Monday’s plate is full of the good stuff. And gravy.

Let’s kick off today right with a correspondence from Jon titled, ‘insert caption here’.
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My initial thought was to work some photoshop magic so that our boy Wiggins might look like he was swinging a baseball bat, preforming a deep tissue massage, or perhaps kneading some pizza dough, but my mind was too far lost down the gutter to complete the task.
Sometimes things are just perfect the way they are.
Like Evans and his Saturday double six shooter victory salute;
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I tell you.. As much as I enjoyed seeing Vinokourov not win, I would have liked to have seen Millar or Pinotti emerge victorious over Evans. Anyway you slice it though, It was an epic battle reminiscent of the good old days;
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As I sit here, I was struck (lightly slapped, draped by a wet noodle) by a bolt of inspiration to throw up what I’d like to call a ‘Monday Music Minute’ or an ‘M squared’ for the mathematically minded, of which I am most definitely not. As some of you could know, and fewer might care, the gang of five from Sacramento called The Deftones have just released a new album called ‘Diamond Eyes’, which has been getting some regular rotation in my domain, and while I have a soft spot for the band, I am currently most taken with a cover they have done called “Caress” by one of my very most favorite bands of all time, Drive Like Jehu;
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Photo by Eric Nakamura
While some purists might be put off by a band of The Deftones’ profile covering a song by such a beloved staple of the underground, I tip my hat to their efforts, as it’s a sign that Drive Like Jehu’s legacy won’t slip through the cracks of the standard schlock that is generally available in the form of today’s musical offerings.
To conclude, here are The Deftones doing the new thing that they do with their first single ‘Rocket Skates’;

While I do very much like The Deftones, I liked ’em better when Amigo #2 played drums for them.
Yeah, I roll with greatness.
I would also like to make a mention for anyone who cares.. As their bass player, Chi Cheng continues along the road to recovery after his 2008 car crash, a website has been developed to provide updates, as well as to take donations to help cover his mounting medical expenses.
So there you go, and now you know.
From Dr. Jon I got this little slice of the sublime;
“Something tells me you’ll enjoy this. shot by one of my vc moulin team mates…
enjoy, hugs”

Before you watch the video, and should you be curious as to what my internal soundtrack is while I engage in such an activity, all you have to do is play this simultaneously.

You see, this is what I’m talking about. The video defines everything I love about dirt and skinny tires. It’s not about chutes, ladders, berms and other various man-made obstacles. It’s about being in the woods, on your bike, and that is all.
It’s perfection.
From one end of the two wheeled spectrum all of the way to the other, I have this;

Just when I’ve nearly finally declared that the kids are no good.
I met these cats at the Bicycle Film Festival a few years ago and hung out for a spell. They were gracious, and humble, and at the time, I believed even a little overwhelmed by all of the people who were there with a single appreciation in common.
I can say from experience that East Oakland is no joke, and the fact that this group has found something positive, and inadvertently joined a much larger subculture is nothing short of awesome. I for one welcome them into our fold, and I only hope that their momentum and clear headedness continues to grow.
When broaching the subject of films and bicycles, around these parts anyway, it’s hard not to think of Brian Vernor. He of course was the eyeballs behind the mainstays ‘Where Are You Go’, and ‘Pure Sweet Hell’.
Well recently Brian went on a whole new kind of adventure, a couple of words and a few photos from which he’s opted to share with us now;
Rick Hunter is, as you know, a grumpy old man in a 37 year old body, but anytime he mentioned building a railbike he got a 12 year old’s glimmer of fire in his eye.
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For about 5-6 years I’d seen this fire and finally I pressed and pressed to get him to say he’d do it. He figured out the whole rig and me and the other guys just got to go along for the ride on his contraption. [the BW shots of rick on the tracks north of Santa Cruz are of him with his prototype, which he modified for the actual trip with Jason, Ginger, and myself]
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Our ideas of burning up the rails never quite happened, mostly because we were scared to death of derailing at high speeds, especially on the trestles. Being up on the bike, on the rail, is a scary perspective because you are very high compared to a normal bike, and then the only thing you can think about is your face smashing on the rail when you fall.
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Anyway, the trip was a perfect adventure: mythology of the open rail, hanging with your pals, doing something you know you’re not supposed to, the danger of being in the middle of nowhere surrounded by dope growers/feds/deer hunters, and of course we survived off mostly beer and hot dogs. It was a dream come true.
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Major high-fives to BIKE Magazine for going with it. When I sent the pitch to them it was stuffed into a bunch of other proposed stories and I never thought they’d go for it, but later Morgan or Dave said it was the only story the whole editorial staff agreed on having to be in the mag. Lot’s of people who have commented to me about the story have said the whole issue is “like the good old days” or the “early years” of BIKE, and for me that’s rad because early BIKE and before that Northern California Bicyclist were my Bible.
Thanks for contributing your wheel to the adventure.
Brian”

