Minus Ten Review- 38

One product over all and in the bottle or can to bind them!

Ten years ago on the blog I was mostly blathering on about Interbike. I was still excited about going back then and this would be probably the best show from the standpoint of a trade show atmosphere and news worthiness that I would ever go to since that time. After 2007, it was a slow decline into the abyss for Interbike.

One odd thing I noted back then was the seemingly inexplicable desire by bike riders to drink Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. I never have quite figured out why that was, It isn't such a big deal anymore, what with all the craft brewing non-sense we have in every nook and cranny in the Nation now, but back then craft brewing was basically New Belgium Brewing and Sam Adams. That was pretty much it. Anyway, here is a quote I pulled back ten years ago from "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" which posted a "Quote Of The Day" about this phenomenon.

"These are harsh times and it calls for a harsh beer. Pabst Blue Ribbon is just the thing. It is not shoved down your throat with multi-million dollar mass marketing, it is simply a decent cheap beer. This beer is America whether you like it or not. It is real for what that is worth anymore." -Published last year in the Oakland Tribune"

So, since, I believe, 2007 is probably seen, in retrospect, as being a lot less tough than now, can we expect a resurgence of PBR drinking cyclists? I wouldn't bet on that.

But who knows?  

Minus Ten Review- 38

One product over all and in the bottle or can to bind them!

Ten years ago on the blog I was mostly blathering on about Interbike. I was still excited about going back then and this would be probably the best show from the standpoint of a trade show atmosphere and news worthiness that I would ever go to since that time. After 2007, it was a slow decline into the abyss for Interbike.

One odd thing I noted back then was the seemingly inexplicable desire by bike riders to drink Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. I never have quite figured out why that was, It isn't such a big deal anymore, what with all the craft brewing non-sense we have in every nook and cranny in the Nation now, but back then craft brewing was basically New Belgium Brewing and Sam Adams. That was pretty much it. Anyway, here is a quote I pulled back ten years ago from "Bicycle Retailer and Industry News" which posted a "Quote Of The Day" about this phenomenon.

"These are harsh times and it calls for a harsh beer. Pabst Blue Ribbon is just the thing. It is not shoved down your throat with multi-million dollar mass marketing, it is simply a decent cheap beer. This beer is America whether you like it or not. It is real for what that is worth anymore." -Published last year in the Oakland Tribune"

So, since, I believe, 2007 is probably seen, in retrospect, as being a lot less tough than now, can we expect a resurgence of PBR drinking cyclists? I wouldn't bet on that.

But who knows?  

Prioritizing

Capping off Father's Day with some fellow Dads.

So, while many of you reading this may not be fathers, I am. It is a distinct honor, privilege, and responsibility that I do not take lightly or for granted. I am beyond humbled, stoked, and blessed to be a "father" to two children and to represent being a father to a few others in this World.

So, bike riding, while an awesome activity, and central to who I am as a person, is secondary to being a father. This having been that weekend designated for chaps like myself, I decided to not be selfish and to engage in being the Dad that I am to the two people I have been gifted to be that person to.

It was good, but I did sneak a bicycle ride in. I went for a capper to the weekend that included a fixed gear ramble over to Lark Brewing, a local brewery, and met up with two co-workers of mine from the shop that are also fathers. We traded stories of fatherhood and more over a flite of fine brews and then I aimed my non-coasting rig back to the homestead.

Anyway, all this to say that there are some things in Life more important than cycling, and being honored and entrusted to being a father is one of those more important things. I hope that no father out there feels cheated for having to accept the accolades and/or being the dutiful Dad that this past weekend seeks to impose upon us who are blessed in such a manner.

Prioritizing

Capping off Father's Day with some fellow Dads.

So, while many of you reading this may not be fathers, I am. It is a distinct honor, privilege, and responsibility that I do not take lightly or for granted. I am beyond humbled, stoked, and blessed to be a "father" to two children and to represent being a father to a few others in this World.

