bikeith

spare chainge

2011-11-29T01:37:00.000-06:00

amazing, right?

these are cold

2011-09-30T03:18:00.000-05:00

and by cold, i mean hot. another one of frankie flood's experiments in aluminum. to see more of his handverk, visit his blog at: http://frankieflood.blogspot.com/

here's the creme de la creme a bit closer:

weather? 'n' leather!

2011-04-17T13:51:00.000-05:00

why is it still snowing?!

winterims

2011-01-11T22:11:00.001-06:00

i've not had much, but enough time to play with bikes alas! since starting a master's this fall, i've had to thwart my bicyness way too often.

big plans are in the works though. my sisters and i are planning a trip in june, and we are going to tour from vancouver to san francisco (on bike naturally). i've been on the lookout for proper tourers, and so far have found one of three. it's a really nice trek 620. and of course, like most bike transactions, i met a super guy in cleveland who also had a garage full of bicycles.

back in milwaukee, i whipped up a new monotone bicycle to ride around the snow. i found this large pony (68cm frame) parted out at milwaukee's bicycle collective. they were as happy that i was purchasing it as i was to find it. with a large collection of spare parts in multiple colors accumulating over the years, i was able to complete this build without buying anything new.

you have no idea how gratifying this is to me. maybe you do. it makes my world turn. the bar tape was also from a co-op. the saddle is a white vetta that was somewhat banged up; so i located a woman's dress at the local thrift and created a cover to match. the matching cables came from a bin in the shop. voila!

and for my first bicycle posted in over a year, i present the sea(foam)horse:

far behind.

2010-07-23T01:33:00.005-05:00

as i drove home tonight from an old friend's house, i realized, here i drive ALOT. i am in cleveland for the weekend, which is where i grew up. the cd player in my car seems to skip more than just a few beats; a third of the way from point a to point b, i turned up the radio. it was a certain brand of funk, and it was nice. i wondered if this was the music they danced to when you were my age.

i wanted something familiar to listen to; this is a long drive for someone with nothing to think about* would have been appropriate. scroll, tune rather, to something else. i found myself recognizing alice in chains on the hescher station that is still going hescher strong. this music must have been a contributing factor to my teenagey ears, i figured.

song one, black hole sun, followed by some garbage that sounded like linkin park. is this what we feed our children? flabbergasted at my inclination to this catchiness, i let it play through. during the next song, it occurred to me this was the soundtrack of a lebronless cleveland. as i entered my suburbalness, i turned the miami sound machine back down. just then, this came on:

if you so please, sing along: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4QL0L9fgbg what am i talking about - you mouroners probably already know the words.

and

lebron, if you're reading this, we look forward to your return. i comprehend the difficulty of your decision. i respect that it was yours. i am grateful to have celebrated in cleveland during the time of your reign. i hope you enjoy miami as i did. you'll be back though, and the city we both call home shall call itself a champion.

not a dad yet, but if i was....

2010-06-22T11:16:00.004-05:00

...i would have asked for this for father's day:

le tournamints

2010-06-19T04:27:00.009-05:00

check out this pair of mint condition le tour III's:
this couple has been happily married for thirty-two years, and spent nearly their entire lives by each other's side. i met the two a few weeks ago; after spending a few hours getting to know them, my ex and i took them out on a double date of sorts to the milwaukee art museum for the monthly after dark event.

the theme happened to be 'comfort' this time around; it featured complimentary massages by neroli spa, lots of beds to sprawl out on, and a live dj to keep the tempo. this past month's installation was on the american quilt. i must admit i was not terribly interested in this as much as indulging in such a lavish social experiment.

this is the view bedside:

a breathtaking glimpse of the roof structure of the lobby, by the spanish born archineer, santiago calatrava.

overall, simply a beautiful evening of absolute relaxation with my ex girlfriend along with le tournamints...what more can you ask for?
it was a schwinn schwinn situation.
___________________________________________________________________

unfortunately i had to say goodbye to the candy tangerine couple earlier this month. i was reluctant to see them go, and my ex was even less happy. in our time together, they reacquainted me with the art of riding for leisure, both in style and in comfort. dove bars, leather bound spring loaded saddles, full chrome fenders, and a few gears are a great alternative to the destination bound minimalist fixed commuter.

on the bright side, my ex recently decided to take me back, but not without a request to build her a next bicycle in the likeness of the le tour III mixte...which reminds me...

...a friend who builds bicycles in chicago has suggested a competition to build your next girlfriend's bike. rules and regulations can be found @ http://lugschicago.blogspot.com/search/label/bike%20challenge. based on the timing of my break up to make up, and when the mixte for my ex, ex-girlfriend (the exes cancel one another out) was conceived, i believe i will retroactively qualify for this ordeal.

i know what i stand to win, that goes for my (re)elation ship, too. i'm on a boat, and it looks a little something like this:

(re)opening tomorrow!

2010-05-13T00:41:00.011-05:00

in an urban environment, the bicycle is no longer just another mode of transportation; it is an icon of social responsibility. those of us who commute in the city are aware of the bicycle's changing significance and rising popularity. with every revolution of the wheel, cyclists embody a growing movement towards sustainability. now, more than ever, people are choosing to trade in their seat belts for helmets, and embracing this responsibility.

(re)cycle green(er) is a progressive storefront installation exemplifying the ecologistics of six bicycle builders, who have reinterpreted this icon in an environmentally responsive way. functional art is achieved through a collage of components, once donated or disposed of, then reconstructed and reassembled by local (re)cyclists. second-hand frames become the canvas for the hyperbolic extensions of cycling green. through the process of reduction and renewal, each bicycle is resurrected as an icon of self-expression.

the biconography in this installation is set on a major artery in the city to raise awareness, not only for cycling, but for the inherent sustainability of (re)cycling. (re)cycle green(er) is visible 24/7 in the showPODs of pilsen east through june 4th. these are located in the 1800 block of s. halsted st. in chicago.

an opening reception will be held tomorrow at 1900 s. halsted st. on friday, may 14th, in conjunction with the monthly 2nd fridays event. featured (re)cyclists will be on hand to share their vision and process in the (re)creation of these six unique bicycles. the installation is made possible by podmajersky, inc. and the chicago arts district to demonstrate that the most efficient form of human transportation can be even green(er)!

peroni beer, burkes beverages, & ristorante al teatro are proud to co-sponsor this event along with izze and southern beverage. new accessories by organic bikes will be raffled off at the opening.

word choice.

2010-05-04T02:17:00.014-05:00

last week i made what has become a pretty routine trip to chicago. since i moved to milwaukee 8 months ago, i put the number of miles between here and there on my hand-me-down car x20. its a good idea i didn't move any further. in two weeks i am going to ride it for the first time.

chicago is a great town, but i am mainly loyal to milwaukee. i like it better here, and i am not the only long standing resident of cook county that thinks so. its just nicer up yonder. i think the general lack of congestion, the inexpensive nights out, and the ability for small businesses to survive here have a lot to do with it. i will return with an official verdict once i have had a summer presence here. chicago in the summertime is tough to compete with, however what they lack is the riverwest 24 (july 30-31).

so back at it, hyah. i was in chicago for a couple bicycle deliveries, one bicycle pick up, to get a few parts, and perhaps a new bicycle to convert... maybe thats why i have a tough time liking chicago...mostly bicyness whenever i am in town. it seems like i am always telling a friend that i have not seen in awhile that i am on my way out. last weekend i spent three nights there, none at my old loft. the first night with efren, the second with jimmy, and the third with jeremy.

i like a change of scenery but its tough to relax when the sojourns are so short-lived. you have to always be three steps ahead in regards to what to pack, the tools you will need, and all that other bourgeois.

the trip began at a local shop. its currently goes by the name 'lugs.' even if i wrote this email when it wasn't 2am, it would likely still be closed. yeah, you know the spot. so after picking up a few parts with ron (the owner) friday afternoon, i decided to hang out in the shop for a minute. there is always a degree of surrealism being there. it tends to suck you in. the atmosphere is entirely calm, and conversation there is the polar opposite of forced. lets call it a speakeasy.

well as these things tend to unfold, there is usually a bit of alcohol involved. i went next door and chose wild turkey in order to stir up some resentment for an encounter i needed to make. you see, a brazen fellow by the name of shaun down the street at 'connect chicago' thought it would be wise to email me his irrational vulgarities a week prior. he chose to call the bicycle i had on display at his venue a 'relic,' and he asked me to come pick it up after his one of his employees decided to joyride the display bicycle for a few months.

i needed to collect the once pristine white fizik sadddle, white zaffiro tires, 144bcd signature crankset, and hand built, custom laced track wheelset on my 1974 raleigh competition. aware that i would not receive my bicycle in the condition i left it in, combined with the fact that i was underway on a custom project for shaun that was specifically powdercoated for him, i was none too happy. so wild turkey 101 and a round table amongst fellow bike builders, who are well aware of the value of a rare older bicycle (or relic, ha), seemed like an honest preamble to dumping more fuel onto bridge that shaun had already burnt. does anyone else catch the irony in his store named 'connect chicago?'

did that happen? not friday night. a handful of usual suspects came through, and in the single lamp that illuminates what part of 'lugs' need be lit, we had few beers and passed around the bourbon. echoing my (re)sentiments, questions came up like "what?" and "who does that??" the general aura of comradery put me in a mood all too amicable to be spoiled by a guy who terminates relationships via the internet. in any event, i realized that there would be a better time for picking up my bike and opted to enjoy the good company at ron's shop.

then we got to talking. word choice game #1 was the new name of his shop. the name 'lugs' and original 'ride chicago' left something to be desired. ron mentioned the prospect of a name that involved the word velo. the supporting cast, including myself, all agreed that this was a term oversaturating the cycling industy - kind of like the word organic in the realm of conscious eating. it just doesn't hold any weight these days.

