Kids are awesome

This kid is awesome. Sometimes kids remind us how we should be greeting everyday. Rev up your engine, some fist pumps, blow a few kisses, then let the day rip.

Thanks to Erin Kummer for passing this one along.

Portland, OR and Coeur D' Alene, ID

Higlights of my last 3 week driving adventure in the Timex truck.

Watching World Cup Games before checking out from hotel.

Driving through Montana. Truly Big Sky country. I always imagine what it must have been like in the frontier days.

Having to get the truck's transmission re-built in Portland, OR. Not a good thing. Hanging out with one of the athlete's for a day. Fun thing.

Renting a car to go to Bend, OR while truck was being repaired.

Mountain biking in Bend, OR. REALLY GOOD THING!

Finally getting to Ironman Coeur D' Alene a day late.


Setting up the truck with our new expo look. New tents, chairs, banners, etc. I was proud of the work everyone has put in to get it mostly dialed in. There will always be stuff to change but it was nice to hear some positive comments on our visual impact.


Seeing Chris and Linsey Corbin including mom and dad Pickell. Then watching Linsey win her "first" Ironman and breaking the course record to boot.

Driving back through Montana. Had to dodge some thunderstorms which always coincided with trying to go for a ride. At least I got to do some recon on where to go when I drive through again in August. I even found a rest area on I-90 that has some convenient rock climbing routes. It been a long time since I got that excited feeling when looking at rock. Going to dig around for my shoes and gear and perhaps Tristan and I can hit it on our drive to Ironman Canada.

Back to Milwaukee. Hot and humid. Summerfest Music Festival. 4th of July fireworks on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of July.

Fathers Day

I found myself thinking about my dad the other day. I'm not sure what sparked this particular memory but it keeps coming back to me.

I have fond memories of the times we went to get ice cream, usually in the evenings after dinner on a nice summer evening. It would still be light out when when we left the house but dark by the time we returned. Dad would say, "Want to go get ice cream?", and off we would go.

Going to Abbotts for a soft ice cream cone as it turns out was more than a tasty treat. To a kid it was spending time with dad on a summer evening with no worries in the world. I wish I could do that now. I wonder what he thought about it?

"NEW YORK—An extremely clever and creative new thing will amuse the world for two and a half weeks in June, become passé by mid-September, and wind up as a trite and infuriating cliché by Christmas, sources said Monday. "Positive reviews on Boing Boing will signal the brief 'happy' phase of this exciting new thing's existence, about 11 weeks prior to the first backlash," said Wired magazine senior writer Stephen Levy. "I look forward to watching America fall in love with, make YouTube parodies of, sour on, forget about, and groan legitimately when hackneyed late-night talk show references are made to the thing."

Do you have the latest phone? What about the latest computer to replace that old one (old being 1 year old)? The coolest watch? I might be guilty of wanting the latest bike but if you were to look at my two bikes they are hardly the "newest" thing out there. A design that works is a design that will last.

I believe the Fender Stratocaster guitar (as well as the Telecaster) might hold the distinction of being one design that has stood the test of time. It's form-follows-function design has been unchanged since it was introduced in the 50's.

The original Timex watch is great too! I'd probably still be wearing it if I didn't work with TIMEX and have access to their watches.

St. George trip

I thought I would finally get some pics up from the last trip before I head out again for Ironman Couer d' Alene.






Driving is not for SISSIES!


A quick ride in McDowell Mtn. Park in Phoenix.


A quick ride in Sedona.


Water bottle modification. It is a bit tight to fit the Di2 battery mount on the Ordu frame but there is a way to get a H2O cage in there.


Ironman St. George


CD came down from Salt Lake to hang out for a few days in St. George. We hit up the excellent trails in the area.


St. George scenery while out riding.


Desert Tortoise


Gila Monster.


Bikes in the hall again.


After St. George I met some folks in Moab for 2 days.


Erin in Moab (Porcupine Rim)


Stopped near Fruita, CO on the way to Boulder to ride with Erin and Bryce. The Kokopelli trailhead is literally right off the Interstate. You can see the Loma weigh station in the background. Racked on some fines there last year.

