CYCLING WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION

LOOK at this dumpster full of rejects!

2012-01-31T15:44:00.001-05:00

Talk about dumpster diving huh? Wish I lived close to some of those large production houses..

Note to self:

2012-01-29T22:25:00.000-05:00

Be sure to own a 24k GOLD bike at some point in life similar to this Benotto:

Two reasons why I wish I could be in Vancouver right now..

2012-01-26T16:27:00.003-05:00

Leeside Skateboard Mayhem from Zenga Bros on Vimeo.

The Motomethod Story from Zenga Bros on Vimeo.

The main reasons being that those sorts of things just can exist here in NYC/NJ. It's not even a space thing cause there are plenty of places. It's just that everyone is just WAY too cool for themselves and or can't be bothered to travel outside of their neighborhoods without complaining..

Seen on Street: Eddy Merckx Commuter!

2012-01-24T14:35:00.002-05:00

Love seeing shit like this around town:

Freaky Farthing!

2012-01-19T15:56:00.000-05:00

This submission is from Brett Kuck:

My latest creation is a penny farthing tall bike created from a 26" huffy cruiser and a childrens bmx bike..

I like how you kept the fender on there man, hehe. Nice job!

Now, if only some of you other mother fuckers would get crackin' and make some freak bikes of your own! SO FUN!!

What could be better than..

2012-01-19T11:37:00.003-05:00

..crossing a scchhhwwweeeet fixie with an Erector Set?:

I'm not sure what the answer is to that question but something tells me that this fork comes pretty damn close:

Also, here's a couple of cool old cycling ads:

Two new BURLY tools for the shop!

2012-01-18T10:36:00.000-05:00

I made my way up to Albany this past weekend to pick up the Surface Plate I got a wicked good deal on. Also a good deal was the two ton engine hoist I got from Harbor Freight:

SO STOKED it wasn't orange like they usually are!

It just so happened that the day I went to pick it up they were running a big sidewalk sale and had marked it down from $199 to $159- AWESOME! I picked up a couple 8500lb straps (also on sale) as well and I was gtg!

It was a long battle filled with many perils but in the end I won out. Now I just have to build a vertical standing push cart to move the beast into the shop itself..

Looking forward to the next tool hunting and gathering adventure!

Been busy as fucking fuck lately!

2012-01-12T00:17:00.000-05:00

Like, 10am to 2am type shit, no joke! Fucking shit sucks but when you're getting $60 bones an hour for overtime, you find a way to power through it. I'm actually on my 13th hour of the 3rd day in a row of this shit..

In other less annoying but AWESOME news, I got me a fuuucking redonk deal on another surface plate:

That 3'x4' granite plate with the rolling stand set me back all of $250 bucks!

FUCK YEAH!!

It's great cause the steel one, which I have yet to post pics of, cost me $450 for the plate alone. Then another $175 for the materials to fabricate a rolling stand for it. Which BTW is an amazing deal in and of itself. And here I thought there was no chance I could do better than that!

So what's annoying about that? The fact that my dumbass has to drive all the fucking way up to Albany to go pick it up this weekend. Which is about how far I had to drive to pick up my other plate. Tho I'm not complaining cause again, damn good deal dawg!

I have to say, owning a surface plate is probably the best thing I've added to the shop since I've been investing in proper tooling. Having one makes my life a fuck of a lot easier and accurate. While the steel one has been a pleasure to own, I find that welding on it can be a bit messy when cleaning up since the weld berries tend to stick to the surface. I worry that over time it'll fuck it up since it's not the hardest of metal. When I had to drill the hole for the Bringheli BB mount I was afraid it was going to be a bitch or that I'd need a drill press etc to get the job done. It was actually soft as fuck and I was able to drill right through all 7" of it with a hand drill. Which was great, but again, pretty fuckin' soft! I suppose it's that soft to aid in recalibration..? It was my first plate and I just wasn't expecting it..

Aside from all that, I could really use some more working surface plate space in the shop. When I have more than one thing going it's a pain to have to clean up something I'm working on, only to have to reset it again later. Not the hugest deal but a PITA all the same..

So yeah, stoked! I'd also be stoked if I had some more energy to post shit for all y'all mofoz. Like this:

GOLD

BABY

GOLD

By far the nicest looking screwed and glued vintage frame I've ever seen!

UPDATE: OMG check out the full fucking build on CycleEXIF!

SOFUCKINGGOOD!!!

Thanks DoubleOhTwo!

Oh, wait, then there's this little tidbit I found in my inbox recently:

Hi-I own Pure Fix Cycles, a fixed-gear bicycle company out in Burbank, CA.Everyone at the company reads your blog and we are looking to see how we can further support the site.
Also - we just came out with a new video and would love to see it up on Cycling WMD - http://vimeo.com/33315766
Thanks,

Here's the video:

Pure Fix Cycles - A Day in LA from Pure Fix Cycles on Vimeo.

Honestly, and I swear I'm not trying to be a total dick or anything, but seeing shit like that in my inbox really is one of the hardest things about blogging. It's like, of course I want to cool to people and support what they're doing and shit like that but-

UUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHH

-if that didn't top my list of GOD. AWFUL. videos I've forced myself to bear witness to!

Killing it?! Texting?! Leaving rattlecans?! Slow mo-ing WEAK AT BEST fixie tricks?! Broing down?!

OH THE HUMANITY OF IT ALL!!!

Now here's the thing, I'm sure this has something to do with the fact that I'm somewhat of an old fart and I at times don't understand why kids are into the things they're into, in the end I know that I most definitely DO understand. It just blows my mind that someone over 14 years old could look at that and be like: Awesome! I mean honestly, how in gods name anyone with any semblance of knowledge could look at that and NOT have a similar reaction to mine is beyond me. When I see things like that it just strikes me as something that someones going out of their way to cater to the masses and ring out the last few drops of cash from a scene that is constantly being exploited for personal gain. Only covering it up by coming across as cool, hip and helpful. I guess it's a good thing to a certain extent cause it means that with any luck, the masses will get over it sooner rather than later and move on (to cyclocross) and I'll be back to fighting over rare bits and pieces with only the hardcore bike nerds that I can handle being associated with..

Okay so fine, I am being a total dick- what's new? But honestly, for those of you who genuinely enjoy this blog, you'll know that for all intensive purposes that's what I'm here for. I have no desire to chum it up with everyone or support things I find to not even be worth looking at. I really only like posting things I know my viewers can get something out of and or blows my mind. While you might be asking yourself- if that's the case, why would you bother posting something you find so horrid? The answer is simple: It's just as important to know how NOT to do things, as it is to know how to do things right. Knowing the difference gives you a better appreciation of what makes really good things so great. Like this:

Via Projekt Bag Lady..

Now that there is a video with some actual real life moments (as opposed to unconvincingly contrived ones), humor, and serious fucking shreding that ACTUALLY NEEDS TO BE SLOWED down cause if you watch Danny Hart in regular motion he's a fucking blur at best..

So yeah, the lesson for today is bad videos bad, good videos good. There IS a difference so figure it the fuck out before you send me something (that anyone who ACTUALLY reads my blog knows) that will make me barf in my mouth upon viewing it..

How to Lube your Chain..

2012-01-06T17:16:00.000-05:00

As if having a rad logo and name weren't enough, Gnar Lube went ahead and got a barbie doll to awkwardly demonstrate how to git r' done:

Via..

My Latest Portfolio now up!

2012-01-06T00:39:00.002-05:00

It has been a really long time since I've done one of these. I basically wanted to update some of the photo department people at my office along with friends and various other colleagues with what I've been up the last few years..

The only problem is that I'm a huge asshole because all I have is a lame ass flickr set- oh well! One of these days I will get around to setting up a proper website. Anyways, be sure to follow these instructions:

PLEASE NOTE:

Best if watched in fullscreen slideshow mode after turning the 'embiggen' option off and clicking on 'slow' mode in the upper right hand corner of the windown under 'options'.

Now enjoy!

I have a few others from back in the old Leica lovin' film days if you're interested in seeing more. They're ordered from most recent to oldest:

Hope you enjoyed all that! There's obviously a FUCK TON more photos within all my numerous sets on flickr so be sure to check em out when you have some time..

Please note:

2012-01-02T11:20:00.002-05:00

Here's what NOT to do when encountering a bike thief:

If you're going to 'take down' a bike thief, don't just sit there like a twat in bewilderment afterwards and let him walk away: WAIL ON THE FUCKER OR AT LEAST HOLD HIM DOWN- SOMETHING!!

Preach all you like about that sort of thing not being productive or whatever, but neither is letting him go without proper punishment doled out by yourself or the proper authorities..

DON'T STEAL BIKES BRO!!!

Hope you all have a Happy New Year..

2012-01-01T01:45:00.001-05:00

..chock full of sexy bikes and lusty ladies that ride them!

Def a new fav in the babes with bikes category 8-)

Cherubim killin' it with the funkiness!

2011-12-30T10:09:00.000-05:00

Because well, there's a lot of WTF?! going on with these builds:

Also funky is this Amanda(?). Not sure what the deal is with it but def very weird:

Then there's this Level trike that is just so FULL OF WIN:

So sick! I need to find one of those rear ends so I can build one myself..

StemCAPtain aka Awesomely Dorky and the Perfunctory Happy Holidays Rederick..