So, bike riding, while an awesome activity, and central to who I am as a person, is secondary to being a father. This having been that weekend designated for chaps like myself, I decided to not be selfish and to engage in being the Dad that I am to the two people I have been gifted to be that person to.

It was good, but I did sneak a bicycle ride in. I went for a capper to the weekend that included a fixed gear ramble over to Lark Brewing, a local brewery, and met up with two co-workers of mine from the shop that are also fathers. We traded stories of fatherhood and more over a flite of fine brews and then I aimed my non-coasting rig back to the homestead.

Anyway, all this to say that there are some things in Life more important than cycling, and being honored and entrusted to being a father is one of those more important things. I hope that no father out there feels cheated for having to accept the accolades and/or being the dutiful Dad that this past weekend seeks to impose upon us who are blessed in such a manner.

DK My Way: Travel Daze

Packed and ready to roll out.

Thursday I needed to be ready to roll with Tony by 11:00am when he and I agreed he should swing by to pick me and my stuff up. Thursday morning when I awoke at 5:30am I did not have a thing packed.

Yeah.....that's an issue. 

So, I get the kids off to school and say goodbye to Mrs. Guitar Ted as she leaves for work, and I get cracking. I had a mental checklist of things I was going to take, so it went smoothly, and in the end, I even had time to run to the bank and sit on the porch with a cup of coffee and watch the local city maintenance guys chop down a three story tall cottonwood that had gotten damaged in a recent storm.

Tony rolled up and we were off with fair skies and a hope for good times ahead. Things were going smoothly when suddenly Tony mentioned food and we were sliding over to the gravel parking area next to a food truck in a tiny village called Albion Iowa. I looked and it was a pork and tenderloin affair. We both got the tenderloin without the bun and a coleslaw side with a drink. Holy smokes! Was that ever a good bit of meat. Just shows that you never know where you might find a good meal.

Someone had an accident which bottle necked I-435. We were stopped at this point.

If there were some way to get to Emporia efficiently from where we live without going near Kansas City, we would do that. But unfortunately, we ended up mired in traffic in KC, and of course, it was during rush hour. Oh well......

That was a mere blemish on what otherwise was a fun, decent trip down to Emporia. We got our room secured at Emporia State University, and we went there to check in first off. Last year the air conditioning was broken, and the stay was, well......miserable. This time, as we went into the residence hall, Tony remarked that the air was working. That was a good sign but when we opened the door to room 712 of the South Residence Hall, boy howdy!

It may not look like much, but for what we needed, it was perfect.

 We opened that door and it felt like a walk in cooler. Awesome! We actually had to turn the A/C down a bit, it was so cold. Cheers to the Emporia State Maintenance/HVAC crew! They had the air crankin' all weekend and it was much appreciated. Next order of business was to get something to eat. We went to the Radius Brewing Company, which also has really great, inexpensive food, and top notch service. The Black IPA was really killer, and a beer and my soup and sandwich was under $12.00. Crazy.

After this we went to Mulready's Pub and sat and sampled some more different IPA's before heading back to our personal walk in cooler that just happened to be a bedroom and went to sleep. We had a full day on Friday to do all sorts of things and we were really looking forward to meeting our friends.

Next: DK My Way: Gravel Family Reunion

DK My Way: Travel Daze

Packed and ready to roll out.

Thursday I needed to be ready to roll with Tony by 11:00am when he and I agreed he should swing by to pick me and my stuff up. Thursday morning when I awoke at 5:30am I did not have a thing packed.

Yeah.....that's an issue. 

So, I get the kids off to school and say goodbye to Mrs. Guitar Ted as she leaves for work, and I get cracking. I had a mental checklist of things I was going to take, so it went smoothly, and in the end, I even had time to run to the bank and sit on the porch with a cup of coffee and watch the local city maintenance guys chop down a three story tall cottonwood that had gotten damaged in a recent storm.

Tony rolled up and we were off with fair skies and a hope for good times ahead. Things were going smoothly when suddenly Tony mentioned food and we were sliding over to the gravel parking area next to a food truck in a tiny village called Albion Iowa. I looked and it was a pork and tenderloin affair. We both got the tenderloin without the bun and a coleslaw side with a drink. Holy smokes! Was that ever a good bit of meat. Just shows that you never know where you might find a good meal.

