Weekly Roundup: The Green Machines Edition

It's been a three-month process, but my custom Lairdframe is finally assembled and running. Compared to the Freed 21 that I built in February while I was waiting for this project to come together, it's lighter, roomier, and vastly more expensive. I didn't spare too much cost here; it has nearly a full pound's worth of titanium components as well as the infamous six-pawl Profile Elite hubs.

To my immense annoyance, I'm not riding it nearly as well as I rode my slapped-together bargain-basement Freed. I had free reign to choose my geometry, tubing length, tubing diameter, and various other specs. Maybe I just chose poorly. We'll see how it all comes together.

The third-best thing about the frame, after the custom "Kraken" seat stay brace and bottle-opener chain stay brace, is something that I did not expect, because I didn't order it that way. I'd specified a Lamborghini lime green candy coat. Somehow the signals got crossed and I received "Emerald City". As you'll see in the photo below the jump, it's really handsome. Click to see the bike and to catch up on last week's contributions.

At R&T, I gloated a bit over the end of diesel passenger cars and suggested the return of the Rampage 2.2.

At TTAC, I reviewed a movie, discussed curated auto-show previews, considered the human cost of a manufacturing renaissance, and waxed nostalgic regarding two-seaters of the distant past.

Finally, I should mention Danger Girl's debut as a rental-review writer. The first target of her critical pen? The Cadillac XTS.

This week I'm doing something that I haven't done in nearly a year. No, I'm not talking about brushing my teeth. I do that ALL THE TIME. This is a tough crowd. If you must know, I'm attending a new-car press preview. It's been so long that I've forgotten all the etiquette. If I knew it in the first place. Have a great weekend!