stickboybike

Getting dirty, rally racing.

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 22:15:00 +0000

The weather is getting crappy here, and I am digging out some old photos of fair weather to keep the spirits high.
It's not bike-related, but speed is good in any form. 2003 Susquehanna Trail Pro Rally. Higgins, back when he raced for Mitsu on the 12 Mile Stage near the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon. Yes, we have one, too! The night was creeping in, and I was lucky to get this shot before all light was lost.
WRX is at the same corner as above, only 10 minutes later. The lights these guys run are enough to make small animals that may wander across their path burst into flames!
Here is my attempt at Ansel Adams. The Pa Gran Canyon, West Rim view.
East Rim view. If you look closely to the left of the water, you'll see part of the Rail Trail that follows the Canyon floor. This rail trail sees a lot of travel, but it is also casual riding like any other rail trail.
Me being a tourist. The weather sucked that weekend. Rain and lots of it. It was our second year attending the STPR. The first year was sunny and hot in 2002. 2003-2006, it rained every race day. There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear. Tim and I had our gear up to snuff for the rain, but it still puts an emotional damper on things, as you can see by my expression here.

Mistu Evo at Asaph Run. This was run as the first stage that weekend. The water levels at Stony Fork Creek were too high for stage 1 to cross through, so we perched out upon this hill. It's all about technique and control. Countersteer before the turn to overload the weight on the outside tires, grab a bit of emergency brake, and keep on the throttle. Easier said than done, right?
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Go fast, take chances.
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stickboy

A Craft That Invariably Needs To Be Honed.

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 15:03:00 +0000

‘Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.' Here’s what $173 in plantbased groceries gets me for 12 days of meals. Still blows my mind how my body has changed with burning fuel. pic.twitter.com/kimDGnrdUC
— stickboybike (@stickboybike) March 3, 2019

Living plant-based is a craft that invariably needs to be honed. 

I just ran across this tweet from 2 years ago and have so many feels about it. Mostly, that my shopping game was WAY OFF back then to be spending that much $$ and getting that little food. 

Part 2, shopping at the big grocery retailer isn't always the 'cheapest' route to go when you're trying to get plant-based whole foods in your diet. 

It takes some time but getting as much food that's nutritionally dense and not so calorically dense has led to eating less often which led to needing to buy fewer groceries. 

Naturally, on long, all-day bike rides you need to 'up' your calorie intake but at best that leads Kit and me to eat Lara Bars, fig, and nut butter-ginger-cinnamon sandwiches on GF-bread, bananas, and overall less processed foods. I've found these foods burn better in my body, I've yet to 'bonk' on a 100miler or 200k, and I have to admit that my recovery is amazingly fast for being a man reaching 50 years of age. 

It's safe to say I've yet to spend that much since the fall of 2019 on any of our groceries and when I came close to it, had 4-5 bags of groceries to feed two people, not one person like back then.  

Learn about medium to low glycemic foods, eat more nutritionally dense foods, love your body. 

What Is Your 'Why'?

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 15:31:00 +0000

'People don't by what you do, they buy why you do it.' -Simon Sinek

Getting the 'why' across to their consumers (Charlie has done a great job of that!) is what has made Mock Orange Bikes a leader in sales for the performance road bike market, for Bianchi Bicycles.

Southern charm, empathy, employees who ride and build culture is what make MOB a destination in North Carolina.

REPOST: Bike love and tolerance. | stickboybike

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 14:12:00 +0000

I'm really hesitant to post a story like this. It makes my stomach turn.

Here we go.

I received a phone call today from a good cycling friend of mine who I've known for almost a decade now. He called to inform me that one of his team riders was attacked by a 19-year-old motorist while riding in West Chester, Pennsylvania. The cyclist's name I will not mention at this point had received a flat on the rear wheel. At that moment he didn't repair the flat and continued to slowly pedal on the deflated tire along the shoulder of the road/painted line. A car came speeding from behind and blared the horn right next to him in hopes to scare the slowly pedaling cyclist. The rider waved a hand gesture in the air at the rude motorist in response and continued to pedal for another stretch of road. The 19-year-old driver apparently had a bone to pick that day and pulled his car over to the shoulder of the road and waited for the cyclist. The cyclist while slowly pedaling around the parked car asked the driver if he was aware of the speed limit and should slow down.