Close to the edge

SERENITY NOW! SERENITY NOW! SERENITY NOW!

I'm not sure it's working.

Not trying to be rude

I would just like to say that I'm not trying to be rude.

To all the kind people that have sent me e-mails reminding me that you want me to be your friend (FAcebook) and reminding me to join your professional network ("Link" something), please know that I'm not ignoring you I'm just scared of the unknown. I'll have to back burner those invites until I find some time to concentrate on those things.

I can't believe in this day and age we have to feel we need to apologize for not going with the flow of the hectic world of social networking. I learned that buzz phrase this morning.

If Rob Yetter is reading this. ROB! I will have to get back to you too. I went back through some messages and just recently saw your message. Nice to know you are out there. Awesome!

DJB

A weekend of livin' the dream!

More work on the truck.


Inventory some parts finally Friday night. Still missing some stuff though to do a complete build. Aargh!



A little of this on Saturday.


More of this Sunday. I'm getting a good coat of dust on my teeth.


After a quick bite to eat with a friend Sunday evening, back at the shop.


Shane Kramer sent me a pic of his latest hand crafted guitar building talents. I believe its his first "colored" model. I love the black with gold hardware. I can't wait to maybe strap it on and plug it in this summer if he doesn't sell it by then. I very excited to hear all about it.

CD at Redlands

Here is Thursday's winning Prologue bike from Redlands courtesy of Chris "at the office" Davidson.

Ahhhh, I'd rather be at the scene right now. Good old Redlands.

Oh no!

Oh no, Roger does really read this! Ha!

What and Wish

Ah my love! How are you today? I consider this one of my tools.


WIsh I was working on Will's bike (and Erin's and Matt's).


Working on the truck overhaul. Wish I had more moments but to be honest between answering all those e-mails from Roger (seeing if you are reading Roger) and being PLOWED by F.O.T. jobs, I get interrupted. You might be wondering what the F.O.T is? I can't really say but a few who read this know about being PLOWED. Wow, that Forstner bit is as big as my head.


A guys got to eat! Might as well make a bunch so I get more than one meal out of the effort. This time of year I never get a chance to eat properly.


I've got a little of this in. WIsh I had more.


A guy has to eat! (FInger in the Nutella).


Jonathon E. sent me this pick. Good use for the frame... I think. Did we ever think that was a nice bike? I can't remember. I can see a Cannondale Raven frame being put to that use too.


Awesome! I've been looking for a particular Pete Townshend/The Who poster for years. I can't find it but this was kicking around on my computer desktop. Artistic statement?

ORBEA #1

Here's what the other bikes will look if I ever get more parts sent to me.

I've been trying to rush build two bikes for Oceanside 70.3 and the photo shoot. It takes way too long and too much energy and too much money to get things done last minute. It's one of my peeves. I'd like to vent about it but who knows who might be reading.

fun

EMBED-Bicycle Ghost Rider - Watch more free videos

Finally some real work

Sitting at a desk answering e-mails is the suckiest thing I do with my day! Yet here I am writing a blog entry. What the...?

I'm not sure "suckiest" is even a word. My spellcheck says it isn't. Could that be so?

FINALLY, I have some work to do that involves working with my hands in the shop. Since I have so many folks I never knew were looking at this blog (wow 7 comments from the last blog entry), I thought I'd share some sentiments about what makes a quality professional bike assembly. Douglas Jay Berner Professional Bike Assembly (DJBPBA). I put a good deal of care into my builds that you won't find from a regular factory assembly. I deal with athletes that make their living using the bike and the best part of my job is to make sure the bike functions the best it can and I believe that can start right from the initial bike build. I can usually tell by a rider's reaction who got one of my builds compared to most shop or factory builds.


For example, I remove the screws that attach the rear derailleur hanger and the front derailleur braze on mount to the frame. Those bolts can sometimes vibrate loose. Since most athletes don't check them regularly enough, adding some blue loctite can eliminate that possibility of then loosening during a race.


