Housekeeping

Last nights ride was one for the books. The entire crew (save one member) turned out. Good food, good beer, and good friends. There was more than a bit of catching up to do for official business. The following were recorded as meeting minutes and voting issues:

1. Ishmael was granted a bid of good standing and farewell as he relocates to Connecticut.
Passed 9-0
2. The Donger (not present) was not afforded the same status due in part to abstention as well as a lack the requisite "going away beer".
Rejected 1-8
3. Radar was placed on administrative probation for issues that will not be described herein and will remain in sealed meeting minutes. Lets just say i think he learned his lesson.
Upheld 5-4
Items submitted for vote by members lacking the requisite rank to bring issues to a vote:
Issac being placed on administrative probation.
The creation of a Montana SK chapter

Lets go.

Fresh horses and tequilla for my men, for tonight......we ride!
Its expected to be 114 degrees tomorrow. Maricopa county has issued a heat advisory ( i guess that means there are people in Arizona that would otherwise not know it was friggen hot) but there are things to discuss, beer to drink, songs to be sung. Actually no songs to be sung but i wish someone would come up with a fight song or team jingle. I think it would add a bit of legitimacy. Speaking of legitimacy, i was invited to sit in at BicycleRadio.com last night and discuss Arizonas premiere fixed gear crew; The Street Kings. The subject of photos like this never came up. The fact that my crew has all the local alleycat talent locked up, did however. Its all over town babe.

Europa!

Turns out its easy to get lost in Europe. The small towns, language barrier, and all those goddam roundabouts make for quite a difficult go. Finding the tour stages in France was as difficult as finding a glass of ice in Italy. As none of us really knew our way around or were adept at the language, deciding which turn to take usually was decided by popular vote. The map and my gut instinct said left, but the vote in the car was 4-0 to turn right. Lets just say there was something lost in translation.

Custom

Have you ever watched Orange county choppers? Well if you havent there is a group of guys somewhere back east ( I guess its not Orange county California) that build motorcycles for famous people and celebrities and sports guys etc. Here is one they made for cycling strong man Lance Armstrong.

































I thought I could do the same thing with fixed gear bikes. You know, check the guys out and then make a bike that is unique and special for them. Since i dont know any real bona fide celebs, i had to make due. I think its going to make a great looking resume.

Here is Olympic swimmer Inge De bruijn.



















And here is the bike i put together for her with some minor mods for comfort sake.



















A tribute piece i did for Michael Jackson. I think it speaks to his love of both plastic toys and children.


















Its a work in progress.

















The count from Sesame Street. (not actually the count, but the guy that runs the puppet on Tuesdays and Sundays for the Omaha affiliate.















Its whimsical and makes mathmatical sense. One...one gear. Two...two brakes. Three...three dollar water bottle.

T-minus

7 days until the Street Kings are taking this show international. Thats right, a handpicked crew of Kings are headed over the pond to take care of some business. When i say business i mean kicking ass and taking names. Up to this point the ass kicking has been mostly on a local basis, but i thought why not expand the empire? Blow this shit up right? Turns out the tickets I got on Ebay for the Michael Jackson comeback tour, last month to surprise the boys with are worth less than the king of pop himself but i am sure we can find something else to keep busy with. I for one plan on drinking enough european ale to stimulate the European union. Here are my current concerns for the venture:
1) XXI goes about two meters in height, thats about 20 cm longer than the average bed in Italy.
2) Can i get a 12 pack down during the 15 minute layover in Philidelphia?
3) An Amerstam day trip is looking less likely by the minute.
4) Is a speedo required or recommended?

Happy fourth of July.

I thought i would take the single speed out for a spin this morning. What a disaster. I flatted with a ripped sidewall on the rear only a couple of miles out. I tried to cover the tear with flat fluid and re-gas it up. No soap. Not to worry, i had a tube to replace the tubeless set up. Once i wrestled the liner out and dumped the remainder of the fluid from the tire, i blew a bit into the tube just to give it some shape. It wouldnt even take air. Upon inspection i find a four inch split on one of the seams. Now i need a tube and air. I reassemble the bike and start the hike back, the IF across my back. At some point in my shifting the bike from shoulder to shoulder, the rear tire catches a huge piece of cactus and then deposits it in my left kidney. The walk itself wasnt that bad, although i only passed a handful of bikers, no 29ers. The problem with hike-a-bike isnt the weight of the bike or the heat, its the stiff soles of the biking shoes that dont allow your foot to flex. Thats great for biking, terrible for hiking. I ended up with half-dollar sized blisters on the back of both feet. The only thing that kept me going with a smile was remembering i had the first stage of the tour recorded and waiting at home. the Council of Doom makes their debut today. The day is going to get better, it cant get worse.

Its on....on like...

You know what its on like. Dont make me say it. The Council of doom is set and the other teams are scrambling. There have been multiple team "adjustments" by other SK members. A scramble if you will to out think the thinker. My team was set months ago after months of careful planning and stategery. Now all i have to do is spring the trap. It goes without saying, and yes i had to make this warning months ago too, anyone dopes, ecspecially if they are repping with SK, They get called out right here on the interwebs. Nothing else needs said on that matter. In other business news: SK ride next Tuesday. Donger has put in for a transfer and will need a majority vote to carry his title that far outside of controlled territory. I can tell you his initial bid to create a faction in his new abode and call it the "Prairie Kings" will not be voted on as it was defeated with presidential veto after a round of hearty ridicule. Perhaps by ride time we will have a little better view of this years tour shakeout, perhaps not. Time will tell.