mongoose "californian"

so my friend gave me this bicycle over the weekend. it's an '85 mongoose "Californian". i basically bought the same one brand new when i was a kid. i asked my dad to buy it for me and he declined. he had a better idea: scrap enough aluminum cans to raise the money. so he would drive me around to collect cans. we would hit the baseball diamonds after everyone left, dig though trash cans, and walk the sides of roads. i have to admit, as a young kid i was pretty embarrassed and didn't understand why he couldn't just buy it for me (we were far from spoiled). after about 7 months, i had enough money saved to buy the bike. i think it was around $170. looking back, the whole experience was a valuable learning lesson for me. so you can imagine, getting this bike brings back memories and nostalgia. my plans for the bike are to clean it up and replace some of the parts. the grips, tires, brakes, and seat are all newer. i want get OG parts or at least reproduction. i don't have much of my old BMX stuff, but i do have my number plate. i'm defiantly going to run that.

 

 

chicago trip

what started as going up to chicago to see High on Fire and Goatwhore for a night turned into a weekend long blowout. found out Steve and Jeremiah's shop were having a huge party the following night. somehow the planets were aligned and Lee was in Chicago for layover. he ended up changing his ticket and staying for the weekend as well. honestly, it couldn't have been planned any better. ended up seeing some killer bands, hanging out with old friends/meeting new ones, and checking out some rad motorcycles. to top it off, i was given 1984 mongoose "Californian" BMX bike, which was basically the first bicycle i owned when i was a kid. pretty epic weekend...

 

this was the very first Ducati engine. it was called "Cucciolo" it bolted into a bicycle.

 

this man is crazy.

goatwhore

 

high on fire

  

ghetto art

bravetown

december riding

i had the afternoon off and the temperature was close to 70 degrees. couldn't pass up a chance to ride. never understood why people store their bikes for the winter. i'm trying to ride at least once every month of the year. blasted out I-70 past plainfield, then got on some back roads. goat hollow road, robb hill road, bunker hill road. stopped and checked out an old observatory. tried to take it off road to park by some old barns and crashed in the mud.

ummm?!?!

this is the funniest thing i've seen in a long time.

daniel higgs

seems like i get to catch daniel higgs live every 12 years or so. last night i saw him play in bloomington and like every other time it is was a treat. he's probably one of the more prolific people that i grew up with. from music, to tattoos, to visual art, he's ever ever expanding horizons. check out his stuff.

11/28/12-bloomington

lungfish @ broad ripple community center- 1991

photo by Icky-bloomington 1994

maytay @ dusk

11.25.12

swap meeting.

this is the 2nd time i've gone to the boone county swap meet. it's MX heavy but i found some scores. rik smiths was there agian. where was everyone else?