Someone had an accident which bottle necked I-435. We were stopped at this point.

If there were some way to get to Emporia efficiently from where we live without going near Kansas City, we would do that. But unfortunately, we ended up mired in traffic in KC, and of course, it was during rush hour. Oh well......

That was a mere blemish on what otherwise was a fun, decent trip down to Emporia. We got our room secured at Emporia State University, and we went there to check in first off. Last year the air conditioning was broken, and the stay was, well......miserable. This time, as we went into the residence hall, Tony remarked that the air was working. That was a good sign but when we opened the door to room 712 of the South Residence Hall, boy howdy!

It may not look like much, but for what we needed, it was perfect.

 We opened that door and it felt like a walk in cooler. Awesome! We actually had to turn the A/C down a bit, it was so cold. Cheers to the Emporia State Maintenance/HVAC crew! They had the air crankin' all weekend and it was much appreciated. Next order of business was to get something to eat. We went to the Radius Brewing Company, which also has really great, inexpensive food, and top notch service. The Black IPA was really killer, and a beer and my soup and sandwich was under $12.00. Crazy.

After this we went to Mulready's Pub and sat and sampled some more different IPA's before heading back to our personal walk in cooler that just happened to be a bedroom and went to sleep. We had a full day on Friday to do all sorts of things and we were really looking forward to meeting our friends.

Next: DK My Way: Gravel Family Reunion

Fargo Reunion Ride- Part 1

A Weber grill, wood fire, and beer. Adds up to trouble sometimes!

The Fargo Reunion Ride, (name determined by Jason Boucher, who instigated this), was set to go on Friday October 28th, from near Northfield Minnesota. It was a ride to gather together those that would have been able to come that had done past Fargo Adventure Rides, or anyone that wanted to come along. The other reason, and probably the main reason for the ride actually, was to celebrate Jason Boucher's birthday. As Jason himself put it, the Fargo and its development was the reason for several of his friendships through the years. So it only seemed appropriate to him to have a bit of a "Fargo Adventure Ride" as part of his birthday. Oh....and Friday was actually Jason's birthday, so that was why I left on Thursday afternoon to arrive in Northfield for the next day's ride.

Myself and my family are friends with Ben Witt and his family, and Ben had asked if we would come up and stay with them in Northfield, which is a short distance from where the ride was to start in Nerstrand. We arrived late in the afternoon, so we had some time to hang out Thursday evening.

Well, Ben has a Weber grill turned fire pit, only, you know......elevated. So, anyway, after some barbecuing, and after a few beers, my brother MG comes along. He was staying with Martini, another old acquaintance of mine. MG shows up with Martini at Ben's place and brings a bottle of Templeton Rye which disappeared. Really fast. I blame this for the following actions of the evening of Thursday, October 27th, and these actions definitely affected the Fargo Reunion Ride.

It seems as though some talk of a night ride was being brought up, and after a short but enthusiastic deliberation, we were found with helmets on and lights ablaze. I'm not clear on the origins of the ride or the purpose, or the destination. I was just following along. Next thing ya know, I misjudge a curb and I am endo/face planted on the grass near a skate park. This is less than a block from Ben's place, by the way. I was a bit dazed, but I seemed okay. Since I was last in line, no one knew I had crashed. As I picked myself slowly up off the ground, and tried to remount my bicycle, I heard that awful sound of a bicycle smashing against the cement, and a loud "oof!" followed by voices of concern. As I reached the bouncing, blazing bubbles of LED light, I noted we were all on our way again.

Somehow or another, I managed to snap off this pic with my iPhone during the infamous night ride.

We then found ourselves going up a steep dirt path, then out on to a tree topped hill, and the open sky. I knew we were on one of the college campuses, and we all stopped to chat. I had no idea why we were hanging out here, but suddenly I was aware of someone moving toward us.

