7.12.11
reblogging the reblog
"Alfred Woelbing was a buyer at a Chicago department store back in 1937, but he didn’t much like working in the big city. So he began his own business, making silver polish in the basement of his home in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. It paid the bills, for the time being.
Alfred then decided to create a home remedy for a pesky condition that he’d often suffered: cold sores. After much experimentation over a hot plate, Alfred created Carmex, and then proceeded to sell it to pharmacies by going door to door. If they weren’t interested in purchasing his product, he gave them a dozen jars for free—along with a post card for a re-order. He figured that if he could sell one jar at every drug store in Milwaukee and Chicago, he and his wife could make a decent living.
It wasn’t long before Alfred’s home-based business was booming. Apart from a wartime hiatus in production due to lanolin rationing, Alfred’s company—now known as Carma Labs—grew steadily. For 35 years, Alfred made sales calls in Wisconsin, Illinois and parts of Indiana. He remained president of the company until his death in May, 2001...
Alfred died at age 100. Up until the age of 96, Alfred worked 8-hours a day, driving over 40 miles to get to work. Even after he stopped his daily routine, his presence was still felt. His son and grandsons continue the Carmex lip balm tradition today."
-paraphrased from MyCarmex.
Iconic original jar imho, though no shock that the original cold sore purpose slightly downplayed in the jar's later iteration as below. Slight irony alert that a product to treat cold sores can help spread them if you use an infected person's jar... I guess "don't share" is the answer at all times. Anyone else keep a jar in the glovey that either melts in summer or is rock hard in winter? I should probably rethink that habit.
The tubes (introduced in 1988) might be easier to work with in winter but something about the milky glass of the jars is so great. The smell is pleasant and the mouth feel is tingly due to camphor and menthol.
5.12.11
21.11.11
11.11.11
America, Fuck yeah.
As reported by ABC News, this story below renews my faith in the American spirit. Also, it lets us know that not every young person in Boulder is a pot-smoking new-age hippie. So, read on... and take solace in the fact that maybe not all is lost in this world as long as there are rad people like Katheryn Lucas taking charge and kicking ass.
Colorado Woman Spots Stolen Bike on Craigslist, Steals it Back
A Colorado woman took matters into her own hands when her bike was stolen from outside of a Boulder sports bar. She tracked down her stolen bike on Craigslist, pretended to be an interested buyer and stole back her own bike.
Kathryn Lucas, 25, parked her bike outside of a bar where she went to watch a University of Colorado football game on the night of Oct. 4, according to ABC News’ Denver affiliate KMGH.
When she left the bar to head home, she discovered that her black Trek 1.2 road bike was missing. After filing a police report, she and her roommate began searching Craigslist to see if the thief was trying to sell the bike.
Sure enough, Lucas found a posting with a photo of her bike. She immediately recognized her bike’s red handle-bar tape and her water bottle holder.
Lucas responded to the Craigslist ad, pretending to be an interested buyer. Minutes later, a person using the name “Lance Robinson” responded with his phone number and instructed her to text him so he could send her his address.
On Sunday, Lucas went to the man’s apartment complex and asked if she could test ride the bike.
“I started riding it and knew it was my bike, so I just kept riding it,” Lucas told KMGH. “I rode it to my car and then threw it it in my car and then drove away.”
Lucas said she had not been planning on getting the bike back that way, but took advantage of an opportunity and made a spur-of-the-moment decision.
“They were a lot bigger than I thought they were,” Lucas said. “I thought it’d be like a little person that stole bikes and I’d be like, ‘Hey, I called the police and that’s my bike and you’re trying to sell it to me,’ but I just took it for a ride and went with it.”
After she had recovered her bike, Lucas called the police and gave them the thief’s address. “Lance Robinson” turned out to be 18-year-old Denzel O’Neal Crawford, who did not have a prior police record.
Crawford was arrested, confessed to stealing the bike and was released on bond. Police also told Lucas that, though her recovery mission was successful, it was not a tactic they recommend, according to KMGH.
“They told me for future reference that I probably would not want to do that by myself,” Lucas said.
9.11.11
27.9.11
fgfs
Steven Jensen from SKYLMT™ on Vimeo.
the last trick in this is so worth the video.Jeff Dempler from Matt Reyes on Vimeo.
DJfgfs25.9.11
7.9.11
danny.hart.
5.9.11
'sup with SUP?
25.8.11
23.8.11
america, F-yeah.
