If you are in the Tokyo area- whether you live there or are visiting- you have to get to the new ultra hip bar; the Kinfolk speakeasy... the pictures really say it all.
I wish I would've learned about this place before I left Tokyo because I would've made a little pilgrimage over there to soak it all in.
I got an email from John Buellens, one of the folks behind/ on top/ around the bar and it turns out that they are fans of what we're doing with Masi! Pardon my French... but how rad is that?
So the next time I'm in Tokyo, you can bet I'll be paying them a visit. They've got the urban fixed gear culture on point!
Tim
Showing posts with label Tokyo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tokyo. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008
More pictures from Japan, Tokyo Cycle-Mode
More pictures and a little commentary from my recent trip to Tokyo;
Yep, that bottom shelf has a complete and unused Campy 50th group in it... I was slobbering on myself when I saw it last year in this same shop (that now carries Masi)- Friend Bike Shop.
This was possibly my favorite bike sighting in Tokyo. I saw it last year, riding by me before I could get my camera out. This year I caught it in repose. I LOVE utility bikes. I love what Surly and Kona have done with their long wheelbase cargo bikes, but this is really cool with the sidecar. I would love to do a cool cargo bike with Masi... so you never know what you might see in the future.
This is so cool! I love the cool motorcycles and scooters they have running the steets of Japan. This old Suzuki was just too cool to walk by without getting a photo- I love the modern rettro lines of it.
This thing... Batman's water ferry. I mean... it's really cool.
Rin Project- some of the coolest of Japanese urban uber hip design. Dig the modern hairnet helmets! I need to get in touch with these guys and get a hook up!
Tomoni is another of the really, really cool urban gear brands. The bags, etc, were incredible. Really amazing stuff... and I just had to refrain myself from buying one of everything.
Here is the same chef at teppenyaki that we had last year; it was an honor to sit as his grill again. AND... it was exceptionally delicious again! I was actually lucky enough to eat at the same great sushi restaurant, the same great teppenyaki grill and the same great tempura restaurant; yes, I am way beyond a little spoiled.
I really, REALLY want both of these helmets. They are so cool- total carbon fiber shell for lightweight and strength. I've always been a fan of the OGK helmets and these were spectacular. They had a full line of road helmets that were also really great. But these two are on my short list of "must have" helmets for track races. Now I need to befriend somebody at OGK!
That's it for tonight. I have tons more, but my eyes are crossing and I need to get some sleep. More to follow... promise.
Tim
Yep, that bottom shelf has a complete and unused Campy 50th group in it... I was slobbering on myself when I saw it last year in this same shop (that now carries Masi)- Friend Bike Shop.
This was possibly my favorite bike sighting in Tokyo. I saw it last year, riding by me before I could get my camera out. This year I caught it in repose. I LOVE utility bikes. I love what Surly and Kona have done with their long wheelbase cargo bikes, but this is really cool with the sidecar. I would love to do a cool cargo bike with Masi... so you never know what you might see in the future.
This is so cool! I love the cool motorcycles and scooters they have running the steets of Japan. This old Suzuki was just too cool to walk by without getting a photo- I love the modern rettro lines of it.
This thing... Batman's water ferry. I mean... it's really cool.
Rin Project- some of the coolest of Japanese urban uber hip design. Dig the modern hairnet helmets! I need to get in touch with these guys and get a hook up!
Tomoni is another of the really, really cool urban gear brands. The bags, etc, were incredible. Really amazing stuff... and I just had to refrain myself from buying one of everything.
Here is the same chef at teppenyaki that we had last year; it was an honor to sit as his grill again. AND... it was exceptionally delicious again! I was actually lucky enough to eat at the same great sushi restaurant, the same great teppenyaki grill and the same great tempura restaurant; yes, I am way beyond a little spoiled.
I really, REALLY want both of these helmets. They are so cool- total carbon fiber shell for lightweight and strength. I've always been a fan of the OGK helmets and these were spectacular. They had a full line of road helmets that were also really great. But these two are on my short list of "must have" helmets for track races. Now I need to befriend somebody at OGK!That's it for tonight. I have tons more, but my eyes are crossing and I need to get some sleep. More to follow... promise.
Tim
Saturday, December 08, 2007
One more Japan installment...
I've been meaning to post more on Japan for a long time and still have some cool pictures to share.
