Saturday, October 18, 2008

The Tricycle aimed at Wall Streeters

Lynskey Performance - Tricycle

This just in... An $800 dollar tricycle for kids who really need a titanium ride. (double butted no less)

The market for this probably just disappeared with the 4 trillion dollars wiped out of the market last week.

But you know someone is going to skim enough off the top of the 700 Billion bailout to gift their little ones with the best trike that other people's money can buy.

Me? I'm kinda disappointed in the components. I mean what's the point of titanium if you can't also put some carbon rims on it?

Saturday, October 11, 2008

New Tranny in the old steed

Together with my two mechanics-in-training (aka kids) I replaced the rear cassette, the front chainrings, and the chain today on my old mountain bike. While I was in there, I gave it some new rubber (Dart and Mythos XC), greased up the WTB front hub, and gave the bike a decent cleaning.

The drivetrain had the original parts from when I first built the bike. The chain had been replaced once or twice, but the rest (rings and cassette) is original. They have 18 years of abuse in them. Mountain biking in Austin mud, Colorado grit, and Moab dust. A fully-loaded tour from Seattle to Guadalajara down the west coast. Rusty rain in Amsterdam. Beach riding in Zandvoort. Poor cogs.

While dismantling the poor abused chap, I realized just how much paint I have removed in the past 18 years. (Yes, this poor beast is now that old.) It could really use a new paint job. But putting real money into it for that right now just isn't going to happen. I suppose I could find a painter here to do it, but the quality is pretty bad here. I had some motorcycles painted here in Bangalore and was pretty miffed with the result.

I'm pretty psyched to get it back on the road, but unfortunately the old Rock Shox Mag 21 gave up the ghost last month. I have a new fork here but no star-fangled nut for the headset. I have a new Mag 21 that I picked up from flea-bay, but it's in California, not here, since the shipping was one day too slow last time I was there. So until I either make another trip to the US or find a nut here in Bangalore, I get to just look at the bike with all it's shiny new parts on it.

Sure looks purty.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Further proof I'm getting old and crochety

trackosaurus rex - Nice one...

So friggin what! A guy pops a 180 and a bit of a lip off a tiny little ramp.

This kind of lame shit reminds me when 20 years ago kids discovered skateboards again. First they all ran around trying to do a simple flip-kick. When they finally pulled one off they acted as if they'd actually landed on Mars.

This dude, wearing a friggin pink t-shirt and jeans, gets posed in front of some flood lights and pulls a wheelie off a lip.

In a couple years, they'll be riding pools, getting some real air. Then someone will attempt a back-flip and they'll make it to the X-games.

And he calls himself Sexy Sushi. I'm sure his mother is proud.

I guess I just live too damn far from NYC. heh. yeah, that's it.