2.22.2007

is that the ..... sun?

We finally got a break in both the cold and the moisture here in Okieland and we have taken full fucking advantage of that. Sunday we rode 100's and had a blast. I rode Grant's 100 with full dirt track tires on the nicely prepped 2nd gear oval for just a few laps and I'm hooked again. Gonna take the knobby tire of the rear of mine and throw a dirt track tire back on a la American Supercamp. (ok, a bit of a confession here...i can't figure out how to hyperlink. i don't know if it has something to do with Kevin being the original owner of this account or what but i've tried to follow blogger's instructions and the buttons they tell me to use don't exist on my log-in. ... so forgive me for being outdated and retarded) ... Where was I? AH!! American Supercamp! Check it: http://www.americansupercamp.com . I haven't been but Grant has and he's conveyed a ton of great info that translates to all kinds of riding with or without motors. I wish I had some cool pics to post of this weekend's session but I only have this one from a few months back when things were still green. That's Van tryin' to figure out if he's got what it takes to ride Jake's bike while I gas up the hunerd.


Speakin' of Jake I busted him outa kindergarten Monday afternoon to ride dirt bikes. A very cool day indeed. Here he be lookin' smooth. Again, this pic from the same day as the other.


Tuesday the BMX track was finally dry enough for the kids to practice on and they all had a blast. It's nice to be back in the swing of things. On the way there I swung by T-Town and picked up a light. I threw it on the Rig last night for a nice backroad ride to blow some cobwebs outa my chicken legs. You'd think with a name like NiteRider it would talk to you or somethin' but no dice. Turns out it's just a light. Oh well. Works good.


And last but definitely not least, I finally got off my ass and sent my payment in for a membership to the P.I.T. Hot damn! I had heard enough of cool bootleg cd's and other things that i was missing out on. Now I've got 3 years worth of it on the way.

Long live the Evil Powers of Rock-n-Roll!!!

Buddy

2.16.2007

hobos vs. huckers

Kevin recently sent me a post from some local mountainbike forum thingy. (i have no idea where these things are) Our local trail spot, Turkey Mountain, caters to all sorts. Folks take their kids out there for nature walks. Some people actually trailer their horses there to ride. (Why people bring horses INTO the city to ride is beyond me.) But bikes are the main mode of transportation and this is especially so the further you get from the main parking lot. Another thing that gathers further away? Hobos. Being a fan of Kerouac, I'm a fan of hobos. In fact, I prefer the term "hobo" to "bum". "Bums" stand on street corners and ask for you to sustain them. "Hobos" do their own thing further away from the public eye and generally sustain themselves. ... What was I talking about? .... Oh yeah, the forum post. It turns out this kind biker noticed that the shady stunts near hoboland were beginning to disappear. At the same time this kind biker noticed a new inhabitant to hoboland always had a nice big fire. It's been damn cold 'round here lately and hobo's gotta stay warm too. Why am I describing this particular bike as "kind"? Well, while he doesn't personally partake in the stunts he put a warning on the board to those who do that they might wanna check things out pre-huck to make sure that part of their ramps hadn't become firewood. Very cool of him.

Now this is obviously kindling (notice the pun?) for a big discussion. Who is in the wrong? Is el hobo wrong for dismantling the stunts? I'm sure plenty will say that he is. But these stunts were mainly built from discarded pallets from the Pepsi plant which backs up to the woods. They were built "illegally" too. I'm not even going to debate the wrong-or-right-ness of that because I couldn't give 2 pinches of monkey shit whether or not someone builds these things. To each his own and I enjoy the easier ones from time to time. Anyway, the way I see it, 20 years ago, before this whole freeride thing existed, those pallets would have went straight from the back of the Pepsi plant to the hobos fire. Keepin' his toes warm and maybe heatin' up a can o' beans. Now the lifecycle of the pallets simply has an extra step. They go from the back of the Pepsi plant, some folks ride their bikes on them, then firewood. Pallets enjoyed by 2 tribes instead of 1. Now I'm sure everyone doesn't share my hippy view of world peace and whatnot. That's cool and they can preach the opposite on their own little soapbox on the side of the info-supa-highway. But when it's this cold outside, if someone's recreational toys get destroyed to keep a brotha' alive... How can you bitch about that? If you can afford a bike to ride on those stunts, you can afford to rebuild them occasionally.

Be careful out there,
Buddy

2.05.2007

a real Hot Wheels car

Click el title-o for a great post-o from senor Coop.

Yes THAT is a post about hot rods.

Yes THIS is a blog that is sort of loosely based around bicycles. Sort of. Sometimes. Unfortunately the weather has been too shitty for too long around here to get stoked on bicycles or anything else outdoors for that matter. Go ahead. You folks from cold climates can rail down on my lightweight ass right now about how much colder, snowier, and all aroudn shittier the conditions are where you live but you ride anyway blah blah blah.... That's great. I'm happy for ya. You are so hardcore. Me? Not so much. Usually when it gets cold and icey here in Okieland it's gone the next week. One week it's in the teens with ice and the next it's in the 60's. Therefore I've never invested in much cold weather cycling gear. One more winter like this and I will though. Until then, I'm checking out hot rod stuff. Those of you who ARE riding bikes in it? Good for ya.

You go ride...I'll just drink,
Buddy