At that point, the motorist deciphered the cyclist as having an accent and is possibly from another country. The kid then angrily replied, 'Why don't you go back to your f^#%in' country!' The cyclist, taken back by this verbal attack, responded in his defense, causing the kid to snap into his own Nam.
Next, followed by a full-speed tackle into cyclist that was still slowly pedaling down the road and clipped into his pedals.

Naturally, an attack like this leaves hardly if no time to react and un-clip. Let alone have a solid footing in road shoes on a hard road surface.

Still mounted to his bike and now on the ground, the 19-year-old proceeded to kick the cyclists with the intention of doing severe damage. During this effort, the attacker verbalize, 'I'm gonna F'in kill you!' and proceeded to stomp on the rider's head multiple times. Fortunately, this brutality was broken up by a witness, a passing motorist.

The attacker jumped back into his car and sped away from the scene. His license plate number was obtained by a witness and the 19-year-old was detained later by local police. The cyclist identified his attacker.

At this point, you have to ask yourself, where is society going wrong?

This incident doesn't represent the youth of today but in discussing this event with the Team Captain this afternoon, who is a teacher as well, adults are falling short with their kids.

My mom works for a public school system. I have many friends who are teachers and they collectively agree that parents need to put expectations on their children.

Don't be that hard-ass dad who beats their kid like a dog and is pushing them beyond their mental capacity with sports and militant behaviors. Rather try instituting some structure, love, goals, teach them accountability, and compassion to fuel their flame that will burn forever in their lives.

I'm not expecting everyone to run out and save the spotted owl, go vegan, and drive a Volvo. But look inward once and awhile in silence for 15min a week.

Teach your kids about winning and losing, not...let's not be keeping score in T-Ball.

Help your youth to always give back more than they take and most of all, respect each other. Boys respecting girls, dads respecting moms in front of their kids when having debates to the point of arguments; stop right there. Teach and use patience, even when you have to slow down to go around someone that is enjoying a day out pedaling.

I wish the best of recovery for the West Chester cyclist. No one EVER deserves a situation like that to happen to them. As for the hate-filled motorist, hopefully, justice will be served and an example will be made through all of this.

Thank you for reading. -------------------------------------------------- s.b.

A Warm Summer Evening Bike Ride_Lancaster PA | stickboybike

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 15:28:00 +0000

There are times when people help you out in life.

There are times when you're called upon to suddenly help out that person or people as well.

Mike, the guy in the bright green jersey has been there in my life when I least expected it. For mentoring me with fitness, work ethic, motivation, and staying present during times of chaos. Mike always puts others first in his life. Like many who walk that path, sometimes need a bit of help themselves with getting back on the horse- staying active, making good food choices, and exercising.

I've been able to get Mike back on the bike for the past couple of weeks. Nothing heavy, just steady riding, steady motion, and fresh air. He seems to really be enjoying the bike.

The woman on Mike's right is my rock. Friends for several years. She too expanded my horizons with goal setting; training in the gym, long-distance self-supported rides, and an appreciation for good gin.

The wheat is tall and the shadows are long. Give me more of those Summer Nights.

Climbing the Welsh Mtns - Lancaster PA | stickboybike

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 26 May 2020 13:45:00 +0000

I hope you all are taking advantage of the good weather on the weekends, to put in some miles.

Last weekend Kitmonster and I hopped on our Bianchi bikes and knocked off a 100k loop that took us up through the Welsh Mountains. I took my gravel bike as I'm still shaking down the reliability of the new rear tire- Panaracer Gravelking 38mm slick tire. So far it's holding up.