One of the most incredible things about Japan, for me, was the unbelievably delicious food. I recognize that I got special treatment by my amazingly generous host- Terai-san- but the food I ate was superb.
The first meal I had in Tokyo was the best sushi of my life!
The fish was the best I've ever had... and I grew up on the Gulf of Mexico and know a little bit about seafood.
Shochu- it's kind of like a Japanese version of Scotch. It is really, really yummy stuff and goes very well with sushi.
I quite nearly ate my weight in sushi... and loved each delicious bite of it.
This is the sushi chef/ owner and his wife. I have his business card somewhere and will find it and post it later- since it has his name and the location of the restaurant.
This was the most beautiful cappuccino I've ever seen. It was in a small cafe inside a large department store- kind of like the Japanese version of a Macy's or Bloomingdale's. The taste was very good too.
The second night's dinner was tempura. I didn't get any pictures of the food because I was spending all my time eating. It was SO yummy... true tempura is mighty good stuff and not even remotely greasy for being fried food.
This is the chef/ owner. He thought it was very funny that I wanted to take his picture... which I suppose doesn't happen too often.
Dinner the third night was teppan grill. OHMYGAWD it was delicious!
As Americans, we often think that we invented beef. I mean, beef is kind of a symbol of all things American. Well, I've eaten enough beef to keep the state of Texas afloat over the years, but I can honestly say that Kobe beef lives up to it's worldwide reputation as a premier beef. I had Kobe beef a few times in Tokyo and each time the flavor and tenderness were unlike any beef I'd ever had.
Our chef was as much of a showman as he was a culinary genius. The food was incredible and he was as entertaining as he was skilled.
I didn't manage to get photos of other meals or chefs, but I ate like royalty and enjoyed each grain of rice that entered my mouth! I was entertaining to my hosts, who found it funny that I was so enthralled by the food and interested in getting photographs of everything. But they also went out of the way to make each meal as memorable as possible and rewarded my enthusiasm for Japan, the food and culture with tons of gracious generosity. It's been a few weeks since I returned from Tokyo and I still think of it fondly and am still grateful that I was able to see Tokyo- and I can't wait to get back.
Tim
One of the most incredible things about Japan, for me, was the unbelievably delicious food. I recognize that I got special treatment by my amazingly generous host- Terai-san- but the food I ate was superb.
The first meal I had in Tokyo was the best sushi of my life!
The fish was the best I've ever had... and I grew up on the Gulf of Mexico and know a little bit about seafood.
Shochu- it's kind of like a Japanese version of Scotch. It is really, really yummy stuff and goes very well with sushi.
I quite nearly ate my weight in sushi... and loved each delicious bite of it.
This is the sushi chef/ owner and his wife. I have his business card somewhere and will find it and post it later- since it has his name and the location of the restaurant.
This was the most beautiful cappuccino I've ever seen. It was in a small cafe inside a large department store- kind of like the Japanese version of a Macy's or Bloomingdale's. The taste was very good too.The second night's dinner was tempura. I didn't get any pictures of the food because I was spending all my time eating. It was SO yummy... true tempura is mighty good stuff and not even remotely greasy for being fried food.
This is the chef/ owner. He thought it was very funny that I wanted to take his picture... which I suppose doesn't happen too often.Dinner the third night was teppan grill. OHMYGAWD it was delicious!
As Americans, we often think that we invented beef. I mean, beef is kind of a symbol of all things American. Well, I've eaten enough beef to keep the state of Texas afloat over the years, but I can honestly say that Kobe beef lives up to it's worldwide reputation as a premier beef. I had Kobe beef a few times in Tokyo and each time the flavor and tenderness were unlike any beef I'd ever had.
Our chef was as much of a showman as he was a culinary genius. The food was incredible and he was as entertaining as he was skilled.I didn't manage to get photos of other meals or chefs, but I ate like royalty and enjoyed each grain of rice that entered my mouth! I was entertaining to my hosts, who found it funny that I was so enthralled by the food and interested in getting photographs of everything. But they also went out of the way to make each meal as memorable as possible and rewarded my enthusiasm for Japan, the food and culture with tons of gracious generosity. It's been a few weeks since I returned from Tokyo and I still think of it fondly and am still grateful that I was able to see Tokyo- and I can't wait to get back.
Tim
Sunday, November 25, 2007
More from Japan
As promised, here are a few more images and info from Japan...
