tech

It never ceases to amaze me how these downhill/trials guys look at everything in front of them as something that is ridable. Everything from staircases to boulders to buildings is just an obstacle which can be ridden. Just totally nuts, can't wait to get the MTB out.

A Hill in Spain from chris akrigg on Vimeo.

new bike day

There is no day like a new bike day, especially when you don't see it coming. Monday was a long miserable day for me. I broke a tooth Sunday night and had to work early with a busted tooth all day, go to the dentist, and just generally feel kind of miserable all day. But when I got home I was pleasantly surprised to see the Motobecane Le Champion I had posted about last week resting on my couch. I called my prime suspect, and sure enough my dad had gone above and beyond his fatherly duties and picked it up for me.

I know there are more than a few people out there who could care less about Campagnolo stuff, especially older Campy stuff. I am not one of those people, I drool over that stuff. And this bike is fully decked out in Campy, Nuovo Record derailers, Record hubs laced to Mavic Gel 280s, Atax Philippe stem, campy everything else down to the brake pads. This bike is just way cooler than anything I imagined I would ever own and I've been rolling around on it and oggling it all day. I guess the former owner wanted to try a triathlon so he bought the bike new, used it a few times never got into it and let it sit in his garage for 30 years.

And it shows, everything is immaculate except for wear on the saddle which is probably going to be replaced anyway. It even came with the original Campy tire pump. Plus the guy threw in a set of Ofmega hubs laced to Super Champion Gentleman 81Rims, old Vittoria road shoes, tires, and an old Mavic Look clipless setup.

I love my dad.

NAHBS

NAHBS (North American Handmade Bike Show, for those who don't know) wrapped up this week and if you haven't already checked out some of the insanely cool bikes all the people who were down in Austin are back and showing off their photos. Way too cool. Check out Cog, Urban Velo, and Prolly for a taste.

SVM

There are a bunch of pictures of the Menomonie ice race up on the Volume One website right now, including this gem of our boy Dane rolling around. Looks like a blast, and I'm kind of bummed I missed it. Anyway, check out more photos here.

comfort

Regular readers of this blog know that I have a tendency to post gratuitous pictures of food and people eating. Why? I really like good food. I love cooking it, eating it, and sharing it with friends and family. The past few days have been non-stop snow and freezing rain which had caused me the biggest headache of a commute imaginable, taking 35 minutes instead of regularly 15. So to blow off stress and provide some much needed snow shoveling/trekking/commuting carbs I've been making lots of food. And to encourage you to get in the kitchen and do a little snowy day cooking yourself I decided to dedicate this entire post to the food of Bikeec past and present. Just a note, I'm a long time vegetarian and all of the food shown is either veg or vegan, yum! Enjoy!

Above: Last nights dinner. Beer/cheese bread with chipotle sweet potatoes and 3 cheese baked ziti.
Broccoli heavy pan noodles
Annual Thanks-curry dinner, lots of different lentil curries, naan, vegan steaks, dumplings and rice.
Ultimate camping breakfast, potatoes, veggie sausage, seasoning, onions, and butter. Wrap it up, throw it on the fire, and enjoy.
Every summer once produce starts getting cheap I try to juice as much as I can. It's good for you, it tastes amazing, and it's fun/easy to do.
Vegan nachos and juice in Portland.
This is the kind of overindulgence that stops me from being vegan. Scrambled eggs with peppers garlic mushrooms and cheese on a bagel with farmer to farmer coffee.
Veg philly cheese steak sandwich.
Pizza farm!
Sushi and wine at Shanghai
Digging in at Pizza Luce in Minneapolis.

It's kind of sick how many pictures of food I have on my computer, this is just the tip of the iceberg. But it will do for now. Stay warm, dry, and hungry.

find

It's not to often bikes like this 1981 Motobecane Le Champion make an appearance on Eau Claire Craigslist. Original owner and full stock Campy Nuovo Record even. If only I had $600 to drop on it I could finally get my hands on the road bike I've been wanting. *Hint

pain

Sometimes you just have to ride through it. Even when their is a 6 inch splinter going through your leg. The guy took third.

Tipped off Prolly, photos from the UCI World Cup of Track Cycling going on right now.