i proposed he change his business model to a njs/keirin store and call it 'keiron.' bikeith and kieron. take another step; we could partner up and and form 'bikeiron.' though this was beyond clever (or merely another choice coincidence), ron isn't as narrow-minded to work strictly with the japenese track standards. seeing that he is more into vintage english models, i offered up a name once conceived for a bike shop in milwaukee, by the name of 'standforth.' it has that air of liberalness and activism, a hint of old english, and bodes well to the low lit ambiance of a speakeasy.

somewhere or another, the word 'sell' got me in trouble. "its not about sales," according to ron, "its about relationships." i tripped up later and incited another clarification from ron when i used the word 'customer.' ultimately, i ended up getting chastised for choosing the word 'used' bicycles. around lugs, they prefer the term 'rebuilt' when describing their bicycles.

after the diatribe, i came to understand ron's philosophy and his phonetics. it makes sense; we ought to have a certain level of dignity for our craft. relationships come first hand and are worth more than making a few cents. i wonder what ron thinks of the word second hand.

these are a few of my favorite things vol.1

2010-04-28T02:20:00.014-05:00

stress on the word favorite. i cannot take credit for all of these...

a messenger in california. he stopped to see if mark needed a tube. mark took a picture of this awesome chainguard. the pant leg(s) rolled up...strictly style points. i want to try this someday, just to see how loud it is? have the united colors of bicycle parts caught onto this yet? when they do, you will see me rocking a turquoise one, but not until then.

this piece of art just makes me smile. another inexpensive way to make something amazing. things that scream simple always appeal to me....except girls, unfortunately. i'll leave that one right there.

greenery in bucktown! my friend used to live on the second floor. only three years ago the vines were only on the east side of the building. look at this chia-rrificness. who wouldn't want to live here.....hey yeah, its 3 blocks up on your right hand side. look for the three story bush.

mother's polish. yeah i like bar end shifters too. odd thing is, i don't really like gears. but this picture is about mother's polish, and indeed, there is no shine like mother's. with a terrycloth towel, you can make your bits look better than new. the personal satisfaction that comes from seeing your own skewed reflection in any sort of alloy is unmatched. i need to ween mark off of it, he is obsessed!

this garment is top shelf in my wardrobe. this came all the way from bangkok. thank you noel. graphic t-shirts aren't really my thing, but if you put a silk-screened image of a super hot hipster girl in tubes socks on it with the first cursive font known to man, well, what can i say? the pista, eh...i prefer to pretend all bianchi's are lugged.

fixed gear beer!! pbr laying second fiddle in the background. i have to thank danielle for introducing it to me. of course this is pure milwaukee genius. i stumbled upon several of these half empty in a trail trying to find the milwaukee messenger invitational. a long night of karoake the night prior had me struggling to make it to breakaway before the race took off. if you like gumballhead by three floyds (and i love it), you will enjoy this 22oz-er from lakefront. its good as ale.

and last but definitely not least, the guerrilla approach to cycling advocacy. how brilliant is this? these are all over the place in wicker park. this sort of thing, from the idea to execution to actualization, is pure chicago genius. if there's anything i hate more than driving in chicago, it's parking in chicago. what a pain it is to walk half a block in the wrong direction when its freezing out just to wait 45 seconds for the flipping receipt to print out. oh and thanks guys for taking away all the spots to lock up our bicylces because theft isn't already a problem...

b(ack)log.

2010-04-22T04:30:00.014-05:00

i have been experiencing a writer's block. until a few days ago, blogging was one of those things i could not convince myself to sit down and do. much has transpired and the material to share has been ample, i've simply not had enough immediate relativity to relay these experiences in a literal fashon.

my lifestyle of late has also caused a bit of a rider's block. it feels like i spend so much time crafting and criticizing bicycles that often times the end product is hardly enjoyed. that's no good, according to the general public and at times to my general well being. here's a good idea of one of these projects:

this bicycle was broken down to the sum of its parts, sandblasted, and suspended in space as a three dimensional diagram. it was designed to educate and inform those who are less familiar with the mechanics of a bicycle of its beautiful simplicity. anyone can be a (re)cyclist...

i was asked in an interiew recently what this means. to me, a (re)cyclist is a bike savant whose satisfaction of riding is equalled by the satisfaction of restoration. in many cases, the term 'rivalled' is a better choice for 'equalled.'

this time of year is hectic for the (re)cyclist - the beginning of a new season means lots of new projects, and its challenging to stay on top of it all. recently, almost everything has been on hold due to the demands of curating the streetside installation called (re)cycle green(er).

as the curator, i learned an invaluable lesson of what this role truly means. it means making it happen, and there are many fulfillments when you are both an artist and a manager. i tend to want to have a hand in it all, and this ultimately means some long hours. the installation was no small endeavor, and i couldn't have pulled it off without the support of a few friends who did more than was asked of them to ensure the opening was a success.

couple of shout outs: first, to john podmajersky and cynthia west for offering me this opportunity to occupy these galleries and advocate cycling to the community of pilsen and the city of chicago. to my good buddy mark who took this initiative under his wing in so many ways, making sure all the galleries were painted, helping me create each of the pedestals, and engineering the exploded diagram. billydavid, thanks for welding up each of the channels to ensure our bikes are secured. jeremy, your infinite design wisdom, calmness, and facilitation services are invaluable. michael, i owe ya one for delivering all those palettes. danielle, your pixelated t-shirt design was amazing, and i appreciate your help with the inner tube chalkboards. mom, everyone enjoyed the pbr, thanks for the snacks too. efren you deserve a big hug for putting the bench together and the delicious post show bbq. thank you to each of the recyclists, whose work speaks for itself. lastly, my gratitude extends to my friends and each of you who came out to make this event a success.

if you were not able to make it for the opening, you can go to the 1800 block of south halsted in pilsen and take all of this in any time throughout the remainder of this month. the bicycles are visible from the sidewalk in 7 showpods, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

for those of you who are not in town, i present the following builds:

showpod 1 features a track bike interpreted as a turntable by adrian.

showpod 2 features a 1971 hand painted raleigh competition by billydavid.

showpod 3 features an rrb fixed gear conversion by ron.

showpod 4 features a fuji track frame accented with hardwoods by me.

showpod 5 features a sillgey bike polo frame by mark a.

showpod 6 features an original 1981 panasonic ar-6000 by mark w.

blah blah blog

2010-04-16T03:23:00.016-05:00

blah, blah, blah. you say it all the time, and you hear it all the time. if you ever ask if someone's heard of a band by this name, a common response is, "yeah, i think i've heard of them." the beauty in this name is the inherent sense of recognition. the band is these 4 guys.

from left to right, phill, byron, solomon, dario.

i've heard (of) them, and i am fortunate enough to know their music quite well. i met these guys at q4 last year, risking what many thought was the damnation of falling into the category of a groupie. then they played a b/earthday party at my loft. next i started doing moving gigs with with a solomon and phill, and as of last month i went on 'tour.' a symbiotic relationship, i might say.

thus, blah blah blog. last month, spur of the moment, i jumped ship to austin, texas. i slept very little the previous week as a result of a frantic push to represent my work in two dimensions. you know what that means, a portfolio. here's me in sixty pages archies; go ahead, make an assessment. the harder you work the luckier you get, eh? high five, dad.

so here's how i got down: by chance, i happened to be on my way down to chicago the night prior to the band's departure for sxsw. as i am sure most of my blogience is aware, this is an enormous indie festival held once a year for talented, upcoming filmmakers and musicians. it is a venue for artists worldwide to step onto a stage and perform.

as a person of minimal tact, i rarely forego any inquiry, even if i feel the question is inappropriate; coupled with my sleep deprivation, and recent sense of accomplishment in finishing the grad school application process, i invited myself to join the band on their trek down to texas.

i figured i had several reasons to not go, and if it didn't pan out, asking couldn't hurt. i texted solomon, and threw the idea out there. could i? should i? well i did, and per usual, it seemed to work out perfectly, just like packing up a four bedroom house into a sixteen foot truck on the first try.

it turned out the sound guy (who was going to occupy the last available seat in the blahburban), wasn't able to make the trip. this left a spot for guess who? i have very little patience, and i get feverishly excited when i don't need to wait to make good on good news. the following morning was st. patrick's day, and i would be driving with the band and their manager jason to sxsw! really?! ha, groupie meets roadie.

AND because they were bringing a trailer, they could accommodate a bicycle. how much better can it get? i dozed off most of the way down to texas. rest stops meant the opposite to me. though i was in a car for 17 hours, the sheer idea of where i had found myself every time i knodded on allowed me to rest very well each time i knodded back off.

by morning the next day, we had arrived in austin. per the recommendation of this one girl i know, i lobbied to the band that we should find barton springs pool. after a tex mex brunch and that much driving, it was not easy. however, the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we had to some time to kill before we could check into our hotel. being in the park incited the guys in the band to have an impromptu work out. in my delirium, it was a spectacle to weave in and out of friend and a fan.

once 1 pm arrived, we checked into la quinta, the accommodations in which six of us would satisfy our respective needs for hygiene and rest. the hotel was exactly as you'd imagine. i couldn't stop thinking we were in another version of the movie bottle rocket. the trip really did play out like a wes anderson flick, with solomon, phill, byron, and dario mimicing just another one of the wilson brothers.

i was amazed at the composure with which the guys approached this festival. i would have expected perhaps some tension with anticipation looming, but the atmosphere was genuinely calm and completely comfortable. if their was ever any anxiety in any one of these guys, you would never be able to notice it.

day one we explored quite a bit, with no set schedule, bands, or venues to be at. freelancing about, the band, along with myself and jason, found ourselves in streets filled with the coolest of all cool looking people. it was astonishing to me, but i suppose to-be-expected of such a crowd. in or around a band, you look cool no matter how hard you try not to. free hugs was a big hit down there too. into the night, for blocks upon blocks, stage after stage was being turned over by one hour wonders. we saw keys and krates that evening, who are also out of chicago.

after a solid night's sleep, i was alas rejuvenated. i grabbed my bike out of the trailer and ventured out to tour the city of austin on my new chicago themed fixie, aka the commutist. the city is really bike friendly, and the ride was a bit burby for awhile, but as i reached closer to 6th, i started to tingle with the vibrance radiating from sixth street. me, my bicycle and a beauty-full day ahead of me, with a side of peculiar people and activity; if george was curious, bikeith was in heaven.

