Hi all,

My friend, Joni, sent me a few pix from our trip to Savannah. A few other ladies and us are heading up to Helen to ride in the mountains tomorrow. yay!!!

Joni on left, me in center, Jenn on right. We're leaving from Augusta to Savannah.



Arrival at hotel outside of Savannah.



It was so hot and humid. Look at that road ass!


Me hanging on my bike, Jenn hanging on Joni's bike (Jenn's bike is the vmax on the left) in downtown Savannah.

So, in my little blurb about M.J. I briefly mentioned lawsuits in which people treat you like a bank account. Yep, yet another lawsuit... I freakn hate people. I really do... I like my friends...but humans in general? What a waste of evolutionary effort. I'm tired of people trying to take advantage of you (read me and mine). These kinds of lawsuits are really just a type extortion. Sooo... here I am spending time putting together a time line, getting ready to call our lawyer (at $200.00 an hour). What a bitch this lady is... rude lying extortionist bitch. THIS is why some businesses go out of business... you just get tired of people using you like an ATM... as if we have all of this money... Even if nothing comes out of it for her we are out thousands of dollars as our lawyer racks up the bills. If we settle b/c it becomes too expensive...well either way you feel like someone is sand fn you in the @ss. See how this works??? They gamble that you will settle out of court. Luckily we aren't famous and the news/tabloids don't spread this crap around or people would judge us and assume we are guilty for settling. No, we aren't rich and can't afford an extended lawsuit and MOST importantly... we can't afford the stress.

Want to know what it feels like? Go through your house...now imagine having a party where some people are just *looking* for a reason to sue you. ooppss your rug wasn't lying on the floor in the proper way...and ooppps someone falls and goes boom... Or, they tripped on a book lying on the floor. Or, they "slipped" on some water next to the cats/dogs water bowl. SEE??? It's very easy to bring lawsuits against people. If you want to really fuck with someone...sue them.

What's precious about this new lawsuit??? The bitch is a lawyer. nice touch whorebag... I hope I meet you in a dark alley so I can met out justice the old school way.

I had fun blowing up a lot... I mean a lot of fireworks here yesterday. The hubby drove to another state to pick them up. love fireworks...love blowing stuff up... perfect...

Happy 4th y'all!

This morning it was like in the low 60s with 40-50% humidity, so I headed out to get in a nice ride in the cool air. What a treat... I headed out to the country roads and rode all over the place at a nice chill pace for a several hours. sweet breeze...ahhhhh rode I dunno 130-150 miles on the back roads...

Here's my tribute to M.J. Some might ask why... But, dude was a genius...born into an abusive family and put on stage at the earliest of years. Such a talented entertainer, singer, and song writer. I feel sorry for him that so many vultures were after him, but I guess that's how it goes when you have fame and fortune. I just feel sorry for someone who was so talented and obviously so tortured that he ended up using a freakn anesthetic to get some relief... He also had that skin disorder (for real), lupus, and suffered several brutal injuries on stage. I'm sure all of this led to him using to ease his pain, both physical and mental. I'm not his judge, and I do know that he was acquitted of all charges against him (I don't believe that just because someone brings up charges against you that you are automatically guilty and I'm a survivor of the kind of abuse that he was charged with). Also, after starting our business I'm familiar with people bringing law suits against you, lying, and trying to get you to settle out of court (which, believe me... is often cheaper than going through a court battle...no matter how right you are). While being a big punk/alt/metal fan...I do really like two of his tunes so I'm posting them via a play list. Smooth Criminal and Give in to Me are both awesome in my book.

Hey all,

The trip was great! Here's a quick run down... I'll post pix as soon as my friend sends them to me.

