Evel Never Dies

Lance Hahn Dead.

Lance passed away on Sunday, October 21, 2007, due to complications from kidney disease. He was much-loved, and his friends and family are working to plan a memorial service in Austin, Texas at this time, the details of which will be posted soon.
http://lancehahn.blogspot.com

Karate Monkey as I Built It...

Karate Monkey:
Avid Ball Bearing Mechanical Disc Brakes
Avid Single Digit Ultimate Levers
Chris King Headset
Profile Racing Crankset w/Imperial Sprocket 36t
White Industries Eno Freewheel 18t trials
Wipperman white star Chain
Thomson Elite stem and post
Odi Lock-on Rogue Grips
On One Mary Bar
Brooks Team Professional Saddle
Schwalbe Little Albert 29" tyres
Salsa Delgado rims
Surly 1x1 disc hubs
Profile Racing tensioner

Peter Forsberg in Dallas?

Stars wooing Forsberg. Desperate to add scoring punch to their lineup, the Dallas Stars are actively courting former Avalanche star Peter Forsberg.

Stars general manager Doug Armstrong and his assistant, former NHL star Brett Hull, met with Forsberg over the weekend in his hometown of Ornskoldsvik, Sweden.

Forsberg, 34, is practicing with his former Swedish team, MoDo, in rehabilitation from offseason ankles and hernia surgeries. He has said he'll play in the NHL this season only if his body feels good enough, but that he hasn't made a final determination.

Forsberg is an unrestricted free agent, and many teams are interested in signing him. The Avs are not commenting about their interest.

-Denver Post

.... God, I love this shit!

Austin Moonlite Cruz 2007

The night was killer fun. I left Trudy's after sucking down a Margarita with Andy Dugas and Vytis. Rolled down to the pedestrian bridge. Picked up some more riders. I was rolling my old Rockhopper with a B.O.B. trailer loaded with Lone Star. I picked up a recycling bin at the Fire Station earlier. Trudy's was nice enough to load it with ice and we bought the beer. Met up with Tommy and a lot of other friend's at the bridge. Then we were cruisin' We lost Vytis early as he helped a kid who wrecked and waited with him until an ambulance picked him up. Took over sixth street. Most people are confused and don't really know why there are so many nuts riding bikes through the street at 2 am. Kept cruisin until the first grocery. The Moonlite Cruz is like a rolling party. People were dancing and chatting. An MC from http://rockthebike.com/ was spitting bike related rhymes through his pedal powered PA.
The night eventually ended at a parking garage by the Capitol Building. We all drink and had a great time. Then APD came and started trouble. A fellow biker crashed head first into a squad car, which didn't really even need to be there. The attitude the Austin Police showed towards a relatively tame group of party goers, was totally out of place and unnecessary. Everyone was peaceful. The police were militant and embarrassing to the tax payers who provide their salary. This ride is one of the many things that make A-town what it is. The police force again displayed how far our city still has to go to wipe away the awful relationship it has with our community. Austin storm troopers strike again.

Interbike ...Vegas Baby!

Oh yeah, and there were some cool bikes too.

Birthday Continued, Hockey Pre-season Begins, and Preparations for Interbike

So the party rolled on, I went to Halcyon as they were supposed to have a customer appreciate night with free booze and food. Tommy, Brandon, and I hung out drinking Mexican beer (Dies Y Seis, Bitches!) The free part was bullshit. Brandon went home. Tommy and I went to The Onion to talk to our friend Josh and score some pizza. We hung out an had a Tecate. Then we went to Jackalope and transitioned into non-Mexican beers. Eventually we hooked up with Josh at Mugshots for a few more beers. I noticed some dude from earlier in the evening who had pissed me off, so I said "Hey!" as I punched my fist into my hand leaving a bruise. Decided it was time to move on. We ended the evening with some girls from Albuquerque at The Side Bar.
Today Dallas plays St. Louis. Preseason hockey gets no respect at the sports bars. During the Stanley Cup I have to fight for the smallest tv in the corner of the bar. During the preseason hockey gets all the attention of Curling or Cricket. Who cares I'm pumped. I love the sound of Razor an Strangis.
I'm going to Vegas next week for Interbike. Ready to ride some kick ass shit, drink some beer, and check out bike stuff. Oh yeah flirt with convention chicks.
...more to come.