first, some plugging of blah blah blah's upcoming show; i met some award winning hipsters and saw buckets of bicycle porn. my aformentioned elation combined with the mere fact that i was in a new urban environment, riding fixed in a t-shirt with my favorite bag filled with cold modelo's cemented a permanent smile on my face.

later, i met several people who stopped to ask me about my bike, and naturally, my superego was being fanned heavily. i talked to a runaway girl from arkansas, a couple of guys from japan, and a handful of other promoters. i seasoned the modelo intake here and there with a slice of pizza to sustain me, and eventually met back up with blah blah blah. we saw another chicago band by the name of pet lions and then split ways again.

i did my best to lure a couple of the guys to see miike snow of sweden. the show was at the mohawk, and they were asking $20 to get in. neither solomon nor jason had heard of the band, which translated meant i was going solo. i got there 45 minutes after they were slotted to play, and made it just as they went on stage.

i was amazed by the small and intimate, yet outdoor and multi-tiered venue. with a uniform of white masks, miike snow opened with black and blue; then, an extended version of silvia; finishing with the single, animal. the show was ridiculous, and if you like miike snow, and haven't seen them live, then you just don't (s)know.

i wandered around the different terraces of the venue afterwards, using the last of my camera and phone battery lives. as i walked towards a hot dog stand, i saw a very tall guy who walking alone back towards mohawk. i instantly recognized who it was, and before i could hesitate, i introduced myself to andrew wyatt. i shook his hand, congratulated him on an excellent show, and asked him to give a listen to blah blah blah. as luck was having it, i had one last sampler cd to give him. who wins promoter of the day, ehmmm....me!

this is me alongside andrew wyatt, who i actually ran into AGAIN outside of the metro in chicago. i asked him if he'd listened to blah blah blah yet. he said he hadn't but would, or not.

anyhow, the moment i said farewell to andrew in austin my super cheesy grin was met by the wide and jealous eyes of a fan by the name of erin. she hoped to share her two cents of admiration with the man. "what was he like??" she asked me this question. i should quit bikes and just do public relations for rock stars, i breifly considered. we got all giddy and talked about how awesome the show was, how tweakish he seemed, and exchanged bios for a few short minutes. shortly thereafter i was back on the saddle, tearing through the warm air and wavelengths extending into the night.

day three was magnificent. this would be the day that blah blah blah would have a chance to showcase themselves in a prime time spot at the trophy room. the day began with a new life, literally. around ten am with byron woke us all up as he made calls to share the news. his third child was born earlier that same morning in chicago, three weeks early, but happy and healthy.

this really put a huge smile on everyone's face, and added a certain shimmer to the day in general. although the super weather was not so super anymore, this day was a gem. phill, the emotional masochist, spent most of the trip on the phone. he seemed to prefer talking outside the room enclosed by the same fence where the hotel dumpsters were. dario went for a bike ride, while solomon and byron moved the beds aside for a dress rehearsal in the hotel room.

although i don't want to admit it, this was one of the coolest parts of the trip. to hear them harmonizing and going over details of some of my favorite songs was something else. for lunch we went down by the university. the band hit up a local vegetarian hot spot where they saw the dude from gym class heroes, meanwhile, we went across the street for sammies and had a hearty conversation over lunch about exes in texas.

the time for blab blah blah's was growing nearer. i was almost hoping time would slow down really fast because i didn't want it to be over yet. we headed towards the trophy room and unloaded all the gear backstage.

there in the green room were leather sofas with several other acts, a handful of scantily dressed opposite sexual roadies, myself and blah blah blah. just like the movies, i tell you. there i had a long discourse here with phill about love, his relationships, and other righteous tangents.

i went outside for some fresh air with dario and jason prior to the show. dario took over for a drummer who might better be labeled a street performer. his cameo attracted three times as many people as the original guy had in a matter of minutes, which he no doubt loved.

the show was solid, but from where i was standing, the sound seemed off. i guess this is the one shortcoming of seeing a really good band one too many times. even though i don't have an ear for the finer things in music, i tend to get a little frazzled when the guitar or the mic is too low.

they did introduce the song 'they don't dance' with a sort of funk groove that was well received. even though people seemed to be jiving, ironincally, they didn't dance. i spent a lot of time just staring at the euphoria on byron's face, thinking about his newborn son back in the midwest waiting to meet his almost famous daddy. as i was afraid, it was over before i knew it.

that night i did an ihop run for the guys when we returned to the hotel. the next morning we stopped at the flagship whole foods and stocked up with healthy snacks for the ride home. the trip home always goes faster than the way there, and this was no exception. in a town called hope, we met the entire staff of a waffle house, who fit the bill of southern hospitality with the familiar jargon of "yall aren't from around here, is you?" and "oh y'all in a band? what kinda music do y'all play??"

the band left an incredibly generous tip for our server. she offered to give it back in return for a cd. i came back in before we drove off to give her a compact disc. i told her to keep the tip and i am pretty sure from the look on her face that we made her day. someday she will get a chance to see them perform i(n) hope.

back on the road and into the night, we all took turns playing dj and driving with a heavy foot on the gas to get byron back home to his girl and baby boy. we arrived back to beecher, where byron resides beside a few silos, a set of tracks, and stationary caboose to a clear blue sky.

we unloaded trailer and went our separate ways. as i got into my car to make the last leg up to milwaukee, i checked my voicemail to hear that the remainder of my powdercoated frames were ready for pick up. the shop was only ten minutes away, and it could not have been any more convenient. it was monday morning, and all i had to do was grab breakfast and kill about fifteen minutes before they opened - the timing was perfect and soon enough i was on my way up 94, with a car full of bikes, as usual.

i merrily hummed along with thom yorke to 'everything in its right place' as i patted out the beat on my steering wheel. it was tough to stay awake, but alas i was in my own bed, as quenched as i think i have ever felt on all levels.

if you made it this far, take a lesson away from this story. the lesson may seem obvious, but is not always so clear. never hesitate to express your admiration or appreciation for what you really like. don't fight the feeling...

greener i meaner.

2010-03-28T03:42:00.005-05:00

so if you bicycle you should show your love for us, and those like myself. please support us in pilsen this month. i will be curating an installation called (re)cycle green(er).

here is the flyer:

menunite.

2010-03-26T14:32:00.020-05:00

its a religion. it is not understood by many, and it is appreciated by few. it is me and my boy mark. we are back, and we are better.

its taken me a minute to get this blog posted...the last few weeks i've been on permanent press tumbling til dry. it took some long nights, some foregone focus, but i am now fresh like your favorite hoodie.

i am going to roll back a few weeks to share my enthusiasm of mark's return to the midwest. for those of you just joining, mark is my bike guy. some of you have one, some of you have a bike girl. in any case, he was a topic of a former blog, and having him around once again to shoptalk is fantastic.

i thought this might perturb an already tense homelife with my girlfriend. bikes and her inspire most of my efforts; recently, with all else thats been consuming my time, neither of the aforementioned have received proper attention.

oddly enough, however, having a third wheel in the household has stabilized my girlfriend and i's flailing efforts to reinvent our long lost lust. how? i don't know exactly. i think it exhausts some of the scrutiny. in any case, this tricycle is cruising.

mark arrived about a month ago to milwaukee. now he lives downstairs, sharing the space with a dozen winter builds. trademark, as i prefer to call him, has been mr. fix it 'round here. i thought his mechanical satisfaction was rooted in cycling, but the guy really loves to knock things out, and cycling just happens to be one of the things where he continues refining his handiness.

in his spare time, he is decking the (best) men in my life in the face. you follow me? when i picture myself getting married, for some reason one of my immediate thoughts is who my best man will be. it might be because i am brotherless. anyways, mark is defining himself as a pretty unanimous candidate one day after the next.

there is a catch though. for a year prior to valentine's day, the thought of marriage, once a silent pact, went rogue like a poorly widdled boomerang. v-day this year d-day, but with mark on board, my relationship has, for better or worse, become real again.

why the turquoise monochromania? because its my favorite color and mark wears it well. for what its worth, pantone has actually deemed it the 2010 color of the year. think i am full of it? well perhaps, but not this time. i am serious, look at this link:

http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/pantone.aspx?pg=20706

mark and i have yet to roll up our sleeves and go bikewild this season, but have had some long conversations discussing what we couldn't help if we tried. until now, actual bicycle building has been on the back burner on account of our mutual efforts to return to school. the idea is to get educated amidst this struggling global economy and come out gainfully employed.

in the meantime, we enjoy ourselves. i like to stress the letters 'm-e-a-n-t' when i talk about the "meantime." i 'meant-' to do this, and despite the lack of control i may possess with plan A as a type B personality, '-ime' kicking ass with plan B.

plan B stands for bicycles, and this alternative is one i have been yearning to return to. with our applications to schools on file at last, we can untie these repressed desires to tool around in the shop, and its about time. there is even an option to open a small business. barack would be proud.

bikeith and trademark are back and better together no matter the weather. its time. its spring. and we are bouncing back, literally.

type out loud

2010-03-06T00:59:00.017-06:00

from the back to the middle to the middle to the back, we are almost out of winter. its like a long mountain tunnel underpass in slow motion. we are almost there friends, into the light. no more darkness at 5:45 - i cannot wait. why do i sense my age most at the end of every winter?

is there anyone out there who wants to band together to offer a traveling cycling shop? like a store on tour, you know, a la the carnies. if you want a bike in february, you're going to need to come to _____! we can call it the univercity. you might suggest moving to a climate closer to the equator. i tried that. i need the change of scenery - seasons and changing weather is fine - but i cannot stand how short the winter days are. gloomy too, this picture was taken at 3:30 in the afternoon.

if there was enough of us doing it, it would be quite feasible. no more need for vacations, because life would be dynamic enough that there would be no need to escape once a year to fulfill one's voyageuristic fantasies. it would be considered new wave; eventually a science would be dedicated to its psychological superiority.

keep dreaming, kid. yes sir.

people ask me, is milwaukee colder than chicago? wintersconsin is just as unforgiving as any other, especially when you commute by cycle. it takes time, and then teases you with its glimpses of warm weather. i am just happy we've made it to march - st. patrick's is less than two weeks away - thank goodness. spring breakfaster, please.

so yeah, bikes, i am getting there. who else has had one too many (ideas)? if i had a nickel for every time i started something that i didn't finish, i would still just have a lot of ideas. what about flying bikes? i don't need creativity any more.

the last idea was going gray; its nearly impossible. this is an image amidst the dye job that wasn't. a naysayer to facebook and the like, i admit hypocrisy in posting a personal picture. but hey, i can photoshop the idea without burning my scalp any further in real life. another idea, why not develop a legitimate gray hair dye? what do you think of old man winter?

i need more time, a bandwagon of personal assistants, and a girlfriend who understands these needs. as a man more homosexual than i once said, such is life.

we'll talk bikes later. love you guys.

worth the digression.

