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Velominatus: Xyverz

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Just a budding Velominatus, trying to reconcile my self-image and Rule #33. Prefer riding distance over racing. In my other life, I'm a computer nerd.

@Xyverz's activity:

The Cogals

Cogals are meetings of like-minded misfits brought together by the promise of beer, preceded by a bike ride. Cogals are free, open to all, organized by our fellow Velominati and are always followed by consumption of post-ride recovery ales and merriment. These are gatherings of unbridled observance of Rule #4.Cogals differ themselves from other...

@Xyverz's posts:

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Guest Article: Bike #2

I don’t have to tell anyone around here that @Cyclops is weird guy; most of you have already figured that out, and if you haven’t figured it out, you will soon enough. But weird doesn’t have any negative meaning, if you ask me. In fact, I’d say we’re all weird which makes normal more suspect. Several years ago, long be...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. @Cyclops Holy shit, that thing is freakin’ SEXY! Kudos to you, sir! »

The Bikes

The Bike. It is the central tool in pursuit of our craft. A Velominatus meticulously maintains their bicycles and adorns them with the essential, yet minimal, accoutrement. The Rules specify the principles of good taste in configuration and setup of our machines, but within those principles lies almost infinite room for personal taste.It seems in s...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. @Nate They have a very pretty 1973 Bianchi done up there, too. The only problem with the Bianchi is that the head badge has been replaced with a decal. Other than that, it’s also very, very beautiful. »

  2. This thing gives me full-on Carbone: http://www.cyclingtips.com.au/2013/01/bikes-of-the-bunch-colnago-c35-oro/ »

The Sunday Morning Reasonable Ride

I rousted Frank early. The Sunday morning group ride rolls out at 6:30 am from Twin Falls. As I put bikes in the truck  I saw a sky full of stars, a good indicator for a beautiful morning ride. I have been crazed to show Frank our local Sunday morning group ride and now he was on Maui it was finally going to happen. It is a Casually Deliberate rid...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. @sthilzy 50C??? Holy shitballs. That’s just wrong. @gianni – great write-up, sir! I took several opportunities during the storms we had in November to get a few rain rides in. Sadly, both times ended up being beautifully dry rides after the first hour… »

Guest Anatomy of a Photo: Here We Rest

@steampunk dropped this beauty of a photo on us. Volumes being spoken here, none of which makes being a pro look so great. Thanks Steamy.VLVV, Gianni Continue reading...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. Would you call this the less glamorous side of being a pro, or just the aftermath? »

Velominati Photo Contest: Season 2012

Truth be told, how many of us can resist a photo of ourselves Looking Fantastic on the bike? How many of us can resist the temptation of taking our eyes off the road and stealing a glimpse of ourselves in a shop window as we pass by? Not me, but then again a strong case could be made for my being a narcissist and I freely admit that I love looking...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. Dammit, my previous post didn’t take. Let’s try this again… Me and LeMan chattin’ it up after the inaugural Palo Alto Echelon Gran Fondo, of which he was the rider of honor: This one is after reaching the top of Kaiser Pass in the 2012 Climb to Kais… »

  2. »

In Memoriam: The Proper Head Badge

The days of the proper head badge, I’m afraid, are numbered. It seems it used to be that any road bike with a pedigree that was really worth riding was festooned with an artful adornment on the head tube. By that I mean something made with a bit of heft, stamped or cast of alloy and riveted front and center. More and more though we’re s...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. Trying this again…: »

  2. My trek’s got a decent head badge… »

  3. @Deakus Those are some pretty lugs and badges. The tattoo-based bike design was gorgeous. »

Anatomy of a Photo: V-Bank Line of Credit

Economics, in its most simple form, follows the Conservation of Mass as defined in physics. Basically, everything goes according to plan so long as outflow is less than or equal to inflow. Failing that, the balance is upset and things start getting complicated. Before long, the calculus starts revolving around “imaginary numbers” (like...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. All I have to say about that photo is pain A will shortly be replaced by pain B, followed by recovery C. Ouch. »

