Ride Lugged

This may or may not be worth saying but here goes. Recently I desided to revisit some music I listened to in highschool. I continued listening to some of it over the years…Fugazi, Morphine, but lost track of others, or burned out on them. Anyway, I went to look up this early 90s band, The Boo Radleys, who kinda started as this poppy My Bloody Valentine, went to just strait pop, to some shit that was alternatively a heavy British Smashing Pumpkins and sort of Blur on a drug that magically made all theyre songs both weirder and catchier. Of course I tried, in vain to get everyone to listen to this stuff, but no one would. Long story short, they were pretty big in a small kinda way, think the Toadies for points of comparison, and they made quite a few albums. None are in print any longer. You have to buy them used on Amazon. Why do things go out of print? Are CDs that expensive to keep in print? Is public taste that fickle? Anyway, if anyone wants my Boo Radleys self made best of, let me know and I’ll make you a CD. I think its important that these guys stay somewhat known. -Johnson

If Jazz had a Viking, it would be Charles Mingus. He was a fucking maniac, and was all about beating down his audience and living in cold water flats, and being skitzo, and playing bass with clenched fists and writing self agrandizing autobiographies, and fucking shit up. You’ve never heard of him cause he’s that good. Recommended listening: itunes music store: charles mingus: oh yeah, the whole fucking album, turn it up, turn up the bass and yell alot. Feels good, dont it? -Johnson

ride with lugs Jazz is gay.

I dont blog. Jazz is eterenally gay. Your bag looks sweet. I dont get to say that enough. Why should I ride with lugs. What will riding with lugs accomplish. What are you going to do, organize a ride but require confirmation of “lugs” before acceptance to said ride is advanced. Nazi.

Somtimes I dont shower that often and I smell bad.

I think you should make me a handlebar bag. I will give you money or something even. I need something that leaves rooms for my hands on the bars even when my hands are book-ending the stem. I dont always ride in the hoods. I never ride in the drops. In fact if my drops were taken from me beyond the visual que I would never know. Until maybe that one moment when cornereing fast swooping curves at forty plus, this happens infrequently, that I drop for the drops. I’m not sure I would notice immediately that they were gone, what with the smearing of my body across an uneven and corse landscape occupying my thoughts, if at this point you could call that kind of synapse firing thoughts, or later, if I survived, when I regain conciousness and ten years has passed.

Here’s the beginning of our bag series (hopefully). No orders yet please. A few kinks need to be worked out. A few test rides to be had. I would also like to know if any fellow riders have suggestions or ideas about particular needs or features they’d like to see in future bike bags.
Facts about the bag:
Fabrics are as follows, waxed cotton(waxed in our oven, ED), waxed herringbone style wool suit from Goodwill.
Leather and buckles from some guy in Maine, tanned by the most expensive processes you can git. Swanky swank and looks chocolatey delicious. None of that cheap-ass Coach like leather.
Custom designed and hand sewn in Frederick, MD.

OK, so obviously Mel is stoked on this bag. I am too. My fingers are close to bleeding from all the handstitching. It fits gobs of stuff, in the photo it has a heavy sweater and two long scarves in it, so thats pretty big if you think about it. It has external tie down abilities, so you could even go with more stuff, say anouther jacket. Very practical, not nearly as heavy as one would assume, and its very water resistant. The wool is waxed to, for further water repellant actions. Anyway, we think its smarter than those dumb trunk bags which look like soft cheap lunchboxes, and they need racks too. So we figure this thing will go for maybe, i dunno, 140ish, and its handmade, and one of a kind, and lighter and not much more expensive, if you figure a blackburn rack is 45 bucks and its heavy, and ugly, and aluminum, and not handmade, and a trunk bag is a pain to get on and off and there’s velcro which wears out, and tears at your fingers (brass buckles feel great) and is made in china and is black and has zippers which jam, anyway, a topeak bag which is kinda middle of the line, as 60 bucks, so thats 105, not counting installation if you have yer rack installed +15 bucks, its heavier, uglier, not made to last ect ect.
-Mel and Johnson