This route never disappoints me, with its rolling hills in and out of the 'Welshies'. And it's heavy, two-mile climbs with the second climb reaching 1000' of verticle elevation. (That's a mountain for Pennsylvania, but maybe not Vermont.)

I shot this quick video with my iPhone X during the last climb and I'm always amazed by the built-in stabilization of that phone. It's no replacement for a good Go-Pro setup or a mirrorless camera for vlogging, but hey, I'm not going after that.

Have a good one!

RECAP: Little Britain 200k | PA Randonneurs

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 19:05:00 +0000

2020 brings a new calendar for the Pennsylvania Randonneurs and this past Saturday was the opener for the season. The Little Britain 200k.

My happy ass did not have the base miles to carve out 125 miles that day but Kit, always having that fitness on hand, registered for the event.

After 2 days of hard rains, the weather was looking pretty damp for the brevet and a little slice of me was glad I was not doing it. However, a bit of me was sad that I was not joining Kit on her first 200k ride since she moved to the Keystone state. So the least I could do is roll out to the start of the ride, reconnect with Andrew Mead (RBA) the organizer, and say hello to some of the riders whom I met last year at the Victory to Remember 200k.

With lights on the bike, at 5:50am we pushed off towards the starting point of the ride.
The meetup point was at The Shops at Landis Valley. The 20-minute bike ride to the start was under the darkness of the early morning and covered under a blanket of dense fog. A fog so thick (10 yd visibility) that I took us a block too far as we navigated our way through the housing development that backed up against Butter Road. Doh!

These rides require all riders to wear the proper visibility pieces; a fluoro-reflective vest and have proper lighting on their bicycle. I wore my reflective rando vest and ankle straps despite not participating in the ride. So I looked the part, just riding that day.

"You're not registered for this ride, Will.", Andrew pipped up upon seeing me.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just going to roll out with Kit and everyone if that's cool. I know that's not the brevet protocol but I'll keep my miles brief.", I optimistically replied.

Andrew turned away and looked like he was mentally chewing on my sale pitch of the morning.

Kit chatting with RBA Andrew Mead before the start of the Little Britain 200k.

As 7am approached, riders gathered said their pleasantries, and then were debriefed by Andrew before heading out Landis Valley Road for the start of the brevet. Still misting/light rain, and loads of standing water on the roads... and no fenders for me or Kit. Oy!

Stats of the Little Britain 200k.

The course ran a figure-eight pattern across the north and south end of the county.
The starting point was the crossover spot and a mandatory control spot for the riders where they needed to have their brevet cards signed as proof of checking in; as noted by the brown squares on the above map. No check-in, no credit for the route.

At the 5 mile mark, I peeled off from the group when they turned left onto Disston View Road.

I couldn't see shit.
On my way back home I was grateful for knowing the roads and the locations of all the potholes. My glasses were completely rain-soaked and the moisture droplets were bleeding out on the lens. Time to use The Force, while winding my way home.

Seriously, that small ride with the group has forced me to sort out what to do with eyewear should it rain or be severely humid during low-light rides. At this point, I'm thinking about getting glasses with some sort of hydrophobic coating to prevent the clinging of raindrops and moisture. Maybe Rain-X or Fog-X for now to treat my current eyewear? Thoughts?

I rolled into the garage, covered in a film of farmland manure. At least hanging my bike by the front wheel would allow the water to drain out the back of my bike. I yanked out the seat post and left it on my workbench for later.

"If 18 miles of my bike looks like this, Kit's bike will be wrecked by the time she's finished the brevet.", I emphatically stated. Which it was.

I stripped down in the laundry room and tossed everything, right down to my shoe covers, into the washing machine. Done.

I watched Kit wind her way around the county.
Using the Find My Friends app on the iPad I was able to watch her progress from start to finish.

As she got closer I decided to pop into Highland Pizza the finishing spot and grab a beer and talk bikes with Andrew Mead and some of the other riders.

10 hours later, riders rolled into Highland Pizza for the final signing of their brevet card.

