South East Cyclist

… all i have left to move from charlotte to here is my mountain bike. how dumb right?

Im back in brunswick county after a *quick* jaunt across the state.
things were supposed to go like this:
Weds: drive to clt,work on bicycles for me and Patrick Swayze, do the first Lowes Motor Speedway TT
Thurs: work on Swayze’s bike some more then go to Asheville to sign a lease and be there for support as Rachel’s father undergoes spinal surgery
Friday head back to the coast stopping in concord to borrow a trailer that will get our stuff from the coast to the mountains.
it diddnt go that way.
a tanker full of sulpher blocked us in for over 4 hours. we had to head an hour into wilmington to put us and hour further back on 74.
diddnt get to TT, oh well. i got to the bike shop to pick up parts for mine and Swayze’s bikes, but Patrick’s fork is the wrong size (any one wanting a easton ec90 sl with 1″ steerer let me know) so we proceeded to meet up with pal’s at Sir Edmond Halley’s for beers.
Good news as it was we left for Asheville earlier than planned because Mr. Wingo’s back opperation was moved to an earlier time slot in the day and scheduled with a better surgeon! The operation went better than planned and we got our lease signed and we headed in to rutherfordton for a nights rest.
woke up friday went to town to finally get to work on Swayze’s bike for a few hours, went to concord for a nice thick steak and borrowing my step father’s trailer. drove all night real slow because trailers drag like crazy.

i’m exhausted.
but it’ll only get more tiring this week as tear down and packing on the island home happens. as of friday i will be an Asheville resident so please sent all house warming presents to:
276 state street
Asheville NC 28806

BE WARNED! this is going to be an ambitious entry touching on such subjects as the state of our national ecomonomy, the bike industry’s role in said economy, ways it might affect us, ways we might affect it and international trade.

i’m going to keep this shy from politics since mine are mostly irrelevant.

What is on my mind are reports from the “bicycle industry press” i.e. a few publications and websites that probobly source info from a small circle of folks paying attention, that we need to batton down the hatches and prepare for hard times in the bike industry. the industry trickles down from shareholders and asian business people all the way down to the kid saving his lunch money to buy a 3.99$ tube from k-mart for his bmx bike so he can ride it to his pal’s house to play guitar hero on an x-box.
i have to say that i think it is bullshit. our nation’s economy might be in a drought but the bike industry is moving at a good pace. there are companies in existance right now selling bourgious up-sale bike bling that cannot keep up with production, and that aint the stuff that you NEED to keep your bike rubber side down. Continental and Michelin have told bike industry press that they expect to have to pass 20%-35% of their inflated costs onto the consumer, yet are in no way slowing down on production or even introducing new products for their customers… but geez lets face it! YOUR BIKE NEED TIRES! and most bikes *still* use tubes. rubber products on your bike (yep grips too) are made from petroleum sources, and are delivered too, from, and on petroleum consuming vessels. petroluem isnt cheap and it isnt the only cost inducing factor.
i could continue all blog long about how and why things cost what they do. but i wont, it aint the point and before getting back to the point i will interject that these cost inducing factors will likely be bringing more of the bike industry back state side… we might even start seeing bicycle clothing being made stateside and we have a history with textile in the southeast.
The point is that no matter what the economy does, we as cyclists dont see the things we consume as priviledge like many other hobby sports, to us the shit is way of life. CYCLING IS A CHEAP HOBBY! no shit compare it to golf, rock climbing, owning a boat, motorcycle, or classic car. compare the industry to realeastate, or investment banking for a moment. i dont care who you are, you will never get rich in cycling. unless you are previously independantly wealthy and you just want to maintain your cashflow you arent making big gains. most shop owners simply want a pleasurable way of life and a hope to sell their shop to some one young and ambitious come retirement age. i think it is fair enough and honest. ther are bicycle companies right under your nose that have invested in detatched side companies just to keep you garage full of dirty bikes, the example that comes to mind sourced gyms with equipment seen being produced while visiting a production site in asia!
i know this is all kind of a ramble and you might be thinking, drew just go for a ride… but i have been in the sun a lot lately.
i’m not proof reading this or going back for grammar errors but just do me the favor of supporting your local community, so that your local community can contribute regionally, and your state can benifit from the money your spending anyways. it will help us all in the long run, even sahreholders in asia.

want to read more about waht makes the bike industry so expensive? read about costs of metals and carbon, as well as rubber products from any news source and read
Masiguy / Tim Jackson OR B.R.A.I.N. and if you are involved in the industry chaeck out http://www.NBDA.com

otherwise i’ll be in charlotte tomorrow for the carolinatt.org time trial at Lowes Motor Speedway. i wont be on said tt rocket i mentioned in blogs past because it hasnt shipped from bianchi yet BUT i will be on one of my bikes in some form or another to be raced in the series’ fixed gear catagory. my goal this year is just to get into the 23.30 or faster range for the 10 mile tt. my PR is a 24.16

i’ll leave you all with
 a picture i snapped of rachel while we were riding back from the pier for beers yesterday afternoon.

SO HOTTT!

i leave the house and 27 minutes later i am at one end of the island

at about 1 hour 20 minutes i am at the other end of the island

at about 1 hour 55 minutes i am back at the house and i have rode 28.5 miles in the wind.

lunch? duh.

with Rachel, and she likes to SHARE

 

the island is 14 miles tip to tip, it runs north east to south west so the wind is always a crosswind (NEVER A TAIL WIND) and the pavement is basicly cemented gravel.

rachel lives almost dead in the middle of it so either way i go i get the length of the island twice… there are enough different routes to go to not get bored too. you can choose the coastal side or the waterway side or the canal side on the southern end of the island… its nice.

later dudes! beach vacation / unemployment for two weeks starts tomorrow with my sugar mamma / baby cakes Rachel then off to our new home and my new job(s) in the mountains. i will be back on april 9th to see you guys and do the first time trial of the carolinatt.org series. be scared tt’ers i’ll be training with a nice coastal crosswind. as well as training rides with a hot lady (rachel) to the beach to chill. i will also have a new TT track bike fitted with all the latest carbon fiber and campagnolo trimmings. SAYONARA AND SORAIKE!