fixed impressions

In a surprise burst of inspiration, I pulled the secret hip-hop crates to cut a rare hip-hop set. Check it out. Not your run of the mill set. NOTE: THIS MIX IS NOT A RADIO EDIT. There is a fair amount of NOT-FCC approved language. Just so you know.

GONTERIAN :: RADIO 3 New Show HIP HOP

Peace.

G.

As the summer winds down, cool air and cool thoughts blow in from the west. Just had biking buddy CJ from OR here with me for a week. We biked, hiked, and raged. VT was good to us. Most of our plans worked out just right.

One broken water filter. That was the downside. Well, we got a little wet too.

He gave me some great interview clips for the upcoming feature video.

I’ve been out of the loop for a week as a result. I’ve been trying to get an update on the production of my new 26″ Vulture fix/free MTB…I’m hoping to get it built and have a few rides on it before mamma nature takes the trails to winter mode. Rock on Wade, but don’t rush it. I can wait….at least a few more minutes.

Scorcher: I’ve been contemplating lowering the 40/21 to a 39/21. Most likely I’ll wait until the current cranks (SR 170mm Road) break, then replace them with a newer 130mm BCD road crank. That will give me 38-42T options. The 40/21 works for a couple of the places that I ride, but makes for a lot of hike a bike in most of VT. Unlike a coasting single speed though, every gear change has to be evaluated in terms of its effect on downhilling. And it gets expensive and time consuming to test the different ratios.

REK shredder: The commuter continues to impress me and everyone else. It’s “loctite” brand lockring wins all aesthetic comparisons, and in commuter use it’s strength is rarely tested. That said, I wonder when/if it will ever slip. It’s been 2 months so far and not a hint of slip. The 46/18T set-up has been fine for Burlington and even with a loaded pannier I can monkey up all the hills. Looking to eventually replace the chop/flop bars with some upright albatross bars from Nitto/Rivendell.

My Feet: The newest “fixed” transportation in my quivver. Of course, they are the OLDEST equipment I have for transport. But the joy of their utility is rekindled. Walking rocks. Walking with a friend in the VT woods is killer. Try it.

OK. That’s it. I’m out of the woods figuratively.

More to come.

G

‘Course we laughed about the little “3000 footers”…in Vermont’s second tier mountains before our Long Trail hike. We know better now.

Yea.

Up, Down, Mud, Rock, Roots.

We came out of the woods, but I can’t quite get a handle on the words to describe.

More soon.

G

Leaving now for a 4 day hike. The top 40+ miles of Vermonts rugged long trail.

Got in two rides with CJ. One at 700am before work and one at 930pm with lights. We swapped the pedals, he hopped on, and I didn’t get to touch the Uniscorcher. It fit and he ripped it.

.Mac just bumped everyone at the basic level to 1 Gig. Here come the radio shows.

Well, when we come out of the woods.

’till next week.

G

Saturday, the rain that threatened our weekends here in upcountry VT turned out to be no more than that, just a threat. Meteorologists everywhere take note. Stop that!

So, I went for a my annual “it’s September and now it’s finally time to get in shape ride.” I try to fit it all in one workout. For some reason the fall breezes and morning nippy air have the same effect on me every year. I try to make up for another summer of missed fitness targets and excuses. Even though well intended, I don’t really get faster because of the ride. But each year the ride makes it to the top of the list of notable ass-handed-to rides. Ouch.

This year was 3 or 4 laps of Alfalfa burning and scorching with a few trips through the dangerous, short and slippery “food mill” singletrack. Yeah, on fixed. Big long gradual downhill in the Alfalfa at 120rpm :: f’in lumpy. Legs got worked like the big rubber band on the jug bass in a high-Adirondack-jug-band….if ya know what I mean.

Sunday sensibility returned with my annual “recover from the get-in-shape-all-in-one-ride” which amounted to two leisurely trips into town on the REK (shredder). I was so tired by the second trip home that I could barely monkey my cul-fix up the one (and only) 100 yard grimper of a hill on the route. Tired.

Received a surprise apology from a business owner who blew like 3 primarily rules of customer service with me the last time I was in his shop. He apologized, I accepted. Happy about that. Just saw him on the pedestrian mall, and he stopped and made right. Business owners note.

Picked up CJ from Bend at our lovely little speedy-in-and-out airport to cap the night. He’s a long-time friend and riding buddy from OR. Used to be roommates for a while. We’re abandoning bikes for the other fixed drive form of trail travel. A pied. We’re walking 4 days on the Vermont Long Trail.

Off to pay for it. More details tonite.

I impatiently tried to delete the same file from two different machines at the same time from my iDisk. Frustration == Mistakes. Now my available space is reduced by the size of the files I deleted. My bad. I took all the shows down and started over. I put the downtempo shows back up.

ENJOY THE NEW SHOW!

G

Though I’m certain I rode with a Brooks saddle earlier in life (junior high) I’ve only had one in the modern era for a month. Happy Butt. Especially when you’re trail fixin’ you sit a LOT. You need comfy. The Brooks Professional that I got IS comfy. ‘nuf said.

Mine is about 35 years old. Came off a “bowl-a-chili”. If your not familiar with that phrase it was coined by Maynard Hershon in a Velonews column “Off the Back” from the mid-90’s. It was a very affectionate term he made up to describe your high quality Italian road bike a la Guerciotti, Pinarello, Atala, Masi…if you let your tongue roll….you get the idea.

Anyway, that’s what this was on. It was an Atala with full Nuovo Record. In fact it came still attached to the funky Nuovo Record seatpost with the nuts on the top of the clamp. Campy actually made a rare (and now stupidly expensive) tool just to adjust it. I’m sure the previous owner couldn’t be bothered to McGuyver the thing apart. It took me 30 minutes of 16th turns with a micro crescent wrench to get it off. I’m selling the funky post as soon as I have time. Sheesh.

Leather Love

G

I keep finding ways to host …. just a little more music. On Radio “1b” I’ve got a second midtempo deep house set. Kind’o just foolin’ around with this one.

Enjoy.

G

Calm.

Down.

I can’t believe you’re all speechless on this brake lock-out thing! Speak your mind!