Ride Lugged

last time I checked, which was 1 minute ago, there are no other good blogs. I’m sure there are some that are hidden somewhere, but just click next blog and you get page after page of dumbass shit. I scrolled thru maybe 50 and couldnt find one that was even funny in its badness, much less really funny or informative or opinionated, mostly they were about sock collections and what color the garage door got painted last weekend. oh boy oh boy! fuck people! tackle an issue! tackle a joke! tackle an invalid and take a picture!

waddayathink?
-johnson

Here in Frederick we have a shop noted for its assholishness. They are mean to everyone. Customers regularly defect to other shops as a result. I never had good service in there, and I know what I am talking about, so wasnt bumbling around asking dumb questions. I was an ideal customer. “Howdy, how ya doing? I need some sis housing, about 5 feet and some ferrules, donuts and sis cables…” They gave me that are you a leper look… Anyway, the other day I needed to adjust my rear mech hanger, and they were my only option on short notice. One of the guys recognized me as being ex Under the Sun, and I was in. They joked with me, gave me free use of the shop, and I now get cost plus 10 on parts. What jerks. I didnt change, but my affiliations did, and I became part of the in crowd. Now they wave when I pass on the street. I use the discount, but I’d like to take this space to give them a low key but much need rasberry. -James

Cory brought this bike to my attentions. He thought it was funny. I thought it was close to brilliant. I dont know how much it costs, and I’m too lazy to find out, but its got gobs of smart stuff, like a flip flop rear hub, moustache bars, silver rims and fenders with mudflaps. what it should have but doesnt, is silver cranks, a raked fork, rack mounts for the rear… and possibly cantilevers. Cory claims this bike would have come into being if Rivendell/Bridgestone never hit the scene. I say, yeah it would have came into being, but only in Japan. Anyway, its proof that Rivendell is still making waves, and that sometimes traditional ideas can make it onto the market in affordable and almost goodlooking format. -James

why dont you send your record mechs to patagucci and let them make you a nice floral motif thong… i hear they’re into recycling plastic. -James

i like capilene. its shiny. and smells funny, like me.

Ok here it is, a few of us have a band that play fairly irregularly. You can here some stuff here.

Currently were are going by the 92s but it doesn’t really fit. If you can think of anything feel free to post it.

If we pick your name we’ll pick your nose. So we all win.

Starmer

all this is in response to my derailleur comparision article, a ways down the page…feisty…
cummon people. Post new articles, comments are fine, but new articles are whats needed!
-James

starmer said…
At some point don’t you think we’ll look back at that carbon mongoloid and think ah I remember the days before laser actuated drive trains those were the days.

It seems like looking at those three versions of the same component might be kind of short sighted. You could just as easily look at them as a grouping of things that were back in the good old days. Meaning the derailleur as a tradition in itself.

That might have sounded a little BSy but I’m just wondering at what point does the contemporary become traditional? This is probably a simple answer since I have only taken one art history class and I slept through it.

Since you’re trying to apply the idea of contemporary and traditional to bikes I’m kind of curious where you think the turning point is. Aluminum? Titanium? Luggless steel frames? And at what point does the newest bike goods make whats currently contemporary traditional.

3:19 PM

Johnson said…
Good Points. How do we get it so these comments arnt hidden? Traditional anything is a vauge and loose idea, and as such maybe doesnt have a strict definition. TRADITION:

n 1: an inherited pattern of thought or action 2: a specific practice of long standing

If we use this definition as a starting point at least, then we can view traditional bike elements as ideas that have been in circulation for an extended period of time. That means things like friction shifting, drop handlebars, clips and straps, and polished aluminum crank arms are traditional, while anodised parts, clipless pedals, and flat handlebars are contemporary ideas. So if we go by this, we can track the egress of technology over tradition part by part, year by year. What year were more riders riding clipless than clips and straps, and so on. So in that regard the “turning point” is a multifaceted idea, and shouldnt be regarded as a hard and fast date or event or product. Does that make sense?

4:26 PM

voice of reason said…
James, you are dumb. Every bit of art that you refer to that is traditional and now timeless was avante garde at some point. Hell the avante garde period is even traditional now! Starmer, you are right, maybe you learned something from your art history class through osmosis( you know falling asleep with your head on the book, and all that knowledge seeping into your skull.)