I will agree, that yes, the new issue of BIKE Magazine does have a full blown article covering their adventure that was written by none other than Rick himself. I also have to agree with the sentiment that Brian expressed.. With the exception of Ferrintino and Chopper’s articles and a few occasional snippets here and there, BIKE very rarely holds my attention for an entire issue anymore, but the June issue is definitely the exception and very much harkens back to its early days.
It sounded like an incredible time and I thank Brian for sharing his two cents with us.
As usual, I have a bunch more stuff on deck, but if your attention span is waning like my patience, we don’t have much time left.
before I go, I would like to mention the passing of one Ronnie James Dio;
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Now I guess I’ll never know what he meant by ‘Rainbow In The Dark’.
Anyway, today’s post is dedicated to him. Ronnie James Dio, dead at 6,700 years old.
I think we’re pretty much done. For good measure, insert a clever reference to the beginning of today’s post here.
That’s what we in the biz call ‘profhessianal’.
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14 Responses to “Monday’s plate is full of the good stuff. And gravy.”

  1. MM May 17, 2010 at 6:51 am #

    Cross bike with 38s or 40s all winter in the woods. Make you strong like bull…
    Nothing sharpens your senses and opens your soul like railing some flowy singletrack on a properly setup cross rig…at night…in 38 degrees.

  2. Case May 17, 2010 at 7:31 am #

    Isn’t a Monday Music Minute M cubed?

  3. The Rev May 17, 2010 at 8:04 am #

    Being a day of morning in honor of the late great Ronnie James Dio I almost feel guilty for the ear to ear grin I have after watching the Scrapper bike vid. Thanks for brightening an otherwise dark day. Long live The King!

  4. roger May 17, 2010 at 8:27 am #

    First video was amazing. Want to go ride now. In honor RJD!

  5. FunkyLaneO May 17, 2010 at 8:46 am #

    Champ said my bike looks sloppy, now I gotta fix it!

  6. Nick May 17, 2010 at 9:42 am #

    That dude was an ambidextrous bike mounter. sweet.
    Skinny tires rule. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWnVxflBiZM

  7. Malcolm May 17, 2010 at 1:27 pm #

    Monday Music Minute is definitely M cubed, M^3 = M * M * M.

  8. Bluenoser May 17, 2010 at 3:38 pm #

    Stevil,
    Same with the cubed comment. Us plumbers have to figure that crap out. That was the nicest cross video I’ve ever seen. You’re right… it’s not the gear and the trophys but the being out in the woods with the skinny knobbies. Yes the Scrappers need to be in the fold. And lastly, right on with the Rail Bikes in Bike Mag. The Guy with the Great Hair got it right on that one.
    -B

  9. Stevil May 17, 2010 at 4:00 pm #

    Yeah, my mathematic reference was a shot in the dark. When I was a senior in high school I was taking pre-algebra. I failed it.

  10. MikeD May 17, 2010 at 4:49 pm #

    Thank you for your recognition of Drive Like Jehu as such an amazing band. They are indeed the kings of ass-kickery. Props also for the Deftones nod. Though they get lumped w/ other shitty bands frequently, they truly stand alone.
    Keep on with the keepin’ on. You make some days bearable that otherwise are the opposite.

  11. Mo May 18, 2010 at 3:41 pm #

    I was so inspired by Where Are You Go when it was shown at last year’s BFF that I moved East Africa right to the top of my must-visit pile and yakked about the movie’s amazingness to anyone who would listen, including the folks at SF’s World Affairs Council (www.itsyourworld.org). The rail bike project looks just as awesome, not only for its bike-meets-art angle, but also because those rails in SC are a mainstay for the mtb community… most folks use the path next to them to get up to upper campus, and get a insightful view of the peeps living in the woods during the ride.

  12. Hazel May 18, 2010 at 10:15 pm #

    Speaking of Drive Like Jehu, somehow The Nightmarchers and The Obits tours are crossing paths in Portland and they are playing a show together! We could only hope for some sort of Jehu reunion.

  13. Blandos May 20, 2010 at 6:08 am #

    Sweet Jehu, that guy with skinny tires can ride! Makes MTB’s look a bit weak with the shock absorbers and whatnot. And no words or hoots either. Beautiful,

  14. Karl Hungus May 25, 2010 at 2:42 pm #

    I thoroughly enjoyed Rick’s words and Brian’s images in Bike as well. I
    think what the article really highlights is the sense of adventure that
    seems to be missing from today’s world of bike parks and guided trips
    to exotic locales. Sometimes it’s just about beer and hot dogs.
    Did the Scraper Bike song really mention National Public Radio? That’s
    the first time I’ve ever heard NPR and the ESO mentioned together.