Azuma, my distributor in Japan, set up this booth with the other brands they distribute; Easton Components, Kore Components and Cervelo bicycles being the biggest... aside from Masi, of course.
The Masi sign stood out really well in the sea of brand banners.
Looked good from a distance too.
Me, hanging out with the bikes- I really liked the way the Coltello race frame was built up as an urban fixie with riser bar and suede Keirin saddle. Hiro, my Keirin racing brother at Azuma built the bike up and was very eager to know what I thought of it. He was very happy that I liked it. It was really great to watch the Japanese consumers flock to it and take pictures with their cameras and camera phones.
One of the coolest things was the Japanese version of the Masi catalog. It's really cool, for me, to see all the Masi stuff written up in Kanji. I'll have to scan a few pages of the catalog this week and post them here- I got a big kick out of it.
Nothing makes a product guy happier than watching people stare at your products. Since I don't speak Japanese, I couldn't really talk to many of the consumers and mostly hovered around, waiting for the chance to answer questions when possible. It was awesome to see the reception the bikes were getting. I spent the two days of the show smiling from ear to ear. (Terai-san is the man in the grey suit waving and Masa Nagoya is standing next to him in the pink shirt.)
There were also test bikes there and they were on the road nearly constantly! Many of the test riders came back with very large smiles after riding the bikes... which in turn had me smiling very broadly too.
Needless to say, I was very happy with the experience of the show and I hope to be able to return next year. Today (Sunday) is the last day of the Osaka part of Cycle Mode and I am anxiously waiting to hear from my friends in Japan how the show went there. I am hoping that next year I can attend both shows; travel to Tokyo for the first show there, then travel to Taiwan to get my work there done and then return to Japan for the Osaka show. I think that would be a perfect trip... so if my bosses happen to read this... thanks in advance!
Next up; other cool products from Japan... and there were plenty.
Tim
Azuma, my distributor in Japan, set up this booth with the other brands they distribute; Easton Components, Kore Components and Cervelo bicycles being the biggest... aside from Masi, of course.
The Masi sign stood out really well in the sea of brand banners.
Looked good from a distance too.
Me, hanging out with the bikes- I really liked the way the Coltello race frame was built up as an urban fixie with riser bar and suede Keirin saddle. Hiro, my Keirin racing brother at Azuma built the bike up and was very eager to know what I thought of it. He was very happy that I liked it. It was really great to watch the Japanese consumers flock to it and take pictures with their cameras and camera phones.
One of the coolest things was the Japanese version of the Masi catalog. It's really cool, for me, to see all the Masi stuff written up in Kanji. I'll have to scan a few pages of the catalog this week and post them here- I got a big kick out of it.
Nothing makes a product guy happier than watching people stare at your products. Since I don't speak Japanese, I couldn't really talk to many of the consumers and mostly hovered around, waiting for the chance to answer questions when possible. It was awesome to see the reception the bikes were getting. I spent the two days of the show smiling from ear to ear. (Terai-san is the man in the grey suit waving and Masa Nagoya is standing next to him in the pink shirt.)
There were also test bikes there and they were on the road nearly constantly! Many of the test riders came back with very large smiles after riding the bikes... which in turn had me smiling very broadly too.Needless to say, I was very happy with the experience of the show and I hope to be able to return next year. Today (Sunday) is the last day of the Osaka part of Cycle Mode and I am anxiously waiting to hear from my friends in Japan how the show went there. I am hoping that next year I can attend both shows; travel to Tokyo for the first show there, then travel to Taiwan to get my work there done and then return to Japan for the Osaka show. I think that would be a perfect trip... so if my bosses happen to read this... thanks in advance!
Next up; other cool products from Japan... and there were plenty.
Tim
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Japan photo gallery
Ok, I'm slowly beginning to figure out Flickr. I have set up my first photo gallery there with a small sampling of the pictures I took in Tokyo. I'm still figuring it all out and this is just photos and no descriptions yet, but there are a few good images there, so go check it out.
Tim
Tim
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sayonara.
Sadly, it is that time. I leave today. My flight is a little later in the afternoon, so I'm going to eat some breakfast and then hit the streets one last time before I hop in cab to the train station to the airport. Planes, trains and automobiles... yippee.
