So Margot made her way home after her 24 hour adventure. I was trying to not let her being gone get me down. I just had a feeling it wasn't going to be the last time I would see her. We put up flyers, went to the animal shelter and I posted a blog and a few other things on the internet. Jenn was still real sad, but I knew there was nothing else that we could do. We had planned on going to the animal shelter everyday to see if she was there, but now we don't have to do that.
Overall I am really happy that she is back. I gave her a bath to make sure she didn't have fleas and what not, plus she had burs all over her, probably from hiding out on bushes all day.
So now that I am in a good mood again, and not feeling sad. Here are some pictures of her when she was a little bitty kitty with her brothers and I think one with Lestat.
So a little bit of a happier post now. I GOT THE JOB AT APPLE!!!! WOOOOOOHHOOOOOOOOO!!!! So when I get done with my training, all you folks who have macs can ask me how to fix them!!!!
Yesterday I brought up this whole "bike wars" on Craigslist. It seems that this guy or girl are still going at it. The post today made me wan to do something about it.
The Bike War Continues (South Lamar) Reply to: pers-869748385@craigslist.org [?] Date: 2008-10-07, 9:52AM CDT
Well it is going quite well! I have taken down 4 bikers in total, only one with heavy damage though. (It is a lot hard than you think to make it look accidental). Thank you to those of you who understand how this war is much bigger that terrorism or a bailout. We must make a stand and destroy all bikers
After reading this I contacted CL and said I know that the rants and raves section is just for that rants and raves, but I think this is taking it to far. I would like if you could get this persons IP address, because I am a cyclist and I feel this is a direct threat on my life and others. I am contacting local law enforcement as well. This is the post just in case it is flagged.
The Bike War Continues (South Lamar) Reply to: pers-869748385@craigslist.org [?] Date: 2008-10-07, 9:52AM CDT
Well it is going quite well! I have taken down 4 bikers in total, only one with heavy damage though. (It is a lot hard than you think to make it look accidental). Thank you to those of you who understand how this war is much bigger that terrorism or a bailout. We must make a stand and destroy all bikers
and this is the link. http://austin.craigslist.org/rnr/869748385.html
You can go back a few days and see all the post that are about doing physical harm to cyclist. I have copied them all down via screen shots and also posted them in my blog.
Please do something about this. This is getting out of hand. I was recently hit and had my back broken in five spots and two broken ribs. This is not funny nor a rant or rave, this is assault and potentially murder.
I also then submitted a ticket with APD. After that I called 311 and asked what the next course of action was. The lady I talked with seemed very concerned and transfered me to non emergency police. I told my story again and this lady didn't seem to give a flying rats ass. She told me to call crime stoppers and gave me a bogus number that turned out to be a fax. So I looked crime stoppers up and waited on hold for about ten minutes before someone finally got to me. On a different note, the hold music seemed like is was a porno at first because there was alot of moaning and groaning, and then went into some Jesus music. So I filed a report with them and got a report number.
Jason over at ATXBS is taking it a little lighter than me. He has come up with what this guymight actually be like. I've put a little bit of thought into it (very little bit, as you can see) and I'm just imagining some 48 year old balding guy with horrible near-sightedness and a bad case of epilepsy, living in his mothers' basement and playing Grand Theft Auto all hours of the day. He's not legally allowed to drive a car, but is too out-of-shape and clumsy to actually support himself on a bicycle without falling over. His one attempt at cycling for transportation ended in a traumatic skinned knee and a lot of crying. Ever since that point his anger towards cyclists has festered and grown, slowly becoming what you see before you now.
Instead of DOING what he's talking about, he's created this fantasy world for himself based on an amalgamation of his computer gaming persona, his disappointment at never being behind the wheel of an actual car, and his resentment towards people who are in the physical condition to actually stay aloft and propel themselves on a bicycle. All the things he's been going on about have ACTUALLY TAKEN PLACE in this world he's spun for himself within the confines of his twisted psyche. In this world he's the great slayer of cyclists, routinely racking up kill rates of 75-150 a month. He's become an automobile-driving KILLING MACHINE, at least in his own mind. It's this fleeting fantasy that sustains him, and gives him a reason to wake up another day and play another computer game, secretly wishing he could be one of the ones to take to the road as an active participant, and not just the passenger he's always been relegated to.
Thank the bike gods he's not actually allowed to drive, for if he were to get behind the wheel of his mom's car he might actually be a danger to more than just himself.
At least that's how I imagine him. I truly hope that is the case.
