Memphis Bike Polo in the Commercial Appeal!

The Commercial Appeal did a write-up about Memphis Bike Polo in today's paper! Boo-ya!


Photo by Brandon Dill.

Please ignore that I'm resting on my mallet while Anthony appears to reach for the ball. I assure you, I was contemplating the mysteries of life and not simply staring quizzically into space. You can read the article here.

Movin' on up!

Commuter Pro Tip!

Kermit turned me on to this a month or so ago, and it's definitely been good to know. Have you ever seen those little strips in the street right before a traffic light?



I had always thought they were weight sensors (and thus useless to bikes) but as it turns out, they're inductive loops - little metal strips that can detect when metal is above 'em, and then trigger the light to change. So if you can aim right for 'em, you should be able to set it off with your bike rim! Some of 'em are easier than others, but I've had particular success with the light at Midland and Highland, which is nice since it's on my commute.

A few days past breaking news, but still noteworthy:

The final stretch of the Southern Bike Lane has been painted! I have yet to see the bike stencil or any signs, but the physical line is definitely there.


View Final Stretch of Southern Bike Lane in a larger map

That little section of Southern from Goodlett to Perkins was always a bit nerve-wracking, seeing as how the speed limit was 45. It's not unheard of to see cars zooming along at 55. While a little white line doesn't make cyclists invincible, it does at least discourage cars from forcing you into the gutter and draws attention to the fact that there may, indeed, be bicycles present.

And hey, at least now when you say you're on the Memphis Bike Lane, people will have to say, "Which one?"

Bike Stuff for Sale!

So once again, I'm selling bike stuff. I've finally stopped denying that my Charge Plug Freestyler is just too big for me. It was okay set up with the stock fork and 23c tires, but with the tall trick fork and fatty 38c tires, it's waaaayyy too big. I've been wanting to get a new bike for awhile now and the fact that I'm not too happy with this current setup has prevented me from wanting to actually ride. So I'm parting out my old bike to fund a new bike!

First up is the Charge Plug Freestyler frame and fork.


I'd like to get $150 for the frame, fork, and headset, plus whatever shipping will be if you don't live in Memphis (prolly around $15). I have a Dimension stem that I'll throw in for another 10 dollars.

The frame is a size small, which is around a 52cm, and would fit someone that was slightly taller then me perfectly. I'm 5'5", so it would be suitable for anyone my height up to about 5'8". It's made from Tange plain gauge cromoly steel and has super burly tubes. The geometry is tighter than actual fixed gear freestyle frames and has a relatively short top tupe, which is how I got by riding it for so long, ha. With the stock fork, it's not the best for tricking, but with a different trick fork, it would work great for someone a little taller, probably around 5'10 or so.

However it does barspin a 700c wheel with the stock fork!


I know it seems a little tight, but it DOES BARSPIN! I promise, I've done it a hundred times. This would be a great bike for someone who is serious about riding fast, but likes to trick around a little bit every once in awhile and throw bars at red lights :D

The original powder coat on the frame is a dark reddish purplish, but it didn't match the colors of all my parts when I first got it, so I spray painted it a matte black. I've spray painted bikes before without much luck , so I didn't prep the frame at all before painting it, I just slapped it on top of the clear coat. It's held up shockingly well and only has a few scratches where you can see the original paint showing through. You might even can get the spray paint off with some stripper and the original paint should be protected by the clear coat, but I honestly think it looks pretty good, especially for a bike that's been thrown around a lot out of frustration (yea I'm one of those people).

It also has hella tire clearance. I was running 38c tires and it could probably fit up to a 40c in the rear. However, it won't clear the downtube for barspins with anything bigger than probably a 25c.


The deal includes an FSA Orbit headset, which is not sealed, but it is still very good and has never given me any problems. This bike was brand new in March, so is still relatively new.

