Sunday, April 17, 2011

Bicycle Race.
















Pretty good Queen song.

Even better way to spend your Sunday afternoon.

Sarasota Cycles: Pirate Bike.



































































The guys over at Sarasota Cycles have been preparing this
Pirate bike for display in their shop. It is an amazingly well
thought out piece with bamboo covered spokes, Skull and
Cross Bone Handlebars, Shackle Cranks/Pedals and a
flint-locking pistol which is used to change gears on the
Shimano 3-speed internal gear hub.

Crazy bike that has incredibly dialed component details.

I cannot wait to see it when it's completed.

Vanderbilt Beach.













































While riding Trek Pure's around Naples,
we stopped off at the Vanderbilt beach to
grab a few shots.

We were woefully under prepared for the
heat and the beach, so taking pictures is
all we did before our about face.

Trek Store Naples.
















We visited the Trek Store in Naples/Estero and I was
instantly greeted by Veruca, the shop Boston Terrier. I
had never seen a shop dog in a Trek Concept Store, so
I was delightfully surprised that the first encounter was
the best kind of dog! Veruca is there unofficial mascot
and is even included on the stores racing kits. It took
everything in my power not to buy the kit (I have 6
already and it was like $180) . But I thought I would
give this little plug to the store should you ever be in
town. We rented Pure's out of there rental fleet and
toured the beach scene in Naples.

If you do swing by, say hey to Veruca for me.

Link to the stores employee page that highlights Veruca's
contributions to the store:
http://trekbikesflorida.com/about/our-staff-pg127.htm

Bradenton, Florida.
















14" single diesel stack in the bed.

'Merica.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge.












The side of the bridge was littered with gargantuan pelicans
using the air turbulence of the cars to achieve lift.

Lazy Pelicans.

Speed Concept 9.9























Hey Speed Concept,

Cool front brakes integrated into the
fork.

-Ryan

Carrollwood Bicycles.























I took a short research trip down to the
Tampa area to speak with dealers and
get updates on what they are looking
for out of products.

Central Florida is a crazy place because
the mainly deal in opposite ends of the
spectrum. You are catering to low mobility
aging baby boomers who are very price
conscious (i.e. we're fighting with the
junk you buy at Walmart) and on the
other end, there is a huge high-end
road/triathlon market with crazy P1
Madone and Speed Concept builds.

To some customers we can't justify how our
$350 Navigator is worth the price increase
over a junk Mongoose. To some customers
there is a 6 month wait-list for a bespoke
$15,000 road bike with a cool paint job
that weighs 13lbs and is made in Waterloo,
Wisconsin.

U.S.A.

Remnant of Industry.
















We used to do something here in Sun Prairie. Now we are
just the place half way between Trek and Madison.

Kind of how like Detroit used to make cars and now it's
just the city you compare your city against to feel better
about where you live.

On a related note, a family friend just bought an abandoned
school in Detroit for $500.

God, I was Trek was there.

Kwame on the Tracks.













































Kwame and I took a long walk down the
train tracks near my house. It was a pretty
warm day, so a few breaks were needed.

He led the way.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Nylabone.




















































Kwame loves his Nylabone.

GoPro HD 1080














































I picked up a GoPro HD at the wheel and
sprocket show because they had a pretty
decent deal. While the particular package
I picked up didn't come with the suction
cup attachment, the discount was more
than enough to ignore that short coming.

I have done a few test clips and am excited
about potentially attaching it to a bike or
car and making some worthwhile footage.

240sx LS2 Swap.























Replacing a 2.4liter 4 cylinder with a 6.0l
LS2 from a GTO would net you a few extra
horsepower.

Why would someone take a 17 year old chassis
designed to handle 155 horsepower and shoe-
horn in a 6.0l 400hp lump of an engine?

Because Racecar.


Wheel and Sprocket: Bike Expo 2011.




























































Kate and I headed down to the Wisconsin State Fair Park
to try out a few bikes and perhaps make a purchase for her.
While we came to the Belleville Mixte Frame as our bike
of choice, they did not have the size Kate needed. (Trust me,
we checked using the kid's sizing chart)

Not wanting to go home empty handed, Kate grabbed a
pretty neat looking Giro helmet with houndstooth fabric
wrapped around it and I bought a GoPro camera for filming
some bike riding and spirited driving.

Open Exposure: Possessed Kwame.
















Messing around with some open exposure shooting. Getting
excited about spring and going outdoors for photo excursions.

Kwame's body was remarkably still considering the amount of
travel his head had.

Monday, April 4, 2011

New Couches and Coffee Table.




















































Mom and Dad came by this weekend and dropped off a set
of new couches that someone in Michigan was throwing away.

Plus, they are plaid, so they match my shirts.

After we set up the room we headed to Target to pick out a
coffee table that just happens to match my TV stand.

Kwame has managed to sleep on all three items so I am
assured that they are all excellent additions to the apartment.