Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Speedwolf



 How goes it?
It goes well here.


This is a bike for Roger Cook in 
San Luis Obispo, California.


Roger and I worked together at a bike shop
 in San Luis about 11-12 years ago. 
Right as I started building bikes.


He now has three kids and I still build bikes.
 Amazing how time flies.






44mm head tube for them new fangled tapered 
steerer tubes all the kids want these days.


Look close. It's a splittable belt drive dropout.
The kids go crazy for those belts.


 A handful of hand painted
quasi-geometric freakouts.

 

 You might be asking yourselves 
"What's that seam for in the middle of the seat tube?"
Well, the upper is a seat tube that takes a 30.9mm
seat post which is what all the dropper posts are sized at-
which is what all the kids demand. The lower tube
 is a smaller size (1.25"/31.8mm) to keep the weight down a bit
and so I don't have to make or buy really expensive bending dies 
for every seat tube/post size that comes down the pike.




 Here at Black Cat Bicycles, we do it for the kids.
Thanks, Roger.




Those who know need no intro.
Those that don't already, probably don't care.
Ladies and gentlemen,

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Jet Black




Hey, gang. This bike is a slight departure from the usual in that it 
was made for an imaginary person rather than someone with a name.


It was built for Ed Furbush's shop in Prescott, Arizona, 
Southwest Sounds and Cyclery. It's a bicycle shop and record store. My kind of place. 


 Ed and I came up with an imaginary rider of the bike and built it to his or her measurements.


We imagined that flat black was his or her favorite color.


 

Super stealthy dropouts.

  








Thanks, Ed.




"You're not punk and I'm tellin' everyone."
"Save your breath, I never was one."
When I first moved to the East Bay,
the punk scene was in the throes 
of a love affair with Jawbreaker.
The at-the-time-current record,
24 Hour Revenge Therapy,
was/is a perfect record.

With the next record, Dear You,
a hot shot producer was brought in
by the record company looking for
the next Green Day. Actually it was the same
guy that did Dookie. The record
was very different, in that it really focused
 on Blake's singing and guitar whereas the former
 records' mix were pretty balanced between
 the guitar and bass. The new formula
 didn't sit well with me or a lot of folks.
 Too bad. With 16-17 years of hindsight,
 it's got loads of good songs, but someone 
got obsessed with the "cult of Blake". 
The music and the band's internal relationships
 suffered and the band broke up acrimoniously.
Coulda, shoulda.

1,2,3,4. Who's punk? What's the score?


Monday, January 14, 2013

Hella Yella


 Dear Blog,

 

 I hope this finds you well.


Things have been pretty busy over here, you know, making bikes and stuff.


 Recently finished a bike for Tom Gardner of Denver, Colorado.
It's a single speed 29er.


It's yellow. 


It has some curvy tubes and stripes.
I think it came out quite nice, Blog.




 Tom got routing for a brake, a rear derailleur, 
and one of those new fangled dropper posts that all the kids love these days. 


 What are you up to these days, Blog?


Thanks, Tom.



Lately I've been listening (again) to a lot of Superchunk.
I always really, really liked them. Still do.