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Full Spectrum Cycling
Weekly Dose of Fat – Show #114 – Zito in the House! Global Fatbike Day Chatter
Nov 18, 2016
Weekly Dose of Fat – Show #114 – Zito in the House! Global Fatbike Day Chatter
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0:00
The Weekly Dose of Fat Show number 114 for Friday, November 18th, 2016.
0:05
[upbeat music] Fat Bike Radio and other dark forces bestow upon you the weekly dose of fat with your capable respondents, Sven and Gomez.
0:34
Ahoy, ahoy. Welcome to Fat Bike Radio. And introducing Chris Dizzy and Smooth Evil. Hey, guys. [siren wailing] The Weekly Dose of Fat is brought to you by The Surly Wednesday.
0:48
Pugsley's murderous little sister now comes on arterial hemorrhage [laughs]. Learn more about blood bikes and freedom at surlybikes.com.
1:02
Tell the people what's going on, 'cause- We start the show with the event of the week. We delve into beards and beer like. Our special guest is the one and only Chris Zito. G-O. I say that every time. Hello.
1:16
We talk to a few of the many Global Fat Bike event organizers for this call-in segment. We share links from the interwebs. We check in with the Fatty Farm Field Report brought to you by Becker Sewing and Design.
1:29
And finally, in this week's special segment, we talk to Brian Davis from Weatherneck about superhero capes or something. And I'm gonna sit down for a damn second [laughs] so I can breathe. What are you doing?
1:43
Are you, like... You look like you're just- Hyperventilating... special. Had his arm tied off or something over there. [laughs] Hey, the Fat Bike event of the week this week is Global Fat Bike Day.
1:54
We will be taking calls all show along from event organizers and participants in the December 3rd Global Fat Bike Day event. Way to get that in there. Way to, way to, way to tell the people what the day was.
2:07
That was my only question. [laughs] Are you guys doing the Santa ride? Yeah, I think that's- Santa Rampage... that's- Are you guys doing that? Yeah, probably. Yeah. I'll be going.
2:15
Should we all get black Santa suits and go out and just derby and have fun and break bottles and stuff? Well, there's- Like-... always gonna have- The, the suit itself would be black or- Yeah... okay. Black and what?
2:25
White. You know, he's got the white fuzzy stuff. You could go black-on-black all mergered out Santa. Yeah, black hats, black Santa Claus- [laughs]... black boots. << Black suit, red coat >> Sounds like Abraham Lincoln.
2:36
<< White hat, Cadillac, yeah >> Uh, I'm gonna, I'm, I'm going as a polar bear. [bell ringing] I think we hit the top of the hill. Top of the hill, boys. Top of the hill. Oh, hey. Top of the hill. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers.
2:50
Oh, the- Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink... the fatbike.com beer fridge had a, a har- bountiful harvest of beer today. Yes. Yes. Speaking of which, Janine, please. I've got a Founder's Mosaic Promise. It's a single hop ale.
3:05
[can opening] Look at him. Yeah, [laughs] it doesn't work in the radio, the hop. [laughs] Hey, look everybody, I'm hopping. I have the Hacker-Pschorr Original Oktoberfest, which is... Right on. Right on. Oktoberfest.
3:20
As you guys do this, like everybody tells what they're drinking? No. Yeah. What are you drinking? What do you- What else would I drink? [burps] I live the high life, man. High life for a low life, we like to say. Oh.
3:29
And we're supposed to talk about beards too, and, uh, you wanna do a little shout-out to- Well, yeah... I have a beard, dude... to the little lady there that, uh, mowed your face stuff? Sh- Yeah... shorn.
3:39
Shorn my [laughs] Did, did she tie your feet together and hang you upside down like a- No, no... squeezed you like a pig? No, I was just plied with- Did she-... just enough liquor [laughs] It's like, "All right."
3:50
[laughs] "All's okay." I'm like, "Okay. All right." [yawns] Yeah. I can recover. So- Yeah, and I have... it's, it's significantly shorter than it was. Yes, yes, yes, but- Looks awfully nice.
4:02
All four of the boys here today- [clears throat]... are sporting some form of facial hair. That's right. I, this is seasonal for me though. Need the face coat on, man. I finally ran out of my Capo's Beard Oil.
4:13
I've got a gift for you. That lasted a long time. Here you go. Jose the barber extraordinaire. Tell him I sent you. Are you talking about my mullet? [laughs] I'm talking about you should fire your current barber.
4:26
Yeah, that's his tip. I don't- Yeah. [laughs] My barber, barbers is I haven't cut my hair for three years [laughs] All right. Are you guys on the air right now? Yeah. No. Yes. Yes. Why not? Yes. All right.
4:39
I'm on the air. Hey, let's, uh, let's take a break right here, and when we come back- [laughs]... we'll talk to Mr. Chris Zito. You're tuned to Fat Bike Radio. We're back, so by way of introduction- [laughs]...
4:54
our current next guest, [laughs] Mr. Chris Zito. Surfs as Hapo under... What, what the fuck am I doing? There's just bad stuff there. Yeah. I told you to take that out. Just say Gino. There you go.
5:08
Yeah, it, it's- Just Gino. It's the tie, it's just the tie-in from, from- Go with what feels good, dude. It's just the- Just go with what feels good. I was just Ron Burgundy every so often, man.
5:16
[laughs] Like, "I have to say the words?" It was the tie-in with Gino and the, uh, the Minneapolis Single Speed Mafia, and just, it gives cred, cred to Zito. Yeah, that's good cred. Cred.
5:26
That's, that's where I cut my teeth, man. Right? You must have- Right on. But it was just the way I wrote it. You must have rubbed some, uh, some- Oh, I, uh, it's goofy...
5:32
you must have rubbed elbows with some pretty greasy characters up there. Um- Have you ever met anyone as smelly as, uh, Gomez? N- well, not up there, but have you guys ever ordered food from, uh, what is it called?
5:43
Transfer Food or Transfer... No, no, Transfer's a good pizza place. Who are the bike messenger, or I'm sorry, bike food delivery guys? [laughs] Uh, what do I call- Forward... Forward.
5:54
I got in the elevator with one of those guys. He smelled pretty bad, but not quite. Was it the food or was it the dude? Oh, no, Nate. Nate Melenda
6:01
And Brauer sleeping in a hotel with, room with, I think Nate Melenda, Brauer, and Sav. It was gaseous. So are you saying Sav is smelly? No. I've never known him to be a smelly gentleman. No.
6:13
Everyone loves their own brand. [laughs] Well, I'm, I'm not talking about necessarily v- in- external body odors, but- Eh... odors that come from the inside. Mm. Right on. Oh, Lordy.
6:25
I think that was at Fruita, and everyone was sleeping in the same hotel room and- [laughs]... it, it... You know, it was brutal. Brutal. It's the Blazing Saddles version of The Weekly Dose of Fat.
6:39
So that covered- So-... that covered Chris' 1980s. [laughs] Uh, moving, moving forward into the current generation. What's got you revved up today?
6:47
Uh, these days we're working on the Urban Jungle Cross coming up Saturday the 26th. It is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Uh, we're meeting up. We've got some great partners.
6:57
We got sponsors from Drink Wisconsin Bleed Pub. We're gonna all have... We're gonna have registration there. Like, the place where we used to have registration,
7:06
uh, my friend no longer lives there, so we have to move it a little bit further away. But now you moved it to a pub. Yeah. Pub.
7:11
It's a pub, and they're gonna have some grub in the morning for pre-race, and then we'll all head back there for lunch and the awards afterward at- Oh, cool...
7:18
Drink Wisconsin Bleed Pub on National and Barclay, not far from the course. Is that Walkers Point? Is- That is Walkers Point, yeah. That's in Milwaukee, by the way, folks. Yeah, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Represent.
7:32
I wish I could sing. [laughs] Anyway, uh, yeah, it's fun. It's a, it's fun for everyone. I think, uh, well, all of you guys have been. No, Gomez, you've never been out there. I've never been there.
7:42
Gr- But I think I'm actually gonna race this year... Sam and, and, and, and, uh, Jay Kane. What's it gonna cost me to race? 10 bucks. 10 bucks.
7:48
10 bucks, and, uh, w- we got Surly guys thr- sending us a box full of prizes. I was texting with Sav today and talked to P- I heard a rumor that-... Pete Geigle, the head dog over- Yeah...
7:59
at Surly, and, uh- I heard those guys were, were coming. They're talking about coming.
