pretty awesome video

I think I am going to make some of these

Classic Commercial

Ouch!!!!!

MY BALLS

About to be an ouch!






FACE PLANT!!!!




til next time



OLC

Calling all you hipsters

Got some new stuff for ya, I actually dig the shirt.







If that didn't get your attention, then check these out. For the small small price of......




Now go and bust a fat ass skid on this,





til next time

OLC

H+Son Champion

So I personal think these H+Son wheels aren't that bad. I mean if you use them for what they are supposed to be used for, then they aren't going to just taco on ya. With that being said, it looks like they made some new ones....just for all you champions.






til next time

OLC

Turkey day ramblings

I hope everyone had a great turkey day. Mine was good, got very full and now am about to drink some coffee because I am about to pass out. So I was surfing around whilst being lazy, and came across this article from bike radar. I found it a little interesting. I remembered this awhile back and was wondering what was going on with it. Well they have gotten a lot of signatures. I like the fact that I am second on the list.

Anyways, found some shots of some Keirin racing, I thought some of you might enjoy.








Also, if you are looking forward to some deals, then check out Ben's Cycle they have 15% off. Do it!!!





til next time



OLC

my new b-i-c-y-c-l-e

I picked up my brand spankin' "it's new to me" bicycle last week which I am utterly excited about!!

I spent all day Friday (well, not all day) riding about my neighborhood and getting comfortable with this crazy new brake system. Let me tell you, it is so weird coasting and a little scary at times. First off, I couldn't stop pedaling..even when I didn't have to. My feets are used to fixed gear, so this is going to take some adjusting. INSANE! I will post a picture of it at a later time I actually tried doing it on Friday but ran into some problems with hard drives and memory cards and blah blah blah. Then, I got frustrated and gave up :)

What is very exciting is that I will be able to ride my new geared bike to and from work every Friday. It will be nice to have a substantial amount of riding in my routine again, even if it is only for one day. As for this car situation goes, last week I drove 378 miles. 378 miles!! I know this is only temporary (driving to work and all), but this too will take some getting used to.

CONGRATS to Jason for being appointed to the Bicycle Advisory Committee!!! Very awesome news. As for everything else, I'm off work at 3PM tomorrow, and then the Thanksgiving weekend full of fun, family, awesome food, and even more delicious beer awaits Les and I. Everyone be safe out there - no more injured cyclists!!

lovelovelove

No I'm not drunk....

Awesome video!!! Just thought I would share with everyone!

til next time


OLC

gooble wooble, fast Friday, Snot and Tears oh my

So Jason got to the update before me, but I thought I would go ahead and post it up too. Brian sent out the email yesterday and I didn't have time to post it at work, and really didn't feel like it after work. This is what he had to say....these are his cross alleycats that will be going on through out the winter months....


Race sunday.
What: First alleycross of the series
Time: 8 pm
Day: Sunday
Start: Lamar Ped Bridge
Duh: BRING LIGHTS!
Fee: $5
Prizes: First Place: 75% of the money, plus something nice (if 20 people show up, that's $75!)
Second Place: 15% of the loot and something smaller but nice
Third Place: 10% of the fees, and something crappy. hehe Kidding.
Everyone else: a really fun ride with friends
Chance of rain: 30%
Chance of fun: 100%


He also gave a date for the gooble wooble race that is but on by Brent Nutting



Thanksgiving:
Just forgot to remind about this. Gobble Wobble. I haven't gotten more info or a flyer or anything from Nutt yet, but I will pass it on as soon as I know. Olde Skool Austin style alleycat on a time limit. You will smile, guaranteed.

I mean shit, do I need to make up a flyer for this shit or what????


So that is it for now, I gotta get back to work...I'll try and post something later....oh and as far as the Snot and Tears alleycat check the post I posted yesterday or the other day.

One last thing,



til next time


OLC

*Update on Alleycat*

Here is an update on the alleycat I posted earlier.


here it is final place and time..
december 14th 6pm
drungo ice house @ 2828 rio grande
drungo ice house
10 dollar race entry fee
lots of prizes
wheelset,frame,bars,grips,bag,pads etc.etc..
food and beer
after race party/jam/competition/debauchery
all for ten bucks !
first 10 racers signed up get free "KNOG" lights
its gonna be dark so bring lights,and youll need a camera, any bike will work
and there will be a magical floating bonus checkpoint worth 50 bucks



There you have it. $50 floating check point....sounds like alot of fucking fun!!



til next time


OLC

Holy Crap

This is one the worst things that I have heard!

last night in Toronto, a cyclist had a loud argument with a cab driver and the next thing residents heard was a sickening crunch and a man screaming for help- the cabbie rammed the cyclist against a pole and severed his leg.

