This is the only clip i have from the Bike Party. Way to go guys…. it was a good time.
Sneak peek at my latest project. Yeah, thats what you think it is. :)
This bike gets me going. Man, if I was still living on the plains of the midwest i’d probably have something close to this instead of my current mountain-road friendly rides. Drop bar w/ cross levers and some light blue fizik tape…… mmmm… ….mmmm… . ..mmmmm……….
I dont usually post fixed freestyle videos, but i really feel like Michael Chacon demonstrates a blend of this ever evolving sport that consists of tricks that got it started and big bangers of where its going. Im loving the multiple barspins, keos in lines, big air-spins, and clever gaps.
Commuter’s Corner ~ “Packin’ “
*Pack Light : Pack Smart - dont carry ANYTHING that you dont need. You also dont want to forget something that you will need. Plan it out, and then stick to the plan until it forms into daily habits. I have A LOT of injuries from the past that I still feel, pretty much all the time. I am always keeping that in mind when loading and adjusting my bag. If you have neck, back, or shoulder problems, i recommend a “pack” style bag with two shoulder straps. If it’s clearly access your looking for from your bag, a messenger “sling” bag will allow you to access your cargo by sliding it around to the front in a hurry; even while riding. Modern messenger bag companies make an array of weatherproof bags with cycling specific fits to the wearer. I use a Chrome Bags rolltop, and i basically live out of it. It has plenty of space and keeps my clothes and electronics nice and dry. Its simpler than panniers, but makes it more important to pack light so you dont strain yourself. If your workplace is okay with you keeping a pair of work shoes there then by all means do that. shoes can be uncomfortable in a bag and most shoes we work in aren’t all that light.
DESTROY!
To Patch a Flat or Knot
I’ve been doing morning road rides with a couple buddies three times a week. Its been rough but were getting better. My homeboy ‘PT’ keeps puking, and ‘Viers’ is in the process of quitting cigarettes. If that wasnt rough enough, PT busted a tube on the Bridgestone the other day, and our other buddy was out of his patching supplies. Luckily im a nut and wont hesitate to do whatever drastic measures it takes to make it home. So i looked at the double snakebite in the tube (thats right! he bottomed out hard! Damn Michellin Dynamics!!). I said f-it and cut it in half and tied it in a knot and re-installed the tube in its new configuration. We got it to nearly 70psi and rode up the Roan Groan to make it home where i fixed his issue up properly. So, if ever u have a flat so bad that patches wont do, but u have at least a travel pump,… 1. cut it (i rubbed the damaged area on the corner of a curb) 2. knot it, yup.. just tie the two ends together. 3. Re-install it making sure that the bead of the tire still lines up with the hook of the rim. 4. SLOWLY add air till u got enough to at least ride without damaging a rim. Your PSI will be very low….. but u will roll as long as ur easy on it. 5. once ur home throw the old tube away and replace it with some fresh rubber. oh and a little extra advise….. Continental Ultra Gator Skins. <— now that ive been riding them ill never have to smell another Dynamic on my wheels again!
Ripping 700c through the air. Riding full brakes on the fixie these days.
I love carving around town.
Winding narrow streets make my day. Thanks to Justin sourthernvelo.org for snapping this pic.
Polo Locations
We need to find a new location for polo. Matches will be played in the same place as before until we find something better, but there are reasons to keep our eyes open for a new place. Most people are playing on fenced in basketball courts, tennis courts, and parking garages. This wards away timid ball handling and keeps gameplay flowing. Playing off the wall is supposed to be an integral part of it. If we can find a spot and maybe get together to sweep it up or whatever else might need done, then our gameplay should be that much more fun. Be thinking parks, schools, neighborhood courts, abandoned lots… anything with the enclosed space. E-mail me, or post on the Destroy FB page any ideas that you come up with.
DESTROY POLO : Informal games played Sundays around 3-ish @ parking lot near pools at Science Hill in J.C. Everyone is invited. Mallets can be made available, or you can contact me about how to make your very own.
I love working on bikes almost as much as riding them. Its when it all comes together and great mechanisms from times past come back to life, as eager as ever to work together and take the rider out on the road, that i find my satisfaction in the work. When it is a bike of my own that i have given attention to, the satisfaction multiplies. Thats the way i feel about the Bridgestone right now. I gave it the bi-annual overhaul it always gets. As usual the grime cleans away and all the chips in the paint are revealed. Even so, old school gruppos clean up well and add to the vibrance of a well used and well cherished frame. I know its not an SLX tubed, and that some of its gouges leave it a bit more vulnerable to corrosion, and its only ‘kinda light’, but i put most of the nicks in it myself. I wipe the road grime off the bottom of the frame. I brought it back from the dead and accumulated over 7,000mi on it since. When i got this bike it was a gift. I almost died in a crash and my roomate had this bike donated to me from his brother-in-law while i was bedridden and trying to gain the energy to recover. I crashed a Cannondale and hadnt even heard of a Bridgestone bike. It was in bad shape. The rims were shot. Every bolt head was stripped. I had some P.T.S.D. about bikes that haunted me. My brother was diagnosed with cancer at the same time of my crash. He fought that disease head on and lost with valiant effort. He encouraged me to fight through my recovery as well. I don’t know why i recovered and he didnt, and maybe there isnt a resolution to it in this world anyway. What i do know is that the encouragement from mostly him is what i used to drive me to not only sit up on my own again, but to learn from my experience and not be driven back by the fear of it all. Iv’e overcome the P.T.S.D. and the Bridgestone was a valuable tool in it all. The frame was in pretty great shape, but everything else was shot. ( id say a home mechanic didnt own a metric set) At one point i remember having to saw through a Cinelli stem to salvage the 26.4mm clamp bars (that im still riding). When i look at it i think ‘boy that Bridgestone sure has come a long way’ and it reminds me that i personally have to.
So, here’s a toast to that bi-annual reminder.
My mission is to promote urban cycling, commuting, and sport touring in East Tennessee and beyond. 
