Eurobike Download

So sorry about the lack of posts (I know, I know, this has been a common theme as of late). I've been far too busy, fried and unable to come up with anything that I feel is even remotely interesting over the past few months. It's just been a bummer summer. A confluence of being very busy at work, the stress of finding a new place to live and moving (again), no time for a vacation, bicycles (and sometimes bodies) breaking and an overactive brain that simply won't shut down when I need it to.

With that out of the way, here's a minor picture/brain dump from my recent trip to Germany and the fantastic Eurobike trade show...

Interesting name for a salon:
Mustache time - industry legend Gary Fisher hams it up in the Electra booth:

Beautiful Cube bicycles...
...chuck full o' cool details:
The seatstay bridge on this Van Nicholas titanium mountain bike:
Vintage Merckx cyclocross bike:
Yellow (leader) and green (sprinter) two-tone bike (split down the middle), as ridden by Sylvain Chavanel in this year's Tour:
Basil's impressive bicycle bag line:
Just about everything that the ever-cool Fixie Inc. kids bring:
Interesting plate carbon fiber canti brake cable hanger on a Focus:
Cool graphic treatments Specialized bikes:

Mondriaan bike? Err, interesting to say the least...
Cool rail-mount rack, as used on a few Scott bikes:
Interesting VW T5 van variants:

Hey VWoA - I live in a California beach town, why can't I buy this??
SpaceCamper

Evergreen on a Bionicon:
Carbon-based fiber (if I remember correctly, a €9900 frame):
Kona's wide-range of softgoods:
A beautiful Cielo cyclocross bike:
Euro trash:
Modern...
...and retro Diamante bikes:
Great attention to detail from the Trek boys (this looks more like a dropout from a handbuilt bike than a mass-produced one from the largest US bike company - good job KVH!):
The Zeppelin NT airship (don't call it a blimp) flying overhead all day:
Pizzamobil for the Electra party (attempting to jockey it into position with a banged-up shoulder):
Old (literally AND figuratively!) friends:
This Japanese guy's cool casual cycling apparel line:
Adult-sized scoot bike:
Viva bikes:
Interesting (and bloody expensive) rack/bar combo:
Knog - for always blowing my mind with innovative packaging, marketing materials and booth...
...filled with dioramas that utilize there products:
And, of course, some of the new Electra models:

Mulholland 3i

tank detail

Zarape 3i saddle detail (which has been a torn in my side, but I'm happy with the final product):
And, not pictured, being able to hit a small stretch of unrestricted Autobahn on the way back to the airport and taking the Škoda Octavia Estate rental car up to 206 km/h.

That's it for now. Here's hoping that I get even a small spark of creativity back in me one of these days. Auf Wiedersehen.

Down on the Street - San Diego Car Lot Edition

Some sort of vintage British Armoured Car was spotted a few months back when I was down in San Diego for the Electra catalog studio shoot. This photo has been languishing in a file on my desktop for a few months. And since I have nothin' better to say at the moment, here's another installment of my stolen-from-Jalopnik.com Down On The Street.
Far more useful and maneuverable than a tracked vehicle. How fun would this be - especially with even a fake weapon mounted on the turret. Don't you f-in' dare cut me off, you tool.
Equally fun playing around in the Ocotillo Wells Off Road Recreation Area, although you'd have to hope for a good A/C system and an updated (read: non-British) electrical system.

Chew With Your Mouth Closed

For some reason, early-90s "shoegaze" band Pale Saints just reminds me of hot summer weather. Here's a perfect song from twenty (gasp!) years ago:

One of those tunes that I will never tire of.

Attention To The Carlsad, CA Street Maintenance Department

Dear Fine City of Carlsbad, CA:

Please have your Street Maintenance Department remove the two abrupt bumps in the bike lane, located northbound on Coast Hwy, adjacent to the Encina Power Plant.

note - they don't look like much from this vantage, I hastily snapped the photo so as not to get blood on my phone

You see, these bumps are not all that obvious when riding your bike. Especially when your at mile fifty or so of your fifty five mile ride. Even experienced riders can lose their edge when fatigued - and two sharp rises in the road are not expected when the rest of the road is in near-perfect condition.

Riders of all levels can lose control when their bikes, sending them careening towards the pavement. Contact with which can create...

broken helmets...

broken bike parts...
and, worse of all, broken (and missing) skin...
I'll heal quickly, but replacing the helmet saddle and wheel will cost me several hundred dollars. I accept the risks inherent in road cycling and realize that I need to be aware of the road ahead. However I also expect the roads to be maintained at an adequate level. It wouldn't take a crew of two to three city workers more than a couple of hours to remove and patch these spots.

Please fix this section of road before more cyclists are injured.

Thank you,

Chris H.
Carlsbad, CA

And So It Begins...

Day one of the move starts right about now. Or as soon as I get off the computer and start piling our junk into the trailer.

Yes, we're moving frugally, borrowing the antiquated Electra pickup and tandem-axle trailer. Thankfully the move is only 6.5 miles, so we don't have to be super-careful with the packing and we can (and will) be able to make multiple trips.

Loggin' off for now. Thanks to our neighbor with the open wifi - our DSL was turned off yesterday.

Gone Fishin'

Figuratively-speaking of course. Although I do want to buy some gear so that Celeste and I can try to catch some fish. But that's a topic for some other time.

Anyway, due to being extremely busy at work, traveling and getting ready for a move next weekend, I've been neglecting this blog. Oh, and not coming up with anything relevant to write about doesn't help matters much either (not that that's stopped me before).

So, sorry for the lack of fresh pixels here, I'll be back - eventually.

In the meantime, enjoy the fine bloggage on the links just to the right ->