2011-12-27T11:43:00.004-05:00

Saw these recently on the nycfixed forum:

Clock:

Thermometer:

Compass:

I think out of all the relatively corny products people have been coming out with lately, this one is actually pretty awesome. Great little dorky commuter accessory. Too bad I didn't hear about them like 2 weeks BEFORE xmas right?!

Speaking of which, I hope all you mofoz are having a good wtf ever this holiday season!

Here's a few kick ass snaps to make it all the merrier:

I'm off til the 2nd so I'll be sure to get some more posts going soon. The new job has made it kinda slow on here but once things settle in a bit more at the office I'll be able to get back to it again..

In the meantime, back to the shop!

If only..

2011-12-27T11:16:00.002-05:00

..glow in the dark spray paint really worked that good:

Also, lol at how reddic that commercial is!

I don't usually post MTB videos but..

2011-12-20T11:34:00.001-05:00

..these guys are fucking crazy:

Tho I most certainly could've done without the 'urban' elevator music soundtrack..

My Niece and Nephews..

2011-12-17T00:28:00.000-05:00

..are going to be wicked stoked on these new shred stix I got them for xmas!

I ordered these this morning from CCS and they're already fucking built and shipped- AWESOME! Totally wasn't expecting them to send me some snaps of them either!! They look pretty damn rad too. Those 3 completes, along with a hoodie for myself set me back $300 with shipping. Fucking cheap as hell right?!

The scary thing is having just realized that I've been ordering from them for the better part of 20 years now 8-I

Anyone else remember those little mini comic book style pre internet catalogues they used to put out? Fucking things were like mega porn for me back in the day!

Right, bike stuff. On it!

Check out my latest rack!

2011-12-16T15:58:00.000-05:00

..thaaaat has nothing to do with cycling :-/

Just something I slapped together to tidy up my desk area. Which is great, except now other people want a custom inbox organizer too, hehe..

On a more exciting note, is the awesome amount of mostly useless free swag working in an office affords you:

Yay clutter!

This was a good haul cause most of it is super useful. Camera went to my Nephew who's never had his own before, Ti King Cage will likely be regifted, Hammer goes to the shop, wire brush for the barby, wheel goes in the wheel pile and everything else can be smashed to smithereens for all I care. That ball thing is like a more modern and less fun way of making kick the can ice cream. Since it's plastic you can't actually kick it-LAME. I'm thinking of filling it to the brim with gun powder and blowing it the fuck up..

In any case, the gig has been going well thus far and the money is FINALLY started rolling in yesterday. The last 3 weeks with no pay pretty much sucked. Next few paychecks are going to be duesys which I'm very excited about..

More bike related shit soon!

Some sweet whips for the ladies!

2011-12-15T12:49:00.001-05:00

Chesini:

Eddy Merckx (branded Falcon?)

My personal fav, a never before seen ALAN:

I'd totally love to own that last one!

Deep Custom: Peacock Groove

2011-12-15T10:45:00.004-05:00

Great vid about a cool builder. I got to BS with him for a little bit at NAHBS and he's hilarious!

Deep Custom from Royal Antler on Vimeo.

Transformer Tall bike?!

2011-12-12T13:13:00.002-05:00

UPDATE: DAMMIT! Fuckers took the video down !!

Might as well scope this out instead:

This is pretty funny/interesting:

While I totally dig the mechanics and execution of it, I still can't stand chopper style bikes. Still curous to find out more about it tho! If anyone has info on it def hit me up..

Thanks Jason!

Kiddie size vintage Merckx!

2011-12-07T19:51:00.001-05:00

Goddam I love these fucking things- best one yet!

As per usual, Speedbicycles slays it on ebay..

Thanks Chris!

The Ultimate Hamburger..?

2011-12-07T16:04:00.001-05:00

Behold- The definition of rediculousness:

The Ultimate Hamburger from Modernist Cuisine on Vimeo.

That video is the most unconscionable PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT I CAN BARELY STAND IT!

WTF?! A burger isn't a science experiment or chemistry project- IT'S A FUCKING BURGER! Bread, meat, cheese and wtf ever else you like. Those twats wouldn't know an ultimate burger from the stick shoved so far up their ass that if you climbed it and fell, you'd break a leg. You know what the ultimate burger is? The ultimate burger is one of a dozen you make for yourself and a bunch of friends on a crusty ass backyard grill. Fucking thing doesn't even need to be crazy good so long as all are jolly and the condiment stains are plentiful..

Just figured I'd share in the facepalming I'm going through over here..

Yamaguchi Framebuilding School Video Short!

2011-12-06T17:38:00.001-05:00

Just spotted this over at Milano Fixed..

Yamaguchi from Jon Chew on Vimeo.

Watching that vid was great and brought back lots of good memories from my time in Rifle. I recall them mentioning that they were expecting a class of three friends who were doing the course together. Now that would've been really awesome! Hopefully I'll find myself in the area again one day so I can pay Koichi a visit..

Get AMPED for the Bilenky Junkyard Cross Race!

2011-12-05T13:29:00.001-05:00

Bilenky Junkyard Cross from In The Crosshairs on Vimeo.

Just two more weeks to go!

Awesome contraption and then some!

2011-12-05T11:20:00.001-05:00

While it's super ugly, with some refinements and smaller size, could be pretty awesome!

I would rather see it on a touring and or townie bike tho. How rad would it would to hide it under a pannier so you could look all boss climbing hills without breaking a sweat?!

LOTS more weird ass shit going on with that person's flickr:

In less weird asian news, this Cannondale is fucking SWEET:

Okay, wait, back to that person's flickr..

HOLY SHIT-MOBILE!!

I think we should all adopt these Japanese style HUGE graphics on our rear wheels:

I love that those are all on otherwise normal bikes!

SO looking forward to getting paid from this new gig so I can get back to making more crazy bike shit!!

OKAY WAIT, EVEN MORE CRAZY SHIT:

HOLY FUCK THOSE LAST TWO BIKES ARE ACTUALLY THE SAME FUCKING BIKE- AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA- MMMMMENTAL!!!

Talk about having your mind blown! I've def seen crazy shit like that before but a lot of those just stole the fucking show. DYING to get back into the shop now!!!

Bilenky Cycleworks Junkyard Cross Dec 18th!

2011-11-29T10:01:00.001-05:00

It's that time of year again! Head over to Bilenky Cycleworks for their annual cyclocross race through the Junkyard behind the shop.

Pre-registration here!

What kind of asshole..

2011-11-28T18:15:00.001-05:00

..puts a fucktarded water bottle cage like that gold POS on a NOS fucking Hetchins with 50th Anny Campy Record????????????

Aside from that, it's one sexy as fuck bike:

..that some rich asshole will end up tastefully mounting it on their wall.

Anyways, hope all you nasty mofoz had a great holiday weekend! I'm sitting here at my desk realizing how much I used to enjoy long weekends while dealing with the daily grind. I've been getting through it by just keeping my mind on the goals at hand: Jig, laptop, more tools, weed, Evo 848, NAHBS..

Full lot of Frame Building Tools for sale in Utah!

2011-11-24T23:32:00.001-05:00

I saw this ebay listing and was praying it was somewhat close to my area.

Unfortunately for me, it appears those of you near Park City Utah have better luck than I..

Extra Happy Thanksgiving with 20% off at Ben's Cycle!

2011-11-24T10:22:00.001-05:00

We are upping the "Black Friday" sensation by extending it through the weekend. Shop online or come in our store! We have quite a few 2011 and 2010 Specialized bikes and accessories that can carry discounts up to 35%; not to mention our huge inventory of parts and accessories at 20% off!

This coupon even works today for online customers; shop today and pick your order up tomorrow from our store!*excluding 2012 Specialized bikes and Milwaukee Bicycle Co. frames

Check it out here..

Gorge on loads of tasty food and buy some good shit. Doesn't get much better than that now does it?!

Making my Thanksgiving a little more thankful are the ladies at the Fg2 blog:

Tell me that ain't adorable!

Oh man, I just caught myself thinking that I should get one of their shirts or something. Talk about solidifying creepy old man status huh? yeeesh..

In any case, I'll be heading up to North Jerz to hang with my folks for the afternoon. I'm in particularly stoked since my pops just bought a new chainsaw and I get to take it for a spin today on this huge tree that fell in the backyard..

Turkey, Chainsaw action and Yellow Fever. Awesome..

Weirdest. Rossin. EVER!!!

2011-11-23T09:58:00.001-05:00

WTH?!

Weird ass shit huh?

Here's a couple snaps of it built up:

More here..

FUCK I WANT THIS SO BAD!!!!!!!

2011-11-22T11:19:00.001-05:00

Awesome Yeti Track Time Trial Kilo Pursuit thingy with 24" wheels front AND rear AND tons of 24" goodies?!

SO AMAZING!!!

I'm not really sure what my fascination is with 24" wheeled stuff but I would totally buy this if I could. It would be great to have all the extras to build more bikes with too!

He originally had it listed at $2600 and I'm not sure why he jumped it up to $2800. While I'm super fascinated with that sort of thing I couldn't image paying more than like $1500-1600 for the lot. I mean, I get that it's rare and all but who the fuck else gives a rat's ass about 24" shit other than my dumbass?

Oh and this is also amazing:

This little old lady is AWESOME!

2011-11-19T13:36:00.001-05:00

It doesn't get much better than pepper spraying old ladies does it? Fucking Jackasses. My favorite part is how she compares the propaganda she lived with growing up in Nazi Germany, to how things are here now. Between FCC trying to censor the internet and downloading along how popular media rarely focuses on what matters instead of I don't know, whores like Kim Kardashian..?