8:05
There's a Geigle family thing in Madison, and he's gotta see if he can get a ride back to Minneapolis, 'cause she's gonna wanna go home with the kids- Oh... and blah, blah, blah.
8:13
But the- [laughs] I, you know, it's only more fun if they show up. I've never had- Is it?... a bad time with that crew ever. Uh, yeah. You know, that whole Minneapolis crew just- That's funny... kills.
8:21
Do, do we know if the Smage brothers- It's a-... are gonna be there this year? Uh, I've gotta send them a message and see if they're gonna show. I hope. I mean- Yeah, that wa-... that, when, when that guy-...
8:29
that was mind-bending, man... when Pat showed up... Well, they both showed up, but Pat just cleared the entire course. [laughs] That was- And, like, nobody's business.
8:36
And we, we, we build the course so it's a, a cyclocross race with guts. The winner will be on a cyclocross bike. There's no way the overall winner's gonna win on a fat bike.
8:46
We build it on fat bikes, and we're run down the trail and beat it down and ride it, and then we bring our cyclocross bike out and make sure, okay, that's rideable- It's rideable... on a cyclocross bike. Yep.
8:55
A good- Oh, you were on your cross bike, yeah. Yeah. Yep. And is there, is there a whiskey sponsor? There is.
9:00
Great Lakes Distillery once again is sponsoring the rehorse rides where when you roll through you can get a shot of KK Whiskey. There's a beer sponsor.
9:08
Sprecher Brewing's gonna throw out a whole bunch of, uh, Sprecher Amber Cams for beer hand ups. So- I remember, uh, remember Steve last year being like the, the hand-up king. Yeah. [laughs] Well, there's always one.
9:21
I, who was it- And this is your chance... who came out? Heidi Beck came out, a cross racer lady from, from the- Oh... Delafield area. Oh, yeah?
9:27
And she, I think, did a shot every lap and did every beer hand up and still schooled everyone- Mm-hmm... on her cross bike. She was pretty badass. But it's fun, and there's little kids who come out.
9:37
Uh, what was that kid's name? Rocket comes out. Yeah. He had a little seven-year-old BMX kid with his... His younger brother came out, too, and they go out with their dad, and they have fun.
9:46
And, and there's been a number of kids out there. Who's the other guy who showed up- Uh, uh... with his, uh- Dave. Dave. Da- Dave. Yeah, yeah. Dave and his crew.
9:52
Dave and his, his boy on, on his fat bike, and his little kid showed up. It was fun. So- I think there might have been some brief crying involved, but hey.
9:59
[laughs] Oh, we'll also have some Sprecher root beer for the kids and those people that don't drink. And balloons, and balloons. No balloons. There will be balloons. No balloons. No balloons.
10:08
So this is, uh, just- Uncle Sven's gonna-... give, give people a little overview-... bring out the balloon animals... of, of what the, the actual, uh, venue, the course is like.
10:15
It's just, you know- It's, it's, it's a- an area that I used to commute through illegally and, uh, it, it's an old industrial wasteland where the Solvay Coke plant was.
10:27
It's actually on the point of Walker's Point, uh, where two of the three m- rivers that meet converge. What is that called where all the rivers converge? Uh- A convergence. No. [laughs] Uh, anyway- [coughs]...
10:41
it, it's, it's this great old area, and it's, hasn't been used. There's been some homeless people back there, living back there.
10:47
I think they're all kind of out now for the season, although we did see a tent there the other day. But, uh, it's, it's- No, it's nice. You know, it's, it's a 40 acre site... it's all sorts of terrain. Yeah.
10:55
It's, it's cinders. It's sand. It's gravel. It's, uh- It's brick, since we laid- Br- lots of brick. We laid-... we laid the brick. Yep.
11:02
Yeah, we laid some brick last week, put a little brick upper in on a, on a rise, and then, uh- Heavy metals, PCBs, and mercury. Yeah. There's, there's razor wire. Avoidance. [laughs] There's rebar. Rebar. Yeah.
11:13
No, it's, it's, it's a good time. [laughs] The course is clean. You c- You don't have to be afraid of going down and, and stabbing yourself or, and impaling yourself on anything.
11:20
We clean the course pretty well and it's- I, I wouldn't recommend-... clear... going in any of those underground storage tanks, though. No, I've... Well, like, you don't know what was in there or what's in there now.
11:29
[laughs] Yeah. Or who's in there now. [laughs] Oh, yeah. But yeah, right on. So that's the, uh- A confluence... that's this Saturday. Is that where rivers- Confluence. A confluence. There you go. Exactly.
11:38
Thank you very much. Way to be Johnny on the spot with that. [laughs] Welcome aboard. He didn't even pull his Wikipedia out for that. Dude, that was good. No, I think he did. That was good. Nope. No, he didn't either.
11:48
[laughs] Anyway, yeah, it's, uh, it's Saturday the 26th after Thanksgiving. Hopefully there, some people will be in town, and, uh, we...
11:56
There's a Facebook page, Urban Jungle Cross V, with a V, like Roman numerals, all fancy. Right on. Urban Jungle Cross V, if you have any questions, pop in on there or we'll try to set you up with some lodging.
12:09
I'm currently Messengering again, so the messengers are always famous for offering up their couches, which means you've gotta offer one up for them when they're in your town.
12:19
[laughs] But, uh, he might be out of town that weekend. But yeah, come on down. Everyone's welcome. It's fun, fun for the whole family. It's fun to cheer on, it's fun to just watch. It's a cool area to hang out.
12:31
Photographers and video people will love it, the way we set up the course, like through those tunnels- Oh, yeah... where they zig in and out. Nice. That's gonna make some- That's gonna be cool... a really cool video.
12:38
Yeah, yeah. A really cool video. Right on. But, uh, yeah, it's, it's good for everyone.
12:43
The, the setting is really cool, you know, the, the graffiti and the, and the broken old industrial material and what did we find the other day? The spool from a convey- a giant conveyor belt.
12:52
[laughs] It's awesome stuff. Yeah, fun stuff. So enough about your event. [laughs] Okay. Let's talk to another gentleman about his event. Wel- welcome. Welcome, sir. How are you? I'm well. [laughs] What's going on, man?
13:06
It's Mr. Chris Daisy on the line. Oh, heck yeah. Yeah. We're talking about Chris' Urban Jungle Cross event here, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I think we covered it pretty well. We got a pair of Chris'.
13:17
Yeah, Chris and Chris. It's the Chris show. Chris and a Chris. Crazy Chris Daisy. Chris, Chris, Chris, Chris. Chris, Chris, Chris. Chris. Chris. Welcome to the show, Crazy Chris Daisy. [plane flying] Hey, hey.
13:27
Glad to be here. It's Fat Bike Radio. I think we just got buzzed by a P-51 Mustang. Of course. Trying to find out why Chris is, m- m- Mr. Daisy's so quiet today. Me? Yeah. Um, I don't know. New phone maybe? I don't know.
13:42
There we go. Yeah, could be. Uh, uh, it's amazing how different connections can sound. Anyway. [laughs] I'm on a landline. Oh. I don't know what's going on.
13:52
Uh, we just had the, we just- Technical difficulties here at- Tech-... fatbike.com Studios... technical tweakage Our, our, uh, our sound guy just cranked you up a little bit. [laughs] Okay. So how's it going, man?
14:03
There we are. Hey, welcome to the show. This is Crazy Chris Daisy, and he's, uh, he's gonna go to Silver Lake, my old home- Yeah... trails. And he's gonna, he's gonna
14:13
get all glob- global fat bike and chillaxing and riding and, and they'll probably have cookies too. Tell us all about it, Chris. There might be baked goods. We'll see what happens. But, uh- [laughs] Jam rolls...
14:26
yeah, just a very casual morning ride, you know, meet up at Silver Lake at 9:00 and, uh, pedal around and enjoy the trails and hopefully, uh, get some snow flurries or something cool going on. We'll see.
14:39
Next Thursday there's snow in the forecast. And, uh- Yeah. On Thanksgiving Day. And down, down- No, the week before Thanksgiving...
14:46
down there in West Osia, have you developed any, uh, global fat bike traditions or beverages or, or, you know, hymnals, hymns about Global Fat Bike Day?
14:59
Mm, my brother-in-law's been making a lot of his own beer, so- Oh... maybe we could dedicate something. [laughs] Dave, beer making. That's, that'd be a great Global Fat Bike- Beer making Dave... uh- I like beer...