Friday: rode to Augusta. On my way to pick up one of my friends I got stuck in stop n' go interstate traffic. The homemade cool vest I wore lasted until I arrived at my friend's work. It was a mesh bag filled with icy packs. We then headed out on 20E towards Augusta. It was so frickn hot that the cool vest was removed as the "ice" packs were liquefied in 30 min. and I ended up only riding in a wet t-shirt and jeans. That was a good thing as we immediately got stuck in stop n' go traffic on 20E. We shut down our bikes for a bit. *HOT* I thought I was going to die from heat exhaustion. We stopped for about 30-40 min. in Madison to recover. We ended up at a friend's house in Augusta eating good food. Met this ole hippie gal who rode a big Road Glide (I think). She was awesome... Rode off into the night with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth.

Saturday: rode from Augusta to Savannah by way of 25S to 16. 25S was awesome. Just a beautiful divided highway... I had a hornet fly up my knee length pants. We had to pull over cuz it kept stinging my thigh over and over again until I squished its ass. I hopped off my bike (didn't put it in neutral and it lunged forward slightly) and ran over to some bushes and dropped my pants. My friend ran over to make sure I was ok. That was funny. I'm sure we looked funny... me with my pants down and my friend checking out my leg... hee hee heeee
We arrived at a Days Inn... ran over to the pool and cooled off. Then we rode to downtown Savannah, parked our bikes, and walked around. We were true road hags...all sweaty and dirty. We sure did get some looks. After eating some pizza in the evening we rode through Savannah back to the hotel. As we were leaving our parking spot, which was right next to the pizza place (w/sidewalk tables located 1-2 ft. away from our pipes...we warned them before we fired up our bikes), a bunch of people whooped and hollered when we took off. That was fun...

Sunday: rode from Savannah to ATL area. That took about 4.5 hours. We only stopped for gas, the wetting of my t-shirt, and copious amounts of water/gatorade. Nothing fun to report... I was really comfy riding w/ my feet up on my highway pegs.

All in all I guess I rode about 560-600 miles. The windshield was good on the interstate, my highway pegs were fine -but still need adjusting. The "heavy duty twist lock" on my barrel bag broke on the way home and I had to use an extra bungee cord (I brought 3 extra) to keep the bag closed (luckily nothing flew out). I'm going to exchange it for a new one this week. Riding in comfortable clothes -read barely there- was necessary b/c it was a deep fried hot humid ride that could have killed me if I couldn't keep my body from overheating. When it's that humid sweating doesn't really work. Oh yeah, I had a wet ass every time I got off my bike. My friends took a pic of said ass...of course.

I'm going to order one of those hydration vests. I tried to find one at 4 different shops before I left and all of the shops only carried them in large men's sizes. Oh, so us ladies have to suffer? That's the only way I can see wearing any kind of jacket in the hot humid weather down here. No wonder almost zero riders wear gear during the summers down here (both sport and cruiser riders).

It was great riding with other women. No one cared about looking great, or was a princess, etc. We all looked like sweaty dirty hags -the kind only other bikers could love, but we had a great time.

So... tomorrow I'm heading out with my girlfriends on a road trip. yee haw y'all!

Today I took my bike in to GS H-D so she could be transformed into a minibagger. -well, kind of... My bike has a detachable windshield, highway pegs, a luggage rack, and a barrel bag. I absolutely hate my windshield. Not just because it looks crappy up close, but on the way home (over 50 mile ride) I couldn't feel the wind in my kisser, just wind coming in from the side. yuck! I know that's what it's supposed to do...and I know I will love it on the interstate. I can assure that it's only going on when I have longer rides. The highway pegs need a little adjusting. Maybe my friend that wrenches will fix them for me.

I'll post a pic tomorrow after she's loaded up.

Excited about the ride!!!!!

