Monthly Archives: December 2013

10 years… that’s a long time. Cheers to 10 more Cadence!

Go check out all the new goodies Cadence just dropped to celebrate 10 years of business.

This weekend was the first REALLY cold ride of the season. It wasn’t that the weather was insane so much as the gloves I wore trapped sweat on my hands then froze them horribly!!  I started the ride with some slim fitting (which are still huge) snowboarding gloves that I thought would defeat the cold. After about an hour of riding my fingers turned to popsicles and I had to swap out gloves to the Giro Westerly Wool.  The Westerly Wool’s work great down to about 40’ish degrees depending on how long you’ll be riding, but not so much for the low 20’s on top of the mountain… and who knows what the wind chill was coming down; but the Westerly Wool’s did a hell of a lot better than those damn hand refrigerators I started out with. Two things I need immediately… a solid cycling purposed winter glove and face cover. Then I’ll be set.

Complaint sess over… Now, as mentioned in the previous post, “Early morning rides are peacefully eerie.” This Saturday morning ride was. AMAZING!!! I started out at Blevins Bicycle Co. and rode 6 miles north to the start of the climb. Facing headwinds close to 20 mph… it was a solid warm up for the chill I was about to face. I duck into a neighborhood to minimalize the wind until I get up to the climb. No one is awake yet. No cars on the streets. Just me, the wind and Old Man Winter. I jut my jaw forward to blow my warm stank coffee breath on my nose that helps keep Old Man Winter at bay.  Just getting to the start of the climb, the heat is kicking in and I know I’m totally good for the next slow 7’ish miles to the top.

As I climb, the fog is setting in. The frost is growing on the low bushes and brush. It’s incredibly beautiful and getting increasingly colder. With my popsicle’esk fingers, I pull out my iPhone and start snapping away. I had a lot of ideas of what I wanted to capture but couldn’t really move my nubs to take the photos, so I opted for only a couple spots I knew would be way rad.

The photo below is on the climb up via an old closed down portion of the road.  About 400 meters further up, everything is icy white. I start getting really amped.  Two spots cross my mind. The overlook at the top of the route and this relatively flat mountain bike trail that would be so good to ride and shoot in this weather. I prop my bike up against the wall… snap, snap, snap… take a look at how the three turn out and right after the third preview (with 58% “battery life” left) my phone dies due to cold… Old Man Winter killed my phone!!

As I damn my phone and Old Man Winter, I contemplate riding the MTB trail anyways… then the thought creeps in, ‘I only have one spare tube. I had a double flat last wooded ride. My phone is dead. No one is dumb enough to hike this today. I will die.’ So I turn around and start heading down the mountain at a very uncomfortable chill level.

Long story longer… I make it back to Blevins, change out of my newly acquired UPNESS kit and coverings. Drink a cup of coffee and share my freeze story with the fellas.

The leaves have fallen. The cold has set in. Early morning rides are peacefully eerie. I truly dig the melancholy vibe of this season.

I hope you’re soaking up this goodness in your neck of the woods.

F1

F2

Le VSCO

“We use integrated headsets on all of our higher end bikes and swear by them so much so that we decided to introduce our own. Your Fairdale headset will randomly arrive with one of 3 different “Every Pedal” slogan top caps” – Fairdale

Yup… these are pretty great! Fairdale, never not killing it. Go check’em out.

“Christopher is an instant friend to anyone that meets him.” – Murph

He really is!! What an amazing fella. Aaron Edge and I had the absolute pleasure of checking this out behind the scenes. We also shared in a few drinks and food afterwards. Really great job by SWOBO. If you haven’t checked them out… you really should. I sincerely dig the Movers and Makers project.

(two more randoms from the day)

Enjoy. Get inspired. Ride x Create!

You will win at life when you drink from these. You’re welcome.

AETHERfocus: Argonaut Cycles from Aether Apparel on Vimeo.

THIS!!

Ben Farver is one solid fella. I love this promo with Aether Apparel!

Enjoy. Get pumped. Go ride. Go create!

WHAT!? Have you seen these?

“-Made from upcycled scrap material

-Made in house

-Fits several Cards, ID’s and Cash

-Elastic for those paydays.

-Colors vary from piece to piece. If you are partial to a particular color let me know in the notes of the order and I will do my best to accommodate. Suggestions cannot be guaranteed do to the nature of scrap materials. ” – DKlein

You win for only $15. You’re welcome.

Photo by Jeremy Dunn

“I got a few decent close up photos of the bike and another photo of Ty making a face.” – Jeremy Dunn

This is pretty great. I dig how Jeremy writes. Go to The Athletic and check out his write up on Stinner Frameworks x Mudfoot. You will smile.

Photo by someone rad… not me

Bend it like Bryant.

“There’s always more than one way to get it done.  This is how I bend my fork blades.  The fixture is in continual evolution as I build more, but there it is as of now.” – Joshua Bryant