22.8.11
free
Free from Andrew Quinones on Vimeo.
My first short film I made for film school. Motorcycles are a big part of life. I wanted to make a film to show how intimate we get with the road. Most people ride to get away from the daily grind and be alone. Even if you are riding with a friend, your own mind is what you have a conversation with. Others like to just take a drive in their car, but once you ride a motorcycle, the open road is never the same.-- Andrew Quinones, director
17.8.11
13.8.11
more serendepic-ness from the spanish skate scene
12.8.11
not sure i really understand this...
the next bike i buy will be a Surly Troll..
Thursday, June 16, 2011
posted by Skip Bernet
Some answers to just about any bike forum post I’ve ever read
If you think your bike looks good, it does.
If you like the way your bike rides, it’s an awesome bike.
You don’t need to spend a million dollars to have a great bike, but if you do spend a million dollars and know what you want you’ll probably also have a great bike.
Yes, you can tour on your bike – whatever it is.
Yes, you can race on your bike – whatever it is.
Yes, you can commute on your bike – whatever it is.
26” wheels or 29” or 650b or 700c or 24” or 20” or whatever – yes, that wheel size is rad and you’ll probably get where you’re going.
Disc brakes, cantis, v-brakes, and road calipers all do a great job of stopping a bike when they’re working and adjusted.
No paint job makes everyone happy.
Yes, you can put a rack on that. Get some p-clamps if there are no mounts.
Steel is a great material for making bike frames - so is aluminum, carbon fiber, and titanium.
You can have your saddle at whatever angle makes you happy.
Your handlebars can be lower than your saddle, even with your saddle, or higher than your saddle. Whichever way you like it is right.
Being shuttled up a downhill run does not make you a weak person, nor does choosing not to fly off of a 10 foot drop.
Bike frames made overseas can be super cool. Bike frames made in the USA can be super cool.
Hey, tattooed and pierced long shorts wearin flat brim hat red bull drinkin white Oakley sportin rad person on your full suspension big hit bike – nice work out there.
Hey, little round glasses pocket protector collared shirt skid lid rear view mirror sandal wearing schwalbe marathon running pletscher two-leg kickstand tourist – good job.
Hey, shaved leg skinny as hell super duper tan line hear rate monitor checking power tap train in the basement all winter super loud lycra kit million dollar wheels racer – keep it up.
The more you ride your bike, the less your ass will hurt.
The following short answers are good answers, but not the only ones for the question asked – 29”, Brooks, lugged, disc brake, steel, Campagnolo, helmet, custom, Rohloff, NJS, carbon, 31.8, clipless, porteur.
No bike does everything perfectly. In fact, no bike does anything until someone gets on it to ride.
Sometimes, recumbent bikes are ok.
Your bikeshop is not trying to screw you. They’re trying to stay open.
Buying things off of the internet is great, except when it sucks.
Some people know more about bikes than you do. Other people know less.
Maybe the person you waved at while you were out riding didn’t see you wave at them.
It sucks to be harassed by assholes in cars while you’re on a bike. It also sucks to drive behind assholes on bikes.
Did you build that yourself? Awesome. Did you buy that? Cool.
Wheelies are the best trick ever invented. That’s just a fact.
Which is better, riding long miles, or hanging out under a bridge doing tricks? Yes.
Yes, you can break your collar bone riding a bike like that.
Stopping at stop signs is probably a good idea.
Driving with your bikes on top of your car to get to a dirt trail isn’t ideal, but for most people it’s necessary.
If your bike has couplers, or if you have a spendy bike case, or if you pay a shop to pack your bike, or if you have a folding bike, shipping a bike is still a pain in the ass for everyone involved.
That dent in your frame is probably ok, but maybe it’s not. You should get it looked at.
Touch up paint always looks like shit. Often it looks worse than the scratch.
A pristine bike free of dirt, scratches, and wear marks makes me sort of sad.
A bike that’s been chained to the same tree for three years caked with rust and missing parts makes me sad too.
Bikes purchased at Wal-mart, Target, Costco, or K-mart are generally not the best bang for your buck.
Toe overlap is not the end of the world, unless you crash and die – then it is.
Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault.
Yes, you can buy a bike without riding it first. It would be nice to ride it first, but it’s not a deal breaker not to.
Ownership of a truing stand does not a wheel builder make.
32 spokes, 48 spokes, 24 spokes, three spokes? Sure.