Kit was about 15 minutes off the pace of the main men's group of riders. She strolled into the restaurant looking pretty satisfied with what she just accomplished that day. I raised my beverage and said CONGRATS!

Rainy rides call for zip-lock bags to keep your supplies dry and wear layers to stay warm.

This is what being 51 looks like.
First PA brevet, DONE! 125 miles.
One happy woman.

The next brevet is the Beyond Hope to Hopewell 200.

Transformation Tuesday | Skin Deep Edition

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Wed, 26 Sep 2018 13:53:00 +0000

Change starts with 'you'.
Transformation Tuesday isn’t always about getting buns of steel (yeah, I’m showing my age) or dropping 50 lbs from your mid-line.

7 years ago I made the choice to start racing cyclocross.
This put me in front of some wonderful people (thx to S. Mealey). This community of people was much like the individuals I hung out with in school during my skating and BMX days... open-minded, artistic, anti-establishment, vegetarian and vegan, basically counterculture and inclusive. It was easy for me to gel into this subset of the cycling world.

During those years of racing and training, the movement for clean eating came to the forefront in the form of cookbooks from Skratch Labs.

My friends started cooking this stuff which motivated me to take the journey to try new foods. Always loving to cook, my enthusiasm for food kept developing and suddenly plant-based athletes such as Rich Roll, John Joseph started to pop up in my YouTube feed. I got hooked on their backstory of how they could do endurance sports on a plant-based or a vegan diet. (Watching the movie- What the Health seemed to light the match for me.) Age seemed something you could defy going this route.

I don’t plan on doing an Ironman or running an Ultra.
But the fascination of how and why these athletes eat what they eat, pushed me further to explore these food possibilities. In May I took that next step and went plant-based.

The first month was rough. I had some crazy blood pressure stuff going on that led to my eyesight flaking out in my right eye a couple of times. There were moments when my digestion seemed like it was working overtime... all along with an understanding that this was the storm I had to ride out to reach those sunny days.

It’s only been 4 months of plant-based eating but I feel amazingly good.
I read about the bennies of this and figured it was hype or fluff. I gotta admit it is not. In fact, I drink less coffee (gasp!) because I’m now more alert, I no longer get those annoying heart palpations that I’ve had for the past 20 years or ocular migraines, I’ve dropped 15 lbs (wasn’t trying folks!), recovery days seem less intense due to less inflammation from the diet, and I have a new arsenal of food to cook along with a need to go buy a new chef’s knife. Haha!

This video is me hitting a quick lunchtime lift session.
I haven’t done this in 4 months (don’t hate on my form, tried using the mirror to check as you’ll see in the clip). I’m not trying to get swole, hit a PR, nor have anything to prove... other than the fact that taking the time to work on your inner game will allow you to put your head in a good space. Matched with a kind-diet, opens up doors to a level of mindfulness that this 46-year-old can wrap his head around.

Big thanks to those who have motivated me.
Big thanks from the plant base world, athletes, and musicians- Doyle W. Von Frankenstein, Rich Roll, John Joseph, Sonya Looney, Avant-Garde Vegan by Gaz Oakley, Adam Myerson, and Nimai Delgado.

Go out there and get after it, folks!

#keepevolving #selfimprovement #dowork #healthandwellness #vegan #pma #motivation

Church of the Cosmic Skull - Evil in your Eye (Official Video)

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 03 Jul 2018 12:12:00 +0000

As I complete another trip around the sun and finish my 5 lbs bowl of oatmeal, I'm reminded of how much I love the recent cluster of jam-band-doom-metal/rock that I keep tripping over on YouTube and Spotify.

Thank you, friends, family, musical algorithms.

How To Shake Hands

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 26 Jun 2018 15:32:00 +0000

Yeah, I'd vote for Neil if he'd put Jimi Hendrix on the twenty dollar bill...

