Rode this bike on a bridge today. Prolly should have ridden a different one. Brought a bazooka to a knife fight and managed to leave all cut up. Rode bikes though. Grabbed all the awesome I could carry, which was a considerable amount. Get out there folks, I left some for you.
Category Archives: Surly Karate Monkey
Hollandaise
The Missus mentioned last night that we needed english muffins for eggs benedict today so I offered to get some on my ride this morning. As such, when I left this AM, I [1] headed in the exact opposite direction of the store. My rough plan was to ‘find a loop’ or worst case scenario bail to an out-and-back. [2] Found some nice sights I hadn’t been seen in awhile. [3] Took a road that I’d never been on, had no idea how far it went, and only a vague idea of the direction it headed. [4] As is often the case, when I headed off in an unknown direction, I found myself. And a highway. Someone once said ‘Life is a highway.’ As long as the corner store is on this highway, I’m good. [5] Highway views are so much nicer at bike-speed. [6] Procured english muffins, accomplishing one of many missions for the day.
Monkey Business
Just a total stress-relief ride that I had to get out on, even though I should have been doing something else.
Don’t sell bikes. Most of the time.
In 1998 I was living at the Lapensee Youth Hostel (those who know, know) and my buddy @uhlsbrewingco had landed me a gig as a wrench at Belleview Bikes in Alexandria, VA. It is while working there that – save for possibly my 1985 neon green Haro Master – I bought ‘the bike that started it all’. The 1998 Gary Fisher Ziggurat. I was actually gunning for the full suspension Joshua-1, but got impatient about saving money and wanting a new bike and at the time this was a really nicely appointed hardtail. OH MY DOG EM I EVER GLAD I DIDN’T GET THAT JOSHUA. Totally lucked out there. I got so much more ride out of this one.
I’ve still got the receipt. Original Price $1349 retail – the boss (our friend, Steve? Dave? I forget) actually wrangled it so I got both $100 off AND my $343 pro-deal. Then the first thing I did was swap the flat bar for an Azonic Riser bar that was the butter – what a great bar…. This bike was the link that tied everything back to the bmx days and building bikes in the garage. When I moved to Canada to live with my future wife, I brought everything I owned with me – literally. You could do that back then. I took a flight to Montreal and then caught a train to Bathurst with 2 bike boxes, 2 giant hockey bags and a backpack. Just typing this out is starting to get to me because I sold the damn Ziggurat in 2017. Sigh.
I don’t even have any pictures of it from before I painted it. How is THAT possible? Oh yeah, it was PRE-smartphones. And those Azonic bars, man, I totally should have at least kept those. Double sigh. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I just sold another bike. The Giant XTC. It’s been magical as well. First high-end carbon hardtail. Zing. We’ve been ‘some places’. How dumb am I gonna feel in 10 years? Selling the Giant has facilitated the Birth of the Karate Monkey though. So that’s the next chapter. When I hear other people talking about selling bikes I always say “don’t sell it, you’ll regret it!” And then I sell one – but that one is always THE LAST ONE I’M GOING TO SELL EVER.
Birth of the Monkey
Sold my Giant XTC Advanced to make room for a Surly Karate Monkey. Had to break it in proper.
End of an Era: The Giant XTC Advanced
Decided I’m a steel bike guy. Particularly Surly steel bikes. So wanted to finally fulfill a longtime want of a Karate Monkey. So the Giant needed to go. Cleaned it all up to sell and it went to a good home (friend of a friend) in a few hours. Glad someone’s gonna love and ride it.
