Hmmm... How to Describe My Legs Post Ride...

Perhaps with a picture...

Colonial Uprising

Why?  Because naming this post "London Calling" or "Anarchy in the UK" would have been too damn easy.

As life would have it, mid-April will find me in Hatfield, UK, just North of London proper.  From the looks of things, it looks like an off day will also be in the mix, so if anyone has suggestions on cycling related activities in the old empire, let me know.

If only Three Peaks were this time of year...

Feeling 'Euro'

Tick Tock

It hit me sometime today that my first race of the year is essentially three weeks from now.  Corey is over-trained as usual and I am probably under... we'll know soon enough.  

Tick Tock... Tick Tock...

Little Temptation

Nearly brought this home from NAHBS

The Long Way Home

Saturday.  29er, fixed gear, gear inches in the mid-seventies, temps in the mid-twenties.  Gravel.  Turkey chase.  Wander too far from the city.  Ride home against light sleet and rain.  

Sunday.  Road bike.  Mid-forties.  Highway shoulder to Beatrice.  Wind shifts just before turning around in the Arby's parking lot.  Bypass a Jamocha shake.  Twenty mph headwind home.  Spent on arrival.  Finish with around 80.  Still want the shake. 

"Take Note..."

Urban Velo takes note of Snappy Caps.

NAHBS from the Booth

The Snappy Cap booth at NAHBS proved to be more than a simple platform to spread the word about Mrs. Snob's caps and display the craftsmanship that she takes so much pride in.  It, as Nate pointed out, was a great oasis from the chaos of walking the floor.

The Wall

The coalition that worked the booth at NAHBS would also seamlessly rotate between providing us a break from the booth and strolling the floor to check out those asking to be checked on.  While Susan and I really didn't take in the entire show until the end of Day Two, it was fun to hear the reports come back about what was interesting and what didn't quite make sense.

Where the magic happened

By the time I really starting taking the show in, I found myself reviewing bikes with a scouting report to go along with my own take.  Typically, I would think things like, "that's what Johnny was talking about" or "Yeah, that chain would constantly drop off if you really rode this."

The Table on Day One

In the end though, everything came back to our little ten x ten space.  One of my favorite moments was when Mike DeSalvo took a picture of our crew at, I believe, the request of the Sparkle Ninja, Mrs. Carrie Kohtz.  We were all sprawled out in the booth, perhaps after hours, but maybe not.  Tired from the day, but having a good time just the same.

Two-Headed Monster

Speaking of Carrie, she was fabulous in the booth.  While I was often joking about my status of booth-babe, she was a zen master of booth management.  I found myself thinking that, if I were hiring a rep to travel and handle shows, I would hire her in a heartbeat.  She might not actually make it to the booth until the afternoon, but whatever she gave you would be worth it.

Worlds Collide

Mac|Life reviews the Chrome Soma. I say, good for Chrome.

Memories of NAHBS 09: REO SpeedVegan

One of the more interesting aspects of NAHBS was being across from Vanilla.  Not only did the bikes show amazing attention to detail, but the subtle aspects of the booth did as well, including bike stands make from what looked like stained concrete which held a post a pedal could clip into and adorned with a small tuft of fake turf.  When you're trying to decipher a stand, you know something is going on.  It's a booth that prompted Carl Strong to comment in a seminar that he looked at their booth and thought to himself, "Man, I suck," which was hysterical.

On the not so subtle side, they had SpeedVagan brass-knuckles.  I think at least three of us separately tried to get a pair at some point, only to reassemble and realize we'd all politely been turned away.  

After chatting a few times with Molly, who worked the booth like a champ despite feeling under the weather, we found ourselves referring to the Vanilla gang as the 'SpeedVegans' and genuinely enjoying small breaks in the crowd when we could step across the aisle and chat or laugh about the fact our hat fixtures kept dropping off of our Snappy Cap grid wall.

Of course, there were the bikes.  There are plenty of sites containing photos of the gorgeous bikes Sacha had on hand, so click and drool.  There was one bike in particular that I almost made my own at the show and, frankly, if we hadn't been pretty busy ourselves, I might have been commuting on it today.  

Bike or no bike, I'd still love to have a pair of those brass knuckles.

Whirlwind

Well, it's over. In being so focused on the moment-to-moment, it leaves me having no real idea of how Snappy Caps was received by the general public.  For a first-time, it really did seem to go very, very well.

What I do know is that Mrs. Snob and I had a great time, worked hard and had some great friends who helped us to make sure we put our best foot forward.  Thanks to Nate, Sam, Johnny and Carrie for coming along and helping out.  Having that support made the show much easier and kept the threat level low.

Now, I need to relax, watch Gangland, and get some sleep.

NAHBS Awards

"Everytime a non-functional bike wins an award, an angel gets its
wings" - Nate Woodman

Seven is ready to pit crew in Belgium

Handmade at NAHBS

"Are you guys 'pre-cooling' bags?"

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