Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Are you cool, man?
This is making the rounds, so we thought we'd better post it right away so we can show how ahead of the curve we are. Thanks to Wales' most handsome man, Chipps, for sending it to us.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Homie Photos
Here are some pretty and not-so-pretty pix I shot at Homie. If you want to see all of them you should click on this link. http://www.flickr.com/photos/snackeypix/sets/72157622640595545/
After this I had to leave to take the kiddies out trick-a-treatin', so not only did I miss the best part of the day but I also have no photographic evidence of it. It's certainly better this way.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Your Entry Must Have A Title
1) It is sometimes my duty to remove my own opinions and emotions and simply share with you things you might find interesting. With that in mind, please click here to find our Twitter.
2) Outside Magazine has recently named our venerable Cross Check as one of their favorite commuter bikes. Neato.
3) One Elan Viss wrote to me in June saying
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"Hey,
My name is Elan Viss and I have been a fan of your bikes since i was about ten years old. i bought an instigator last year and i am buying a steamroller tomorrow. I just thought that it would be appropriate to thank the company responsible for some of the toughest, straightforward, and high quality bikes out there. I am seventeen years old, and to be honest, i ride the crap out of your equipment. I would not trade it for anything, and I recommend it to everyone. I was wondering if you needed someone to write for you guys on the website or your blog or something. I can write, and would love to represent you, or would love for you to represent me... however that would work. Thanks again, and keep it surly. -Elan"
I explained to Elan that we do not hire out for this sort of thing but gave him an assignment anyhow. Write something relatively short on the Surly topic of his choice. He did. It's about riding his Steamroller on the Canal trail, and it is genuinely enthusiastic propaganda from a genuinely enthusiastic rider. Read it here.
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4) A while ago I shared a letter from George who had written to report that his old skool brown Steamroller with 1" threaded steerer had been stolen. Bummer. Recently George wrote in to update the situation:
"Forgot to give an update on my stolen steamroller last spring - As soon as I was set to order a new creamroller I got a call en route to Moab that my lovely baked bean cycleship had been turned into the fort collins bike coop and my bro snatched it up and brought it home for me. Turns out that maybe I abandoned her in someones yard during an impromptu grassnap slash blackout mission and it was exactly the same as I had left it. even the seat was in the same location with the knog lights still on it! Anyway, I should take delivery of a lovely beef gravy brown crosscheck this afternoon and I couldn't be more stoked to have a 3rd brown surly in the fleet!"
5) Want to put a kickstand on your Long Haul Trucker, Cross Check, or other bike? Read this first, the new Spew #20.
6) SurlyDotOrg. I like it better than our website.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The Usual 11th Hour Homie Update
Today I received an unsigned letter via email, addressed to a hidden group identified only as ‘Homie09’. It instructed the reader, as if it were a ransom note, to reapply the attached Homie Fall Fest flier to whatever blog it is he or she writes for, and to pay special attention to the revision which changed the specified meet-up location from Grumpy’s to Whitey's in NE MPLS. I made note of the fact the odd meet-up time (10:49) had not been altered.
Curious, I called up the only number I knew to be possibly affiliated with any of the people most likely to perhaps associate with the outskirts of the perimeter of the inner circle of the group which in all likelihood is somewhat responsible for having something to do with planning the annual Homie Fall Fest, which as you may know occurs around here every autumn. I was given another number and told not to explain where I had gotten it, and then they hung up. I dialed this number and waited while it rang and rang and rang.
“Hallo?” a vaguely European sounding voice said -cautiously- when it was finally picked up.
“Yes, hi, um, I received a revised Homie flier and I just have a couple questions. Am I talking to the right people?”
A prolonged pause followed, the receiver of the phone on the other end muffled.
Finally, “Yes.”
“Ah, o.k., great,” I replied. “May I ask to whom I am speaking?”
Another muffled pause.
“My name is Nels Unterwerer. I am the undersecretary to the director of Homie relations, Mr. Atticus P. Townehomme. What is your question?”
What?! What the hell was going on? I stalled briefly, uncertain what to make of this bizarre series of events, then shook it off and forged ahead.
“O.K., sure,” I said. “Why did the Homie location change?”
“The, uh, “ Nels cleared his throat. “The, uh... apparently, uh, Grumpys downtown doesn’t open until noon,” he replied, and promptly hung up.
I thought on it for a while. Was it merely a joke? Was it ridiculous mistake by a bunch of bike (and god-knows-what-else) addicted wasters? Or was it a red herring designed to throw the hounds off the trail? Any option seemed implausible. Wasters would never have the follow through to pull off something like the Homie, and it wasn't funny enough to be even an esoteric joke, but what kind of people would deliberately and quite publicly change the location at nearly the last possible hour? And who exactly were they trying to throw off, anyway? And why? It was either brilliant or stupid as hell.
Anyhow, there you have it. I am hereby posting the revised flier. And of course, please take note of the location change.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Weirdos Have Taken Over
From pal Shawn:
Grumpy Girl Ride WINTER, 2009
Come rain, come shine, come snow or sleet!
Alls you need to know is meet us at Grumpy’s Nord East 1:30pm November 7th.
From Nobody in Minneapolis:
That is all.