Up next is a Volume Fu Manchu fork. I want $100 for this, plus shipping, so $110 shipped. The fork is black with a 1 1/8 inch steer tube and has been cut down to about 7.5".


This fork is in really good shape. It has minimal scratches and still works great. The only flaw it has is a pinch on the steer tube where the stem was clamped down too much, but any stem should still fit over this.


This does not affect how it rides or how any stem fits over it.

Next is a pair of 165mm Sugino Messenger cranks, gunmetal color.


I hadn't cleaned these up before taking this picture, but they should shine up really nicely. I've ridden on these for almost a year, and they're still in great shape. They have a few scratches but overall look great. They come with a 44t chain ring, chainring bolts, sealed Sugino bottom bracket, and crank bolts. I got the bottom bracket the same time I got the cranks, but it still feels super smooth and tight. I think I paid $100 for just the cranks and chain ring, so I'd like to get $90 for everything mentioned, $100 shipped.

Finally, my DMR Wingbars.


I don't really care to get much for these. They look cool, but her kinda heavy and hurt my wrists a little on jumps. I can't get one bar end out because the bolt is stripped but you can still get a grip over it and I'll include the other bar end if I can find it, lol. I'm asking $10 for these, $15 shipped.

All these prices aren't necessarily firm, but if I don't sell anything by the end of this week, I'm going to put stuff on ebay at these prices. There are additional pictures on my flickr also. If interested, email me at cnotestn@gmail.com or text me at 901-326-4008.

TCU: The Crunkest-Uppest

Just a quick 'n dirty cyclocrunk #2 rehash.

Only shot I could find of me from this time, although Cort has a video up on fixmemphis that I'm in for like five seconds.

I definitely pushed myself a bit harder this time, but I think the thing that did the most for me was a better start. Don't get me wrong, I was still moo-ing through the first coupla laps, passing bunches of people, and at one point I actually just walked over a barrier that was so choked with people. But at least I did pass 'em, instead of getting stuck in a long line and playing it safe like last time. Next week, I'm toying with the idea of a semi-aggressive start. I didn't catch up to Cort until the fifth or sixth lap, and I feel like we're on a more or less equal footing. If I start a bit closer to 'im, maybe I can use all that wasted time behind people and close the gap.

The sand pit was absolutely KILLER this time. They lengthened it a bit, and I was definitely feeling it. The entire last lap I was a misstep away from a full-on calf cramp. Aside from the start, I feel like that's the only thing I can really improve on: race preparation - hydrating, maybe a banana right before the race, pre-riding a bit to warm up. And just working on nerves. It's weird how I have no intention of winning, and yet still get all shaky and bugged-out right before the race. Probably some of that has to do with just feeling a little bit outta place. It's not like I'm against being aerodynamic and bootylicious, it's just a little unsettling to be so seemingly outnumbered. I know they're just dudes, but they're UNIFORMED dudes! Like nimble stormtroopers!

Aaaaaaanyways, cyclocross is fun. Thinking about doing spookycross, but for that one you have to have a license and all that shit. Not that I couldn't get a one-day, but talk about intimidating. Welcome to the big leagues, junior.

And on a quick sidenote, according to my friend Andy, the bike lane on Southern has begun! I'm not sure how far it currently stretches, but Anthony went out to take pictures of it, so depending on when you're reading this, you can probably head over to his blog, Pedal Power and find out.

Mostly Comedy

Haha so this is a page outta the random-as-hell book, chapter outta-nowhere. I recently appeared (if that's the appropriate verb) on 2009 Funniest Person In Memphis Andy Fleming's podcast, Mostly Comedy: the only podcast where comics can get together and get real gay about comedy.



I helped compose and record the theme so he brought me back to help co-host his musical episode which, inexplicably, turned out pretty well in spite of my neither being a comic nor a musician. You can check it out at his website, mostlycomedy.com, on itunes, or you can simply download it here.

In which I get crunk

Yeah, that's right. I bartered away a pizza for a coupla cyclocross tires, slapped a brake on, and I got crunk.

