Beautiful...

Check out this ride someone posted in a bike forum that I frequent...



First of all, this is a Colnago boys and girls. A real one. One that doesn't have some fancy shmancy paint job (although I like those as well), one that has been fillet brazed, lugged, and then to top it all off, they gold plated the Super Record gear that they strapped onto it. It is one of the most singularly beautiful bikes that I have ever seen really. I mean, it's freakin' stunning, in a way that only the Italians could do it. Let's face it. This shit was blinging long before that word ever entered the common vernacular of the world. If anyone could do a bike with class like this, it was going to be Ernesto Colnago, in my opinion, one of the greatest bike builders of all time. Sure, I've only had one of his bikes in my entire lifetime, and will probably not have another one for a long time (can't swing that kind of cash), but somewhere down the line, I'll have myself another one. It will be my Sunday cruiser, and will probably cost copious amounts of dollars, and people will drool over that thing when I cruise by on Sunday afternoon on my old fart's ride, and all of the kids will wonder an old fat guy has such a sweet bike. I'll tell you the reason for it right now. Because I can. That's why. I always hear people complaining about other people and what sweet rides that they have, and why do they have them because they don't race them. They don't ride them much. Is it all for show? What are they trying to prove? It's for none of that kids. It's because they can buy them, and if you can buy it, you're going to do it. Let's face the facts here. We're all boys, and we like the biggest and baddest toys that we can get. Don't hate on the guys with the nice bikes, they just have more money than you. That's all. Doesn't make them any better, doesn't make them any faster, it just makes them richer than you or me. Personally, I don't hate on them. I lust after their bikes. Just like I would lust after this one pictured in this post. Hell, this thing is a work of art. I'd get this thing, and hang it on a wall somewhere. Maybe ride it once or twice per year, but other than that, wipe it off with a diaper, and keep it in top notch shape and shiny, always shiny. I'm sure that my friend Dale wouldn't mind having this bike either. As mentioned before, it's drool worthy, even if you don't like old bikes, or bikes in general. One has to respect the work on this one.

It's been several weeks now, and the doping furor has not died down on the Landis front. My opinion on this one? He did it. He's guilty as Hell, and will get knocked from the top level of the sport for the next 4 years, which will effectively end his career in the world of bike racing, at least on the road. Maybe he can make a comeback on the mountain bike front, or maybe he can join that other doper from Phonak, Tyler Hamilton, riding unsanctioned events (Hamilton won the Mt. Washington Hill Climb again this year), and taking money out of legit guys riding their bikes out there. If I were the promoters of the Mt Washington Hill Climb, I would turn down Hamilton's entry into the event. I'd send along note like this, "Sorry Mr. Hamilton, but since the UCI has banned you from racing at the top levels of the sport, we wish to be consistent with the sanctioning bodies of cycling in the world, and not allow you to compete at our event even though it is unsanctioned. Please come back and see us when you have your racing license back in your hands." Or, something like that. He definitely would NOT be in my race, not until he had a real racing license. Ah well, it's not my race, so I can't really do anything about it. Maybe I should write an angry consumer letter to the folks who put the race on.

In other bike news. I am now the proud new owner of a mountain bike. I sold my last mountain bike a couple of years ago, and have been without since 2004. Thanks to Cycles de Oro, and the annual Super Sale, I now own another mountain bike. This time, we went back into the single speed land of pain, and came up with a brand new Bianchi GUSS (see picture). I decided to stay true to my "roots" of single speeding and get another one. I had the original Bianchi single speed that started off the craze back in 1998, the BOSS, so why not get an updated version of a bike that I loved? I did, and as suspected, the thing is sweet. It carves singletrack like a good single speed should, and rides very nice. No complaints from this kid. And, the fiance has also purchased a new bike as well. Her first new bike in a long time according to her, and I'm excited for her to swing the leg over it, and start riding around the 'hood here. I think she's going to dig it. My only fear is that she's going to like it too much, and with that comes newer and better equipment, with higher costs, but hey, that's something I'm willing to drop some money on, so we'll see how she digs it. Alright, that's about all that I have for now. I have a lot of political thoughts rolling around in what I like to call my noggin', but we'll leave those on hold for this point in time.