Pitching tent with the Windfall (or) Champions of New Jersey

About the end of every month it’s imperative to take stock of what to plan for in the next cycling of the moon. You see, much as it is the all consuming nexus of my life, Budd Bike Works can’t yet pay all my Bills, so to make it in the go go northern edge of megalopolis here on the far side of Boston I must every month submit a schedule with the great and fair folks at the moving company to make ends meet, making myself available for hard toil to keep a chicken in my pot.  Though not ideal by any means (I dream of the shop front in a small but often walked main street where I keep a lathe and torch out back) but, such is the situation, and with the year going to 11, it is time to re-up.   So, what happened in October, and what is on deck?

1. Repaired the old Ant Bike Mike built front hauler that local barbeque and brew masters Red Bones had enjoyed abusing for my friends at  Wheelworks, will be psyched to see it pulling bike boxes between their fantastically stocked stores.  Had to address an ill advised brake bridge removal on an E-bay bought Lemond this month as well.  While not as rewarding as forging someones dream bike from the ground up I enjoy reviving bikes that’d otherwise have been a total loss, only one  repair on the docket today with the epoxy now setting on Mo Brunos old IFs seat tube insert.  Give a holler if you’ve a frame you’re afraid has given up the ghost, chances are it is only mostly dead.  I can give your old bike that mature look with a rust-o-leum paint patch or go all in for a full re-finish.

2. Sean Pantallere’s quads continue to back up his jabberjaw, he took a trip to his home turf and would have come home with the New Jersey State Champshitp Jersey had it not been for the technicality of his current Massachusetts Address.  It’d of been the second time this native son’s bikes had been piloted to the lofty title of fastest CX amateur in the Garden State, I think it’d been 5 years ago now that I won the same race aboard the 5th frame I made, I too couldn’t claim the title, thinking of getting the state seal emblazoned on the down tube anyway. Jersey has been on my mind this week with Sandy blowing through, psyched to hear my brothers slice of the Jersey Shore dream wasn’t washed away. Can’t believe it is already time to start thinking of seeing my peoples that way for the holidays, need to get a sketch up for my Mom’s Mixte to have it done in time for Christmas.  Also have 2 growing test pilots for my kids bike project to think about.

3. I also finally learned how to stop worrying and love Whole Foods.  It took three laps to put enough gap on the 16 year old girl in the field to risk the embarassment of a biff but I at last shake the demon telling me to get off my bike at the Providence Cyclocross Festival, between the branding of the barriers and the $0.99/lb chickens I cooked up for my birthday I’ve forgotten all about my old grocer.  Racing is pretty low on the priority list at the moment but I can’t live with the regret of missing the CycloSmart International this year,  Mr. Myerson always puts on a great event, and Northampton looks a lot like the town I dream about when I think of where I want to be one day, so I reg’d for both days and secured a tent on Team Row for my fellow Stampeders, stop by and say hi if you are in the area.

4.  All the necessary parts are at long last lined up for Budd Bike Works to join the chainless revolution.  Got to admit that the CAD file for the next bike is looking a bit intimidating, but, in the words of Woodrow Wilson,” The only use of an obstacle is to be overcome. All that an obstacle does with brave men is, not to frighten them, but to challenge them.”  Take that,  gates carbon drive technical manual, you’ll see me in hell before I split a seatstay.

5.   I continued to test my prototypes and take out all my excess aggressions playing Hard Court Bike Polo on a regular basis, having our regular pick up match coincident with the local weekly cyclocross practice brought home the breadth of the divide between the cycle tribes I keep a foot in, too bad I can’t get any from the spandex crowd to take up a mallet by my heckling, close combat cycle tomfoolery really does a wonder for the old bike handling skills and spills.   Got to figure any sport that has really been able to take off in peoples imaginations spawned from folks getting loose and having a time with one another, don’t think the USCF is just ready to take a page out of that book yet.

6.  Celebrated my 33rd complete revolution around the sun this past week with a little get together at the mortuary and a trip in the BBW mobile on the weekend for a bit of camping in the North Woods. Got a couple of bad ass lights as a gift to myself that Cut Paste Love and I tested by careening down tripoli road for Pin Ball in town, dread/loving that we’d be climbing for a while before sleep, so much fun to ride together at night, can’t wait to do that again.

7.  Work continues on my answer to Retro Shift, the 3d model that will open up this luddites door to mass production is under way.

So with all these irons in the fire I still have to find time to make a pay check.  Time to take a deep breath and dive in.

That, or learn to knit.

 

About mbudd

My name is Matt Budd. I am an athlete, engineer, and citizen of Massachusetts. I can build you a bike that will meet your functional expectation of it whatever that may be but I can't do it for free.
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