Maybe too crunk:



While I definitely finished in the solid middle of the pack, I had a ton of fun in my first cyclocross race and I'm definitely in for the next two. I might even check out Spookycross, although that one seems a bit less for fun and more for the pure, jock-tastic voyage.

The race itself was a bit of a clusterfuck, with just over 75 people all starting together on a relatively narrow course. I mean, I always meant to just race for fun, but if you don't get out in front of the pack at the very beginning, you're pretty much screwed.

Of course, even with a good start I probably woulda been dropped relatively quick. While the dismount came pretty easy - I can come in pretty hot and still get off with just the two-step before the jump - I can't remount for shit. Somehow the vaulting directly into the saddle just freaks me out. I know I could do it, but my brain is just like, uh, no.

I also took a dive pretty early on, near the end of the second lap, skewing my handlebars about 30 degrees to the left for the remainder of the race. Ah well, I'm better prepared for the next one. The question is, do I wanna take this seriously enough to try and come out of the gate in a good position?

Anyways, cyclocrunk has two more dates, October 19th and 26th. Check it out! You don't need a fancy setup to race, just do it for fun - I could use the camaraderie. For some more pictures, check out the cyclocrunk flickr.

Sunny Damn D!

Hey, I shot and edited my first video!

Memphis Edit - Cara Notestine from Brett Edmonds on Vimeo.

The song is from the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World soundtrack and was composed by Beck. I'm pretty proud of it, if I do say so myself!

Vollintine Evergreen Greenline...of DEEEEEEATH

Riding my biiiiiike, la dee da.

Oh look, what's that little plant?



Looks harmless enough. But wait, what're these little brown things on my tire?



IT'S THE LOVELY GOATHEAD THOOOOOOORN. And it's punctured your tire in 12 different places. Have a good night, bitches!

There's a reason this little bastard is also known as demonhead and the devil's popcorn. Maybe it's the season, 'cus I haven't had any trouble before the past week, but they've ended the lives of five of our tubes. Beware the V&E, folks, unless you're running tubeless or just incredibly lucky.

Facespace

There's now a Memphis Bike Polo page on facebook and Adam has a website in the works. If you're on facebook, definitely join it.

The nicest part about it will probably be organizing - for example, right now I'm trying to find out when people would be able to go to alternate courts on it. Plus, if you live far away, you can check who's gonna be there and make sure there'll be enough people so you don't waste a drive/ride from Raleigh, for example.

You didn't hear it from me...

photo cred to Thad Cockrill

...but the Greenline is fully paved. Which I would know if I had just ridden it from Tillman to Farm Rd. Not sayin' I did, just sayin' that if one HAD done that, they could confirm that yes indeed, the Greenline is totally ride-able and beggin' to be used.

That said, there are still signs up that say not to use it yet, and you aren't supposed to ride at night anyway, but I have my doubts as to whether or not either of these will really be enforced.

Oh, and it shreds. Especially that stretch from Waring on. Can't wait to see how fast I can do it.  I smell a new commute tomorrow morning...

Brett Hearts Gator Hardshells: A Review

I skid. A lot. Too much. So when I say that a freaking LOVE Continental's Gator Hardshells, know that they've stood up to a LOT of abuse.

I've used a fair number or tires at this point, skidding through probably a half dozen nameless racing tires and a few fixed faves (fyxations, armadillos and randos), and none have held up as well as my Gators. After about two months of everyday use, I STILL don't have any skid patches! That's close to 800 miles of use, including polo, where I skid even MORE than usual. I think I've FINALLY found a tire I like!

While this tire does have many other features that I haven't really expounded on - flat resistance, good grip, not too heavy, long term endurance - I'll leave it to other reviewers. For my purposes, this tire is among the best I've ever used in the 700c set. Right now I'm using the 700x25, but it also comes in 23, 28, or an extremely elusive 32 (according to the website).

