gary discher at PA bikes (and maybe some beer)

[faye steiner]

Hi all,
Gary Fischer is speaking at PA bikes on Thursday at 7 (after close).  You have to get on the list and RSVP:
http://www.paloaltobicycles.com/?p=806

He's supposed to be a piece of work.  I'm signed up. 

For anyone not familiar with the joys of PA, the shop is all of one block from the caltrain.  So unless we can get some googler to commission a luxuirous shuttle to transport us back to SF, you can take the 8pm caltrain back (party car II).

F

--
store: http://sf2g.com/store.html | blog: http://blog.sf2g.com | terms: http://sf2g.com/terms.html | bike prep: http://sf2g.com/prep.html | unsub: http://groups.google.com/group/sf2g

[Scott Crosby]

Gary Fisher of course invented the mountain bike, more or less.  Wacky as hell too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Fisher

i'm going.

[Ken MacInnis]

Fisher rides Paradise (among other routes) quite often - if you ever have a friendly white-goateed guy with goofy glasses chat you up on a ride in the north bay, it's probably him.  Nice guy for sure.

Ken

--
Ken MacInnis - kcm at clueful dot org - http://www.clueful.org/~kcm/

[Nathan Davis]

Just signed up!

-- Nathan

[Willster Smalacious]

Is anyone else planning on going to this from the Googleplex by bike?
I was thinking of leaving at about 6:15pm from main campus.

- Will

[Eric Altendorf]

Yeah. Let's meet at the grassy knoll, 615
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rHIqz9Od-ivqTSnytt39hw?feat=directlink

[faye steiner]

FYI,
It should take you 30 mins to ride over (about 6 miles, flat, but lights).

My route from G to PA at this time of year:
from google go down amphitheater or whatever it is, left on rengsdorf to cross 101, right onto charleston or whatever it is towards REI.  Left at that stop sign, still goign towards REI.  You HAVe to stop at that stop sign, it is a freeway entrance, be careful.  Continue straight past the light on san antonio, past something called Fabian way (light there).  First right onto the street after that, Louis rd.  3rd left onto Ross rd (at stop sign).  Left onto E Meadow.  Cross Middlefield, Right onto Bryant street- this is the "bycicle blvd".  Take Bryant all the way into downtown PA.  Left onto University ave.  2nd right onto sidewalk at emerson ave.  PA bikes is right there.

If you get there early and have time, you should go across the street to Sprout Cafe http://cafesprout.com/ and get a salad with forikake crusted tofu to go.  The tofu is out of this world good.  It is right across the street, and I bring my bike into Sprout with me.

F

[Scott Crosby]

how about earlier?  I think i'm going to leave by 5:55 to get a good seat and ride leisurely-style.  tired, beat, listless, no vim or vigor, pantywaist, milquetoast, you get the idea.

-sc

[faye steiner]

if you beat me, save me a seat... I'm gonna ride ITT style at a more last-like minute, running over everything in my way.

Also, FYI, I am planning to take the 8pm caltrain out of PA, so leave PA bikes at 7:50ish, even though Mr. Fisher will still be speaking.  Come to think of it, I want a seat in the back for that reason.

F

[steve armijo]

ooh, nice tip.  i'm catching the 6:11 caltrain from Cal. ave. 

will check out the sprout once i hit Univ.  that may beat my alternate of fro-yo from red mango.

-s

On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 5:24 PM, faye steiner <faye.s...@gmail.com> wrote:

If you get there early and have time, you should go across the street to Sprout Cafe http://cafesprout.com/ and get a salad with forikake crusted tofu to go.  The tofu is out of this world good.  It is right across the street, and I bring my bike into Sprout with me.

F

[faye steiner]

Wow, that guy is a piece of work!  Y'all missed out.  And believe it or not, he talks more than I do, and says even manages even more random unlinked content than I can produce!  I wonder if he can keep it up while riding.

F

[Ted Ketai]

He can.

[kelly hawk]

Do tell how it went!
I once rescued Gary off the side of a mountain, south of Seattle. He'd
gashed his leg pretty bad on a rock. he was this ted kazinski-looking-
fellow with knee-hi rubber boots he used as armor (that almost
worked). We thought it was odd for a homeless-looking guy to have a
$5000 custom-paint-job full-squish bike in 1994... it was only as we
were dropping him at the E/R we learned his name, and then it all made
sense.

On Apr 16, 4:02 pm, faye steiner <faye.stei...@gmail.com> wrote:

[faye steiner]

Wow, what a story, can't believe you rescued him!

