Skip

Surly is out of the office this week. We're planning things and thinking about stuff.

The phones will be turned off and the e-mail will be answered as soon as we return on Monday, May 21.

Thanks,

The Management

Of course, fun is a relative term. Fun means a little something different to everyone, and this event and events like this, take that into account.

For instance: there were some dudes there for whom fun was to jump on their plasticized carbon 29er and ride as fast as they could, not even stopping at the beer tent at the halfway point, racing to the end with fury on their faces and winning in there heart.  So that was what the first four guys did.  Then, there were people dressed as stuffed animals (plushophiliacs as I call them), families doing the ride together (below there is a picture of a 12 year old girl who totally smoked my sorry ass), zombies, zombie Marios, ballerinas, all kinds of people in those flesh suits, cowboy hats, lots of kilts and (of course) the guy dressed as Freddy Mecury in drag from the “I Want To Break Free” video (there’s always one of those).  Some people rode all five laps of the course, some three, some two and many rode only one.  There was lots of stopping for beer, and bike swapping and people just having a good time.

To me it’s all about the fun of drinking beer and laughing with other like minded weirdoes.  Its much more ride than race (probably because I was DFL, but hey, those grapes were probably sour anyway).

This event is just like Surly to me, because it supports each person as an individual, and their own version of fun.  It doesn’t just support the idea of individualism it encourages it. 

Events like this are for the misfits, and really that’s because they’re the ones who started it all.  They were tired of going to races and feeling like they didn’t fit, so they made their own race, where no one fits (which really means that every one does).

The event, by the way, was in Floressas, France, see you all next year in Spain!

Below is a smattering of the ten thousand pictures I took there.

This was the meal we got after Peter posed the question to a French cafe proprietor, "Speakensy Englies?"

This old farm house felt like home.

Check out that percentage!

Fearless leader.

1x1 in it's natural habitat.

That's Curtis Inglis on a Karate Monkey.  If you don't know who he is, you should check him out.

The finish line.  Why was everyone there already?

We also have a general habit here at Surly HQ of talking about the latest thing we're working on, or what's new for us out in the world for sale. Are people digging it? Buying it? Is the color pissing off the right people? We probably don't do enough work to highlight the things we've been producing for some time. That's probably a mistake given the longevity of our frame models' lives and the relatively few changes that they see over the years. So, today I thought I'd take a moment to rectify that with a little discussion on an older thing.

For me, the bike that's been lonely of late has been one of my all-time favorites - my Karate Monkey. This 22" Chocolate Squirrel frame (also Pearl Coffee, also Skidmark Brown depending on the month it was available) has always fit me like it was custom built for my six-and-a-half-foot largeness (Thanks Yafro). It's been on one thousand Wednesday Night Rides, Homies Fall Fest, Single Speed Worlds, Fruita Fat Tire Festivals, trail rides, and cross-town cruises. I love the hell out of it.

This particular frame replaced my original Camp Stove Green prototype Monkey (holy crap, was that from 2003?) which I foisted off to then-international sales dingus, Peter "GM rhymes with BM" Redin. I hate seeing a frame leave, but I also don't want to end up like Dave with 79 bikes in the garage. I moved the green specifically because the sparkly brown powder coat on the 2005 Monkey reminded me of a plate of liver and onions that had been lovingly shellacked, and I wanted that plate of liver between my legs. Sometimes daddy gets what he wants just because.

Fast forward to last week and we find that bike hanging on a hook with a mismatched wheelset (hate that), a missing left side crank arm (helping out a local), and an aging Reba bouncey fork. I had rebuilt the original rear wheel a year or so earlier due to some shipping damage that had blasted the rim, but it sat unmounted. So, last week I rallied up some replacement bits to get 'er running again.