An African-American woman in an official looking uniform with a shining badge was strolling up the hill and into the midst of us. She asked for "college ID's". Ha! Well, we were soon dispatched and we complied immediately. Back down the hill from which we had come up, (I think), and then a sudden stop. Ben had wiped out. I had no idea what the matter was. I noticed my BarYak "wing extension" had been flopping around. huh! Guess I broke that bit. Meanwhile a bit of commotion surrounding Ben was going on. I took my phone out, (apparently, I didn't find the image until well over a day or so later), and snapped a pic, then stowed the phone back again, wherever I had put it. We then went back to the home of Ben to discover that I had crashed, MG had biffed it in the skate park, and Ben had wiped out, cutting open the skin on both hands on the digits.

Ben had also rung his bell pretty good too. Apparently in the same crash coming back to the house. That almost kept him home the next day. Well, not only that, but the drinking and staying up too late, which also affected several of the rest of us. Whoops! I was pretty banged up as well as MG. We both were bruised and hungover. Not a good way to look at the beginning of a ride of the Rawland Route, which isn't necessarily easy by any stretch of the imagination.

I awoke Friday to a quiet house with two hours to get to the ride start. I got ready, albeit I was in quite the fog, if you know what I mean. Ben was pretty slow to get going, and when Justin The Younger showed up, he was a bit concerned about our arrival time at Nerstrand. That'swhere we were to get by 9:00am. Well, no need to worry. After a quick stop for some awesome bagels, we were off and made it there by 9:02am. Fashionably late.

Next- The Fargo Reunion Ride- Part 2

Fargo Reunion Ride- Part 1

A Weber grill, wood fire, and beer. Adds up to trouble sometimes!

The Fargo Reunion Ride, (name determined by Jason Boucher, who instigated this), was set to go on Friday October 28th, from near Northfield Minnesota. It was a ride to gather together those that would have been able to come that had done past Fargo Adventure Rides, or anyone that wanted to come along. The other reason, and probably the main reason for the ride actually, was to celebrate Jason Boucher's birthday. As Jason himself put it, the Fargo and its development was the reason for several of his friendships through the years. So it only seemed appropriate to him to have a bit of a "Fargo Adventure Ride" as part of his birthday. Oh....and Friday was actually Jason's birthday, so that was why I left on Thursday afternoon to arrive in Northfield for the next day's ride.

Myself and my family are friends with Ben Witt and his family, and Ben had asked if we would come up and stay with them in Northfield, which is a short distance from where the ride was to start in Nerstrand. We arrived late in the afternoon, so we had some time to hang out Thursday evening.

Well, Ben has a Weber grill turned fire pit, only, you know......elevated. So, anyway, after some barbecuing, and after a few beers, my brother MG comes along. He was staying with Martini, another old acquaintance of mine. MG shows up with Martini at Ben's place and brings a bottle of Templeton Rye which disappeared. Really fast. I blame this for the following actions of the evening of Thursday, October 27th, and these actions definitely affected the Fargo Reunion Ride.

It seems as though some talk of a night ride was being brought up, and after a short but enthusiastic deliberation, we were found with helmets on and lights ablaze. I'm not clear on the origins of the ride or the purpose, or the destination. I was just following along. Next thing ya know, I misjudge a curb and I am endo/face planted on the grass near a skate park. This is less than a block from Ben's place, by the way. I was a bit dazed, but I seemed okay. Since I was last in line, no one knew I had crashed. As I picked myself slowly up off the ground, and tried to remount my bicycle, I heard that awful sound of a bicycle smashing against the cement, and a loud "oof!" followed by voices of concern. As I reached the bouncing, blazing bubbles of LED light, I noted we were all on our way again.

Somehow or another, I managed to snap off this pic with my iPhone during the infamous night ride.

We then found ourselves going up a steep dirt path, then out on to a tree topped hill, and the open sky. I knew we were on one of the college campuses, and we all stopped to chat. I had no idea why we were hanging out here, but suddenly I was aware of someone moving toward us.