WTF!

This is the tree where the cabbie severed the guys leg.... to me it also looks like the tree has marks in it too from the car backing into it.


The cab drivers, cab. I mean are a couple of dents actually worth someone's leg? I really hope this guy gets what he deserves.


This is one of the worst things I have ever seen!


til next time


OLC

Upcoming alleycat

So I recently received an email from nIC telling me about an alleycat that he was going to be promoting. I don't have much information other than this.....



i still havent gotten everything nailed down but id still like people to know about it.. so this is kinda generic right now

but i got mellow johnnys on board..
theres gonna be a shit load of prizes..

free knog lights to the first ten riders
chrome bags ,velocity wheels, lots of tubes and tires..
maybe a frame , soem cranks maybe.. ??? who knows ?
theres gonna be hella prizes..
but yeah theres gonna be music and festivities.. for sure.. but i just dont have everything nailed down as of yet..







So there you have it. I will post more information when I receive it.


I REALLY WISH I DIDN'T HAVE A BROKEN LEG


Not really sure if there is going to be an entry fee, or the time and day that the race is, but I'll keep you updated when I find out.


Also, welcome Jenn into the world of blogging!!!!



til next time

OLC

a first time for everything

As you all know, Les has asked for some help keeping up with his blog. He's a busy boy with his new job and all, so I'm taking on the task of second-in-command over "the blog."

I'm really really new at this blog stuff, and I'm not sure how much help I will actually be, but I will try to contribute something exciting. As I stare at a computer all day long, the last thing I want to do when I get home is stare at another computer screen, so most of these posts - if not all - will be done at work. Thank you work for paying me to write blogs for my boyfriend!! I can honestly say I've only used my laptop at home maybe 2 or 3 times since starting my big girl job. Computers and technology are just not my thing. I end up breaking every technological device I own, and have gone back to basics, so bear with me.

Now, on to bike stuff.

Good news is that I will be the proud owner of a geared bike hopefully by the end of the day. Lee called Les and I last night to say my bike was pretty much complete minus the bar tape. The bike is a bright blue color with yellow lettering. Instead of making it look completely hideous (which is usually how I like things to look) and choosing a sea foam green, light pink, or tan color bar tape, I just decided to go with .. white. yummy. Now that I have a geared bike, I hope I can begin riding to work again in a relatively short period of time.

As all of you know, Les has started training at Apple again, and I get to drive him to work :) sucky part about that though is we work on opposite ends of the earth, so we end up spending roughly 2-3 hours a day in my car (spending 2-3 hours in my car used to take about 2-3 weeks). He works north west, and I work south west. boo.

Tomorrow is the Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting. I applied, was frustrated by one of the members (which Les posted a blog about), and I'm not sure what to expect out of the whole situation. It would be really awesome if any of us daily commuters who applied are given a position. Good luck to everyone!! Hopefully traffic will be on my side tomorrow so Les and I can make it to the meeting. I'm a little terrified to go. Will they ask you questions if you show up? Will they tell me I suck? I feel like if I go to the meeting I might experience the same sensation as being picked last in gym class. You know? (uh oh Les, that's one for me) Oh well, we'll see what happens.

Good luck again everyone. I'm off to eat a banana!

P.S. There is only one more day to vote on how/if Les should ride in the MS150. Everyone go vote to ride a tandem!! You can only vote once, so that ruins my plan of voting a billion times for tandem, but don't let it stop you!!

work

So I go back to work today. It is my first day at work in almost a month. I am going to do my best to keep this blog going everyday, but I have a feeling that I am going to be super busy. So with that being said, I might have someone start writing besides me. If you want to maybe contribute to writing, then let me know. I'd rather not do this, but I'd like there to be some kind of content on a somewhat daily basis. So if you want to give it a shot. Let me know. Send emails to lesbennett@ymail.com

til next time,

OLC

MS 150...Tandem or Solo

So as you know I will be riding in the MS 150. Well, I might not be 100% to ride because of the accident, and the registration cannot be transferred to someone else. Apparently it is not a "rare enough" circumstance. So that leaves me getting enough donations plus the registration fees, and maybe not even riding in it. So Jenn came up with the idea that maybe we could rent a tandem bike for the ride. IT is around 50 plus dollars a day to rent the bike and we would need it for at least three days. So that means the registration, donations, and then the cost of renting a tandem bike for three days.

