He Fixed It!

I grew up in a cycling family. And during those years my dad, Normality rode a sweet 12 speed Bianchi Special. Recently, my little bro, Snizzle stole my idea and turned my dad’s old-school ride into a sweet fixie and in the process he scored his Bicycling Merit Badge to boot. Here’s what Snizzle did to it in his own words:

"I stripped down everything and left the crank. I took off both front gears and chose to keep the lower one. 39 teeth. The bolts that bolted the gears to the crank were too big so I needed to get washers to space it out. I took off the front and rear derailleur, took off the shifters (they were the levers on the frame as opposed to the twist ones or the thumb shifters) I took off the rear brake, pulled off all cables (with the derailleurs too), untaped the handlebars, de-gooped them and put the toe clips back on. I got new handlebar tape, taped ‘em up (literally, like from the bottom to the top) and got a new seat. It looks wicked painful but its not, it’s sick and soooo comfortable.

"I totally rebuilt the rear wheel. Taking off the back gears from the old bike was crazy. I totally mangled the hub trying to save the spokes but the new hub I got had a higher 'flange' so I had to get new spokes anyway. I trued it myself (with some help from Randy Raichart). I got a new chain and shortened it, but when it was fully tensioned, the wheel didn’t sit all the way back in the dropouts, but it’s fixed now. I like it a lot. It’s super nice. Yeah. I think that’s it. Here are the pictures man!"

Fourth of July Spy

For the Fourth this year, we hit up Moab with some camping and hiking in both Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. And it just so happens that I stumbled upon a Bimmer in disguise. Sitting in the parking lot of the Arches Visitor Center was what appears to be test mule for the rumored 5 Series Gran Turismo. This car was heavily taped and was flanked by two 335i's and a 135i all with California plates. Obviously, they were road tripping this thing National Park style. My dad, Normality, is always bragging about how he sees BMW mules all the time out in Jersey—so it's fun finally being the guy to spot the unreleased Barvaian Burner.

Just for you're reference, here's a pic of the official concept vehicle that the above production test mule is based on:

It's a big car in person, hopefully its as sleek looking as the concept.

On the Up and Up

On Saturday Mrs. Kyality and I went on a double date with the older two Kyality Kids… dinner and a movie. After we snagged some pork barbacoa and kid’s quesadillas at the Rio, we rolled in the Clubman—sunroof open—over to the District to see Pixar’s tenth full-length feature: Up. The District is rad because you can pre-purchase your actual seat so I snagged four front and center seats for a Digital 3D screening and we got there just as the previews began, which are apparently also shown in 3D. Did not know that.

I’ll just say it. Up is a straight up gem. It is an utterly original story that is literally unlike anything you’ve ever seen before, though it properly ties in subtle allusions to flicks like Star Wars and Indiana Jones. The most amazing thing about Up is the insane amount of trust it has in the audience. The doods at Pixar truly leave it up to you to connect all the dots, write your own back-story and fill in all the blanks, which are many—but that’s a good thing.

By leaving a vast majority of the exposition up to us, they were able to focus all their efforts on developing rich, amazing, original characters. These characters are an unlikely bunch that endear you through a mind-bogging amount of on-screen chemistry. Up is the ultimate example of show, don’t tell. Never once do you feel talked down to or hit over the head—Up simply invites you along for the ride and trusts you to keep up.

Technically, there’s yet another level of richness in respect to the characters. Up takes the “plastic doll” character design style pioneered by The Incredibles to the next level and strikes the perfect balance between life-like detail and surrealistic caricature. Just watch the details in Muntz’s face as Russell slides across the airship’s window while clinging to a garden hose—it’s seriously amazing.

So see this one on the big screen for sure, but in all honesty, no need for the Digital 3D version. It isn't U23D. This movie is as rich as it needs to be without things constantly jumping off the screen.

Retrovelos

So in the quest for the perfect bike for Mrs. Kyality, which is looking more and more like an Electra Townie, I've stumbled upon a slew of beyond hip retro bicycles. The two that have stood out the most are both from European companies: Retrovelo (above) from Germany and Pashley (below) based in the UK.

I'm not really sure what it is, but these bikes are totally inspiring to me. I dunno if it's their retro-modernism, their pure, classy simplicity or maybe it's just that they're ultra photogenic. It's prolly just good design. What I do know is that if money was no object, the Mrs. and I would surely be rolling on these bikes and we'd prolly need a full-time nanny for the kids so we could ride them and we'd obviously have flats in both London and Munich by little markets—we'd need to ride them somewhere, right? Oh, and we'd need a Learjet so we could go back and forth between continents with our Euro-hipster-velos... again, if money was no object : )

Happy Padre's Day to Me

Mrs. Kyality and the Kyality Kids outdid themselves for Father's Day this year. Check out the goods they delivered. I was fully covered with everything from duds to reading material from music to a movie... another holiday in true Kyality style. They scored me the handy dandy How Tie™, which I can't wait to wear (instructions included). As for reading material, I got Frank Miller's classic graphic novel: Batman: Year One, the prequel to his legendary take on the Caped Crusader. And finally, I scored the rockumentary: I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, which obviously counts as both music and a movie. This amazing black and white doc, directed by Sam Jones and produced by Helvetica and Objectified director Gary Hustwit, chronicles the beyond-eventful creation of Wilco's amazing Yankee Hotel Foxtrot album. It is a must-see for any music or doc junkie. Click here to see them up close.

Velo Mamma

So, will somebody please help me convince Mrs. Kyality that she should get this bike? We've been investigating ladies bikes for a few months now and we've hit a bit of a brick wall. Growing up in a bike family, you kind of know that a decent bike is definitely gonna be in the $400+ range. Otherwise, you’re relegated to a big box solution at the Targets of the world. But when searching out a stylish women’s bike for a gal/mamma who hasn’t ridden for a long time and isn’t so sure if a new bike would even be ridden for more than a few times a month, a $400 - $700 price tag can be a definite barrier of entry. I just think this Electra Townie Euro 8D in Cadet Blue would be a rad rod for the Mrs. to cruise on despite it being bucks deluxe.

British Racing Green

MINI just released this Limited Edition JCW celebrating 50 years of the Cooper Company winning the F1 Championship. I'm totally digging this true British racing green and blacked-out rims. I could rock this car for sure and... man, do I miss my bi-xenons.