Saturday Nights

I'm past the point of going to see bands, drinking High Life or gin, staying up until 4am and annoying the servers at IHOP. But it's not like I'm in bed at 10 o'clock, either. I don't have to work until 1pm on Sunday so I can sleep late, as opposed to going out for the Thursday night ride and having to work at 9 in the morning on Friday. So what does everyone do on Saturday nights? Would you want to go for a bike ride? Here are some pros and cons:

Pros:
Can stay out/don't have to work early Sunday
More people are out so more people see us riding

Cons:
More people are out so more cars/potentially drunk drivers

Add your own in the comments. The 'more people are out so more people see us riding' seems to be one of the main reasons of critical mass which has failed to take shape in Memphis, not for lack of trying. So even though there is no rush hour on Saturday this ride has the potential to be a kind of "statement" ride (any more than riding alone on Saturday night, who's to say?). And are you already going places by bike on Saturday night? Let me know. Take some pictures and send them to me: fixmemphis at yahoo.com. I want to know who has the fullest bike rack on a Saturday night. What party were you at where there were bikes in the living room or bedroom?

I know the culture is out there and it's not just polo and cross racing and club rides.

Recent DVD Acquisitions

So yes. It's Friday night. Otherwise known as International Date Night. Homemade (my mom's home, not my home) Vegetable Beef Soup and cornbread. Staying in and watching Rad. Action, romance, and bicycles. A true coming of age story.

How do you spot a bike shop employee out riding?

He's the one with the $250 helmet and the $150 dollar bike.

It's Alive!!!

Wheel Covers: removed. Drive: fixed. Pedals: Hold Fast'd. Tires: knobified.
I've been thinking about a fixed monstercross for a while now and seeing as how my polo bike just wasn't handling the abuse I decided it was time to operate. Switched back to my Sugino crankset with a 39 ring paired with a 19 tooth cog in the back. 700 x 42 knobby tires just barely fit. I actually think I need to space out the rear hub a little bit more. Colony pedals because I needed some that are Hold Fast compatible, my Odyssey Twisted's are not. Hold Fast straps are legit. So it's been set up for about a week but today was it's first real ride.

Em and I set out on the Greenline this morning and I dipped off onto the blue trail (Wolf River Trail) as she continued straight to Shelby Farms. This was my first time riding that section of trail, my first time riding that bike on a trail, and my first time riding fixed on a trail. Perfect. Everything. Okay, there's that one narrow bridge at the bottom of the hill with that 100 degree turn leading right into it that I felt safer walking and only one of the sand pits stopped me but other than that it was way fun.


More pics on my flickr.

RIP Polo Bike

The final straw for my polo bike came last week when a dude from Richmond was riding it and the rear brake bolt sheared in two. Then I tried to play on Brett's Surly 1x1 and dipped the front shock, wrecked, and rolled my ankle sumthin' awful. I'm taking this time to evaluate the future of this bike and contemplate a more modern polo bike(?) (quill stems can go to hell). This is what happened to the brake:


...and Brett borrowed my rear tire after his flat. And speaking of Brett and Polo, he's amped about the South Central Championships in Little Rock. Though I'm sure my ankle will be rebuilt bionically by then, I'll be attending Judaism class that Sunday. It's unfortunate in that I'll miss the jaw-drops from New Orleans and Florida as they witness the superior skill level of Memphis Polo. Paul Danos, Daniel Dilberger, Adult Braces (though I heard those are off now), you guys are in for a treat.