2010-02-19T14:30:00.005-06:00

yes, this is a cyclists blog...well its a lifestyle blog, too. unfortunately, the text regarding my trip to st. louis disappeared into the web when i tried to add a video.

in any event, let me at least share with you a very special band. these guys are special, and it won't be long before their name becomes associated with greatness.

the band is called blah blah blah. maybe you recognize them; somehow everyone seems to think they've heard the name before. if you don't, now you will.

without further ado, i present the one and only, blah blah blah:

blah blah blah band will make their SXSW debut this march in austin.

a message of love.

2010-02-17T19:05:00.004-06:00

happy valentine's day. i hope everyone had a hot date or a good ride, or perhaps you had cake and also ate it. if i was a dinosaur, my name would be metaphaurus, and i would have been a bipedal carnivore, a loose interpretation of a species nearing extinction in the kingdom of hipsters.

here is a heartfelt excerpt done by a shop in denmark. please watch:

winter wonderland

2010-02-12T01:59:00.014-06:00

i know i haven't added much in a while; things have been busy round these parts. i am having a hard time even staying on a regular sleep schedule. when i finally do get into my bed, its so very exciting. i have been doing pre-slumber victory dances because i get so excited to alas get under the covers in the midst of winter.

i hope you gotta big plate, because i am gonna put my bikes on it: a 7-course installion to curate, tasteful photos to take, and web stuffing; add to that marketing campaigns, a brand new dish for 2010 commuters, a handmade travel case in the oven, plus a few drinks to wash it all down. i am so full, i can't even fathom dessert, but look what we have in store, a store, this spring?

so many good things, its hard to resist. still on the rotisserie slow roasting is my ongoing education, a new entrepreneurial endeavor, and keeping up with blah3. i know i am biting off more then i can chew, but how do i stop? there's strong parallels between the american diet and capitalism, one being a quenchless appetite. consumption in america is omnipresent. my younger sister, who i am now visiting in st. louis, is very interested in this phenomenon, and just showed me this photo-chop job she created in its honor:

never leave home without it. like it? its pretty good, right? keep on rocking in the free world, america. neil young said its cool, that means its cool. two tuesdays in a row, i surrendered to my 'insomania,' and decided to just roll with it. after 36 sleepless hours, even with very little energy, a third wind comes in twice as forceful as the second, negating any notion of fatigue. its this type of wind where the illogical or irrational seems not only feasible, but instead some sort of profound idea.

in this particular case, the idea was to get on a bike and go out cruising in the snow. i have been dying to do this. on my way to st. louis, i stopped and spent an evening in chicago. after driving from milwaukee to chicago through white out conditions, riding through the fresh white snow was all i could think about. with me i had a freshly built, "commutist," set up as brakeless fixie. i wanted to do some wheel testing, and naturally, i wanted to debut it in chicago.

upon my arrival to chicago, i had two meetings. i persevered (with the help of a red bull) through the first. the next was off, dinner was on, and then it was time to surprise my recently engaged friends. as is common when you are restless, clock hands seemed to be making quicker laps. it was after midnight by the time the demo version of the commutist finally hit the pavement, or the snow covering the pavement. as soon as she was out of the trunk, she jumped right into the snow, and started doing snow angels in this winter wonderland.

alas, it was time for my ride! in a whisp of clarity, i hesitated. maybe this was a bad idea? there was a reason for this ride, as i needed to retrieve some documents on the other side of town before departing to st. louis. i pondered driving in order to rest up before my trip. i quickly backhanded this cowardice thought, realizing i could crash on the bus. besides, i had been reveling all day about this very moment. 14 inches of snow was well on its way, and as i took off into the night, it continued to fall. check this out:

i can't tell you how much fun this ride was. it ought to become a new sport. someone phone up to the winter olympics and tell them we can fill the 5 am slot with a new event. it is similar to downhill slaloming in a way, but without the gravity. take a selected amount of snow, some pylons, and we'll start races, complete with controlled skids to maximize how fast you can pass each mark with out slowing down excessively. now i am the first to promote having at least one hand brake but, every now and then, i find myself a hypocrite. i do not know how to skid, thus i really have no business riding brakeless.

not this night, though. i had the roads to myself, and i was having the kind of fun you can only dream about. again absent of exhaustion, i felt an incredible high as i knifed though empty streets. with the rest of chicago fast asleep, i was in a world all to myself, absorbing the beauty of the snow covered boulevards before the salt and plow trucks could come roaring through. i felt no sense of cold, no constraint of time, nothing other then how far i could take this skid before......yep, eating it (several times).

there was something completely liberating about taking this freshly built bicycle and riding it into the ground. after stopping by my old loft, and letting my feet and hands thaw out briefly, i got back on the road and took a scenic route home. i stopped in for a fill up (revert to that profound idea thing) at the shell, only to warrant the attendant (top left) coming out to horass me. everything was fine once i told him it was for an art project. that line will let you get away with nearly anything. is it because they actually believe you or because they simply aren't threatened by artists? i am not sure.

ultimately at 4 am, i arrived back to my friend's apartment, thankful to be warm and out of the weather. this time, there was no energy for a bedtime pow wow. i stripped out of my wet clothes, depleted as a puppy would be, and collapsed onto the couch. i was out cold within minutes. hey, look what time it is now....slalom anyone?

mayhem in mke this saturday!

2010-01-22T01:51:00.009-06:00

this will be big. see you at the hi hat...

...where they will be screening:

THE REVIVAL/KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON from morehartfilms on Vimeo.

i trekked utrecht

2010-01-21T10:24:00.021-06:00

in a morning, a very cold morning, i took in utrecht. to see each of the sites i wanted to visit, i needed a bicycle. though ambitious, with everything mapped out, i was up for the challenge. i am not accustomed to rising before the sun, but hey, every now and again it's invigorating.

this particular morning i woke up in rotterdam at six am to an unfamiliar techno alarm. i realized where i was and that today would be the grand finale in europe, brushed my teeth, and was out the door. sleepy eyed, and half-awake, i glimpsed at the map, bought my ticket, and jumped on the train to utrecht centraal.

because you need the equivalent of twelve dollars in change to purchase the train ticket, i had a variety of breakfast snacks for the ride there. i ate a glazed donut, sipped down some tasty soymilk, and dozed off for the remainder of the trip. when i arrived, i had to wait a few minutes for the bike rental to open.

i really, really wanted a picture of the gentleman who was operating the bike rental. he just screamed dutch biker. he was sporting the infamous beatles over-the-ear hairdo with a shag of bristly silver hair, wrinkles of wisdom, and tiny wire frame glasses sufficient to see only for someone with such beady eyes. he wore a well tailored light blue lab coat, tarnerished with shop grease, and stood about five feet and two inches tall. his dutch tainted english was raspy and patient. i was enchanted by this guy's style, which seemed to have been frozen sometime in the late sixties. on account of this, i did not think twice about the coaster brake cruiser that he rented me, even though there were thousands of bikes available.

in any case, i left my deposit, told the guy i'd be back in four hours, and rolled my department store cruiser up the little gutter built in adjacent to the stairs for bicycles. with a sense of urgency, a phrase my dad tried to ingrain in my head since i was a child, i pedaled swiftly down the bike lane in the direction of the sun, needing to head due east. as you can see from my route on the map, its not quite as simple as this, as rarely is there a street in a strictly cardinal direction.

it was cold as a cold hell, and i had no idea where i was actually going. this was reminiscient of the alleycat i did when i first moved in milwaukee, only this time i was riding with the sun in my eyes, without my balaclava or the insulation of a shot of jamison and a few pbr's. intuition can be a funny thing when you think you have it.

first on my list was the dom tower, the highest cathedral in the netherlands. it is pretty magnificent; it stands all alone as the rest of the nave was destroyed in a storm a few hundred years ago. this was a nice, easy find to kickoff this architectural scavenger hunt of sorts, and it gave me a certain sense of ignorance to the blistery weather.

i continued to ride for twenty minutes before i realized that i wasn't even really awake yet. you know that feeling when you get out of the shower in the morning in a drafty house and all you want to do is get back into bed? this thought soon overpowered my desire to tour utrecht. as my extremities tingled towards numbness, i began questioning what my options were.

i wasn't thinking so much; it was more like listening as a third party to the quarreling between the left and right hemispheres of my brain. mr. objective thought the best idea was to find the nearest cafe and burrow for warmth. mr. irrational, one stubborn son of a gun, questioned himself, but did not call off the mission. my legs continued a steady cadence waiting for a decision. needless to say, neurons were misfiring, and i was beginning to really wonder if this was the sort of daze that sets in with hypothermia.

i had lost any interest in trying to follow the map, unwilling to stop, favoring the chance that i would soon find some major landmark. at that point, it would make sense to locate where i was, thaw out, and recollect myself. i knew i was in trouble when i got into a labyrinth of a residential complex. all i needed was an open store. it was a white out, snow everywhere in this ghastly part of town, and there wasn't much in the way of businesses.