An African-American woman in an official looking uniform with a shining badge was strolling up the hill and into the midst of us. She asked for "college ID's". Ha! Well, we were soon dispatched and we complied immediately. Back down the hill from which we had come up, (I think), and then a sudden stop. Ben had wiped out. I had no idea what the matter was. I noticed my BarYak "wing extension" had been flopping around. huh! Guess I broke that bit. Meanwhile a bit of commotion surrounding Ben was going on. I took my phone out, (apparently, I didn't find the image until well over a day or so later), and snapped a pic, then stowed the phone back again, wherever I had put it. We then went back to the home of Ben to discover that I had crashed, MG had biffed it in the skate park, and Ben had wiped out, cutting open the skin on both hands on the digits.

Ben had also rung his bell pretty good too. Apparently in the same crash coming back to the house. That almost kept him home the next day. Well, not only that, but the drinking and staying up too late, which also affected several of the rest of us. Whoops! I was pretty banged up as well as MG. We both were bruised and hungover. Not a good way to look at the beginning of a ride of the Rawland Route, which isn't necessarily easy by any stretch of the imagination.

I awoke Friday to a quiet house with two hours to get to the ride start. I got ready, albeit I was in quite the fog, if you know what I mean. Ben was pretty slow to get going, and when Justin The Younger showed up, he was a bit concerned about our arrival time at Nerstrand. That'swhere we were to get by 9:00am. Well, no need to worry. After a quick stop for some awesome bagels, we were off and made it there by 9:02am. Fashionably late.

Next- The Fargo Reunion Ride- Part 2

Slow Cooking This Thing

Beer, gravel roads, maybe some music.......what could go wrong?

Friday I mentioned a bit about this gravel double metric ride I am involved in getting organized and off the ground. Myself and the other gentleman involved with this went and did a little recon of a different type on Saturday after I finished up teaching a mechanic's class at the shop where I work. (There is another class this Saturday, and spots are still open, I believe.) Anyway.....

We went to the town where we want to get this ball rolling and met with a business owner who was very excited about the possibilities for this. Now here's the deal- we are starting small, with reasonable expectations. We want this to not only be manageable, but most importantly, successful. For everyone involved from the town, the businesses, the organizers, and the riders. So, with all of that in mind, the cap for this deal is going to 150 folks for the first year. We feel that will be very manageable, on all fronts. If things look good after year one, it could grow. That will yet to be determined.

Format: The event will have two distances, one 200K course, the other a 100K course. (126 miles and 63 miles respectively) There may be two start times, we'll see. There will probably be timed sections which will account for the "winners" in a couple of categories. Otherwise it will be more like a fondo. You'll go through a town with a convenience store, and we are planning a special surprise in the middle of nowhere for those that get that far. Anyway, after the ride, there will be beer, and we're looking for a way to get a band and food in the mix as well. Oh yeah, the beer will be craft brewed locally, and there will be a special beer just for the event.

Time: September 3rd, which is the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. We figured that gives folks time to do other things and/or get home without having to work the next day.

The "What" will be better defined for you soon, when we know all the details. We are not even sure what we are calling the event yet! That goes for the "Where" of this as well. Well, we know where it is going to be, but we're not saying publicly just yet.

Stay tuned.........

Slow Cooking This Thing

Beer, gravel roads, maybe some music.......what could go wrong?

Friday I mentioned a bit about this gravel double metric ride I am involved in getting organized and off the ground. Myself and the other gentleman involved with this went and did a little recon of a different type on Saturday after I finished up teaching a mechanic's class at the shop where I work. (There is another class this Saturday, and spots are still open, I believe.) Anyway.....

We went to the town where we want to get this ball rolling and met with a business owner who was very excited about the possibilities for this. Now here's the deal- we are starting small, with reasonable expectations. We want this to not only be manageable, but most importantly, successful. For everyone involved from the town, the businesses, the organizers, and the riders. So, with all of that in mind, the cap for this deal is going to 150 folks for the first year. We feel that will be very manageable, on all fronts. If things look good after year one, it could grow. That will yet to be determined.