#nowplaying #turnitup

Death Bells - Echoes (Official Music Video)

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 17:35:00 +0000

My new guilty pleasure speaking to my short stint of alternative, emo, wearing all black, during my senior year of #highschool. #waybackmachine

The baddest and the raddest: 20 short interviews about #bicycles and #life in the #banjobrothers blog series #FIVETHINGS.

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 13:00:00 +0000

The list keeps growing!
Can we have a reunion somewhere in MPLS, guys?

<click on the above title for the deets.>

The baddest and the raddest: 20 short interviews about #bicycles and #life in the #banjobrothers blog series #FIVETHINGS. Read 'em all: https://t.co/FreVCYhCrI pic.twitter.com/RnZ59IP3rG
— banjobrothers (@banjobrothers) April 6, 2018

Bad Wolves - Zombie (Official Video)

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 14:53:00 +0000

Love me some good supergroup collab and a cover song, to boot!

Agent Orange - A Cry For Help In A World Gone Mad

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 16:56:00 +0000

This song popped into my head after reading the recent news of the shooting in Great Mills, MD...

The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio: A Study In Racing Genetics

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 17:12:00 +0000

Those Italians...

They do know how to make machinery, sexy AF.
<be sure to crank up the volume on this vid!>

Product Review- Bianchi Infinito CV Disc | Competitive Cyclist

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Wed, 17 Jan 2018 15:55:00 +0000

I wasn't a big, drop bar-equipped disc brake adopter until I road the Bianchi Allroad all last year. Then I got the new version of the All Road last fall after riding the INFCV disc last spring in Wisconsin.

I'm not fibbing when I say that this is the one bike I get the most phone calls about from my dealers, regarding availability.

I love the one-finger braking power. And considering where I live, I get caught in the rain a lot on rides; so this makes perfect sense for that sort of riding environment.

...just take my money, now!

Bianchi Impulso All Road Review | Cycles BiKyle Edition

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 21:11:00 +0000

My dealer outside of Philly- Cycles BiKyle has been selling the Impulso road bike for many years.

They're familiar with the technology surrounding the frame and fork. They've taken test rides in the alleyway on the bikes after building them up in the shop. They tout the benefits to their customers of how strong Triple Hydroform Technology makes the front end of the Impulso frame and how K-VID reduces the level of vibrations entering the front end of this Endurance Race bike.
**All of this is translates to merely a Bianchi sticker on the shop employee's arm. However, getting a shop on the bikes for a 2-hour ride... now that's putting the ink on the needle and getting it under their skin like a tattoo.

Alex and Nolan are the shop managers at Cycles BiKyle.

They've done a great job growing their numbers with Bianchi. Something worth noting is that they're a Pinarello dealer too. However, they are seeing Bianchi sales pass the Pina brand! Their Pennsylvania shop is near Rodale publishing who prints Bicycling Magazine. As we all know, Pinarello has been an ad player in that 'zine for 10+ years. Even with that sort of muscle, to have Bianchi pass them in sales in this prestigious shop speaks volumes for relationship building. And for that I'm grateful. This year Nolan just started road racing on his Oltre XR.1. Alex aside from doing 150 miles/week on his 928 SL rides fixed gear and BMX street/park. With these two riding styles, I put together a ride to suit them and showcase the versatility of the new Impulso All Road bikes.

The route we took on Sunday covered many sleepy and winding farmland roads in Amish-land.

Within the first two miles of my house, we crossed an old covered bridge that's the longest in Lancaster County. Sitting in at 180 years old it's since been renovated yet retains all the charm of wood and Amish as you could imagine. The exit of the bridge drops down steeply in elevation and has wreaked havoc on many a tall truck when exiting it; tilting the tail of the box up high enough that one time a tractor-trailer got wedged up against the roof, closing it for weeks for repair. Nonetheless, this drop at the exit is a blast if you hit it hard and fast. Being Sunday with no traffic, the three of us rolled into the covered bridge at full speed! Leading the guys and knowing their unfamiliarity of the exit, I hit the lip of the exit, pulled up on the All Road bars, and got air with a bit of a moto-whip of the tail end of the bike, touching down on the downside of the bridge exit. Alex and Nolan hooted and hollered as they jumped out of the bridge as well. This set the tone for the rest of the ride- go hard, fast, ride unapologetically.