This is also amazing:

Futuristic girl of my dreams!

2011-11-19T00:04:00.001-05:00

How fucking AMAZING is that shit?!

Naturally Cut Copy would be playing in the background wherever we went:

..and I would somehow resurrect Guy Bourdin to shoot portraits of us:

While I'm fully aware that ridiculous fantasy would essentially be on the same level of this, insane, fucking, lunatic, I wouldn't really give a shit cause at the end of the day, riding bikes with a naked robot chick would still be pretty bad fucking ass..

In other, more reality based reality news, I landed myself a very decent paying freelance gig which may lead to a full time position. Which means I'm FINALLY going to get my filthy mitts on that fucking Anvil jig I've meaning to pay off:

yeeessssszzzz, soon you will be mine!

I also promised myself one of these as well should I be hired on full time:

Fucking yum huh?!

Yeah, I most certainly don't recommend innocently strolling into a Ducati dealership. BIG mistake on my part. I mean, I've always dug em but fuck man- so screwed now!!

Anyways, I'll leave you mofoz with this dude's kooky ass vintage wrought iron gate bike:

Via..

Nashbar blowing out frames for $60 bucks?!

2011-11-18T19:34:00.001-05:00

Damn that is fucking cheap!

Roadie:

and SS:

My original posts on the Roadie and SS 1 & 2..

Both are really great frames for commuting and guiltlessly beating the piss out of. I've ridden them myself and know a lot of people who've scooped them up during sales. Everyone loves em. Get one while the sale lasts!

Protect IP Act: Will Corporate Greed and Government Sanctioned Censorship Know no Bounds?!

2011-11-16T22:29:00.001-05:00

WHAT THE FUCK ALREADY?!

My first thought is that wow, that shit ain't NEVER gonna fly! It's like, do they not recall how the whole Prohibition thing went?! Total fucking horse shit. I mean, wow, do we not have enough issues in this country with the whole corporate greed fucking everyone in the ass and walking away scott free laughing all the way to the bank(ruptcy)???

PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO AND SHARE THE SHIT OUT OF IT!

Thanks Julie!

BEST. TOOL. EVER.

2011-11-13T22:01:00.001-05:00

The first thing I noticed when I stopped by the VAR booth at the Philly Expo a couple weeks back was this weird looking tool. I'd never seen one like it before so naturally I inquired as to it's use. The knowledge that was bestowed upon was so profound it nearly brought me to my knees..

Behold, VAR tool #352, the crank bolt installation tool:

MIND. BLOWN.

If like myself, it's existence has escaped you til now, you know all to well the sting of battered and bleeding knuckles from installing or removing many a chainring..

As if discovering such an amazing tool wasn't enough, I only had to shell out $40 bones for it!

FUCKING. AMAZING.

I literally couldn't stop playing with it and showing it to everyone I talked to for the rest of the day. Most everyone had the same jubilant reaction to it and it's price. Pretty sure VAR sold the few they had left that day, hehe. There's also a newer version which features a combination head that can switch back and forth from Campy style Torx bolts and Allen key. I think they were selling that one for $60 (#PE-35500 p25)

I cannot wait for the next time I have to change out a chain ring!

Be sure to check out their full catalogue here and larger screen saver sized images here..

In case you didn't know..

2011-11-11T11:24:00.001-05:00

..there's A LOT of spoiled fucking brats at Penn State:

I feel bad for the kids, like the one who makes the initial rational statement, that have to deal with being surrounded by a bunch of fucking douchebags..

The worst thing about all that is those kids are completely disregarding the facts and the welfare of who knows how many children who were molested, all for what can only be described as:

THE WORST SPORT ON THE PLANET

I'm not going to even apologize. I mean, you can dig American football or whatever but it really is the lamest sport ever. Fucking play rugby if you're gonna do it! The rest of the world laughs at that shit. In any case, all the American football games that have, or will be played isn't worth multiple children's innocence being ripped away from them. Those kids shouldn't be rioting in support of Joe Paterno, they should be rioting to have the scumbag hung from a fucking tree. Oh let him finish the season- WTF are you stupid or something?! The guy kept his mouth shut about who knows how many incidents of child rape, but that's okay cause you want to win a game? Where are your priorities people?!!

He may not have participated in the heinous actions in question, but by not alerting the authorities, his inactions are complicit to the crime(s), which requires an appropriate punishment befitting of one who lets something like child molestation slide in order to uphold the status quo OF A SHITTY FUCKING GAME!!!

Another interesting point a friend brought up is that these kids, who are standing up for a fucking scumbag, are totally fine if they want to protest and riot and stuff, meanwhile people at Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Oakland, who are protesting for the average citizen's rights, are being maced for literally no reason and this guy who gets hit in the face with a gas grenade despite being two time war vet and his rescuers having flash grenades tossed at them..

So yeah, protect the oh so important game but who gives a fuck about the welfare of our children and you know, the fact that all the corporations, politicians and other rich fucks that drove this countries economy into the fucking toilet. This country is just so full of awesome right now I can barely stand it..

UPDATE: This is an interesting vid that gives a more inside perspective:

Jon Ritchie, who was recruited by Jerry Sandusky, reacts to Penn State scandal.

Along with a PDF of the Grand Jury Report..

Thanks Julie!

You might be thinking joke build..

2011-11-09T15:56:00.000-05:00

..but since I know all these frames were heading out to japan (where most builds ARE joke builds) I don't think it is:

Still looking for a more informative link. Painted frames seen on Prollz..

I remember seeing a couple of those frames while I was attending the frame building course before they were painted. While I'm generally not into fixed freestyle frames, those things were fucking amazingly built. Lots of nice details as per usual with Koichi's work..

Having said that, I really can't fucking stand aerospokes. Let alone Realtree painted ones..

The thing Koichi was saying about those frames is that they're some of the first he's released in Japan for sale by retailers. When he left 3Rensho to start building his own frames, Yoshi Konno told him it was cool to make frames in/for the US, but that he'd appreciate it if he stayed out of the Japanese market. Koichi of course respected his wishes and stayed away. He feels as tho enough time has finally passed and he can start offering his frames there in low numbers..

WAIT, found the original link here tho it doesn't really give up much more info..

I always thought something like this would be a funny idea but..

2011-11-09T12:52:00.003-05:00

..it's def one I knew wouldn't look quite right:

Curious about how it rides tho!

Via Milano Fixed..

Baller Hauler project is finally back on deck!

2011-11-06T14:57:00.003-05:00

You might remember this project that I started a while back for my buddy Christian. Basically chopping, extending and converting this old gas pipe Bianchi folder into a front load hauler type bike:

Not long after I had began this project I realized that I would really need to have my surface plate and alignment tools all together in order to properly complete the chop and extension (still owe you guys a snaps of that beast too)..

As you can see here, I was finally able to do so:

Sorry for the quick pic but you get the idea. Fucker is just shy of 9' from tire to tire! Super stoked to get some more work done on it soon..

The main reason I took on this project was for the various unique design and engineering challenges it's sure to provide. Aside from the initial chop and stretch, constructing the steering linkage should be interesting to say the least..

I'll keep you guys posted on the progress as I go along. Should get some more work done on her tomorrow so stay tuned!

My Yamaguchi School Frame and More COMPLETE!!

2011-11-01T16:46:00.000-04:00

Talk about a learning experience:

Then there's a little something I made before taking the class that I'm calling The Re-Hessian Special Rack:

Right about now you might be thinking something along the lines of: 'Dude, I need some of what you're smok-WTF- IS THAT A DISC BRAKE ON A HED3 WHEEL?!!'

Why, yes.. yes it is:

Last but not least, the 2.0 version of the 40 and 1/2 cage:

Few more on my flickr..

Overkill huh? Well, I wasn't fucking around when I told y'all it would be a pretty funky ass build!

Funkiest of all is certainly the fugly ass photos. Fucking weather. The two times I went out to make some snaps I had a lot of nice sun and then within like 30 min the clouds rolled in. Which would be fine in the middle of the afternoon of the summer but being the time of year it is with the cyan hue to the light, pretty much looks like fucking ass. Didn't help that my fuuuuucking computers' HD took a steaming fucking dump and died on me yesterday. I was able to save all my files but I lost all my preferences and retouching monitor calibration. So yeah, crappy lighting, crappy retouching. Awesome. Had I not brought the bike to the Philly Expo where people were like WTF and taking photos I would've given myself some more time to reshoot and retouch properly. I know, excuses-excuses..

Anyways, yeah, pretty stoked on it otherwise! Except for the fact that I haven't ridden a tarck bike in like a year, hehe. All I've been riding is my bruiser and mini tall roadie. As soon as I got on this thing I was like- wait, why in fucks name am I riding a bike without a freewheel? So yeah, gotta get back on that horse now that I've finished this bad boy..

Right then, frame, fork and stem. When coming up with a design I opted to use the class as a means to learn as much as possible, as opposed to coming out of it with a super beautiful frame. Hence the lugged BB and ST. Then fillet brazed HT. Also wanted to toss some interesting shit in there by curling the rear stays and adding a heart shaped reinforcement plate. Koichi commented that it was the most complicated rear stay anyone had attempted in his class. I nearly broke my arm patting myself on the back knowing how much I had pleased my master ;-) He also noticed that he didn't have a similar example stem as I was making. A one inch ST clamp and an oversized bar clamp. What took me all day to make he did in under 2 hours and way better. Fucking guy is something else! As for the geo, I don't remember the exact numbers since I can't find my original drawing but the angles aren't too aggressive without being too slack either. Something I think would preform nicely in the streets but be comfy on longer rides..

