To Travel Well Is Better Than To Arrive.
{Cover Image: Bill Murphy}
I was talking to a bike shop* friend about his lamentatious work situation. Seasonal staff have already left to go back to school or because a more permanent job opportunity has come up. The O/O** is usually the quarterback, but is taking some well-deserved family time before summer break ends for their groms. The long-time floor manager and service manager have decided they passively hate each other and are indiscriminately involving other staff members in their plots. The top salesperson is pretty sure he’s going to quit to hawk cars. Worse yet, as with a lot of local shops in Canada, there are two, three, maybe, just maybe four weeks of regular service work and buy-it-now-for-next-spring’s-discount-price sales before the yearly reset.
He described it as a “Dumpster Fire,” but on further reflection, I think it’s more a house of cards. Even a Jenga set. With all the colliers in the bike-mine supporting each other, this shop made it through the massive industry downturns and over-inventory of the ’08-’09 recession and the post-Covid period, the Covid roller coaster itself, and, now, the same big-bet on gravel bikes that every other shop, and manufacturer made, mirroring the massive road bike sales cooldown of 2015***.
Thus, I’m stoked to provide this reminder to shop owners everywhere, be they one-employee small or Trek-vertical-integration big. As we near the end of the busy bicycle season, at least here in Canada, your, awesome, staff are tired and, at least some of them, are concerned, even worried, about what September, or at least October, brings. There may be interpersonal conflicts on the team that are hard to address but need to be resolved. There may be staff who would actually be happy to take a few less hours in the winter, which could make it an economic reality to keep some good folks on who you’d love to have on the team in the spring. Don’t wait until it’s dead in the store to have these conversations.
*{But definitely no longer a bicycle shop.}
**{Owner/operator.}
***{If you’ve been on the fence about buying a fresh gravel bike, this is probably your fall to make a maximized-value purchase.}
{All photos by Andrew unless noted.}
{Photo by Penny Deck.}
This week, this Friday actually, Claire and I finally made it out for a ride with our friend Penny. The first time since before Cumberlandworx. Where did August go?! We hit the No Quarter Climb, 7th Secret, Lower Oil Can, and Dream Weaver. It was a solid loop. And hot. But also, wow was it beautiful in the trees. Our longer snack breaks all occurred where a nice breeze was blowing through, and that was lovely.
Both the trails and myself are ready for some rain. Days of rain. Weeks of rain even. I find myself hoping for a wet-wet-wet winter this year. And spring. Down here, but I know all the local ski shops, and the local mountains, could use a heavy doss of the white stuff, so, with full recognition of global warming, here’s to a great ski season with no snow on at least some of my favourite bicycle trails.
On that note, I was walking home the other day when I bumped into one of my favourite hard-working, full-energy people, Sunny, and the beyond-sweet dog that he recently adopted. I’m not at all into sliding sports, but if you do something in the snow other than ride bicycles, you’ll find Sunny on the sales floor at North Shore Ski & Board most days. He’s the guy with the genuine smile who looks like he’s wearing a mop upside down on his head, and if you happen through their doors be sure to ask for him by name.
Cy’s Nifty Nettling
I dislike A.I. art almost as much as I dislike A.I. writing. I’m increasingly convinced it’s all a plot by massively-over-monied but talentless tech-bros to devalue the beautiful things that make people and people make. As someone with zero artistic talent I can almost understand it. I too have listened to amazing music and taken in incredible pieces of art and felt the gastric tides of acidic jealously rising against my true appreciation.
But, I mean, my dudes. Instead of stealing all of modern human creativity to train computers to make shitty copies people increasingly hate, why not use your wealth to do a maximum amount of generally cool society building stuff like supporting some amateur theatre, small budget films, truly out-there art installations, unique musical adventures, and niche cycling journals? And, also, would it kill you to build a free-to-use children’s hospital or fund a school lunch program once in a while?
Anyway, if I had to find a silver lining in the A.I. enshitification of every artistic endeavour, it’s the way talented artists are adapting to have their work seen. And yes, fine, you win, I’m sure A.I. will peeve me by applying some shitty filtering to any image, that will copy Cy’s sick stinging-nettles cycling-and-story tellling style, but he’ll already be creating the next thing anyway and I keep holding out that at some point people are going to want provenance. It’s like teaching math, show your work sh*theads.
What I mean to say is, if you didn’t check out Cy’s really neat & nifty nettles project that went live on NSMB.com this week, go have a gander. It was the sweetest thing I saw on the bikernet this week.
{Artworks by Cy Whitling}
Bill Murphy Art
Surprisingly there doesn’t seem to be a single piece in Bill Murphy’s portfolio that has Badly Drawn Bear riding a bicycle!? But if there was it would be a single-speed. Or, maybe, a penny farthing. But, if any artist, and if any character, speaks to me, about me, it’s this Bill & Bear combo from Essex, UK. Still, I don’t think it’s a stretch to include my stoke for Mr. Murphy’s art in SBTISAOAF because so much of it reflects how I feel about mountain bicycling, and pedaling bicycles in general, and also the experience around life on two wheels. Here are three of my favourites.
