[Bruno Moore]

More to the point, how much time can the very bored bike shop employees in the challenge spend test riding bikes?

[Bruno Moore]

I think we have a winner.

I ain’t tryin’ to break this one. Nope. Not touchin’ it.

[Bruno Moore]

Points to your barista for that latte art; I’ve been meaning to make it to Northside Social for a bit now, just never quite make it. Maybe when I do this Bikenetic visit I’ve been meaning to do (throw in Kindred and Mike’s along the way…), I’ll cross it off the list.

I thought I’d posted this earlier, but here’s the team I was on back in 2012—that’s me in the Western shirt and boots as part of the 99% bailing out The One Percent.

[Bruno Moore]

Side notes:

—Kona is not producing the Minute this year, only the full-sized Ute; you might call local Kona dealers, though (like Proteus and Bikenetic) to see if they have a 2015 kicking around. It’s explicitly designed for cargo hauling/trail work/Portlandia car replacement, rather than kidschlepping; your accessory milage without fabricating and creativity may be limited.

—I’m pretty sure the (Min)Ute, like the Big Dummy and pre-2015 Xtracycles, doesn’t work with the new Xtracycle LT2/Leap accessories. If you’re scouting out the used market, caveat emptor. It is kinda possible to retrofit a few LT2 accessories onto LT1 standard bikes and Free Radicals, but it usually involves a fair amount of bodging, fabricating, and fudging. I don’t know what the new Tern folder will work with, given that it’s not out yet, but I suspect it’s going to be an LT2 bike. Just because it says “Xtracycle accessory compatible” doesn’t mean it necessarily is, especially for older bikes and newer accessories. Yuba, as best I remember, plays pretty nicely with Yuba.

—I don’t know what Bike Friday models College Park Bikes carries for demo purposes, but I somehow doubt that the cargo-specific one is going to be on that list. They are a BF dealer, so it might be worth at least calling them up, but the cargo market’s pretty small out in my neck of the woods, the folding market’s not any bigger, and I don’t want to speculate what the folding cargo market would be.

[Bruno Moore]

I’ve had good experiences with Saris parking racks in the past, especially if you’re looking to instal “branded” or custom staples (we got some back when I was at Proteus, I’ve seen others in Hyattsville, etc); however, the big advantage of Saris parking racks is that pretty much any bike shop in the country can get you what you need, since they distribute pretty much their entire line through QBP, the main bike parts & accessories supplier in the States.

Which is not to say that other systems are inferior by any means; just that I’ve had good luck in my experience with one particular brand.

[Bruno Moore]

Rumor has it that people have been counting—indeed pursuing—points. This amuses me.

Those assembled are to be reminded that my favorite local “competition” does have a “Blinding Speed” award. They should bear in mind, however, that said award is given not necessarily to the first sculpture to arrive at the finish, but to the fastest after all penalties, bribes, etc. are taken into account.

More importantly, however, they should remember that it’s not in itself the most important, interesting, or coveted award.

[Bruno Moore]

@Boomer2U 131967 wrote:

I also think that you should earn a point for Mike’s Deli homemade ice-creams, but the rule maker clearly has a bias against NoVA holes in the wall, and only gives a point for creams consumed in Merland (that’s how it’s pronounced over there, isn’t it?).

Oh, not just any old Merry Land ice creams—only The Dairy counts (and not, sad to say, Island Style). I know about Mike’s and Dairy Godmother, after all…

[Bruno Moore]

@Boomer2U 131872 wrote:

Yes, I rode my bike to the Farmer’s market where the coffee was purchased, and rode back again, for a total of about 4 miles.

Ah! Farmers’ market! More points for you!

(Wait, is Mike’s the place that has pretty good ice cream up front, beer in the back, and will make you a beer float?)