I will have a much larger post, or posts, with many photos from Japan and stories, but I simply must reiterate my many thanks to all of the wonderful people I have met this week in Japan. I can not say enough about how honored I have been to meet so many generous people. Japan has made a very lasting impression on me and I look forward to returning many times in the future- both for business and pleasure.
I know I will miss a few people, but I have to thank the amazing people from Azuma (my Japanese distributor); Takaichi Terai (President of the company and the most incredible host- I can not thank you enough), Tetsu Furuta (the man who really helped to get Masi into Japan, as well as me), Masa Nagoya (a very good man who was a big help getting Masi into Japan as well) Ishibashi- "Ishi" (guided me from the airport to the hotel and frequently served as interpreter), Masaomi Aoki, Ryozo Fujioka, Hori (a fellow keirin racer) and others who I have forgotten. There was also the very beautiful Kumiko, who assisted in the booth and was also very kind.
I hate to finish this post without more stories or pictures, but I have too little time left to wander and explore this beautiful city. I will have more later.
Once again, thank you to all of the many wonderful people who made me feel so welcome here in Japan. I am without words to thank you adequately.
Tim
I will have a much larger post, or posts, with many photos from Japan and stories, but I simply must reiterate my many thanks to all of the wonderful people I have met this week in Japan. I can not say enough about how honored I have been to meet so many generous people. Japan has made a very lasting impression on me and I look forward to returning many times in the future- both for business and pleasure.
I know I will miss a few people, but I have to thank the amazing people from Azuma (my Japanese distributor); Takaichi Terai (President of the company and the most incredible host- I can not thank you enough), Tetsu Furuta (the man who really helped to get Masi into Japan, as well as me), Masa Nagoya (a very good man who was a big help getting Masi into Japan as well) Ishibashi- "Ishi" (guided me from the airport to the hotel and frequently served as interpreter), Masaomi Aoki, Ryozo Fujioka, Hori (a fellow keirin racer) and others who I have forgotten. There was also the very beautiful Kumiko, who assisted in the booth and was also very kind.
I hate to finish this post without more stories or pictures, but I have too little time left to wander and explore this beautiful city. I will have more later.
Once again, thank you to all of the many wonderful people who made me feel so welcome here in Japan. I am without words to thank you adequately.
Tim
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Good morning Tokyo
Today is the last day of the show, which means I will be flying home tomorrow. I miss my family and Thanksgiving is just a few days away, but I will be a bit melancholy as I step on the plane- Tokyo and the people I have met in Japan have made a very lasting impression on me.
I certainly hope that I am lucky enough to return next year and as many years as possible afterwards. Fortunately, the Japanese market represents some great potential for the brand, so I have a legitimate reason to return. I will be working on some special bikes, just for Japan, in the coming months and years. The Japanese market is similar, yet very different from the US market. Bikes that I can not sell in the US are very popular here. I am very fortunate to have the distributor (Azuma) here that I do.
I will have more pictures from the show- the booth, the bikes, the people and products- later tonight or tomorrow morning.
To Japan and the people of Tokyo, I wish to say thank you- supashi-bo. I will forever be an admirer of Japan and the people.
Tim
I certainly hope that I am lucky enough to return next year and as many years as possible afterwards. Fortunately, the Japanese market represents some great potential for the brand, so I have a legitimate reason to return. I will be working on some special bikes, just for Japan, in the coming months and years. The Japanese market is similar, yet very different from the US market. Bikes that I can not sell in the US are very popular here. I am very fortunate to have the distributor (Azuma) here that I do.I will have more pictures from the show- the booth, the bikes, the people and products- later tonight or tomorrow morning.
To Japan and the people of Tokyo, I wish to say thank you- supashi-bo. I will forever be an admirer of Japan and the people.
Tim
Friday, November 16, 2007
More Japan stuff...
Just a quickie before heading back out for dinner...
I LOVE JAPAN! There... I said it... and I feel better now for having done it. Tokyo is beyond comprehension until you see it for yourself. I am beyond words for this experience. I actually really enjoy Taiwan too- especially the people- but there is something otherworldly about Japan. The beauty just seems to never stop. I am in constant awe of the city.
This is the night view from my room in the hotel... amazing. I am in the area of Tokyo known as Asakusa. It has one of the most famous temples in Japan. It was once the seat of the nation's power, during the Shogun era.
