second big ride of the year

All I can say after this ride is ouch ! Twelve people set out at 9:35 a.m. to do a loop that went down the Salinas valley and up the Carmel valley, finishing with the dreaded Las Laurales grade. Winds were stagnant for the first hour or so but turned favorable so the speed crept up as we went south. The first stop was at Miller's lodge in Arroyo Seco. We decended a hill down to the store only to find it closed. We sat for about 20 minutes before someone drove up and told us that there was a store just up the road. After stopping we rode up the long Carmel valley road and up the big climb. The view was spectacular but most folks were just trying to stay out of the wind that had greatly picked up. Upon leaving the summit we plunged down to towards Carmel Vally village, an old hippie town at one time-now a prime real estate speculative marketplace.The pace got really heated here as the route is flat to slight downhill most of the way.While sitting at the village market we saw a literal fleet of Ferraris drive by,fast and stylish but really smelly with burning-oil exhaust. After the Ferraris went by it was up and over the grade....not a real comfortable ride after nearly 80 miles on the bike. Back at the cars ( after a mad paceline dash down hwy. 68) the carnage was hard not to notice. Check the photos.

first big ride of the year

Yesterday three of us went out and did 90 miles on our Lobster Team Carbon bikes. The route was flat to rolling with one gradual climb in the middle. The main feature of this route is the wind which can really kick your butt on the return leg. This it did and we shared pace to limit the fatigue. I really must say that classic bikes have a great look and a great ride but these modern bikes allow me to ride further with less fatigue. Having a bike that is 17 lbs. instead of 22 lbs. is not a bad thing on the climbs. Next big ride I'll bring my camera.

29er goes to Chi town

Here's some photos of Tom Flynn's single speed 29er in the trans-purple color. Note the adjustable discmount and Paul Component 'Swoopy" dropouts. Tom owns a shop in Chicago called " Funky Weasel cycles" and seems to be a bit of a single speed specialist . So far almost every frame I have built for Tom's shop has been some sort of single speed.

welcome

Here's the spot where you will be able to see the stuff that won't make it onto the Rock Lobster website. Bikes in progress, local rides, all sorts of things to clue you into what goes on here besides what you see on the company website. I'll post a few bikes and frames here and there to keep all up to date on the latest items coming out of the shop. This weekend was re-do the vineyard.....most of you don't know that I, along with longtime friend Kurt Kabica planted a vineyard in back of my house three years ago. My wife and I successfully bottled one gallon of Pinot Noir last fall. We are looking forward to the next crush in September. Most of you might not know that Rock Lobster isnt' fueled by beer, unlike most bicycle companies. Rock Lobster is a wine-run operation....rather, the after hours drinking is from a wine glass instead of a pint glass. I hope you understand.