took yesterday off and just relaxed and did some neglected errands, as i got the last show bike {frame} out the door. this is keri's bike, and i'm taking it to show what's underneath the paint. who knows what's under alot of builder's paint? i have to say, though, i went sorta overboard on the polishing.......i got down to green scrubbie on it, which is pretty damn shiny. an actual exercise in frivility, as it's all going to get sandblasted before the powdercoat goes on. looks good for the show, though! i just hope it doesn't start rusting the moment i get it to portland, although, that has sorta a cool look to it too......i have to vent something about the show that really bugs me, and i call it the "concept car bikes." you know, like the popular mechanics cover that's a ford that flies at 185mph and runs on hair clippings and is slated for a "possible" release date of 2095. there are just some far-out rigs there that you know the builder put 1,000 hours into because he didn't have orders enough to keep busy. now, i'm not saying that you shouldn't bring a bike that isn't sold, but it should be represenative of what your typical offering is like, not some fantasy bike just built to try and score some free ink or some web space. also, i'm expecting that we'll see more $6,000 commuters {no, really, these exist} but i guess the diversity is what makes it draw all the folks that come make it such a success. it the true art department, doug hall took one of the shop's famous "little chairs" that i was ready to scrap home and brought back this.......little chair version 2.0! steel, baby! lots of it. that thing is gonna be flying through space after the world blows up! and, how about the color? he said he was gonna put blue polka-dots on it too, but i'm kinda glad he didn't. lastly, folks i'm talking to often say "boy, it must be nice to be in the desert and miss out on the cold and winter" wrong. coconino cycles sits at 7000ft and we've had our share of snow and more sub-zero F* nights then usual. it's gonna lead to an awesome summer and a badass trout season, but man, it's kinda rough on a guy with a body full of titanium and stainless steel on crutches.......have a great weekend, ya'll. i'll be back soon with pics of preskit matt's build that starts today. steve.
7 comments:
Dang, you hit the nail on the head about the preponderance of 'concept' or what I like to call' hobbyist-built rich guy bikes'. I tried to build one last year just to placate the stainless geeks out there but it turned into such a long hateful episode I vowed to never do it again. Luckily I sold the bike to a guy who actually rides it, rain or shine. Hobby builders have more time to obsess over all the arty details on frames....If you have no orders it's easy to spend endless hours carving and polishing. A guy who has orders has little time for that as most customers are riders,not art collectors-thank god for that, eh? Anyway, got any more of those tepin chiles? Holly is almost out. See you at the show.
I feel you on this winter thing haven
some fun but it would be nice to get dried out... You are going to knock then over again this year..
thanks, paul....... now, don't get me wrong......there are the guys like brian baylis and darrell lewellyn that do stuff that blows my mind! but, that IS what they do. those two guys are possessed by the perfection/art bug. then, there are the guys trying to fake it, and there are the guys in the trenches that i'm impressed by and try to emulate - like soulcraft, sycip, hunter, pereira, inglis, and you {rock lobster} that should be judged on the CONSISTENCY of the volume they are producing at a rate at which we can make a living and deliver a quality product to our customers. steve.
oh yeah - tell holly i'll get her some chili-tepines next time i got to the farmers market. i'll bring them to the show. glad to have spawned an addiction! most white folks can't dig on those little fireballs. she deserves credit! steve.
Yeah, we white but we still in the ghetto.Thanks for the chiles and yes...Bayliss, Llewellyn,Gordon,Weigle....all those guys get a pass. They are livin' it for sure.
Steve,
I am glad you mentioned the concept bike thing. That is what I was trying to get at in my e-mail.
A guy I know in Silver City just spent $13,000 on a Ti/carbonfiber road bike...kind of nuts in my opinion, but he's a new enthusiast to the sport (doesn't mtn bike) and has the means to buy something like that and its cheaper than a Porsche.
Wish I could get to the show and really see the stuff first hand.
Good luck at the show.
Werd, Garro tells no lies! I think NAHBS will have to re-invent itself if it plans to be around more than 5 years. It's turning into Orange County Choppers in wool hats and knickers. I want to read an interview with this guy:
http://www.zullo-bike.com/
This dude's probably forgotten more than most builders will ever know. Obviously not an ego maniac, so low flying... unlike some. I think the NAHBS name is a slight to builders in the rest of the world.. who have been quietly plying their trade for decades. Just b/c some inner sanctum of North American (trad) builders decided to start banging their own gong.
Yo Swiggco, the name John Miller ring a bell?
-Mike in MT-
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