Nevermind.

Somedays you're the stick. Somedays you're the pinata.
Broken shifter on 2nd lap at Alpenrose meant several painful slogs in the 12 cog. That, until my rear tire flatted. Awesome.

Trainwreck. In that perfect cyclocross way.

Aaaaand, we're back.

DSC_0010.JPG
Originally uploaded by Andy A.

Smells like cross. Smells like Speedvagen.

A crime: Taking it to "1"

My Speedvagen is dryer than your Speedvagen. Cleaner, better lubed. And way more vertical than it should be (on a hook. In the basement.)

Yes, I didn't get a chance to even attend the Grand Prix here in Portland this past weekend, much less bust out the Speedvagen for its final official race. Was helping a friend move all day Saturday (criminal, in and of itself) and pulled ligaments in my left hand (which is why we leave "moving" to who??? That's right, "movers.") Sunday was a no go too cause of all the self-induced misery...

Anyway, sorry Fixie for not being able to meet you. And to the rest of the cross world, sweet dreams.

Let's still try to run up the bandwidth with some Speedvagenosity, shall we?

Unicorns to you,
Andy

And speaking of unicorns

11-11-07

Estacada Timber Park:
Maybe the most epic, definitive day you could have for a course and the conditions in the history of the world.

I raced Master Cs and stayed all day for the Unofficial World SS CX Championships in the afternoon. Humbling is one word that comes to mind... Respect to all you guys and gals that pull off this shit in one gear without puking.

There were probably more but I saw like 12 Speedvaagen out there today... 2 grays, 1 pink, 1 raw, 1 red, 2 blues, 5 white team issues.

I'll see what pics I can get up here. It was good mud today, really.

[ BTW- thanks to all the Vets out there. ]

Links to chase:
Cross Crusade chat
Unofficial World SS Cyclocross Championship site
Confirmed riders for the SS CX

Something wicked

* Frame: Speedvagen steel custom drawn to Vanilla specs
* Fork: Alpha Q CX-20 carbon
* Shifters/Brake levers: (1) Shimano Ultegra 10-speed, (1) Cane Creek
* Rear dérailleur: Shimano Ultegra 10-speed
* Single ring setup: 42 Salsa ring with N-Gear on the inside, Salsa 44 guard on the outside
* Crank: Ritchey WCS 175mm
* BB: Shimano Ultegra
* Pedals: Crank Bros. Eggbeater SL
* Chain: Shimano Dura Ace 10-speed
* Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 10-speed 12-27
* Wheels: Ultegra hubs w/ Mavic CXP-22 rims with 32 spokes and Michelin Mud2 tires. Also Mavic Classic SSC clinchers laced to Mavic hubs with 32 spokes. All black, all badass.
* Bars: Salsa Bell Lap Moto Ace
* Stem: Ritchey WCS 110mm
* Seat post: Integrated
* Saddle: WTB rocket V Ti
* Headset: Chris King
* Brakes: Paul Neo Retro front and Touring Canti rear

The unleashing

Alpenrose, Portland, Sunday 10/7/07-- the people's Speedvagen debut.

Finished building my Speedvagen at 10pm Saturday. What better way to break 'er in than a race the next morning? Saw K-Murder and his Grayvagen surveying the course as I was going hypoxic. Saw a Surprise Me rig out there too racing A's. Some pics I've grabbed from OregonVelo and BikePortland--two sources with some of the juicier stuff... Curious for cross in Portland: no mud!
More detail shots of mein Vagen coming soon.

Glory glory hallelujah

CAN I GET AN AMEN!
Fixie Rider is the first in this crew to get his. Let me tell you, that pink is a monster in person.

I have an 80's Tesch in what I think he called "Juicer Pink"-- never built up because I didn't think I could rock a pink like that. I hadn't seen another color like it, until a few nights ago when I stalked Sacha and Scott at the shop and saw "Surprise Me" for the first time. I LOVE it.

Okay. I'm patient. But I am looking over at SE Portland right now, wondering if that wasn't a flash of Robin's Egg Blue I just saw...

I. AM. BLIND.

I. HAVE. SEEN. THE. GRAIL. i touched the grail. i touched 2 grails. a grail was held in my hands. i smelled the grail. the grail was felt right the eff up by me. (fixie, it might've even been yours.)

selleveryfreakingbikeyouownNOW.

ihaveonlyseenthesurprisemecolor,andwhilerobinseggblueisexquisite
andsublime,oneshouldknowbetterthantonotgowithSachawhenheoffers
anoptioncalled'surpriseme'.

O.M.G.

there are no days of the week now. only time until your bike arrives to you. time is not even the appropriate concept. there is a black hole of continuum between now and then.

prepare yourself, no matter what the color. no, nevermind. you cannot prepare yourself.

prepare your loved ones for your going away for a while. your happy place is nigh.

now i understand... i understand ELEVEN.

< /words >

Days? Hours?

When when when when when when? Something. Help. Anybody? Anything. Please.

It's not a gang, it's a club

Yo, come roll with other Speedvaagen on Flickr... www.flickr.com/groups/speedvagen

The internet. Amen.

No doubt you've already seen these; pics from the Chris King booth at Interbike featuring the goodness of a Robin's. Egg. Blue. Vagen.

That is just so tight.




More more more more. (Please.)

You feel something?

Friday, Sept. 21:

"I hope to have the bikes to paint today, and back next week." ––Sacha White

And my birthday's next week, yo...!

Speedvagen, meet your Speedvaagen

And so it begins, with the First Thirty. The first batch of crossalicious cx weaponry launched by the Vanilla Workshop: Project Speedvagen.

I launched this blog to channel my own excess excitement about my place in the queue, but a fellow Speedbro thought this may be an even more useful center-of-the-universe for all that is Speedvagen (single) or Speedvaagen (my plural; apologies to Sacha for taking liberties there.) Yes, yes, yes. This is how we take it to 11, people.

Bring it: post up your builds, your thoughts, your gossip, your dreams, your plans, your delivery, your first ride, first mud, first dents, first scrapes and gouges, your comments and notes, your reports, your pics and videos. All of it.

Welcome, Speedvagen #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27, #28, #29 and #30.

Go.

And on the 7th day

It's on

August 3. Countdown to Speedvagen has begun.