Today's Topic - The End Of 2009

Good bye 2009.

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This Just In

I found the following picture thingy HERE. As always, click for big.



Draw your own conclusions. But, I'm hoping things don't get stupid because of what happened. Yes, being vigilant is good. But, let's not over-react.

And looking HERE, I found a voice of reason regarding the whole thing. An excerpt:

Terrorism is rare, far rarer than many people think. It's rare because very few people want to commit acts of terrorism, and executing a terrorist plot is much harder than television makes it appear.

The best defenses against terrorism are largely invisible: investigation, intelligence, and emergency response. But even these are less effective at keeping us safe than our social and political policies, both at home and abroad. However, our elected leaders don't think this way: They are far more likely to implement security theater against movie-plot threats.

A "movie-plot threat" is an overly specific attack scenario. Whether it's terrorists with crop dusters, terrorists contaminating the milk supply, or terrorists attacking the Olympics, specific stories affect our emotions more intensely than mere data does.

Read the whole story for yourself clicking on the above link.


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Today’s Topic – Starting The New Year Correctly

Local bike shop, Spoke-n-Sport, hosts an annual New Year’s Day ride. Hundreds of riders converge on their shop for a shortish ride around the area and then back toward the shop for goodies. All the info can be seen HERE.

If you’re in my neck of the woods on New Year’s Day, I suggest you air up the tyres and attend. The weather? Well, the weather is here, wish you were beautiful. Layer up, man up, and get yourself to the ride.

“On behalf of myself and Harold and the whole gang up here at Possum Lodge... keep your stick on the ice.”


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Today’s Topic – Decisions

For X-Moose I received some hubs, among a few other things, including some Red Breast.


Now I need to decide how I’m going to build the wheels. How I decide to build the wheels depends on which bike I’m going to build. I know it’s going to be a single speed mountain bike. Other things, like which brand and / or model, have yet to be determined.

One (1) options is a Surly 1 x 1. This is their single speed twenty-six (26”) wheeled machine. On the other hand, perhaps it would be nice to have a Surly Karate Monkey. This is their twenty-niner (29’er) frame.

My fully boinged mountain bike is a twenty-niner (29’er). Specifically, an Ellsworth Evolve. I like this bike a LOT. This picture is of my bike taken in Colorado near Fruita during the Fat Tire Festival in 2008.


This gets me to thinking maybe a twenty-niner (29’er) single speed might be the ticket. I’ll likely make the final call right after the new year.

This is going to be a fairly plain-Jane bike. I’m probably not going to have a suspension fork. I’m thinking mechanical disk brakes. No fenders and minimal do-dads as well. This would be a bike I could ride on the probable new singletrack within our City limits as well as an all-around bomber type bike.

If anyone has some knowledge (of the useful sort) they’d like to toss my way regarding components and / or which frame, shoot it my way. It’s always good to get opinions.

But, back to the wheels, I'm likely to use Velocity rims. I have three sets of them now on various bikes. I like the way they roll and the ease in truing while building the wheels.


Ride On.

Friday Afternoon Grab Bag

The first by Reverend Deadeye.

The second by Reverend Deadeye.

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Today’s Topic – Out On A Limb

Yesterday I registered for the lottery to get into the Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race. The way I take it, it costs fifteen dollars ($15) to get your name in the hat and an additional two-hundred-seventy-five dollars ($275) is sucked out of your account if your name is drawn the first week of February, 2010.

I’ve ridden at altitude in Colorado before. I do know what it’s like. The physical challenge of the race, the training required, and mostly the belt buckle given to those who’ve finished under a certain amount of time are all very appealing to me.

So, with a winter storm allegedly bearing down on us, more months of winter to go, I’m glad I have another something to look forward to.

If my name is drawn, the training will start in earnest. I’m sure I’ll be forced to make a few trips to Spearfish to train. Oh, the sacrifices I’ll have to make.

Which of you are going to throw your names into the hat?


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Today’s Topic – Climate Conference Bust

Were you paying any attention to that Climate Conference in Copenhagen? I was. Was I hoping something actually and quantifiably good was going to come of it? No. I knew there wasn’t going to and I was correct.

There was lots of talk. There were also lots of limos and lots of carbon created by something that had little chance of making any meaningful difference. And, in the end, it was a total bust.

But what about the resolutions? Some of you might actually ask that. You mean the non-binding ones? Those? The repercussions of doing nothing, or small token amounts, about climate change have not resonated deep enough with political types yet.

If you think any country is going to follow through with anything from the non-binding resolutions, then I’ve got some prime real estate to sell you. Contact me. The political types and the corporate types are still whining that doing something about the climate is going to make it more expensive to make their widgets. No shit. Of course it is. And because it is, no country wants to be at a competitive disadvantage by being the first (1st) to actually do something meaningful about climate change.


What the short-sighted dumb asses are ignoring is doing nothing, or little, now, will have hyper dire ramifications at some point in the future. It is my hope my lifetime will be complete when the energy, resources, and food wars start. It’s called “Mother” Earth for a reason. Because, if Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody’s going to be happy. If you try to kill Mama, she’s going to try to kill you back.



Ride On.

Friday Afternoon Grab Bag

Tricksters at play.

Who wants one?

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Today’s Topic – Wednesday Monk’s Day

The local roller bar, Monk’s House of Ale Repute, is doing something unique tonight. They’ve got a container of Sam Adams Utopias their opening. You’ll have to Google Sam Adams Utopias to see what that’s all about. What I will tell you it’s a twenty-seven percent (27%) alcohol beer. Monk’s is selling it by the ounce. I think for eight dollars ($8.00) per. I’m not sure how many, if any, ounces they have left to sell. They have one (1) container of the beer and when it’s sold, it’s sold.


