Multi-Functional

Do You Have One's with Smiley Faces?

"No, but we do have some with less threatening skulls." - John Kohtz

Good Morning

Gifts from the Bilenky Gang

Snappy Action

View from Snappy Land

Hilarious

My Vote for Best in Show

The Circle in Indy

Preppin'

Nate's breakfast

Progress

Snappy Caps: Booth 353 at NAHBS.

At the risk of speaking for Mrs. Snob, it's been a fun, strange course which has lead Snappy Caps to attending its first NAHBS.

In short, she really was just planning on making me a cap or two.  Hobby helping your husband, no intent to start a cottage business with a strong, fast pulse.  However, a few blog posts, followed by a handful of ads in Urban Velo and suddenly, the conversations turned to getting too big and deciding what that might even mean.

The 2008 birth and growth of Snappy Caps did create a lot of fun memories, though, including (in no particular order).

• Susan getting hate mail from a "competitor" and Johnny suggesting we create the "North American Handmade Cycling Cap Show."
• Seeing Team Snappy Cap right before the start of 24-9.    
  
• Seeing G-Ted's first cap and marveling at the size of his melon.  (No offense, Mark.)
• Being to stubborn to believe MW could have a big head, and seeing otherwise in our living room.
• Learning from Aris, during TI, that his girlfriend took his cap because she didn't know cycling caps could be so cool.
• And possibly my favorite, learning of Johnny's response to someone who asked what Susan makes her bills out of.  "The souls of dead hipsters."

We've had fun getting ready for the show.  One thing is certain, the Snappy Cap booth will have a sense of style all of its own.  If you're making the trip stop by and say hello.  We can even help with what to do in Indy when your dead.  We used to live there.  Plus, the Sparkle Ninja and Johnny will be helping us man the booth so we may lead the league in quality dark-hearted banter as well.

Related to NAHBS, Sam and I will also be continuing the forward movement of War Axe while flying under the radar at the show.  Primarily, we will be hitting the sessions for the experience.  No booth required or needed.  (Yet, another fork has just gone to paint.)  Not to mention, the road trip will include Mr. Nate Woodman, so I suspect even the driving itself will be a good time.

So, even as Susan rocks out more caps as I type this, I can't help but be excited.  The soles have more than a little bounce.

More Than I Could Chew

So much for intelligent decision making...

Wandered out to ride today with the fxt-mtb as the ride of choice, got out into the wind, soft limestone and gravel and simply turned slowed heavy pedal strokes for a couple of hours.  Silly.  

Tomorrow, I think I'll close out the ToC with a road ride of my own.

Uh Oh, Gus...

It looks like we can remove the quotation marks.  SS Solo is now official.

And now everyone and their brother will clamor to win the first...

Happy Thursday

Captured

Mrs. Snob has often had more than a few laughs over my enjoyment of the Rapha Continental. However, while I have promised Sam that I won't hire high dollar photographers to follow us around all season, I remain inspired. The words and short films covering the Continental's ride of the Tour of California route have continued to raise that bar. In particular is the video below, which captures suffering in a way that many of the endurance set can relate to. At least, obviously, I felt I could.

Rapha Rides the TOC - Episode 2 from RAPHA on Vimeo.

Gumby

That's how my body feels, rubbery like Gumby.

Rewound yesterday's effort into a pretty strong South wind.  The results?  The desire to do little but watch UConn/Pitt then the Tour of California afterward.  (Versus in HD, love it.)

My body feels so tired, it's clear that Pokey came along for the ride as well.  I'll have to recover before taking on the Astrobots.

Two Part Gravel, One Part Snow, One Part Mental Decompression

One gift the early season often brings is the long ride where you finished spent and totally satisfied.  A ride where you know you got something done.  The legs contain a bit of rubber.  The lower back feels the ride but doesn't hurt and, with a floating holiday scheduled for tomorrow, the body tells you it's ready to do it all again, maybe even a bit more.

The ride itself was a solo effort heading south of town.  A nice early year rhythm came easily and I let my mind and eyes wander, only the periodic check of the watch broke the sequence.  A ride based on turn-around time instead any goal or destination.

 

After a while, a lot of the clutter that makes up the day-to-day popped up then dropped away to be replaced by something else; the office, the kids, Mrs. Snob, NAHBS, the Granny Gear series, TI and Kanza.  

After a time, it was nice to just ride, with all of that let go and hidden away for a little while.  

That's enough of sounding like a hippie or a hallmark card for tonight.  Maybe I'm a bit more tired than I think.

Well Now... It Seems I am Excited.

Got this from Granny Gear today (As did a guy much faster than me):

As an addendum to my reply a couple days ago, I wanted to let you know that we HAVE decided to include Solo Single Speed classes (mens and womens) at all three of our races this year! Online registration will hopefully open on Sunday (or soon thereafter), and there will be some really good discounts for registering early, especially within the first month of it being open.

Game On...

Speaking of "getting the job done"

I didn't even know Sam had gotten this posted.  Rock D rides again.

Don't let that fool you though.  We're really still just a clothing company.  (I sense an easy transition... )  

Which is why we're happy to report that the Hoss Creative's War Axe t-shirts are now available at Monkey Wrench.  

"Snow Day, Yo!!"

Vanilla Valentine

This quote is taken off of a recent North American Handmade Bicycle Show newsletter, in regard to the show being in Indianapolis this year:

Sacha White - the Vanilla Workshop
"One thing I can say is there are a lot of cycling hotspots that are not expected, Lincoln, Nebraska for example. My wife is also from the Midwest, and I like their style, they are less about talk and more about getting the job done," said Original Six builder and Portland handmade bicycle success story Sacha White, owner of Vanilla Workshop.

Pretty cool.

Game Changer?

Apparently, 24hr Nationals is now going to be in Moab and hosted by Granny Gear, which I guess is a regression from Galactic Championship to mere National Championship.  

The latest change has left me with a lot of questions.  Will there be a single speed category? Granny Gear doesn't historically have SS Solo.  Do I consider gears?  Not really my style.  Do I do the whole series now?  I was considering Big Bear anyway and know what to expect at 9 Mile.

And, of course, it is Moab.  And I have never been to Moab.

Assorted Snobbery: Demolition

Lunch on the Road

R.I.P. Lux Interior

Signposts to the Season of Hate

Ask not what hatred can do for you...

but what you can do for the Haters.

Near Death by Cliche

I hadn't thought of officially counting the cliches involved in my near miss today until half-time started and I sat down to type this out.  

As I stopped at a street crossing southwest of Lincoln today, a woman with quite fashionable oversized sunglasses decided she only needed to look left for her right hand turn and, while carrying on what I sure was a critically important conversation in her live, started to one hand the wheel and turn right into me.  I looked up, catch her daughter's petrified eyes as her Mom then saw me but, of course, instead of stopping, Mom decided the solution was to punch it, cross over the other side of the road and then rip a hard right turn in front of me.  Of course, then she gunned it down the road in a great impersonation of a getaway drive.  

Ride it like you stole it, but drive it like you might have killed him.

I've told Mrs. Snob that if I do ever get ran down and the driver is identified to have someone check the driver's cell phone records.  Since it will likely come down to a "he said, she said," that could be the only 'true' account you might get from the driver.

In a strange twist of circumstance, the rest of the gravel driving public, including several white trucks and SUVs, almost seemed to, not only know of, but be offended by this woman's ridiculous driving.  Acknowledging, waving and generally driving like champs and making me remember that most people are pretty reasonable, it's just the idiots we remember most.

Be safe everyone.  (Cliche count?  I number it at five.)