finally, i found a bus stop with a map. heavens to betsy it had a "you are here" sticker. if you revert to the first photo, i was somewhere around where my wrist would be (if it was pictured). i was several kilometers south of de uithof, the university of utrecht, at the far right. i blew hot air into my hands, told my feet to hang on, and got back on the bicycle, steering with fists curled up inside my inadequate gloves. i focused on keeping the sun to the right and my newfound sense of direction. i finally confirmed i was no longer lost when i saw the stadion galgenwaard ahead on the left. this sign was actually in the harbour of amsterdam, but is fitting for this particular blog.

within minutes there were signs for de uithof. when i reached the university, i locked my bike up to the first pole i saw and scampered into the building, b-lining it towards the bathroom. i jumped into a stall, not for the toilet, but to take off my shoes and socks and revive my feet. my bare feet were bright red; after several minutes, they returned to a normal complexion. after squatting in that stall for about thirty minutes, i went back outside and toured the university on foot.

there are some great buildings here, my favorite being the universiteitsbibliotheek by the dutch architect, wiel arets. it is a beautiful library, both inside and out. with glazed, papyrus stamped concrete, and the same graphic fritted onto the glass, the building has an organic texture on an otherwise very clean and open composition of spaces. the interiors are all black, the floors white, with a stark red upholstery on the furniture and desks. although this seems counter-intuitive in terms of a palette for a library, the spaces were all comfortably (and most naturally) illuminated. a full cover story can be found at on archinect at http://archinect.com/features/article.php?id=92824_0_23_0_M if you want to see more. below is one of my shots taken:

after bridging it over through the mazes of circulation in koolhaas's educatorium, i returned to the base of the bibliotheek for a hot slice of pizza. mmm, mmm, mmmmmm. this hit the spot and established what would be a mood of elation and excellent navigational skills for the remainder of my self-guided tour of utrecht.

on the way back, i visited the double house by mvrdv. i love this project. for those of you who are not aware, the exterior is made of a plywood that is traditionally not used as a building product. it is a process piece, coated with a resin, used for forming concrete, and ultimately disposed of. it allows for a very liberal facade, allowing windows to be placed where light is most needed. beautiful, right?

here's where my experience with bikes could have really helped me out. as i stood across the street photographing, my zoomed in lens caught an elderly gentleman on the first floor, visible behind a glass door, fiddling with something on his bicycle. like a window of opportunity to speak to a compelling girl gone by, i knew this would be a moment i would regret hesitating.

in one heartbeat, it made complete sense. why not introduce myself and see if i could offer some assistance with his bicycle? i justified that aiding his ailing bicycle and lavish praise for his home was a fair exchange for a tour of at least a single portion of the double house interior. in the next, this seemed like an absurd invasion of privacy.

how many perfect strangers came a-knocking on his door, asking to stroll through his house? right hemisphere, "these kudos came all the way from chicago, feasibly with a favor to offer in a time of need!" left hemisphere, "but it could be terribly offensive to suppose an old dutchman needs any help with his bicycle!" damnit, i thought to myself, just do it. this time mr. objective triumphed over my stubborn (and some would say better) half, which at this very minute, is still second guessing the verdict.

i begrudgingly headed back towards utrecht centruum, aware that i was in the right spot at the right time, and squandered the opportunity. even still, i was in a great mood, as the sun came up and raised the temperature to withstandable riding conditions. i passed a few more stops on my map on the trek back, the last one a square adjacent to the late enric miralles's deconstuctivist addition to the city hall, where took the following picture.

in my opinion this department store cruiser against a trash receptacle was a better photograph than his depiction of the monumentality of a medieval room incorporating the diverse conglomerate of residential utrecht...and you wonder why people stereotype architects as a lofty breed?!

bonus round in amsterdam.

2010-01-13T07:29:00.022-06:00

ding ding ding! bonus round! what started out as a three country trip became four. continental was gracious enough to let me alter my departure destination, on account of a four day departure postponement due to weather conditions in newark. so this gave me an extra 6 days abroad. i'll take it. why not the netherlands, i thought. bicycles, super dutch architecture, and plenty of vices for the solo traveler.

holy moly amsterdam is no joke. it is a haven for gluttony. not all gluttony is bad, unless perhaps you are a jesuit or some other pleasure represser. my friend marcin, who lives in poland, is neither of the two. i called him up three days before i was scheduled to arrive in amsterdam, and told him of my plans. within a day he was signed up for the trip, plane and hotel reserved. there's something remarkable to be said for impulsiveness.

i arrived a morning and an afternoon ahead of my companion. i decided to get a haircut and some advice from the kapperskademie. i didn't get much advice, but i did get a pretty nice haircut. afterwards, i ventured out to find the newly opened pristine amsterdam fixed gear. i arrived after some basic navigation issues to see the blinds down, and the shop closed. i knew there was a bike polo tournament on the north shore of amsterdam that day, but was banking on someone holding down the shop. not only was this not the case - it didn't open again until tuesday - by which time i would be in rotterdam(nit)!

i hung out for a minute, in hopes the guy working went across the street for a sandwich or out back for a smoke. this proved to be a good idea, as within minutes, a commuter named matt pulled up to the door on an rih. he was interested in where the polo tourny was being held. matt was surprised that i knew this, but even more astonished that i knew about pristine (special thanks to peter from cog magazine).

though i never got to enter the shop, i felt some sense of accomplishment after befriending the dutch equivalent of a hipster. i received a bunch of tips about what to do/avoid and also learned that rih, the storied holland framebuilder's workshop, was in the vicinity. i traded business cards with him and set off to westerstraat.

amsterdam can be a treacherous place to navigate: the streets have a minimum of sixteen letters; the canals, which should help wayfind, are so many and turn so frequently that they serve to confuse as much as guide; and soon, the snow began swarming down in wet, heavy flakes. i stopped in another bicycle repair shop to ensure i was still headed in the general direction. indeed i was - naturally, i arrived ten minutes too late.

even though rih was closed, there were still lights illuminating this and several other beautifully handbuilt track frames. i ooohed and aahed until my camera couldn't withstand any more moisture. soaking wet, i stepped in a grocery to get some snacks and began the six kilometers trek back to the hotel. luckily, i guessed the right tram. now warm and without a need to rush, i was able to take in some of the city.

i gasped when i saw a baby on a pillow literally strapped into a rack on a typical dutch bicycle. though he was wrapped up well, the baby's face was completely red and you could tell he was not a happy camper. what was shocking is that the baby was on the front rack, as might be the case with a bike like this:

this is not an uncommon thing at all in amsterdam; its just the culture. the majority of bicycles are for commuting from point a to point b rather than recreation. because of this, it was rare to see much else parked on the streets then a clunky, old lead-pipe cruiser, either rusty or with its fifth coat of paint, as seen here:

on the other hand you have a catastrophe like this, which is interesting in a grossly over-engineered way. lights built into the top tube? no thank you.

once back at the hotel, i crashed for a few hours until i woke up to the knock of my friend marcin at the door. he had made it! we caught up for a little bit, took showers, and ventured out into the amsterdam night. the precipitation now frozen over, we did our best to stay on two feet. after unsuccessfully trying to find a specific joint, we opted for the spontaneous adventure. we stopped in a couple shops to warm up, cruised around the red light district, and ended up in a taxi on our way back to the hotel after having the best pizza amsterdam has to offer.

the next day we capitalized on post christmas sales at one of countless h&m's in amsterdam. after a blt lunch, we went to grasshopper for an afternoon cocktail. here i proposed renting a bike. i was talked out of it quickly, due to the weather and the ease of walking pretty much wherever. plus, there was an overlying chance that it would get stolen. this was news to me; with so many bicycles, not particularly rare or of any value, who would steal a bike? i mentioned this to someone nearby to confirm/deny this rumor. half-seriously he concurred, saying the lock is more important than the bicycle. in the early evening, i introduced marcin to the vegetarian staple, maoz. we had an incredible falafel and fry combo that was quick and light. we picked up some brownies for dessert, and spent the remainder of the evening discussing the legitimacy of the world's oldest profession.

amsterdam is amazing, but can ultimately be overwhelming. if you have been before and have any sort of conscience, you know exactly what i am talking about. it blows your mind to witness firsthand such a liberal culture, people smoking marijuana on the streets, women selling themselves in windows, multi-level bicycle parking garages. can you imagine trying to find your bike here?

on the other hand, there were abandoned bicycles in various stages of disrepair, streets and sidewalks covered in rubbish and saturated firework remains, and the center's constantly looming with tourists, day and night.

at one point in the trip, i even overheard drunken banter about dumping a bicycle into the canal. i couldn't believe it; fortunately this was not an option as the canals were completely frozen. it would have been fun to toss one of these d-bags in the canal. it made me ponder though, how many more bikes are submerged in the city?

the last day was great. marcin and i finally had a sense of direction, and this time the cold came with a wonderful layer of fresh snow. this skim coat of white disguised some of the grit of the city and gave it a temporary purity. it made me miss my bike.

we spent the afternoon cruising the straats and taking a ton of photos, then found a deliciously, spicy si-chuan restaurant. in the evening, we did some window shopping while entertaining an idea to attend banana bar. if you are curious, look it up. it was enticing, just not my cup of tea. marcin was mildly disappointed at my unwillingness to indulge; nonetheless, we ended the night completely happy enjoying slices of our favorite new york style pizza.

after three days in amsterdam, i was content. i didn't do the museums or the heineken brewery tour. i did check out some architecture my last morning there. after a typical english breakfast and a farewell to marcin, i was back on my own for a couple hours. i visited a few mvdrv projects, arcam, and the best bookstore in amsterdam.

i left with a peculiar amusement for amsterdam. there is certainly an allure to my own personal id, and i can only imagine how it would be in the summer, but is it a place i would like to live? i don't think so. would i go back again? most definitely.