My brain had a little orgasm today. I found the last stretch of 20W and it was awesome. Why did they build this stretch of highway so awesome? I dunno... But, it's a 4 lane highway separated by a sizeable grassy stretch. The asphalt is in top notch condition. It's banked well and there aren't a lot of intersections or cars. It's like a little race track. At the end you can immediately jump on the onramp to go back on 20E. It was love at first ride. I didn't ride that fast, just 70-78. But there are a number of beautiful curves and some flat stretches to really open her up. A light is pretty predictable in that it will change. Instead of being mad that your ride has to stop...just use the light as a green flag, take the bike to the red-line and go go go. Just make sure you still stay aware of the cars that do jump on the highway and any errant animals. Man... after riding this stretch 4 times the brain just oozed dopamine and I was high high high. ahhh... I love you last stretch of 20W.

hmmm...
Yesterday I had an interesting contrast. At one of my many stops to soak my shirt, a couple of dudes complimented my bike and me. :) At the very next stop, some douche bag made some kind of "biker scum" noise and the clerk made a noise in agreement. The contrast was entertaining.

trying to stay cool!

It's hot here in GA. Heat index today when I went out - 95. It's not AZ hot, but it's still hot...specially when it's humid. I'm keeping my jacket, gloves, long pants, and boots on (helmet is required). Everywhere I look I see almost naked riders. My jacket has a removable outer piece, leaving me a mesh jacket w/ armor. Today I bought one of those neck bands with the water absorbant beads. It really helped. What I want now is to find those beads so I can make packs to put in my jacket pockets. I've seen vests packed with those beads. Wow...they're a little expensive. When I leave for a ride when it's really hot I usually wear a wet shirt to help keep the bod cool.

Any other ideas for staying cool when it's cooking outside?

Wow, so I went climbing today. What's so special about this is that I used to be a top notch climber, experienced a terrible fall, and stopped climbing 8+ years ago. I won my division of the largest climbing competition in the world and placed 11th overall (in only my 2cd competition). I lived, breathed, and ate climbing 247 365. I was on track for product sponsorship and photographers started taking my pix (scroll down to see a few). Nothing was more important than climbing road trips. About 8 years ago I was just recovering (read 3 spinal surgeries) from a severe spine injury that happened during a climbing trip in Oregon. The fall wasn't devastating at the time. In fact, after the fall (which was long), I sucked it up, got a cheap ass motel room, sat in a hot bathtub and drank copious amounts of beer. I continued my trip 2 days later. A couple of years later when I decreased my training from 6 days/week to maybe 3/4 days, my muscles atrophied a little, and wham... the spine injury expressed itself. This was the most intense pain I've ever gone through. It got so bad that my spine completely deformed (hunch back), I could barely get up to pee, etc and I was taking 12-15 vicodin tablets a day -NOT because I was addicted but because the pain was so unbearable. I was going to kill myself for real. I would have had too, because the way I was living (over 1.5 years of INTENSE severe pain) was NOT living and god damn it if we can put down animals for suffering I wanted out of my suffering. In fact, people in severe pain (day in day out, no breaks) have a 50% suicide rate. I understand and agree with them. I would never make another human being suffer -because "life is so precious...we should even suffer to keep it" -fuck that. Those sentiments are spoken by people who have never truly suffered that kind of pain...continuously. Shoot me in the fucking head, better yet...just give me a morphine overdose, tell me you love me, and let me the fuck go. -However-, I met a surgeon who did my second surgery and while not completely gone...the pain was bearable -with daily vicodin. After 3 surgeries, countless spinal injections, and titanium rods and screws, and donor bone... I can live my life -with 1 daily vicodin tablet.

So, climbing... Today I went to a climbing gym after not climbing since my back injury surfaced...8 years ago. I felt like an Olympic gymnast going back to the gym trying to do a cartwheel. Anyway... I just wanted to start getting into shape again. I'm little yes...but I'm not fit. Definitely not 35 pull ups on a door jam fit. But, I pulled out my gear, squeezed my thighs into the tiniest climbing harness (I was just nothing but lean muscle), and headed up the wall. I was only top-roping (the rope goes down to you, so pretty much slim chance of falling and hurting yourself). The technique was there, but the poor body and lungs. Of course, I was weak...but really it was my asthma that stopped me. I did climbing laps (climbed the same route over and over) for over 30+ minutes. When I stopped my leg muscles already ached. ahhh... climbing... screw going to a regular gym... you want to get fit? truly fit? then climb...it works out every muscle in your body (well, you probably need to do push ups). Anyway, I'm going back. I would like to be able to do a bunch of pull ups again and be tight all over. I won't be in shape like I was at my peak, but that's ok.