If you want to get involved (you should, if you ride a bike at all) then follow some of the course of actions that I did. You can call crime stoppers at TIPS Hotline - 512-472-TIPS (8477) OR 1-800-893-TIPS (8477). The more reports and calls to APD there are, means that maybe they will take some action.
Also, if you are assaulted, please contact me here, or at lesbennett@ymail.com. Also, if someone throws something at you or tries to run you off the road, you can report it. Call 311 and give them their license plate number. They will log it and hopefully the person or persons will feel some kind of repercussion from it.
So every now and then I peek into the world of rants and raves on craigslist to see what people are pissed off about. Some of the stuff on there is pretty funny and others are not. Today seems to be full of people who want to kill and hurt cyclist. I am just going to give a few examples of what has been said so far.
"As I drove to work today in a silly attempt to make money, I inadvertently got caught in you bike race. And after waiting for over an hour on a bridge caught in some no man's land for you lance Armstrong wanna Be's to pass me so that I could continue my drive to work. I hope many of you crashed and are laying in a pool of blood by the side of the road. But if not I am sure going to do my best to run as many of you off the road as I can on my way home today. I will now be doing this on a daily basis until my need for revenge is satisfied. Get a car you bunch of cheap bastards. I hope you guys can bike faster that I can drive or you are in for an accident! Also if any one who participated in this event would like to meet me in an alley some where I would love to beat some biker ass."
"Today is day one of the bike war! And I am one for one. Yes it was you (yellow shorts) on 360 today! Did you think the liquid that hit you was water? No it was just piss! Hope to hit at least 50 by the end of the week."
"I am through slamming on my brakes to avoid hitting a cyclist who runs a stop sign or red light. This has happened 3 time this month (Sept). I am through slamming on my brakes to avoid hitting a cyclist who zips past me on the right side when I am making a right turn. I am through slamming on my brakes when a cyclist pulls in front of me on Lavaca when I am trying to pass them in the center lane and they are in the outer lane. I figure if I can put some of these idiots in the hospital the others will get the message. Cyclist follow the traffic rules and you will not be hurt. Don't use you signals, ride with your head up your ass and YOU will be hurt. I am not slamming on my brakes anymore to avoid hitting you just because you ride a bike. Olediablo "
"So to offend you but war is hell. It was the biker's that drew first blood. And this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. I am going to take down at least three bikers a day. Today was just a friendly glass of warm love tomorrow it will be a little cock tale..."
" One more dead biker.....
BREAK
THE
LAW CAUSE YOU THINK YOUR ABOVE IT
AND
FIND
OUT
WHAT HAPPENS
SPLAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"ANOTHER DEAD CYCLIST??? What will it take????? Maybe if lots and lots if them die, they will "get it" that they need to follow the law, too??? You know they guy who hit the cyclist will not even get a ticket, BECAUSE THEY DID NOT BREAK THE LAW, the red light running and NOW DEAD CYCLIST DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!
AND TO THE GUY WHO WORKS IN THE HOSPICE< YOU GO>>>I CAN"T WAIT TO HEAR HOW YOUR "GASSING" GOES, they deserve it!!!!!"
What the hell is wrong with people? I mean I understand that when a cyclist breaks the law it upsets you. I get it, but if someone actually hits and kills a cyclist, that is murder. I understand that sometimes there are elements at play, such as the sun was in my eyes, I didn't see them riding there and so on. What if these people are actually following through on their threats over the internet? Do they use these excuses and get away with it?
These are things that frustrate the ever loving piss out of me. How am I supposed to feel safe riding to work or to the store just knowing that there are people out there that want to kill me just for riding a bike? Whenever you are dealing with people there are always going to be douche bags and people who aren't douche bags. You have drivers that run red lights, stop signs, don't use turn signals, turn (while they are in the far right lane) left and cut everyone off. There are also cyclist who do it too. I am not saying that all car drivers are bad or all cyclist, but there are always bad apples in the bunch. Just because one does something that pisses you off doesn't mean you should take it out on someone else.
I try my damnedest to not get irate when a car driver throws shit at me, I used to chase their asses down and confront them, but where does that leave me? Usually getting into a fight, which didn't resolve the problem. Now I get their license plate number and call it in. Whenever someone throws something at you, that is assault, and they can be prosecuted.
