Oh, Victory of Vicissitudinous Vicariousness!

One of the best aspects of my job is the ability to live vicariously through the numerous adventures of my customers and friends. Whether it's a cross country touring trip, a hut-to-hut mountain bike trip in Colorado, or a ride with a throng of 20,000 riders along Chicago's lakeshore, the preparations and the stories supply me with endless inspiration and joyous mind-fuel. At this moment, Claudia is probably somewhere in Iowa on her way back from the west coast. Nancy is planning a three-week touring trip in the Canadian Rockies for this fall. John leaves tomorrow morning to drive to Colorado for a 100 mile mountain bike race. Mike just got back from days and days of singletrack riding around Durango. Most of these folks are just about as crazy as I am about bicycles and the experiences that they can bring to our lives. Being around them is great, and the osmosis of energy is contagious.

My good friend Alex is taking the bicycle adventure to new heights, and I, along with you, can go along with him thanks to the transcendent wonder we call the internet. This is a picture of his bike that he and I designed for the trip. While carefully thinking through each individual piece we had to create the situations that he might encounter in our minds. I was almost giddy picturing him roaming all over Asia as we mulled over the mundane pros and cons of sealed bearings and bottom bracket interfaces. And, in a way, I am there with him right now too. Thanks for the daydream fodder, man.