Oh, and James again, I hate to tell you but anodizing is traditional now by your definition, as is the flat bar. And neither are contemporary as they have been superseded by powder coating and the carbon riser bar. And don’t even get me started on you riding toe clips, cause they are dumb, dangerous, inefficient, and just a point of evolution in the move from a platform to a pedal that actually attaches you to your bike, and the evolution is surely not done yet. Oh, and chucks are the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen someone ride on a bike for more than a quarter mile.

OK, there’s a rant for you. Fortunately for you all and me too, it’s all true. Man, it’s a good thing I got on this blog to straighten you all out!
-Cory, an oft needed voice of reason.

9:42 AM

Johnson said…
By your definition there is no such thing as an avant garde period, as everything was avant garde once.
Avant-Garde: adj.
Of, relating to, or being part of an innovative group, especially one in the arts: avant-garde painters; an avant-garde theater piece. avant garde isnt even really an applicable term here. Unless we are talking about pedals as an art form. Which I suppose you could argue. Anywho- anodizing and flat bars are not traditional by def, as they havent held to the test of time. Only recently have things become hard anodized, and the light ano of the 90s is all but gone. Flat bars came into style in the early 90s and fell out soon there after. they are kinda back, kinda never went away, but no one rides them for anything but xc racing.

Occam’s (or Ockham’s) razor is a principle attributed to the 14th century logician and Franciscan friar; William of Occam. Ockham was the village in the English county of Surrey where he was born.
Occam’s razor basically says “when you have two competing theories which make exactly the same predictions, the one that is simpler is the better.” We can apply this to any number of things, but I like to rephrase it a bit, and say “when your have two bike parts that do the same job, the better looking one does that job better.” Maybe thats totally wack. But I dont think so. We can also easily apply to other things, razors themselves being a good starting point. Mel has a really nice old razor, that uses replacable blades that you get ten of at cvs for 5 dollars. Its a two sided blade, so when one side gets clogged with hair, you just flip it over. There are no weird speed holes, or aloe flaps or pivots for shaving cream and small hairs to get built up in. Its easy to clean. Because it has a steel head and handle, it holds heat well, so it cuts smoothly. Having only one blade keeps it from over agitating your skin. Its a simple, elegant design that wasnt improved on for over 60 years. Needles to say it looks better than any current razor. We got it for a dollar at a yardsale. Now we have this five bladed expensive pile of bile…the mach 3 gives me a severe rash, I’d hate to see what this does…removes the first 3 layers of skin? -James

Maxicar hubs are no longer made. To me, they are the most beautiful hubs in the history of hubs, beating out Phils, Pauls, Campys and Whites by a healthy margin. They were making unbreakable, gorgeous, sealed bearing, polished, servicable hubs before anyone else, and no one has gotten close since. Some of thier high flange hubs were designed so you could replace a driveside spoke without removing the freewheel. That is technology working for a better product, not for a better profit. That is what I am harping about. Shimano wouldnt dare make a hub that smart, that strong, the beautiful. Technology is supposed to be a better way to do something. So if contemporary technology isnt as smart or as good looking or strong or user friendly, doesnt that make it bad technology? I recently set up those mafacs. It took me 15 minutes for both wheels, and they look great, stop great, and will virtually never need adjusting. They clear fenders like a champ. There isnt a brake on the mainstream market that works this well, looks this good, costs so little. Its a shame, but its true. I dont know where I am going with this, but thats what this blog is supposed to explore. On a side note, Mel and I were discussing craftsmanship, which is a huge topic in this house, both of us being artists and all. We were recently in a store that used to be a bank, and they had a safe door from the 1870s. It was Incredible. It was all polished brass and steel, with engravings on the littlest parts and etchings on larger parts. This was a door that was designed to keep people out. It served a purely utilitarian function. No customers would have seen this incredible worksman ship. Yet it was there. Someone cared. And the part did its job. It reminded me of handlebars, and how they arnt engraved anymore. What a shame. What an incredible pleasure it was to look at handlebars from the 80s and 70s. Now theyre black anodized in italy to cover the crappy polish job the tiawanese did in drawing out the tubing…on that note let me end with this picture of an alex singer seat tube cluster…a new bike mind you…proof that some things are still right in this world.