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Some news...
4/30/05
My co-worker John and
I headed down to Pacifica today and did a session on dh bikes. I
was glad to log some more time in on my new ride. It was a good
time. Click to check out some pics.
4/26/05
I'm still working on
my Sea Otter photo essay. It's been taking a while, as I've begun
to work on my color-correcting skills in Photoshop. The Curves and
Levels adjustments are killer tools for making a so-so image workable.
I was all over the place at the race venue taking photos next to
professionals with their uber-expensive cameras and have to admit,
I was feeling more than a little out of place next to those dudes
and their foot-long lenses. Especially when I snuck into the media-only
areas to snap photos like the one to the right, during the dirt
jump comp.
I still am looking at
getting into a digital SLR though. I found this site
that has a really good review on the Nikon D-70. I've heard from
a variety of sources that this is the camera to get for the aspiring
Prosumer like myself. It's so easy to geek out on this stuff, it
can burn up hours of your time.
I'm still stoked on my
little Canon Elph; now that I'm learning it's limitations, I can
explore what the little camera actually can do. I took a ton of
photos on an epic ride my co-workers and I did on Mt. Tam this Sunday.
Check out this one:
4/21/05
I had a really good time hanging out at in Monterey
for the Sea Otter Classic. I took a good amount of pictures, and
am still picking though them. I'll post a photo-essay in the next
few days. I took some video of the DH course as well, and will have
it up for those of you that haven't seen the course yet.
Sea Otter is crazy. I wish I had more energy to
do all the stuff I wanted to do, and see.
For Bay Area locals, this Saturday at China Camp,
Mike's Bikes is hosting a demo day. I'll be out there helping the
Mike's Bikes crew set bikes up for test riders. Come down and check
it out. You can test ride a 2005 Litespeed, Specialized, Cannondale,
or Rocky Mountain in the dirt, and lay down some abuse on some tight,
high-end bikes. It should be pretty cool. Even if it rains. Get
more info at http://mikesbicyclecenter.com
4/13/05
photo by BVK- View of Oakland
at sunset 
First ride on the 2005 Demo 8
This bike rocks. I don't think I've ever ridden
a bike out of the box that felt this good. Last night after work,
I hustled up to the hills to get a quick shuttle in on the demo,
and I am extremely happy with the performance of this bicycle. The
tires tracked, she handles great, I can't ask for much more. I'm
looking forward to a lot more time on her. Other than my complaints
with the boxxer, (which I'm hoping will be resolved at Sea Otter)
I don't have any gripes on the spec. (The Demo 8 Pro, which comes
with the new Fox 40 DH fork, was out of stock when I ordered my
bike)
The only modifications the bike currently has is
an upgrade to nicer pedals and bolt on grips. (comes with cheapie
bmx pedals, and grips.) My friend Josh (known for the Jericho bikes)
came over and we geeked out on the lines of the frame. He's been
doing a lot more with his CNC equipment, and we talked about the
possibilities of making a direct mount Boxxer stem, and after market
one finger Hayes levers. That would be some bling. We did some drawings
and he took some measurements. It should be exciting to see what
he comes up with.
4/12/05
It was a long weekend for me; I'm Mega tired. I'm
excited though. My new Demo 8 showed up yesterday. I'm hoping to
get it together and take her home tonight. James and I are even
talking about a shuttle in the evening. Check
out my new bike. Stoked.
4/6/05
I've been doing a lot of thinking about getting
a new downhill bike, especially after all the riding we've been
doing lately. I'm totally fired up to do a lot of riding this summer.
So I took the plunge and threw my credit card down for a new Specialized
Demo 8. I originally had my heart sold on a VP Free from Santa Cruz,
but I get pro-deals on Specialized bikes, so that made my decision
for me. After watching the both the Collective and New World Disorder
V back to back, I'm super jazzed on the Demo bikes. My friend Max
just bought a 2004 Demo 9, and he had nothing but good things to
say about it. I must have spent 2 hours on my computer last night
surfing the internet doing research on the bike too, since I didn't
ride one last fall at the dealer clinic Specialized put on. I jumped
on one in the parking lot, but that was it. I wish I had taken it
down Dead Campers or something, but I'm sure I'll get used to it
real fast.