Way ta go Kyle!

Since the city finally announced it, I just wanna join in and say congrats to Kyle Wagenschutz for gettin' the City of Memphis Bike/Ped Coordinator position! The Commercial Appeal has an article about it here, but stay away from the comments unless you wanna see red for a while.

It's a decent article for sure, but I hafta ask, is THIS the best photo they could find of him?!



It kinda looks like footage from a convenience store hold-up! Ah, well. Scary perp-photos aside, this is awesome news and I can't wait to see what he gets up to in office!

Chroooome!

This is crazy! Over on deals.woot.com there's a deal - no, a steal! - for a Chrome marathon bag for just $39! These babies are usually $100+ plus there's free shipping on anything over 50 bucks. One day only so snatch it up quick before they run out!

Flickr Stream

Cara and I spent pretty much all night editing photos, and the fruits of our labor can be enjoyed on our respective flickrs. I also added a little doo-hicky on the sidebar to show our latest stuff. But for now, here're a few highlights, which may or may not show up in Project Sketchbook. These were taken probably about a year ago with a Holga. The first set is from the Union/Poplar Overpass and the second is from Shelby Farms.

Victory Bicycle Studio

Piggy-backed from Magnolia Cycles: Mike Crum, Robert Taylor, and Clark Butcher are opening a new bicycle shop, Victory Bicycles, which will be located in Cooper-Young, specifically 2294 Young:


View Larger Map

If ya didn't know, Mike is the dude behind Magnolia Cycles, which builds custom rides (and quite pretty ones I must say). Amazingly, the word on their facebook page is that they're gonna be open by September 1st. I guess I'm just used to things creeping along and getting delayed too much. Also from their facebook page, it looks like they'll be carrying products from Orbea Bicycles. Can't wait to check 'em out!

new straps

My friend Charles had an extra set of Burro straps that he got for free somehow, so I decided to give them a try. I love my Hold Fasts but thought it'd be fun to try something new, plus they look pretty badass.



I tried them out yesterday at this spot downtown that I've been wanting to go to for awhile. Unfortunately it's too hot here to practice during the day when the light is best, so the photos we took didn't come out the best. Here's a decent one of me practicing barspins on a bank.

New Polo Deets!

We've got a new spot for polo goin'! From now on, we're gonna be playing in the Bluff City Sports parking lot:


View Larger Map

Anthony was nice enough to hand saw a bunch of wooden pallets to make borders, so yeah, it's gettin' a bit more legit. He also can get out a bit earlier than I can, so from now on Polo'll be starting at 6 pm on Sundays. We're also trying to add a day, and right now we're trying Wednesdays at 7 pm.

The new court is MUCH narrower and a bit shorter than the church lot; definitely feel the difference. Time to bust out the 19 tooth cog - I felt kinda gimped last night.

If you're one of the people that can only come out late (Andy, Nathan mostly I think), I'm still down to play after y'all get outta work, just need to find a few other people who are as well.

SO! To summarize:

What: Bicycle Polo!
Where: Bluff City Sports Parking Lot.
When: 6 pm Sundays, 7 pm Wednesdays.
Who: YOU!

BE THERE.

Court, Polo, Vacation

We're headed out the door to go camping for a week, but just wanted to post a quick update on a few things.

We may or may not be back in time for Polo next week, but Anthony has said that he'd host it if we weren't. He's got three of our mallets, so yeah, don't worry if you don't have one. He also mentioned that he might want to start earlier - say around 6 pm. But you should probably confirm that with him before you head out. We also talked about getting together a Memphis Polo blog, so yeah, be on the lookout for that.

Lastly, our court date for obstructing traffic was this morning - dismissed, as we suspected. I'm glad it's over, but it's still not very satisfying. We pretty much just told the lady (judge? clerk? I dunno exactly who she was) what happened and she dismissed it, adding that she didn't want to see us up there any time soon for the same thing - a bit of a jab considering we DIDN'T break the law. It kinda felt like they were saying, ok, you broke the rules but we'll let it slide. But I'll take what I can get from Lady Justice.

