Transporting an Explosif...

Yeah, I know, it's a Unit, but it was supposed to be an Explosif, at least at the start. You see, the 16" Explosif frame I ordered for my girl turned out to be kid-sized, so I had Mike at Pedalshop order up this baby-shit brown 18" Unit frame, since no 18" Explosif was to be found anywhere (and the brown is actually preferable to the iridescent tiger beetle green of the Explosif). The 18" Kona Explosif and Unit models are dimensionally comparable to a 16" On-One Inbred (go figure), hence the undersizing error on the original frame order.

Took the W&OD from Vienna out to the shop in Ashburn, meeting up about halfway there with Jonny B. at the bridge over the Fairfax County Parkway. We hit the shop, picked up the frame, strapped it on, and headed back, stopping briefly for a beer and some grub at the Old Dominon Brewing Company, a critical co-sponser of the Pedalshop racing team.

New on the beer list was an Imperial IPA with the tongue tiring tag of 29,035 FT Double IPA. Since this ale makes liberal use of Summit Hops, I guess the brewmaster decided a little homage to Mount Everest was in order and decided to dub it accordingly. Weighing in at a liver-bruising 9.5% ABV, I wish I could tell you what a fantastic beer this pub-only ale is, but, unfortunately, the over-the-top-with-hops elixir hasn't found its way to the taps yet. The brewery is waiting until another keg kicks to make room at the bar, so I had to "settle" with an Oak Barrel Stout. I've got my fingers crossed that a keg will run dry overnight, since the team meeting is at the brewery tomorrow afternoon.

The ride turned out to be a little over 36 miles in some pretty nice weather; cloudy off and on but warm all the same. I did get some friendly comments and smiles from other riders; seems you need a frame (or some other incongruous object) mounted on your back to elicit anything approaching conversation from dedicated roadies, who normally are loath to open their mouths for fear of incurring additional undesirable wind resistance.

The frame is a real beauty, nice and light, and features nicely-machined sliding dropouts. Single speed only, so no excessive cable stop braze-ons to shred the flesh. Going to be sweet once I get it built up. With a little luck, it'll be ready before next weekend.

POSTSCRIPT: Those of you locals who don't road-ride and want to give the dirt a rest (mud, in some places) would do well to head over to Frederick to attend the Maryland Brewer's Springfest. What's that? You can't make the fest? No worries; check out this handy reference site for a list of other beer tasting events on the horizon—just hover over the "Calendar" link on the left and choose your month. (Mark your calendar now: the Old Dominion Beer Festival turns ten this year; it's listed for June 23 - 25.)