Weather here in the Seattle area has been great for January - in the 50s and mostly dry. Can't complain about that. The days are even getting a tad longer, another sign spring is on the way. Well, not exactly around the corner, but at least a few blocks away.
Over the past week, I did get a few commute rides in, along with one grocery run with messenger bag jammed full of food. Thought I'd get a woods ride in over this weekend, doubt that's going to happen - too many family related festivities at the moment.
I picked up a cool book at the library today, Custom Bicycles. A Passionate Pursuit, by Christine Elliott and David Jablonka. Really well done, large page book - coffee table material - that features many customer builders, some you may recognize, others you may not. Bruce Gordon, Richard Sachs, and Moots - to - Jeff Jones, Luna, and Bilenky. Plus many others. Excellent photography and bio on each builder included. Nice book, wouldn't mind owning a copy myself. I've flipped through it a few times already. It's well worth checking out.
The book is a reminder that high end bikes are rolling works of art - each featuring the craftsmanship and build philosophy of the builder. Production bikes today are done very well, but - if you have the dough to spend - the full on custom frame has something production frames don't have - perceived or not. Call it soul if you will. And in this age of mass produced items, a very cool thing indeed.
Still, the most important aspect of any bike, production or custom, is how often it's ridden. The more the better. True?