I also like to cut the fork crown races so they are slotted. Why not absolutely necessary, it makes them tool free to install. If I have to replace one at a race it is easily removed with out having to carry the crown race removal or installation tools with me. Thanks to CD for this little pro trick.


Even Tristan had some busy work to do sorting the clothing. I remember a few years ago when we got rid of red/white/black color scheme to go to orange and was told we would be orange from now on. Look what color we are now. I wonder if the West Hill Shop in Putney Vermont still has the same jersey. If they do, then they win the award for keeping the same color scheme FOREVER!

Cheers,
DJB

Who's watching?

Look what I got today. A nice new batch of Orbea's. Normally I would hesitate letting the athletes know but I'm going to see who reads the blog. (Guys and gals, before you start e-mailing me about your bike, there are no parts yet.)

SCREAMING GOLD

BILL DEMONG WINS ANOTHER NORDIC MEDAL AT THE OLYMPICS. THIS TIME GOLD AND TEAM MATE JOHN SPILLANE JOINED HIM WITH SILVER. FIRST U.S. NORDIC GOLD MEDAL EVER.

AH MAN! UNREAL! THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS I'LL REMEMBER WHERE I WAS WHEN BILLY WON GOLD. SITTING AT WORK. NO ONE ELSE IN THE OFFICE. SCREAMING AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN. ONE COMPUTER GETTING THE EUROVISION VIDEO FEED (fromsport.com) AND ANOTHER COMPUTER GETTING AN ENGLISH AUDIO FEED (linked from cyclingfans.com) AND SPLIT TIMES (nbcolympics.com).

THE ACCOUNTANT NEXT DOOR KNOCKED ON THE OFFICE DOOR TO SEE IF EVERYTHING WAS OKAY. FUNNY!

I MIGHT HAVE TO OFFICIALLY JOIN FACEBOOK SINCE THAT'S THE BEST WAY HE SAID TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM. YES, I SAID FACEBOOK.

PHEW!

Scared of NYC

I'm heading to New Jersey tomorrow for a team get-together. Otherwise know as a team training camp. No physical training going on. Just everyone getting together. All the veterans and newbies getting their clothing and goodies. Pictures and media training. Meetings and discussions.

I have to admit something.

We are going to be right near New York City. I've never been to New York City even though I'm from New York State. In many ways New York City has nothing to do with New York State. I don't think I knew anybody that had been to NYC growing up. What I do remember, and what I need to admit, is that I'm scared of NYC. I really don't care if I ever see NYC in my lifetime.

I know this feeling stems from my childhood. One of my earliest memories is hearing of a place called NYC and a big word that coincided with this place. The word was "mugging." I didn't really know what a mugging was, but I pieced things together and it wasn't good. I was pretty it sure it involved someone bigger than you coming up to you on the street and asking for your money. If you didn't give it up you were beat up. Maybe knifed or maybe even shot. Those early media messages pretty much scared me. So even to this day as an adult I really question what does a place like NYC have to interest me.

I know, I know... its supposed to be the greatest place on earth or something. Really? Crowded sidewalks, traffic!

My good friend, the Greek Goddess Athena Fliakos, recently wrote on her blog...

"What do you do when you board a Bronx bound number 4 train to find a man with swollen joints, ashen skin, and a single raggedy rolling suitcase, a man passed out (but twitching), hunched over one crutch, saturated in his own vomit and reeking of cheap whiskey? What do you do the day after the President of the United States spins intoxicating rhetoric about the power of the American spirit, the compassion of the American people during his State of The Union address when you board a subway to find a fellow human being in desperate need? I found out today that most of us just ignore him. Or stare, shake our heads. Many of us step over him, around him, and startle with disgust when we realize that the wet streak running the length of subway car number 1160 is actually this man’s puke-drool, a rotting bile gurgling up from his throat. “Whoa, Caliban.” I whisper to myself, as I hop on the train. “Say, Caliban. Can you see?”