[Bruno Moore]

@Boomer2U 131761 wrote:

This morning I had some home brewed coffee from a local roaster, Zeke’s

I’m assuming the beans were fetched by bike…

Honey in cappuccino—or coffee at all!—is something I haven’t seen (other) people do outside of Italy. Good to know I’m not the only weirdo who does it.

[Bruno Moore]

Just because I’m disqualified doesn’t mean I’m not going to take part in my own challenge…

It’s not on their menu yet (heard about it on their facebook page), but Vigilante just started serving a single-origin Kenyan from the Gitura washing station. Not as dense or fruity as some of the Ethiopians I was finding during #coffeeneuring this year—a bit more subtle, less intense, sweeter—but still having a nice “twang” at the end. Pairs well with Elly Blue essays on bicycling feminism.

So: 1 point for each Part 1 category; 1 point each for specifically finding espresso/Vigilante; 1 for single origin espresso; 1 for the houseplants; 1 for petting the shopdog; and 1 for getting to wish Chris (who brought said shopdog) a happy new year. No points for no Kona Convergance (yes, I rode Ellie just in case I could pull that one off), and it seems they’ve taken down the blinged-out steel frame that was hanging on the wall for the bike-themed art show in favor of Star Wars related art. Minus all points for being the gamemaster, and thus DQ’d.

[Bruno Moore]

Was also thinking something referencing The Prisoner, since we are Number Six. Wasn’t that weather balloon called Rover or something?

That said, “Six, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll” has a ring to it.

[Bruno Moore]

Friggin’ awesome. And confused.

[Bruno Moore]

1. For those of you reading this, we have a Strava group. Go make Krampus happier by joining, if you haven’t already.

2. We need a name. Like, an actual name. Six…um, Le Wiki tells me that six is part of the Number of the Beast, the number of strings on a guitar, the number of wings on a seraph, and the number of beers in a six-pack. There’s also Cannondale’s Super Six, I guess. If we’re going for geographical names…something about the Purple Line, since we’re spread out all over PG and Moco? Or maybe just a winter-appropriate Krampus reference, since I’m rather fond of the smiling beastie?

3. While I suspect I’ve probably run into most of you at some time or other, I’m Phill, AKA “2L.” Used to work at Proteus with Dr. Paul, now at Bikeyspace (usually downtown, sometimes at the Morg, soon in Ivy City), always doing schtuff with WABA. Some of you may have noticed that I enjoy the occasional cup of coffee on days off. I’m one of the few people who not only names their bikes, but has gotten other people to use those names in casual conversation.

[Bruno Moore]

SteveO: dig the Yirg napkin. So…a coffeeshop that roasts its own with a new region? All five part 1 points, one Part 2 point, and a Spirit of the Competition/Pastrybonus nebulous appreciation.

[Bruno Moore]

@Kitty 131113 wrote:

Two questions:

Are you speaking of the ostentatious imported Chinese pieces used in the early part of the Momoyama period as symbols of conspicuous wealth? Or of the rustic wabi-sabi aesthetic that developed in the mid/late Momoyama period?

How does one prove points earned? Just post about it here with photos?

I read Chanoyu Quarterly and am mourning the closure of gallery 6A in the Freer (the “tea room” gallery that Louise A. Cort always devoted to Japanese ceramics with a hanging scroll in the tokonoma). My tastes run distinctly Omotosenke. My Urasenke-certified Bikeyspace colleague and I chat about aesthetics. I’m still trying to score some legit Iga or Shigaraki wood-fired ware. Better believe it’s the late stuff.

Photos are nice, but I really don’t suspect people of cheating. I mean, if you can describe a washed process Sidamo espresso well enough to pull one over on me, you’re probably not the kind of person who’d pass up actually drinking one. Heck, if you’re the kind of person who’d lie about riding a bike, you’re probably not on this forum. Photos are nice, but if you feel kinda weird about taking pictures of your coffee (yes, I still do), there’s no need. Just describe it well, what you liked, what you didn’t, etc.

[Author]

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