But enough about that shit, how about that re-hessian special rack huh- Fucking H I L A R I O U S right?!! I was biggity blllaaazin' when I came up with that one. So fucking awesome. Def one of those projects you think of and soon realize how you won't be able to go on living knowing that it doesn't exist outside of your mind. Having said that, it was def one of those projects you're super stoked to get started on, but after like 10 minutes, you're super pissed at yourself realizing how impossibly long it'll take to complete. Here's a couple of snaps of it once I was done:

Once I finished that bastard I never wanted to look at it again! While not it's not perfect it came out pretty fucking good. I painted it bright ass pink since I didn't want to get the very first one chromed. How SICK would that look tho? Figured pink was the next best obnoxious option. Also, and I'm super stoked about this, I weighted the rack and it tipped the scales at a mere 2.05lbs! I don't even feel it on the front while riding :-D

So then there's the disc brake on that HED3 wheel. Pretty sure I was blazed when I figured out how to pull that one off too, hehe. It's actually super simple and would make for an interesting future product for someone with WAY more math skills than I could ever hope to have..

First of all, that's actually a super old Specialized Trispoke version rear freewheel cassette thread mount wheel. It occurred to me that if I was to re-space the hub, flip it to the front, then remove the inside steel hub threaded piece of a SS cog and weld a disc brake to it, it would totally work. So while my technique is super fucking bobo janky, and it might be a bad idea to clamp down on it really hard, it def still works! Which BTW is something that I learned from Koichi himself. He would tell me these messed up stories of bikes they would build or last minute repairs they would make during Olympic fucking gold medal events. It was the type of shit that would make any builder face palm at the mere thought of doing, let alone for something like that, yet it totally worked! I think he called them 'mechanical nightmare' bikes. I would def like to make more of these, properly, if I had the right tooling. Think of all those old freewheel threaded TT discs and such one could use on the front with a disc brake. The polo dudes would surely be stoked! You guys at Ben's Cycle hearing this? :-)

The 2.0 version of the 40 and a 1/2 cage is def WAY better than it's predecessor. Much more stable with the new curved neck and wider rear stance. Not sure how well it will do with 40's tho. I'll have to double check since the Old English bottle's neck is a bit too narrow now (yes it's still sitting in my fridge). Might have to rename it the 1/2 gallon cage instead..

As you can see the bike has a DA10 group on there. I figured since I'd already crossed a few lines, why not mount a DA10 hub to a Velocity B43 and rattlecan the cranks and ring to match? Shit turned out better looking than I thought! Don't worry, it was pretty ugly to begin with..

So there you have it. The first official properly built non freak bike build behind me! Super stoked to get crackin' on some more!! First few are going to be freebies for close trusted friends etc to aid in the honing of my skillz. Hopefully after that I can think about doing more for others. Don't worry, one of the next builds I have in mind is going to be super classy modern. Hopefully that'll make up for my first eyesore of a sketch on two wheels..

Hope you mofoz got a kick out of this shit! There's lots more to come real soon!!

Anybody notice me on HBO's How to Make it in America?

2011-11-01T15:23:00.000-04:00

So awesomely funny!

You can see me bunny hop up the curb in the first scene to the left and then you can't miss me in the last as I roll right by Lake Bell. It's funny cause she glances over at me and I'm all like, 'ah ain't gotst no taaahhm fo you bitch' and can't get away from her fast enough, hehe. Anyways being an extra was super fun and easy aside from the waiting around. Ride bikes all night, make new bike dork friends, eat food, get paid, laugh at yourself on HBO. Can't think of a better way to make $400 for two nights work :-)

Thanks for the clip Drew!

87' Nagasawa in NOS condition?!!

2011-10-30T01:28:00.003-04:00

How the fuck does one buy a Nagasawa and never get around to building it up???

My size too..

Sweet Marinoni Pista on the bay..

2011-10-29T22:13:00.002-04:00

I saw this Marinoni in person a few days ago and man was it ever pretty!:

Same seller's got a bunch of other nice stuff too..

BIKE KILL 8 - TODAY AT NOON!

2011-10-29T03:18:00.001-04:00

Bike Kill 8

12noon(?) - 8pm, Free

SNOW OR SHINE

Dead-end street at Sanford/Sandford & Willoughby

Bike Kill 8 Afterparty

10pm - 6am, $6 entry

372 Ten Eyck Street at Bogart / Morgan

***NOT AT THE CHICKEN HUT***

It's that wonderful time of year again!

Time to shred the rad and ride bikes all day, and then dance until dawn!

This year we're switching the after party to a new location, nice warehouse spot with tons of room for all you to get your party on.

Warehouse spot, firepit in the courtyard, Jersey Hammer's hot french fries station, and real life television pinata smashing.

We've got some awesome live acts for you, as well as our traditional ass motivators.

Playing live-

WHOA! (RVA CUTTHROATS)

MR. ANDERSONIC with BLOOD DRUMS

DJ'S:

DIRTYFINGER

PORK CHOP (BLBC)

WANT!

2011-10-28T21:21:00.001-04:00

The ever illustrious Campagnolo Tool kit:

If anyone wants to buy that for me by all means feel free. I'll make you free frames for days!

I'd never seen one in person til I got to use the one Koichi had in his shop. I was telling him how jealz I was about it and he confessed to having two more in storage 8-I

Absolute. Fucking. Bull Shit..

2011-10-27T01:28:00.000-04:00

The person who gets hit in the face with a tear gas canister is a 2 time war veteran. He is currently in critical condition:

How's that for some weak ass shit..?

..also this

WOW THIS >:-[

That last one is in particularly frustrating BTW..

I'm fucking gasping over here..

2011-10-21T18:43:00.002-04:00

..at the sheer size and scope of this mother fuckers collection and space:

WHAT

THE

FUCK

RIGHT?!!

Unfuckingbelieve huh? So reddic! The only thing missing are the virgins chained to the wall awaiting sacrifice..

This FULLY NOS 85' Jack Taylor Tour of Britain SLAYED me:

..as did this SUPER SEXY 87' Hetchins Magnum Opus:

Yeah, the photos are of horrible quality for the most part. It's like watching a softcore after being exposed to the current level internet porn out there- just. can't. get. into it..

I had a look through the rest of his stream and he has some super gnarly shit but it's mostly a tease since you can't really see things very clearly. This photo is nice cause he has everything listed in the notes. Be sure to scope out the rest of his stream when you get a chance. Lots of nice tid bits in there worth a look..

..as is this

Not sure how I missed this but..

2011-10-21T11:22:00.003-04:00

..it's never too late to catch a bunch of topless chicks posing for photos with bikes (NSFW):

Ben Watts - Issue 2 - Part 1 from www.treatsmagazine.com on Vimeo.

..oh diiiiig

Apparently there's going to a part 2 to this story or shoot or wtf ever it is from Treats Magazine. Never heard of it before but it kinda reminds me of a more sophisticated (I use that term loosely) man's version of Sweets magazine. Which btw is amazing if you want to see what it's like to have your eyes pop out of their sockets for an elongated period of time..

Seen on Prollz..

Philly Bike Expo: NEXT WEEKEND!!

2011-10-21T11:01:00.002-04:00

Along with a myriad of other events including the Brooklyn Bike Jumble, Rapha gentlemen's ride, Fashion show, and other various races and parties! October 29 and 30th..

Everyone who made it out last year had a great fucking time! Much more laid back and casual than any other show I've been to. Lots of amazing food from the best of Philly's food carts along with an abundance of alcohol on tap. For those of you who weren't unable to attend last years expo, be sure to make the trip this year to check it out!

Damn, another sweet Yamaguchi on the bay!

2011-10-21T04:10:00.002-04:00

Bitchin' color too:

Sweet Yamaguchi Aero and a Nagasawa WITH BRAKES!

2011-10-18T14:39:00.000-04:00

The pics of the Yamaguchi suck but the frame is sure to be awesome along with it's $900 price tag:

There's always a few Nagasawa's on the bay but I was stoked to see one with F+R brakes:

PERFECT for a killer townie style whip- HOLY FUCK ESP IF YOU GOT THESE FOR IT!!:

Granted it would be a bit much but still. Fucking things are SCHWEET!

The dude who's selling those hubs has a bunch of other cool, albeit grossly overpriced, stuff..

Major game changer..

2011-10-16T13:48:00.002-04:00

..in the form of Magic Flight's LAUNCH BOX:

I bought this set up recently and let me tell you- AMAZING! Way less gross than smoking the traditional way. Which for someone like myself who despises smoking, makes things much nicer..

I'd wanted to get a vaporizer for a while now but couldn't rationalize spending a bunch of money on a piece of drug paraphernalia. However at $119 this one gets you the most bang for the buck- and buck it does! It's super small, desecrate and easy to use. Toss it in your pocket and you're gtg!

LOOK!

2011-10-14T12:38:00.002-04:00

..at how RAD these frames are:

I would TOTALLY ride one of those around in the street with risers and HED3 wheels and not give the slightest fuck about what anyone said..

Off to a good start!

