wednesday is locals night

super busy week. Leigh Anne's dad was in town and stayed with us Monday and Tuesday night. Its always good to catch up and sort of a nice thing to have parents stay at our house when they're travelling out this way for work. Role reversal a bit....? It's nice. Thanks for the good times and the dinners and ice cream Ray.

Tonight, Chris is trying to get this wednesday locals night going at Hensley's so hopefully I won't be at the office too late. Check out the details here.

Scored a helmet today from Joel and Mary at Vintage Klass. This is my second helmet from them and they are just the coolest cats. Nice to see a couple that loves to work together and follow their passion together!

I've been looking for a vintage full face helmet lately. Just been on my mind that its gotta be slightly safer than the open face for my longer trips and commutes and once I get thoughts like that in my brain, it just has to happen. Every turn I made riding yesterday I was like, "whoa....I really should have a full face 'just in case'.....".

pretty stoked. Wasn't sure on the America colorway, but its pure Evel Knievel style. go ahead, google image search Evel's helmet.

Next up is Brother Jon who has been in LA all week for meetings, but is taking a few days out of his busy Jersey life to spend time with his brother and sister in law. Padres game tomorrow....

hold on...just hold on

so I'm home, and finally getting to test out/use some of the fruits of my labor. The new grips are off the chain....these are the ride test samples, lock-ons CNC'd instead of forged and machined, but the function works. Cores are a material that I've never seen used for the core of a grip and the end plug is like a coin and the tape itself is leather.

mounted them on the good ole fixie and just cruised around for a bit after work tonight and let me tell ya, boy....they feel good. and just as importantly they look good. It's actually pretty great using things that you know you're bringing from paper to product. All I can say is that these will be the must have item for your commuter/fixie/single speed/steel/custom built/etc. bicycle next year. (well, at least I hope so...) and knowing they are for a brand that is at the heart and soul of the bicycle world.

Rock of Ages - Def Leppard

Gunter glieben glauchen globen
Alright
I got something to say
Yeah, its better to burn out
Yeah, than fade away
All right
Ow
Gonna start a fire
Cmon!

Rise up! gather round
Rock this place to the ground
Burn it up lets go for broke
Watch the night go up in smoke
Rock on! (rock on!)
Drive me crazier, no serenade
No fire brigade, just pyromania, cmon

What do you want? what do you want?
I want rocknroll, yes I do
Long live rocknroll

Oh lets go, lets strike a light
Were gonna blow like dynamite
I dont care if it takes all night
Gonna set this town alight, cmon

What do you want? what do you want?
I want rocknroll, alright!
Long live rocknroll, oh yeah

Rock of ages, rock of ages
Still rollin, keep a-rollin
Rock of ages, rock of ages
Still rollin, rocknrollin

We got the power, got the glory
Just say you need it and if you need it
Say yeah!
Ooh yeah
Heh heh heh heh

Now listen to me
Im burnin, burnin, I got the fever
I know for sure, there aint no cure
So feel it, dont fight it, go with the flow
Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme one more for the road

What do you want? what do you want?
I want rocknroll, you betcha
Long live rocknroll

Rock of ages, rock of ages
Still rollin, keep a-rollin
Rock of ages, rock of ages
Still rollin, rocknrollin

We got the power, got the glory
Just say you need it and if you need it
Say yeah!
Say yeah!
Were gonna burn this damn place down, woo hoo
Down to the ground

Motorcycles in Taiwan

my posts have been out of order in terms of my chronological journeys on this trip, but the content.....oh the content is right on!

a day and a half in HK

2 steps forward, 1 step back

It would be great to have an in-house employee just 'on the streets' here in China that can do all this work for me over here! haha.

2 steps forward, and 1 step back......that has been the philosophy of this trip. I swear everyday I get back to my hotel room (hotel #5 right now) and after working till about midnight or 1am, I feel good about being able to get some sleep. As if I've earned the ability to go to sleep, like I actually got a shitload of work done, so therefore I am rewarded with being able to sleep.

Then I wake up in a panic that everything is not done, lay in bed awake for a while, then eventually get up, shower, drink coffee and head to another factory. And when I get to said factory, guess what, for everything we discussed that they "can do" the day before, only half can actually get done.......

but that's the manufacturing life. it's what makes products better, figuring out what can and can't get done and then really making it work! not for the faint of heart.

bicycles and design and bicycles

I've had some crazy days followed by pretty chill and relaxing nights. Good catching up with good friends in the bicycle world and meeting new people here as well. I've had the opportunity of spending alot of great quality time with someone I have a ton of respect for in the design world, Rob Forbes. He is most known as the founder of Design Within Reach, but overall has great design taste for the world and society. His blog, while not updated regularly enough often has great insight into city life and traveling through his perspective.

He's a smart guy and shares a lot of the philosophies that I have for the bicycle and what it can do to help save us all and not just be a consumer product, but a major part of ones life in terms of form, function, utility and fashion.

I met him a few times in the Laguna Beach area over the last 6 months, but I've had more time to sit and chat with him over drinks and even some Ruths Chris this time around.

I have to admit, though, its been fun poking and prodding info about DWR in general and furniture tid bits here and there, talking about the obsession that traveling for work can give you and how the little things like getting an upgrade or using the lounge at the airport can make or break a trip.....we're all human.

On a side note, I can definitely tell you that hotel room living isn't the best sometimes, but that the Grand Hyatt in Taipei is a dump and while there are good restaurants it is crazy overpriced AND that Hotel One in Taichung is amazing with great rooms, great work zone, surround sound in the rooms with ipod hookups and a nice clean modern feel.