One of those days…

 

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Open Bar Just Arrived

A limited number of Open Bars just hit stock at our distributor, so get to your dealer and order one now or wait until the next load arrives in late August.  They are available in 40mm and 0mm rises, and are 666mm in width.

 

 

60 bucks, which is less than you'd spend on a wedding gift for your niece.  It's what all the classy kids are riding you know.

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One More Time With Feeling

Don't forget, tonight is Bike Night at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Bicycle Film Fest Movies are screening as BFF launches the Minneapolis leg of it's tour at the MIA on this night. There is a ride meeting at 5 at Gold Medal park in MPLS and riding to the MIA.  There are lots of other things planned too, not to mention a whole passel of giveaways, including the chance to win a Surly Long Haul Trucker for doing nothing more than being there.  Several Minneapolis custom framebuilders will be there, showing off their own works of art. 

One On One, The Hub, Freewheel, Dero racks, Twin 6, BFF, Surly Intergalactic and more are all helping out in one way or another as the beautiful people at the MIA welcome with open arms and big smiles the MPLS cycling people.  Bikes, movies, cool people, beautiful works of art.  You should really go.

 

Oh yeah, plus Peter saw this on the front page of the Star Tribune Twin Cities and Region section this morning:

The story is about a pilot program for neighborhood compost recycling.  Click on THE STAR TRIBUNE'S PICTURE above for the full story.  Thanks to the Strib for letting me use that photo even though I didn't ask.  And thanks also to Mikey Weitekamp and Sonya Ewert for riding Long Haul Truckers to get the job done.  You guys are rad.

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Sapporo aka The End of an Odyssey

I have taken no shortage of grief from my co-workers that this last Japan entry is late. Truth is, it’s been written for over a month. In a twisted way I don’t think I wanted to post it because it wraps up the trip and somewhat painfully reminds me that our incredible voyage to Japan had to end.

 

But here you go, fair readers. Feast on the conclusion of Surly’s Japan Tour 2010:

 

We didn’t have to pack our bikes for the trip from Nagoya to Kurashiki, but as we disassembled them in the parking lot of Farm in preparation for the flight to Hokkaido, it was apparent the process was once again becoming familiar. Packing the Travelers Check can sometimes seem like a chore. However, once you have it down it takes 30-45 minutes either way – building or packing. That’s a small price to pay for riding your own bike anywhere in the world – a bike that fits you and is outfitted the way you like.

 

 

We landed in Chitose outside of Sapporo and began shuttling around an airport that more resembled a shopping mall. Sam, our dealer host, met us and we wheeled our baggage to elevators and carried it down flights of stairs to his van. No sooner had we pulled away from the airport than I became instantly enamored with the landscape. We were on a wide plain. In the distance, mountains rose above the table, many still holding snow in the upper elevations. I later asked about snowfall and was told they get about 2m standing in the winter, but temperatures are much milder than the Midwest. Sounds appealing.

Our lunch stop was down an out-of-the-way gravel road. We pulled up to what appeared to be the outbuilding of a dairy farm. Indeed it was, but it had been transformed into a pizzeria. This place served the most wholesome pies made from cheese cultured on premises. We were also introduced to Sapporo Classic – the signature beer of the famous brewery – only available on Hokkaido. Already Hokkaido seemed like some heavenly home away from home.

 

 

Afterward we proceeded to the shop, Sam’s Bikes, to settle in and rebuild our bikes. Here we met Nami, Sam’s partner and the person who really holds things together. The shop had a great collection of gear including a lot of awesome vintage stuff.

 

 

Off to the hotel we checked into a suite that accommodated all four of us. This place was way nicer than we deserved. Dinner was sushi but it happened at an entirely different kind of restaurant for me – a place where the fish rode a conveyor belt in front of you. See something you like? Pluck it off and chow down. The server counted plates at the end of the meal to tally our bill. Awesome.