2011-10-09T13:11:00.001-04:00

While not being at all perfect, I'm still pretty stoked on FINALLY completing my Yamaguchi School frame:

It took a while since I was away for the summer and only recently got my crazy messy shop in order. It was just too constraining for me to get any work done in there. Esp after working in Koichi's shop which he keeps tight as fuck.

I went into the course thinking whatever I build, it's going to be about learning as much as I can. As opposed to coming out with a beautiful new frame. I probably spent as much time working on it as I did BSing with Koichi about nerdy bike shit. The frame is a mix of techniques so I consider it to be somewhat of a sketch. As you can see, the front end is fillet brazed. The ST and BB are lugged and there's some nice Yamaguchi style track drops in rear. The rear seat stay section is pretty interesting but I'll save that for the build pics..

Speaking of the build, this thing is going to be as funky as one of my freak bikes. I have a rack I already built before I even went to the class and a super hilarious adapted wheel for the front. I mean, we're talking total jackassness here. Then again, what did you expect right? Don't worry tho, classy builds will come soon enough. Since this one has sketch status written all over it, I thought I'd have a bit of fun. I mean, I'm just going to use it as a sort of around town cruising and lock up bike after all :)

The only problem I'm facing right now is what color to paint it. I was originally going to go all black as per usual but in the spirit of change, I'm trying to come up with some new color combos. If you have any thoughts feel free to comment!

OT: People losing their shit..

2011-10-07T19:30:00.000-04:00

..at some wicked scary funhouse type place in Niagra Falls Canada. I love how the photos are well lit and fucking HILARIOUS! Here's a bunch of favs:

Amazing huh? More on their flickr page..

20% off 5 items at Nashbar now thru Monday!

2011-10-07T13:09:00.000-04:00

It's getting cold so it's almost time for things like winter gear, knobby tires and beater frames. Get what you need while it's extra cheap at Nashbar:

I mostly mention this cause I can't think of anywhere else you can get a brand new good quality road or fixed gear/SS frame for $80 after the discount..

Cycling Porn Recap 2009-2010: NSFW/Wallet!

2011-10-03T04:02:00.000-04:00

CPR is what you're going to need if you can even get through half this post without falling to the floor! I was recently inspired by this old post of mine which was loaded down with TONS of sexy bike porn, ladies on bikes and hilariousness from 07'-08'. So once I again, I decided to go through a couple years worth of posts to bring you yet another fantabulously ferocious fury of flagrantly fastidious fucking bike porn. With no back links or explanations or anything of course. Enjoy:

Welp there you have it. More porn coming soon!

Vote for Geoff Feinberg's short titled: Locomotive

2011-09-28T01:39:00.001-04:00

Here's a great short commenting on life, or rather sound, in the big city:

Locomotive from Geoff Feinberg on Vimeo.

Vote for it here on PBS's website. The short that wins wil get screened this Saturday night on PBS..

I really dug this film a lot cause while it had cycling stuff going on, it really wasn't so much about the cycling. That and I can attest to the noise and dampening feeling the city gives off on a daily basis. After working and commuting daily for something like 13 years, the last year of my life on funemployment has been nothing short of a drastic, most welcomed relief. It's at the point now where it's almost a foreign idea for me to set foot in Manhattan. Even when I do, its usually just to cut through to see friends who reside in Brooklyn..

I can't really say I ever felt the pressure get to me or reacted quite like the way the shorts' protagonist did. Lord knows having the ability to belt out tenor style like that would be an awesome talent to posses, seeing as how it would surely land you in the panties of many a fine lady. Though I'd be lying if I said I didn't throw the occasional unnecessary, while being totally necessary, expletive fit now again. Usually it was when I was really busy and some fucking asstard motherfucker(s) didn't bother unjamming the copier after they cluster fucked it to hell. My favorite was when ALL 5 were jammed at the same time and people would get pissed at me cause their copies weren't done in time. Yes, people in offices are THAT fucking stupid and assholey..

Suffice it to say, my wildly inappropriate use of the word 'cunt' at volume, amongst others, in an office atmosphere never really went over that well despite the fact that it was aimed at an inanimate object. People were usually more scared of me than for me. Which is not a bad thing since people rarely ever bothered me for anything unless they absolutely had to. It would certainly explain why no one ever objected to my smoking of weed at my desk. In fact I think they actually preferred it, hehe. Shit, I'm just thankful that no one caught me having sex with a co-worker in the back room! Okay, fine.. I'll admit that office was relatively fun and tolerable. It was the two after that really sucked a nut..

Anyways, has the blog suffered slightly from the lack of my being forced to sit down in front of a computer and keep myself entertained while pretending to look busy for forty something hours a week? Yes. In the grand scheme of things do I give a rats ass? No. Why? Because I no longer have the near uncontrollable urge to bludgeon myself to death by smashing my head into a pane of glass that's too thick for me to crash through due to the lack of distance needed for a good running start from where my desk was located relative to the windows.. That's why..

Right then, I've got some more interesting things coming up real soon. By 'real soon' I mean whenever I damn well please :-)

Also, if you recall my recent post about how much I fucking hate the cops in this town that give the rest of them a bad name, check this shit out:

Interview with Pepper Sprayed Protester Chelsea Elliott from ANIMALnewyork.com on Vimeo.

Apparently pepper spraying nice airheady hippy girls for no reason during a non-violent protest is totally alright now. More on Animal and The New Yorker..

An Original 1983 Benotto Crono Track bike in NOS condition?! SO SICK!!

2011-09-23T13:42:00.000-04:00

Talk about fucking GNAR!:

The original photo was annoying the shit out of me so the one above is slightly adjusted for better viewing pleasure..

LOTS more snap of it on his flickr set..

A little something to get you ready for the weekend..

2011-09-23T13:20:00.001-04:00

Not one, but two reasons why I wouldn't mind being reincarnated as a women's saddle 8-)

Although I have to say, the blonde could really use some buiscuts and gravy..

Thanks Julie!

Feel the tug of skateboard fever!

2011-09-21T16:37:00.000-04:00

I hung out with my good ol' chumz Tom and Jeff the other day to go check out the concrete skatepark in Astoria Park. It was a fun day of putzing around and reminiscing about how rad skateboarding was before we got all old. Anyways, after dinner we decided to check out the old Peels Sessions spot and I somehow managed to bust out with a fast 5-0 grind to frontside shove it out nice and clean- STOKED!:

Thanks for the vid Tooommmeeeeeh!

Skateboarding is something I miss really badly and wished I lived closer to a good park. Okay, so yeah, there's plenty of parks in my area. I guess I just hate being the old guy by myself surrounded by a bunch of 14 year olds shredders while I'm struggling to hoist my fat ass up on the fun box. Oh to be 23 again!

Anyways, I'm almost done with this fucking alignment table. I'll post some pics up once it's complete..

Brooklyn Bike Jumble this Saturday!

2011-09-19T01:31:00.001-04:00

Come check it out!

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.

Two super sssSCHWEET fixeeeehhhzz!

2011-09-16T01:34:00.001-04:00

MAN are these ever ssssswwweeeeet!

Vintage early 80's Pinarello roadie conversion:

Early 80's De Franceschi Pista

Yeah, for 2007 maybe. It's nice to know it's still 07' somewhere cause I actually love seeing shit like this- so funny! I can't wait til people start building 04'-07' period correct track bikes 20 years from now with top tube pads and aerospokes to boot..

Prollz sellin' his SWEET Merckx Team Stuttgart Corsa Extra on the bay!

2011-09-13T14:09:00.000-04:00

I just came across this auction and was like- Hey, wait a minute, I know who's this is! Say it ain't so dawg!! He mentions the reasons for parting with this bad boy and after having personally sold many a lovely bike item over the last year or so, I totally understand. Check it out here and be sure to let your tall friends know!

Parting is such sweet sorrow man but once you get that new custom Icarus under you, the sting you're feeling now will be nothing but a forgotten memory..

Also, I have a vintage campy pista group that would go LOVELY on this whip for whoever ends up buying it :-)

Tricking on Folders?? I think so!!

2011-09-09T16:10:00.003-04:00

These guys are fucking hilariously awesome:

This kinda goes along with it real well too:

So good!

..meanwhile, in Korea..

HOW DOES DANNY HART SIT DOWN WITH BALLS THAT BIG?!!??!!

2011-09-07T19:55:00.000-04:00

Get ready cause you're going to shit yourselves crying with laughter at the commentators FREAKING OUT about this run by Danny Hart (youtube pulled the vid so check it out here now- DAMMIT, they also pulled the commenter yelling the title of this blog post from the end the fucking pansies!!):

Fucking NUTS! That last bit where he whips the tail out going mach two is mmmmMENTAL!!

Interesting read from TA: Behind the Blue Wall with Officer X

2011-09-01T13:23:00.000-04:00

This is one of those things that gets my blood boiling to the point where I have so much to say I don't know where to start. If you're a cyclist in NYC it's a must read. Esp to those of you who've received tickets in the past..

Luckily for you, thinking of where to start made me recall an incident I experienced a while back that go along these lines..

Something like 10 something years ago I had my car parked over on 9th ave. I had to go into my office for something real quick on my day off. Parking in midtown is a total nightmare and it costs like $12 to park for 30 min at a local garage. 10 ave however had metered parking at the time for 1 hour for a couple of bucks. More than enough time for me to make the trip over to 6th ave and back. I brought my skateboard just to make sure and get a little rad along the way..