So here is the deal, I can either not ride and still have to raise money and what not. Ride solo....if I can. Or we can rent a tandem bike and ride in the event. I wouldn't have to pedal as hard going up some hills and I would definitely be able to cost going down them.

I am not opposed to riding a tandem, it is just the cost of everything that makes me a little leery of the idea. So I have put up a poll on what I should do. Ride the tandem, ride solo on a road bike, not ride at all, or just make sure I'm drunk. Give me some feed back yo!

This is pretty much the bike I would rent.



til next time


OLC

APD Crackdown

So I'm sure if you read any of the blogs in Austin, then you have read about the "crackdown on cyclist" for running reds and etc. Daniel Mottola from the Austin Chronicle, just wrote an article about it. Jason over at ATXBS has blogged a few different times about this. I yeah if you drive a car and you see a cyclist run a red light it sucks. You are still sitting at the light being pissed off at the world because you're stuck and you see someone breaking the law. What about the cars that run reds? Do they piss you off too?

This was my comment to the article about the crackdown.

I'm not opposed to APD giving tickets out to people who break the law. I don't think it is fair to single out cyclist. I see cars run red lights downtown all the time, not to mention when there are pedestrians in the cross walks that almost get hit by the driver not "paying attention" or "not seeing them". My main question to APD would be, are you (APD) cracking down on all, not just cyclist, running of red lights and illegal turning on red, and almost hitting pedestrians?

Most everyone I know that rides bikes do not ride on the sidewalk, that is where people walk. I follow the rules of the road and I don't ride on the side walk, and I also have front and rear lights on my bike. I also wear a helmet and have reflective material on my bag and on my bike, so that cars see me at night.

I am not in fear of getting a ticket from APD, I'm in fear for my life at the car that runs the red light when I have the green and nothing gets done about it. Or when someone hits me when I have the right of way, causing me to go to the hospital and stay there for days and the motorist doesn't even get a ticket. I mean if I was in a car and got into a wreck because someone did not yield the right of way they would get a ticket, and I wouldn't be in the hospital. This is what upsets me.

I would like to see APD actually give tickets to motorist when they hit a cyclist when they (the motorist) are in the wrong.

Maybe then I wouldn't see such a big deal about cyclist getting ticketed more for running reds and etc.



I like how the picture for the article is a brake less fixed gear (presumably) running a red in front of a cop. This whole thing makes me think of the online comic
yehuda moon







I personally would like to see more of this....






til next time


OLC

2012 and what not

Ok, so this technically doesn't have anything to do with cycling, but it will eventually effect everyone. That means us cyclist too.



Food Riots, Tax Rebellions By 2012...Trend forecaster, renowned for being accurate in the past, says

The man who predicted the 1987 stock market crash and the fall of the Soviet Union is now forecasting revolution in America, food riots and tax rebellions - all within four years, while cautioning that putting food on the table will be a more pressing concern than buying Christmas gifts by 2012.



Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, is renowned for his accuracy in predicting fut More..ure world and economic events, which will send a chill down your spine considering what he told Fox News this week.



Celente says that by 2012 America will become an undeveloped nation, that there will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and that holidays will be more about obtaining food, not gifts.



"We're going to see the end of the retail Christmas....we're going to see a fundamental shift take place....putting food on the table is going to be more important that putting gifts under the Christmas tree," said Celente, adding that the situation would be "worse than the great depression".



"America's going to go through a transition the likes of which no one is prepared for," said Celente, noting that people's refusal to acknowledge that America was even in a recession highlights how big a problem denial is in being ready for the true scale of the crisis.



Celente, who successfully predicted the 1997 Asian Currency Crisis, the subprime mortgage collapse and the massive devaluation of the U.S. dollar, told UPI in November last year that the following year would be known as "The Panic of 2008," adding that "giants (would) tumble to their deaths," which is exactly what we have witnessed with the collapse of Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and others. He also said that the dollar would eventually be devalued by as much as 90 per cent.



The consequence of what we have seen unfold this year would lead to a lowering in living standards, Celente predicted a year ago, which is also being borne out by plummeting retail sales figures.



The prospect of revolution was a concept echoed by a British Ministry of Defense report last year, which predicted that within 30 years, the growing gap between the super rich and the middle class, along with an urban underclass threatening social order would mean, "The world's middle classes might unite, using access to knowledge, resources and skills to shape transnational processes in their own class interest," and that, "The middle classes could become a revolutionary class.