Single speed bikes are rad. Bikes with derailleurs and cassettes are sexy. Belt drive internal gear bikes work great too.
Columbus, TruTemper, Reynolds, Ishiwata, or no brand? I’d ride it.
Tubeless tires are pretty cool. So are tubes.
The moral of RAGBRAI is that families and drunken boobs can have fun on the same route, just maybe at different times of day.
Riding by yourself kicks ass. You might also try riding with a group.
Really fast people are frustrating, but they make you faster. When you get faster, you might frustrate someone else.
Stopping can be as much fun as riding.
Lots of people worked their asses off to build whatever you’re riding on. You should thank them.
11.8.11
i just wanna ride...
I.D.W.P from Edwin Europe on Vimeo.
10.8.11
spy fotos
is it a test-mule for BMW motorrad italia?
is it a design study intended to work out issues for future production bikes?
or, could it maybe just be the result of one man with too much time, too much money, and too much carbon fiber?
you decide...
4.8.11
double word score
serendepic [ser-uhn-dep-ik]
adjective and/or adverb
1. the accidental discovery of something whose level of serenity is on an unparalleled level
2. an action whose effect has consequences of great serenity
example: The views across the rolling hillsides, coupled with the smooth ribbon of tarmac being carved was serendepic, bro.
origin: While first coined in the Tuscan foothills, the true origins of this word may be traced to something that may or may not have been said by Jeff Spicoli or any of the other self-styled surfer-burnouts of his ilk.
3.8.11
pumptrack, period
hey, italiani, dove è la pumptrack cazzo?
over&out.
26.7.11
i wanna ride with these guys
a big thank you to my mom and dad for sharing this video with me, and i hope to ride again with them soon!
25.7.11
23.7.11
moto rebuild
For the past couple of years it has been sitting in a top-secret storage location in Colorado, awaiting the day when i would either tackle the project myself or have someone else do it. I decided on the latter--the reality is that i wanna ride this thing, i want it to be cool, and i just am not that great of a moto mechanic. Plus, once i found Adam and the guys at Untitled, they are basically building vintage Beemers the exact way i see mine turning out... i know the internet is full of blogs where guys just build a sweet old bike with nothing but hand tools and elbow-grease, but something is telling me i am better sticking to what i do best--and letting Untitled do what they do best.
so, these spy photos are all that could be spirited out of Colorado before the bike was packed into a truck. HUGE props to my friend Mark for these photos and for being the bike's caretaker for the past couple of years. By now the bike should be at a port in New Jersey and about 10 weeks from now it will be in London. If everything goes according to plan, the build will happen over the winter and i will fly to London in the spring to drive it back to Italia. Not real sure about importing/licensing/insuring a bike in Italia, but what else am i gonna do in my spare time?
alright--stay tuned for some more in process shots and updates of the build.
in the meantime, check it out--the goal is something like this bike from Untitled, but with a few suprises...
13.7.11
6.7.11
Just a Mirage
5.7.11
Skoda 2011 TdF commercial
24.6.11
mantra
Take a Look
you keep hopin' some day you'll have it all
it keeps your mind chasin' dreams down a slick and darkened hall
you just can't be happy with what you've got
unless you own the whole damn lot
think about what you have instead of what you don't have
and you will find that you're doin' better than most
when you finally hold the things you've been longin' for
you immediately think about the next
have you ever looked around you
have you ever enjoyed the moment
have you ever let yourself just simply be
can you think of strengths that you have
instead of what you think you need
did you ever question what you believe
grass just gets greener on the other side
while the moment keeps passin' by
and it will never be good enough
to appreciate what's always there
and if you take a look
well alright
23.6.11
better than television
Anyway, so in the mean-time i have started watching all these videos about all this kinda stuff. Some are good, some are great, some are crap. I know that most people who think they are cool might have already seen some of these before, but i wanted to post them here to start a collection of stuff i like and to have it all in one place for my own personal motivation--to give me something to do when i need motivation to stay on the path...
alright--first up is the video from the French dudes from Blitz. When i saw this i really knuckled down and decided that my next priority will be to get my Beemer built.
MUSIC VIDEO RIDING SEPTEMBER from Hush on Vimeo.
8.6.11
31.5.11
better than average...
Carving the Mountains from Juan Rayos on Vimeo.
found on 8negro.
17.5.11
SF bike stuff
TCB BULLITT CARGO SURFING from Storts on Vimeo.