Some call(ed) me "Peter Pan"

This was taken, oh, 19 years ago when I was 17 years old  young.
Click here or on the image for the cheeky news article.

A more recent pic at 36 years old  young.





Of course, these same people dream-killers ghouls are languishing in mid-life crises now.

I, too, am no angel, far from perfect; here's perdition: here, hear me gloat:

Hey, how are the high-blood pressure, pre-diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, high cholesterol, congestive heart failure, medications coming along? How many gallons of Botox are you using per day?

[T]he consolations of history, thus, turns out to be especially satisfying[...], for time humbles those who once humbled others.

         (Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul)

Sprint. Sprint. Pop. Crash!

Or, that's how Bertram described NicIz2HardKore's most recent crash:




Nic was just riding along, minding his own business, past the Esplanade when the front tire of his Cannondale suddenly popped. As he struggled to control the sudden deceleration, Commissar A Dumb LardButt (the lesser known, more officious, way less photogenic, non-talented twin of Adam Lambert) waddled by on his Tomac Kar Pai — after consuming 2.3 metric tons of brownies; the ensuing gravity well caused the Cannondale's rear wheel to come off...





Drive-side brifter.





I wonder how carbon fiber would fare here.





Non-drive-side brifter.





Sella San Marco Regal Titanium Saddle.  *sob!*





Damage to the Cannondale: scored brifters and surprisingly little scratching to the frame. The saddle is totaled though — in addition to the torn leather, the rails are bent.





Damage to the engine.





From The Unauthorized Bicycle Repair Manual:

Engine Repair

Step 1:  Drink Beer.


:-)  :-D  :-P

Ignorance is bliss

We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.

         (Benjamin Franklin)




'Walked past some contractors after lunch. 'Saw a rather familiar looking tool sticking out of a pile of debris. 'Asked the contractor if he still wants it.

"Oh, it's broken. Bent. Not accurate anymore," he said.

Fine. I brought it home.

What is it?





A Sears Craftsman 1/2" drive, 0-150 lbs ft. lb. (0-203 Nm) torque wrench.

As opposed to a click-type, the beam-type can be easily re-calibrated by the end-user. I.e. one second spent bending the indicator arm back to zero... and, it's as good as new! That, and these things are guaranteed for life. (Yes, some of us do read the fine print.)

Well, it's mine now.





It makes a fine complement to my Park Tools TW-1 1/4" drive, 0-60 inch pounds (0-7 Nm) and TW-2 3/8" drive, 0-600 inch pounds (0-70 Nm) torque wrenches. I am still looking for the late Sheldon Brown's elusive Tork-Grip Ultimate Torque Wrench.

So, remember, kids! If you get a flat on your bike, the bike's useless. (The same goes for your car.) Give it to me and I will dispose of it for you!

:-P

Christmas comes early for bike thieves

It's interesting what one sees on a couple hours' ride around town.











3:46 AM.





Something tells me that Mike is probably a tourer, endurance rider, hunter, or, in all probability, all three.

Ride long, ride hard, and hide well, bike thief  :-P





Not recommended for liability reasons but highly entertaining nonetheless.

Me? I used this.





4:04 AM.

Latest arrival at Cycle Corner

No Name (she doesn't have a name yet) is 2 months old and, like all puppies, possesses boundless energy, bouncing off walls 24 hours a day.





When she grows up, she will do this on bikes...





...and do this to bike thieves and jackass drivers.

Woof!





But for now, she will just share ice-cream with you.




(Image credit: Jean)

Send name suggestions to cycle_corner AT yahoo DOT com DOT sg

:-D

Never a bad time to ride!

As a pair of cycling socks promised...





Look out for stuff falling from trees though.





Yes, yes, it's technically a trike; still, that's no excuse. Ride!

(NicIz2HardKore and I are planning a little jaunt to Sedili Besar from 9th to 11th Oct 2009.)





         Have a scary Halloween everyone!

Carbon: Not so fast when overloaded with hydrocarbons

Here's something to rile the pretentious, obnoxious, wannabe Speed Racer poseurs out there.

You know? The sort who rave about losing 200 grams with their aerodynamic, wind-tunnel-tested, seamless, OCLV-formed, clean-room-assembled, high-modulus carbon fiber rims, lovingly custom polished between the nubile thighs of former Baltic state virgins before delivery...

And then proceed to gain 2 kg from pigging out on brownies and ice-cream.

Do you see oil tankers built from carbon fiber beating cigarette boats?

Didn't think so.

Some riders are all talk; some, all fats; others, all engine.

You know what?

Biker Fox has more street cred than you.

Anytime.

         Tequila!

:-P

Pro-Rider Racing Tip #2078

From the hardcore pro-riders stepping into the season of serious racing, here's a tip on how to maximize your nutritional needs while minimizing weight penalties.

'Coz ya know? Either end, either way, it all comes out the same.

Dig in, folks!