I still feel pretty unworthy of being here... not that I'm going to tell my boss or coworkers that...
Visiting the bike shops was really great and I'll have more pictures from that later, but now I have to run down to the lobby for another mindblowing meal.
Tim
I LOVE JAPAN! There... I said it... and I feel better now for having done it. Tokyo is beyond comprehension until you see it for yourself. I am beyond words for this experience. I actually really enjoy Taiwan too- especially the people- but there is something otherworldly about Japan. The beauty just seems to never stop. I am in constant awe of the city.
This is the night view from my room in the hotel... amazing. I am in the area of Tokyo known as Asakusa. It has one of the most famous temples in Japan. It was once the seat of the nation's power, during the Shogun era.
I still feel pretty unworthy of being here... not that I'm going to tell my boss or coworkers that...Visiting the bike shops was really great and I'll have more pictures from that later, but now I have to run down to the lobby for another mindblowing meal.
Tim
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Tokyo or bust!
Tomorrow morning I hop on the flying germ cylinder and head off to Tokyo for stop number two of this Asian whirlwind tour. The time here in Taiwan has been wonderful and curious as always. The city of Taichung is such an amazing place- so crowded and noisy, a little odd smelling at times, super industrial and yet still somehow elegant and graceful with a touch of ancient culture and civility. I am always amazed by the overwhelming hospitality of many of the people here. I am not fool enough to not recognize that some folks who are nice to me are hoping that it increases the business I do with them, or might do, but there is still such an amazing warmth that comes from the people of Taiwan. Each time I prepare to leave Taiwan, I am filled with mixed emotions- glad to be leaving, but still a little melancholy too. It's strange... I know.
Tomorrow I hope to be able to report on happenings in Japan and add more pictures from there and additional ones from here in Taiwan. I've taken tons of pictures as usual- I really do need to create a flickr gallery... but I'm lazy.
Little side story to Taiwan; right now, Taiwan is hosting the Baseball World Cup. The US team is staying here in the same hotel as me- along with the Japanese team (ironic, I know). For days I have been watching these young men and the team staff come and go from the hotel and have been eating breakfast with them at the buffet each day. In fact, the day I got in, they had just arrived back from a game and I ended up riding the elevator with a few of them. They looked like kids to me, though they are probably only about 10-15 years younger than me (shut up). That first night, after I got into my room and changed, I headed out the front door to go get a bite to eat. As I walked out, I was mobbed by a group of either Taiwanese or Japanese baseball fans (I wasn't sure from the accents), asking if I was "famous coach of American-style baseball team". Markers and magazines/ game programs/ autograph books were jammed under my nose to be signed... but I just couldn't take the credit for the team and politely explained that I was not associated with the team. I don't think they believed me, since I was wearing a ball cap (though it said "Dura Ace" on it). Tonight, I sat in the hotel lounge/ bar to have my dinner and a beer. On the wall sized projector TV screen, team USA and team Taiwan were locked in a great battle- both are favored to finish the series very well. It was pretty funny to see the young faces of the players in uniform and on TV, rather than on the elevator or eating. I have to admit that I was rooting for them a little harder than I might've under normal circumstances.
It's only a little after 9:00PM here now, but I'm falling asleep as I type and I have a long day of travel ahead. I talk to you from Tokyo...
Tim
Tomorrow I hope to be able to report on happenings in Japan and add more pictures from there and additional ones from here in Taiwan. I've taken tons of pictures as usual- I really do need to create a flickr gallery... but I'm lazy.
Little side story to Taiwan; right now, Taiwan is hosting the Baseball World Cup. The US team is staying here in the same hotel as me- along with the Japanese team (ironic, I know). For days I have been watching these young men and the team staff come and go from the hotel and have been eating breakfast with them at the buffet each day. In fact, the day I got in, they had just arrived back from a game and I ended up riding the elevator with a few of them. They looked like kids to me, though they are probably only about 10-15 years younger than me (shut up). That first night, after I got into my room and changed, I headed out the front door to go get a bite to eat. As I walked out, I was mobbed by a group of either Taiwanese or Japanese baseball fans (I wasn't sure from the accents), asking if I was "famous coach of American-style baseball team". Markers and magazines/ game programs/ autograph books were jammed under my nose to be signed... but I just couldn't take the credit for the team and politely explained that I was not associated with the team. I don't think they believed me, since I was wearing a ball cap (though it said "Dura Ace" on it). Tonight, I sat in the hotel lounge/ bar to have my dinner and a beer. On the wall sized projector TV screen, team USA and team Taiwan were locked in a great battle- both are favored to finish the series very well. It was pretty funny to see the young faces of the players in uniform and on TV, rather than on the elevator or eating. I have to admit that I was rooting for them a little harder than I might've under normal circumstances.
