Squadra to fix Doughboy's BB creak. After repacking the BB, Thile and I noticed the above mentioned "issue". Always check your mechanics paperwork, make sure he is proficient in all bicycles. Dough brought in some Teriyaki from Surf Brothers. It was tasty. There is one in Encinitas, I'll have to try it out.

And they say Neon colors are dead.....

Here is T-Bag and his newly re-built, re-painted Cheeta DH bike. NIce scheme!



Now when he shows up wearing a fanny pack and a Vaurnet T-Shirt i'll start worrying.

Stubby finally purchased a new MTB just in time for his Santa Cruz trip.

He came into the shop yesterday and bought a 2008 Stumpjumper Expert. It's been 6-7 years since he has had a new geared MTB.

I am sort of glad the writer strike happened, they have brought new life to the office.....

Last Friday Geri, TeeBag and I rode Lake Hodges. Too most that doesn't mean much to me it means a lot.

It was my first MTB ride of 2008. The flu, food poisoning and various other sicknesses kept me from riding my bike. I am glad I waited, if I had gotten sicker it could have been worse. Needless to say my tired old legs were out of shape. Plus it was blazing hot out there (90 degrees). I told the guys it was going to be a slow ride but, they had other thoughts. I decided to explore.

I rode out to a trail near the boat docks that I hadn't ridden in 10 years or so. Last time I had been out there my buddies and I got stranded after night fall and had to be rescued by a passing boat. Luckily for T and G, I didn't relay that story as we adventured down the trail. The beginning was tight singletrack followed by some treacherous off camber. Around the bend was a burned out Nissan Pathfinder (I can't remember if it was there the last time). The trail became a little more loose than I remembered and turned uphill. Geri began to huff and puff. TeeBag was blazing a trail for us and I was sweating my ass off (literally).

The views were spectacular, the trail was superb (other than some hike-a-bike sections and the day was exactly how I envisioned it. Geri ended up turning around early but, TeeBag and I headed east to the 15. Most of the trails are closed but, we rode as many as we could before I started bonking. BTW the new Powerbar Fruit Smoothie bars are really tasty.

I don't know whether I have rekindled my love of MTBing or not but, I can say it was a great day.

I love California.


This was my view most of the day.