We went to the beach this weekend and played some music. Some of its regretable, but some might actually, oh never mind. Here’s the link, and a recommended playlist… www.james.starmer.com/mp3s click on the beach bits zip, and when its done, toss it in itunes. then listen to these songs: dont you pray, its what i say, and this day, and maybe nothing else yet. and this day is a work in progress. It should noted, if you undertake the listening of this stuff, its all done in two takes or less, made up on the spot, with improvised lyrics, and many beers in the bellies. by the way…gerd is hans’ middle name, and its also some sort of disorder, which we assume his dad knew being a doctor…hmmm. -johnson

the venerable voice of reason seems to think that I would personally make these bikes, and that they would be ridden like bmx bikes, and that this will happen in the near future, and that I would even offer him a bike… These bikes are long term thinking, made after jerseys and bags and racks and jackets take off, which they probly wont, so the bikes are figments of whatever now. And the voice of reason wouldnt be my target market anyway, so pflmbbbbbbbbbt! -johnson

sounds great. don’t mess with frames though. they’re a bit out of your league. your skill is better suited to selling someone on a funny looking hat or bag your wife made. and it’s dumb if you don’t make the frame yourself anyway, and i would not ride a bike you made. but i would rock a sweet micro wedge saddle bag, or a tool roll out of some fine recycled sportscoat, waxed by hand in your oven.

So here’s the plot as far as I can see. Homespun enviro/natural clothing/baggage/acessories developed by hand with no computers, just old school knowledge. Jerseys, arm warmers, tights, knickers, sweaters, harris tweed jackets, riding scarves, beanies, hunting caps, h bar bags, saddle bags, ect ect…I would also like to do a series of racks…thats way out though…maybe start with clothing and baggage, and go to racks, then bikes? but heres the plot seriously: develop this stuff personally, then take it to a small, independant, high quality american or canadian or english company…probally american, and get small lots made. very small. change stuff around, see what works. need money though. I can maybe get 10 grand by summer, but i’ll wanna put at least 3 in savings, so thats 7 grand. if we can double that, we can do a jersey run, at least i should think. maybe two jerseys and a bag, that would be a good start. I think the cottage industry is on the move, i think people are realising that natural shit is the way to roll, nike is even making wool jerseys… theyre 120-150. I think they should be 100. theyre chinese… anyway. a harris tweed riding cap? perfect… we’ll need a FREElance web designer, who maybe gets a jersey. think about it. I would like to do shoes too, maybe thats even more out there than frames. post ideas. lets talk. -johnson

Grant Peterson mocks the new Bridgestone bikes… they are quite tawdry..
here’s a link to an interview with Grant by Sheldon Brown, http://sheldonbrown.com/podcasts/grantpetersen.html
but I’ll throw out a few excepts for you lazy fucks.

Grant:
Yeah, but overall I’m a little bit disturbed by the shape of modern bikes these days. And I mean that probably literally. I mean I think that saddles are high and skinny and the tubes are sort of out of proprtion, at least for steel tubes. You know I look at them - I’m used to slender tubes on a bike and now, the tubes aren’t really tubes anymore, and they all seem to have this similar look, you know that bladed high-volume carbon fiber look.
Sheldon:
I prefer the term ‘plastic.’
Grant:
They are plastic, but you know, if they make people happy, that’s good, but they aren’t the kinds of bikes that make me happy. On the other hand it probably helps Rivendell because we don’t have as much competition.
….
Grant:
I think the worst thing thats happening in bicycles these days and it’s been happening for years is using racing and competition bicycles to sell bicycles to people who are not going to do that. I mean, it wouldn’t happen in cars. You don’t see people driving around in cars that people race on the dragstrip or in NASCAR cars but that’s the kind of bike that people get on and ride. It’s not a practical bike for everyday living, but people, I don’t know, they get caught up in the excitement of racing, and in the bike industry, everyone is sort of fretting about “what’s going to happen with road bike sales, now that Lance Armstrong is retired?” And that’s a pathetic way to look at it. Normal people should be able to ride bikes and they should be able to be comfortable on a bike. Riding a bicycle is a fantastic thing, but if you have to dress like Lance (and I’m a Lance fan, by the way.)
Sheldon:
Oh, who isn’t?
Grant:
If you have to dress like him and look like him and try to ride like him, you are not going to have a fun time on a bike. I would have a miserable - the most miserable rides I ever do are the ones where I try to go fast. I try to go fast about once a week, and those are the rides that I don’t like. I’m caught up in it a little bit, and everybody is.
Sheldon:
It really bothers me, the concept that you need to wear special clothing to ride a bicycle.
Grant:
I think that’s what keeps people off of bikes. If you had to wear an oddball uniform to go buy a McDonald’s hamburger, McDonalds would go out of business.
Sheldon:
Good point.
Grant:
People who don’t ride bikes now, want to ride a bike, but they don’t want to have to change who they are and thier whole look. The look that you have may seem casual, what I’m wearing now may seem casual, but there’s a certain amount of calculation in it.

anyway, its availible as a podcast too, so check it out. QBP is gunna be releasing a Rivendell designed lugged 650b bike soon, that outta be hot. Keep yer eyes pealed…
-Johnson