Here are some pix of me climbing limestone before I was at my peak. These were taken by a professional photographer. ahhh... those were the days... :)

So, I received a few invites to attend runs/poker run on BoN. I attended one close to my neighborhood to support my community. It was the Ride for Jamey run from a bar in McDonough to the Old Mill Motorcycle Museum in Juliette. This ride was escorted by 3/4 motorcycle officers as well as 1 4-wheeled vehicle. Before I left I headed over to the industrial complex to practice my fast braking at speed, riding on wet grass/gravel, tight ass u-turns, etc. This always keeps the reflexes ready, skills fresh, and makes me feel comfy and confident on my bike. Once I arrived I kind-of kicked it around since I didn't know anyone. After a bit, someone from a MM (motorcycle ministry) came over to talk to me. He was very nice and helped break the ice for me. I was a little surprised no one went over group signals, but I'd reviewed some in advance. The guy from the MM let me in line in front of him -which was super kewl. Let me tell you just how fn kewl it is to ride in not only a big group of bikes and hear all of the fn kewl H-D engines/pipes, but also having a police escort that makes people pull off to the side of the road, blocks intersections, and lets you run stop signs/lights. :) That was the kewlest thing ever. You just keep riding in formation all the way to the destination. I kept my shit tight b/c you only have ~ a 2 second space cushion with the bike directly in front of you and ~ 1 second with the bike on your right. There is no room for error. Wow. So, I just kept my shit tight and I trusted that everyone else had theirs tight too. If I screwed up I would not only endanger myself, but others too and vs/vs (hmmm that's not the right abb). We ended up riding up a gravel road and up a slight grassy incline to park. After I parked, I ran into 2 women who were looking for the bathroom. So, we all walked down the campground road until we found them. This is where I met a possible new riding buddy -Barb (name changed). Barb rides her own of course. We talked about how we both loved to ride, not bar hop (like a lot of guys think of riding), and how we typically ride by ourselves. I didn't let this opportunity slide and asked her if she wanted to ride back together (we didn't ride back as a group). So, after having a bite to eat off we went to the gas station (I do have a peanut tank). Then she asked me if I just wanted to go riding instead of heading back right away. So, she took me on the funnest curviest roads. It was a great feeling riding with another gal, on our loud ass Harleys, ripping up the roads. Anyway, we ended up at the bar and I met other great people. So, I'm just going to keep on hitting it. I hope Barb and I ride together again. And, of course, the ride/raffle/auction raised money for the sweetest little boy.

What a great time I had this weekend.

Hey all!

I just got back from a pretty good ride. I had an experience on my way out this late morning when I encountered a doe and her baby. When I ride the country roads I enjoy the scenery a lot, but I also have to watch out for cars pulling out and wildlife, so I'm always scanning with my radar. So, I'm riding a relaxing pace at 55-60 when off to the side of the road down an embankment I spot a doe and her baby. The momma was eye balling the road to see when she could jet out with her baby safely. I just stopped in my tracks and tried to slow down a passing car (dummies...deer are like squirrels...completely unpredictable). I blew my pathetic horn a few times to try and get her to make a decision -damn it. She then turned and ran off back into the woods. yay for biker radar... Did you know GA is #5 on the list of highest rates of motorcycle deer strikes?