15:10
Fat Bike Day tradition. That would be a good tradition- Hi, Maya... don't you think? Hi, Bear. Hi, Bonnie. I like turtles. I like turtles. [laughs] Ay caramba. You've seen that.
15:25
So, and, uh, Chris is actually, actually the, uh, the host of our second live taped show that will, uh, be in January. So, uh, we'll have- Yeah... probably have...
15:38
And, uh, Chris is our music guy, and, uh, he plays six or seven other characters on the show. [laughs] Yeah, yeah, he's, he's ubiquitous. He's everywhere. You know what Chris did the other day, maybe last week?
15:53
He sent us a note, I don't know if he sent it to you too, that just said just how, how great Fatbike.com [laughs] is, and I felt really- [laughs]... I felt really good about myself for that, that day- Really?...
16:02
for sure. No, I didn't get that one. [laughs] Well, and Chris, you mentioned that your, that your fat bike sales are up. A lot of people are like, "Well, are fat bikes fad? Are they dead? What's happening?"
16:12
So you said they're- Oh, heck no... they're- Oh, they're a fad for sure. [laughs] That's what they told me 10 years ago. They're going strong. [laughs] No, fat bikes are doing great still.
16:21
Um, that's one of our strongest categories. Um, we're getting all kinds of new riders out there, um, guys who are road riders that are looking to stay in real good shape over the winter. Road riders.
16:34
You know what I decided- Yeah, until they turn fatty... on my way here? I decided e-bikes are all right. E-bikes. [laughs] E- e-bikes are all, e-bikes- E-bikes are awesome... e- e-bikers are, are all right.
16:44
I'm, I'm gonna open- Moped lover. [laughs] There's nothing wrong with an e-bike. I'm, I'm, I'm opening, opening up my arms for long lingering, uh, man hugs to all cyclists. It's gomezsebike.com.
17:00
[laughs] The, the whole thing about e- They're pretty fun. I used an e-bike when I messengered in Sydney and it was great. Yeah.
17:04
But the thing about e-bike is if you're gonna go out mountain biking, you go out and shred and you do some s- you get gnarly and you, you, it's, you're, like single speed, you know, you're driving it.
17:14
You're driving it, and that's, and that's the thing with an e-bike, nah, not so much, but there are people who have conditions where- Right, right... cycling sucks and- Right...
17:23
and, and, and it's not safe for them or it's unhealthy for them, where the e-bike helps them and it gets them out on the bike. I don't know. I was thinking about it and I was like- Yeah...
17:30
"Well, it's just like being a hiker." When the first time they saw mountain bikers and they were all like- [laughs]... "No, no, no," and you know, I know how that feels.
17:40
So to be a fellow biker, even though they have pedal assist, they're still a biker. It's closer to being a biker than an equestrian. Right. True that. Right. So. They should just start- That's hard... making e-shoes.
17:52
[laughs] I, no, I, I actually saw a, uh- Didn't we have, weren't, weren't electric Heelys one of the things? It was a, uh- Electric Heelys were the first... wheelchair, like e-assist, uh, wheelchair. Yeah.
18:01
And it was- Geared one too. Yeah. Well, it- Isn't it called, like, a scooter? It was like, vroom. No, no. No. It, like the same- And [laughs] He's doing, he's making motions [laughs] Yeah.
18:13
He's making motions- He's making motions like a guy in a wheelchair- I, yeah... pushing the wheels really fast. But yeah, all of a sudden, zam, it just t- takes off. Uh, whoa. Hey, um, Chris, just curious- Yeah...
18:25
uh, you, we talked about fat bikes being, like, you know, still a strong segment in your shop. What, what are you carrying this year for brands? Probably one of our strongest has been, uh, Borealis.
18:36
Uh, they've been great the past few years. Uh, been doing a lot of Echos. Um, but we, of course, we also carry Trek, Felt. Um, Salsa has been coming on strong too. They've got some great offerings this year as well.
18:50
Um, that's- Well, okay, so here's the thing... probably would say my strongest ones. And this is, this is why I ask, 'cause this is a total setup. [laughs] Borealis recently changed the way they do things. Okay.
19:03
I- in that if they don't have a dealer in their area, they sell direct. If they do have a dealer in their area, they wanna run it through you. There was a, a big conversation about it. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
19:12
It was just in Bicycle Retailer today, that they launched their new website and all that other good stuff.
19:18
Well, a- as a, as a Trek dealer, um, I, I get the feeling that you're, you know, one of the ones they can't quite push around like some other folks, and you do what Chris wants to do, but how does it, how does it work when you have a big company like that wanting you to be, like, 80% of your business, and then you still have these guys that make great products, like Borealis, and they, you want them to be a part of the shop too?
19:39
Um, you just tell the big companies, "I'm gonna do whatever the heck I want. It's my shop." And how does that go over? [laughs] Well, it's a take, take it any way they want it. [laughs] It doesn't matter. It's my shop.
19:52
I al- listen, this is, the way I always look at it, and I always tell them, is I don't join anyone's army. I own the battlefield, okay?
19:59
So if you make a great bike and a great brand, and I wanna carry you, I'm gonna carry you, and if I believe in your product, I'm gonna push it.
20:06
And I'm not gonna just be super brand loyal just for the sake of it, because that's not fair to my customers, and that's not what they expect. And that's not good business. No. You're, you're, you're spot on.
20:17
Absolutely, because I mean, you know, we've been burned by Schwinn before. It can happen again. Yeah.
20:22
So I g- I give warning to any big company, like, don't get too big for your britches and think, uh, that you can push around us dealers, 'cause, uh, y- you could be sorry in the end, so...
20:33
But I mean, Trek's a great company. I don't- [laughs]... I don't mean to take Trek down. [laughs] Oh, my God. Oh. And, and how do you backpedal- It's not to say-... any better than that?
20:44
[laughs] I could, I could never own a shop, 'cause alls I would sell is Surlys. I'd be like, "I, I got Surlys. That's it, dude." [laughs] I know a couple like that, but- Never let, never let me down. Never let me down.
20:53
Yeah. And to Phil, steel is real. Steel is real. Steel is real, Phil. Hey, let's take a quick break here, and when we come back, we'll dive into the Fatty Farm Field Report. [upbeat music] So I heard you need a fat bike.
21:09
Come to Zion Cyclery in Zion, Illinois. We have all brands, Trek, Borealis, Salsa, Felt, Surly, and more. Yo, we have all the cold weather gears by 45 NRTH and Bontrager.
21:25
Keep those fingers and toes nice and toasty. We fix bikes also, so you have any problem, brakes, gears, suspension, we have the best mechanics in town. So yeah, visit us at zioncyclery.com.
21:44
You're tuned to Fat Bike Radio. Hey, the- And one day it'll be North Florida... evening's Fatty Farm Field Report is brought to you by Becker Gear. Hey, Becker Gear is your bike-packing connection.
22:01
Tupper and his married men engineer and manufacture frame bags, down tubes, and top tube bags, as well as [gasps] miniature pannier bags. Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi. Miniature toy poodle pannier bags.
22:20
[laughs] Panias. [laughs] Panias. And as you all know, Becker Gear is precision beer drinking. [clears throat] You can find Becker Gear on the Book of Faces. And at beckergear.com.
22:34
Hey, and, uh, we should say thank you to our friend Tupper for sending some groceries down, and, uh- Right on... uh, peace, love, and Frisbees, my man. I can only eat meat now. Really? [laughs] I'm the anti-vegan.
22:52
[laughs] Yeah, I can only eat vegans. Yeah, but I vegan- I can only eat fucking flesh... I can only eat vegans. I can only eat fucking vegans. [laughs] Well, the, the, the foliage, I, it just had to be...
23:01
How was the foliage? Uh, I don't know. What do you think? I don't know. Nobody knows. Oh, that foliage. So you know what I- It was thick. We, I got the grass whip out, cut some of it. The course is clear now.
23:14
[laughs] I, uh, I, I came up with a contest, with no- You're always coming up with contests. What the hell's up with that? With no prizes, and- Sweet...
23:23
uh, well, everybody, and everybody gets a prize, but we really don't have any prizes. The prizes might- Oh, no, I beg to differ. The prizes- Do you want some prizes? [sniffs] Sure. We have prizes. Yeah?
23:34
I can go find some. I can make some art. All right. Well, this, not till, not till New Year's Day. Oh, good. So- And, and no more, and no more prizes to England. Yeah. [laughs] Hey, is Chris Daisy still with us? Yeah.
