It's a beautiful day here. Sunny, 60s. The green is starting to pop out of the dead brown everywhere you look. I love spring.
Same thing's happening in the desert surrounding Fruita, CO, home of the Fruita Fat Tire Festival, discussed a couple of entries ago right here on our fair Surly web log. I'm bringing it up in part to entice any people who might be able to get out there at the last minute to do so. The trails are beautiful. I also brought it up to warn the rest of you that it will take us a while to get back to you if you call or email. We'll be gone for a week starting this tuesday, the 27th of April. Be patient with us, as we'll all be there and not checking email or voicemail, but we will respond to your queries ASAP. And we'll borrow Troy's computer or something while we're there so you can read about what you're missing. And don't forget that next year is the 10th (?! damn.) anniversary of the fest, so if there was ever a time to go visit Fruita, that will be it. Go ask your boss for time off right now.
Check you later.....

We often get asked if we do custom paint jobs on our bikes. Unfortunately, the answer is "NO". But this didn't stop one Dirk Vinlove from going nuts and getting some airbrush and pinstriping pros to bust out this Yin-Yang custom Cross-Check. Of all the photos of bikes you've sent us over the years, this is by far the coolest I've ever seen.

The cool blue side was done by Kal Koncepts







While the hot red side was done by Cosmic Airbrush





The painters encourage functional art, so this is no mantlepiece. Dirk says he rides the crap out of this bike and doesn't worry too much about stacking it and scuffing the masterpiece. Close up images are in the works, stay tuned.

It's the 9th Annual Fruita Fat Tire Party!
Come join us for the most fun you can have with a mountain bike and a few hundred of it's coolest folks. Fruita is an event you won't soon forget. Unless you don't come out then you'll just have to live with that inner turmoil until next year.


So says the Over the Edge website, OTE being the main shop in Fruita, CO, and the one that belongs to Troy Rarick, who also happens to be the founder of the festival and creator of some of the best trails in the U.S.
So if you can, make plans to get out there with your bike April 29- May 2 for bands, beer, and incredible trails. We'll be there, hope you are too. And if you can't make it, plan on going next year. 10th anniversary of the fest? Yeah, I think good times are inevitable.