OK, I'm heading off to Savannah with my new buddy next month. I'm first heading over to Augusta, then heading down to Savannah. so quite a bit of interstate riding... plus I think we're probably camping... Anyway, I need to turn my Sporty into a mini-bagger. I'm buying a detachable windshield (oh, how GD ugly), luggage rack, highway pegs for my engine guards, and this thing called a lazy bag (I hope). The kewl thing about the lazy bag is its a barrel with lots of pockets and has this detachable back pad so you can lean against it. I'm excited about the last feature because I don't want to swap out my solo seat for something with a backrest. Anyway, has anyone ever toured on a Sporty??

Our friend Jake (names changed of course), a loooong time friend of the hubby, stopped by our pad on his way from FLA to NH. Of course he rides. Since I haven't really tried to sell the Buell yet, I let him ride it while he was here. No one, rides my Sporty...no one -but me. Anyway... So, him and the man are out riding and bar hopping too. I'm out riding on a new highway in the opposite direction. About 2 hours after I get home the hubby comes inside and tells me to get a hot rag and some towels because Jake wrecked. sigh... I go outside and the hubby is fixing him up (the hubby is a cert. life guard). Jake had road rash on the right side of his face, back of his right hand, and his right shoulder. His ankle was sore too. The bike...well the entire right side was fkd. What happened? No one knows... They were at the bottom of a hill leaving a parking lot. The hubby ascended and was waiting for Jake. No Jake. The hubby looks in the side view mirror...no Jake. Hubby turns and sees my Buell laying on top of Jake. Hubby runs to Jake. Jake gurggled something and then went nighty night. Jake didn't even have time to put his hands out b/c there wasn't any road rash on the fronts of hands. Luckily he was wearing a DOT approved helmet (he doesn't like to wear them). Hubby woke him up, dried him off, and they came home. He had been playing with the Buell and its hard quick braking all day. The front brake on the Buell is HUGE and very touchy. I practiced a lot to try and quell any desire to grab that front brake. I think he gunned it at the bottom of the hill and then something obviously went way wrong. We think he must have grabbed the front brake -some time. Also, he fell hard to the right with no time to react. Obviously, his head hit the ground hard. I've dropped that bike during a slow speed tight u-turn and only had a bruise on the palm of my hand and a little tiny road rash on my knee. He looked like he *crashed* the damn bike. I'm thankful he was wearing a helmet cuz if he hadn't he would surely have been in the hospital, hopefully alive and not a vegetable. The helmet, while not cracked, definitely had scrapes across it. This morning he seemed ok. He had a bad limp and was wondering if his ankle was broken.

I don't care how long you've been riding (and he rides a lot and has been for plenty of years) you shouldn't drink and ride, you definitely shouldn't on a "new" bike, and you definitely need to RESPECT THE BIKE. It doesn't matter how "small" the bike is...it's still a motorcycle and will fck you up.

I'm grateful to the soldiers that gave their lives for their country and our freedom.

Today I ventured out for a relaxing ride. I even did the speed limit...sometimes. Nothing spectacular...just wind in the kisser (which is always spectacular). So, here's my list of humorous moments today:

1) I'm waiting at a light and Paunch and John (the man -you know "Chips") round the corner and wave. I almost fell off my bike giggling. I couldn't help it. Every time I see 2 lawmen riding side-by-side (which is rare) the Chips theme runs through my head. heeeeeeee

2) At another light I hear someone calling out to me. I turn and it's a dad with kids in tow yelling to me that my bike was bad ass (yes, so true) and his kids were bouncing up and down and waving at me. I somehow came up with the coolest rev pattern for them. ahhhh sweet sweet music...

3) At the next red light some dudes in a big truck towing something yelled out to me, "sweet bike" and gave me the thumbs up. I waved back and then sped up so they couldn't get in front of me. oh come on... it was a big truck towing a big trailer... that wasn't bitchy was it?

Anyway... that's it... a little bit of humor and a little bit of fun

So, I rode out to meet my friend today. She lives about 160 miles away so we met in the middle. It's pretty kewl meeting another gal who's way into bikes and rides a lot (even wrenches). I like her. :) What's funny? Both our husbands are from New England.

so, my cherry...popping...