23:45
Yeah. Let's get a beach ride on, man. Let's do it. I'm down. I haven't ridden my bike in, like, forever, 'cause I've moved. How am I still, uh, still ready to ride? That's not even funny.
23:52
Thomas is gonna do a contest on your beach, or you have a different contest in, in mind? Oh, this- Yeah, we, we, we do- Am I interrupting your flow? I'm sorry...
23:58
we, we, we do a contest on the, this internet- Flow shmo... little internet thing we do. [laughs] Oh, yeah. [laughs] No, no, no, I'm talking about this, you're talking about a contest. [laughs] Uh-oh.
24:09
Somebody's call waiting just p- toinked. I think it's important to note that Chris- Well-... is now a Wisconsin resident and no longer from the land of the Illini-gians. I know. Oh, yeah.
24:17
He's, he's still a fucking fib though. [laughs] But his shots, yeah. Can I still- He's, he's gonna say- Can I still deal with him? He says shit all the time now- Can I still-... just like five-... hit, hit White Castle?
24:28
[laughs] He's calling it. Both times? Yeah, yeah. [laughs] He's even closer to White Castle now. Oh, bless your damn heart. White Castle. [laughs] So, all right. So we can stop there twice in one day again? Oh, yeah.
24:41
That was brilliant. Dude, you move to Minneapolis- Everything about that was brilliant... you move to Minneapolis and don't show up on the Wednesday night ride, you'll get it in your mailbox every morning.
24:49
Every Thursday morning there'll be a little package from White Castle in your mailbox. So free, free breakfast? I- Free breakfast. That's the Over Priller kids used to say, "Uh, when's Zito moving back?
24:59
We want, we want Thursday morning White Castle again." The kid... I don't know what that means. That's what I said. [laughs] Dude, the Wednesday night guys, r- ride guys would put White Castle in...
25:11
They'd go to White Castle and then whoever didn't show up, they'd go to their house and stuff them through their door mailboxes. That's right. Brilliant. Uh, well, yeah. Brilliant. No one's drunk. Brilliant.
25:21
But yes, it was fun. So were you talking about a contest? Yeah, there's a contest that we launched on Tuesday in the video that we posted. It's about Movember. Movember is, it's about... It's a men's health charity.
25:37
I heard Decembeard now, too. Oh, really? Yeah. Well, that's where- You have to take your entire beard off [laughs]... this is gonna be- Oh, dude, I thought you said- That's, it's, it's-... Decemweird...
25:45
it's just hard to take the entire beard off. You have to just kind of parse it down. So- And then I'm part of the plan... one of the prizes that we have is a squirt gun full of Ernesto lube. That's a s- [laughs] That...
26:00
Wait a second. It's a squirt pistol full of Ernesto lube. [laughs] I know Ernesto's lube. And, uh, we also... I, you know, I have probably at least a couple of pairs of tires that are lightly tested that
26:16
n- need a new home. So there's, there's a contest there right there practically. So- We have, we do have some other prizes. We could probably dig something up and take a picture of them. Really? Maybe. Maybe.
26:27
Speaking of prizes- I want- Hey... a video parade. We've got a caller on the line. Oh, Christ. Really? Yeah. Welcome to the radio program, sir. I know you're not Chris Dazy. Hello. [laughs] Jesus. Who is this?
26:41
How's it going, fellas? This is Brian Davis, the, uh, Kickstarter weather neck Fixitsticks guy. Yeah. Boy, you, did you plan to say that immediately upon being on the show? [laughs] That's awesome. Well- Holy crap...
26:53
that's how I introduce myself all the time. Oh. Well, he's a, he's a self-promoter- Fixitsticks... and a... Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So- Holy crud, welcome to Shark Tank.
27:02
[laughs] It's this week's kickst- it's the Kickstarter of the hour, uh, Wunder- Wunderkund. Uh, we're, we've, we've sashayed into the special segment. Well, we're kind of jumping all over the script today, but- Yeah...
27:16
uh, but we knew Brian was gonna give us a shout and, uh- I say fuck the Fanny Farm Field Report. Let's do the special segment. Right on. Weather neck. Hey, everybody.
27:25
Our friend Brian on the phone here hails from our fair state of Wisconsin, somewhere up around Stevens Point. Is that right? I'm in Appletonia. Ah. Oh, okay. Oh. Oh, even better.
27:34
You're near- So Rock and Apple's still there? You're near a lake. I don't know. Yes, I am near a lake. That's right. Right on. So am I at all times. Oh, everybody...
27:44
Well, if you're in Wisconsin, I guess you're near a lake mostly. That's my last name, dude. Oh, yeah. [laughs] Oh, I'm near a lake too. I'm, I'm, I'm near one right now.
27:51
So, uh, Brian's an avid fat biker, and he's an inventor as well. I thought we'd get Brian on the show to talk a little bit about fat biking and racing and- You can't say avid... inventing stuff.
28:01
You can't- I just wanna say I like Fixitsticks. [laughs] They've been around for what? 10, 12, 15 years? [laughs] He's got- Is that right? He's got one up his butt right now.
28:11
[laughs] Is that, is that, is that one of the yellow things, right? The Fixitsticks? So you can... First of all, you cannot say Avid anymore. I don't think there is any Avid anymore. It's just SRAM. Um- Oh, right on...
28:23
but all joking aside, now that we have completely blown the show up here, tell us, folks at home, tell the folks at home a bit about your fat biking experiences, cousin. Yeah.
28:39
I picked up a, my first fat bike, uh, a couple years ago. I thought, you know, it was growing, and I thought, "Well, I should probably learn a little bit more about how this works." So I bought a Moonlander, and um,
28:52
you know, it... I just didn't get it. I, I didn't enjoy it at all.
28:57
I, and I think, well, I know the biggest problem I had is, um, nobody really showed me what to do with it, so I, when it finally got cold and snow, I just went blazing across a park, not on a trail, and I thought, "Well, this is horrible.
29:11
This, there's no fun about this at all." So, um, and in that Moonlander, by the way, I put four-inch tires and wheels on there. I didn't do the five-inch ones for whatever reason.
29:19
But, um, so yeah, I didn't really love it at first, and then, um, ended up, uh, falling on some difficult times.
29:27
So I sold that bike, and then I found better times and could afford another bike, and then I went and saw George, uh, up at Broken Spoke, and I just said, "Man, I gotta figure out how this works.
29:39
[laughs] So explain what I need to do to make fat biking enjoyable, 'cause all these people seem to love it, and I just didn't get it the first time." So, so he did, and uh,
29:50
and then I discovered that- Did he give you a-... riding on packed trails- Was it a slideshow or [laughs]... were better.
29:57
[laughs] Were there, were there, w- were, or were there puppets involved [laughs] or, or did you guys go for rides? Uh, no. I th- I think it was actually after a little gravel ride.
30:09
We were having some beers at a, at a bar. And, uh, that's where he kind of went a little more in depth about- How to have a little more fun than I did in my last experience.
30:18
So it was, it was not winter when, when he gave his explanation to me, so. So no audio- But I mean, you know, I just saw in the media and the industry people are just having so much fun...
30:26
no audio visual de- no audio visual department at all to back up George? It, it never, it's never struck me how, how good I had it. I, I- Yeah... dude, I brought home a Pugsley- No PowerPoint...
30:37
I brought home a Pugsley when there was six of them in the world and was, and was just pissed off at my family on Christmas Eve. I'm going down to the beach, and I took, well, how does this thing run on the beach?
30:46
It's half snow and ice, half sand and water, and it was just like heaven. Yeah, well that's- It was heaven, dude. It was, I was, I c- I remember Ryan going, "God, I, I, I wish, I wish Gray Boy was here, dude.
30:59
Oh, Gene," you know? I was just like, "Oh, I just wait. Oh, where's Brauer when I need him?"
31:02
You know, it was just so much fun and that whole, the people who taught me about brapping and single speed mountain biking and I got on this Pugsley on the beach and sand and snow.
31:11
But it's, I guess it's not that easy for some people. Yeah, I mean, I- You know, it fell in, it fell right on me, man. I was in love with it from a, from that, from that point.
31:19
[laughs] He just- Ever since I had a mountain bike, I've rode in winter, so you know, it's been a natural progression- Uh-huh... of about 30 years, so. Yeah, I, I went BM- It seems weird that nobody- BMX, BMX riding...