 

 

We awoke on Saturday and headed back to Sam’s on bike. A quick stop at a bakery and the 7-11 meant we were ready for action. Gathered at the shop were an eager group of riders who accompanied us on a day trip. One quick note – you can eat out of convenience stores in Japan and I don’t mean just drunken late night snacks. Wholly nutritious meals that don’t cost a fortune are available, along with liquor and beer. All the essentials are there.

 

 

Our urban route took us to a high point outside the city, to a nature park near the Centennial Monument. This spectacular steel structure was erected in the 60s to mark the 100-year anniversary of the settling of Hokkaido. It made for some fantastic freestyle tricks exhibited by our friends. Including jumping the moat.

 

 

We lunched on Chicken Pecker in the field of the nature center and afterward rode many laps on the trails – most of which were to stage photo ops. Our souls were stolen thousands of times on this trip. Good thing we’re not superstitious, eh?

 

 

We rode back to Sam’s where a block from the store we discovered one of the riders, Hajime, had contacted a car, broken his camera and was bleeding. He was okay, but a rather long interaction with the police was necessary to settle things. At least the police attend to bike-car crashes in Japan. Often that’s not the case in the US.

 

Meanwhile customers and shop staff were busy putting things in order for one of the best barbeques I’ve ever attended. The temperatures dropped and we felt the spring chill, not unlike Minnesota. It was nice. Soon food began emerging from hot, wood-fired grills – fresh bamboo (that was dug for us that morning), scallops, fish of all kinds – all washed down with ice cold beer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The band set up inside and soon rocked out. Jamoo was their name and Sam, our bike shop host, thumped bass.

 

 

After the band played out the garment signing began. I decided to turn the tables and request that everyone sign my jersey. It went over very well and I now have a reminder of all my new friends who signed it: Ninja Shuji, Takao, Sam, Nami, Ray, Hajime, Naoya, Erina, Takako, Cyber-T, Yugo, Hanako, Yusuke, Emi and Rie.

 

 

I know for a fact that I gave away two hats and Gay Travis gave up one on this trip.

 

We wrapped up the night with a Swervy (luv you, Nick) ride back to the hotel. We had chauffeurs the next morning for a very special treat. I was not quite sure what was going down, but I soon realized we were on a leisurely drive into the mountains to an onsen, or hot springs.

 

I’m from East Tennessee and the mountains on Hokkaido reminded me of the Smokies – majestic, gentle and quite green. Our driver was playing chill-out music as we ascended to our destination. Trevor and I were assured no one cared about tattoos at this hot spring, so we wouldn’t be booted. All that awaited was relaxation.

 

 

I have to say America is remiss in that we don’t have this same sort of experience. Wandering into a humid room to bathe and then lounge in the springs, clad only with a hand towel (if you choose), is a magnificent experience. It is a celebration of water – and water, my friends, is an awesome thing when you have tubs of it in varying temperatures and mineral content spread around for your enjoyment. Unlike bathing in an American bathroom, you don’t have to try to keep water in the sink or tub. It splashes out of the huge vats and runs all over the floor as you scoop bowls of it to pour over your head.

 

The outdoor hot pools were sculpted to feel like a natural rock bath. Inlets allowed one to touch the scalding, sulfur-saturated water bubbling out of the earth. The whole experience was sublime, as if bathing naked with Grayboy wasn’t surreal enough.

 

After the soak we had a tasty curry lunch and were on our way back to Sapporo. There was still riding to do. We were about to be introduced to polo. Funny that none of the four of us had played polo. This was no pick-up game though; our hosts trucked in chairs, coolers and a sound system to set the mood.

 

 

We screwed around for a while and got the feel of the mallets. It’s easy to see why the moto brake set-up popular in Japan lends itself to polo since you’re braking the rear with the left hand while wielding the mallet on the right. Fortunately, my brakes were slack anyway, so using the front was fine. We all seemed to catch on pretty quickly. Halfway through the tourney Snackey began channeling his former hockey glory days and was really racking up the points.

 

In the end, it came down to the Surly 4 vs. Team Japan. Man, the pressure was on. We played hard and took the honors. Maybe they let us win, but it didn’t matter because we were awarded our very own copies of the Jamoo CD to bring home to America.