We snaked our way for the next few miles over public roads and greenways.

We linked up to a park that has some mountain bike singletrack. I love this place. And have been riding it for years in the fall on the cyclocross bike when I need to tune up my bike-driving skills for race season. A string of 2x8 planks leading off the greenway kept us above a marshy section of the trail. We then hopped onto a 20' long footbridge to cross a creek, and finally into the woods. The Impulso All Road's cassette is geared low. 12-32t on the Shimano 105 bike and 12-34t on the Tiagra version. In low range, we pedaled our way up the ribbon of trail. Young and ambitious, Alex and Nolan pinned it to keep up with me on the singletrack; flowing, carving, pumping around the occasional protruding root section. Running my bike tubeless with upgraded 40mm Kenda Flintridge tires lends my riding to a bit of devil-may-care style. At least I baby powdered Alex and Nolan's bike tubes when initially building up the demo bikes. This seemed to ward off any pinch flats throughout the course of our day.

Me, Nolan and not a car in sight on a Sunday! photo courtesy- Cycles Bikyle/ Alex

After the cheers and jeers of the trails, we made our way north in the county towards the Lititz Airport.

There's a road loop that circles the airstrip. It's a wide-open stretch, such that it's become a popular Strava segment for riders on TT bikes and others doing threshold work. Intersected with a roundabout, the road also has a gravel access road that parallels it. Nolan spots the access road and makes a beeline out of our paceline, straight over the shoulder of the road, through the grass, and onto the gravel access road. Alex's comments ranged from how surprisingly fast you can roll on flat roads with the 35mm Kenda Flintridge tires and how quick and agile the Impulso All Road rides despite its chunky tire appearance. Soon enough Alex peels off my rear wheel and joins in the chase to Nolan. At one point a paved driveway intersects their gravel access road. Alex eyes up the slight rise in elevation and pedals harder, hell-bent for leather....jumps the lip, and almost airs over the width of the driveway. At that moment I wish I had a Go-Pro camera.

For the next dozen miles or so we play 'left turn, right turn' heading north in the county towards Ephrata.

I turned our route east onto Lime Rock Road (above video). It's full-length gravel. This gave the guys a few minutes to test out the stability of the Impulso All Road. The chainstays on the new All Road bikes are 30 mm longer than the Impulso road bike. This extra length out the back combined with a wider tire creates better stability at full speed across loose surfaces. The stock Impulso All Road wheelset is Tubeless Ready which I highly recommend upgrading to tubeless tires. It's a ride quality you can discern.

Alex hugging the edge on Crooked Lane. photo courtesy- Cycles BiKyle/ Nolan

Making our way south back towards my house, we hit the last gravel road sector- Crooked Lane.

This slices a working farm, in half. We spin our way past resting tractors (Amish and Mennonite do not work on Sundays). A marmalade cat scrambles for cover, spooked at the sight of us as we make a hard left turn to climb up towards the newly harvested cornfields.

Me and Alex, probably discussing if AFI was better before Davey Havok became the now-session singer. photo courtesy Cycles BiKyle/ Nolan

With 30 minutes left in the ride, we're starting to feel the miles creep into our legs.

All the surging, on and off the gas, chasing each other, pushing the larger tires down the road, the 40-mile ride was starting to feel more like 55 miles. And truthfully, that's the terrific thing about a bike like the Impulso All Road. Unless you're doing a group road ride where you're averaging 18-20 mph for 3 hours, riding an All Road bike for a couple of hours gives you one hell of a workout. In the past, I've shown up to many a C-pace ride running 35mm file tread tires, averaged 16mph on the ride with everyone, and managed to open up some exciting dialog with riders. Typically the conversation goes as- a.) riders can't believe I'm keeping up with them on 'chubby tires'; as one woman in Rome, GA said to me with her thick southern accent. And b.) riders can subscribe to the idea of having one bike that you can do a century ride. Or throw on 35mm tires and ride the gravel rail trails or knobby tires if you want to go cruise some flowy mountain trails.