But all that's behind us now and it's time to relax for a week, so adios!

PS - Don't wear shorts to court.

PPS - Also don't take any bike tools with you because they are DEADLY WEAPONS! That includes tire levers and pumps!

Equation!

+ = TONIGHT! 8 pm! 1st Baptist Church!

I've been thinking about changing the day of the week, or possibly just adding another day - Anyone have any particular day/time they like? I was thinking Wednesday sometime in the evening, just because Revolutions has their ice cream rides on Sunday and we have people that can't get there 'til late. But nothin's set in stone right now.

Frame for Sale!!

Hey people, I'm selling my old frame for cheap!





I'm asking 100 for the frame and fork, and another 20 if you want the brake.



action shot!


This is an awesome frame and the only reason I'm not still using it is because I got my new bike kind of on accident. It's great for tricks and can barspin 700c with a 23c tire. Check out the craigslist post here, where I have my number and a link to the specs. Let me or Brett know if you're interested!

Bikeway/Pedestrian Coordinator for Memphis!

The City of Memphis today announced that they're lookin' to hire a Bikeway/Pedestrian Coordinator! According to the job posting on the city website, the bike/ped coordinator will "serve as the Spokesperson/Advocate while promoting bicycle and pedestrian projects, programs, and policies." The entire job description can be found here.

This is great news! Just one more step towards making Memphis an awesome(r) place to bike! Obviously, this isn't gonna solve all of the problems facing Memphis cyclists, but if nothing else, it's a token from the city that they really do take these issues seriously. You can apply online here, just type bicycle in the search box and it should pop up.

According to the description, they would prefer someone with "knowledge of bicycle facilities in other areas of the country or world". Hmmm, who do I know who has just gotten back from a worldwide trip to study different bicycle cultures? Just sayin'...

The Flyer has an article about the job posting in their new issue; it also mentions that plans for the much-bandied-about bike lanes on Cooper are starting to materialize, though not for like a year. Not to bitch, because bike lanes are pretty cool in and of themselves, but Cooper's pretty ride-able as is. Maybe a lane on Central, sure - cars go pretty fast and there's not really much shoulder. But then, I dunno if we're at the point that people would give up more room for cars on such an often-traveled street.

Polo Wheel Covers

So, after a few busted spokes and some crazy out of true wheels, I decided it was time to make some wheel covers. There are numerous sources out there if you're looking how to do it yourself, but I mostly used this one. They recommend using corrugated plastic, which is exactly what campaign signs are made out of. So if you don't mind waiting 'til right after a race is over, they're pretty much yours for the taking. Just make sure you wait until the race is over. Unless it's a candidate you don't like. Kidding! (mostly)

Here's how mine turned out:



First I spray painted them a nice base blue and then went over with acrylic paint. I have yet to zip-tie 'em to my wheels, but I hope to be rockin' 'em by this Sunday. Come on down and play, this Sunday at 8 pm! First Baptist Church, East Parkway and Poplar.

Back it up and dump it

Polo on Sunday is gonna hafta be moved back a bit. I've got a store meeting at work that starts at 8:30, and I really doubt I'll make it outta there before ten. If six people want to/can get together at eight, they're welcome to use my equipment; just let me know.

But, unless this thing lasts way longer than I can stand, there should still be polo around 10:30 pm.

Midnight Classic!

That's right, it's time for the Midnight Classic! Booyaka! Well, ok, it's not really time yet, but you can register now. Definitely the most bikes you will see on Memphis streets all year. DO IT. Check out all the info on their site.

Last year, we were able to register as part of the Harrah's team so we got in free - score! We even got a trophy for being part of the largest group to register. In fact, if you check out the Midnight classic website, you might even see a couple people you recognize in the group photo. Yeah, that's right, rockin' the green converses that I ended up trading for some Chromes.