I know that most cyclist are going to ride slower compared to how fast you are driving, but really how much time of a car drivers day does it take up? Maybe 10-20 seconds? Is it really worth almost or killing someone because they inconvenienced you for maybe half a minute? Do you get super irate when you are in line at the drive thru because your order is taking so long? Do you take it out on the person that is taking your money? Or when you are at a restaurant, do you get pissed off because the table next to you sat down after you and ordered their food after you and they get their meal before you get yours. Do you want to kill the waiter or waitress? do you get up and knock over he persons table who got their food before you? No, chances are you don't. So why would someone get pissed off enough to where they want to physically harm the next cyclist they see, just because they go slowed down for a second, or got cut off by a cyclist or fuck they even ran the red light.
Shit happens and not everyone is the same. Not every cyclist runs red lights. Not every automobile driver runs red lights, but you know what???? It happens.
I know that the section of rants and raves, is so you can do just that. What happens when someone follows through? Should craigslist get in trouble? I know that CL can block peoples IP addresses from posting, so why wouldn't they block the folks that are posting that they are going to kill someone and take a log of it and report it to the cops? If I hear of a cyclist getting hit at all this month, I am going to have a copy of each post (screen shot) and give it to the cops, so that maybe if someone does run a cyclist off the road or hits them, they can be prosecuted. My girlfriend works off of 360 and rides to work. Even though she is only on 360 for maybe a mile, it scares e to see stuff like this on CL. What if the next asshole driver tries to take her out? She stops at all stop signs and red lights. I would go absolutely ape shit if someone "took her out" because they are pissed at another cyclist.
Please be safe out there and watch you back. It seems that some people are going to try and "take you out" for no reason, other than you being a cyclist.
Wanted to let you know that Lee, Scott and the rest of the ESPP community are about to be removed from their spot if the bike community doesn't take action. There are two girls who want to kick them out to build a cafe / art gallery there. I'm a little unclear as to how the bureaucratic details work out, but I know there's a hearing with the Neighborhood Association for that area on Monday, Oct. 13th that is open to the public and they're basically going to be deliberating over the fate of the space. So if enough people show up and give Lee support, the shop might have a case for community value (as opposed to yet another of the many already existing yuppy cafes on E. 5th/6th) and could reasonably work out a deal to stay put. I mean, he's got the only real legit bike shop on the east side (minus YBP of course) so I don't see how he could possibly be deemed unimportant if there's a big enough crowd.
If you know Lee, you'll know he's one of the most un-assuming and worthwhile guys around. In other words, I think it's going to take the rest of the community to be the loud-mouthed obnoxious supporters.
So if you could maybe get in touch with Lee and see what the details are more specifically, would you mind posting about it on ATXBS?
Thanks and good riding,
I just got off the phone with Scott, and the neighborhood association meeting will be on October 13th @ 5:00 pm. Scott said that the girls that are trying to buy it out are looking to have parking spaces and if they can't get them (provide them) they may not be able to buy the building.
I have been going to ESPP for about 2 and a half years now. The shop as of recently has been picking up more and more business. Lee and Scott are two of the nicest and most knowledgeable people I know. They let me come in and work on my bike, and offer and advice and answer questions when I don't know how to fix something.
If you live on the east side, and frequent ESPP then pleas come out on the 13th and show your support.
A lot has happened since the last time I made a post. First there was the 26th Annual Harvest Moon Ride. This is by far one of my favorite group rides of the year. I would guess there was about four to five hundred people on the ride. My camera hasn't been working so I didn't get to take any pictures, but Brian McGloin wrote a blog about it and took some pictures. Joe Diamico from the League of Bicycle Voterstook a couple of pictures as well. Yes that is fire coming out from the back of the bike with a naked dude riding it. Doug MC took alot of pictures from the ride. I'm not in any of them, but I could give a rats ass if I was.
I didn't get to go, but there were alot of pretty cool movies from what I hear. I really wanted to see the Lucas Brunelle. My favorite Lucas video is the drag race in NYC.
It originally didn't have the Broken Social Scene song bandwitch, but I think it fits better with the video....maybe it is just me.
Anyways, I did however get to race in an alleycat before I had to go to work. Ben put the race on, he usually does the fall alleycat. Last year when he put it on I got 5th. This year I got 5th in the race again. I think that he should just give me the prize for 5th anytime I enter one of his races. So first was Danny (bike messenger on a geared bike) second was John Trujillo (bike messenger single speed) third was Lurch (bike delivery geared bike) fourth was a kid named Andrew (I think) he was on a fixed, and then there was me. I rode my steamroller, which is set up fixed. I was happy getting 5th, because I also basically got second as far as fixed.