The Bikes

The Bike. It is the central tool in pursuit of our craft. A Velominatus meticulously maintains their bicycles and adorns them with the essential, yet minimal, accoutrement. The Rules specify the principles of good taste in configuration and setup of our machines, but within those principles lies almost infinite room for personal taste.It seems in s...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. @Nate, @Beers  – My cable cutters have an auger on the end that allows me to make the housings round again with very little effort. I’ve done the cable scrap thing with varying degrees of success as well. »

The Lexicon: A Retraction

The recent headlines being made in the cycling world have honestly not garnered a whole lot of attention at V-HQ, at least where a certain COTHO is concerned. Yes, The Keepers have added to the usual discussions on the topic here, read the news, and given it some thought. But we really don’t feel the need to take any sort of official position...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. @frank WIN! I’m glad you got McQuaid in there. He really deserves to be in that list. »

  2. Dammit. Looks like those images didn’t post. Let’s try this way: »

  3. LeMan is my hero. Ever since I got to meet him last year at a charity ride (and spend about half an hour to 45 minutes just chattin’ it up with him), he’s stuck in my mind as the ultimate class act. Not a bad word to say about anybody, and – as we were bo… »

The Thin Boundary Between Casual and Deliberate

Cycling and crashing are the kinds of things that come together whenever you liberally combine Newtonian Physics, skill, and overconfidence. In other words, I’ve been falling off my bike for nearly as long as I’ve been climbing on it.One of the more memorable crashes of my youth involved the commute home from my high school and a lady...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. @unversio I’m still trying to figure out how the hell this happened. You do have to admit, though, that Frank’s got talent! »

Come the Rain

The northwest has just experienced a spell of dry weather over two months long. It’s been enough to make a man sick.That’s all over now, thank Merckx. Commuting home today, I was caught off guard. No jacket, no gloves– nothing. A few drops hit, heavy and plump like ripe fruit. Then the drops became steady. By my half-way point, I...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. They’re expecting our first significant rainfall of the season here in the SF bay area on Monday. I’m thinking I might just be riding my bike to work that day. =) »

La Vie Velominatus: Clean Bike Day

It seemed so easy, when I was young, to decide who to love and who to hate. These days, life is a complicated web of heroic deeds and dark shadows. As we get older, it appears our heroes and villains get mixed up.Fortunately for us, Cycling is about much more than bike racing. It is about loving the machine, submitting ourselves to the cathedral ...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. @Nate – Mmmm, Rock ‘n’ Roll Lube. The gold stuff is the shit! The only problem is that – well, until I got my work stand, that is – getting that shit on the wheels means squeaky brakes on your first big descent. (Fortunately for me, that squeaky descent w… »

The Bikes

The Bike. It is the central tool in pursuit of our craft. A Velominatus meticulously maintains their bicycles and adorns them with the essential, yet minimal, accoutrement. The Rules specify the principles of good taste in configuration and setup of our machines, but within those principles lies almost infinite room for personal taste.It seems in s...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. @the Engine Brand name & model, please? Those sound like a good thing to have around the house… »

Guest Article: Where the hell are all the Velominata hiding?

It is October, the last VSP of the season is up, there is still some race in China no one cares about. The road racing season is over. It is time for a little Velominati reflection. We tried to put in as many women’s races into the VSP as we could. They get little press, finding a start list is tough, picking the top five even tougher. But th...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. Fucking awesome, @mel. And yes, you look very pro on your Venge. =) As I read your article, I couldn’t stop thinking of a friend of mine who just bought herself a new bike. I gave her input (she did ask) to her FB post about what to buy (“Go to your LBS…. »

The Gear

Our products represent the spirit of Velominati; every product we offer is made with the utmost attention to detail – no compromises were made in their selection or design. Whenever possible, our products are made my small, locally-owned businesses who share our passion for quality and we make every effort to ensure they are made in an enviro...

@Xyverz's posts:

  1. @ChrisO 20,000km in 2 years is a very decent amount. I’d say you definitely got your 200 quid out of it. I’d take Brooks up on their offer and have them replace your saddle. In the mean time, maybe try a fi'zi:k for the months you might be without? *shrug* »

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