Just under an hour later I returned to see a couple of cops doling out tickets on the avenue where I was parked. Keep in mind this is before the days of those super fast ticket printers they have now. Every parking ticket had to be written by hand, which took time. The ticket he was writing was for the very last car on the corner. My car was parked about 5 cars back and there was a ticket on each cars window. At first I was nervous, wondering if I was too late but according to my time, I was good to go. Sure enough I check my car and there was a fucking ticket on the window. I was shocked wondering how I could possibly mess something as simple as that up. Only to be even more shocked that there was still a minute left on my meter!

Now, like I said, my car was about in the middle of the block and the officer in question was writing a ticket for the car on the corner about 5 cars ahead of mine. So let's say it takes what, 2-3 min to write one ticket? Which means when he wrote the ticket for my car, it had at least another 10 minutes left on it before he managed to get to the end of the block where I first saw him..

Upon realizing this, I ran right up to him (still writing the ticket on the corner car) and was like: 'Excuse me, I still have time on my meter- why did you give me a ticket?!' Apparently he didn't like some random kid questioning his authority and without even looking at me, essentially told me to piss off. To which I got REALLY fucking pissed off and yelled: What the fuck is wrong with you?! I still have a minute left and you wrote all these other people tickets too! I probably had another 10-15 minutes left when you wrote my ticket!!

Now you might be thinking, wow, smooth move not only yelling at a cop but calling him out on his job. Well, the kicker is that there was a crowd of people around him on the corner, all of which were gawking since that's what New Yorkers do best when they're not stepping over or walking by dead bodies on their way to work in the morning. So not only was I questioning his judgement but I was doing so in front of a bunch of people, further embarrassing him. At this point he got really, really pissed off and screamed:

YOU'LL GET A TICKET WHEN I SAY YOU GET A TICKET!!

He basically admitted to his wrong doing which was somewhat gratifying to hear despite the fact that he was a fucking asshole for giving me a BS ticket. At that point, I saw no further reason to keep antagonizing him so I turned around and got in my car. As I drove by I screamed: KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK ASSHOLE out my window. He said something in return but it was muffled by the sound my tires screeching on the hot asphalt..

In hindsight, I'm actually glad he wrote me that ticket. Had he not, I wouldn't have that interesting little anecdote to pull out of my hat now and then whenever people talk about how annoying cops are with their BS ticket collecting..

Also, I'm not trying to say that ALL cops are assholes or anything. Just most of them :-)

THE END!

A new look..

2011-08-31T21:49:00.000-04:00

Hope you mofoz dig it! Not that I really care one way or another- no seriously! Let me know what you guys think and send me some fresh links to update my blog roll etc. But yeah, it's been a looooong ass time coming. I don't know about you guys but I've been SO super sick of looking at that last header photo already! For like a two something years. Dumbass..

For once I picked a non fiery photo. Which I wasn't really sure about at first but eventually decided it was a rad photo so why the fuck not. I kinda dig the way the bike's shadow is askew against the rigid brick wall. I could sit here and read into it but I'll spare you of the typical artsy nonsense and let you enjoy the image for what it is. Rad..

Anyways, just wanted to continue to change things up a bit. I might make a few more tweaks along the way but I'm pretty cool with it for now. More soon!

Got a few tasty items up on the bay!

2011-08-30T16:15:00.001-04:00

First off is this super classic and sexy modern Campagnolo Pista group consisting of a set of BRAND NEW Campy Record LF 36H track hubs laced to Araya Red NJS Tubulars with DT spokes and Phil Wood Lockring. Along with a set of used but great condition Campy Record 170mm 47T Cranks Track cranks:

Also for sale is two non bike items:

A Polaroid 195 Land Camera and 12 packs of Fuji Instant film:

Along with the Close up kit for said camera:

Spread the werd ya terdz! I'm back from vaca and still need a lot more toolz :-)

Self inflating tire? Really??

2011-08-29T10:05:00.000-04:00

I noticed this on Engadget last night and am once again, totally let down by the way that modern conceptual design seems to continuously fail when it comes to anything related to a 'better' bicycle product:

While being an interesting concept it's pretty obvious that here in the real world, it's not going anywhere. 90% of the 'casual riders' out there don't even understand the concept that air is required in their tires in the first place never mind on a regular basis. Seriously tho, when was the last time you saw someone casually riding a tire that wasn't half flat? Oh and the price, yeah, not happening. People who aren't going to spring for a pump ain't going for those either. I mean, those things look like they'd wear out long before the user would get their money's worth..

This is just yet another way to appease the population's ever increasing fucking laziness. JUST BUY A PUMP AND USE IT FOR FUCKS SAKE! What does it take, 2 min maybe? Come on. Get with it already people. If you're going to make a better bike product, try focusing on something that's a liiiiitle more practical that people would actually use and spring the extra dough for..

Unless you want something to go along with your automatic scissors of course :-/

Meat ANNIHILATION Courtesy of Zadar Fest 2011!

2011-08-16T07:38:00.001-04:00

I checked this event out the last time I was in Croatia and was stoked to check it out again this year. Only it was like DOUBLE the size and totally mobbed! Crowded as it was I still managed to get in a bunch of shots of all the tasty meats they had going on. Along with a few corny touristy screen saver images of course:

PORKCHOP SANDWHICHES!:

This dudes crazy ass contraption is like the fish cooking equivalent to a tall bike or some shit:

He actually had another one going at the same time- MY FUCKING HERO!!

Pretty fuken gnar huh?!

If only there was a way for me to adequately convey the feeling of being completely enveloped by all the smoky, salty and sinewy aromans wafting all around me that night. Mixed with sounds from the bustling crowd, ocean and classic Croatian music blaring from the stacks of speakers surrounding the stage located in the middle of it all. It's something you can only really experience in person..

I would've liked to have come away from it with A LOT more photos but after cruising through for a couple of hours I just couldn't handle it anymore. It was pure sensory overload. I'll have to try again the next time I'm here on Holiday..

More abandoned snaps..

2011-08-12T17:48:00.000-04:00

This time from a HUGE building I came across in Zadar. Not sure why this building is still in it's current condition since it's now surrounded by all new buildings on every side. Well accept for this side:

Yeesh!- right?!

It's like instead of tearing it down or fixing it they were like: I know, lets just build all around it to hide it instead- brilliant! Tho something tells me it's a left over from the fighting that took place there in the 90's and ownership is unknown..

..and on to the inside of said awesome abandoned building:

There's a couple of other abandoned buildings in my town that are wrecked from the war as well. Just have yet to make it there with my camera..

More soon!

Abandoned Yonkers Power Plant Ride 2.0!

2011-08-12T17:43:00.011-04:00

As you might recall, my buddy Ross was in town recently for a week. While he was in town I figured it would be an excellent opportunity to organize a second ride out the the Glendale Power Plants, along with meeting some of the folks from the local NYC fixed forum. Okay so yeah, these photos are like a month old but what can I say? It took about that long for the cloud of THC to disperse from my mind. Now I can't fucking relax! If I'm not doing something constantly I start freaking out. I mean, I'm at the point where naps count as productivity!

Anyways, back to the snaps:

You don't actually need a mask in there but if you choose to trudge through the basement, lovingly referred to as Mordor, it's a good idea. Justin's was super prepared this time after getting a lil sicklies the last time..

This on gives you an idea of the enormity of the fucking place:

Jessica (aka- 'take a good one!') is such a fucking roadie now!:

Fucking place is so rad! I need to go back one of these days with a full bag of gear..

Afterwords we went to Pie's and Thighs and there was much rejoicing :-)

More snaps on my flickr..

Land Dispute..

2011-08-12T17:16:00.001-04:00

Some stupid ass bitch here in our Neighborhood decided that after literally like a hundred years of everyone coexisting like rational human beings, it would be a good idea to throw everything into turmoil by digging up 50 year old papers and fabricating shit to get her boney fingers on like 10 more meters of land. Now everyone's stuck trying to fight it instead of relaxing on their vacation and talking HEAPS of shit about her and how much her family sucks. It's kind of awesome. My usual overly violent suggestion of CUT A BITCH and the like was actually acceptable to utter out loud for once. Esp since all my cousins feel the EXACT same way! I mean, good thing she's not a prince or something right?!

Anyways, here's a couple of snaps from one of the little neighborhood meetings:

..and you twats wonder why I'm so nasty and vile sometimes. Think about where I'm from! Shits in mah blood dawg..

BALKANZ REPRESENT!!

The SCHWEET Coppi I mentioned the other day..

2011-08-12T17:01:00.000-04:00

SO RAD!!!

Some sexy black things..

2011-08-12T16:58:00.003-04:00

..I've noticed recently. I see and photograph things I find interesting out of habit and they usually just end up in obscurity amongst the thousands of other horrible photos I take on a daily basis..

In any case, here's a wicked blacked out truck:

While it most certainly lofts my personal category of 'No Dick Mobile' to new heights, you have to admit that it's still pretty fucking sick..

Also sick was this 6.3L Mercedes fucking batmobile I was blown away by while walking around Zadar:

I would NEVER want to drive the shit out of a car like that. Lord knows I would end up spending every penny I could trying to put together something that could perform just as well. Like a Twin Turbo 96' Nissan 300zx with Greddy upgrade kit..