Birthday and Punk Rock Flashbacks

So I'm walking out of Ozone Bikes and I see this guy wearing a Plaid Retina shirt. I say those guys were great. We chat for a bit and he says hes in a band with the bass player. Kinda strange as the band wasn't huge (but very well should have been) It was cool just to think about their music again.
My coworker, Tommy, tells me his room mate decided to have a party at their place. We ride over to the house and get some beer. As we load the fridge with the beer, I notice an issue of Cometbus on the fridge. He says it's his room mate's. I later ask her her about the issue as it is not very common to come across one. She says her ex was friends with Aaron. I explain to her how much Crimpshrine meant to me growing up.
She has some friends from Chapel Hill, NC and as a long shot conversation starter I mention the only thing I know about Chapel Hill. Have you ever heard of Hellbender? To which she replys, "They played at my 16th birthday party. I tell her we (Laughing Stock) played with them a long time ago at the Blue Flamingo. They were really great. I bought their cd and eventually lost it. I later struggled to score it the vinyl on ebay.
Weird way to lead into my birthday. I ate some pizza and had a pitcher of beer for lunch with Brandon(my coworker). Then she stopped by the bike shop to bring me an Oreo cupcake with twenty candles on it. Awesomeness!
This already a good one. Now, I wanna listen to some old stuff.

New Sweaters Continued....

Okay, so I love the black sweater. The white one is kinda boring, but Dallas accross the chest kicks ass! Oh jeez!!! Tuesday the Stars play the Blues. Pre-season! Hockey's back M-Fers!

New Sweater for the Stars!!

The black one kicks ass!

Hell Yeah!

JERE and SLAYER

Relocated and Ranting

I've been offline for a while. I just had internet set up at my house. Why am posting this? I don't know.
Well the Tour de France is back on the horizon. Do we know who really won last year?
I still like CSC. Basso is out so I don't have to root for Discovery.
Why do I still like CSC? Dave Zabriskie shows much promise.
I like Carlos Sastre, Jens Voigt, and Stuart O'Grady.
All the racers I've cheered for in the past are out.
Basso, Hamilton, Landis, all out with murky doping allegations.
How much damage has been done to the credibility of professional cycling?
Who knows? However, the Tour's epic battles are entertaining regardless of synthetic testoserone, EPO, or steroids. I'm still watching when possible. My Grande cable doesn't come with Versus.

Japan and such....

Wandered around the streets of Yokosuka yesterday. Found a little pub called The Milestone near the JR train station. Pretty cool place; sat down and had some Guinness Foreign Extra, 7.5% by volume. They had a Texas flag hanging over the door to the lavatory and Miles Davis records on the wall. Bought a can of Kirin from a vending machine near my sisters old house.
Went to some Buddhist temples in Kamakura and the Landmark Tower in Yokohoma.
Tonight I am going to some Keirin races and tomorrow Tokyo.
Lots of bikes here. Most of them utilitarian folding bikes or stepthru frames with fenders and racks. Apparently the locals don't understand the importance of tire pressure. Most bikes are completely flat. Have some pictures to post as soon as I get
home.

Stars are out!

Dallas loses in game seven. Watching hockey in Japan is difficult. The only American sports are on AFN (Armed Forces Network). AFN is showing mostly basketball now.

Turco Responds Accordingly!

After losing in a quadruple overtime heartbreaker, Marty Turco redeems himself with a 35 save shutout. Dallas looked great tonight as they did in the opener. This time the Stars stayed on the upside of the scoreboard.
Jeff Halpern scored in the first 24 seconds of the first period and Joel Lundqvist scored in the first 45 of the second. Turco gets his first shutout in 24 career playoff appearances.

AAARGH! 4OT Loss. Painful. Oh no Turco, Dejavu!

Outplayed the Canucks, then beat by a Goaltender.

Lord Stanley

IT'S ON BITCHES!!!!