Honestly, I think he defies description, really.  He looks like a kook/character... he has a very sculpted mustachio and beardish thing going, and he has some crazy spectacles, and he explained to us that in honor of the occasion, he was wearing a full leather suit from the 70s from North Beach Leather because he loves custom stuff.  It was shiny irridescent blue... But all of that just makes you think he is a character, it wasn't until he started talking that my jaw kind of dropped.  He seems to toe the line between eccentric and nuts (but in a positive way), and I, who have a reputation for not shutting up and being able to go on and on from subject to subject, was truly flabbergasted as he had me beat.  There was a moderator to ask questions, but the guy could not get a word in... like his first question was about G's early road racing career, and somehow G talked about road racing with uncountably many tangents and then into his doing lightshows for the grateful dead, and living in Haight Ashbury, etc... you get the point.  But what makes him particularly interesting and gives one some awe is that on the one hand he is nuts and a fringe personality, but on the other hand he is hella successful and he knows it.  He has a serious kind of establishment side to him.  And he is totally blatant about it, he does not hide it and even advocates that... basically saying all the time, "it's all about marketing, baby" (my words, but his point).  He figured out all of this commercializing stuff early, was super smart, and worked it, so he is super successful in addition to being super nuts.  Really, I can't do any of it justice, you have to be there.  If you have a chance to see him in the future, go for it, and otherwise, I think I for one am goign to try to find that movie Clunkers.

F

[Dan Lange]

Gary is awesome for sure!

The documentary Klunkerz is great. Do watch it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0907856/

[bbarry]

     His best came later, as people lined up and asked questions, took pics, and listened to him expound further on many topics.
     When I asked about wiggle in the front suspension crossbolt of my 1946 Schwinn, he rolled off a few solution as if he was fixing one of these yesterday, not 35 years ago.  Outside in the parking lot he pedaled it a bit and posed for a picture.  He stopped with a familiar backward ankle twitch needed to smoothly engage a New Departure coaster brake.
     With my homemade lights showing him the square headlight beam and automatic brake light, he sat through a full demo of my head and taillight features.  Then he gave me his card and said he's interested.  Gotta chase those dreams.
     Seeing Gary Fisher last night really was the best of several cycling options last night, and biking at threshold with lights glowing on the museum piece 46 pound 1946 Schwinn model B6 to go see his lecture was a fun an infrequent kind of calf mooing power workout.
Barry

        _{__O}           Barry Beams
->  ` \`-,<===  Bicycle Lighting
  _(*)/ (*)___ _design, develop, repair
                                Barry Burr                               p(650) 518-0574
                             jkke...@gmail.com   f (650) 968-1228

On Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 12:15 PM, faye steiner <faye.s...@gmail.com> wrote:

Wow, what a story, can't believe you rescued him!

Honestly, I think he defies description, really.  He looks like a kook/character... he has a very sculpted mustachio and beardish thing going, and he has some crazy spectacles, and he explained to us that in honor of the occasion, he was wearing a full leather suit from the 70s from North Beach Leather because he loves custom stuff.  It was shiny irridescent blue... But all of that just makes you think he is a character, it wasn't until he started talking that my jaw kind of dropped.  He seems to toe the line between eccentric and nuts (but in a positive way), and I, who have a reputation for not shutting up and being able to go on and on from subject to subject, was truly flabbergasted as he had me beat.  There was a moderator to ask questions, but the guy could not get a word in... like his first question was about G's early road racing career, and somehow G talked about road racing with uncountably many tangents and then into his doing lightshows for the grateful dead, and living in Haight Ashbury, etc... you get the point.  But what makes him particularly interesting and gives one some awe is that on the one hand he is nuts and a fringe personality, but on the other hand he is hella successful and he knows it.  He has a serious kind of establishment side to him.  And he is totally blatant about it, he does not hide it and even advocates that... basically saying all the time, "it's all about marketing, baby" (my words, but his point).  He figured out all of this commercializing stuff early, was super smart, and worked it, so he is super successful in addition to being super nuts.  Really, I can't do any of it justice, you have to be there.  If you have a chance to see him in the future, go for it, and otherwise, I think I for one am goign to try to find that movie Clunkers.

[Lina Mårtensson]

that sounds great, now i'm sad i didn't go!

are you going to have another movie night at your place? :D

-Lina

On Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 12:15 PM, faye steiner <faye.s...@gmail.com> wrote:

[faye steiner]

sure, could do a klunkerz night, good idea.  will come up with a date.
F

[Ted Ketai]

I can bring Seasons to watch afterwards :-p

[Dan Lange]

+11 (yes, eleven) for Seasons! Still haven't seen it (ordering now...) but The Collective and Roam were fantastic! ...Collective is better.

[faye steiner]

OK, I don't know any of these movies... bt I can only reserve the cinema for a 2 hour block, so pick one and tell me which one you want to see... seasons??? Ted? Dan? Others?

For anyone who missed the Break Away sf2g screening before 5d5w, I have access to a private cinema that seats about 20 people in massively overstuffed leather arm chairs with cupholders on both sides, and the seats recline as much as 180 degrees with special footrests etc.  It's the bomb.  We can bring food and booze there too.

So let me know which film and I can work on reserving a date (prob a friday night, a priori, could be an apres-party car activity).

F

[Jason Thorpe]

On Apr 23, 2010, at 12:15 PM, faye steiner wrote:

> He seems to toe the line between eccentric and nuts

You sort of have to be, by definition, in order to be one of the first people to think - "Hey, I think it would be a good idea to bomb down this insane hill on my old Schwinn!" :-)

-- thorpej

[Ben Kochie]

Sounds like a good place to do a showing of Quicksilver

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091814/

-ben

"UNIX is user-friendly, it's just picky about its friends."