Neil Produces Another Beauty!

For Christmas I received the latest Neil Young and Crazy Horse release, Live at the Fillmore East. While this is a new release, it was recorded in 1970 and shows the power of the Horse before the death of guitarist Danny Whitten. It's well worth it for the versions of "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand" alone (over 12 minutes and 16 minutes respectively). Steve Miller and Miles Davis were also on the Fillmore stage that weekend (but not on the record). The Fillmore marquee shown on the cover indicates that the following weekends would feature John Mayall, the Moody Blues, and Joe Cocker. Not a bad line-up.


Now back to the shop . . .

Heron Randonneur on eBay

I've listed a used 59 cm Heron Randonneur frame and fork for sale on eBay. Details are here.

The Green and Tan Nelson Longflap

Here it is:


Now in stock!

More Carradice Stuff Has Arrived!

I just received a shipment from Carradice and have a number of things back in stock! Check out the Carradice page on the Tullio's site for all the details. Highlights include the new green and tan Nelson Longflap saddlebags, more Super C rear panniers, Bagman QR racks, saddlebag clamps, Super C saddlebags, Zipped Rolls, Cape Rolls, and Barley saddlebags.

Also, I received some extra rubber tips for the Bagman QR racks. An earlier shipment of these racks came without the tips. If you bought one of these racks and would like a pair of tips, let me know.

Betrayal of the Brain and Revisiting Lebowski

I didn’t get to 50,000 words during National Novel Writing Month this year. I have lots of excuses, but it’s mostly my brain’s fault. I am typically betrayed by my brain in one of three ways. First is the migraine headache. My headaches can put me out of action for a couple of days, and I had two doozies in November.

The second form of betrayal is obsessive-compulsive disorder. This is when my brain decides that, rather than write, I should be looking up every punk band of the 1980s who might have recorded a cover of Duran Duran’s “Girls on Film” and/or “Rio.” Sometimes, my brain also decides to watch The Big Lebowski until 1 AM. If you’ve never suffered from OCD, it can be difficult to explain. Just imagine that your brain is engaged in one gear and refuses to shift to another.

The third form of betrayal is not technically the brain’s fault. It occurs whenever I get sick and my many prescription medications are supplemented by over-the-counter cold medicines. This inevitably creates a brain haze that prevents any sort of clear thinking. In the past month, I’ve taken Axert, Imitrex, Zoloft, Tylenol, Tylenol Cold, Vicodin, Prilosec, riboflavin, magnesium, Cold-Eeze, Alpha CF, Promethazine, Nyquil, Vicks VapoRub, Pepto Bismol, and Rolaids. I still have the cold, but I can now cut through steel with powerful rays that I emit from my eyeballs.

By the way, I have tried the injectable version of Imitrex for headaches. This comes in an injection “pen” with a spring-loaded needle. The injection is typically given in the thigh. I’m not sure how it well it works long-term, but in the short-term, you forget about your headache to focus on the new, searing pain in your thigh.

During my obsession with The Big Lebowski, I came to revisit an earlier blog entry in which I listed O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Fargo as the two best Coen brothers films. Someone questioned me on it at the time, and I have to question myself now. Lebowski is pretty darned good and gets better with each viewing. How about if I just call them the top three and leave it at that?

NANOWRIMO Time Kill

Instead of writing my novel, I'm busy finding stuff like this. This link is a must for Mötorhead fans (you know who you are).

NANOWRIMO Update

I'm at 11,217 words and counting. That means I have to average a whole bunch of words (3232) every day to catch up by the end of the month. How much sleep do I really need anyway?

Taunted by Words

NANOWRIMO follows me. It mocks me. It ridicules my puny word count.

Tullio's and Heron have been getting a fair number of orders lately, and that's great. However, it means lots of time packing and shipping. Earlier this month, I spent hours rebuilding the Tullio's website after the host server had problems. Of course, there are also the world's two smartest and best looking children. Who wouldn't want to hang around with them as much as possible?

Add it all up, and it means there is precious little time to write a 50,000-word novel before the November 30 deadline rolls around. How does Stephen King do it? As of right now, I have 5968 words. I should have 25,000. Yikes!