:-P

Nic conquers Vigilante Drive on a fixie, beats Mt. Faber with face

NicIz2HardKore made it to the top of Vigilante Drive on his vintage 44 x 17 Battaglin fixie. Mount Faber, however, was a little too coy with her curves, so he taught her a lesson, leaving a sheen of red on her flanks  :-P


















The juicy squishy details

NIC : PHEAR
BEN : !!!!!
NIC : I MADE IT UP VIGILANTE
ON FIXIE!
BEN : holy shit! fark!
u da man!
NIC : :-)
i used my face as a brake again
fuck it hurts
BEN : !!!
on the way down?
NIC : we went vigilante, buona vista, NUS, pepys and faber
by the time we got to faber i was pretty damn tired
i fell off the bike on the way down
on the straight before the corner where i crashed 2 years ago
BEN : yeoch
NIC : i was too tired to stop the bike
and then it started wobbling
BEN : yeow
NIC : and i just went off the right side and the bike bounced away
went off as in literally fell off
poor brooks saddle :-(
but yes, calling my bike the battleship is pretty apt
no marks
no denting
minor scratches on handlebar
BEN : BATTLESHIP!!!!!
NIC : YES BATTLESHIP! NIGH ON INDESTRUCTIBLE!
got poked by handlebar though
seems my wonky collarbone is fixed too
BEN : goddamn
holy shitzoid
extreme knuckle manicure
fark! road rash
NIC : oh yeah
haven't taken a pic of my face and back
i rolled over
and left a nice red trail on the road
BEN : goddamn
NIC : tore my jersey to shreds
BEN : who went with u
NIC : hmm
BEN : argh!!!!
NIC : my coach, and 2 teammates
BEN : goddamn
NIC : luckily it was a $20 jersey
oh btw, pretty funny
all 4 bike materials were present at the ride
ti, steel, alu, carbon
BEN : goddamn
u were not kidding about da face
holy shitz
this is worhy of a post!!!!
fark! shoulder abrasion
i shudder to see pic of bike and jersey
so this crash was vigilante or faber?
NIC : faber :-0
right before we went home
BEN : goddamn
NIC : i got spent on vigilante
skipped pepys and waited for the rest at the foot
BEN : helmet survived?
so gearing was 44 x 17?
NIC : helmet merely touched the ground
BEN : damn
NIC : didn't get scratched :-(
BEN : shitz
i am gonna post this
NIC : 44 x 17, as usual
BEN : !!!!!
NIC : LOL
for some strange inexplicable reason, i found blood in my riding shorts
somehow my nuts got cut :-S
BEN : holy shitz
goddamn
NIC : no freaking idea how
BEN : so this was tonite?
NIC : this morning :-)
BEN : so, u r joining the Secret Fraternity of the Torn Scrotum.
Your member ID is 002
NIC : leaving me enough time to pass out at home to wake up with various fabric items stuck to my face
LOL
now i know how vasectomy feels like, without the neutering :-P
BEN : goddamn
u da man
NIC : hint: it hurts/burns
showering was literally an eye opening experience
BEN : i will pay u a cup of teh tarik for every wad of alcohol swab i toss at you that hits a red spot
NIC : FUUCK!
BEN : send pics!!!!
LOL
MOAR!!!!
:-D
NIC : that's all, unfortunately

Get well soon, Nic!


Further reading

July 2008 — Nic smashes taxi cab with face (1), (2), (3).

Better than Buff

And no one can deny it!

Thanks, Pete!

:-D

Excuses

It's near the end of the year and some people are running out of them. Here's a whole bunch — free  :-P

Hat tip:  Francis.

Yehuda's sentiments exactly

That's not a new sticker, by the way; Pete purchased it 20 years ago.

For those who talk more than they ride

         A custom energy / performance supplement.





         Better than SportLegs!

Whiteshirts

As I've mentioned to several close associates, the only reason why their shirts aren't brown is a credit to their mommy's Filipino / Indonesian maids.




(Hat tip: mr brown)






While I'm at it, I might as well repost one of my favorite videos.

Enjoy!

Sieg Heil!

Ride on!

2 cool cards given to me:








This reminds me of one of the best rides I ever had  :-)

He never grew up; but he never stopped growing.

         (Arthur C. Clarke's epitaph)

Weird sightings

Big Bird?

Cycling gets your mojo rising

Note: audio track is NSFW (use headphones).

In Hungary, the Ministry of Economics and Transport actually has a Deputy Minister for cycling by the name of Adam Bodor. Bodor's job, put simply, is to get people on their bikes. And so they've produced this ad campaign, meant to convey the idea that cycling is sexy...

         (More + translation)

Weight-weenism

The real reason why some cyclists can't touch their toes

         Well... shouldn't.

         :-P

For the Racer Ya Yas

A reality check from Guy Andrews and Simon Doughty:


       And, despite what your long-term riding aspirations may be, don't be tempted to try to set yourself up as a pro rider. Pro bike riders are professional because they are extremely talented athletes. You have probably realized by now[. . .] that to make it into the pro peloton you have to be able to ride a bike extremely fast and for a very long time. And that isn't easy[. . ..]

       Flexibility and the physical ability to ride 20,000 - 25,000 miles (35,000 - 40,000 km) a year means that the bike setup a pro rider rides is never going to be suitable for the rider who rides a fraction of that distance, and can barely touch his toes. So be realistic about the bike you ride — in reality, it might be slowing you down.

                                         [ . . . ]

       A pound of weight saved from your body is worth far more than any weight you can save off your bike. There is a reason that skinny, slight Spanish climbers go faster in the hills than big Belgian rouleurs. So before you rush off and spend a small fortune on the latest carbon wheels or titanium frame, think about it. Do you really need that ice cream?

(Andrews, Guy and Simon Doughty.  The Cyclist's Training Manual: Fitness and Skills for Every Rider.  Connecticut:  Falcon,  2007.  10, 49.)

                                         ---------