Format: The event will have two distances, one 200K course, the other a 100K course. (126 miles and 63 miles respectively) There may be two start times, we'll see. There will probably be timed sections which will account for the "winners" in a couple of categories. Otherwise it will be more like a fondo. You'll go through a town with a convenience store, and we are planning a special surprise in the middle of nowhere for those that get that far. Anyway, after the ride, there will be beer, and we're looking for a way to get a band and food in the mix as well. Oh yeah, the beer will be craft brewed locally, and there will be a special beer just for the event.

Time: September 3rd, which is the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. We figured that gives folks time to do other things and/or get home without having to work the next day.

The "What" will be better defined for you soon, when we know all the details. We are not even sure what we are calling the event yet! That goes for the "Where" of this as well. Well, we know where it is going to be, but we're not saying publicly just yet.

Stay tuned.........

Upgrading

It's been a while now since Guitar Ted Laboratories has been operational. Years have gone by, and in all that time, I never had one of the essential items for an operational bike shop: the "beer fridge".

Stocked and Chilled!

Not that one has to have this, but it sure seems to go together with bicycle work in a recreational sort of way. Much akin to barbecuing, bicycle work is somewhat more enjoyable for me when I have a beer reward at the end.

Maybe that's just me though.

Anyway, I got some work done on a bicycle that will be making the almost annual trek down to Texas with me. I can only take two bikes, and I was going to take By-Tor down with something-something I can't mention yet, but that isn't going to happen in time. So, I went with a "Plan B" which should prove to be very good in a number of ways.

Candy Apple Red Goodness

The recently completed WTB Frequency/American Classic wheel set was going to need testing. I was wanting to pop these on the Titus, but that would take a 15QR axle kit that I don't have time to get now.

So, I remembered I have to finish up the review on Twenty Nine Inches for the Milwaukee Bicycle Company 29"er. I decided to put those new wheels on that rig, and take it down to Texas, but first, I had to modify the drive train.

Off came the 18T Surly cog and a 22T Surly cog went on in its place. Even with the amount of riding I have done this year already, (which is a ton more than I have this early since 2007), I still am going to end up walking some ups with that 22T on the machine. But at least I should be able to ride more than I would have anyway. I know the last single speed bike I took down there was a 32 X 18 and it was severely limited in what I could pull off with it in that rocky, tough terrain down there.

The Milwaukee also has a bit better "trail" set up to it. It is very maneuverable and has a bit taller bottom bracket for better clearances. Important to have this down there in the rocks!

The wheels here will be covered in the newest tires from WTB, the Bronson TCS models which have a grippy, aggressive tread design which appears to be much better suited to loose rocks than the Geax AKA's that were on it previously.

So, the Lab got upgraded and so did the Milwaukee 29"er. That and some tidying up around the house made for a successful day yesterday.

Upgrading

It's been a while now since Guitar Ted Laboratories has been operational. Years have gone by, and in all that time, I never had one of the essential items for an operational bike shop: the "beer fridge".

Stocked and Chilled!

Not that one has to have this, but it sure seems to go together with bicycle work in a recreational sort of way. Much akin to barbecuing, bicycle work is somewhat more enjoyable for me when I have a beer reward at the end.

Maybe that's just me though.

Anyway, I got some work done on a bicycle that will be making the almost annual trek down to Texas with me. I can only take two bikes, and I was going to take By-Tor down with something-something I can't mention yet, but that isn't going to happen in time. So, I went with a "Plan B" which should prove to be very good in a number of ways.

Candy Apple Red Goodness

The recently completed WTB Frequency/American Classic wheel set was going to need testing. I was wanting to pop these on the Titus, but that would take a 15QR axle kit that I don't have time to get now.

So, I remembered I have to finish up the review on Twenty Nine Inches for the Milwaukee Bicycle Company 29"er. I decided to put those new wheels on that rig, and take it down to Texas, but first, I had to modify the drive train.

