TARATS is a SMACKDOWN

I feel like there wasn't nearly enough fanfare about TARATS (the Third Annual Rantwick Autumn Tree Smackdown) in my initial post. I mean, this isn't about a bunch of tree huggers taking pictures and being all nice, you know. This is a SMACKDOWN. With Autumn trees. And the people are usually kind of nice and some may actually hug trees on a regular basis. But make no mistake, people, it IS a SMACKDOWN.

I have decided that the prize will be something else entirely this year. The winning tree will be crowned 2012's King (or Queen, if you want) of Autumn, a title formerly reserved for my perennial favourite (pun intended) alone! A used Trophy from some thrift shop, hand-modified by yours truly, will be sent to the lucky soul who captures for posterity the image of the most majestic juggernaut of Autumn leafy joy witnessed this year! It's gonna be AWESOME! Click HERE for rules and stuff.

Since this is a SMACKDOWN, I strongly encourage all entrants to talk as much over-the-top trash as possible (all in good fun, of course) and demoralize their opponents if they can. Let me get things started:

I stopped by to visit the King of Autumn this morning and let me tell you, he looked good. Green, but obviously gearing up for this year's competition:

Can you see that? He's flexing his foliage! What? What? You don't see it? Look again, and be very afraid of my tree, baby. He's gonna chew you all up and keep the title of King of Autumn all for his majestic unbeatable self:

That, for those of you that don't recognize it, is proper SMACKDOWN talk. I hope it puts you in the mood to bring some badass fall foliage action this way...

Share this image with yer friends and let's get ready to leaf it up, hard!

R A N T W I C K

PS - I know I am ridiculous. It's fun. I also think that "poster" qualifies as a WTF attack... cool.

Mutant Winter III

My winter bike is becoming more run of the mill and less mutanty every year, but that "Mutant Winter" label is something I just can't walk away from. I still think those two words are just awesome together.

Anyway, I am really excited about this year's winter bike. Thanks to finding a different bike that suits Mrs. Rantwick just fine, I have re-appropriated my most excellent Devinci Oslo (2004?) Devinci is a Canadian bike manufacturer I would strongly recommend... good components and overall quality + very reasonable prices.

Can you tell I write my posts at night? All aluminum, good trigger shifters, Deore derailleurs, Truvative Isoflow cranks. Great ergo grips. All this thing needs is studded tires, a big ugly tub and some fenders... oh yeah.

This was the bike I seconded (gave to Mrs. Rantwick) when I started building fixed gears and then the Trek touring bike. One of those kind of sporty hybrids, it is a pretty nice bike by my winter bike standards, so I'll have to take extra good care to rinse the salt away and boeshield the hell out of it before the salt comes at all.

My 26" Schwalbe Snow Studs were getting pretty worn and the studs less studly after three winters of excellent service. Guess what, though? The Devinci has 700c wheels, so I got to buy tires!


I don't know why, but among all bicycle related purchases I get the most excitement out of buying quality tires. My day-to-day summer riding needs don't really warrant high-end tires, but when you start talking studded tires things change a little and there are really only a couple of choices, both of them good. I just received these beauties:

700c X 35mm Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires! I touched the studs... so sharp and new! I have smelled these tires repeatedly. Fresh rubber smell... as good as gasoline, maybe better. More studs than I've ever had at 240, and a "narrow" 35mm will be something new. My hope is that the more narrow tires will "cut through" snow and find hard surface for the studs to grip, which is a totally different approach than seeking traction from a large contact patch and the "float" provided by wider, softer tires.

Once again the UK proved to be my best source. Once again, I saved money by having stuff shipped ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN, which makes no #%^1n' sense! Chain Reaction Cycles (UK) ships free to Canada for purchases over $99 and was selling my tires for $55 each. US online retailers were charging $62 - $84 and don't ship free to Canada, without exception in my experience so far. I ended up paying Canadian tax and a $10 Canada Post "handling fee" that seemed kind of bogus, but no Duties or customs-related stuff. I don't know if Canada has free trade agreements with the UK or if some sort of Commonwealth stuff has an effect, but I got my tires for $145 all-in. Nothing from the States or Canada could touch that price. So stupid. One more time: I saved money by having stuff shipped ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. It is just plain wrong!


Sorry for getting a little manky there. Short version: I am so pumped to finish equipping this bike and try it out in the snow and ice. Woohoo!

Yer Pal,

R A N T W I C K