Happy birthday to us.

First things first. After many years of not having them there, I finally got these joints back in the store;

If you want one, get hot superhonky.

Now then, having handled that business, can you believe yesterday saw this little site's 17th year in existence?

It's almost the longest thing Ive ever committed to, though I've often said that without hesitation I would sell it to whoever wants to buy it.

A trade for burritos and cigarettes would also be considered.

In light of that not yet happening, to celebrate I once again made my way to Portland, Oregon for the third annual Made Bicycle Show where I saw lots of fancy things, but as always, what captured my attention were the people, some of which I will post like so;

This super stoned looking young fella is Black Cat Todd. At one point while chatting, we realized we have known each other for 28 years, which seems impossible as I am currently only 25 years old.

Handsome Andrew Kempe is so handsome that when you take pictures of him, he goes out of his way to make himself un-handsome so to level the playing field for the rest of us. At one point a few weeks ago I texted him and his wife Tricia and told them they should go to the show because Portland has a lot of strip clubs. Being the nerd that he is he reminded me that Portland is the home of some of his extended family as well. Tricia however responded enthusiastically with something along the lines of "when are we going?!"

Alas, no strip clubs were visited with either of them on this trip, so on my bucket list it will remain.

This is cyclocross and road boss, and two (or three time. I can't remember) race retiree Meredith Miller. She and I worked at a bike shop together in 1998/99. Somewhere along the way after we quit working together I lost track of her. Because I apparently have severe face blindness, I saw her for years at cross races, as her career in that discipline had taken off in the time since last we'd seen one another but never made the connection. It wasn't until I saw an interview with her on television years later that I realized she was her.

To quote the Thermals, "I can't believe I got so far with a head so empty".

This is another figure of Bay Area cycling royalty. His name is John Vanheel, and he wrenched at the Square Wheel (which later became Mike's Bikes) on University in Berkeley. He was a honch on the Oaktown Wheelmen bike racing team whose team manager was a son of the guy who played Han Solo in those Star Wars movies, and two of his teammates were the sons of the primary sponsor, Albert Eisentraut (the first American frame builder, as far as I understand).

I hadn't seen him for at least 20 years, though I did catch a glimpse of him at a Giro de San Francisco race as he grinded up Fillmore street past a car-width street painting that said 'Armstong' and on top of one that was longer than a city bus that said VANHEEL. He's always been the coolest guy, and I was psyched to cross paths with him again.

Of course there was my traveling companion Henry, who was generally displeased by my shenanigans.

I don't even know when or in what conditions Tara Seplavy and I met one another. She was just always in the trenches and the shadows with all of the other dirtbags and me, and is unapologetically committed to being her truest and best self, which alone I think is commendable. She also happens to be a very kind and likable person. If you ever cross paths with her, slap her a five and pick her brain. You won't be sorry. 

This is John Caletti who I first met at a bike show in San Diego in 2010, and who was always a little suspicious of me after I called one of his bikes the tracksuit because that's kinda what the paint job reminded me of;

Anyway, he finally learned to tolerate me and we'd even enjoyed lots of bike rides together over the years. 

Two years ago (right before the first Made show in fact) he was in a catastrophic bike crash which very nearly ended his life, and has been on the mend ever since. He was too much of a monster on a bike to let a little thing like almost dying get in his way, and is back to building bikes, (that for the sake of full transparency don't at all remind me of tracksuits);

-And continuing to heal a little bit every day.

Unrelated, but that San Diego show when Sean Walling (formerly of Soulcraft) met his future self;

Moving back into the present, I got the chance for a much needed conversation and attitude adjustment with Hern from MMFG;

We were having a chat about this and that, when he pulled out his GoPro and noted that he was kinda slipping on updating his vlog. We continued our chat and at one point I began with light gripes concerning the preciousness of 'handmade bikes' when technically all bikes are made by hand, and how this whole bespoke industry favors white hands. Being the super even keel human he is he gently reminded me that his hands aren't white, and that while this part of the industry certainly has it's share of challenges, the fact that independent makers have a venue of their own and say, aren't pushed into the basement at Interbike for example, is an opportunity for growth and visibility.

