Bicycle

I’ve mentioned and shown many times in the past that I modify my ODI Lock Jaw Clamps in a lathe. I mount the clamps on an arbor and put as large a chamfer as I can while not cutting into the screw. This serves several purposes. It softens the edge of the grip area where … Read more

A year ago, after some development with the Red Five frame, I built the Concorde. It’s been a really special bike and it was named accordingly. It is a very long and super fast bike. Since this new bike is for going far bigger and much faster, there was only one name that would do; SR-71 Blackbird. The … Read more

Hey folks, Bent seat tubes have become a necessity in modern mountain bike construction. Why? Dropper seatposts take up considerable straight line space within the tube while short chainstays and large diameter wheels compete for the same space. Something has to give and it means a bend at the bottom of the tube. The problem? … Read more

It’s no secret what’s been going on in the land of PVD. Lots of design work. I’ve been working on a ton of new parts and new bikes. Moving development through the Red Five, Lightning, and Baron class bikes, a new class is born. The SR-71 Blackbird class. driven to go higher. Faster. Radder. This … Read more

Up & Down Mountains is a marketing thing from Transition bikes. It’s nice. It sounds like what we do on mountain bikes. I’ve been shopping around for a new squish bike recently. I sold my older 2016 Scott Genius LT 710. It was a monster, modified and pushed out to 180F/170R and a lot longer … Read more

Ron Andrews is a bike industry legend. He’s been around longer than almost anybody. From the early days of Fat City Cycles to Yeti, and today, he’s the man behind King Cage, pretty much the nicest water bottle cages and accessories you can get. Besides his tooling prowess he’s a fun guy to be around … Read more

Singlespeed bikes suck. I say that on every ride that I’m riding one. They suck especially when they are singlespeed mountain bikes. They hurt and make me feel dumb. I try to chase down enduro bros and I run out of gearing. spun out, I watch them pull away…helplessly. That sucks the worst. It always … Read more

This is a cool little tool. It’s often a simple task to swap out remotes on RS Reverb systems without a full bleed. I’ve done it many times. If you’re careful, you really wont spoil the bleed. It works. One thing that helps considerably is a fully bled remote going into the process. This isn’t … Read more

The Red Baron is a hell of a bike. Even without a front brake it is a far more capable beast than I initially figured. It goes so fast and in control that it’s tempting to go too fast. Faster than I can steer around the next tree. No sudden stops will be made without … Read more

The voting for new inductees to the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame has begun for 2017. Several very qualified parties have been nominated including the great frame designer Brent Foes and legendary racer Steve Peat. This is a year with some strong contenders. Among them, Mark Norstad. To many, his name may not come to mind. … Read more

Riding the Red Baron is an exercise in pure terror. When I’m not in fear for my life, I’m in dire agony. This bike is for stripped down, hardcore, black leather riding. Kill or be killed. Wartime. I’ve had the chance to do three laps around Tamarancho and a run up Loma Alta (1,600 ft) and down Solstice. Basic … Read more

Here is the Fokker Dr.I 425/17. The triplane of WW1 Ace Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (The Red Baron) which he flew for the last 19 of his 80 kills. Legend status: 100. The Fokker Dr.1 is the namesake for this bike. Lovingly nicknamed The Red Baron. This bike is about style and chill, not being the fastest. The … Read more

Porn is an awesome thing. People doing the most incredible things with incredible bodies. Big boobs and cocks going in every direction. Upside down and backwards for hours on end. It is inspiring. It makes folks want to do good deeds. The problem with what we see in porn, and a really big problem for young people … Read more

I went down for my annual visit to La Tortuga Torteria this weekend. The food there necessitates a pilgrimage.  And while I was there I stopped by the Sea Otter Classic. The cycling industry is going a little insane. I don’t think anyone can make any sense of it. Every component manufacturer has 12 colors of … Read more

This is coming together…. I had to think a little bit to make my new fork right for the current BMX Klunker project. Proper dropouts are key for this kind of bike. It also has to be totally modern. Otherwise, it will just look like a lame old singlespeed. Water cut from 0.250 4130 plate. … Read more

I was young once a long time ago. I used to be more driven than I am now. It’s harder these days. I’m not as punk as I used to be. I just try to do my best. Today is a rainy day and a good one to get this old bike fully measured for the … Read more

I got to see something fun yesterday. A Shimano prototype drum brake hub. Very cool.

2017 NAHBS. March 10-14, 2017. I wasn’t sure about going to NAHBS this year. I’ve had a very busy year building a few new bikes. I got married. It’s been a good ski season. Money has been running a bit thin. I didn’t see that my usual trip, taking nice detail photos (2016, 2014, 2012, … Read more