31:32
you're like, you never rode your bike in the snow? No. BMX. No, I, I went BMX into- You're not a BMX- No, I, I'm just saying about me. Yeah. [laughs] I'm talking about [laughs]...
31:40
I didn't think BM, I didn't think BM, hey, I didn't think BMX- But no, I went, I went BMX to mountain and... Hey, welcome to the show, Brian. [laughs] Hey, welcome to the fucking shit bucket, burger.
31:53
You're taking this shit over. Do you want me to... I'm gonna go have a cigarette. All right. Zito's out. Zito's going to have a cigarette. Okay, Brian. [laughs] I feel like I'm late to the party.
32:02
Well, maybe a little bit, but, uh, no. So, you know, you've, you've been out there fat biking, you're racing now, and, uh, we were just getting into when fat biking actually started making sense to you.
32:13
Yeah, you know, it was, I, I will say that's the, when I rode that, that Moonlander on the trail before any snow hit, I was like, "This is great.
32:20
It's like bashing into stuff that's, you know, like driving a monster truck o- over cars. It's just a blast."
32:26
So I, I totally saw elements of it that were awesome, but when I got out on the snow, 'cause I didn't go, I just went through powdered snow, which is, you know, not fun. So, um,
32:37
that was when I, oh, so a packed trail is a lot more fun. So anyway, then, uh, eventually I, I picked up a Salsa Beargrease, uh, the XX1 build and, uh, two years ago, I believe, maybe two, I don't know.
32:50
I guess so, two years ago. And, um, and then I got that through George and then we talked a little bit about getting a summer set of wheels, so I ended up pulling the trigger on that.
33:00
So I have a 29er plus set of wheels, and then I have the stock whiskey wheels. And then, uh, last year I put studs in the, the whiskey wheels, the four-inch tires, and that made a world of difference. Oh yeah, studs.
33:12
[growls] Well, you know, and you- That's really when the race, the racing started when I figured out studs. I was like, "Oh, now I get it. I can totally race this."
33:21
'Cause I got, you know, I did the Shell Track race or one or two races the year before and I'm like, "I don't know what these guys do to these bikes to make them turn, but I can't do that."
33:30
[laughs] So the studs helped me.
33:31
Well, you know, that's one of the things, one of the things we find obviously, and you've, you've learned this now, is that the snow conditions are so variable, so it doesn't even hurt to have more than one fat bike in your stable, one set up for the beach and ice and, and s- and really, um, floaty and one is set up more trail or whatever.
33:50
I mean, you can certainly take your, your one bike and swap wheels out and stuff, but I think everybody should have more than one fat bike. Sven's always trying to sell everybody an extra fat bike.
34:00
Everybody needs an extra fat bike. I know. [laughs] Well, why wouldn't you? Right? Well, yeah. If it's that much fun, you may as well have two. Two, I don't know. I know.
34:09
I'm sitting on a road bike and I'm going like, I'm like, "I'd like riding a road bike- Do you want me to list services for all the road bikes?... but every time I ride my road bike, it goes, [pop] hello.
34:18
Most pe- most people can't afford- Boom. No... two $3,500, uh- Oh, no... you know, part-time conveyances. You're, you're talking real person prices again. [laughs] I know. Yeah, no. That's what real people pay.
34:30
No, just throw a fucking Wallgoose in there, man. Oh, wait. Maybe we should all do a Kickstarter for Mug, for let's buy Coleman a bike. Just throw a Wallgoose in your stable just in case you need a fucking borrow.
34:42
Thomas keeps bringing up Kickstarter, Brian. I think maybe we should talk a little bit about your experience with Kickstarter. The reason- He's like, he's like, he's like- Oh, you know-... a five time- Five time-...
34:53
begger... Kickstarter champion. Dun, dun, dun. Well, the reason why that I even- I know... would talk to Brian is I used a product that he had Kickstart-erd. Is that, is that actually a verb now? Maybe.
35:04
Um, last year called the Weatherneck, which I, I really like it a lot. It's kind of like a face scarf, a half a balaclava.
35:10
It, uh, it wraps around below your, or above your nose, and it has magnetic closures which go on behind your head. So it's real easy to put on, and you can just whip it off when you get warm and stuff it in your pocket.
35:21
But this year he's added the mullet. Oh. I wish I brought the mullet. I was gonna bring it. It goes down your back? Well, it, it's a hat that goes on your head- Right...
35:29
and then this attaches to it, so now it becomes essentially more of a full balaclava, right, Brian? Yeah, absolutely.
35:36
It's the two pieces when they're together, it, it looks exactly like a, any balaclava in the world, but the whole secret is you can just rip the face mask off, so
35:46
when you get too hot, and that was always like, especially with fat bikes, you know, it starts out cold 'cause it's winter and, um, but pushing those big tires around and working a little bit harder, I got so hot that, um,
35:58
it was miserable. So I just wanted to find a way to rip this thing off.
36:01
So that's, uh, it started, my first prototype of it was a few years back and it was more on the road that I wanted to have something I could rip off.
36:08
But, uh, certainly when the, when I started getting more into the fat bike side of things, that's when that product really sprung to mind, 'cause previously it was just I cut the top off a hat and sewed some Velcro on the back of one and that was good But then when I started Fat Bike, and I thought, "Well, maybe I can take my little hack and, uh, make it a little more professional and solve some problems for other people," so [laughs] Well, one of the things- That's what I did...
36:31
I mean, Brian sent us, or me, not you guys, um [laughs] Not you guys. [laughs] Me, me.
36:37
By the way, Brian, a- any other product people out there, I've been bike messenger-ing now, and we're heading into winter, and y- anybody wants to test some products, nobody, we, like the, the, the coat that I'm riding, the- Uh, we'll talk about your coat issue in a little while...
36:51
but people in elevators- Oh, yeah [laughs]... all the time, "What are you wearing?" People are always asking, "What are you wearing? What do you use?
36:55
What are you- Really, our readers would really like to hear about things like this. Yeah, they would. It's amazing, you know? They don't write it. We give people things all the time, and sometimes we never hear back.
37:05
But what I'm saying is people ask us about product all the time, "What, what shoes are you wearing? What, what gloves are you wearing? What hat, you know, what coat are you wearing?" You got it, brother.
37:14
Which cod piece are you wearing? [laughs] I'm gonna have to buy one. Where can I buy one? So I'm gonna get my point in here- [laughs]... whether you guys talk or not, okay? All right.
37:23
I just want to know where I can buy one. She's hoarding it in here. Ah, ah, ah, ah. No, okay.
37:28
So Bri- Brian sent us a, an early prototype of the new, the mullet portion, which actually still works with the old original Weatherneck, but the new one's a little bit improved.
37:38
What I immediately liked about it, even though it's 70 degrees outside, is that the center of it has, like, it's very breathable. It's got holes in it. And, and, and- Holes?... I know Gomez knows about this.
37:49
You just- [laughs] We get very warm. I need somewhere for the heat to go out the top of my head. Holes. So it's a very well-thought-out product- It is... is what you're saying. Holes.
37:58
I think, I think, I, I really think it is. It, it, I wore it around, and it's just [laughs] 70 degrees out, Brian. I can't wear it yet. I know. Tell me about it, man. I [laughs]
38:07
it, uh, trying to sell balaclavas in, in, uh, 70 degree heat is, is not working out as well as I'm, as I might have liked. But, uh- This weekend, winter comes. Winter is coming. Winter is coming. It'll come. It'll come.
38:18
You know nothing. [laughs] John- You know nothing, Jon Snow... Jon, Jon Snow. [laughs] So Brian, uh, Gomez alluded to this before. You've Kickstarted, again, um, s- at least four products in the past. This is your fifth.
38:33
Um, we don't normally pimp Kickstarter stuff because we're like, "Well, we don't really know much about it," but you got a track record, and, and how has Kickstarter actually, uh, helped you get your innovative products out there in the, uh, in the market?
38:47
Yeah, you know, it's, uh, it's a, a lot of people have m- maybe misconceptions or misunderstandings about it, but I, I mean, I love it.
38:54
It's been great for me, 'cause I'm, I'm currently on my phone talking to you in my third stall garage, which is where I come up with all my stuff. I don't have a staff. I, I don't, uh, have anything. It's me.
39:06
He's got a three-car garage, folks. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah, well, there is that. [laughs] I got a three-car garage. Uh-huh. I don't even have a car. [laughs] All I can ride. Tracking, tracking, tracking.