It's hard to argue with logic, and I thanked him for the reality check and chance to redeem myself. 

The second video we shot we talked about movies, and riding together from Santa Monica to Hollywood to see Who Rides The Tiger and Lady Sinatra play together at The Viper Room. Hopefully that's the one that ultimately gets published. 

After day one I made my way to the Hokum Magazine Double Pinch Flat art show, but ended hanging out in the parking lot with Danger, Milkshake, Pilder, Corndog, and (not pictured) Handsome Nick, and Jimmy James. It occurred to me that between the seven of us, we had a collective, like, 110 years of bike messengering service under our belts. Even funnier to me is that even those with the longest running tenure among us began messengering after I was already off of the road. 

And speaking of Jimmy James;

He brought along a couple of his Rick Hunter built Jammer joints;

It should  be noted that Corndog is totally normal height, it's just that Jimmy James twelve feet tall. 

I also got the chancer to spend some good quality time with my Revolting podcast co-host Robot who was in town doing dirty work for King Precision Components;

We may or may not have done a photoshoot in a portable shitter for our 250th episode, but you'll just have to tune in mid October to find out for sure.  

But enough about the people. You probably came here to look at bikes. 

On Friday evening I was lamenting the fact that there wasn't a single cross bike with cantis, which to my mind and aesthetic is a perfect bicycle, when lo and behold, what did I come across the following day in the Fat Chance booth but just that very thing;

The paint job could stand to be a little louder though.

To paraphrase Big Enos from Smokey and The Bandit, "any fool who would paint his (bike) like this would show up at a minister's funeral dressed in feathers."

Burnsy from Oddity also had a bike there that while I certainly don't need it, would definitely like to have it anyway;

In exactly 30 years of various trade shows, dealer events and the like, I rarely leave carrying more than I arrived with. That said, I was very excited with Josh from Ogle Designs slapped this into my hand;

It will happily live out its life in my collection of tools.

I also swung by King Cage and picked up a batch for my bikes which are without;

As always, there are always cool cars at the bike show;

Not the least of which is Carl Decker's new whip which I think I may have convinced him to convert to a rock crawler;

One of the very best things I came across in my time in Portland had nothing to do with drool worthy bikes or bits, or the people that make up the community surrounding it, but one night after hanging out with friends on the other side of the river I took a wrong turn which put me on a freeway on ramp. Once I realized my folly, I retreated to the safety of an elevated walkway. As I passed a dusty and derelict brick building, I was peering into the windows to see what transpired in it. Eventually I was blessed with the ultimate pay off;

If there's one thing folks might or might not know about me, it's that I'm obsessed with getting an occasional voyeuristic glimpse into other's creative spaces. I certainly love visiting them, and immediately jumped at the chance to pick up Joshua Charow's 'Artist In Residence' book, but coming across one in the wild is like 100 Christmases.

In fact, as a bike messenger it was imperative to know enough building entry codes in downtown San Francisco so as two afford you the opportunity to pee if the need arose.

The bathroom on the 8th floor of 111 Mission had a view out its small window into a neighboring studio and though I never saw anyone working in it, would watch as the easel would change positions, and paintings would slowly evolve, and then disappear only to be replaced with new blank canvasses.

In all of the years on the road, this is one of my favorite memories. 

Anyway, there was a bunch more stuff and a lot more people, but at this juncture, I guess I'll opt to now leave you with the newest episode of Revolting;

This episode and today's written effort certainly isn't the birthday present we deserve, but it's the birthday present we get. 

Thanks for the support these past 20 years- (Seventeen years here and three with How To Avoid The Bummer Life).

And to that end, I suppose unless that cigarette/burrito deal comes through, here's to at least another few.