As many of you know, we have updated our New Hubs to the creatively titled Ultra New Hubs. Instead of the adjustable angular contact sealed 7901 bearings, we're now using a shouldered axle with 6901 non-adjustable bearings. They work with quick release axles or act as bolt-ons - without having to replace the axle. Sheesh, that's pretty smart - especially for us. The other swell feature is that you can retrofit your old New Hubs to Ultra New Hub guts with a simple axle kit (Are those available now Skip? Why yes they are Consumer).

So, I slapped in the new hub guts both front and rear and that went just dandy. They go round and round and everything is sexy. Here's a picture:

Here's the butt end:

In case you're wondering, that's a White Industries Dos Eno freewheel on there. I cannot speak highly enough about this piece of loveliness. They cost some money, but they'll outlast a BUNCH of your average inexpensive BMX freewheels. If you single speed, get one. You might also notice that that sucker's got two gears. That 17/19 combo works very nicely with the Mr. Whirly up front running a 31 tooth inner ring and a 33 tooth outer ring. Inside gear's for the trail, outside gear's for trying to keep up with Brauer and Gene.

I also long-graded the crank arms to 185mm extendo-levers. As I have mentioned, I am not a small person. As such, I've always liked running 180mm cranks when I can get them. We do a 185mm in the Whirly arms and I've only just tried them for the first time in the last year or so. I'm hooked.

The next order of business was finding my stock rigid fork. I sure do like the Rock Shox Reba that I've had on there for years, but the Midwest isn't always the kind of place where you need such things. Also, this frame is from the days before we jacked up the down tube for fork top cap clearance. Technically, my frame and that Reba should not have been used together, but I'm a rebel like that. I did use the old +5mm Cane Creek headset to get a little more room from the bottom cup. That worked ok. Someday I'll probably change back to a normal headset though. Shit, now I'm just rambling.

Here's the whole deal parked next to my bird-feeder.

I'm an extraordinary photographer, by the way.

Oh, you wanted a close-up of that head badge? Of course you did.

I know. I'm spoiled rotten. One million years ago we had a couple of these done by the very talented Jen Green. You should call her and have her set you up. It's remarkable that this thing has stayed on despite my refusal to screw it in place. Three cheers for really sticky two-sided tapey stuff!

So, the new bike rides like good ice cream - smooth and cool. The only unfortunate part of the process was that I'm a dumbass. While swapping the rear brake rotor from the place-holder wheel to the original/new wheel, I broke the head off of my t-25 torx head wrench. The ensuing downward motion of my brown bear-like right mitt slapped it directly onto said brake rotor.

That led to some cussing and a walk upstairs to the good sink (and to have a good cry). Along the way, I left a DNA trail on my snazzy linoleum basement landing.

After some conferring with the understanding and lovely Ms. Bernet, we decided that I might seek the help of professionals with this particular flapping hunk of knuckle meat. As it was 10:30pm on Saturday night, I thought we might be in for a long and ugly ER stay. HOWEVER, the kind people at the Winneshiek Medical Center Emergency Room - including the dashing and able Mr. Kyle Kohls: Paramedic Extraordinaire (and fellow fire fighter) - were awesome and I was stitched up and out of there within 45 minutes. Small towns have their very big advantages.

Brace yourself, because the carnage here is a little hard to take:

I know. I barely escaped with my life. No need to send flowers. Really. Donations can be sent to "Trevor's Busted Head dot com."

In closing, them older models we do are pretty cool. The 1x1, the Cross-check, the Steamroller? There's a reason that these still exist. We really do try to design frames and components that will stand the test of time. They're not particularly stylish, but neither is a good pair of Carhartts.

So, get that broken bike fixed and get out and ride it, ok? Even if it isn't the newest thing you've got.

-skip

While they appear to depict Bama's awesome new Pugsley/Moonlander frame bag (more information about which may be explored here), you may also note that upon installation of the frame bag, and thereafter the installation of beer into the framebag and presumably into his belly, Bama 'Dr. Jekylls' from a comely young lady to the wild eyed beast you see in the bottom photo.  Yikes. And yet, that seems like something that could make you seem more interesting.  I therefore encourage you to pick up a framebag and perhaps some beer and see what happens.