It rained today. I checked the weather reports and knew I would make it there with, if anything, some sprinkles. But, I wasn't sure if I would ride all the way back in the rain. I did. As soon as I got on the interstate the skies opened and rained on me. Perhaps you don't know that I don't ride in the rain. I thought it was a good idea to wait until I had enough miles under my belt that the rain wouldn't be much of a problem. I guess I do have enough miles, because the rain wasn't a problem. OH, that's not to say that the rain drops at 70 mph didn't feel like needles in my face until my face went numb. Or, that I wasn't wet or cold or had water in my boots or had rain dripping off of my face down my neck and into my shirts. Yeah, that was fun. The hard part was staying focused for the 1 1/2 hour ride and not succumbing to the urge to just ride home as hard as I could. Thanks to David Hough's books I knew to not brake on wet painted surfaces (lines, arrows, etc.), etc. I arrived home fine; I was just a cold shivering wet mop. A long hot shower fixed that...

It was worth it.

It's been a busy week both at work and in my personal life. good stuff... The most difficult part of my job is pretty much over. I just need to tie up some loose ends. In my personal life:

I'm a new president of a womens MC chapter and we are always on the look out for women who are interested in membership.

Speaking of riding, which I've been doing a lot lately (more if it weren't for the rain)... I'm planning a trip to meet a new friend -female friend that rides. yay! She lives about 150 miles away so we are meeting in the middle. Finally, someone I can ride with... sigh...

So, I rode out to one of the biker bars today, "Motorhead." A really nice guy sat next to me and we just chatted about bikes after he found out that I was married. At least he didn't leave me like I had the plague or something. My mission...to ask about GA clubs or other women riders. He said there were women's club up north, but they were ATL sport bike clubs. When I got home I called a friend of mine who works at GS H-D and he said that there were other women who really loved to ride but they were pretty spread out or they didn't find other women to ride with so they only rode with their husbands (so not getting a lot of mileage). He's going to collect numbers for me.

I would like to start a chapter here. GA needs it. I need it. The women here need it (well some of them). If we are so spread out that we have to ride 100s of miles to find each other or we either give up and only ride with boyfriends/husbands, then it's needed. I hope it goes well.

Nothing in life ever goes as planned, but at least you can keep trying until *something* happens. How does the saying go... "If you want change, Be the change."

OK, I'm super tired of not having any girlfriends to hang around with and ride. Problems with my friend search on bikerornot...well let's just say a lot of dudes send friend requests and the gals around here who say they ride don't (I've seen hmmm...freakn 2 female solo riders since July 08 -for real). And, they only state that they are interested in dudes. So, no female friends?

Why do I need female companionship? Well, not having friends of the same gender sux (guys...imagine hanging around women ALL of the time), and I can't very well hang around dudes cuz I'm married. I don't want a galpal that's not active or not into bikes (b/c I want to ride), or who's really into shopping/eating out/chick flicks. I mean I can only enjoy that stuff in brief shots. Oh, I can get my girl on...I can't tell you how many pretty dresses I have hanging in my closet (ok, I can and they aren't worn much).

Being by oneself gets lonely...I should mention that I don't have any family here. My family is far enough away that I need to hop on a plane to visit them (or drive for 11 hours). The hubby, well, we are great pals (really). We hang, but even he needs to get out and hang with the guys. I understand because I want that too. Also, he's sooo busy from May until August/September that it's like I'm married to someone who's on duty and only comes home (exhausted) to eat, stare at the tube, and sleep. He's so busy with the business that to spend time with him during these months I go to work with him in the field (fixing things, getting supplies, etc.).

soo...what to do... hmmm...Where do I find women who LOVE to ride? I've got it! What bike clubs exist in GA? The other night I checked out the club list on the Women Riders Now web page. I found a few national organizations that were up for starting new chapters. Soooo... I'm wondering...I'm pondering...I'm cogitating... starting a chapter in GA. I'm sure that there are more than a few women in GA who would be interested in riding camaraderie, friendship, etc. I mean, I *can't* be one of only a handful of women who LOVE to ride in GA. Can I? So, I'm leaning towards sending an email to this one MC. They have a lot of chapters in CA, and invited emails from those interested in starting a chapter. I signed their guest book, but I'm sure I need to send a pretty detailed intro email. Anyone have any words of wisdom? Honestly, what do you think of going down this road??

