Deschutes Brewing coming to PDX

Yep, that's right folks. Our beer rich city is just about to get beer-richier. The folks from Bend at Deschutes Brewing are building a new facility right here in good ole Stumptown. The location is going to be in a new building at 13 & Lovejoy. Do you think Bridgeport is worried? They will be right next door. Just myself, i would much rather enjoy a Mirror Pond rather than a India Pale anyday. But that's just me. I think it's in the Bend water. That's what makes Deschutes brew that much better than anything else. Maybe I'm just Oregon biased. What do you expect, growing up in PDX, where we have more craft or micro brew companies per capita than the rest of the US of A. With so many great beers to choose from, it is often very difficult, especially when you are standing in front of the beer case at your local grocery store and your g/f has had a long day, her feet hurt and she just wants to go home, but you can't decide which delicous brew to choose... Oh well, her feet won't fall off, just take another minute and choose wisely. Odds are, at least in PDX, that beer is gonna be good. Anyway, I can't wait until the Deschutes spot opens, I definately will spend some lunches there this summer. Bring it on Bend. I will be there, ready for your challenge...

Gorgeous PDX

An awesome ride to work this morning.. The first day back on the bike, since the broken collarbone. Well on the streets at least, been stuck on the trainer for 2 months. Had to post a pic to commerate the event....

Obey Headset Issues

I solved my headset issues this afternoon. Finally got it on the streets, first ride of the new year for me, due to the lack of collar bone adhesion. But the Dr. gave me the okay to get back on the bike, well, that's not entirely true, on a bike yes, fixed not really. Apparently I had overtigtened the cheap headset just a little to much, and forgot to lube the upper threads. I just hadn't had the time to tear apart the front end. Much more smooth now. Let's just say, I'm glad to be back, even if I can ski or snowboard yet. Hopefully I will get back on snow in another month. It's been a little disheartening this season, had 2 buddies blow knees, had another break his face on a rock and crushed his eye socket. But everybody is recovering speedily, and that's all we can ask for.

Heal up homies.... I will be charging after you soon enough.

Slack Track Chains

If I built a several thousand dollar ride from scratch all by myself to display at NAHBS.... (hmmm, let me ponder the massive implications of this thought...)

1. It would have chromed lugs
2. Polished rear dropouts to prevent rust from paint removal
3. It certainly would have a properly tensioned chain

I'm sorry, but this is one of my biggest pet peeves of the handmade bike industry trade shows. It really doesn't show any foresight. Really, how long would it take to remove that one link to tighten up that chain. Or God forbid, pull the wheel back a half inch or so, sacrifice that uber tight rear wheel clearance, for a little bit of proper chain tension. It really didn't occur this year as much as I saw in '07. So for that I'm glad. There's nothing that will ruin your day on a brakeless fixed, other than throwing a slack chain. It just pains me to see a multi thousand dollar track bike with a slack chain...

Okay, Rant over.

Bikes.

I'm trying to figure out how to post pictures on my blog. I'm still new at this so be patient with me. I'm a data-base administrator by trade, but other than my work OS, i'm a programming idiot. So here goes. The Boozer Cruiser.

Now the Pista. Not the most recent incarnation of thine beater/commuter, but a semi-recent one.

Fuji x Obey Track

I just got my 58cm Fuji x Obey track ride. Built it in a record 45 minutes. One complaint though, if you are going to sell a bike with deep profile rims, make sure the tubes you install at the time of manufacture are long enough to inflate with a pump. Mine were a little short, 8 bucks later, we were rolling. Thanks Fuji for two tubes that will never be ridden. No big deal, just a little disappointing. They probably would have worked, but i wasn't in the mood to try. It rides smooth, but i think the crown race isn't seated well, my headset is acting a little funny. It is super smooth (for a generic cheap-ass headset) from straight ahead to 45 degrees, but from 45 to 90 degrees, it tightens up significantly. Overall, i'm super stoked, except i'm only about 500 or so miles from breaking in the Brooks Swift, i am more than sure it will be well worth it. Unfortunately, due to the broken collar bone, i can't ride it on the streets, it will be rollers only until track season starts. Can't wait to hit Alpenrose on it. The Pista still gets the day to day beatings and miles, but after two nasty crashes, it certainly needs a little love, like a new fork, headset, and saddle. For now, the Obey is still stock black and gold, but it will soon get a few upgrades to discern mine from the other kooks out there. I haven't seen one yet in PDX, so i might be the first one here to own one, but i'm not counting on it. Im sure some other fixster will surely pick one up, and then i will have to break him, mercilessly.