First Friday Debut, Bike Rides, and Smoke Signals

So here's a little haphazard update on the happenings as they've happened haphazardly in the last few weeks.  First of all would I guess be Lynn's 29er is finished.  This was the summer-long project that took me into two suspension corrected rigid forks and a bit of a new building sequence to accommodate a sleeved seat tube at the bottom bracket that both looks cool and adds stiffness to the area.  The frame is out of thiner gauge OX Platinum with hand bent seat stays and the bike will easily take racks and panniers front and rear for a stable touring platform.  How about 4.5 lb. frame weight and 24.5 lbs. for a build as a rigid single speed.  Check out the hand made sliding disc mount on the chainstay with bottle opener dropouts.  That's not exactly easy.  The seat stay's are curved to accommodate the disc caliper being placed here.  We slapped this rig together the night before pines to the mines so the picture taking suffered...I have yet to get one of the rigid fork.  After stealing it for a few rides around Flagstaff and one at Gooseberry Mesa, I can say that this is without a doubt the best riding 29er I've had the pleasure to pedal to date.  Its predictable, it goes where you point it, but it still manages to keep you engaged, and its never boring like some 29ers I've pedaled.  The position keeps you over top of the bike so it retains the snap and quickness of a smaller wheeled frame as opposed to steering like a bus as some big wheels do.  I am very pleased, but what matters here is that Lynn loves it.  Shiela she's called.  Punk Rock Shiela.  And the pink and brown and the personality all were part of a vision from the start.    

So after Shiela was ridden back from Jerome, I rounded her and all the other bikes I've built this year and showed them at the First Friday Art Walk a few weeks ago at Flagstaff Bicycle Revolution.  Old hat now, I know, but I figured most people reading this aren't exactly local and wouldn't be in attendance anyway.  The show was haphazard  as is my life; I didn't even have anything saying Moustache anything anywhere in the shop, but Jessica came by with a finished moustache painting, and thanks to CJ and the FBR crowd for hosting.  

The show went well...one sold and some great general interest.  Thanks to Dr. Stewie who showed up in town just in time and with the right skills to help me out in the frenzy of getting ready.  I haven't talked to Stewie in at least four years and the last time he knew how to get a hold of me you had to track me down in person at whatever bike shop I was working because I didn't have a phone...He remembered I was moving to Flagstaff some years ago and when I dropped by Absolute Bikes I found a telegram waiting for me....Stewie....and a phone number.  He's in Tuba City doing medical practicums at the hospital on the res and drove down for the weekend of the art walk and helped me out getting ready so in exchange I took him on a seven hour bike ride out the far reaches of the AZ trail to the north connecting to some moto trails in the white horse hills.  Exploratory riding based on verbal directions from over a year ago, but a complete success.  The morning started out like this....

...and the riding was awesome....and for good measure here's a picture of me that Lynn took that I really like that about says it all in my life right now....enjoy.