There is also going to be a crack down on cyclist who don't follow all traffic laws. I am fine with them doing this, but at the same time, I think that they should crack down on people in their cars who hit cyclist. I mean there are some people who intentionally try and hit cyclist, because "they" the cyclist are in the way. There in my mind is a huge "Us vs Them" mentality here in Austin. Cyclist are fed up with the way cars drive, and car drivers are just fed up with cyclist. You can look at any news story that involves cyclist and read the comments about how angry drivers are. It crosses the line when they follow through on their anger.
To piggy back on the "Us vs Them" I don't think this helps. I know that it looks fun, but this in my opinion is not helping the situation.
Jason and I are friends, and he even said that he didn't want to do it again, but it seems that comment was removed from his site ;)
We also had the tighty whitey pub crawl that is organized by Jessica.
**BEWARE THERE MAY BE SOME BALLS JUST HANGING OUT**
That was one of my favorite Midnight Ridazz rides. The next ride is the Safety is Sexy ride.
Which kind of brings me to my next part. I think as a cyclist you need to be aware of everything that is going on around you., but not only that, you should protect yourself and make yourself as visible as possible to cars. I have lights and wear a helmet. Sometimes I am caught without it on, but 95% of the time I am wearing it.
Christoper Davis was hit on Sunday the 28th. He died on the way to the hospital. From my understanding it was very early in the morning and the driver was on their way to work, and Chris on his way home from work. The driver hit Chris and stopped. That seems to be a rare thing here in Austin, because not all the drivers stop. It seems like 9 times out of 10, they don't stop. Those are not specific facts, just my guess. God speed Chris and ride in peace.My friend Allie is putting on a benefit for Chris on October 12th at the Alamo drafthouse downtown. Please come by and give your condolences and support to a fellow cyclist who died just trying to get home. I will be going to this.
I promise guys I will try and keep the blog more up to date from now one. I know that there are some of you who check on it daily and there is nothing new. Bare with me :)
Now to give you a friendly reminder
I know it is shameless promotion for this race, but I want people to come out and have a great time and eat free food and drink free beer!!!!! Just don't forget to bring a digital camera or have one in your phone!!
This is a 1972 Bianchi frame bought straight out of Milan, vintage campy set-up, 52:18, Selle seat, put the whole thing together myself check out the picture and email with questions.
Okay, I Know the bike snob has the pista dex totally covered, but when I saw this pop up in my own home town, I had to say something about it. I have seen plenty of other pista's go for prices almost as high as this, but not quite this high. I understand that it is from the 70's making it vintage, but really the bike is only worth that much to collector's. Just sayin, I wouldn't pay 1300 for a pista.
Edit: Whoever is selling this changed their posting after I posted this blog, the new link is here.
55cm brushed aluminum conversion, a fresh build with about 10 miles on it. Fits a rider under 5'10". -New formula hub wheelset, 48/17 ratio, 17 tooth flip flop freewheel. -Aero fork, drop bars (shown) or risers if you prefer -Toe cages, finger brake and new handle bar tape of your choice (not shown in the picture).
This bike is a definite looker.
Give me a call if interested 512-964-xxxx -Will
Well I guess it doesn't matter what the frame is as long as it is aluminum. I mean it could be a walmart bike for all we know. It also looks as to have a HUGE dent in the chain stay. No description of the wheels, except that it has a flip flop hub. Well, he didn't say what kind of frame either, so I guess that is to be expected. I'm surprised he put what size the bike is. I do love the choice of risers or drops, and choice of bar tape!!!! woooohooo!!!
This one just made me about laugh and piss myself.
red SCHWINN Sprint single speed 54 cm drop handlebars with new grips front brake
needs new tires bike is in good condition ready to ride 512 554 xxxx
*sorry for no pictures, do not have access to a camera* this picture however is very similar to the bike being sold (minus the water bottle holder, the back brake, the grips are yellow instead of black, it is a single speed and older tires)
Okay??? Seriously?? Why would you be asking 275 for a bike you don't even have pictures of? I mean I get not having a really bad ass digital camera, but almost everyone has a crappy cell phone camera. Don't ask that much for a bike that you don't even have a picture of, I doubt that thing is even a Schwinn.
No I am not talking about the pink floyd song. I am talking about cars vs bikes. I know that everyday we cyclist have to deal with a fair amount of cars flying by us as if we're not there. Sometimes it can seem a bit much. What I cannot stand, or stand for is when a car full of teenagers decide to throw full bottles of water out of their speeding Volvo at me.