Tullio's Site Back Up

The Tullio's site is back up (I think). I guess I remember how to do all that stuff after all. If anyone finds any problems (bad links, missing pics, etc.), please let me know.

Tullio's Site Down Temporarily

It seems that my web host has had some technical problems, and I'll have to rebuild the Tullio's site. It will be up soon, I promise.

NANOWRIMO Begins!

It's November 1, the official start of National Novel Writing Month! Are you writing? You should be writing. Heck, I should be writing. Gotta go.

ALERT: Selling a Heron Demo Frame on eBay!

Hey, eBay junkies! I've listed a 57 cm Heron Touring frame and fork in Shippingsport Silver on eBay. Check it out here. Also, check my other auctions for a pair of peachy-keen lightweight 26" road wheels and a Salsa Moto Ace Short & Shallow handlebar.

Sheldon Brown

I'm sure that many of you know internet cycling icon Sheldon Brown. In case you have missed it, Sheldon has been having some physical difficulties lately and has just been diagnosed with MS. Details are on his website. Please send some positive thoughts Sheldon's way.

Help Tim at Branford Bike

Many of you probably already know about what happened to Branford Bike. On July 30, a wildfire destroyed the shop and owner Tim Brockett's home. The shop will remain closed, but Tim is trying to rebuild his life. Since he is an avid reader, Tim has asked those wanting to help to donate a used book. Information is available on his website. The complete story of the fire with Tim's commentary and lots of photos are also on his site. Check it out here.

NANOWRIMO Time Again!

It's almost November. That means it's almost time for National Novel Writing Month (NANOWRIMO). This is your opportunity to lose your sanity for 30 days while trying to write a 50,000-word novel. It's a lot more fun than it sounds, and the novel doesn't need to be any good (but you just might surprise yourself). This is all about creating art, and I can't think of many things that are more important than that. Jump in. Make the world a better place. At least read about it at the official NANOWRIMO website. It's all pretty interesting and funny even if you decide not to participate. I'll be trying it again this year, and I'll post updates here. You can also follow my progress at the NANOWRIMO site by checking my user name, "Tullio."

Turn, Turn, Turn . . .

The leaves are turning colors, the temperatures are turning colder, and the cranks are turning less frequently. Our part of Illinois had its earliest measurable snowfall just recently. It's cold. It's windy. It's darned hard to get on the bike. Sure, I know lots of year-round cyclists. If you dress for the weather, it's no problem to get around by bike. However, for me, motivation is the problem.

When you've been riding regularly, it's easy to keep in the habit. Just add clothes as the weather changes. The problem is that I haven't been riding regularly. It's not just because I run my own business. I ran my own business before and still snuck in some time for riding. Now, however, I have two kids, Mary (age 3) and Jack (age 1). Of course, they are the two smartest and best-looking kids on the planet, but they are a lot of work, too. When they go to bed, I'm ready to go to bed. When I wake up, they wake up.

So, as winter heads our way, my bike is looking lonelier and lonelier. The computer is looking cozier and cozier. Kids, work, weather, fatigue. They are all just excuses, but sometimes they make a convincing argument. Here's hoping you can get out and ride some yourself.

A Rose By Any Other Name . . .

I didn't go to Interbike this year, but I've seen some of the photos. Damn, there are some beautiful road frames out there! I don't know if the art of the handbuilt bicycle frame has ever been finer. Even production road bikes are becoming more practical and better designed. Of course, that makes things interesting for me. The bar has been set pretty high.

So, what can I offer in a new Heron frame that will be unique, useful, and a good value? One of the things I am pondering right now is how to build the frame. Herons have always been lugged, and I like lugs. However, they do add to the cost. With well-designed steel frames coming out of Asia at very low prices, cost is something I need to consider. Is a TIG-welded Heron still a Heron?

A complicating factor is the desire to raise the head tube without an ugly extension or lots of headset spacers. If I raise the top tube along with the head tube, standover clearance is compromised. The apparent solution would be to use a top tube with a bit more slope to it (current Herons use a 2 degree slope). However, we would need new lugs to do this. Lug design and tooling are expensive. Using off-the-shelf lugs from Pacenti, Sachs, Long Shen, or Henry James is an option, but buying lugs from someone else costs more than using your own (other than design and tooling costs). Maybe a mix of lugs and welds?