But anyways, Midnight Classic is super fun, if for no other reason than it's a 1400-strong ride through Memphis. Just don't fall off of a tall bike like I did and end up hobbling around on an ankle the size of a grapefruit.

GRIME GEAR

Charles and Catherine went to New York and returned with Grime gifts. WOOO!!

Need I remind you?

You know the drill. Polo, 8 pm, tonight, 1st Baptist.

WE PLAY HARD

Or at least Jason runs into people hard. Sorry about the wheel, Nic.

*Edited by Brett to add: Sorry 'bout the thumb, Kermit.

POLO.

Just a reminder! Bicycle Polo on Sunday at 8 pm. First Baptist Church Parking lot at East Parkway and Poplar. We got the tools, you got the talent. We've also got brand new balls, so no more Mr. Blowfish. These new guys are that high density shit so they don't squish when you run 'em over.

First barspins success...!

So, I know this is of interest to like two people, one of them myself, but here it is anyway, one of my first barspins. Cara's been doing them for months now, but I've just now been able to try since I got my new fork.

Bicycle?

POLO!



Just a reminder, Polo this Sunday and every Sunday! 8 pm! First Baptist Church at the corner of East Parkway and Poplar. I'll bring four cones, six mallets and a ball, but not all the mallets are in the best condition, and the ball has a big ol' crack. So, bring whatever you have and we'll go from there! Even if enough people don't show up, I'm probably gonna hang out for a while, I know there are some people that can't make it 'til like ten. So don't worry if you can't come 'til later, just come out and experience the wonder that is bicycle polo.


View First Baptist Polo Grounds in a larger map

Lucky Cat

Just a heads up for anyone that didn't know, the Lucky Cat is coming up! You can get all the deets over on Two Five Fix. A few of us from Memphis were gonna try to make it down, but work is getting in the way. Still might happen, but, eh, kinda doubtful, especially so soon after getting a weekend off for BFF. Unfortunately, my weekends are Wednesdays and Thursdays. Boooooo.

BREAKIN THE LAW

So most of you have probably already heard, because Brett angry-texted everybody in his phone while it was going down, but we had a little run in with the big bad MPD last night. Around 1 am, Brett, Charles, Andrew, Catherine, and I headed downtown to jump the stairs in front of the Forum. We went straight down Poplar, which was fine for a weeknight that late; hardly any cars in sight. We got to Second (a one way street) and turned left. Andrew veered off left at Jefferson to check out some little stairs in front of the courthouse, which was the first bad idea. Never smart to linger around federal buildings at night, but we got away with that.

Shit hit the fan when we turned left back onto Second. Charles, Andrew, and I cut way across to the right lane, and Brett and Catherine stayed left, both of these moves being fine because it was a one way street. But then officer Ernie Craft spotted us and, of course, started giving us crap. By this time, we had all met together in the right lane, and he passed us on the left, saying over his loudspeaker, "next time I better see y'all wearin helmets, understand?" It was over a muffled loudspeaker atop a moving vehicle, so no, not all of us understood, and with the slightest shake of Andrew's head, good ole Ernie pulls us over.

Right off the bat, dude looks me in the eye and asks me how old I was. I guess I looked too young to be on a bike, what the heck. After taking all of our IDs, he starts writing us tickets for not wearing helmets. We, being the well educated and prepared cyclists, politely asked him if it actually is illegal, which it isn't, but he (the cop, mind you) did not know this fact. After realized he could quite possibly be a dumb, hot-headed cop, he quickly changed the charge to "obstructing traffic". This is 1 am downtown on a weeknight; traffic was nonexistent.

I automatically think to get this guys's car, license plate, and badge number, and I got a pen out of my bag and started writing them down on my hand while he's running our IDs in his car. Immediately, the cop comes stomping out of the car, saying "I'll give you something to need those numbers for" and puts me in the back of the car. ME! A little, innocent girl that apparently was too threatening to not have contained inside a police car. I freaked out for a second, but after realizing he didn't have anything to arrest me for, it basically just turn into a smelly and boring place to have to spend a half an hour. Apparently Charles was being too dangerous also, and ended up joining me for a few minutes, after being searched.

The cop eventually called for back-up because he didn't want to write out 5 tickets himself. They eventually let us out of the car, but we still were stuck sitting on the curb until 2:45 while they searched through a two-inch thick book of codes, just to make sure we were actually breaking a law. We ended up all getting citations for "obstructing highway or passageway", which is in violation of code 21-139. This would be true, but technically to be "obstructing", there has to be at least one other vehicle present, which there was not. Even if there were other cars, we are allowed to be in the right lane of traffic, which is right where we were. The other two cops basically thought that Ernie was full of it, and I think they kind of felt sorry for us, but dude has influence, apparently.


Us, with our citations (Charles's being a torn-up ball wooshing down past his face)

We all have the same court time and date, which also happens to be Charles birthday. The whole thing isn't that big of a deal and the ridiculous charges will most likely be dropped, but it's just an example of how terrible cycling conditions are in Memphis. No only are roads bad and motorists evil, but even the Man keeps us down, when we aren't even breaking laws. Even this time wasn't as bad as when Charles got hit by a car, who fled the scene, and he still ended up with a traffic ticket. Some lady hit him and drove off, leaving Charles with a ticket, a bent frame, and a dislocated shoulder.

It was three hours of cops researching what they could charge us with, while constantly asking us how old we were. We each answered that question around 6 times. AND, they all left their cars running for the whole three hours, which kind of pisses me off more. Our law enforcers are not only ignorant jerks, they're wasteful, ignorant jerks. Brett might write a more articulate post later, but I was too baffled to not tell as many people about this as I could and as soon as possible.

We live in Memphis. We don't know the meaning of bike lanes or compensation, whether monetary or medical, when we get hurt riding our bikes because of cars. Here in Memphis, it's always going to be the cyclist's fault. We can't argue with being written a citation, and we also can't retaliate and raise hell because we all have jobs and responsibilities we can't risk by being arrested. Tonight I felt that being a cyclist stripped me of my rights and I had no power. I couldn't do anything but give in to something that was completely wrong. The officer even threatened us by saying if we didn't sign our citations, we would be going to jail.

I hadn't really let this situation bother me until now. Even when I was in the car, I was completely calm and strong-willed, but now that I'm typing it all out, I realize that this sucks really hard. We need to do everything we can to make this never happen again. This is a small incident for us, but a HUGE injustice to every cyclist in Memphis. We need to make this better somehow.

ANDY

photo by cort.

Handicat Results!

After a few days of work and recovery, I hafta say that I'm really pleased with how the Handicat turned out. There were snafus and problems, but on the whole, I think everyone had a pretty good time. I learned a ton so hopefully next time I decide to throw an alleycat it'll be even better. And maybe next time, it won't be the hottest day of the year so far.

But anyway, huge props to Charles, who pulled out first fixed/first overall! Not to mention being the first to every checkpoint and therefore the one who had to do the most stuff. Here are the full results:

1. Charles
2. John
3. Ted (Although technically he skipped a few checkpoints and didn't really do alot of the tasks.)
4. Andy
5. Chase
6. Adam
7. Kenny (First Outta Town - and beefiest ratio ever. Um, 60x14? CRAZY.)
8. Ali (Tho' she didn't pull out first girl due to forgetting a checkpoint.)
9. Jason
10. Catherine
11. Alan

Taylor and David both had to leave in the middle, and Brandon got a flat, but still, big thanks to everyone just for coming out. Seriously, just having people come out pretty much made the event for me. And DEFINITELY big thanks to all my volunteers. Sitting around in 95 degree weather just waiting on some sweaty dudes to show up all at once is not easy or necessarily fun.

I didn't get to take any pictures between setting up the last checkpoint and being on the phone coordinating with ten people, but Cort has some nice shots from the last checkpoint especially.

The whole affair was quite bittersweet for me. I'm definitely proud of myself for getting it together, but I really just wanted to be out there doing the checkpoints myself. Check out my entire rundown of the event after the cut:

Checkpoint Order

Just like it says, here's the order of the checkpoints.

1. Brooks Museum (1934 Poplar)
2. Underground Art (2287 Young)
3. 3760 Carnes
4. Davis Park (Spottswood & Prescott)
5. Chickasaw Gardens Lake (Chickasaw Parkway Area)
6. Main Library (3030 Poplar)
7. Hi Gorgeous (1475 Madison)
8. Wonderbread Factory (400 Monroe)
9. Autozone Park (175 Toyota Plaza)
10. 263 Wagner Place
11. Beale Street (2nd & Beale)
12. ???

The last stop will be announced day of the race. Starts at 2:30 at the Brooks, registration is at 2. Be there!

new blog!

I made a new blog just for my photography, check it out here and follow it! I'm going to be working my butt of this summer on my portfolio and hopefully will have new images everyday. The blog itself still needs some work so excuse the boringness. I'll still be posting bike related stuff here, but I'll be using the same flickr for the new blog, so there will be plenty of bike-related images.



Ali and Casey scarf staches!

Polo follow-up

So outta like 30 people that Brett texted/called and the people that saw the previous post, only six showed up (including us two), but it was enough! Because our limited number of players, we were only able to get in two games, each to 5. In the first game, my team (me, Sam, and Andy) had a bitchin lead only to get smoked in the end by Brett, Charles, and Nic. Final score was 5-4. The second game was a rematch, but we still lost (lolz) and the score was 5-3.

Even though we lost, I had a really good game overall. I had a couple of hard angle shots from mid-court, as well as a few little ones, so I felt accomplished. The night didn't last long, but it was super-chill and still competitive (in a friendly way). It was also my first time to play on the Plug. The crazy head tube angle made sharp turns really easy and controllable. I always feel really good riding home from a polo game down Poplar with mallets sticking outta my bag and a stack of goal cones on my handlebars.

The night was fun, but the turnout of people was kinda disappointing. Memphis needs to get on it! We're going to start making this a weekly thing. Every Sunday at 8 pm, polo will happen, we just need folks to come out and play! We have about 8 mallets currently, but plans and materials to make more, and if Fix Memphis wants in on the action, I think they have around the same number (?).

SO. SUNDAYS. POLO. 8 PM.

POLO!!

So it's been a minute since polo happened, March 11th to be exact. I only remember that because it was my bday, but it was TOO long ago. All you lazy people that don't wanna come out after midnight might have to get over it because that's pretty much the only time when everyone's off work and available. Just kidding about the lazy, but seriously we should play soon! I was thinking tomorrow night. It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow until around midnight, so it's perfect timing for you late workin folk. So polo tomorrow night around midnight? ehh? same spot? Brett mentioned Rocky showed him a couple spots to play at, so we might migrate.


(back when my bike was still somewhat fresh and clean)

And since it's going to rain on my first day off in forevs, I might try and get some more mallets made. I still have tons of that plastic tubing but no ski poles or clubs to stick em on! Anyone got any ski poles laying around? I'm also going to make some prizes for the alleycat, caps and bags probably. Speaking of bags, sorry Cort for kind of flaking on making messenger bags to sell, this is most free time I've had in awhile.

So if you're down for polo tomorrow night (if it's not raining), let me or brett know because it most likely won't happen if less than 6 people want to. It most likely won't happen anyway, but I still have hope!

I'm considering buying this completely ridiculously awesome saddle. If it wasn't just 15 bucks I wouldn't consider it at all, but it's terribly silly and I want it!