100 Things: 100-76

I have some friends, the Fishers, that posted 100 things about themselves on their blog. They did this as a way to document things that are not necessarily common knowledge about their lives up to this point mainly for the benefit of their kids. I have been thinking about doing this as well, and I have wavered about how to go about doing it. I think I will do the stupid one first, as in 100 things about me and cycling. These 100 things may be opinions, they may be stories, or they may be just plain stupid. But regardless, they are mine.

100. I have owned around 35+ bikes since 1992. I have three of them currently. Two steel Curtlos and a carbon Fuji. I need at least 3 more to cover all the bases. A geared 29er, a dedicated TT bike, and a dedicated commuter bike. But I would like several more than that as well.

99. My first bike was a Schwinn Apple Crate bike. I got it for Christmas when I was 4 I think. I rode it until I was around 12. Seriously. I even had a paper route on that thing.

98. My first mountain bike was a Schwinn High Plains. It sucked. My first actual mountain bike that could handle offroad duty was a Haro Extreme. Super heavy, but it flew.

97. I designed full suspension bike frames for awhile with a guy in Orem UT. The bikes were sold under the name CPC Racing.


Good luck finding anything about them online, we were really small and we collapsed before we really got going. In the end we built up 4 different framesets. A hardtail, a cross country full suspension frame, a long travel version of the same bike, and a mondo-travel DH bike. The bikes rode well for the time (late 90's), but they had flaws. Frankly, I don't like reliving those times so I am moving on.

96. I raced some downhill races in the mid to late 90's. I sucked.

95. The first time I hung out with my wife Bridget, we went down to Moab together. She was inexperienced on a bike, but fearless. She won my heart there. She has more balls than most guys. We did the Slickrock trail together and she went down just about everything. She even crashed well.

94. At the time #95 happened I was dating one of her roommates at the time. I soon started dating Bridget. Talk about awkward...yeah even though I had gone out with the roommate for little more than a casual few dates, switching from one roommate to another is brain damage. But, it was worth it.

93. Working for CPC so soured me on bikes that I didn't touch a bike for three years. I gained about 30+ pounds during that time.

92. I used to roll in a Mercedes ML430 SUV and rode an Ellsworth Id. Now I roll in a 1998 Honda Civic and usually a low tech steel bike (until recently no suspension on any bike in the house). But I do have a law degree and a Bar number....that almost soothes my pride while working in a bike shop. Almost.

91. I have applied to around 50 jobs and contacted more people than I am comfortable with while looking for a job to support my bike habit....and my family. But I am still happier than I was working for either CPC or working as a sales manager at a car dealership. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

90. I broke my wrist once because I didn't properly check out my bike after a crash. I took a spill and my bike went down hard, twisting the handlebars. I was ok. Somehow after that the stem would not tighten up properly around the fork's steerer tube. Then the next ride I hit a tiny bump and when I turned the handlebar the wheel did not come with it. I went down hard, shattering my wrist. The doctor who performed the surgery said that inside it looked like cornflakes inside because of the many bone fragments. So I currently still have a stainless steel plate and screws in my left wrist. Insurance wouldn't pay for titanium. Yes, I asked if I could have the ti anyway. I was told, no.

89. The first cyclocross race I saw was in Utah while visiting during my 2nd year of law school. Fish was racing and talking me into coming instead of reading a law book. Bastard. I didn't even have to race to know that I was going to love it. Damn him and bless him at the same time. Most painful fun that I can think of--cyclocross.

88. My first 29er was a custom Curtlo steel frame. It was love at first ride. That was 2003. Didn't need no stinking rear suspension any more after that bike.

87. I count Kulani (Fish) Fisher, patent attorney extraordinaire, as one of the main reasons I am not still 230-240 lbs with borderline high blood pressure and probably Type 2 diabetes by now. Thanks again for around the 100th time.

86. I remember the first time that Fish told me to slow down while climbing on a road ride. I remember it like it was yesterday, it was probably the first time in about 5 or 6 years anyone had asked me to slow down. Bitchin' feeling. It only took about 2 years of riding together for that to happen. It was sort of like the day the training wheels came off...

85. My first triathlon was an olympic distance one. I did it with very little training because of illness and studying for the Oregon bar exam. I could barely swim. I freaked out and almost quit about 100 yards into the swim. I managed to keep going by flipping on my back and doing the backstroke the rest of the way. I bonked big time on the run. I probably should have had a cardiac arrest since my average heart rate was around 185. Not joking either. It sucked. It was probably one of the worst 3 hour periods of my life. I would have rather have been back taking the bar exam.

84. My first Half Ironman distance tri was much better from a panic standpoint. It still sucked. 30 to 35 mph winds do not make a triathlon easier. I know wonder what the heck I was thinking signing up for another one in April of 2009. Triathlons suck. Why I keep doing them I don't know. Maybe it is the feeling that I get when I am about a mile from the finish line. The euphoria is great. The training for them blows though.

83. I love singlespeeds. I love rigid bikes. I love the cards that they allow you to play no matter what the situation. If you beat someone down the hill, they suck because you had no suspension and they did. If they beat you--well, no wonder, they had suspension and you didn't. If someone beats you up the hill or on the flats it is because they had gears and you didn't. If you have to walk up the hill, it is because you are on a singlespeed. You get the idea. Plus, riding a singlespeed is mentally freeing. All you have to do is ride. No shifting or worrying about shifting down for the next hill, etc. SS'ing rocks.

82. I think Tony Ellsworth is a dork.

81. I think that Doug Curtis of Curtlo is selling his frames far too cheaply.

80. I wish I had a garage and the equipment and the ability to build my own steel frames. But not commercially. That would be too much pressure. I learned from my previous time in the bike biz to just keep my hobbies as just that, hobbies.

79. I don't really care if Lance is coming back or not. But as far as the cause he is dedicated to--ending cancer--I fully support.

78. My first road bike was a used Univega that I had when I was just out of high school. It had clipless pedals that the guy gave me with the bike--which cost me $150--but I didn't ever spend the money on shoes. Instead I rode miles and miles using those old Look pedals with tennis shoes. Talk about dorky. But oh the wind in my face as I rode with my little Lemond Z Team cycling cap.

77. I can eat anything before a hard ride and I won't puke. Carne asada burritos, Western Bacon Cheeseburgers, soda, donuts, it doesn't matter. I have an iron gut. Unlike DTP, who at times pops up the first steep hill. Love it.

76. I think that cyclocross events are the best cycling events for both racer and spectators in the cycling world. I wish I had gotten into it years before I did--all that time, wasted.

More to come in later days...