This time a year ago, the outdoors were lost to us. I was a good 15lbs heavier, drinking Nutella, and had shoulder surgery on my dominant arm looming. The streets were filled with piles of shitty snow/ice making every step or ride an adventure. Everything was uglier than it needed to be. It sucked and it sucked hard.
Fast forward to now and the winter I have declared ‘THE BEST WINTER EVER’. In the New York City area there have only been two notable (and minor) snow storms that melted completely within 48hrs. I can’t stress how awesome that is! No snow, no ice? Holy crap, that’s great for everyone.
More importantly I’ve really rediscovered my love for riding mountain bikes. The trails have been clear almost without exception and in great shape. My weirdo friend Luke left his old white Santa Cruz Chameleon in my care when he moved out out of town and I’ve used it to introduce people to riding dirt trails. I think I’ve taken at least six people out now?
I took some time to myself and hit the trails with just my single-speed mountain bike and an iPod. At some point Fishbone’s eponymous EP came on and life got a ton better. I can’t say I’ve listened to their whole catalog but the EP is classic upon classic and is pretty fucking great.
I’m happy to introduce the fourth and likely final installment of the Icon Series; The Record-TBS Pedal
The Record TBS was Campagnolo's highest tier offering for a couple of years in the early 90's. It used a unique, if not questionable, truncated axle system that was held in place by small set-screw in the located in the middle of the pedal body. The shorter axle and correspondingly formed pedal body resulted in increased cornering clearance. The pedal also used a proprietary toe-clip that was mounted inboard of and held in place by the replaceable front plate (reputably affixed with titanium bolts.) Another quirk was that the toe-clip let the rider move the toe-strap fore-aft with a novel sliding binding system.
So yeah, lots of weirdo novelty and sex appeal, aka the Campy way!
The Cramps were a husband/wife duo who formed in 1976 during the “CBGB’s era” of downtown music. A bit different, they were all about rockabilly and dirty roots rock-n-roll. Totally raw and totally amazing.
Reminder to all of you deal seeking barn raiders, the Bike Jumble is coming up!
Saturday September 24, 2011
Old Stone House at Washington/JJ Byrne Park
336 3rd Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
Join us on September 24, 2011 from 10AM to 4PM at The Old Stone House at Washington Park for New York’s only bi-annual cycling flea market.
Small parts, bicycles, frames and forks, clothing, wheels, energy food etc, etc, have been for sale at past Jumbles.
This year, Recycle-A-Bicycle (RAB) technicians will be on hand to provide free estimates to help buyers and sellers make informed decisions. If you have a bike you’re looking to sell, bring your bike down to the Jumble and RAB technicians will provide an inspection and diagnosis and an approximate appraisal to help you price your bike fairly. For those looking to purchase a bicycle, RAB technicians will provide an inspection and diagnosis to help you have a clearer idea of necessary repairs to make the bike road-ready.
Recycle-A-Bicycle will also host a bike collection at the Jumble. A donation of a bike to Recycle-A-Bicycle is tax deductible.