Luckily the last super sexy black thing not only takes the cake, but I have carte blanche over:

Between her hair, fondness of all things matte black along with a 90% black wardrobe she's hard to beat, or rather easy since she might be 100lbs wet. Nothing like dating a girl you can snap like a twig is there?! I have like 5 offensively dirty jokes in me I can make right now but I'm going to keep my mouth shut. Funny how despite their size all women retain that whole formidable force thing when irritated thing isn't it..?

Right, let's focus on how nasty that thing she was snacking on was instead:

so. fucking. gross.

The fried nutter butters we had afterwords were also gross but in that way that you secretly wish you eat McDonalds every day and not have people give you that- EWW! Look if you even mention eating it..

I have this intense love/hate relationship with big fairs like the Meadowlands County Fair. I love how hokey and absolutely fucking disgusting the people who attend those types of functions are. Although when I get over it after like five minutes of being there and I realize I'm stuck being surrounded by wall to wall putridity for at least another hour I kind of want to kill myself for having walked into it in the first place. It kinda reminds me of that scene in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas when they're 'set loose' into that circus-y casino with the merry go round..

ug..

Here's a few snaps from the last time I was there with my buddy Tom and his Brosef Nick:

BTW - If you aren't thinking about eating Bacon right now there's something wrong with you..

Some fancy pants bikes..

2011-08-08T09:58:00.000-04:00

..worthy of your dentist, lawyer, doctor or in the case of this Moots Vamoots with S+S Couplers, your buddy who owns the bike shop that sells retardedly high end shit to all those assholes so they have something to write off on their tax forms:

How SICK is that shit right?!

Also sick was this Pegoretti's paint job:

I mean COME ON- WTF?! SO REDDIC!!

This Nago was just pretty and black and was begging me to rub my nads all over it:

More snaps on my flickr set..

I shot those photos a while back in the beginning of the summer during a visit to Strictly Cycles..

Anyways, treading back to down to reality.. I saw an AWESOME Vintage Coppi roadie a little while ago here on the streets of Zadar. It had a hott pink, purple and white paint job along with a Campy Record / Athena mix on it and some 3" rise townie bars- SO RAD!! I shots some photos of it but don't have my card reader with me at the moment. I'll post those up soon tho..

Here´s the vintage Torpado..

2011-08-01T11:30:00.000-04:00

..I mentioned in my last post:

How rad are those lugs?! Def very interesting..

Then here´s a lovely snap of a picturesque scene here on the island of a town called Tkon:

Awesome huh? Although It never ceases to surprise me just how many assholes out there can actually afford to get into yachting. I could see dozens more in every direction from that view..

Here´s a random snap of a schoolyard in Zadar:

Depressing..

But not these two snaps from the fourth!:

I know, not much of a Cycling blog lately. Well there´ll be plenty more of that soon enough! In the meantime, I´m gonna try catching up on all the random snaps I have sitting on my computes..

Vacation away from my vacation..

2011-07-29T10:02:00.002-04:00

As you can imagine, collecting unemployment and being left to my devices 24/7 can be a rough go at times. So to take a break from it all, I decided to hop on a plane and get the fuck outta dodge:

That was from the flight out of Newark to Munich. The super clean moderness of the plane (Lufthansa) was really awesome. Tho it was over shadowed by the overly friendly and overly large German dude who literally had me squashed up against the window for the duration of the flight. I mean, god forbid a little asian woman or someone similarly small in stature sit next to me. Instead of some massive dude taking up every inch of arm rest and leg space possible. Thanks Kristoff! I feel like this has happened to me the last few times I´ve boarded an aircraft. Fucking PITA..

In any case, my fam and I made it safe and sound and now I´m chillin´ at a internet cafe in Zadar, Croatia surrounded by the stench of eurotrash. Awesome..

Speaking of awesome, check out this snap of my niece having a good laugh to herself about the newly coined phrase: ´Pa-tootey-kiss´

Also awesome was the colors of this light against the dusk sky:

I´m back to my super shitty laptop screen for retouching so I´m sorry if the colors don´t look all that bitchin´. I´ll likely end up retouching my fav photos once I get back into town. Which BTW won´t be til the end of August :-D

So yeah, sorry I didn´t get a chance to post more before I split. Just had a lot of shit going on and not a lot of time to get blogging work done. I even got my Bringheli Alignment table tools but they came the day before I left. Between running around getting ready for my trip and the fact that it was shitty out I didn´t get a chance to take a nice photo to post. Anyways lots more about that along with a TON of other shit I have to catch up when I get back into town. Til then I´ll keep you mofos as updated as I can with stuff around here. I actually just saw a really great old Torpado with some really nice lugs. I´ll post those pics next time..

Do a search on my blog for ´Croatia´ to see lots more snaps from my last trip here in 09´

Super fun day at the range with AUTOMATICS!!!

2011-07-23T13:57:00.000-04:00

Since Ross was rad enough to take me to do some shooting during my stay in Austin (NAHBS), I was more than happy to oblige him by setting aside a day to hit up Targetmaster just outside of Philly. Not only is Targetmaster an awesome range with Tons O Guns to rent, but they have auto-fucking-matics too! Totally shot some cheesy vids so check it out:

A day with Full Autos at Targetmaster! from CyclingWMD on Vimeo.

Along with a few stills:

All in all it was a most excellent time!

Then we went to check out the Mutter museum. They don't allow photos so I grabbed a quick crappy one with my iphone:

That place is awesome but after having been three times now over the years I can honestly say I want nothing to do with the place anymore rad as it may be..

We also stopped by to see Brian at his new location and I was super, super stoked on it! Gotta get some snaps of the place during my next visit when I have more time (and it's not his day off)..

Gettin' all up in mah face!

2011-07-20T17:54:00.002-04:00

Interesting cliche' NY occurrence the other night. Between hitting up the beach and showing my boy Ross a good time around town along with a SLAYTASTIC dinner at Brick Lane, I was pretty beat. When we got back to my lady's place it was pretty late but we needed to take her lil pup Niko out for a walk. In other words nothing out of the ordinary..

As we were walking I noticed a bunch of kids walking towards us from down the street. Now, normally my first though is- oh great, a bunch of ghetto kids. Note: I don't care what anybody says or what type, kind, or race ghetto kids are. They all fucking suck in a way that is so far beyond comparison I'm at loss for, well.. a comparison. Anyways, instead of my usual reaction I thought, shit, this dog is going to freak out and start barking like fucking crazy. So I tell my lady to pick up the pace so as not to offend anyone. We get to the corner where there's a garbage can and brightly lit deli. Next thing I know the group of ghetto kids are all around us and one is asking quietly for a dollar. He couldn't have been more than 15 and was half my size. His face is about as dark skinned as you can get with wicked bright white eyes. It was actually awesome how contrasty it was in the backlit bright white lights if the deli's storefront. Visual awesomeness aside, I knew this kid and his group of cohorts were out to harass and intimidate people out in the neighborhood for whatever scraps they could offer them. I can't even tell you how many INFURIATING stories I've heard of people getting fucked with by bands if kids just like this. Unfortunately I left my Glock 18 (that dude is HILARIOUS BTW) at home so I told my girlfriend to walk inside the store with me..

Now, whenever someone on the street asks me for money I try and make it a point to say: 'No, sorry man'. Like, I acknowledge your presence as a human being but it's not my fault you're a broke ass mother fucker and I decline your request to supply you with funds to shoot into your arm etc. I feel like people are rude enough to panhandlers as is so I'd rather not be total a dick about it..

So here I am in the store and I don't even need anything but the deli guys obviously don't want me just hanging around so I grab a drink real quick. As I'm paying I see my contrasty faced new friend staring at me like opening my wallet for someone else is my way of antagonizing him. Great..

He was blocking the doorway waiting for me to come out so I stood in front of him and took a swig. To which he replied 'You a soft nigga'. As if (AS IF!) my obvious attempt at avoiding him wasn't obvious enough. Like not only I'm on to you but I'm trying to avoid instigating something completely unnecessary. Which makes me 'soft' as opposed to, I dont know- smart maybe..? In any case, with the memories of various friends stories of others who've found themselves in similar situations drawing out that angry side of me I asked- 'Excuse me..?' To which he then responded by pointing his finger in my face and saying 'You a liar.' It was at that point that the preverbal beer bottle breaking sound rang in my ears..

That fucked up part of me, that we've all come to know and love, wanted nothing more than to barge out of that door, grab the kid by his waist and neck, get a running start and vault him into the side of the parked car 10' away. I mean I could almost hear that hollow sound sheet metal makes when it gets hit by something blunt with a lot of surface contact. Kind of like the sound two shields meeting on the FIELD OF BATTLE!! Okay, dorkiest comparison EVER but you know exactly what I'm talking about so go fuck yourself and watch 300 for the 10th time..

Instead, I chose to get right back up in his face and shouted- 'You know what?! If you knew the value of a dollar you wouldn't ask me for one! Do you see me walking up to you asking you for a dollar? NO! I WORK for a living! (admitting I that I've been sucking the off the teet of the unemployment office for the past 8 months wouldn't have helped solidify my point so I figured it was a good lie in this instance) 'I'm not trying to start with people out on the street at night because I've got nothing better to do! We're just out walking our dog and trying to mind our own business! I mean come on guys what do you think you're doing?! There's a police station on the other side of the block!!'