Off came the 18T Surly cog and a 22T Surly cog went on in its place. Even with the amount of riding I have done this year already, (which is a ton more than I have this early since 2007), I still am going to end up walking some ups with that 22T on the machine. But at least I should be able to ride more than I would have anyway. I know the last single speed bike I took down there was a 32 X 18 and it was severely limited in what I could pull off with it in that rocky, tough terrain down there.

The Milwaukee also has a bit better "trail" set up to it. It is very maneuverable and has a bit taller bottom bracket for better clearances. Important to have this down there in the rocks!

The wheels here will be covered in the newest tires from WTB, the Bronson TCS models which have a grippy, aggressive tread design which appears to be much better suited to loose rocks than the Geax AKA's that were on it previously.

So, the Lab got upgraded and so did the Milwaukee 29"er. That and some tidying up around the house made for a successful day yesterday.

This Is Big

<===Your wheels are not big. These wheels are big.

Today we are going to have a lesson in what is big, and what is not big. Too much hype and hysteria is used these days in touting certain things and aspects of our culture as "big", so I thought a reset was in order.

Like this red bicycle here. It has 36 inch wheels. That's one yard folks! The guys running around, bragging on their bling 22 inchers? Yeah......whatever! 29"er bicyclists giving you a hard time about your "kiddie wheels"? Ha! They haven't got a thing on these hoops, which make a 29"er wheel look like a child's plaything. Now that's big, I tell ya!

<===From Russia with love.

And here we have a beer. Yes folks.....two liters of lager! That's big. It comes from Russia. That's a big, big country. You got a micro-brew that you think is "the bomb"? Ha! This beer comes from the country that made us get into a lot of bombs. Now that's big!

Big taste? Whatever dude! Our American lagers "pale" in comparison to the taste of this heady brown beauty. It actually has a taste! Now that's really big. I tell ya what, the Russians could teach us a thing or two about lager. (And drinking, but that might be a lesson better left un-learned!)

Now when you hear all the hype on the inner-webs and the media about something that is "big" or that is "big news", you'll know better. Just bookmark this blog post for future reference so you will always be grounded in what is really big, and what is not.

Editor's Note: Thanks to Craig Severson for the ballistic missile sized beer and Mrs. Guitar Ted for graciously being my hand model.

Oh yeah! Did I mention that Cannondale is doing a carbon 29"er called the "Flash"? No? Well it's a 2010 product. Stay tuned.......(by the way, that's BIG!)

This Is Big

<===Your wheels are not big. These wheels are big.

Today we are going to have a lesson in what is big, and what is not big. Too much hype and hysteria is used these days in touting certain things and aspects of our culture as "big", so I thought a reset was in order.

Like this red bicycle here. It has 36 inch wheels. That's one yard folks! The guys running around, bragging on their bling 22 inchers? Yeah......whatever! 29"er bicyclists giving you a hard time about your "kiddie wheels"? Ha! They haven't got a thing on these hoops, which make a 29"er wheel look like a child's plaything. Now that's big, I tell ya!

<===From Russia with love.

And here we have a beer. Yes folks.....two liters of lager! That's big. It comes from Russia. That's a big, big country. You got a micro-brew that you think is "the bomb"? Ha! This beer comes from the country that made us get into a lot of bombs. Now that's big!

Big taste? Whatever dude! Our American lagers "pale" in comparison to the taste of this heady brown beauty. It actually has a taste! Now that's really big. I tell ya what, the Russians could teach us a thing or two about lager. (And drinking, but that might be a lesson better left un-learned!)

Now when you hear all the hype on the inner-webs and the media about something that is "big" or that is "big news", you'll know better. Just bookmark this blog post for future reference so you will always be grounded in what is really big, and what is not.

Editor's Note: Thanks to Craig Severson for the ballistic missile sized beer and Mrs. Guitar Ted for graciously being my hand model.

Oh yeah! Did I mention that Cannondale is doing a carbon 29"er called the "Flash"? No? Well it's a 2010 product. Stay tuned.......(by the way, that's BIG!)