"

In a separate recent interview, Celente went further on the subject of revolution in America.



"There will be a revolution in this country," he said. "It’s not going to come yet, but it’s going to come down the line and we’re going to see a third party and this was the catalyst for it: the takeover of Washington, D. C., in broad daylight by Wall Street in this bloodless coup. And it will happen as conditions continue to worsen.

"

"The first thing to do is organize with tax revolts. That’s going to be the big one because people can’t afford to pay more school tax, property tax, any kind of tax. You’re going to start seeing those kinds of protests start to develop.

"

"It’s going to be very bleak. Very sad. And there is going to be a lot of homeless, the likes of which we have never seen before. Tent cities are already sprouting up around the country and we’re going to see many more.

"

"We’re going to start seeing huge areas of vacant real estate and squatters living in them as well. It’s going to be a picture the likes of which Americans are not going to be used to. It’s going to come as a shock and with it, there’s going to be a lot of crime. And the crime is going to be a lot worse than it was before because in the last 1929 Depression, people’s minds weren’t wrecked on all these modern drugs – over-the-counter drugs, or crystal meth or whatever it might be. So, you have a huge underclass of very desperate people with their minds chemically blown beyond anybody’s comprehension.

"

"When CNN wants to know about the Top Trends, we ask Gerald Celente.

"
— CNN Headline News

"A network of 25 experts whose range of specialties would rival many university faculties.

"
— The Economist

"Gerald Celente has a knack for getting the zeitgeist right.

"
— USA Today

"There’s not a better trend forecaster than Gerald Celente. The man knows what he’s talking about.

"
- CNBC

"Those who take their predictions seriously ... consider the Trends Research Institute.

"
— The Wall Street Journal

"Gerald Celente is always ahead of the curve on trends and uncannily on the mark ... he's one of the most accurate forecasters around.

"
— The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"Mr. Celente tracks the world’s social, economic and business trends for corporate clients.

"
— The New York Times

"Mr. Celente is a very intelligent guy. We are able to learn about trends from an authority.

"
— 48 Hours, CBS News

"Gerald Celente has a solid track record. He has predicted everything from the 1987 stock market crash and the demise of the Soviet Union to green marketing and corporate downsizing.

"
— The Detroit News

"Gerald Celente forecast the 1987 stock market crash, ‘green marketing,’ and the boom in gourmet coffees.

"
— Chicago Tribune

"The Trends Research Institute is the Standard and Poors of Popular Culture.

"
— The Los Angeles Times

"If Nostradamus were alive today, he'd have a hard time keeping up with Gerald Celente.

"
— New York Post

So there you have it - hardly a nutjob conspiracy theorist blowhard now is he? The price of not heeding his warnings will be far greater than the cost of preparing for the future now. Storable food and gold are two good places to make a start.


Then there is this. I read some of "Hal Turner's" blog, and I don't agree with hardly any of it, but this video does make a point.




If you read his blog and it's comments, most of it will probably piss you off. I do think he made a good point about the U.S. Dollar though. This kind of makes you open your open your mind a little bit. I mean everything in general.

I have for a long time now been waiting for 2012 and all the different but the same looks about it and the change that I think it brings, but the closer we get the more it seems it might turn into something like what you have just read and watched.




til next time


OLC

Bike Porn

So today being a Monday, I thought I might start the week out with a little bike porn. I wish some of these bikes were in my stable.....oh well enjoy.












Perfect Halloween bike.
I love seeing a baddass bike ridden so hard.....just excellent.







Hope you enjoyed....


til next time


OLC

Mellow Swap

So I just found this out. Here is the flyer that has some of the vendors coming out for the mellow swap meet this Saturday.





So I am going to do my best to be there, even though I can't buy anything. Free food and beer, so at least I get something right????


til next time


OLC

WTF Coaster on a pursuit bike

Cruising around over at FGG I stumbled upon this. I'm not going to down on the coaster brake, but seriously on a pursuit track frame??? I mean come on. What is the point?

Cute Commute Calender

So I have been seeing this calender going around lately. Well not in person, but around the interwebz. I first heard about it when I was at East Side Pedal Pushers, When Marsha had come in and was telling Brian about it. She showed him some pics, but I didn't get to see any. This, will tell you a little more about it.

