Every now and again, I go off on certain issues. By “going off”, I mean I become slightly more opinionated than I should. Sometimes those within earshot are left wondering “what? did he just say what I thought he said?” and others think “Right on! I was thinking it, but I didn’t want to say anything…”

Call them Idea’s or random thoughts or drivel, if you will. But when I say them, they most assuredly make sense to me, at the time anyhow…

I had an idea recently that really made sense to me, but I am not too sure if anyone else would understand.

See, I got out of the shower and as I stand there trying to get all the water off my body as fast as possible ( because the air temperature in the house is kept like a meat locker so I don’t have a huge gas company bill each month), I looked up kinda briefly into the huge mirror that sits above our sinks in the bathroom. I noticed that, wait for it… I am fat. I “went off” on myself saying “whats up, fatty?” and “you fat bastard!”. I was disgusted and I knew I needed to do something.

Now, if you know me, you know I joke about being fat, but honestly, I am probably in the 50% range of most Americans. Half are skinnier than me, the other half are fatter than me. Ok, well, maybe 75% are thinner, but I digress…  So as I stand there in the bathroom glaring at what I have become, I had to think to myself, “well, just how did I get here?”

Then it dawned on me, I like to eat. I like to cook and eat. I like things that are bad for me. Like Food. Like Beer. Like Chocolate. (insert the “you’re just like a woman” comment here) However, I realized a couple of other things. One is that while I was living in Speedway, I was unhappy.  I know it sounds like sour grapes, but lets just say enough negative events had unfolded and I knew it was time to make a change in my life.  I was miserable and for some very legitimate reasons. And that unhappiness led to over-indulging in food and drink. But, that unhappiness also led me to feel I needed a change of scenery.

Lesley and I decided it was time to move on. At first, I had seriously considered Rock Hill, South Carolina. Why, you ask? Because they are constructing a brand new cycling facility, including a 250m outdoor velodrome. I didn’t know person one in Rock Hill, so we explored other options.  Then some of our friends from Louisville had suggested we explore their city as an option. As we looked around, we became more impressed with what we saw. After what seemed like an eternity, we found our dream home. We put an offer on the house and 8 weeks later, we moved in!

So, what does all this have to do with me being fat and unhappy? Well, everything actually!

See, as I stand on that bathmat in my new home, toweling off my wet, “big boned” body I made a decision. I am in a new house. I have a beautiful family. I need to take care of them and provide for them for a long time. As I thought to myself, “it won’t do them any good if I coronary at a young age” I began to think of other issues surrounding my weight. “who wants a bike made by a fat guy who doesn’t ride a bike himself?”, “how can I do everything I wanted to do in life in this body?”, “I want to race my bike again!”, and then the last thought was something my good friend (and 3 time Olympian)  Erin Hartwell said “People don’t respect you if you’re fat”. Erin had noticed as he packed on the pounds after his competitive years were over that despite the fact he carries 2 Olympic Medals and several World Championship Medals and had been a US National Champion several times as well, that people just don’t view you the same. Its not that its “disrespect” so much as it is that they don’t listen to your opinion, or take your opinion as seriously as they would if you were fit.

My career is the bicycle industry. Its not just a job, its way more deep than that, its my LIFE!  I am not implying that I am not getting the respect I deserve, but, those words really impacted me. I knew then and there a change had to come. It, as they say, was “the moment of clarity” when I knew what needed to be done.

So, as I sit here at my desk thinking of how I am going to improve my life, my health and my position in the bicycle industry, I made some goals. I will now share them with you.

1. By December 25th, 2012 I will drop 100 pounds

2. I will race Masters Cross Worlds in 2013 here in Louisville.

3.  I will race a full schedule of road and cross in 2013

4. I will upgrade to a Cat. 2 by the end of the 2013 season.

They are lofty goals, I know. But in the interest of my health I believe I can achieve them.

So, from this point forward, its time to nut up or shut up.

I began my quest last night with a few of my Rio Blanco Racing teammates. We went on a night ride in Louisville. Sure, it was only an hour and 10 minutes, but I had to start somewhere. I am just happy I have friends who will help and encourage me to become (half) the man I used to be. (Thanks guys!)

As for Erin, he went from 240 pounds down to 160 pounds in a year and the WON Masters National Madison title.

He’s back to getting all the respect he deserves… Now its my turn!

DW

Ok, like every good herd, there’s a few stragglers at the back. In this case, there’s some perfectly good machinery and a bike fit system sitting in the back of my garage and shed that could be easily picked off if you are the (bargain) hunter.

Since we have moved to our new home in Buckner, KY, I have less room for bike making and this means some of my stuff has to leave so I can make room to get back to building bikes.

Up first is my beloved Atlas Horizontal Mill. This was owned by my good friend Frank Messenger before I bought it when he retired. (DON’T tell him I am selling it, he would be heartbroken!) It comes with a nice wood/metal stand and lots of cutters and a vice. This machine runs like new! But wait, thats not all, if you act now, you’ll get a spare parts machine. Its 90% complete, only missing the pulley arm and belts. I would prefer you pick this up. I can help load into your truck, van or trailer.

Asking $1,000 for all.

Next up is a US Burke Horizontal Mill. Its in decent shape for the age, I’m guessing its 1950′s or early 60s in vintage. Machines like this are great because they were built to last.

I used it less than 20 minutes a week for the 2 years I have owned it. Runs great! This weighs somewhere in the 1200 pound range, so if you want to arrange shipping, the carrier will need a lift gate and pallet jack. Its strapped to the pallet and ready for pickup!