39:20
So, so s- we, we understand that- But it g-... that Kickstarter helps-... the cool part is it gives me worldwide access to, uh, to people all over the world to just throw an idea out there, and if any of them had...
39:32
So I did three products across five Kickstarters is kind of the math of it. So the Fixit Sticks, the first time I launched that, really didn't have any good idea what I was doing, uh, in terms of making a product.
39:43
I'm not an engineer. I've never made a product. I have no idea. The, I'm just a guy that had an idea, like I'm sure tons of other people have ideas and think, "I wonder if this is interesting."
39:52
So for me, it's not necessarily so much about the money. It's, a lot of it is just, is this a good idea? It's, it's a great sounding board to be able to, to hear what people have to say, and then
40:04
by being able to sell stuff and generate sales, then I can go to the retail shops and say, "Hey, it's not a stupid idea. I've sold this stuff, so give me a shot." You know?
40:13
And that was, that's how I got into, uh, some of the distributors in the beginning with Fixit Sticks, was being able to, you know, show them that I had sales on Kickstarter of- Are we gonna see you on Shark Tank?...
40:24
a pretty good amount in a pretty big [laughs] no, I don't, you know, I've- No?... I've been contacted by them twice, actually, but- Uh-huh... uh, but that's, uh, that's okay.
40:33
I'm glad I haven't made it that far, but may- maybe a- Yeah... more of a rinky-dink show, not that big one, 'cause- Oh, you mean like our show? [laughs] No, no, no.
40:42
Have you ever- No, more show maybe, uh- Like one of those, uh [coughs]... put it on CNBC or something else... Trump administration. One of the other secretaries.
40:47
Did you take a, did you take a business plan to a bank and get rejected? Is that why you went with Kickstarter? No. No, I think- It was either The Apprentice or Shark Tank...
41:00
I, I [laughs] So [laughs] well, uh- I, I had a guy in my ear- Da, da, da, da... uh, bugging me about a, a business plan, but my thought was just like, "You know what? It's a bike tool.
41:07
It, either people are gonna buy it or they're not." I mean, there's not a lot of planning that you need to do. So I thought I'd just cut to the chase and go see if people want to buy it. So it, it was just much quicker.
41:17
I mean, I have a good relationship with my bank. I'm sure I could have gotten some money from them, but- Uh-huh... it was, a- again, it was really more about the sales, 'cause I didn't...
41:25
Like with Fixit Sticks, the, there's no mold. There's no heavy upfront tooling costs. It's all, it was all CNC machined, so it was pretty straightforward.
41:35
W- however many I sell is how many I order from the machine shop, and that was that. But, um, so it, it's, it's as much about marketing as it is about sales- Sure... or, uh, I shouldn't say mark- marketing... sure.
41:45
I don't know. The market test. You know, people, we're, we're in the, in the product testing biz. You know? We're, we're a, basically a bike magazine that doesn't print on paper, and we test products all the time.
41:58
So I just think it's a bit odd to ha- say, "Hey, check out this awesome product that doesn't exist yet. It's an idea." Oh, right. "And we have some prototypes. Uh, it, it's never been out there in the market.
42:12
You wanna buy one? You wanna buy one? Give me your money." Yeah, I totally- "And if we get funded, then we'll make it." I totally get that from, from where you guys are. The Candy Man can't- [laughs] It's like-...
42:22
with publications... the Candy Man can 'cause he wishes it with love and makes the world taste good. Oh, Lordy. [laughs] Yeah, unfortunately there's, um, uh- No? So yeah, you know, it- I don't know if you did that...
42:34
that, that just seems, that just seems... Well, it's new, right? Well, I, uh, for me, I... You take the good with the bad, right? So it's an open w- open platform.
42:45
Any- really anybody can throw anything on there, so you see some really ridiculous ideas, and you see some things. Like, there's one, like, the Tron bike.
42:53
Like, uh, strike me down with lightning if that thing ever gets built. There's, it's just- [laughs]... no way that that item is ever gonna actually take place.
43:00
So you get a guy like that that jumps on there, and people give him money. There's just... There's just no way it's gonna work, but, you know- [laughs]... I mean, it's kind of buyer beware.
43:10
Well, it, it- Like, if you're, if you're that- It's kinda gambling, right? Well, what- no, what- They don't call it for sure- And this is, this is-... it's called gambling for a reason...
43:16
this is a five-times successful Kickstarter. Yeah. You've, you've, you've actually brought your products to market- Yeah... on time. All my, all mine have delivered on time as promised. Yeah.
43:27
So I am, uh, I am five for five with full delivery. I've not let anybody down. In fact- So if you give your $29.95-... my first campaign in 2000-... to Dave, or sorry, Brian Brian... Brian Davis- Bill. Bobby... Bill.
43:39
Bobby... Billy Bob. [laughs] You're gonna get your whatchamacallit on time, and it's, and it's gonna be good, right? But wait, there's more. Well, the first time I was so close- [laughs]
43:50
With Fix It Stick, I was so close to disaster that it scared me into making sure my products are much further along- We just painted a beautiful-... in the pipeline... landscape of trust. [laughs] Yes.
44:00
I know, but he's, he's, he's being honest. And now he wants to tell me a story- No... of peril... and he's saying he's, he's making sure everything's better.
44:07
Well, what I, what I, what strikes me about it, Brian, is that you, uh, along with some other people, especially on l- lower, lower entry-level priced stuff, use it as a way to test a market to see if people think the idea is good.
44:21
You already know you can deliver it. You already like the idea. Yep. Now you're just saying, "Well, are there enough other people that like this idea that are gonna, you know, make it worth fulfilling the prophecy?"
44:33
Or gamble on that. I mean, who cares- Right... if you, if you, if you... S- what is- And all the money that he makes goes to make [laughs] that robot woman he's building. [laughs] What are you- [laughs]
44:48
I, I wanna know if he got a house with a three-car garage where all the garage is in or is there a house or... [laughs] No. Uh. That... It's like, I got my apartment- The three-car garage-...
44:58
and one bedroom above my robot... is the house. [laughs] Yeah. See? Is he really building a robot? [laughs] No, no, no. That's just- That's the house... that's hooey. That's the house. That's just going on. Sorry, Brian.
45:09
I do... I'm, I'm- No... I'm just not a very nice person. No, he's just weird, dude. [laughs] Brian, Brian, he's just weird, man. Yeah, it's just plain, like, it- Yeah, I hear you... just, uh, skiing moguls right now.
45:23
So far it's all right. No problem. [laughs] We're all good. So far it's okay. [laughs] So far it's okay. Right. Right on. Well, I mean, I- That's, uh- Because I've seen this actual product in my hand- But, uh, see-...
45:36
I think it's a good thing... maybe, maybe- And-... if you'd shared the booty- And I have an actual human mullet. [laughs] Yeah, he's got a mullet. That's right. He's got a mullet. I've, I've seen a rather...
45:49
I've seen a totally new wave picture of you, dude, from the '80s- Oh... where you had a, where you had a sweet mullet. You had a, like, sport mullet.
45:57
That's where Brian got the prototype shape for the hat part of the WeatherMet. [laughs] Killer. So we will have a link to the Kickstarter, Brian. Um, and, uh, folks, I think this is a good thing.
46:07
If you ride in the winter, it's awesome. You can regulate your heat much more easily than with more traditional balaclava-type gizmatrons. [coughs] Yeah, it's really good.
46:18
Plus, if you, plus if you're, if you're deer, if you're deer hunting, or you're, uh, uh, working for our government overseas in, uh, in the, in the Himalayas- [laughs]... when you take that mask off- Perfect...
46:27
it's super silent. It doesn't go whpsh. It just goes... Ah. Oh, dude, I love that. And those, and those magnets probably have some sort of, like, I don't know- Science They're, they're- Magnets...
46:39
magnets are the future, man. It's the future, dude. Science. Skin grows back is, other than all his stuff, it's magnets. Oh, geez. Now you gotta, now you gotta look up the Insane Clown Posse video- Uh-oh...
46:47
and find the one, uh, Magnets. How Do They Even Work? Yeah. [laughs] Do you not know that? Pure magic. All right, Brian, I, I hope we haven't upset you too much today, but, uh, thanks for sharing your story. No, no.
46:59
Here's the, here's the silver lining, though. Your visit to Dysfunction Fest. [laughs] The link to, to the, to the Kickstarter will be in our, uh, in our show notes.
