Life Imitates Art

I came across this scene in a local park and felt as if I had stepped into a Muntean & Rosenblum painting.

[image via Flickr]

Markus Muntean and Adi Rosenblum are a team of contemporary artists. Their illustration-style paintings depict lethargic youths arranged in bizarre postures. The paintings are captioned with nonsensical "deep thought" narrations, written comic book style ("They are not hungering for immortality. They will not have to prove anything by dying any more than they had to prove anything in living...").

Here is another snapshot, and another Muntean & Rosenblum painting ("We didn't make plans or talk about the future anymore..." ).

[image from re-title.com]
Muntean and Rosenblum are Austrian and Israeli, respectively, and I believe they live mostly in London. For more about their work, visit the Saatchi Gallery.

The Petzl ICE pick issue

The quotes listed below were found from a quick Internet search on the current Petzl ICE pick. It seems silly to me that Petzl had a amazinglyly well recieved pick, the Cascade, that they have now discontinued for the Nomic. Even more so now that the Cascade pick would fit all three tools, Nomic, Quark and Ergo. When your customers start using another brand's picks I suspect you have an issue that needs to be resolved, sooner rather than later.



None of this is to argue the newest picks are bad, just that some prefer the previous design.



Here is a short discussion on how to modify the newest picks for better ice performance by duplicating the older Cascade pick.



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//10/petzl-picks-again.html



Quotes by various Internet authors on the same subject:

"I've heard rumors that Cassin's X-All picks can be modified to fit onto Nomic or Quark. Any truth to this? I'm a little frustrated with the new Petzl Ice picks (detuning isn't working out that great)."



"The new Nomic Ice pick is hard to clean, but filing it down to closely match the profile of the old Cascade pick worked great for me."



"there are a few things I noticed with the new Ice picks. Durability, cleaning, and ice displacement. Maybe this season is a bad example because how thinner the routes are, but I noticed my Ice picks getting chewed up and worn down significantly faster. I've filed the picks three times already, when I normally do three filings for the entire season on my old Cascade picks. Cleaning on the new Ice picks is harder than before, this is well know."



"When I compare the picks to old style, they are completely different. It has beenpointed out that I can modify the new Ice picks, but I haven't had the chance to test that out."



"I have a big potential issue with the new Nomic Ice pick though. At the gym where I train, it is literally impossible to get a stick in the Iceholdz(TM) on the mildly overhung system board. With adjustments to swing and hand position, I have been able to get good sticks with both Cobras and the old style Vipers. I'm guessing the first tooth is too steep (which is one of the things causing the cleaning problem with Laser picks) so I worry what they'll be like on real ice."



"The new Ice picks, while better than the old Astros, are definitely not as good as the old cascades from my experience using both of them last season on a pair of new Quarks and old Nomics. I'm pretty sure the reason is the same already mentioned: the angle of the first tooth."



In North America if you have a similar thought you can direct an email toPetzlAmerica at info@petzl.com

It is a topic Petzlwants to hear from you on. So the emails aren't going to a round file as some might expect.



I don't have a Petzl France email but if you are outside North America I suspectyour concerns will be relayed to Petzl France as well.

Going to Interbike

Interbike will be happening next week and this will be my second year. If there is anything there you are interested in me checking out and photographing or writing about, please let me know over email. Likewise, if you're going and would like to say hello, get in touch. Contact me at filigreevelo-at-yahoo with the subject line Interbike. Looking forward to it!

New Painting

I got this painting at a yard sale. The photo isn't that good. I love the colors. Artest has the last name of Hilton but couldn't make out the first initial - either G or maybe a Y.

The Blue Ridge Mountains Skyline Drive

We get a call from a campground outside of Tombstone Arizona for winter work, but we cannot get there fast enough it was a 38 hour drive (in a car) and we figured a 5 day drive in an RV. Oh well they could've had the best they chose the fastest!

We start the southerly trek via the Blue Ridge Mountains which are showing spectacular Fall colors:











.

We decide to do a hike a day in order to get into shape to hike the Grand Canyon when we make it there. So we hike down to a watefall.











Drive along with us:

The Wolfman panel and Muley Point

Since we had been doing a lot of hiking every day up to this pointwe figured we should take a "rest day", so that's what we did today. We only did a couple of very short walks today but still saw some incredible sights! We were heading into the Cedar Mesa region of southeastern Utah which has quite a few locations of Indian ruins and rock art. Our plan for the day was to check out a couple of areas that were supposed to have some interesting petroglyphs, then work our way up towards Natural Bridges National Monument. Our first stop of the day was what is known as the "Wolfman" panel in Butler Wash not far from the community of Mexican Hat. It was less than a half-mile walk to see the panel, and it was fascinating indeed. On the side of the cliff near the bottom of the wash was a very nice series of images carved into the rock. It is always fun to sit and contemplate these images and what they may have meant to the people that carved them.





































After our visit to the Wolfman panel we headed for a road known as the "Moki Dugway", which is sort of a shortcut road between Mexican Hat and Natural Bridges National Monument. As you head towards the Moki Dugway from the valley, the road is paved but as you approach the base of Cedar Mesa the road turns to gravel and gets very narrow, then it starts to climb. The Dugway is a gravel road with a series of steep inclines and 180 degree switchbacks as it ascends 1,200 feet to the top of Cedar Mesa. At the top of the dugway a 5 mile dirt road goes through BLM land to an overlook known as Muley Point. The overlook has very dramatic views south over the twisting, entrenched canyons of the San Juan River and to the desert beyond. You can even see part of Monument Valley far off in the distance. We took in the views for a while then decided to head further up the mesa. Our plan was to camp at Natural Bridges, but as we drove towards the monument it started to snow and the temperature dropped from the mid 50's to the mid 30's. We didn't want to have a miserable wet and cold camping experience so we instead headed for the town of Blanding where we stayed at the Super 8. This turned out to be a nice treat because they also had a hot tub and for the second night in a row we were able to relax in the soothing waters of a whirlpool :-)

Summer Storm Cloud

Yesterday while harvesting some cucumbers from our plot in the community garden this really cool cloud drifted by overhead. I thought for sure it was going to drop at least a little bit of rain on us, but it passed us by without getting us wet. Clouds are awesome and I love how they always have the potential of making you stare at the sky in disbelief at what your eyes are seeing.

OR day 2

The Cube version is a LOT lighter!


But the new Cube isn't the only light weight boot there are others I'll be reviewing shortly as well.



A new ice boot from Asolo deserves some attention. 805g!













Best on liner from the show..any show to date?



When asked how the new boots climb?

"I used to climb a little. But my friends say......" when asked about the new Asolo Eiger's performance on ice and mixed.



The one and only "HOT" Henry Barber's answer to a question. If you are too young to recognize Henry Barber just think of a taller Ueli with a bigger set of titanium cajones from the '70s. Barber knew what leashless Grade 6 ice climbing was all about three DECADES ago.



12hr day today. I never come to Summer OR expecting much and am always surprised.



I simply too lazy and too tired to do the update tonight, bbuUUUUUUUUUUTTTT :)



I saw a few things that will change my own ice and alpine climbing significantly today. Total surprise again. But gear (hardware specific) I can incorporate into my own kit right now...like yesterday if I could get it all. That single meeting for me makes these trips worth while for my own climbing. More on those details in a week or so. But I think you'll be surprised. I was. Newtools from Grivel? Yes, the "MACHINE" is back in three new versions! And I like the design work a lot from what I have seen.









So I am stoked. Some times seeing this stuff 6 months prior to production really sucks! Lots of commentary and new products to introduce. But it is going to have to wait till I get more time.



Highlights today? New Jet Boil stove, ropes, hardware and climbing packs. Yes , real no chite climbing packs! New boots!! Again. Lots of new boots reviews coming up in August. Just in time for the fall alpine season and early ice.Good day all in all. More details to come shortly.



Till then thenew make over on the Petzl Meteor helmet had me pretty happy in the short term. Making my current Meteor obsolete sadly.









Just trying to share the luv above in matching lid and light:) Much more to come!



In the mean time check Raf's stuff out:



http://www.thealpinestart.com//07/or-show-report-summer--day-0-5/?fb_source=pubv1

The One and Only 'Constance'! a Mixte by Royal H. Cycles

Trying to write a definitive post about the completion of my custom mixte (whom I have named "Constance") has been overwhelming, but I am forcing myself to do itbefore too much time goes by. Perhaps it will help if I try to cut down on the sappy stuff and just write about it briefly, matter-of-factly. After all, it's just a bike forgoddsake... Right!

In September of last year I met Bryan Hollingsworth, who is the framebuilder behind Royal H. Cycles, and asked him to make me a custom mixte frame in the tradition of theFrench constructeurs. The frame was finished on my birthday this February. One by one, I purchased all the components, and the Co-Habitant and I put the bike together at the end of the summer. The bicycle was complete in September , about a year after its inception. If you are interested in the step by step details of the process, you can read all about it by scrolling through these posts; they document the bike from the initial stages of frame design to tweaking the component choices.



To start with a basic description of the bicycle, it is a classic, fully lugged mixte frame with twin lateral stays.The tubing is eclectic, designed with comfort and strength as the main priorities: The downtube and seat stays areColumbus. The seat tube isNova. The chainstays areVitus. And the twin stays are domestic 4130 straight gauge.



The 52cm frame has a 54cm virtual top tube, 73°seat tube angle, 72°head tube angle, 53mmfork rake, 54.5mm trail, and 430mm chainstays.



The liquid paint and lug outlining were done byCircle A Cyclesin Providence, RI.



The "dusty mint" colour was matched to a swatch I provided. The Royal H. insignia and lug outlining were done in copper.



As far as construction goes, several neat features make the bicycle special. To start with, it is nearly impossible to have a fully lugged mixte built nowadays, because the twin headtube lugs are no longer made. These were procured new old stock.



The "bullet" style seat stay caps were the framebuilder's idea and I was not sure I wanted them at first, but they look spectacular.



The flat-top fork crown has a small custom embellishment, and notice the little lugged braze-on for the shifter boss. I should mention that this bicycle has clearances for 35mm+ tires plus fenders...



Everything that could possibly be lugged on this mixte, is!



- including these amazing triple sockets on the rear dropouts. Read more about them, and other aspects of the lugwork here(not to mention the custom stainless steel kickstand plate!).

There are braze-ons for both front and rear racks, and the bicycle was built to accommodate reasonable front and rear loads.



If you are interested in a full technical description of the components, you can find thathere. But for those who just want the main points of interest, I will describe a few.



The 700C wheels were built by Peter White, with a Schmidt SON dynohub to power the lights. The headlight and tail light are the same as on my Rivendell, and you can read about them here.



Braze-ons along the inside of the fork accommodate the wiring for the headlight.



The handlebars are the Velo OrangePorteurbars, used with a 10mm stem, inverse brake levers, and Silver shifters inserted into Paul thumbies - which were heavily modified for the purpose.



The bicycle was built to accommodate centerpull brakes, as this is my preferred style of brakes. The brakes are Dia Compe centerpulls from VO - which function great, but had to be slightly modified to fit properly (which, as I understand, is a problem other have had as well).



The crankset is a Sugino Alpina double. You can't tell in this picture, but there is a neat braze-on for the front derailleur.



The rear derailleur is the Shimano XT "Shadow". I love this derailleur, because it tucks in closely to the wheel, so that it is less likely to get dinged if you are riding off-road, or even if the bike gets slammed by a door. Given that I have nearly destroyed the rear derailleur on my Rivendell in half a year's time, I think the "Shadow" was made for me. Oh, and if you are wondering what that monstrous-looking cassette is, that is a Sheldon Brown custom touring cassette.Please be honest about this one: how bad does this look? I considered switching the biggest ring (currently a 34t) to a slightly smaller one, so that it blends in with the others visually - though over time the weirdness of it has grown on me.



The bicycle is fitted with the beautiful Honjo"Le Paon" fenders (similar to the VO "Zeppelins" I have on my Rivendell, but shinier and somehow more elegant), and the front rack is a VO Randonneur.



The rear rack is a VO Constructeur, which is small but can nonetheless fit a standard Dutch-size pannier. Oh, and the tires are (big surprise!) Schwalbe Delta Cruisers, 700C x 35mm. And I think I will stop now with the components, before I put everybody to sleep! If you have questions after reading this post and the spec list here, please ask in the comments and I will be glad to answer.



My impression of the mixte is multi-layered, but all the layers can be placed firmly in the category of "love". The bicycle handles differently than I had imagined, but only because I had no way of imagining something I had never experienced before. It is freakishly light, and luxuriously, almost abnormally comfortable while at the same time being faster and more responsive than any upright bicycle I have ridden before. It is more responsive than the vintage mixte, "Marianne," I used to own, which I had complained was "twitchy". Somehow, on the Royal H.the responsiveness does not feel scary; I can control it. No idea how this all works, but I am certainly happy about it.



The fit of the mixte is just perfect for me, and I can feel that my proportions have been taken into consideration - everything just feels "right". The bicycle handles best with a 10cm stem, with the handlebars close to level with the saddle, and with the saddle pushed back a bit.



I have ridden the mixte all over town since early September, and have taken it on two longish rides (40 miles and 30 miles). Everything is beyond perfect and there is zero pain. I have tried to describe the ride quality here and here if you are interested in the details. One thing I love that I would never have expected to love, is the high bottom bracket. I feel almost majestically tall on this bicycle, even when leaned over and holding the front of the bars.



Given that this is a custom bicycle, I should probably conclude with a few words about the framebuilder. BryanHollingsworth is a young builder with considerable experience working for the world-famous Seven Cycles. He is a knowledgeable, enthusiastic, easy-going, and genuinely nice person. I knew that Bryan was the right builder for me, because he immediately understood the kind of bicycle I wanted, and got excited about building it. He was surprisingly pro-active about design solutions and pointed out possibilities that even my detail-obsessed imagination had not considered. As a result, my frame has some unique features that I cannot take any credit for what so ever; they were Bryan's idea! Additionally, now that I am actually riding the bicycle, it is clear that Bryan had put a lot of thought into making it comfortable for me, while, at the same time, giving it a degree of fiestiness that I had not expected.



I will also address price and affordability, since some have already been asking about this. I would rather not disclose the cost of my frame - mainly because that figure will no longer be of use to anyone. When I met Bryan, he had only just begun building custom frames under his own name, and that is how I was able to afford the project. A year later, Royal H. has taken off like a rocket, and, naturally, the price structure has changed somewhat. As for affordability, my advice would be to find a frame builder you like, and then discuss the possibility of breaking up the payment into several installments. This makes paying for the frame considerably easier. Furthermore, no one says that you must buy all the components immediately, and all at once. I saved up for them gradually, which is why it took nearly a year for my bicycle to reach completion. And yes, it was worth it!



I named this bicycle "Constance", because I hope she always remains in my life. Thank you to everyone who made my custom mixte possible, both directly and indirectly.