Asking $750

Lastly, I have my 4 year old Waterford Fit Master bike fit system.  SOLD!

This thing sat in my shop for 3 years and saw two butts sit on it. To say it was never used is kind of an understatement. I’ll even throw in the manual and 2 seatposts. I would prefer that someone picked this up, as I don’t want to disassemble and pack it.  Sorry for the crappy pic, its in the back of my shed (like I said, I ran out of room…)

Asking $1000. SOLD!

Thats all for this time. I expect to re post a bunch of my surplus bikes again shortly.

Thanks for reading,

DW

If you didn’t see it elsewhere, Don Walker Cycles/Rio Blanco Racing had a great weekend in Cinci!

Lets start with our Elite/Pro rider, Gian Dalle Angelini;

Friday, coming from the back row, Gian put the hammer down and ended up 12th in a field stacked with most of the top Cross Pro’s and Elite Amateurs in the U.S.  Saturday, the course was fast, punchy and flat and dry, yet again from the back row, Gain made it to 20th. Sunday, at the crown jewel course of the weekend, the conditions were mowed grass with lots of mud, hills and a sandpit, which suited Gian even more and he ended up 13th with some UCI points as well. For being the only guy out there without a spare bike in the pits, he did exceptionally well against some pro’s that had been able to change bikes each lap.

Then, Blaine Heppner had a great weekend himself!

On Saturday, Blaine doubled up with a 3rd place in the Single Speed category and then came from the back row (seems like deja vu, eh?) and finished 4th in the Masters 35+ Cat 3 race!  On Sunday, Blaine had an even better day after DNF’ing the Single Speed race due to a mechanical, he went from worst to first with yet another back row start. The hilly and technical course suited his talents and he finished a minute plus on second place.

Congrats guys! Here’s to a job well done!

I’d like to thank Rio Blanco Racing’s equipment sponsors for helping these two race exceptionally well this weekend; Columbus Tubing, Cane Creek, L.H. Thomson, Ritchey and our newest sponsor, Continental! Thanks again!

DW

Gian grabbing some UCI points Sunday

Gian on Friday

Blaine crosses the line for the W

Blaine on the podium

This is just a quick update for those of you wanting to know the status of your bikes.

We began moving a week ago yesterday, and it became quite the monumental task. Apparently, I own too much crap. I don’t mean crap as in too much stuff I never use and can get rid of, I mean crap as in I just own too much stuff and I have to refer to owning this much stuff as beyond the normal limits of stuff one should own, so it therefor became crap. And with the help of a few friends, we moved four crap loads from my former residence and shop to our new digs in Buckner, KY (just outside of Louisville).

By my count, my crap is about 6 tons in weight, machinery included….

Anyhow, enough about crap.

I still have two more trip to make to clear out the shop. One trip of light stuff, stuff like tubing, frames, components and racks and the last will be the machinery. I hope to have this done by this time next week so I can start the shop organization.

As expected, I figured I would be unable to start fabrication until late November and that is still a reality.  Its going to take some time to get the machinery set up and dialed in, and then I can get back at the bench and get your bikes built.

Thanks again for your patience and understanding!

DW

Framebuilding is a “seasonal job”.

In my never ending quest for world domination in the campaign of mass produced vs. handmade bikes, it occurred to me that I haven’t always been providing the right information to the folks who need it, the bespoke clientele.

You see, much like the big bike companies, framebuilding trends are “seasonal”. What exactly does this mean? Let me explain it.

Its now Fall, and most riders fall into 3 categories during this time period. 1. The Cross Racer; This is usually a roadie who likes to punish himself for either his early season (spring) disappointments (or is just a masochist who loves being cold, wet, muddy and miserable while riding or pushing his bike through the mud, snow, sand, grass, etc.) or getting a jump on next years fitness. 2. The “Century Rider”; This is someone who loves organized bike rides of varying lengths on weekends, usually anywhere from 50 – 100 miles, and lets face it, the Fall is a perfect time to see the foliage change colors, so these riders will be out en mass until it becomes too cold to enjoy, and 3. The Road Racer; This rider is already getting a jump on base miles for next year’s road season and is going out for long, slow rides with a nice cadence, teaching the legs and cardio that this fall is the only time it will feel so nice.

Now, as a framebuilder, I try to accommodate all these types of riders. The only issue is that I set my frame production schedule to 1 frame per week. This gives me a maximum available production run of 50 per year. I know what you’re saying, 1 per week x 52 weeks in a year is 52 bikes, Walker! Sure, if I didn’t take my family vacation in the summer. Anyhow, let me get back to my point; With only 50 possible bikes available per year, you, the bespoke client, need to plan ahead to avoid not having your new bike for your time of year.

With my move to Louisville coming later this month, I will be shut down for a minimum of 3 weeks and maybe closer to 5 before the shop is up and running again. This means the earliest bikes will start leaving my shop is in December and if you needed a Cross bike, you’re outta luck.

That being said, I have a confession to make. 2012 will be my first year of actually offering Mountain Bikes, since I have signed Elite Cross and MTBer Gian Dalle Angelini to the Rio Blanco Racing/Don Walker Cycles team. I guess I kind of feel obligated to make these mountain bike thingies, ya know?

Anyhow, to somewhat condense the above verbiage into one sentence; Plan ahead when it comes to when you want your bike, and I mean “seasonally”…

BTW, the current queue is 3 months.