{Artworks by Bill Murphy}
Rainbow Abomination
Abomination is right! Who puts a wireless dropper post on a steel single-speed mountain bicycle? With a 22.2mm steel handlebar even. And mismatched rims. And a purple-and-gold Paul Components stem. And the size is “spicy medium.” And it’s even being raffled so that All Bikes Welcome can build a community bicycle shop, which is awesome. Yep, pretty stoked about Rainbow Abomination.
So rad, so… um… Radavist? Credit where it’s due, I saw first saw the Baphomet Bicycles rig in the Radavist’s coverage of this year’s Made bike show. Apparently I’m all links today, but their coverage was, as always, easy on the eyes and solid read for the mind. I borrowed one photo, but definitely head over and check out the rest.
{Photo by Team Radavist.}
DUBing Down Your Trails
Sometimes I crack myself up, and then, after, sometimes I think, yes, yes Mandrew, a shop needs to do this. I’ve found an inordinate number of DUB self-extracting crank caps on trails this summer. Now, I’ve rehomed most of them through a simple process where I message friends who use SRAM cranks and ask if they still have their extractor cap, but I think these finds could be so much more. Good karma the treasure hunter, a cheap ‘used’ replacement for the capless folks, and a cheeky little trail fundraiser for local bike shops.
You see, if one of my go-to local shops had a dish of recovered DUB caps at the till, with a little ‘$5 For The Trails’ kick those funds to the NSMBA sign, I would happily donate all the caps that I find to the cause. Make it a toonie even. And yeah, I know, ‘selling’ used caps is going to cut massively into those shops’ revenue streams, but won’t it be nice not having to listen to mountain bikers whine about spending “EIGHTEEN DOLLARS?!” on a new crank bolt set when all they need is the cap?
I’m not saying that a lot of work is getting done $5 or $2 at a time, but it’s a fun spin on take-a-penny-leave-a-penny and when customers roll in for a bottom bracket swap with no crank cap, it’s an easy opportunity to create some trail org awareness and make life easier for the folks turning wrenches in your shop. Or, maybe I’m out to lunch, but I had a chuckle over it and I’m saving my next few finds in case someone decides to dish.
Hope 20mm Stems {in 31.8mm!}
I’ve been meaning to include this in SBTISAOAF since it was released. High quality, like everything Hope makes, but without the super-boutique price tag that has accompanied other brands’ efforts to Azonic length stems. Who are these for? Folks reconsidering their choice to ‘spice’ up one size of bike. Folks discovering that most bike brands really need to add an option or two to their size curve. Deal hunters buying a used bike who can only find the perfect rig one size up. Parents taking advantage of low stand over heights to skip a frame size. Lots of people.
Now, as with tall riser bars, so folks will find that a super short stem doesn’t allow them to put as much pressure on the front wheel as they want. Clearly then, this is not a product for them. But other folks, chasing a shorter and taller setup, will find they can adapt to most anything on the trail and fit rules everything around them, and I imagine Hope is going to sell plenty of handlebar holders to those riders.
Running dual-29″ on my size large Will’s Arcturian I think this would have put me in the sweet spot fit wise. With the mullet setup I’m running these days, a 32mm stem is perfect. But even if I’m not adding one of these stems to my collection I’m stoked that Hope is making them. And I’m STOKED they’re making them in 31.8mm.
{Above photos by Hope Tech.}
Climbmax
It’s Saturday morning and I’m back at it putting the finishing touches on yesterday’s SBTISAOAF. Well, now that I’ve extracted myself from the news. The awesome and awful power of the US presidency {elected-regency?} on full display, surrounded by groveling sycophants, dragging the richest country on earth into a self-owning economic war with a good neighbour and great ally {using a Great Depression era tariff law, seriously?} and a global-economy-burning hot-warm-hot war that the vast majority of its citizens were against.
The only good news I can drag from it is I’m highly motivated to hide, I mean ride, in the woods for the next ten weeks while I cross my fingers and toes that enough of our southern neighbours switch teams {politically} or stay home to put some kind of check on all this nonsense. Nice to see that all the Canadian premiers, or at least that ones who aren’t being “probed” for treason, regardless of their political jerseys, are coming together.
Upcoming MEATmag content? I’m a little overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time so I’m not sure how much writing I’ll accomplish this week. Hopefully we’ll have an About a Single Speed entry on Tuesday, and lets go from there.
Larry Talker Tunes: By Andrew
Model-T is skipping tunes to ride bikes {shocking!} but luckily coming up with something for LTT was a simple one this week. The CBC {Canadian Broadcast Corporation} is, this very night, August 22nd, yes, it’s now Saturday, sorry, is broadcasting re-live, the Tragically Hip’s final show, which took place on August 20th, 2016.
There are various ways to watch, including live on the CBC’s YouTube channel at 7pm Eastern.
The re-live show tonight is in conjunction with a new live album that was just launched – The Tragically Hip, Live July 16 – August 20th, 2016. Every song is awesome and the album is worthy of an end-to-end listen but if I was forced to choose a couple tracks, my favourites are Fifty-Mission Cap, Bobcaygeon, and, of course, At The Hundredth Meridian. I know that’s not particularly engaging to anyone who already knows the Hip, but, there you go.
{Above photo by The Tragically Hip}
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