20!0

2010-01-03T20:16:00.011-06:00

'tis a new year and i rang this one in with grapes and the company of an old roommate and his super gracious family. i wrote this on a plane and am at last transferring this diary log over to the whole wide world.

the last three days in barcelona, i have done a lot of listening. when you listen but don't comprehend, facial expressions have a lot to say. these are absorbed alongside the constant murmur of my own self-awareness. in this day and age, i am on the super information highway, and my inner monologue seems to be in overdrive; always wanting to interpret, ask what's next, or take meaning out of often times meaningless stimuli.

one's mood typically determines how much stimuli it can or would like to handle. i think thats why we go on vacation, am i wrong? to confront new social equations in bulk but to have the excuse, in certain cases, to simply observe. how does this fare with one's feelings? this hyper awareness - is it a good thing? maybe in a state of endangerment yes, but to be able to relax, and take one's time is a lost art. i don't know that this comes readily to most people, and it seems particularly true with each new generation.

in spain, i felt nostalgia and it was somewhat refereshing. anytime i've taken a transatlantic flight, el prat has found a spot on my itinerary. i say this like i've traveled for years. i wish that was true; however if this bike schtick sustains me to the extent i can do another one next year (what could be the third annual), i will definitely return to barcelona. the oddly comfortable pace that exists is both relaxed and beautiful. it is both real and surreal. it is loud, and it is live.

barcelona is so full of energy; maybe it is the siestas, perhaps the density, maybe its in the blood of catalunyans. a few times during this trip, my friend pau, born in barcelona, ran into old friends. each time he bumped into to someone, they would stop and talk for several minutes. at times, it felt like hours, though it may have been a result of my inability to grasp all or most of what was being said.

what i took from a third person perspective was a degree of eye contact and earnestness in these encounters. do you think social cues have their own language? this is what i was musing about. perhaps i am mistaken in wanting to give the spanish an award for being so patient and personal. i respect this sort of interaction, and wish more of that was present in the united states. if switzerland = simple, then barcelona = genuine.

our generation tends to be routine in conversation. a lack of patience ought to be blamed on the generic nature of speech. dynamic thought is considered too radical so the boundaries of the typical confine too much. new ideas are less comfortable, because they involve change. change is more often used to remedy bad circumstances, not so often to improve good situations. why is this? descramble these words: are, comfort, concerns, immediate, our, able. exactly, you want to know right away. but it's not important to have the answer, because you get the picture.

i felt a desire to regress to an age when life was simpler. i think the world becoming more international is fantastic. it raises awareness, allowing, if not forcing a very healthy introspection. i believe the good in us thrives when forced to communicate without a language. we want to understand, and our face inherently suggests benevolence. unfortunately, this globalization too often takes place behind a monitor, causing a digression from the value of face; there is a tendency now to work the net instead of network; to provide a uniform visage adequate to an entire online community; to create a profile instead of leave an impression.

if you have a personal account online, question to what degree this convenience is worth your while. one day we will become robotically efficient, devoid of emotion, compassion, or inspiration. we will have so much time and money but nothing concrete. the evolution of now has been won. it is time for a revolution even if that means more loss. the ship of human relation has sunk and caused a deep recession. if i could, i would create a social network of enemies, that would someday crush and conquer the synthetic thoughts and impersonalities that populate the internet and infect our generic youth...this is turning into a hypocritical anti-online manifesto.

so anyways, barcelona was great, specifically my last night there. it was a ghost city on the south end of avinguda diagonal. and i had just enough battery left in my camera to get this picture of me on a bicing. it was the crappiest bike i have ever ridden. the gears didn't work, the front wheel was small, and the rear wheel was wobbly. that didn't matter though, because it took me where i wanted to go, and at the time this was all i needed. it was on this bike in a desolate placa del forum that i reflected on what my new year's resolution would be. i devised that this year i would become a better listener, to the people around me, and nearly as, if not more important, to my own core beliefs. bon nadal!

zusammen können wir mehr machen.

2009-12-31T23:25:00.003-06:00

swiss = simple + on time.

paris binight

2009-12-27T18:34:00.009-06:00

so after midnight the train won't take you back to charles de gaulle. this was one of those imperative details i didn't really want to acknowledge, and it was already 22:00. i received this information from the concierge at a hotel which is very near to the airport. though i trusted her, i wanted to believe otherwise, telling myself i would assume that reality if and likely when i encountered said predicament. this night, i opted to pass on dinner at the hotel's restaurant, growing restless and quite hungry.

it had been two quick days with my family in paris, and we were departing for zurich the following afternoon. i was unsettled with the typical touristic exposure thus far. how can you make a fair assessment of a city like paris with so little time? would going out change this? in my mind, it would, and now in hindsight, it did.

with four destinations all in arrondissement oberkampf, some basic wayfinding, and the paris metro map, i set out in search of a piece of the paris nightlife with a vocabulary consisting of "s'il vous plait" and "merci." after navigating the public transport to republique, i headed down le rue parmentier with tape club and cafe rosso atop my list. the plan for nourishment was a hot dog a-la-new-yorkaise. i hoped to meet someone who might be able to comprehend spanglish and have a couple drinks. the actuality of my feeble communicative skills occurred to me when i asked how to find rue nueve popincourt. this conversation consisted of a question, some uncomfortable facial expressions, and attempting to retain a couple hand gestures. a few steps later, i realized nothing registered.

as stubborn as i can at times be, this was not one of those times; or it was for awhile. eventually, i acquiesced to the challenge of finding either locations (one of which i just noticed was in berlin), knowing that the city of paris is the furthest in planning from an urban grid. instead, i decided to approach this friday night in a completely improvisational manner, head first, tongue last. any crowded establishment fit the bill; i could enjoy a glass of wine and observe the evening playing itself out as a mute minute man. if it manifested into something better, fantastic. if not, surely another viable detour would surface. would i run into an english speaking couple and get advice? would a miraculous series of hand and eye coordinations convey something useful? would i run into audrey tautao and tour the sets of amelie? anything was possible except getting on a train and calling the effort a lost cause.

luckily my camera was along for the journey. though it was bittery cold out, the fact that it was december 25th meant there before me laid a rather still paris. i decided it was bottelon time. i purchased the ingredients from a late night grocery to stir up a meester coke. you can easily guess one of the ingredients; the other being the white rum on hand. here it was the classy rhum blanc. the dettachment from any sort of social faction this fine evening finally dawned its ultimate fate upon me. my lack of direction and fluency (to say the least) translated into a live cocktail and a million photo opportunities, not so bad i thought to myself. certainly there was perpertual concern for how i would fare in a couple hours, but the notion of wandering the rues all night long was too romantic to ignore. i imagined there was two or three others in paris doing the exact same thing.

two'o'clock came, then three'o'clock. it was then my stomach made itself heard. toucan sam style, i followed my nose to a crepe stand, and ordered the first one i saw on the menu, jambon fromage. i made sweet, sweet, virgin love to an ever so tasty crepe, continuing to scour the rues with a childlike wonder. the crepe and ensuing sips of meester coke quenched any remaining doubt of this aimless sojourn into the night.

the receding temperature was the only pickle. this however, became irrelevant then when i turned a corner and spotted the hotel du louvre in the distance. sidetracked by some less cliche photography and a few more failed attemps to converse, i made my way to the hotel. then to the tuilerie gardens and the louvre. to my pleasant surprise the through rues were still accessible. i snapped picture after picture, and traced the entire champs elysees with unsurmounted enthusiasm. as i approached the arc de triomphe, the promenade was filled with christmas decor and the swarm of inebbriated nightcrawlers.

with two hours yet til trains resumed service, the thought of a big warm hotel bed crept into my stream of thoughts. i wouldn't say i was second guessing the foreseeable all-nighter, but i got to that point where i hit a wall. as i continued towards la defense, i started thinking what other night shots i needed to capture before my waning camera battery bit it. i'd already seen the eiffel tower and notre dame. the premise of seeking out a metro with service to the airport and trying to maintain consciousness was nauseating in and of itself.

it was just after this moment that i saw the light. there in a series of parked scooters and bicycles was one that was unlocked. it was one of the 3 speed velib rent-a-bikes, like bicing of barcelona. i was in awe, but thought better of jacking someone's commuter. right across the street was another one on its side. i kept walking. my mood escalated rapidly, the temptation to seize one and take it for a joy ride playing out in my mind like a game of ethical pinball. i made a decision to walk in a loop to inadvertently kill fifteen minutes. i rationalized if the bike was still there, it was mine.

when i returned, the bike on its side was still there, looking sad and lonely. i took a closer look at the bicycle and noticed the seat post skewer head cracked off, and the tires were almost out of air. i felt a warsh of bicycle medicness all of a sudden, and it was as if the thought of not taking it never occurred to me. i surveyed the area, macgyvered a piece of plastic from my meester coke, and tightened the seat post bolt as much as possible, using the cap to apply pressure to the very tiny arm of the skewer that still remained. the seatpost was tight enough and no sooner was i off on a bicycle in paris.

at first i took it slow, wary or my general fatique and semi-sobriety. soon thereafter, i was ripping down cobblestone streets with an incredible surge of adrenaline. it could have been the cold, it may have been the rush associated with taking a velib, but i felt like i was in a dream - think tom cruise in nyc a la vanilla sky - bad reference, but its what i thought of immediately. the feeling on that bicycle was elation in its purest form, escalating even further when a group of parisians would erupt as i rode by with a ring of the bell. i don't know why i had not considered renting one of my own earlier, but the night found me on a bicycle, reassuring me of the beautiful nature of being so whimsical at times.

i will remember christmas '09 as my own tour de france. here is a shot of pei's pyramid binight.

xmas almost (t)here.