It's only a little after 9:00PM here now, but I'm falling asleep as I type and I have a long day of travel ahead. I talk to you from Tokyo...
Tim
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Still breathing, if only slightly...
I know, I know, I know... I said I'd be trying harder to be a better blogger. Well... I AM trying... I'm just not succeeding. On top of being exceptionally busy, my laptop has been limping along, thanks to the fact that I almost never delete any email files. So my Outlook file has been dead for the past few days, but thanks to the IT magic of George Nunez (our IT demi-God), I'm up and running again. I am convinced that I am singlehandedly moving George into a higher tax bracket.
I'm hoping that I'm actually back now... hoping.
Anyway, on to the stuff.
Here's where I will be November 15th until the 19th...
I plan to sense bodily all that I can while in Tokyo and am sincerely looking forward to attending the show. Japan has always been a place of great interest to me and the Japanese cycling market is totally different than the US or European ones, so this will be a great learning experience. Plus, I'm fairly sure that I'm huge in Japan.
Before getting to Tokyo, I'll be in Taiwan (specifically Taichung) for another week. While there, hopefully I'll get to see the production of the SoulVille bikes. It's always a rush to see your own bikes flowing down the assembly line- especially when it is the bike you have the greatest amount of demand for.
Spring '08 bikes are getting wrapped up now. Colors have been selected and now the "sexing up" with graphics and component color choices is underway. I feel pretty confident you're going to be as excited about the Spring bikes as you have been so far for the Fall bikes. Now I have to push to get sample bikes in time to shoot the next catalog... which is coming sooner, rather than later.
At least I can try to catch up on my sleep during my flight to Taiwan. Unless I'm nervously awake, trying to make sure we come up with more cool bikes.
I guess we'll find out soon enough...
Tim
I'm hoping that I'm actually back now... hoping.
Anyway, on to the stuff.
Here's where I will be November 15th until the 19th...
I plan to sense bodily all that I can while in Tokyo and am sincerely looking forward to attending the show. Japan has always been a place of great interest to me and the Japanese cycling market is totally different than the US or European ones, so this will be a great learning experience. Plus, I'm fairly sure that I'm huge in Japan.Before getting to Tokyo, I'll be in Taiwan (specifically Taichung) for another week. While there, hopefully I'll get to see the production of the SoulVille bikes. It's always a rush to see your own bikes flowing down the assembly line- especially when it is the bike you have the greatest amount of demand for.
Spring '08 bikes are getting wrapped up now. Colors have been selected and now the "sexing up" with graphics and component color choices is underway. I feel pretty confident you're going to be as excited about the Spring bikes as you have been so far for the Fall bikes. Now I have to push to get sample bikes in time to shoot the next catalog... which is coming sooner, rather than later.
At least I can try to catch up on my sleep during my flight to Taiwan. Unless I'm nervously awake, trying to make sure we come up with more cool bikes.
I guess we'll find out soon enough...
Tim
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Yes, I'm still alive.
I know it's been a while since I've posted and the posts have been a little "light"... but it's still amazingly busy after Interbike. You may remember that I've talked for the past few years about working towards getting away from model years with our products. Well, we've done that, but we've also decided to go to two product releases a year as well. That means that the Fall '07 products you see in the new catalog (which you can download from the current company website) are not even on the ground yet and I am wrapping up design of the Spring '08 products. In fact, my esteemed colleague and Product Manager (Wayne- "Fuzzy"- Doran) is headed to Taiwan next week to work out a bunch of product details. Shortly afterwards, in early November, I'll be headed to Taiwan again and then on to Tokyo for the Japanese version of Interbike- called Cycle Mode. So, I think maybe, just maybe you can see why the posting has been light and why I'm slowly, but certainly, losing my mind. (Not that I'm complaining because I still feel like a lucky bastard to have this job... just in case the bosses are reading...)
