Monday, March 9, 2009

Portland polo weekend preview


Sunday. The Champions from Vancouver, B.C., "Balls Deep" accept their trophy. With style.

Saturday, "seed day" in Pier Park. The trees were big.

My team, "Bob Ross and the Naked Ladies."

Though we looked fierce at times,

we actually got our asses handeLinkd to us.

I recall feeling sorry for a friend of mine who had just started playing polo: I thought, Gosh, it must be intimidating playing against me—I have a whole year of experience. Now I feel sorry for me—some people I met this weekend have been playing for seven years. And it showed.

Again, this is just a preview. A full writeup and a bajillion photos will follow after I get some sleep.

Oh, and don't forget to spot me on BikePortland's flickr. Jonathan Maus took a bunch of photos and posted them on his blog.

11:32 a.m. — Just found these three shots on someone's flickr. Look like cross-processed film. Which I like.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

look ma, no hands!

Lane is selling the demo production model of his cargo bike for $400 off.


It's been "slightly used."

Watch him ride it no hands!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

poloEUG

I'm just so dang excited about the polo tourney in Portland this weekend, I was flipping through my photo archive and found a bunch of polo-specific pictures begging to be put into a flickr set.

Featuring players from Eugene.

And their flavor.

Also featuring those who often come down from Corvallis to play. I call this one "Eilif with pizza."

Oh. And some pictures of the bikes, too.

Check it every Friday morning.

Shakespearean actor/storyteller/cyclist/photographer

Willie Weir is visiting Eugene again. Get excited. Here's a video from his website:


Come see him present "Colombia & Venezuela: Bicycling Beyond the Headlines" on the UO campus tomorrow. That's Thursday, March 5, 7:00 PM at 177 Lawrence Hall.

He's been here before to present his stories from touring in India, the Balkans, South Africa, Cuba, and Turkey. Each show has sold out, so arrive early and guarantee yourself a good seat! Free to UO students, $5 general.

Thanks to UO LiveMove for sponsoring this event with US Bank.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Pictures of stuff that actually happened

I really like the pink derailer cable routing here. Conventional? No. Effective? YES. Call it "Unconvective."

The placement of the shift lever on this bike is equally unconvective.

Jeremiah broke the regulator on his MIG setup. At to Industrial Source to get a replacement, I browsed the welders' caps and found this maillot à pois rouges-esque number.

Mike broke his crank on the way to Burrito Boy.

He said it snapped on him as he was standing up to accelerate. Mike's already got a new pair on and switched to track pedals with double-strap toeclips. He's actually really stoked.

Polo at the parking lot by Albertson's on 18th went past dark. We even played a couple rain games.

Minibike racing at Lane's (ware)house-warming.

Fin.

Friday, February 27, 2009

I spent $11.50 today.

Which is a lot, for me. But they were all worthy purchases.

My roomies and I decided to splurge on breakfast and went to the Keystone Cafe. Six dollars got me two coffees and a slice of blackberry pie. Plus a bite of Garrett's banana-buckwheat pancakes and Andrea's "Monster" omelet.

There's always a neat bike parked outside the Keystone. This Peugeot roadie was wearing wide tires, platform pedals, comfy handlebars and a leather saddle.

And a fine example of the recycle-bin-to-the-rescue fender.

Garrett went to work and Andrea asked if I would ride with her out to Jo-Ann Fabrics. We pedaled a few blocks to the river path and followed it to a spot where you can drops out to River Road just south of the Goodwill. That's where we saw this cool cat and his mean handcycle. Don't miss his American flag up in the corner of the photo.

A few minutes later, we arrived.

Another nice commuter locked up outside. This biker knows how to spend money wisely: note the heavy-duty Kryptonite U-lock, recycled seat cover and fun horn.

While Andrea looked for practical things like needles and curtain fabric, I browsed for skinsuit material. This stuff looks prime for a Mario Cipollini-inspired getup.

I liked this seafoam/fuscia combo, too. Sadly, the photo doesn't really do justice to the hotness of the colors. I found a nylon/spandex remnant for $5 that will make a pair of arm warmers.

Leaving, I saw this sticker on the door. For some reason, it made me laugh.

We decided to pop in to the nearby dollar store for a few more laughs.

We discovered "ginormous" has officially entered the American lexicon.

Consider this: why buy a $50 camera when you can by fifty $1 cameras?

People Crackers, "The People Dogs Love to Eat!" Seems fair.

I spent 50¢ on a giant tootsie roll and ate it on the way home.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Polo night!

Thursday is my favorite day of the week because a couple dozen kid-at-heart bikers gather under the Wash/Jeff bridge b-ball courts to play polo. I think the break in weather will draw a good crowd tonight. I'm extra-stoked because this is the next-to-last night before we try to send a team to the tourney in Portland.

Also, just added two new links to the sidebar:

Legit Bike Polo <---- Boston polo blog. Dorkily good instructional videos on mallet- and disc-building.
The League of Bike Polo
<---- Bike polo forums. Nitty-gritty deets and smack talk.

See y'all under the bridge!