Corpus Christi

CORPUS CHRISTI

In the beginning there was a void
except for the written word
But I was born in such foolish times
my guilt is guaranteed
now I don't want to burn in hell
John told me that I would
unless I went down to the water
my sins purged in his holy blood

see how they run, sheep to the fold
see how they fall, corpse from the cross

now I got my bleeding heart
and I wear my crown of thorns
and argue with the old men
about the tapestry was torn
I got to sacrifice my ego
it's such a small price to pay
I'm waiting for the resurrection
gonna find out what Christ would say

see how they run, sheep to the fold
see how they fall, corpse from the cross

read another bible story
I've got to find the truth
sending loads of telegrams to God
prove my faith is absolute
I'm going down, down on my knees and pray
maybe I'll buy a talisman
oh, something's got to save me
on the judgement day

see how they run, sheep to the fold
see how they fall, corpse from the cross
see how they run, sheep to the fold
see how they fall, corpse from the cross
kyrie eleison

Probably, one of the coolest punk rock songs ever.
The first time I ever heard it, Desperate Minds was covering it. I love it when a cool band introduces an amazing song to me. Ironically, it shares the name of my home town. Seems apprpriate for Easter.

Do You Smell That?

Ah the sweet scent of playoff hockey! Dallas whipped up on Phoenix the other night with a 6-o victory. With that win they clinched a playoff berth. The Stars are battling with San Jose and Anaheim for the lead of the Pacific Division. Maybe I'll get some Stars boxers for the Cup run.

Karate Hand Luke & Philo Beddoe

Woke up had some Grape Nuts. Started my day. Called Brandon to borrow a headset press, fork crown setter, cutting guide, and some American hex wrenches. Rode my grocery bike over to Walgreen's to buy some charcoal lighter fluid. Busted open my Tofurky Beer Brats. Lit the coals and sat down to watch George Bush and Nancy Pelosi duke it out verbally on CNN. Brandon showed up with the tools and my Kona Unit 2-9 painted green. Thanks Brandon for making my bike look incredible. But for right now I am feeling a bit Surly. The Kona is going to wait to be built up. Put the Brats on the grill. Started building up my Karate Monkey and flipped the channel to AMC. Cool Hand Luke was on. I decided if I had a son I would make him watch it and then have a discussion about it afterward. The movie was the pefect sound track to Monkey building. The Surly built up real nice and carried me into Any Which Way You Can. I ate the Brats with grill softened onions on some buns with mustard. Drank a couple of ice cold IBC's. Put some platform pedals on the KM and zipped over to Ozone to grab my birth certificate, which my mom sent priority mail. Showed the bike to co-workers. Fucking bike shop dudes. They always grab at your brake levers or second guess your building ability. But I could tell they thought it was snazzy. Rode back to the Speedway Post Office. Stood in line to submit my application for a passport. At this point I came home. It was warmer inside my house than outside, so I hopped on the KM again and rolled over to Clown Dog to hang out and show my new bike and apologize for being a drunken ass Friday night. Cruised home. I forgot what a cool fucking bike Surly's Karate Monkey is. I'll have pictures up soon.

Mustard Stout

I was at the grocery the other day and came accross this stuff. Taste kick ass on my smart dogs. I should tell The Hot Dog KIng to keep some in his van for me.

I think I'm Going Japanese

My sister is leaving Japan and asked me if I could take a week off to help her move. So I'm going to Yokohoma for a week in April. Woohoo!

Stars Sweep The Kings

Dallas Stars sweep the L.A. Kings. Eight games, 16 points. Next stop, Division leading Ducks. God! I can just feel the playoffs coming. This is the best time of the year.

S. E. Racing 29" Stout

As the title of this blog includes Cogs and Stouts, I would be remiss if I didn't at least mention this bike. The theme is pretty cool, but already to many companies making a better thought out alternative. No sliding dropouts or eccentric bottom bracket, no integrated bottle opener, no rack or fender mounts, no funky cool handlebar. Oh well, a missed opportunity.
The Stout is an aluminum 29'er with horizontal dropouts, no disc tabs, and a chromoly fork. I already own a Kona Unit 2-9 and have a Hüsker Blü Karate Monkey on the way. I'll stick with what I have.
Well S.E., kudos for the effort and the other beer bikes: The Lager and Draft.

Monkeylicious

Ordered and on the way.