(READ THE WHOLE PIECE HERE)


This observation happened to take place in NYC which is a place I know she likes but it didn't help my anxiety concerning the inevitable moment that is approaching. The moment when, at this team camp, someone will make the announcement, " We are headed into the city. Why don't you join us Doug?"

Snow Play

NBC?

In case you didn’t know, I’m a huge Winter Olympics fan. I can’t stand to watch most typical sports on TV. But every four years I get to immerse myself in the Olympic dream and be one of those couch-sport-guys. Right now I’m pumping a fist watching women’s moguls and waiting for short track to come back on.

One of my favorite Olympic memories is of the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics and the Miracle On Ice hockey team. What perhaps is so memorable all these years later is the time spent in the living room watching the events unfold on TV with my mom. My mom typically does not watch sports. Certainly, she probably never watched a hockey game before or after those Olympics. But for those two weeks we were sitting on the edge of the couch, holding our breath. “DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!!!!!”

Did anyone else make the following observation about the U.S. television coverage of the opening ceremonies? I felt like the announcing duo of Matt Lauer and that other sports guy were a let down. When every nation entered the stadium, they mentioned who the flag bearer was, their sport, and perhaps a little fact about the person. There was no such commentary when Mark Grimmette proudly carried our flag ahead of the U.S. delegation. They never even mentioned his name. It was as if they dropped their 3X5 note cards on the floor and didn’t know what to say. Seemed like the camera was more interested in where Shaun White was standing and what the snowboard ladies were doing.

Do you think there will be any mention of any of the Nordic sports? I miss having access to Canadian CBC coverage.

I was watching a news story about the two snowstorms that hit the Washington D.C. area this past week. Why is that snow storms are talked about as being bad? Apparently people are blaming the mayor because the city is still crippled from the snow and its removal. They budget for 15” of annual snow and they received somewhere around 50”. Hurray for mother nature! As humans we should realize there are some things beyond our control. Deal with it. Things could be a lot worse than some snow in the street. What about the Donner Party? (I recently saw a PBS documentary about that).

Even in Milwaukee the news stations treat a local snow storm as the lead story. As if the world is about to end. Live “on location” spots and everything. One story this week was about a guy up in arms that snow piles restricted views of traffic in certain locations. Once again… it snowed. DEAL WITH IT!

US Flag bearer

'Papa Mark' Grimmette will carry flag for America

by Trey Kirby

Just a month and a half after qualifying for the Olympics, luger Mark Grimmette has been chosen to carry the flag for the United States at Friday's Opening Ceremony. The 39-year-old will be appearing in his fifth Olympics, and will be only the third luger to carry the flag for the U.S.
After being told that he had been voted to carry the flag by the 216 United States Olympic athletes, Grimmette was shocked. He told the Associated Press, "I'm still shaking. I was incredibly surprised when Brian [Martin] told me, and I'm still trying to process it all. To be the person leading the U.S. team into the Opening Ceremony is just such a great honor."
Grimmette – along with Martin, his partner – is the most decorated American luger in history. The pair won the bronze medal at the 1998 Olympics and silver at the 2002 Games.
Grimmette will be one of only four Americans to compete in five Olympics.
Grimmette, nicknamed "Papa Mark" for his age, is well-respected among American Olympians. Looks like all that flexing will come in handy when he's waving the United States flag.

Congratulations to Mark. Mark is a super nice guy from LP. I think his previous nick name around the Lake Placid crowd was the teddy bear. He is an approachable guy and I always enjoyed hearing about his travels. One time, some of my family came to visit me in Lake Placid. As we were walking into the bike shop I worked at to give them a tour, I ran into Mark in the parking lot. I thought I'd introduce him to my family. I introduced him as one of the athletes who had won an Olympic medal that winter (It was June). By coincidence he had the medal in his pocket (He was coming back from a talking engagement). It was a nice gesture by him to be able to show my niece and sisters a real olympic medal and explain a little about his sport. That is the type of guy he is. That is the type of place Lake Placid is.