If you’re like me, and I know you are, you like music that doesn’t suck, especially during a ride. But its difficult to find that perfect combination of rockin’ and rad coupled with a little more rad.
Start with the following mixtape (Right click, save as to save to file or just click to listen from your browser; then create a playlist in iTunes):
1. Selfish – Tight Ass
- From their 2002 “Cry For Love, Cry For Death” LP
- Kick this fucker off right. Warming up sucks. Get there faster. What’re they saying? Hell, I dunno…I don’t speak Finnish. D-beat!
2. Righteous Jams – Green Eyes
- From their 2005 “Rage of Discipline” LP
- The good thing about this song is that it also does not suck. If you’re dancing on the bike when the breakdown hits, you’re doing it right.
3. Dismember – Live for the Fear (of Pain)
- From their 1997 “Death Metal” LP
- Cycling is Pain. Live for it. Nuf’ said.
4. Deltron 3030 – Mastermind
- From Del’s 2000 s/t LP
- By now you should have found your flow. Roll with it.
5. Bread and Water – Keep Walking
- From their split 7″ with Reason of Insanity
- Keep it up.
6. Guns ‘N Roses – “November Rain”
- From their 1991 “Use Your Illusion: I” Double LP
- Too much of this is a bad thing. A little is rad. You have time. Listen to the whole song.
7. Roky Erickson & The Aliens – “Two Headed Dog”
- From their 1981 “The Evil One” LP
- Dude, Roky was the founding member of Austin’s own 13th Floor Elevators. You can’t get any cooler than that. Get un-psyched out on some psych rock!
8. Astronautalis – “Seaweed Sheets”
- From his 2006 “The Mighty Ocean & Nine Dark Theatres” CD/LP
- Hailing from Actionville, FL, via Denton via Dallas via Actionville, Astronautalis has done more for hip-hop music than any white guy that I’ve ever seen with a Mac laptop. Get back in the flow.
9. R.A.M.B.O. – “U-Lock Justice”
- From their 2001 “Wall of Death the System” CD/LP
- Hailing from Philly, these thrashers are short and to the point. Keep your U-lock handy for those who want to fuck with you.
- Their name stands for Revolution Anarchy Mosh Bike Overthrow
10. Wolf Brigade – “Välfärds Land”
- From their 2002 “Progression/Regression” LP Picture Disc
- Hailing from Sweden, these guys are the kings of D-Beat
Had enough yet? No, of course not.
11. Pedestrian – “The Toss & Turn”
- From his 2005 “Unindian Songs: Vol. I” CD/LP release on Anticon records
- Mo flo.
12. Tragedy – “The Ending Fight”
- From their s/t 7″ EP
- End this thing off right!
Looks like we did it up right. You’re welcome.
Note: Results from use for non-cycling related activities may vary.
xoxo,
Johnny
But on the bright side, my boss my boss’s boss, and my boss’s boss’s boss are out of town, so…
My face and legs will go unshaven.
According to UltraRob,
“Here are the top 5 reasons to shave:
- Crashes. If you crash, it’s easier to clean up the road rash and doesn’t hurt as much taking off bandages. I say at least for mountain biking, if you never crash you aren’t riding fast enough or riding technical enough trails. Even if you just ride on the road, if you ride enough you’re bound to go down.
- Tradition. Road cyclists have been shaving their legs for decades. If you you show up for a serious group ride with unshaven legs, other riders will shun you. Nobody will want to be riding close to you. They will think you aren’t experienced riding in a pack. This means you’ll likely cause a crash. Even mountain bikers should be using group road rides for training. Pro mountain bikers spend about 70% of their time training on the road.
- Psychological Advantage. I generally end up shaving my legs about the time I start getting fast on the bike. Having my legs shaved makes me feel even faster. Other riders I know have said the same thing. Thinking you’re faster can make the difference between being dropped or dropping someone else.
- It Feels Better. I’ve found that when it’s warm and I haven’t shaved my legs, I get more bugs hanging out and biting me. I also don’t like the feel of the wind on my hairy legs when descending at 50 mph. After a mountain bike race with mud bogs and and stream crossings, it’s no fun standing in the parking lot with only a little water and trying to clean mud off hairy legs.
- Massages. I don’t get massages very often but they certainly help with recovery. I’ve been told massage therapists can give smooth legs a better massage. I do know getting a massage with shaved legs feels better.”
You don’t wanna be this guy.
xoxo,
Johnny
PS. The word of the day is “rad.”
PPS. The word of tomorrow will also be “rad.”
Tags: Rad, shave legs
If you’re like me, and I know you are, you want to ride your bike as often as possible and still have time to spend with your kid(s).
Well, the other night, I told Ju that Ava would accompany me quite soon on an S24O.
I got the idea while I was taking a bath, drinking a beer (Negra Modelo) and reading Adventure Cyclist, when I stumbled-upon this article of a dad (Joe “Metal Cowboy” Kurmaskie) and his 2 boys (aged 5 and 7 at the time) who rode from Portland to D.C. a couple of summers ago.
I guess now they have a 3rd kid, and they ride a triple tandem with tag-a-long and a trailer:
Metal Cowboy & Family
Apparently they either plan on, or have already completed, a ride across Canada as a family.
His site is worth a visit, and I plan on picking up one of his books soon.
xoxo,
Johnny
Tags: adventure cyclist, Metal Cowboy, S24O, touring