Well that is is exactly what happened to me yesterday. I decided to ride out to the lady's job and give her a surprise visit. On my way I was on Barton Springs road, heading west. I was in front of Austin Tri Cyclist and a Volvo with three teenage douche bags and one slut almost hit me and the front passenger throws his full bottle of water at me. I take off in full pursuit, because as many of you know I can't stand that shit. As I duck down and start pedaling my ass off, they see me in full chase and start to speed off even faster, swerving in and out of traffic. They get stopped at the light on Lamar.
I am the little person and the silver Volvo is the silver box and the red one is the car in front of them. Our light was red and the north bound traffic was going north. The kids saw me coming up and fast, so they started reeving their engine and tried to get around the car in front of them to go. I yelled at them and said why did you throw shit at me? If you want to throw something at me, be a man and get out of the car. At this point they were being typical teenagers and started running their mouths off. This pissed me off even more and I told them to pull over, this is when they driver started to pull away, and then the guy in the back passenger seat decided to stick his head out of the window and said, "you fucking faggot, get on the sidewalk".
This kind of shit bothers the hell out of me. I was riding minding my own business not even taking the whole lane, which I can do, and shit gets thrown out of a speeding vehicle that almost hits me. I know that cyclist piss motorist off, but we have a right to be on the road, just as much as them. I really wish that everyone on the road would have at least some common courtesy for the other people on the road.
Alright, so this person says they spent close to a 1000 dollars and a ton of man hours. Well I don't see were the 1000 dollars came from. First powder coating you can get done for about a buck fifty. Second, the wheelset for 200, if you shop around. Third the frame you can almost get from anywhere, it isn't that special of a frame. There is nothing custom about the bike other than it is orange. You can find many other "fixies" for cheaper that look about the same, minus the paint. Asking 650 for something that you can build yourself for way cheaper is a scream itself.
needs a little work, but she rides smooth... the only problem is the handlebar stem needs replacing (it's so-so right now, but i just uhhh... taped it into place), but thats pretty cheap and easy if you head over to yellowbike or something...
otherwise, it's a nice bike needs a good home. I just bought it for 160$ last week and decided after many years of riding them, that I don't want to ride a fixie around anymore...so come and get it for 160$, anytime today is fine.. im in east austin off of manor rd.
I guess my main issue with this bike, besides being ugly as hell is this.
I just bought it for 160$ last week and decided after many years of riding them,that I don't want to ride a fixie around anymore...
Really, you rode them for years, and know exactly what a fixed ride is like, but you chose to purchase a shitty bike and then turn around and sell it for the same price because you just don't want to ride fixie anymore? So why did you really buy it? I haven't seen this beaut on CL at any point in time. Did you buy it really dirt cheap or have it given to you and are trying to flip it? If so that is totally fine, but the reason you give is just retarded.
Hi, I am wondering if anybody has experience And/Or knowledgable input/feedback on those On-Guard Mastiff and Beast Chain-Link locks ... The bike shop i go to has those locks priced Higher than U-locks....
They look Extremely Heavy Duty and have that $3501.00 Anti-Theft Protection plan ...
Any input would be appreciated, thanks
I emailed them and told them this.
Go to home depot and buy their biggest chain and heavy duty lock. That is going to run you around 2o bucks. Or you can pay this.
New bicycle engine kit 4-stroke 40cc. chain drive, easy to install. Call 512-542-**** for more info.
What is the point of having a BICYCLE, if you are going to put a motor on it. Get a fucking scooter. (sorry Stallone, you have since redeemed yourself buying that 29'er)
Seriously, one of the best reason's to ride a bike is the exercise and the fact that you get to see things that you normally wouldn't see, because you are just flying by.
I dunno, maybe I am being a little jaded, but it is my blog, and I get to have my own opinion on things.
So the race is going to be a blast. I will along with Wahoo's be providing food at the finish line. Go ahead and start riding hard, because this race will be hard....but well worth it. Great times, great food, and great prizes are to be had. So make sure you clear your schedule for the Sunday before Halloween, because this is going to be epic!!
Oh and I am going to give a prize for best dresses....So come dressed up in your favorite Halloween costume!!!!
Alright kids, sorry for not writing in here in awhile, but things have been pretty busy for me. I know that is not an excuse, but the wait is going to be well worth it.
I am officially going to be putting on another alleycat race. It will be held on October 26th. I'm not sure where I will be starting from, but it is going to be WAY better than the last race. All I am going to leak out right now is that the finish line will be at Wahoo's fish taco's and I will be providing everyone some food, if you were in the race....and maybe a couple of tasty beverages.
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