A crowned fork is still a must. No unicrowns or plastic forks will do. The crowns we are using now look good and provide nice tire and fender clearance. That's an easy choice.

How about paint? Right now, we are using a simpler version of Waterford's paint system. Most of their colors are two-stage colors (a base color with a translucent color top coat). Herons colors are all single-stage colors. This keeps cost down while still offering a nice, durable finish. Powdercoating is another option. This can lower cost while providing a very durable finish. However, most of the cost savings come from doing volume (coat 50 frames at a time instead of one), and it can be hard to find a powdercoater with experience working with small diameter tubing.

Lots to think about, eh?

My Child Seat Rant

I'll get back to bikes soon. I promise.

My daughter now goes to pre-school. I drop her off in the morning and pick her up in the afternoon. I sometimes do this by bicycle with a Burley trailer, but it's usually by car. In the school parking lot, I've noticed that many other parents do not secure their children in a child seat while in the car. Additionally, many have their kids sit in the front seat of an airbag-equipped car. In Illinois, both of these things are a no-no for children this age.

I don't get it. These parents apparently care enough about their children to pay for pre-school but not enough to take some very simple steps to protect their lives. On some mornings, it appears that at least half of the parents haven't secured their children properly. Why do so many parents fail to take these precautions? Can someone explain it to me?

Tullio's Suggested Reading List, Part Three

Sorry for the delay in posting more books. Here's a couple to tide us over.

City of the Century by Donald L. Miller. This is the story of the birth and growth of the city of Chicago in the 19th century. In 1800, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable was arguably the only non-Indian resident of what would become Chicago. By 1900, the city had nearly 1.7 million people. The story of how Chicago came to be is simply captivating, and Miller does an excellent job of putting it to paper.

I have my own interest in this history since my hometown, LaSalle, IL, plays an important role. LaSalle is the terminus of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. This canal provided a means to transport goods by ship from Lake Michigan to the navigable portion of the Illinois River. Before the canal was built, goods that were headed downstream to St. Louis or New Orleans had to be hauled by wagon to LaSalle or neighboring Peru where they would be loaded onto boats. The canal transformed the muddy swamps of Chicago into the midwest's most important shipping port. Today, you can ride your bike on the tow path of the old canal.

An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore. OK, OK, Al Gore is not everyone's cup of tea, and this is not a detailed scientific examination of global warming. It is clearly directed at a general audience, not academia or the scientific community. The book uses many photos, charts, and graphs to summarize and illustrate Gore's arguments. If you want the details behind the those arguments, you'll have to do your own research into Gore's source material.

However, there are two things that do make this book stand out. First, he addresses the fact that despite what the media have reported, there is an overwhelming consensus within the scientific community that global warming is happening and that it is caused by human activity. His evidence here is good, and he does not even mention the recent reports from the National Academy of Sciences, NASA, and the Defense Department which corroborate his position.

Second, he clearly illustrates the risk of allowing global warming to continue at its current rate. The images of projected flooding are particularly shocking. Hurricane Katrina displaced hundreds of thousands. Yet, hundreds of millions could be affected by flooding created by global warming. It's this kind of argument that makes it hard to ignore the issue. Some may consider Gore to be some sort of environmental nut, but after reading this book, even the most skeptical will have to wonder, "What if he's right?" The stakes are simply too high.

Ed's Oracle Update

Several folks have asked about my novel, and I find myself struggling to describe it. I figure that's not a good sign. So, I've spent some time trying to summarize the whole thing in one sentence. Here is what I have so far:

A small town short-order cook faces ancient mythology, quantum physics, and government conspiracies as he reluctantly seeks the truth about mysterious events surrounding him.

OK, it's a little wordy, but it's a start. Go ahead. Try to describe Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in one sentence.

Like I promised earlier, it's not about bikes or politics (despite the reference to government conspiracies). Think The DaVinci Code meets The Andy Griffith Show.