Thirtytwo Teeth Crew 940

If you’re like me, and I know you are, you’re just about ready to swap that 8 speed cassette out for the newfangled 9 speed.  Moreover, you’re still recovering from the absolute shock of the thought of a ten speed bicycle actually having ten speeds.

Thankfully, the folks at Campagnolo, in their never ending conquest to one-up Shimano has come out with the 11 speed Super Record Gruppo.  “For the 11-speed era, though, Campagnolo has done us right by simplifying the way they offer cassettes.”  Simplicity indeed.

Now I know what you’re thinking… “Why doesn’t Campagnolo offer a full-Ti 11 speed cassette?” Well the answer is quite simple really: “(1) The highest 5 cogs have the least amount of surface area, so the weight savings derived from changing, for example, an 11t cog from steel to Ti is minimal. But the expense of changing these high cogs to Ti would cause the overall cost of the cassette to skyrocket. (2) The high 5 cogs have a greater percentage of the cog wrapped in the chain. This means your 11t cog wears at a rate greater than a 25t cog. Since Ti is a relatively softer material than steel, you’d wear high Ti cogs at an exceptionally quick rate, decreasing the useful lifespan of the cassette. By going with a steel/Ti mix with the Super Record 11 cassette, Campagnolo provides you the best combination of weight savings, durability, and cost.”

Ah, now that makes so much more sense.

Buy. Here. Now!

Your move, Sram.

xoxo,

Johnny

Tags: bike, Campagnolo, Campy, Shimano, Sram

If you’re like me, and of course, I know you are, you think our old website kinda sucked.

So, do me a favor, and while you’re trying to decide if you like this better, listen to some 13 & God, a collaborative effort on Anticon Records of Oakland’s Themselves and Weilheim, Germany’s Notwist.  Enjoy. 

Now, check out my personal favorite.  Then, let me know what you think… about everything! 

xoxo,

Johnny

PS. Damnit, here’s a third, just cuz I love you all so much. I gotta manage expectations.

If you’re like me, and I know you are, you always keep your U-lock holstered and handy for whatever hardship and/or tribulation you may encounter during the course of a normal day.

Like posing (poseur-ing, maybe?) next to a city post office box, for example…

Now I know what you’re thinking.  “How is it possible that the dude in that shot wears the same exact size as his girlfriend,” and moreover, “where does she buy her pants?”  Well, I don’t know.  I’m sorry.  But I do know one thing.  That man knows his accessories.

Naturally, though, the question always arises: What can I do with my U-lock when it is not being used to lock my freshly powdercoated fixed-drive bicycle to the telephone pole outside Gloves?

Allow our friends from the now defunct thrashcore band, R.A.M.B.O., formerly hailing from the City of Brotherly Love to give us some insight:

(U-Lock Justice begins at exactly 2:37 into the clip.)

for every time i hear them say, get the fuck out of the way, i wil defend my right of way, that heap of steel i’m gonna slay, i’ll thrash you i’ll bash you, i’ll kick in your doors, break out your windows and scratch up your paint, apologize for oil wars, apologize for polluting my air, in some cases cars are ok, but when i’m on the street you’re all my enemies.

And for no good reason except that they put out a split 7″ with R.A.M.B.O., they like bikes, and I hung out with them a few years back in Fort Worthless, here’s one from the also defunct, Crucial Unit.

\m/     The Quest for Certaintea  (mp3 file)   \m/

As Dev always says: “Word to the herd from the big bird down in Pittsburgh.”

Whoa this song takes me back to days of thick, putrid, disgusting black and blue metal thrashcore.  Thrashity thrashin’ rad! 

xoxo,

Johnny

If you’re like me, and I know you are, your eardrums are premanently ruined from blasting this song every waking moment of your teenage years.  According to our hero and creator, Kennedy’s assasination was a plot arranged by the Texas Democrats in order to give LBJ, a Texan, control of the white house.  

What the hell was I talking about?

Oh yeah, but lately, our mantra, anthem, if you will, isn’t as fun when we’re talking about executing an Mexican national by the name of Jose Medellin.  Yesterday, in defiance of international law, the great State of Texas executed Medellin, who was convicted of raping and killing a 2 teenage girls, ages 14 and 16.

According to Today’s Democracy Now broadcast, ”Texas has executed a Mexican national despite a recent order by the World Court to halt the execution. Thirty-three-year-old José Medellín was put to death on Tuesday on a conviction of raping and murdering two teenage girls. Last month, the International Court of Justice said Medellin and some fifty other Mexicans on death row should have new hearings in US courts. Medellin’s attorneys contend he was denied the protections of the Vienna Convention, which calls for people arrested to have access to their home country’s consular officials. The Mexican government says it sent an official complaint to US officials.”

Thoughts?  You already know mine.

Well on a happier note, its a downright balm 91 degrees outside.  If the week were a bike ride, we’d be out of water, down to our last CO2 cartridge, needing to dump it out, and ready for some burritos and beer.  But at least we’d be more than halfway home.

xoxo,

Johnny