2009-12-22T02:50:00.009-06:00

i am on the train back to milwaukee, greatly alleviated. today i spent the day in chicago, getting a last minute passport for a trip to france, switzerland, and spain. i find myself in these situations all the time. my previous book was only issued for a year. i asked why today. apparently if you've lost two back to back, they don’t give you the tenure. get it?

needless to say, i was freaking out when i realized i might miss out on our first family christmas vaction. i am so lucky my girlfriend thought to check the expiration date, because my general meticulousness is quite poor. thank goodness the city of big shoulders can put out a passport in a matter of hours. i am going to europe!!

while waiting for it to be printed out, i trekked through the streets of chicago, for once on foot. the city looks great. walking around gave me the chance to appreciate the insane amount of decor chicago has on its streets for the holidays. i decided to stage my own contest to see what high rise lobby has the best interior/cheer combo.

i believe the award goes to this one, and apparently this receptionist knew her lobby was a winner. free bikeith tee to the first person who guesses what building this is! messengers??

trademark

2009-12-06T18:18:00.006-06:00

like it or not? he didn't. he is mark welch, and that is what he prefers to go by, unless you are emailing him, where his alias is geraldo alvarez...don't ask me. if you know mark welch, you will enjoy this entry. if you don't, maybe you will be so blessed as to meet him or ride some of his handbuilt wheels one day. do me a favor, call him 'trademark' when that does happen - maybe it will grow on him.

mark welch is a friend to me, and a friend to me is a friend indeed. mark and i met on craigslist; he is my cycling significant other - you know the one. in the bike realm, he is that guy that you bounce things off to see what you get back. in the friend realm, he is that guy that always has an ear, and offers his criticism most only when prompted. although he usually sides with my significant lover, i appreciate the way we rarely see eye to eye.

that dimension is a major staple of our relationship, and our communion as bike partners. though mark is no more fond of the term 'partner' then 'trademark,' he and i define attractive in entirely different ways. thats what i like about mark: a genuineness not aimed at being agreeable for the sake of amiability. mark has a set of shoulders of his own on which to rest his head and the perspectives that comprise his humble personality.

to me, he's the best right hand guy you can have, as long as you are left handed. you want that person who seeks a similar end, but approaches the recipe with different means. that end is the relationship with the bicycle we respectively call our own. for those of you who need the recipe, i'll give you a hint: it involves freedom, trust, and fresh air. mark personifies this.

mark is in town now, in milwaukee, and having him here/around constantly (as was the case in chicago this summer) quenches a nostalgia for the aforementioned kinsmanship. his initial impression of milwaukee earlier this year wasn't a terribly inviting one. that changed this weekend, and i am about to explain why:

friday = a blustery winter ride to comet for a late lunch and the beermergency happy hour; outside to see a sexy track bike; across the street to koppa's where the cashier lauded his laughter; back on the saddle downtown to the swinging door; messengers were outspoken in their welcoming nature; tj maxx for the last two balaclavas; split a pair of smart wools socks for our drive side legs; 1.50 pbrs and corner bar stools + free shots from a probate judge; a christmas story based alleycat in a new town; numb feet tickling themselves back to life with more pbr's and strangers turning into friends; outside to see more sexy track bikes free locked if at all; brisk enduring ride home alas in riverwest.

saturday = a good morning's rest; awake to the mke collective to dig up some spokes; super nice radial wheel find; invitation from 'pops' to come back and volunteer + a recommendation for mark to find local work; home to lace up nothing but mavics (should be noted mark would rather build a wheel than make out with a hot hipster girl); finally a midnight skirt steak snack.

sunday = the 2nd annual bike swap; ran into ron and carene from lugs, all the way up from chicago; represented bikeith with 4 bicycles and a pastiche of parts; round two of the social competition to give away the most stickers; a free 32h sun rim + pair of armadillos for $5; plenty of bike junkies to schmooze with; familiar faces from friday at the door; reading/crying out loud to the book 'stuff white people like' + the movie bottle rocket; big delicious pasta dinner and sauvignon at carol's; 700c tires found on the way home.

having never done an alleycat, the co-op, or the swap here, it was about time. if i wanted to make a case for mark to come back soon, these last three days could not have played themselves out in a better way - we can say for sure we experienced milwaukee's best this weekend.

here's a shot of (trade)mark wearing sunglasses at night, a scene at the door, december the fourth.

insert caption here.

2009-12-03T00:49:00.007-06:00

these tires came from hong kong, and due to being the wrong size, i was issued a refund and told to keep them. this is the result of such bad news turning out so good.

milwaukeith

2009-11-23T12:26:00.005-06:00

from milwaukee ave. to milwaukee, wisconsin. how do you like milwaukee? i am asked this question at some point in nearly conversation over the last two months. i am going to start referring people to my blog. drumroll please...so far here, i am really happy.

originally a fur traders' destination, the town was established in 1846 as milwaukee, which i think is native american for new germany. it refined itself into a industrial blue collar haven for much of the past century. since the new millenium, brew city has redefined its urban landscape, bringing residences back downtown, reviving the riverfront, and introducing art and culture into the warehouses of the wards.

it is a very diverse city, comfortable in scale, with a great park system. milwaukee deserves some spotlight, and apparently i am not the first to say so. the city took this literally: at night passing throught the city is an array of colors, whether its the illuminated marcus center, a highway underpass, or a riverside dock. the city's bright lights are beautiful to cycle through, and especially photogenic at night. milwaukee is a cyclist's town, home to several great shops, miles of dedicated paths, and last but not least, the pabst mansion.

i remember when i decided to move here, my roommate suggested i re-dub myself milwaukeith. i briefly considered the potential for a new logo, expanding on the supercool lightning logo of the power tool manufacturer, but thought better of it. i liked the idea, and the novelty of the whole thing. it made me think though, what a coincidence to have been named keith. it's in the eye of the beholder, you might say?

my mother told me if it was up to her, she would have named me kyle. bikyle? it just doesn't have that regalness that the "-ith" carries. being a recyclery, it is nice to contrast the meek efforts of rehabbing old bicycles with the persnicketiness of a name like bikeith. it turns out there is already a bikyle anyhow. apparently, my father convinced my mother that the name keith seemed more masculine. good choice pops. 'behold my son, who will one day lose his day job, obsess over bikes, and find his bi-dentity. i shall call him keith, and he will grown up to brand himself a hero to forlorn bicycles!'

as long as you're here for the q & a, here's another question i often get: how do you pronounce bikeith? some people really stress the "bi-" prefix, which negates the masculinity thing my father was going for. oh well. whether you stress the "bike" or the "keith," it doesn't matter. are there anymore questions? you in the back? no? ok, well that wraps it up then, thank you for your time.

enough musing, here's a shot of my new hometown at night; my brakeless idiocy there in the foreground, my girlfriend's all purpose rack-tastic commuter in the middle, and of course, another of calatrava's brain children, the backdrop.

'we are defined by the choices we make'

2009-11-16T02:20:00.013-06:00

fight vs. flight, a psychology 101 catch phrase meaning a reaction to stimuli, or in my case, an immediate response to dueling instincts.

in one corner we have fight, an entrepreneur and self-made recyclist, weighing in at just under 20lbs, stripped off any superfluous mechanisms; in the opposite corner we have the established flight. a former architect, flight is forging to find roots in a new town, but has been taxiing for awhile, preparing for lift-off. he is in danger of being displaced by his much more agile opponent, who's slowly but steadily creating a name for himself.

all the hype is about whether flight's patience weighs down the recycling initiative, or if it will be fight who will be able to keep the pursuit of architecture grounded. in recent time, fight has been solid, rolling over competitors. heavily favored and wearing the traditional trunks is flight; if he can land the jab, flight should be able to contain his nimble opponent. after years of training, his future is in jeopardy.

the bets are on fight, the more active of the two contenders. it is believed the craftier and less prescribed will emerge victorious. faced with adversity, the underdog has nothing to lose and will put it all on the line for twelve rounds. though it will take endurance, fight should be able to ride it out. the hope is that one will displace the other in a unanimous decision, set for departure, and prepare for take-off.

if you asked me to describe this dilemma a few months ago, i would not have relayed this situation via a boxing analogy. i would have told you about a vocational fork in the road where i was set to autopilot. one of the two approaches would triumph based on the circumstances, while the other would reside stage left in full health. instead, a lack of linear pursuit threatens to squander either ambition. now the dukes are up, and the blows are flying.

from left to right: fight, flight.

bicycle yard sale

2009-11-09T18:02:00.008-06:00

i am wrapping up a long weekend in the capitol of oh-so-hi-o feeling like i got the best of autumn in a single weekend. as i write this, i am outside on an adirondack chair, sipping red wine. i am living it up, just waiting to head out for dinner to celebrate my sister's birthday. the weather has been fabulous, and as a result, i have spent more time outside in consecutive days then i have in awhile. i don't like the word delighted, and i would never say it, but i will type it because it is exactly how i feel. i can only hope our november will continue to be what our october ought to have been, and we can push old man winter back a month.

also, i am surprised to say it has been another productive sojourn to my home state in terms of bicyness. speaking of surprises, this trip was planned several months ago, and i never told my sister i was coming. back when i booked it, i decided to stop in chicago for a night. it turned out i was able to travel to chicago with friends who happened to be in milwaukee friday afternoon drooling at calatrava. i was happy to skip the milwaukee to chicago megabus leg of the trip, as the last two trips we've had to evacuate the bus on i94 while in the middle of the night. megabus is cheap, which is great, but don't believe the hype about free wifi on megabus (it almost never works).

so friday's 'layover' was much more then just a few hours in chicago. i was able to deliver via bicycle several parts, drop off some spokes, pick up some keys, return a bike. it turned into a five hour scavenger hunt intermingled with pbrs, familiar faces, and ended at santullo's, chicago's best attempt to mimic new york pizza. i have to say it was damn good. however, it wasn't until saturday morning that it occurred to me surprises aren't 100% spontaneous. i called my sister's roommate, and a friend in town in columbus. neither picked up, and it was time to leave to get on the bus. all i knew was from a email i received friday, that i might be keeping myself busy most of the time, as my sister was scheduled to having 36 hours of nursing obligations during my two and a half day surprise visit. oops. i decided to go anyways, trying to reconnect with my once well known ways of wingin it. why not push my luck, and i did. i arrived ten minutes late for the bus, but luckily it was still there. the only question that remained was what to do when i arrived since my sister would be at the hospital, but that's winging it, and i am glad i did.