UPDATE: The secretary of the club contacted me. kewl... it's looking positive.

I couldn't take it anymore and came home a little early for a ride (I'll have to finish my work at home tonight). Out through sickening suberbia to the back roads I went. The sky was full of white fluffy clouds punctuated with dark menacing clouds. The air was sometimes hot and humid and other times cool -the kind of cool right before it rains. So, I was just enjoying the ride -big smiles. I relaxed and dropped my arm...or held my tank...or laid on top of my tank. The curves and hills + curves were too fun. The bike was easy -all responsive to me. body english or weighted bars it made no difference... whatever I wanted happened... ahhh... all smiles...

Then the rush...
There's the section of road of which I spoke before where cars sometimes want to race me (or others). Today, a car pulled up next to me (one of those big pimped out chryslers) and pulled 1/2 a car length in front of the white line. Ahhh... really??? Being in a super content mood and feeling very much part of my bike...I thought hmmm, "maybe yes, maybe no." BUTTT as soon as the light changed WHAM! My bike surged -I mean SURGED forward. She almost lifted up into a wheelie as the rear tire grabbed asphalt. I responded naturally and just leaned over her and pushed her down. I could feel the rear tire just banging down...my rpms flew up to the point of redline... I SMOKED HIS ASS
THAT was a rush. HOLY SH*T... My pony may not have it in the upper range -yet-, but she sure has it in the lower range. Wow...

It's a good thing I didn't ride motorcycles when I was younger (I rode a moped until I crashed it on a dirt bike trail -and the engine branded my leg with its logo). I would not have had the control over my brain that just totally responds to challenge and adrenaline with a dopamine rush. Now a days I control it...usually... except for moments like today.

A colleague gave me a $10 gift card, so this morning on my way to work I stopped in B&N for a coffee and a new mag. I perused the many bike mags and pulled out "The Horse" which I guess is a splinter off of Iron Horse. Usually mags that have naked girls sprawled all over a bike turn me off cuz I want to see bikes not babes. But, I remember reading about The Horse in Cycle Source and thought I'd give it a try. I just finished flipping threw it and I've come to a conclusion about my tastes in bikes. Cycle Source covers the bike scene (the new one...) and the bikes are old school designs (& dirteee). But, the bikes have some art to them and I love them. The Horse is more like a DIY rag so the bikes are truly boothill having been pieced together from whatever was laying around (& was cheap). I definitely appreciate the work that goes into the bikes (not having built one myself), but I find many of the bikes (not all).... I don't know... "hoopdee." I think if I had the time I would definitely try to do my own build, but I don't so I won't. Maybe, if I actually "worked" on my own bike I would have a much greater appreciation for the bikes in the mag.

So, yes I like boothill bikes...but I like my bikes "clean" and uncluttered with an eye for design that's both functional and somewhat "arty." When I look at some of the bikes in The Horse I think I would hate to ride them because my bolts would pop out of my spine from the hard tail rigid frame, I couldn't brake that quickly w/out a front brake, and the bar/seat/peg set-up is too bunched up. not to mention that some of them are so low that you'd have to take a decent curve at a pretty low speed... Well, some of the bikes in Cycle Source have some of these problems too. So, I guess these syle bikes are not meant for riding but for bar-hopping or showing off to your friends.

What bike rags do you read and what bike styles do you like?