SXSW '07

Went to the Hydrahead Records showcase at the EMO's annex (usually where a taco stand is most of the time). Suffered through the band Oxbow and an acoustic set by some artist whose name I would find out if I cared. Next up was Daughters from Rhode Island. The music had the sound of a carousel spinning out of control in a psyche ward. The vocalist was a highly energetic malnutrioned son of G.G. Allin who enjoyed spitting on himself: into his pants, onto his face and eyes, and dangling it from a string above the audience. Still quite enjoyable. Big Business took the stage. A dude with a fro and an excessive beard. He was wearing a black panther shirt and ripped at the bass like it insulted his grandmother. The drummer understated with what appeared to be gardening gloves wrapped with duct tape. Later in the set a guitarist joined them to fill out the already overwhelming sound. Holy shit! Very powerful set. Next was JESU. Really heavy, really boring. At this point the HOt Dog King down the street was calling. We ducked out to eat. The King had a Queen to help him for the night. I aske for onions while my buddy was ordering the dogs. She barked at me as if she worked for SXSW or something. All was cool. We went back to the show. Now they had a SXSW girl working the door. She informed me I didn't have the appropriate stamp to get back in. I showed her my stamp and she informed me that was for over twent-one and I would need to pay 15 bucks to watch the last band in the tent. Fuck that. We opted to listen and watch them from outside. Pelican was the last band an instrumental band. The were excellent, but I really prefer my metal with a voice. The night was done for me and my back and shoulder were worn. I hopped on bike and rolled home.

Tonight I'm going to see Public Enemy and tomorrow Mastadon free shows, but I have VIP passes. We'll see what that means.

Modano Scores His 500th

Mike scores his 500th career goal. Mike picked up a rebound off a John Klemm slapshot. The goal turned out to be the game winner as the Stars beat the Flyers 3-2.

New Sweater

Okay so this new buying gig at the shop is addictive. I was special ordering a bib for a customer when the sales rep asked if that was all. Damn my weakness. Fortunately the evenings are still chilly enough to enjoy this really comfy wool sweater.

Ahh, Heel Clearance! Thank You Surly.

Mmm. I almost feel guilty grocery shopping with so much luxurious heel clearance. The Nice Rack is truly a nice rack. I keep thinking I'm gonna hit, but it just doesn't happen. I gave my Blackburn EX-1 to Glen. I do believe I heard my handlebars smile.

New Look For The NHL

Looks like part of the marketing of the New NHL is to shove a more streamlined futuristic look to the uniform. Of course we're told it will improve performance. Blah, Blah, Blah...The new authentics are $425.

Q: Is every team getting new sweaters next year no matter what? Are they all going to be new designs, or are they just going to be made of the new material and new fit? What about third jerseys? I know the Stars are now officially done with the old third jersey, so how long do they have to wait until they can make another one?

James

HEIKA: The NHL is currently planning to use a new sweater style for all teams next year. It will be lighter, tighter-fitting and have some sort of elastic in the underarm areas.

Because of the material, horizontal striping is not easy with these new sweaters (it will have to be sewn on, and that will compromise the stretchability of the sweater). However, the Red Wings and other traditional teams can make their sweater all one color, and they will be allowed to adjust the sweaters to make them look as traditional as possible.

Anyway, the Stars' "star logo" sweater will not work under the new format, and they will probably have new sweaters that are close to their practice ones, with white swooshes under the arms. I believe they are taking the majority of the green out and going back to black and white with green as a trim color. They might bring the green back for the "third jersey," but that probably won't be out until 2008-09 or even 2009-10

-The Dallas Morning News' Mike Heika

Not to big of a deal, but I like to bitch about the "improving" of an already perfect sport. I hate the Bullhead 3rd sweater anyway, and I've never been a big fan of the "Star" sweater, although have both the home and away version and wear it proudly.
I always liked the inaugural and North Star sweaters.

Epogen and The Amgen Tour of California

How it works:

EPOGEN® is a recombinant protein that works in a similar way as the body’s natural erythropoietin — a glycoprotein produced by the kidneys that circulates through the bloodstream to bone marrow, where it stimulates red blood cell production. Red blood cells perform the essential function of transporting oxygen throughout the body. When the kidneys fail, production of erythropoietin decreases and the production of red blood cells is hindered, usually resulting in anemia.
EPOGEN® is contraindicated in patients with uncontrolled hypertension.

Advertising:

Advertising clients are predominantly, but not exclusively, for-profit corporations seeking to increase demand for their products or services.