Weekly Roundup: I'm Having Some Trouble Coping Edition
Perhaps "having some trouble with the coping" is a better way to put it. I'd like to do more half-pipe and quarter-pipe stuff but I have trouble with my back wheel "hanging up" on re-entry. The last time I really "aired out" a big quarter-pipe was back in 2002 or thereabouts. I was on my Haro Nyquist x24 and I probably went 3-4 feet up on this ratty wooden ramp in Lancaster, Ohio. I completely hung up on the way down which led to me being ejected from the bike and falling six feet onto my ankle. That still hurts today. Maybe I should find somebody to coach me a little bit so I can release my inner Mike Dominguez.
I don't think I'm having trouble coping. This has been a big week for personal growth. I've thrown away or donated hundreds of pieces of clothing. I've filled both of our 55-gallon trash cans --- twice! And I'm in the process of selling a couple hundred items on eBay. Right now, my seller listing is just bike parts, but over the weekend I'll be listing about twenty different pieces of auto-related memorabilia including some limited-edition Porsche and Land Rover clothing. Soon I'll be putting up dozens and dozens of brochures and catalogs from as far back as 1996. If you want something specific, particularly when it comes to the German or British marques, let me know and I'll start digging through my collection.
In addition to all of the above busywork and winter-time skatepark riding, I've also managed to get six articles out the door this week. Let's take a look.
For Road&Track, I considered the future of the Spec Miata in vintage racing and introduced you to Cranky, the eighteen-dollar part that appears in both the 1975 Rabbit and the Bugatti Veyron. Many thanks to Bozi Tatarevic of the Boost Brothers, whose research into common part sourcing was the inspiration for the story.
At TTAC, I asked where all the bubble wagons in downtown Columbus disappeared to before finding out the answer, again with the help of Bozi. I really should listen to Bozi more often.
We had an "Ask Jack" from a suspciously familiar correspondent, and a trip to the local car show with Bass Playa Patrick.
In the upcoming week, expect more tales of skatepark-related injuries, some fascinating questions from the readers that I'll be answering in a painfully earnest fashion, and many, many more eBay listings!