Anyway, there has been plenty to talk about over this gap in my posting and I really don't even know where to begin. I never really finished posting about the Eurobike show and the products there, I didn't really talk about all the Initerbike stuff, I've skipped over lots of the cool things that have been going on with people, places and things... and the ongoing saga that is professional bike racing. BUT... I will do my best to get back on track and back to covering it all.
I have recently been riding my Speciale Fixed a lot and have been enjoying it immensely. I had been riding it for the past several months set up very close to my Kilo position, so that I could do the occasional Kilo workout on my lunch rides (thinking I was going to be racing a lot more than I did this year... once). I recently rebuilt it with a more traditional track/ road set up;
It's set up with a bunch of parts I've been holding on to for a while-
All in all, it feels really good to be riding my bikes again. All the travel has made it very difficult to keep any kind of rhythm and I'm sure to lose it again with the travel on the horizon. Still, I'm enjoying each revolution of the cranks I am able to get.
I've also been spending a lot of time on my SoulVille. Yep, I'm cruising around in mega style on a 20" SoulVille from our demo fleet from Vegas. It's a pre-production bike, so the fender rubs the tire in the rear, the fork axle-to-crown height is short and the virtual top tube length is too short so I get toe overlap on the fender. Still, even though it is a little small for me, it is a dream to ride. Once the final version is done, it'll danged-near perfect. You folks will LOVE this bike when it finally arrives- most likely in late December or early January. I'm actually going to be playing around with this bike quite a bit. I'm planning to load it with a rack and baskets.. more on that later... and will be testing the platform for a true utility bike. More to follow on that, so stay tuned. I'll also have photos soon too. I may remove the fenders and do some other mods, so it won't likely look like the catalog bike... at all.
Ok, time to get ready for my nephew's christening. It's raining here today, so like a true SoCal resident, I'm not out riding. Hey, it only rains twice a year here... so why bother?
Tim
(Let's see if the BSNYC comes by to rip my bike apart... go easy- I'm delicate.)
Anyway, there has been plenty to talk about over this gap in my posting and I really don't even know where to begin. I never really finished posting about the Eurobike show and the products there, I didn't really talk about all the Initerbike stuff, I've skipped over lots of the cool things that have been going on with people, places and things... and the ongoing saga that is professional bike racing. BUT... I will do my best to get back on track and back to covering it all.
I have recently been riding my Speciale Fixed a lot and have been enjoying it immensely. I had been riding it for the past several months set up very close to my Kilo position, so that I could do the occasional Kilo workout on my lunch rides (thinking I was going to be racing a lot more than I did this year... once). I recently rebuilt it with a more traditional track/ road set up;
It's set up with a bunch of parts I've been holding on to for a while-- SunTour Superbe Pro track cranks (167.5mm length) and NOS Superbe Pro bottom bracket- NJS stamped!
- Sugino Mighty Comp 46t chainring and Campagnolo 16t cog.
- TTT Mod Dazzan alloy track sprint bars- a whopping 39cm wide too!
- Deda Zero stem.
- Old Lorica bar tape that was on my first track bike from 1992/93- complete with all the scuffs from crashes.
All in all, it feels really good to be riding my bikes again. All the travel has made it very difficult to keep any kind of rhythm and I'm sure to lose it again with the travel on the horizon. Still, I'm enjoying each revolution of the cranks I am able to get.I've also been spending a lot of time on my SoulVille. Yep, I'm cruising around in mega style on a 20" SoulVille from our demo fleet from Vegas. It's a pre-production bike, so the fender rubs the tire in the rear, the fork axle-to-crown height is short and the virtual top tube length is too short so I get toe overlap on the fender. Still, even though it is a little small for me, it is a dream to ride. Once the final version is done, it'll danged-near perfect. You folks will LOVE this bike when it finally arrives- most likely in late December or early January. I'm actually going to be playing around with this bike quite a bit. I'm planning to load it with a rack and baskets.. more on that later... and will be testing the platform for a true utility bike. More to follow on that, so stay tuned. I'll also have photos soon too. I may remove the fenders and do some other mods, so it won't likely look like the catalog bike... at all.
Ok, time to get ready for my nephew's christening. It's raining here today, so like a true SoCal resident, I'm not out riding. Hey, it only rains twice a year here... so why bother?
Tim
(Let's see if the BSNYC comes by to rip my bike apart... go easy- I'm delicate.)
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