Anyway, I’ll be converging on Monk’s tonight just before the seven (7) PM opening of the Utopias. I’m curious to see how this beer tastes.

Let’s see, what else? Hmmm…need a time waster? HERE you go.


Ride On.

Today’s Topic – It’s Starting To Feel Like Summer Might Be Over

So, how do you like the frigid temperatures? Are they making a dent in your bike commuting days?

Last week and the first (1st) part of this week I have determined I do not have the appropriate clothing from minus five degrees Fahrenheit (-5 F) to plus five degrees Fahrenheit (+5 F). I’m too warm. But, if I pull one (1) layer, I’m a bit cold.

Also, I pulled the clipless pedals off the commuter and put on platforms. Studded tyres are the option, too. Since the Surly Cross Check is single speed to the tune of approximately seventy-two (72) gear inches, commuting feels a bit like work.

Yesterday, Monday, the wind was from the North at about eighteen miles per hour (18 MPH). Platform pedals, increased rolling resistance from the studded tyres, somewhat high geared single speed, and a head wind made for a slow commute.

But, I’d rather light a candle than curse my darkness. I’d much rather be out in the elements than in a car. The increased rolling resistance is good leg training. And, I like the challenge and required motivation to commute by bike in the winter months.

How’s that trainer working for you?


Ride On.

Friday Afternoon Grab Bag

I’ll have what he’s having.

Math explained, finally.

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Today’s Topic – Cleaning The Bilge

Winter is clean up time. Cleaning up the bikes that won’t get ridden much over the winter months and also cleaning up the blog thing. I think I’ve got some dead links in the blog roll and also some blogs listed that you can still get to, but there’s no posting going on. It’s time to fix that. No one wants to click to a dead link or a blog that doesn’t get posted to.

Tuesday night, blizzard and all, I made my way to Augustana Junior College for that crazy MinusCar fellow's, in conjunction with the Sioux Falls Green Project, showing of the movie “No Impact Man.” See the trailer HERE.

Fifty (50) others braved the weather as well. It was quite a though provoking movie. If you get a chance, I recommend it.

Lastly, the Cross Check has undergone a bit of a transformation. I put a rack on the back, had Mary bars with a taller stem put on the front, and am about to put the studded tyres on as well. Oh, I took the clipless pedals off and put some platforms on, too. I’m now winter ready. Pictures likely next week.


Ride On.

Today’s Topic – Editorial Cartoon

If you remember, last week FAST (Falls Area SingleTrack) coupled with our local Parks and Recreation Department to present our game plan for a unused City park. A handful of neighborhood dwellers were not in support.

Fortunately, Briman was in attendance. Using his super-duper cartooning skilz, he created this gem:


If this doesn’t hit the nail on it’s proverbial head, nothing does.


Ride On.

Today’s Topic – Weekend Update

It seems wherever I went this past weekend I ran into someone who wanted to talk singletrack. The buzz is buzzing and it’s a good thing. Based on conversations with rollers and others I’m cautiously optimistic our singletrack project is going to happen.

During a break in the weekend action I was browsing through some bikey blogs. The fellas over at Kenwood Racing Ink were serving up some good times via the following YouTube video:



This past weekend also got me to thinking about winter bike builds. A single speed dirt bomber sure would be nice. I was perusing around the internets and settled on some components that would build up a Surly 1 x 1 very nicely. It’s looking like a nice January project.

In other noise, that crazy MinusCar fellow is showing a movie this coming Tuesday night.



It’s free and open to the public. Attendance is highly recommended.


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In Case You Were Wondering

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Friday Afternoon Grab Bag

Lego Matrix.

Pretty cool Halloween costume.

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Today’s Topic – Groaners, And SingleTrack Etc.

OK, here they come:

The PGA announced today Tiger Woods was been named "Playa" of the Year

A Woods spokesperson responded to the honor by indicating Woods is considering a name change. In keeping with the large cat family:

Instead of being "Tiger" he is now considering a name change to "Chee-tah" or perhaps "Lie-n"

---------------

Question: What's the difference between an SUV and a golf ball?

Answer: Tiger Woods can successfully drive a golf ball over 300 yards!


OK, enough of that.

This past Wednesday evening we had the neighborhood meeting for the singletrack project we’ve been working on. The room was packed. The old fogies of the neighborhood were not amused. They don’t want anything to ever happen in “their” park ever. Cripes, they were even opposed to the neighborhood garden that’s been there for years!

If you’re from my neck of the woods, or, are here sometimes and would like some singletrack to ride, please shoot me an email. The address is on my profile page. I have an easy way you could lend a hand.

Anyway, back to the meeting….There were many in attendance that were very much for the project. I appreciated the comment by the somewhat older realtor lady, who lives in the affected neighborhood, who was tickled that something was going to be done with the park and her property value was likely to go up because of it.

This is not a done deal yet. Rollers need to step up and be counted. We need those interested in such a venue to say so. The more who speak in favor, the more likely we’ll get this bird off the ground. As aforementioned, if you’re for it, from here or visit here often (enough), shoot me an email. Your help could make all the difference.


Ride On.

Make Sure You're Sober When You Watch This

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Today's Topic - Spendy Gift Ideas

Not sure what to get the bikey type in your life for this x-mus season? Fear not! Just click HERE.


Ride On.