on my way there, my sister's roommate returned my call, just as she was leaving town for the weekend. she dropped a key in the mailbox and told me how to walk back to the house from the bus stop. check. then it was how to surprise my sister without getting the cops called on me when she came home at 3am to find a strange man (me) passed out on her couch. instead, my sister magically got off early, and came home at seven. she was mildy, but happily surprised to see me - i am pretty sure my mom let the secret out - go figure. it worked out perfectly, we invited my dad to come down from cleveland the following morning for lunch, and decided to hit the streets. columbus was alive, as it always is on college football saturdays, and there was a spirit of victory in the air, as the bucks took control of their own destiny in the big ten. not only that, but it turned out the first saturday of every month there are open galleries, so the streets were packed with people.

sunday morning we got up and went for a long bike ride along the olengtangy river. i saw a sign halfway out of a waste bin that made me stop and turn around. i went back to see if i had read correctly. indeed, i had. the words 'bicycle yard sale' were scribbled in sharpie on pink posterboard. i logged the address in my mind, thinking to myself, could this weekend have worked out more perfectly? the feeling was reminiscient of running into a really cute girl when you were totally content to be single. shocked and excited, i caught up with my sister, and rode the rest of the way home. we arrived just as my father was parking. the birthday lunch was pretty weak; we forgot the candles, and the cake was nowhere near as tasty as promised. my sister didn't really seem to mind, probably because she'd have to be at work within the hour.

my father was getting ready to head back to cleveland when i asked him if he wanted to check out the bicycle yard sale. he happened to have my uncle's pickup truck with him, and he is a fan of killing as many birds with the same stone as i am. his intention was to get home before dusk so he could cut the grass, but he didn't contest my idea at all, which is another reason why my pops is awesome. as we headed toward the address i thought to myself, 'this is to good to be true.' after circling for a minute, we decided to get out of the truck and look on foot. there in the back of a church were a few garages, and in an instant, my doubt vanished: painted in the distance was a sign that said bicycle sale.

usually yard sales are enticing enough; in the back of your mind, you believe that once more you will run into a px-10 for twenty dollars. the element of what could be is so exciting, and believe me, i had to stop and take this picture to savor the moment. there i met a columbus transplant, originally from a very small town in ohio, actually the same small town as my sister's roommate. he specified there were three red lights, with stress on the word 'red,' which apparently is a unit of measuement when you rank sparsely populated areas. his name was adam; he had several bikes for sale, and was clearing out excessive bicycles and components. i picked up a couple gems there, one a fairly rare aluminum composite frame from the late eighties, and the other a children's road bike, measuring only 45 cm! not only did finding a couple of gems make me super happy, but it felt great to support adam, and put forth legitimate numbers when asked to make an offer. my dad was patient, shared my enthusiasm, and even modeled with the 24" bike to show human scale. what else can you ask from a dad?

today was another great day, namely my sister's 27th. she got her shift covered, we shopped like holics, and found some deals. after a healthy afternoon at any one of america's attempt to turn the shopping mall into a capitalism village, we both took it easy. as i sit on the porch i take a deep breath, enjoying the crisp autumn air and the spectacle today's sunset has to offer. as i paused for a moment, i notice a large curious feline, perched on the steps, looking up at me kindly. i put my tongue up to my teeth in the international 'here kitty kitty' language, and wow, here it comes. cats never like me, but i am on a roll. as i pet her with one hand, i peck away single=handedly, listening to the growl of my own stomach. its time for presents, and a birthday dinner before i head back ro milwaukee. i couldn't have asked for anymore from this weekend. fall may have come late, but thanksgiving made an early arrival.

special shout out to ace of base, for putting the words in my mouth and the rhythm in my ears when i saw this sign...

the one, the only, chopper carl

2009-10-11T13:15:00.008-05:00

today is a cold cold day, and i cannot believe how quickly the so-called summer has swept me by. its one of those days you are happy to have a so-called significant other. i can't believe its been nearly a month since i updated this so-called blog. things have been hectic, the way i like em, but time it has transpired and the season has changed. another change worth noting is that i won't be typing so-called anymore. not sure that hyphenized marriage of an iconic staple of sarcasm really is worth ever using in any event. its so-cold is more like it...ok, moving along.

today is time to set up my new bike shop. i recently transplanted from wicker park to riverwest, and my new work shop is much like it sounds, a newark shop, yes, as in jersey, the armpit of america. i woudn't say that metaphor is totally accurate....but in terms of the luxurious 14' ceilings and obese floor space at the shop in wicker park, well you get the analogy. now i clock my head at least once every two days on a pipe, light bulb, what have you. i was this close to having a bike repair stand in it today. wasn't as hawkish in my craigslist pursuits as i've been in the past. that woulda put this place one up.

its not so bad - my new basement shop puts a ceiling on what was becoming an absurdly excessive collection of bicycles that spent more time on a hook then carrying people from one destination to the next. and that isn't right; this move, this downsizing, its well timed. i am happy to enter a new cycling community, and milwaukee (i am told) has a fabulous one.

i started this post however, to commemorate chicago, and offer a veritable shout out to my man, carl harris. how do i know him? where did i meet him? i am about to lay it down for you. what does he go by? why is he such an influence to you bikeith? hold on just a minute, i am getting there. where does he eat? what does he drive? just tell me!

carl straight up is your typical bike savvy character. and by typical, i mean typical in the way that his love for bicycles is indigenous. typical in the sense that like any bike savvy character, his life somehow revolves in a very surprisingly functional manner in and around bicycles. carl harris plays the organ to make ends meet. when i met him, he was also volunteering at west town bikes. he is atypical in his personality, goofy, perhaps, but in a signature kind of way. he's the guy who wears a vietnamese hat cycling, pedaling like an asshole on an abnormally high geared carbon y frame, loudly slurring "i wanna pony" as he slowly passes complete strangers in fast motion.

he goes by chopper carl and he embraces the moment and the child within himself. he used to drive an 18 wheeler. now he can be found pulling a trailer with a soundsystem on a bike sharing mixes with the cyclists of critical mass. carl has taught me a lot about bikes, and embraced my noviceness in the cycling realm in a natural fashion. some days we would do a lake shore drive ride and take a trip to the golden nugget. other days he would offer a hint on how to repack a hub as i feverishly tried to get my bike back together before closing time at tinker town.

for whatever reason - likely its because i began to accumulate enough tools and knowledge - i began to see carl less and less. we'd exchanged some voicemails, and a few invitations, but i realized it had been over a year since i'd seen him. finally, he came over a couple weeks ago, we spent a couple hours catching up with each other, i gave him a bikeith shirt. i remembered what great company he was, all light-hearted, though still intent as ever should the name HED 3 come up in conversion. minutes after he took off, it occurred to me that i'd missed a perfect opportunity to get a photograph of my old friend and mentor wearing my logo.

as i was unlocking my front door last monday afternoon, the day i would leave chicago for good, i heard a familiar voice mutter, "nice bike." you can imagine my delight, when i turned around to carl applying the brakes of his self-titled trek. he stopped in for a drink, and this time i remembered to take a picture. i told him how i wished i would have gotten one with the bikeith shirt on. a few shots later, he unbuttoned his button up with the slightest smirk on his face, bearing my bar code.

happenstances like this, and the idiosyncrasies of bike savvy characters like chopper carl, have as much to do with my fondness for cycling as the pleasure of riding. oh yeah, this man drives a saab.

if only bikes could grow on trees.

2009-09-17T00:44:00.014-05:00

so everyone always wants to know where i get the bicycles...thats a great question, and one of the best parts about this whole scheme. i get to meet so many strangers this way, who by definition are interesting; and most if not all are very happy to find their forlorn bicycles a new life, a new enthusiastic owner. i ought to start a blog to highlight some of the characters i run into. jerry in medina was a worthy of a short story...some other time, jerry. not to tease you any longer: the answer to 'where' is thanks to two major sources, both of which make this recyclery possible.

one is, of course, the wonderful wide web (craigslist, ebay, etc.); but the feature of this blog entry, is my marm. she's gotta sharp eye for neon yellow posterboard, and the proclivity to get up super early on thursday mornings, outfitted with her large coffee - six creams, four sugars. i am not sure how bicycles & garage sales have influenced our mother-son chemistry, but i know and she knows the more bikes she picks up, the more often i'll come back to ohio. symbiotic, no? i should also mention my daddy-o, who once packed eleven complete road bikes into the trunk and back seat of a toyota camry, still allowing visibility out of the rear view mirror. when i am not as endowed, i need to get creative to bring home the proverbial bacon (insert used bicycles if you don't get down with proverbs).

it can sometimes be tricky navigating these bicycles back to wicker park. take for example this beautiful, corrugated shipping container complete with duct tape, coaxial cable, and a couple stickers. in this case, i needed to buy an extra bus pass to qualify for additional luggage. the secret i learned is to never reveal whats in the box. you would think the second you mentioned a bicycle, people would immediately smile and wave you on, but then sometimes you run into the occasional bike ogre, as was the case yesterday, when i tried to drag this on. without too much coercion, the driver realized that the cabin was certainly nowhere near compacity, and let me stow my two new ponies in the cabin. yes! in chicago, the makeshift shoulder strap and the duct tape marveled, and the package fit just right in the trunk of a standard chicago cab. the two bicycles are now in the shop, ready to be resurrected, and live happily ever after. the end.

again, just like the last entry, i won't be surprised if no one posts a comment, speechless on account of this piece.

ai wei wei

2009-09-09T22:08:00.004-05:00

i am gonna get this blog started the right way. now if you know me, you might think - oh boy - here we go. if you aren't familiar, well bless you. you are saved my diction, my verbosity, my diatribical doctrine, and my tendency to make up words - if only this once. when something is really beautiful, its makes most of us speechless.....too good and you want to say how you would have done it different, no good and you welcome all the critics.....this initial blog entry is short and real sweet, thanks to this very humbling installation entitled 'forever' by ai wei wei.

www.bikeith.com is up!

2009-09-02T11:08:00.001-05:00

Blog content will be arriving shortly courtesy of bikeith.

*bikeith*