Of course, this means I now have a downhill bike
for sale. To buy one, one must sell the one that comes before. That
is the rule isn't it? My girlfriend is going to kill me if I have
another bike in the living room, so it's the rule now. She's unhappy
with the bike collection as it is. It's a good thing I don't really
have a life other than riding, painting, work, and her, because
I don't think I could afford it!
I'm hoping to have my bike by Sea Otter next week.
From what I understand, a long travel bike is overkill for the Sea
Otter DH course, but it's good to have options. I sent my 5th Element
shock to Progressive Suspension to get it warrantied, so the Heckler
is out of commission until they send the shock back. I'm just hoping
I have a bike to race on, since I've already pre registered. I'll
be heading down Thursday morning of next week. It's going to be
a long week though, I'll be working at Mike's Bikes in Berkeley
this weekend for the Big Mega Sale that is going on all weekend.
I don't get a day off this week, but at least I'll have a good start
to paying off my new ride.
4/3/05
Day light savings time is here! Yeah, baby!
Best Buy and other large scale retailers are to
end mail-in rebates. It's about time. Personally, I've been screwed
at least twice by manufacturers by mail-in rebates. I didn't even
think to call the Better Business Bureau. I should have. Check out
the article here.
Ed Sanchez, the resident XC geek, reports in with
an update on the XC Racing Schedule.
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From:
Ed
Subject: "Cool" XC race.
Hey
hey!
Mud sucks, don't it?!! I was sick and lost $40 not racing
at Cool. Cal did it and got a reality check about XC racing
and mud. Lost a grip off the bike, but survived. Dunno his
results. I had multi-colored goo ejecting from my face as
I laid on the couch, watching the Milan-San Remo road race
on OLN. Petachhi won.
Great news for XC racing in Nor Cal!!
Billy Cross is doing races at Boggs Mountain again!
I'll fill in the details, perhaps do a little bio for the
site, about the history of BC racing, a true grass roots racing
promoter. (check that out here)
Have
you been riding?? Sea Otter is coming up, are you still planning
on doing the XC?????? I 've got the candy-cane bike working
pretty well, but I gotta get over this cold and put more miles
in. We are supposed to product
review those grips sometime too. Ah well, whatever. I check
you later,
dood -- Ed |
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Hahaha! I was thinking about racing the XC. I signed
up for the DH though, and I think that is going to be enough for
this year. I don't think training for 2 weeks is going to get me
ready to race an xc. I may try the Napa Valley Classic again this
year though. Time to start putting the after work miles in. No excuse
now, with the longer days!
4/2/05
 So
if you haven't figured it out, the Dirt Rag cover is actually an
April Fool- it's not the issue that is going to press. It was considered
for the February issue, but the staff at Dirt Rag thought it was
too racy. The image of the angel is only half finished, I was going
to paint clothes on her... I probably won't be featured on a cover
again until at least July.
I've been working on a painting for a fan art
contest the last few weeks. It's going to be a poster for the movie
"Sin City." I think it's going pretty good, I'll be working
on it tonight. Click it to
see it bigger. The contest is over, and I never actually entered
it. I just used it as an excuse to work on something cool for my
illustration
portfolio.
James, Ranbir and I shuttled Joaquin Miller today.
Now I'm really tired, so I made a big pot of coffee. It's painting
time. Although it feels an awful lot like watching a dvd and sitting
time.
4/1/05
Check out this
link - It's a recorded conversation between Paris Hilton and
Lindsay Lohan. It's so funny, it's probably not safe to listen to
at work.
While you're surfing, check out www.dirtragmag.com.
They're featuring some artwork I did as the cover this month!
all images
(unless noted) copyright 2004 I hate bikes dot net. web page design:
blame this guy- Jason Van Horn. contact the fool at jason_vanhorn@hotmail.com
 people have
wasted their time hating bikes. web counter by digits
dot com.
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