Bama and his lovely and much more level headed better half Tanesha have recently scored the sort of gig a lot of bike dorks would seriously consider murder to access.  They will be driving a fleet of demo bikes all over the U.S. of A. for Santa Cruz this summer, meeting people, riding the best places, hanging out and partying, and seeing the sights along the way.  Good on ya.  This one's for you two:

Here in the Midwestern United States we have thrown off the yoke of winter's evil and there's riding to be done.

This coming Sunday, April 29th you'll want to be in lovely Decorah, Iowa for the granddaddy of Midwest trail competitions, the 22nd running of the Decorah Time Trials. Your life is not complete if you haven't sampled the dirt in the bluffs overlooking my adopted hometown.

More information can be found at this link.

Additionally, those same trails will be featured in the fourth annual Dirt Burger celebration of mountain bikes, sleeping under a bridge, bonfires, and adult beverages. This year's Burger will be held the weekend of June 9-12 in the aforementioned quaintness of Decorah. This is a loosely organized event based on the premise that you don't always have to be racing to get together for fun times on your two-wheeler.

Dirt Burger will also coincide with a fund raiser for the Decorah Human Powered Trails group at McCaffrey's Dolce Vita pizza restaurant. We'll feature the same band that played last year - Beet Root Stew. I defy you to not dance like an idiot when these gents play their brand of bluegrassy, jug bandy, laid backy radness. They'll play starting at 7pm on Saturday the 10th and folks riding bikes out to their pad will get a discount on admission. All the dough will go toward conutinuing the great work that the DHPT does to keep the trails fancy.

We'll also be determining the World Bucketball Championships for 2012 at the Dirt Burger at the BrauSovCor Bucketball Invetational. Imagine bike polo without mallets or skinny jeans, and a 5 gallon pickle bucket in place of the ball and you're on the right track. Wear gloves and shoes for this one, and don't bring a bike you don't want scuffed.

(Thanks to IBikeMpls for the images)

So, get off your ass, dust off your dirt bicycle, and join us in the worst kept Driftless Region bicycling secret ever - Decorah, Iowa.

Right on,

Skip

Yes, he is a stud.

The opening night party is on Saturday, 4/14, at the Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art. Click HERE for all important information, like directions and stuff. There will be beer, food, lots of bikes and good music. Sounds like the perfect date night if you ask me. You should go.

May your mouth never be conquered by a band of marauding Vikings.

BoB

This happened last night. At least my camera says it did.

Southern cooking saves lives. Or the lunchfast formerly known as "Fried Okra, gravy fries with pimento cheese, fried pork chops, corn bread, and lots of coffee."

I do like good beer, but when you have a large batch of different good beers, your next day can seem a bit slow to start. That's a lesson right there folks.

-Skip

Sun going up, and then the sun it goes back down.  As it turns out, banjo virtuoso Earl Scruggs died today.  He was 88.  Scruggs was, in a "strangely, blues got famous too" sort of way, an American icon.  He played a banjo, which is itself for the vast majority of people and places and times an improbable anomoly.  But more than that, he played it so well that he helped define a fingerpicking style and sound.  A whole way of playing!  Not just a song or two, but a whole sound.  His is complex music that expresses time and place in a way so accessible you need not be from North Carolina in the 40s and 50s to understand and appreciate it.   His considerable talent and a bunch of luck made it possible for him to intersect circles and people and situations that put him in front of a very big audience. It's amazing really.  A daily sort of miracle if you will.  And even if you won't.  

He was old. He died.  It's natural.  And yet even those not sentimental for the loss of this particular man may know the loss of greater things.  In a parallel universe I can imagine that Earl Scruggs is viewed much as we view Mozart.  Say what you will.

Anyway.