Friday Bouillabaisse

I had a great rain commute this morning. It was a quiet, peaceful, chilly, and wet.

A feel good bike movie.

via jerome

A feel really really good bike movie.

via Urban Velo

I saw this chop top low rider at the Silver Spring Whole Foods the other day. Notice the large SUV next to it cowering in fear of its superior fuel wasting potential. I would throw a roof rack on thing in a second, although I could probably just lay a few bikes down in the trunk.

Accurately described as a "Panty Peeler" by Murr

I also saw this equally drooltastic custom Vanilla in Bethesda outside the Apple store. No doubt the owner of this ride stopped by to purchase a handlebar mounted iPad.

Lastly, you may have notice this little trendy hipster butthole on the right column. Well that THB is me. I caved in and joined all the other twats out there. There was lots of peer pressure involved and if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that if you jumped off a bridge, I would make fun of you for being a trendy dipshit for a few years before deciding to jump off too. I would totally give you credit for doing it first though.  I have to admit following my favorite breweries is pretty cool.

Have a splendiferous Friday everybody.

Required Reading: Paul Theroux's essay, "The Moving Target"

This comes from the Bike Snob. Paul Theroux's essay, "The Moving Target" beautifully illustrates a subject most of us are all too familiar with. The American bully behind the wheel.

http://tinyurl.com/yz4rvzo

Product Review: The Wisecracker

One of the many souvenirs I picked up for myself at NAHBS this year was a Wisecracker for the Rocky. It's a bottle opener which stealthily replaces a headset spacer. It weighs next to nothing, it has a fancy logo which nobody will ever see, and it comes in black and silver. That's pretty much it for the specs.

pardon the poor focus

The only thing I can say about the product itself is that the bottle opening action is superb. I thought it would be awkward to get the bottle under the stem at the right angle but it works smoothly.

I paid $10 for it which is silly but I thought it would be funny and I could write it off as a blogging expense. I would like to get one for the LHT (yeah you know me) but it would get in the way to the iBert.

Bottom line: Highly Recommended.
Buy it if you like bikes and beer and you like crackin' wise.
Don't buy it if none of the above apply to you.


Also, while posting this on the Youtubes I saw this and then this. I think maybe every video on Youtube is one related video away from some kind of pom pom girl.

Wanker Of The Week: Tony Kornheiser

This has been bouncing around the interwebs today. Tony Kornheiser has put a hit out on me, you, and every other cyclist in DC.

via Urban Velo

Bike commuting is interesting enough without media d-bags calling on everyone to run me over. How about this, if you ride a bike on a regular basis and happen to see Tony Kornheiser, you should punch him as hard as you can in the kidneys.

It's really futile trying to argue with someone who's main goal in life is to hear themselves talk, but hopefully Lance will get the job done.


F*ck You Tony Kornheiser.


UPDATE: Lance was on Tony's show today. Check it out. Some good open dialog here.

Holiday Music

C&O FLooding

The winter thaw and rains have done a number on the C&O Canal. Hopefully the damage won't hinder traffic on the tow path.

Springy Dingy: Am I On Drugs?

This seems a little backward to me.

I am stoked. I am feeling really good most of the time. I haven't felt this positive in a long time. I feel a warm energy radiating from my chest. I am alone in this feeling? Are there other (sober) people out there who are just as pumped as me? 

I can find several reasons for this feeling. The Snowmacrapolypse has thawed for one. As much fun as it was I'm glad to see the ground again. Another reason is that the crocus have started to bloom in my yard. They are always the first messengers of spring. Morel season is almost upon us. Soon I will start foraging through the ground cover like a pig rooting for truffles.

These are all legit reasons to feel good, but not this good.

The reason is because I'm biking again. Over this winter I was sick for two months straight. A combination of ill-timed colds and flu knocked me off the bike for the better part of the winter. People close to me have said that it's ok because I missed out on all the shitty weather. Although a nice attempt to cheer me up, it was bullshit. I love biking on the crappiest days of the year. I'm proud to be that idiot in the freezing slush rain.

I digress. The reason I feel so good is because I'm a cyclist and I'm back to cycling everyday. This break form the bike has reaffirmed my passion and given me perspective.  

So it's going to rain all weekend. So what. Just go for a ride and you'll feel better about it.

Cheers!

Google Maps Releases Beta Of A "By Bike" Option

Google has included a "By bike" option when getting directions on Google maps. I tested this out on a few routes and it seems pretty legit. You still have to take some of the directions with a grain of salt and use some common sense but i think this will be a good tool for getting more people turned onto the idea of leaving the car at home.

I'm always psyched when Google comes out with an extremely cool feature like this. It will be so nice when they take over the government and we all become widget.

A Rather Hypnotic NAHBS Video

2010 North American Handmade Bicycle Show from Michael Wendell on Vimeo.

NAHBS Winners: The Jerkies

The winners were announced on the NAHBS site. I think every bike that won deserved it but I would make some changes. Here are the winners of the coveted "Jerky" award.

Best Paint: YiPsan (very cool folks)

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

Best In Show: Engin 29er

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

Best Lugged Frame: It's a tie between Peter Mooney...

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

And Tom Palermo

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

Nicest Vendor: Almost everyone there was very cool
Most Stoked Guys: Banjo Brothers

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

Best Head Badge: There were too many to pick the best.

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 1

From NAHBS 2010 Part 2

Best Bar Endcap: BREW

From NAHBS 2010 Part 2

Sweet now I can stop saying "NAHBS" for a while.

A.N.T. Mike's Bike Stolen In Richmond

If you were at NAHBS over the weekend you probably saw the flyers up reporting that Mike Flanigan from Alternative Needs Transportation (A.N.T.) had a bike stolen while he unloaded his van. He built up two folding bikes so he and Betsy could cruise around Richmond during the event weekend.

Give a holler if you see this bike for sale anywhere.

Fear not, this event had no effect on his razor sharp facial hair.

I could never really get a curl going like that. I'll have to try it again...

NAHBS 2010 - Photo Dump

For me, NAHBS 2010 delivered everything I wanted, (having nothing to compare it to): lots of vendors, lots of shwag, and lots of amazing bikes. The highlight was being able to talk to builders and part manufacturers gaining their perspective and giving my 2 cents.

I haven't had a moment to formulate my thoughts on the ups and downs so rather than have you wait for my brain to start working I'll just get to the drool fest.

I created a Picasa account to house the multitude of photos which live here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cyclejerkblog