It was at that point my now dumbfounded friend must have thought- Wow, I never thought I'd see one of these un-frighten white people in my lifetime! His friends came to the same conclusion and urged him to walk away and he did so quietly. The guys at the deli insisted that I call 911 but I refused citing it was no longer an issue and I'd rather not waste the police's time. Lord knows being a block away wouldn't have helped them get there any faster than usual. Not to mention the fact that when I was those kids age I was all like- fuck you pig! And now I'm the one making the call to rat them out. It's like I'm one step away from waving a cane at kids yelling at them to get off my lawn. Fucking HATE that feeling!

We were about to walk off once they were down the block but then I saw them doing the same fucking thing to someone else. This dude (I use that word loosely) was half my size with a designer man bag so yeah, he didn't stand a chance. I saw him sheepishly reach into his purse to give them something to avoid getting into trouble. It was at that point that I finally made the call. It's one thing when I get fucked with, buts it's another when I have my lady with me or when I witness it happen to someone else who's (WAY) less capable of handling the situation. By less capable I mean less crazy and loud mouthed than I am..

We eventually walked home and naturally I spent more time writing than sleeping I was so worked up by the whole thing. Not so much because I was offended or any of that other butt hurt ego bullshit, but mostly cause it upset me as to how stupidly they acted. I mean, more so than some retarded conservative douche tard with a little bit of power and no dick..

That kid was super young and could have so much more going on in his life if he had even an iota of respect for himself. By the way he was dressed he obviously wasn't starving or in dire need of cash. I'm sure his life isn't filled with as many first world problems as my life might be but that's no excuse to act like a fucking idiot. Him and his buddies were just out for kicks and or experimenting. I mean, my friends and I did stupid shit when we were younger but I guess throwing pine cones at cars and leaving flaming bags of dog shit on people's doorsteps before ringing to doorbell just doesn't cut it for amusements in the city..

I PRAY that I see this kid walking down the street with his mom or something cause mmmMAN would I love to see him get a proper whopping! I'd have been more than happy to do it myself but then it likely would've been misconstrued into some hate crime or some shit like. That or my fat ass would've been stabbed by the cowardly fuckers. It's like, I don't care who the fuck it is that comes at me with some bullshit like that, there's no excuse for it and you'll get deserve sooner or later. I feel like with inner city kids, someone coming back at them verbally is more stunning than with violence. Seems like they see more of and are better capable of handling the latter. It's a fucking shame that my words and others seem to fall on broken and battered ears. No one should have to grow up like that..

The Way Things Go (Der Lauf der Dinge)..

2011-07-20T01:26:00.001-04:00

I was reminded of this most awesome art film the other day during a trip to PS1. From Wiki:

The Way Things Go (German: Der Lauf der Dinge) is a 1987 art film by the Swiss artist duo Peter Fischli and David Weiss. It documents a long causal chain assembled of everyday objects, resembling a Rube Goldberg machine.

The machine is in a warehouse, about 100 feet long, and incorporates materials such as tires, trash bags, ladders, soap, oil drums, and gasoline. Fire and pyrotechnics are used as chemical triggers. The film is nearly 29 minutes, 45 seconds long, but some of that is waiting for something to burn, or slowly slide down a ramp.

I first saw it while in college when a teacher was giving us an overview on early video art. I guarantee that taking 30 min out of your day to watch it will be well worth your time. TRUST ME..

The Way Things Go from Jay on Vimeo.

I showed that shit to my Nephew when he was like 6 and he couldn't take his eyes off it. Watching his reactions were also gold so be sure to check it out and show it to your friends :-)

It would be really rad..

2011-07-15T10:01:00.000-04:00

..if these 16mm home movies of a young Greg Lemond and others got into the right hands so the rest of us could see em:

Dude's asking a bit much tho :-/

First Custom made tool in: Sputnik Stem Jig!

2011-07-14T11:51:00.000-04:00

Super stoked to finally receive my Stem Jig from Sputnik tools:

It's SUPER solid and very well constructed. Just have to mess with it and get used to how everything works. Also need to make some sort of attachment so I can mount it on a bike stand or something..

I've also acquired a TON of other shit. I've found that it's a slow process gathering up all the right stuff to suit my needs...and my needs are many!

The one thing that was eluding me for the longest time was finding a proper surface plate. Granite surface plates are a dime a dozen compared to straight up steel ones. Whatever steel ones I could find were either too small or WAY too big and pricey. BUT.. Luckily I stumbled across Moses B. Glick of Fleetwood Pennsylvania and they had a TON of metal surface plates:

Unbelievably enough they had one in the EXACT size I was looking for: 3'x4' (indicated by the :-D face) Tho after walking around for 5 min I could see why- the place is HUGE and has the SICKEST assortment of random shit I have ever seen. I'm dying to go back just to take photos!

The other great thing is that they determin price by weight. At .60 cents a pound my new 750lb surface plate came out to $450! SUPER STOKED!! I was thinking I would have to spend a FUCKLOAD more. While there was a base to it, I opted out to make something myself. I got these super heavy duty caster wheels and priced out some raw steel yesterday at this kick ass steel place in Newark's Ironbound district..

The gnarly thing about the plate is how I managed to finagle it into the shop BY MYSELF. Yeah, my arms are wicked sore- from all the double back patting I've been doing! Seriously tho- that shit was a BEAST to move. When I got it they used a fork lift to dump it in the van I was using. I swear the back end dropped like a foot once the plate's weight was on it..

Basically it was a two step process. The first thing I had to do was get it out of the van to return it. I had put a bunch of wood under it so while there was no way in shit it could be lifted without like 8 dudes, it could be dragged out. So I took a nice rope and tied it to a solid spot in my garage and then hooked it on the plate in the back of the van. Then I basically drove the van out from under it while inserting cinder blocks underneath it as I went. Yeah, it was pretty ghetto, hence the lack of documentation.

The next and much more difficult step was to get it into the narrow hallway leading to the shop. My shop doesn't have garage doors which is why it makes shit like this a HUGE hassle. Fortunately since our brains are our strongest muscle, getting creative on this one was a cake walk for me :-P Anyways, I took the caster wheels and made myself a nice sturdy H shaped frame out of some 2x8" pieces of wood. Then took my handy dandy car jack and slowly dropped one end of the plate onto it. Now here's where it gets hairy. The plate's top is 3x4' and 7" thick. I had a max of like 30" to squeeze through to get to the shop. Which meant that the plate had to be brought in on a steep angle. So with one end on my little ghetto cart, I proceeded to jack the shit out of the other side way up. Two cinder blocks and a few bricks later I had it up to like 60 degrees, all the while being VERY conscious of where my feet were at all times. The last thing I need is that thing falling on me! Once I got it loaded up on the cart and blocks I took a couple of ratcheting straps and strapped it down to the cart to keep it extra steady. Then I just rolled the fucker in no sweat- AMAZING!

While I had no doubt my plan would work, it did seem crazy moving a chunk of steel that big by myself. Even when things seemed to being going perfectly smooth I was reminded of the reality of the situation every time I heard that unmistakeable sound of steel grinding on stone if I put too much force on and awkward side angle while pushing it in..

Next on my to do list is fabbing up the base and caster wheels along with wire wheeling the rust off the top. Once that's all done I just have to drill some holes for the Brigheli frame alignment tools I ordered :-)

I can think of quite a few people..

2011-07-09T00:17:00.001-04:00

..that I'd get a serious kick out of seeing them ride this:

No, for reals. Jiffy pop and a lounge chair is all I'd need..

A really great Presentation..

2011-07-08T13:42:00.001-04:00

..by Adam Savage from Mythbusters:

You really, really need to watch the whole thing to understand exactly what he's getting at. Aaaaaannnd it's pretty awesome!

Watching his presentation reminds me of why I have so many seemingly non ending projects always piling up and you know what?

FEELS GOOD MAN :-)

p.s. - I've always had an affinity for the Maltese Falcon too! WANT!!

Hope all y'allz have a happy Fourth!

2011-07-04T16:50:00.001-04:00

Yours truly be enjoying the RAD Fireworks display over the Hudson river from the cliffs of Weehawken NJ:

That video does it NO justice whatsoever! Seeing it in person really is something else. If you're a local you gotta do it. Just make sure you ride your bike over there since the traffic and crowds are REDDIC..

Naturally I have some fireworks on hand for a lil pre-gaming:

Now I just have to go out and get some meats for the grill:

Stoked! It's a beautiful day out here today too. Enjoy!!

Oh and if you're from a different country I guess you're shit out of Luck. Just be happy that you most likely have WAY better health care than we do..

My buddy Tom's machine gun shoot photos up on Time Magazine's Lightbox!

2011-06-28T19:20:00.001-04:00

While I'm super stoked on Tom's photos getting published on Time's photo site, I'm still super bummed I couldn't go have a little fun in the sun with hella gunz!

Good times huh?!

Be sure to check the rest of em' out on Lightbox!

Just a few snaps from the BFF..

2011-06-28T18:52:00.000-04:00

I hung out at the Bike Film Festival street party last weekend for a bit. Didn't really take too many snaps tho. Here's the few I thought were worth sharing:

HUGE air:

What you're not seeing is how the landing ramp was off kilter to the take off one..

This kid pulled some crazy ass bio-flip shit to fakie and actually stuck one of em!:

Then there was these two:

I can only speculate as to what that girl had tattooed on her lip that they felt was worth documenting..

Anyways, just been keeping busy as per usual. Got plenty to catch up with on here and I'll get to it when I have some free time..

NYC Bike Film Festival TOMORROW!

2011-06-24T15:37:00.001-04:00

See you mofoz there!