Nothing happened since a while.

And this won´t change for some time probably. This is because all the stuff that really keeps me going happens over here



"I" mostly means "We" these days. And WE are CRITICAL DIRT: Your one and only chance to join the cool side in german cycling culture ...besides 2 to 3 other only chances maybe.

We did a sunny sunshine shorttrack-bmx-cross country-cocktail race thing in 2008. We hang loose in 2009 and we are now doing this sunny sunshine cyclocross-endurance-feast of friends kinda thing. You see, we still have freeride-road-downhill-singlespeed-stageracing-epic-muddy water stuff on our to-do list. Expect us to held the next UCI track world champs in some garage in Leipzig/Germany ;-)

Have fun with all the content at www.criticaldirt.com

wishful/sinful
b.asti

5 month of Chromag Sakura ridin

Well, someday around summer I stumbled across chromag bikes and was kinda sold. I was always flirting with BC bikes and biking. At the same time my dear friend and ex flatmate showed up with his selfmade steelframe that ended up as a coproduction between him and me geowise. And the final result made me nearly as proud as the builder when it comes to riding characteristics.  The Chromag Sakura seemed to be something very similar in the numbers and intended abuse.  So I finally ordered. And although I thought about some customizing I went with the regular one. A decision that was mostly about trusting Ian@ chromag and his partners to have it dialed in perfectly.

In mid september my frame arrived here in Zuerich and I built it up quitely the way I though it´ld be appropriated. The first ride was somehow a little disappointing. Although I do not have general problems with flat pedals, the flats felt anoying inefficient every time it got fast and rough. (and uphill of course too) and the 90mm stem felt wrong. So I had to go back to clipless pedals, switched to a 70mm stem and stick with the massive way to heavy Tioga DH tires. 

Well. After very few rides it was perfectly clear, I payed some serious money to get an incredible bike. Something I could not have asked for, because I didn´t knew.

My riding grow with that bike, It feels completly right. After longterm trialsy slow technical riding I rediscover speed in the same sections.  It is my goat till the top of the mountain. It is my well balanced trusty fellow in the rollercoasters. It is my DH rig on my way down (and for some huckers on bigbikes a reason to cry). 

But for some reason I don´t give it names.

bottomline: Don´t get yourself a chromag. It can spice up your ride, but I don´t want you to become that fast´n rad.

b.asti

kinda teaser: few minutes ago...

I had a controversial discussion with my flatmate. He very much put the finger on my left aside blog and told me it is time to post something new to my probably not so big but hopefully nice audience.

No, I won´t till february. I responsed imediatly . No. Although there are few thing worth mentioning and some kinda thought a ´ld like to share. No. Not yet.

"But you have to tell people that you ´re not going to post things and thunks right now" he (an experienced long term blogger with more than ... hm, lets say ... 3 followers) insisted.

Dazed and confused I was left alone. Maybe, he is right and I´m going to loose the last person interested in my foolish stuff.

So here I am, lying to you when saying, I won´t block till feb.




And after some more blues

I ´ll come up with a bike ride report full of pics for those visual oriented guys, some grinning ´bout economic situation and the terrible suspection, that even obama won´t save the world for those economical/political oriented folks, some love for literature for those artsy partsy intellectuals still livin derriere la vitre and some respect to a not so well known thinker and the man who introduced me to his work.

thanks for your patience with me

b.asti

Keine grossen Sprünge dieses Wochenende...

Morgen gibt es vermutlich wieder etwas - ach ich liebe diese Seifenblase - Content.
Obwohl, vermutlich wird es doch kein Content, sondern Inhalt.

the trouble with a businessman he thinks of himself so clever he doesnt even listen at all

anyway...

The trouble with a classicist he looks at a tree
That's all he sees, he paints a tree
The trouble with a classicist, he looks at the sky
He doesn't ask why, he just paints a sky

The trouble with an impressionist, he looks at a log
And he doesn't know who he is, standing, staring, at this log
And surrealist memories are too amorphous and proud
While those downtown macho painters are just alcoholic
The trouble with impressionists is
The trouble with impressionists is

The trouble with personalities, they're too wrapped up in style
It's too personal, they're in love with their own guile
They're like illegal aliens trying to make a buck
They're driving gypsy cabs but they're thinking like a truck
The trouble with personalities is
The trouble with personalities is

I like the druggy downtown kids who spray paint walls and trains
I like their lack of training, their primitive technique
I think sometimes it hurts you when you stay too long in school
I think sometimes it hurts you when you're afraid to be
called a fool
The trouble with classicists is
The trouble with classicists is

Hi there

Die Mühen des Wochenendes liegen hinter mir, vor mir liegen die Mühen der Woche.

Aus aktuellem Anlass möchte ich eine alte Kamelle rauskramen: Das Peterprinzip.
19hundertmitteneunzig haben zwei spitzfindige Klugscheisser mit sozialtherapeutischem und soziologischem Background namens Laurence Peters und Raymund Hull ein nettes Büchlein mit eben diesem Titel in die Welt gesetzt. Es wurde ein bestseller, obwohl doch einiges an klugen Ideen und Zynismus darin verpackt ist.
Die bohrende Frage für die Autoren und viele viele Leser gleichermassen ist und war: Wie kann es sein, dass in hierarchisch aufgebauten Unternehmen - z.b. in Behörden aber bei Leibe nicht ausschliesslich - so viele Vollidioten sitzen, die nicht in der Lage sind ihren Job anständig zu machen? Die Erklärung ist gewissermassen tolerant und auch verdammt einleuchtend. Die Vollidioten sind eigentlich keine Vollidioten. Sie sollten nur besser etwas anderes arbeiten. Wieso sitzen sie dann auf ihrem Posten? Nun es läuft etwa so: Jeder wird in hierarchischen Unternehmensstrukturen so lange befördert, wie er seinen Job gut ausfüllt. Klingt eigentlich prima. Aber es gibt eben einen Hacken. Jeder wird so lange befördert, bis er auf dem Posten ankommt, den er nicht mehr vernünftig ausfüllt. So landet jeder langfristig ,ganz natürlich, dort, wo er nichts zu suchen hat.
Das Ergebnis ist die vielzitierte "Hierarchie der Unfähigen".

Aber das ist schon über 10 Jahre alt, das Buch. Ende der 90er, mit dem Stern der New Economy, setzte sich endlich die flache Unternehmensstruktur durch. Jüngere Neuerungen wie der Arbeitskraftunternehmer, der Me Inc., Total Quality Management, Lean Management und vieles lustiges mehr erlösten uns für immer von der Hierarchie der Unfähigigen. Oder?
So oder so, willkommen am Arsch.

b.asti

Im going to make a mistake... in about an hour...well at least with open eyes

Therefore some matchin music I temporarily fell in love with: