Bike Maintenance and Projects

Ah yes, here is my 1988 Fisher Montare SC that I converted to an SS commuter bike. This guy has seen a lot of miles and is finally working at near 100% since I rebuilt the rear u-brake (those things really are terrible). It's outfitted with a mish mash of xt, xtr, ritchey, race face, and just about everything else ha. But it rides B-E-A-utifully. I even took it on a few XC rides in china camp over the break. Its too bad I left it at home in Marin for the time being. I do miss it.

Meanwhile, I've been riding the crap out of the old Cannondale R600 i picked up over summer. I've been riding it just as it was given to me up until now. I'm finally doing a bit of maintenance to it, swapping out the junker Dia-compe brakes with some old 105s that I have the match the rest of the gruppo on it. Currently trying to overhaul the rear hub, but my first attempt failed because I overtightened the spindle and mashed the bearings a little bit. Oops. Oh well, we live and we learn.

Another project I'm finally getting around to is a franken-tall-bike. It will maybe be made out of my cousin's old bmx bike, my roomates crashed (slightly bent) road frame, and spare parts from just about everywhere. Oh, did I mention that I will be trying to do this without any welding? Should be interesting and probably a bit frightening to ride the first time. That is IF it even gets built. We shall see what happens and I'll be sure to post photos as update. YAY

Back to the Snow

Skiing Alpine Meadows again today with my good bud Jake. Hope he wakes up soon...

This Fool

he's been sleeping on my couch for the past two night. Glad to have em here in Davis for a bit, since he is still on break.

This was taken with my film camera and i love the way it came out.

My Favorite

One of my favorite mushroom shots I've taken. Not sure why, I just really like how the lighting and everything turned out.

Yum

Pepto Bismol, raw steak, and flowers all on a beautiful snowy backdrop. Taken whilst preparing our 8 course meal over the tahoe vacation.

Buidling Buildings

Crane your neck skywards to behold these lovely monuments of our triumph over the natural world. Bask in the rare romanticism, now lost to these cold pillars holding up the capitalists never-fading grasp on your minds. A bit depressing, huh?

My Mind

is going to be quite quite a labyrinth this quarter. 19 units. Lets do this.

Obligatory Mushroom Post

Curley cue. I'm back in Davis so I might make some feeble attempts at identifying these bad boys.

Loaded Bhangra Review: First Impressions

That's right ladies and gentleman, the Loaded Bhangra has landed. I had to fight off a few wolves in order to get my hands on it, but it is here at last. This is just a quick write up after having the board for a few days. I'll write something more in depth after a couple weeks. So, after a day hike in Napa, I came home to an oversized box on my porch. Quickly, I grabbed a few spoonfulls of cold black beans for lunch, ripped open the package, and hopped on to go for a test ride in my dancing training ground: an abandoned tennis court in the middle of the marsh by my house.

First things first, lets look at tech specs. The boards platform is 48.5" and 9.5" at its widest part with a wheelbase of 32.75". The complete setup weighs in a little above 10 lbs with the flex 1 deck. I'm running paris 180mm trucks (stock bushings for now) with 86a Orangatang Stimulus (70mm) wheels. Construction of the deck involves vertically laminated bamboo cores, a layer of cork, epoxy bio-resin and a special little invisible layer of monster magic to make the board that much more amazing.

Now, a lot has changed in the design of this board since the Loaded Dancer. I've got to say, the rocker is a great addition to the deck. The board feels so much easier to spin around and it makes nose and tail manuals that much easier. Of course, the wider nose an tail kicks also help with this. Apparently, this board is able to be ollied, but I have yet to successfully pull of this feat of skating prowess. The concave is an amazing addition as well, and all these feature really allow your feet to lock into the platform when you need it most. A lot of thought was put into this boards construction, and all of it has a purpose.

The flex of the deck is a bit stiffer than I thought it would be. I'm around 175 lbs and I'm riding the flex 1 (150-250+)and it only gives a little. For me, I was right in between for flexes since flex 2 is for 90-190+ lbs. The flex you get will completely change the way the board feels, and if you're weight falls in the middle of both flexes like mine, then you really do have an option. I went for the stiffer deck since I plan on doing some bigger drops/boneless on this deck and I also like a less flexible platform when I'm groovin/cruisin/dancin. If you want to carve a bit more and like a little bit of bounce in your deck, maybe you should go for the flex 2.

Visually, this board is a bit strange, it kinda looks like an oversized banana at first glimpse to me. But once you start to realize that everything is put in its place for a reason, you really can appreciate it. The different grip tape is definitely innovate; the board has two different types of griptape seperated into 4 sections. The nose and tail kicks are both rougher than the two center pieces. This way, you shoes really stick when your throwing and catching shuvits and you can dance without wearing away your shoes on the center of the deck. The bottom graphics are phenomenal and are wood burnt into the board for that oh so natural look. The little monsters scare away any bad vibes that may be haunting you while skating. The top graphic is an evil looking eye, and it is said that you get more speed by spinning on it. However, thats only if you spin in the same direction of the swirls. If you spin in the opposite direction of the swirls, the board opens up a portal and takes you to a stellar alien skate facility. Don't say you weren't warned if you end up getting stuck there.

Again, this is just a quick write up after having the deck for a few days. I'll write more in a little bit. Stoked to be rocking the latest creation from Loaded, hope this write up was helpful to anyone thinking of getting the board. Now get out and SKATE!

Happy New Years Everyone

I'm off to find some solace in nature.