47:09
So our one listener out there, go help this cat out because, hey, fifth time's the charm, man. Right, right. Hey, I appreciate it.
47:18
Thanks for having me on, and, uh, I hope to catch up with you guys at some of these events around Wisconsin. You bet. Are you, are you doing the wh- It's a lot of fun. Hope to catch up...
47:24
are you doing all of the Huge Ass races? No, I just jumped in that one in Appleton 'cause it was close. Um, but I'll, I'll probably do one or two more, and I definitely wanna get to George's- Hog Ass...
47:35
because that's, uh, I, I managed to- Dude, come down for Jungle Cross. You'll love it. You'll love it. There's free beer and whiskey- Yeah, I just, uh-... with entry. [laughs] And actually, I saw George, George today.
47:44
Are you guys... Is he calling in today about Global Fat Bike, too? That was, uh... He alleged that he would call in, but, uh- Hey... okay, Brian. Thanks for calling. All right, guys. You guys have fun. Uh.
47:55
Hey, you know what? Talk amongst yourselves. While I, uh, while- While we're- While we get George on the line- While we're talking amongst ourselves- I'm, I'm giving George a holler...
48:01
I've got, uh, the Fat Bike Summits, actually, some... They released some dates- George... and they'll be in the show notes. I have no idea where... Where are you?
48:07
I'm, uh, down here below the Movember contest ticker lube and gnomes. [laughs] How come I don't have a computer? [laughs] How come you don't have a computer?
48:16
I keep interrupting you and sidetracking your show 'cause I don't know- Sorry... what's going on. I have no idea what's going on either. This, this show is... See, this, this- Yeah, go that way. That's easier.
48:26
[laughs] There you go. Ah. Yeah. Look at this. So anyway- Can you read? Um, yeah. Yeah. Why read? We don't really read. No. Gosh. It's just a, a general- It's like a... Yeah General aim But, uh, these, these- Ugh...
48:41
these fat bike summits are gonna be in, uh, Truckee, California, Des Moines, Iowa, Ottawa, uh, Ottawa, Ottawa, California, and Anchorage, Alaska. So, you know, if- Ottawa, California. Ottawa, California.
48:56
I wanna go to Alaska. I bet there's some bitchin' fat bikin' up there- I'll, I'll, I'll-... all across. I'll, I'll- I'll, I'll- So, yeah... I'll, I'll. I'll. Oh, Chris is still listening. [burps] Chris Daisy?
49:08
Yeah, there's nothing really on television, so- Cheers. [laughs] We can hear him. We can hear him over here. Right on, Chris. Oh, dude. So we've been through the special segment. Eh, yeah, we got George.
49:22
George, where's George? So where are we at? George is, George is, uh, dialing digits as we speak. Beepity boop, boop, boop, boop, boop. George has a new bike company. Meanwhile- Meanwhile- I spoiled the surprise.
49:35
He- Meanwhile, you should let me get my two cents in about, uh, about, uh, the jacket you gave me for- Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, we were gonna talk about the Showers Pass Torch jacket. Oh, dude, that's, what a great jacket.
49:45
It's, uh... You gave it to me, I wore it one day in the rain on the beach fat biking, and I was like, "Oh, this is a great jacket." And then I was so excited to go out messengering with it on, you know?
49:56
It rained all day from 8:00 in the morning till 6:00 at night. I was in the rain all day.
50:01
And of course, like any jacket, your, your wrists, it, there's four holes, you know, where your neck is, where your body is, [phone ringing] and- Mm-hmm... whoa, sorry, I know. Uh... Hello, Mom.
50:15
Where your, uh, where your neck is a- and where your arms go through the sleeves, so there's, water's gonna get in somewhere when you're in the rain all day. But this jacket's great.
50:23
The, the, the, the silver material that's so shiny and the fluoro yellow. They have lights built in, in, onto the ass flap on the, on the back and built into the sleeves that you can use almost as turn signals.
50:37
It's really- You're the perfect person to, to give that to... oh, it's, as some people, like I said earlier, people in the elevators when you're messengering, they're always asking you, "What, what are you wearing?"
50:44
You know, "What's this? What's that? Where'd you get it?" I've never had... Since I've- You should, you should- Since I brought a f- a Pugsley home, what- You should hold out-... 10 years ago-...
50:52
and I'll say, just say- I've never had more questions about a product in my life ever... I'll tell you how this jacket is if you write it all down and then send it to, to Sven.
51:01
[laughs] To, to, to be fair, it, it really hasn't been crappy out lately. There's been like- No, I haven't had a chance to wear it... there's been like three rain days. That is true.
51:08
I, uh, yeah, and they're all Wednesdays and I love the jacket, every one of them. Right on. Every one of them. It's a great... It's a really well-made jacket, well thought out. The pit zips work well.
51:18
Uh, I don't like that there's no front pock- well, there's one front pocket up on the chest, but I l- I'm, I'm a pocket person, and- Can you just tell that to Siri and then email it to me?
51:30
[laughs] I thought I was, I, I thought I was just- Hey, Siri... I thought you were writing this down. No. [laughs] Speaking of writing it down, I think George wrote down our phone number and gave us a call. Yeah.
51:40
Welcome, welcome to the radio program, George. Hey, how's it going, guys? Good. So y- you just got back from a ride? Yeah. I called, I called George on the other line and said, "You're supposed to call in, George.
51:51
Where the hell are you?" [laughs] Whoops. We were, uh, just, uh, drinking some beer, and all of a sudden you guys, or you called, and I'm like, "Oh, shit, yeah, radio. Fat Bike Radio."
52:03
[laughs] That's funny, these guys were drinking beer, then called you. Right?
52:07
So, um, George- [laughs] George has one of the m- m- one of the best Global Fat Bike Days I've, uh, been to going on up in Three Rivers, Manitowoc area in central, northern western central Wisconsin.
52:19
And, um- Northeast Wisconsin... yeah, northeast central west Wisconsin. Up there on, on the lake shore.
52:26
But, uh, uh, he made a few changes this year anticipating many, many, many people, so I would, wanted George to tell us a little bit about that. Hey, George, welcome to Fat Bike Radio. Oh, is that Gary? Hello, Gary.
52:41
There's no Gary here. No, no, that's Gomez. That's Gomez. [laughs] Hey, George. [laughs] No, it's Gary. [laughs] We gotta do something about your nasal voice. Yeah, we, um,
52:57
Global Fat Bike Day, uh, it just seems to be growing every year. Um, but we're gonna be hosting it in Three Rivers, Point Beach State Park.
53:06
Uh, we're moving our venue, which used to be at the Hummingbird Retreat, really cool little venue, but, um,
53:12
we're expecting a few more riders this year, so we had to move it to a pizza place right down the road, Port Sandy Bay Pizza. They got awesome- I like pizza...
53:21
awesome pizza, but they have a bigger parking lot, and, um, just down the backside of the pizza place, uh, you can jump on the trail and head to the beach. Right on.
53:30
I just want you to know that Chris Daisy hung up on you. He, he's left [laughs] he's left the program. [laughs] Aw, Daisy. Anyway, George- There must be something good on TV...
53:40
so obviously it's, uh, it's December 3rd, Global Fat Bike Day, what time do you think you guys are gonna get going? Uh, y- you have a couple of rides, right? It's not just the one ride.
53:49
Yeah, we have one at, um, traditionally 12:30. Um, so kind of meet up there at noon, uh, shove off at 12:30, uh, head down the trail, do some beach riding. Usually, um, kind of take in the scenery, uh, at the lake.
54:06
Uh, it's, usually get a big game of derby going or dab going, and, um- Yeah... last year it was kind of cool. There was a, there was a big launch jump on the beach and a bunch of us were hitting that.
54:17
That was kind of cool. Um, but yeah, I don't know, just pretty casual ride. Um, great speed and just kind of get everybody together and socialize. Is there beer? Yeah.
54:34
[laughs] Oh, excellent. [laughs] Yes, there is. Excellent. [laughs] So g- so, so- Yeah...
54:40
so Gomez, Gary, that guy over there, he kind of, uh, kind of leaked out the number before, but when we were talking on the phone earlier this week, you told us you're launching a fat bike brand called Five Zero Nine, or Five Oh Nine.