The Cycles BiKyle guys are super stoked on the Impulso All Road bikes.

Now that they were able to spend an afternoon putting the bike through its paces, the true capabilities of the All Road platform are clearer than ever before. Monday morning I received a text from Alex, thanking me for hosting them for the day and claiming that, 'We both think it's time for gravel bikes....'

I'll Hi5 that!

Art In Music, Art In Bicycles

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 13:14:00 +0000

It's always a good day when you discover new music-- old stuff you didn't know that was out there.

#oakcitycyclingproject Jared H (on drums) and his musical project from the early 2000s. These guys, Madball, Cro-Mags, Hatebreed... it was a good time for hardcore music back then.

self titled cd by Over and Out

Brianna Lane - "Stones In The Water" (Live on Pony Rug)

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 01:40:00 +0000

Years ago I helped sponsor an event that Brianna was performing at a Philly bike shop. Since then, her albums have been on annual rotation on my speakers.

Something about her songs that make me want to sit on a porch in NC; look out on acres of rolling land, and sip bourbon.

Moving Forward With Your Musical Tastes

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 31 Oct 2017 19:08:00 +0000

We don't see each other much.
Maybe once a year at best but still, keep in touch via text messages. A few years ago while spending time with David, he plugged his iPhone into the dash of his son's FJ Cruiser to play me what he's been listening to as of late. When we do get together, we immediately quiz each other about what the other has been recently listening to.

David and I share a love for simple riffs and a guilty pleasure for '90s hard rock. No, I'm not going to use the term Grunge Music. However, in this story, he cues up Angry Chair by Alice In Chains. The opening bassline and first couple chords of this song were lost on me back when I saw them in 1992 as the opening act for Van Halen.

Fast forward 20 years.
The majority of the music I've been listening to has been heavier. Chugging rhythms and tuned super low stuff. I blame it on the regular gym and bike workouts which I've kept motivated by listening to more metalcore, Black Flag/ Rollins Band, and doom blues bands such as Sasquatch, Orange Goblin, Sword, and The Atomic Bitchwax.

All these layers of music have opened a portal.
It has brought me back to other albums I dismissed half a lifetime ago. Metallica's ...And Justice For All is one of them. There are some bangers on that album. Have a listen to AJFA if it's been a while for you.

This video is a reminder of that taste which has developed over the years, in the back of my mouth-- sort of like James burp, 4 minutes into this performance?

Marvel Studios' Black Panther - Official Trailer

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Mon, 23 Oct 2017 11:30:00 +0000

Seems like it's been a long-two year wait for this feature movie. So. Stoked!

2018 Impulso All Road | Bianchi Interview

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 13:02:00 +0000

Last month in Vegas, I had the opportunity to chat about the new All Road, with Scott of Crossbikeriew.com.

I'm super stoked we also got the Interbike Design & Innovation Award for this bike!

Thanks for coming by, Scott!

Foo Fighters - Let There Be Rock (AC/DC cover) in the Live Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Fri, 15 Sep 2017 18:13:00 +0000

Grohl and the FFs take on a classic backstory.

Hickory Run State Park Waterfall | stickboybike

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 13 Jun 2017 16:29:00 +0000

Who knew PA has a waterfall this rad? I shot this with my iPhone 6 Plus while hiking with the family.

Whitechapel @thechamp

noreply@blogger.com (stickboybike) — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 20:36:00 +0000

Here's a few pix from last month's Whitechapel show at The Champ in Lemoyne, PA.

They played a great set. I'm assuming it was a tune-up show for their soon-to-be tour in support of Metal Blade Records' 30th anniversary. They'll be out with GoatWhore.