 

 

Afterward we handed out schwag and embarked for the BMX restaurant where we had a very tasty buffet-style dinner and plenty of suds. We signed some walls, made semi-coherent speeches and posed for more photos. Then it was off to Don Quixote to procure a few souvenirs. Downtown Sapporo was impressive with neon and billboards. It felt like a corner of Tokyo in some ways, except the streets were 4 times as wide. Riding there was not unlike an American city.

 

 

 

 

Back at the hotel sleep did not come immediately. We had to pack bikes for our flight to Tokyo and then onto Minneapolis – meaning we had to do a proper packing job.

 

 

Trevor, dubbed Gay Travis on the trip, invited a couple of our new Hokkaido metalhead friends over for a send off. We shared lots of laughs with Naoya-san and Mr. Su. I gifted them my Girls of Nagoya calendar and a couple of Mpls bike maps along with an invitation to come and crash at the house anytime. Goodbyes were bittersweet.

 

 

Like much of the trip the night was epic and the morning came early.

 

 

The bright sun burned as we waited for the airport bus. I felt an odd pain in my heart to be leaving this magical place, although 10 days had passed and I had anxious family awaiting my return. “I want to stay and ride more and experience a winter here,” I thought. But it was time to go. The bus arrived. We lugged our bags aboard and rolled out of Sapporo.

 

 

As far as airlines go, JAL is a class act. The planes have cameras that show you what you’re flying over. Everything is clean and tight, even in coach.

 

 

 

 At Narita we said goodbye to Rie, our distributor, and Ninja Shuji, our fearless guide (and former BMX racing star). I am not ashamed to let it be known I would follow Shuji to the gates of hell if he said it was the route we’re taking. He’s as reliable as a Swiss watch. Rie’s hospitality is a continual reminder to me of how I can always work harder at graciousness. I learn a great deal from her on these trips. She’s our leader and often our babysitter. We need that occasionally.

 

They were two pivotal forces that made this whole trip happen, but it couldn’t have happened without the support of all our many friends in Japan. I departed feeling a residual warmth from the kindness we were shown. Many unnamed folks went out of their way to take care of us and I can only say we all thank you wholeheartedly. I am sorry if I left you out.

 

 

Boarding the MSP flight at NRT is always a cluster, but Snackey and I were treated to an upgrade to business class. Hooray, I’ll drink to that! And I’ll offer a second toast to another mighty fine and successful Surly trip to the Land of the Rising Sun.

 

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Arts and Sciences

 

Art:

If you are a cyclist in the twin cities and you read blogs, frequent bicycle related websites, or have a pulse, you are by now probably aware that this Thursday, July 15, is Minneapolis Institue of Arts' 2nd annual Bike Night.  It was fun last year, and it looks to be fun this year as well, starting with a ride from Gold Medal Park (by the Guthrie) at 5.  If you can't make that, ride straight to the MIA where the shindiggery starts at 6.  There will be valet bike parking by Freewheel and Dero racks, safety check (BICYCLE safety check) by The Hub Bike Co-op, selected short films as the Bicycle Film Fest kicks off, plus a display from local custom framebuilders (Bob Brown, Capricorn, Paul "No Website" Wyganowski, Peacocktail Groovular, Vincent Dominguez, Curt Goodrich, Chris Kvale, and Speedhound).  Plus you might even win a Surly Long Haul Trucker.   But winners win by playing.  All the informations on MIA's Facebook page.  My god that was a lot of links.

 Science, sort of. This has no music, so I recommend you put on some Yanni while watching it.

For no good reason, here is a

Here is another picture of Ron, or more properly his back.  I think we're going to need more wax.

Here is a video, sent by one Adrian Bostock, who can be seen shredding singletrack with his Surly 1X1 on his hometurf in The Shuswap, B.C., Canada.  This video also has no music but bike videos being what they are, it is sort of refreshing just to hear the sounds of riding and not someone else's idea of awesome music.

 And finally today, Jeff Lockwood interviewed our man Dave for Dirt Rag Magazine. 

No mention of mulch, Dave? The times they are a-changin'.

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