54:52
Uh, what- Hey, George, what's Five Zero Nine mean? What's up with 509, man? Yeah, 509. Um, we, you know, for a couple years we, we thought about launching a fat bike brand and we, um, just to play around with and-
55:07
'Cause rocket's cool... you know, doing carbon and, uh- It's cool... fat, man... what do we do? But, um, yeah, finally we took the leap and, um, we found a manufacturer in Taiwan and, um, we had, uh, Joe Augustine,
55:25
he drew up a, designed a fat bike for us. You know, we kinda collaborated on what do we want for geometry and, um, came up with a steel frame, so 4130 double-butted frame weighing in about five-ish pounds.
55:40
Um, but yeah, ED coated. Super pumped for it. Um, I don't know what can I say about it?
55:48
The pretty much exciting thing, I mean, that's what I rode tonight out on the, on the, out on the group ride and, um, first time I rode, um, rode it with 100 millimeter rims, 4.6 tires, so this bike is just pretty rad.
56:02
I mean, it, it's awesome. It's so, got the 177 rear end, but it fits,
56:07
it, it can actually fit 100 millimeter rim with a 4.8 tire with a little chain modification, but I got a float or a Dunder Beast in the back and there's, there's no chain modification.
56:16
It just, it fits nice and plush right in the back. So, um- You gotta put the curved chain on. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah. Yeah. So- Motion in the basket.
56:30
[laughs] [laughs] So when I, when I first saw or heard the name, you know, 509, I'm thinking area code, like 907 or whatever, but you've got a, your 509 means something different to you.
56:41
What's, what, how did the name come about? Yeah, so the name came about, um, through my dad actually. He, uh, was in the 509 Composite Group during World War II. Oh.
56:53
Um, you know, and just, he passed away two years ago and I thought it was gonna be a pretty fitting name for, for a fat bike, uh, especially go- going with the steel frame.
57:06
Uh, we will have titanium as well, but, uh, majority of our frames that we're, we're selling is, are gonna be steel. Steel's real. Steel's real. Yeah, definitely. I'm having a blast riding this thing.
57:18
I've been just shredding it really hard. I mean, kinda really realistically trying to break it. Um, just hitting everything as hard as I can and, I mean, I'm just putting it through the ringer.
57:29
Raced it, did a couple WARZ races on it. Um, did 100K Gravel Grind on it with 29 plus wheels and really impressed with it. So I, I think,
57:42
I, I really think we hit a home run with it, so we moved forward and, um, production models should be here mid-December, early January. Cool. You should probably send us a sample for me. Yeah.
57:54
[laughs] So George, with all the brands that are out there, uh, you know, people are, almost everybody makes one, uh, what makes your bike different from, uh, from the pack? What set, what sets a 509 apart?
58:14
Uh, I would say the geometry, um, the story and, um, I mean,
58:23
us as, I mean, as a, as a, as a bike shop or as what we do, um, our customer service base and, you know, we're gonna support it for sure. Um, if you have a problem, we're gonna take care of you. So I mean,
58:37
I, I think that's what has grown our shop to be so big is customer service, just taking care of the customer. If they have an issue or if they have any kind of questions, we take care of you.
58:46
I mean, it's, it's more than just selling a bike, it's, it's the lifestyle. Nice. Right on, man. Well, you guys have a Facebook thing for your, uh, your event, right?
58:58
We've got that on our little linky linky- He was the first one... Facebook linky. Dude. Right? Way to go. So, uh- Way to go. You were the first one...
59:04
if you can, head up there by George for the, uh, Two Rivers/Manitowoc, uh- Two Rivers?... Global Fat Bike Day. Do you wanna go? It's the same day as Santa Rampage. I know, but, uh- We could do both...
59:16
don't even get me started. No, I don't even- Isn't that the same day as, as Frostbike? I will not do both. Is it going Frostbike? [laughs] I- [laughs] Is that the same weekend as Frostbike? [laughs] What's Frostbike?
59:26
'Cause I, there's, there's stuff to burn up in Minneapolis. Ah. I'd, uh- I'm gonna- I'd like, I'd like to, I wanna go ride the beach, man... burn things and break things.
59:33
I wanna go do, I'd rather do that than go around with a bunch of amateur drunks. Right on. Hey, yeah, who's, how's the, um, so I just did a recon beach ride and the beach is back. Oh, sweet.
59:45
I don't know what, look, looks like, uh, you guys in Milwaukee, but there's like 20 feet, 20, 30 feet of just beach riding now, where you're not riding in the waterline anymore. Great. Awesome.
59:56
We, uh- That must be the longshore corrent- current bringing back the sand. Yeah.
59:59
Well, no, it, I think w- we're just so cliffy right here in Milwaukee, in the Milwaukee area that w- it, the water's still high down in Klode Park. It's still really high up here. Well, there's just lack of beach maybe.
1:00:12
I guess Port, Port South apparently you can... And he's in C- in with Sheboygan, right? That's what, yeah, Port South. That's what I heard. 'Cause I even spoke for Zuzu Mike. I'm, I'm going, man. Port South, let's go.
1:00:27
I'm going to his ride. He's up there north of there. He's in Two Rivers. Two Rivers. Oh, that's, whoa. Wait, that's- Yeah, we're north.
1:00:33
Let's, let's forget about Global Fat Bike Day, 'cause- It's, no, that's not- No, let's go to Two Rivers... that's, that's, that's- Let's just what you're doing on Global Fat Bike Day. Let's go to Two Rivers.
1:00:41
That's what we're- Two Rivers Would you rather do a n- Oh, that's what the show's about... an everybody on every bike ride- Oh, wait, I know we were talking about doing it on Sunday... or on a Global Fat Bike ride? Huh?
1:00:48
Let's, let's go ride Port South then, Sunday or something. I'm going to Two Rivers. All right. I'm going to Two Rivers. You should. People should go where they want and celebrate- Where can I stay up there?...
1:00:56
like crazy. Is, so is there a couch I can sleep on? Yeah Sudsy to what? He's, he's super sexy. I need a couch. [laughs] I need a s- I need a sexy couch. [laughs] The couch doesn't have to be sexy, just pet hair-free.
1:01:10
Who's on the show? I don't know. Uh, well. I'm about to get kicked out 'cause I keep sidetracking the show. It spun, it spun out of control. We got JK, we got Chris Zito, we got Gomez, we got Sven, we got George.
1:01:23
Oh, wait, I got- And also- We got Gary. [laughs] Where's Gary? Oh, yeah, Gary's here. Is Gary running the soundboard? [laughs] No. No. Oh, that's Bobby. What is this? Let's, let's thank- Ah!
1:01:32
Let's thank George for calling in. Oh! Oh! Bobby. Thank you, George. Thanks for telling us about your stuff. George, I will see you- George... Two Rivers, I'm coming. Thanks for having us. Yeah.
1:01:42
509 Bikes, what's your motto? Like, get rad and stuff? What's your motto? What's your slogan? Whatever. [laughs] I gotta come up with one. All right, I- I don't got one yet... I put you on the spot there. Sorry.
1:01:56
Don't shred it, thread it. I know. I, I wanted to, I wanted to say something, but I, I, I, I stopped myself from saying it. Did it have a swear in it? Did it s- was it, "Zito's a dick"? [laughs] No.
1:02:08
He gets that a lot, so don't worry. [laughs] No. I, I was gonna say just blowing shit up, but that, that's doesn't fit. Oh. No, I like that. Yeah. That's perfect.
1:02:17
Uh, global terrorism, uh- It's got so many levels to it, man... it has, it has [laughs] it has the whole global terrorism aspect to it, 'cause he's blowing shit up But it also has the getting rad aspect to it- Exactly...
1:02:27
blowing shit up and having fun and blowing ME up. My boat's blowing up all night. I'm talking about blowing ME up. Yeah, all day. Blowing your bike up, having fun. Blowing it up, man. That's good. I like that.
1:02:36
I'm coming. All right, George, thank you for calling. We'll talk to you next time. All right. Thanks, Greg. Bye, George. You guys are the best. Later. Ride bikes, sell bikes. Our show this evening- Eat bikes...
1:02:47
has been brought to you by the bikes, parts, and obvious chaos of Surly Bikes. [laughs] L- learn more at surlybikes.com. Wait, it's over. Surly rules, guys. Dude. Oh. Is it over?
1:02:59
Call 1-888-182-453 anytime day or night and leave us a message. You must call us, 818-182-453, anytime. I wouldn't be half the retard I am if it weren't for Surly. [laughs] See you next week. Till then.
1:03:17
You've been listening to Fat Bike Radio's weekly dose of fat. Find us on the web at fat-bike.com/radio. We'll see you next time.
1:03:32
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