The Cute Commute Calendars are $15 apiece and can be pre-ordered by emailing bikeaustin@gmail.com. Calendars can be picked up centrally or delivered by bike (in central Austin). For out-of-towners, pre-ordered calendars will be shipped (at no extra charge).

You can go to Jack and Adams, MellowJohnnys,Pure Austin to pick one up, or you can order one online, by sending an email to bikeaustin@gmail.com

You can keep up with Maureen's (Mo) blog,or with Marsha's, to find out more info on it.


I dunno, I wish I would have known about it, becase I know a few good looking girls that commute by bike also, I'm sure they wouldn't have minded being in the calender :)







Those pictures are courtesy of Nathan Lewis from the Cemetery Kittens page.


til next time


OLC

Who owns their own pedicab?

Does anyone own one? If you do, would you like to start coming on our once a month pub crawl? This way I can actually go too. I'm not saying you would have to pull me around, I'm sure I can get someone to do that. I'd like to be able to go on the pub crawls that I started, but no longer can go on because I have a broken leg. So if you know anyone that has one and wouldn't mind coming out or loaning it out for a night.....let me know.



til next time

OLC

Obama and bikes

So we have a new president. I am glad the time of "W" is over and that he cannot get elected again. I think that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, some choose to voice them with family members, friends or work associates. I have done none of the above, except maybe with Jenn. It seems like on a daily basis, I was getting some kind of email hating on Obama. This is coming mainly from my family, since most of my friends actually agree with the way I do. I know that my vote actually doesn't count in the great state of Texas, but I voted anyways. I actually don't agree with all of the politics of either major candidate. The one I agree with the most was/is Nader, but everyone knows that he would never get elected. So I chose the lesser of the two evils.

This is an email attachment that was sent to me.


Redistribution of Wealth


"Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read
"Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed.

Once in the restaurant my server had on an "Obama 08" tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the home less guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient deserved money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application."



This is the response that will be mailed out.

I'm very very excited right now. More than excited, content and again, I have faith in our government. Barrack Obama is the right choice for our nation.

I sincerely believe a wealth of good is going to come in the next 4 years - hopefully we can make it 8.

Since the 1960's race riots, minorities have gained their freedom, yes, but they have yet to be empowered. There are the few from the bunch that have exceeded what society expects of them, but it was not easy - not as easy as it has been for us. What excites me MOST about Barrack Obama is his passion for education - leveling the playing ground between lower income and wealthier schools. Yes, there are some white kids in inner city schools, and there are some minorities in wealthier, suburban schools, but the numbers are frighteningly disproportionate. The goal will be to give all children the same education from the get go, and then what they do with that education is up to them. It takes a certain ambition to go out and make a change for yourself, and hopefully with the confidence and education behind them, our next generation will be more ambitious than ever. It is NOT ACCEPTABLE that we have high school seniors who can not speak English, nor can some of them read. Absolutely unacceptable.

When I hear "Spreading the Wealth," I do not see socialism. I see a government being truly concerned for the underprivileged of our nation. The underprivileged children that did not get to pick their unwilling parents - that do not get to choose if their school has current history or mathematics books - that do not get to choose what language their parents know or if anyone will care to teach them English. It is this empowering of EVERYONE, no matter who your parents are or in which community you live, that will make this nation great again. Right now, the education level of students is becoming more and more segregated, just like our nation's wealth. 90% of us make enough to survive, while 10% make enough to celebrate. This is the same with education. We need everyone to be on the right track from day one, and stop becoming concerned only once young adults make it to college. If we give people the education to provide them with the confidence and self respect they need - are dually permitted to have - we will create a nation of people competing for that 10% of the wealth, and I believe will have a much wealthier nation. Not only based on dollars, but on freedom of choice, thought, and expression.

Barrack Obama's ideas have been beaten down to a disgusting level. He is not trying to give a hand out to homeless people. Please, focus on the youth of our nation and empowering them as much as your loving, caring parents have done for you. Not everyone is blessed with your resources.


So now Obama is going to be the next president. I am ready for a "change" in this country. To me, McCain was just another Bush. I'm ready to see what will happen in the next four years, so I can let my opinion about everything be shown to everyone that was talking shit all the way up to the election.


Alright, enough about that. As I am sure ou have seen from other blogs and just surfin the interwebz, there are a couple of Obama bikes out there.





Then we have some spoke cards,






Then we have the man himself riding around town.





We also have McCain busting a fat skid. You can tell he was trying to get some of the hipster vote.oh well, that didn't work.






Alright, I got to get some stuff done now.

til next time

OLC