Great New Yorker cover!
The last orders are packed and Tom and I are the last ones at the shop today. Everyone else left early to start trips or go shopping. After a couple of holiday beers we'll lock up. Velo Orange will re-open on January 5.
We're having a traditional goose dinner with friends at our house, then heading north to see family and, perhaps, do a bit of skiing. Any one doing bike related stuff?
There will be news about hubs, new quick release skewers, new LED dynamo lights and other cool stuff when we get back.
Hope everyone has a great holiday season. Cheers!
Chris,
ReplyDeletewill you be carrying Grand Bois handlebars?
E.g. the AVA or professional copy?
We won't carry Grand Bois components. But we will have VO drop bars.
ReplyDeleteChris: Hope you and your family enjoy the time off. Thanks for the lovely picture.
ReplyDelete...And a huge thanks to our customers, commenters (and lurkers) who keep us moving. Happy holidays, and may all your gifts be orange.
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteLet's put business/biking aside for a moment so that I can thank you for your inspired vision of the bike business that is truly a benefit to us all. I also personally appreciate the chance to air my own thoughts on some things that might not always be popular but need saying IMHO but it is always meant in a way of trying to achieve the greater good for all, and never meant personally. That you allow this is to your credit, sir. I've just finished another successful year in business but, like you, am well aware it could go the other way at any given moment. And so, knowing what it's like to do a start-up or near star-up and all the implies, I wish you and yours and everybody who reads these posts, a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year and most of all, "Bon Chance Mon Ami".
Chris,
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy Prosperous New Year to you, your family, including the family at Velo-Orange. I am looking forward to the new products you keep producing. The LED dyno lights already have me salivating. Still saving pennies (and dollars) to order a custom frame in the next year or so.
Aaron
Chris, Merry Christmas and Happy
ReplyDeleteHolidays to all at VO. My wife and
I often get out on our tandem this
time of year for some shorter rides,
but it has been raining quite a bit
this season here in San Diego, so
can't be sure of it this year. We
like to ride across Camp Pendleton to
San Clemente and have lunch at the
pier on sunny winter days.
Preston
Chris,
ReplyDeletePour tout ce que vous avez fait, je vous remercie. Pas simplement ce que vous avez créé, mais aussi votre élan, esprit, bon caractère.
Alors, je présente à vous et Velo-Orange mes meilleurs voeux de bonheur et de réussite pour la nouvelle année. Que 2009 vous apporte tout ce que vous souhaitez, à vous, à votre famille et à tous ceux qui vous sont chers.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteDidn't you have goose for Thanksgiving? Do you have a recipe that you can share?
Oliver, It was duck confit for Thanksgiving which is one of our all-time favorite dishes and very simple to make. If you ever want a super meal that requires little work, that's it. Serve the duck legs with potatoes roasted in the excess duck fat and a simple salad; simple is often best.
ReplyDeleteFor Christmas I try something harder, Goose, since it really is traditional. We roast it with brussel sprouts and potato. The stuffing is made with sausage, kumquats, cranberries and Cointreau. We'll also have cream of chestnut soup, salad greens with a walnut vinaigrette, a cheese course, and various tarts for dessert. It's a meal that could have been served 200 years ago and lot of cooking, but it's just once a year.
Yes! That sounds fantastic.
ReplyDeleteMy brother-in-law, who is getting a goose today, was thinking of using a grill/rotisserie. Roasted or on the spit, it will be my first goose.
Enjoy!
Thanks for reminding me that cycling is still a gentlemen's activity.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays
As many know, the New Yorker has had many memorable bicycle covers over the years. Love that magazine! Hope it survives long term in print in our increasingly digital world.
ReplyDeletethe one time i cooked goose it was so oily. how do you deal with all of the oil. i cant imagine stuffing it given all the oil. whats the tricks? mine came out terible and it was expensive even on sale. details please. thx superfreak
ReplyDeleteSuperfreak, A goose has a thick layer of fat under the skin so two special steps are required. First, prick the skin (but not the meat) all over with a sharp skewer so the fat can drain out when cooking. Next immerse the bird in boiling water for a few minutes. Finally, dry it off, stuff it, and roast it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a goose should not be too expensive. We get them at the local Amish market, but even in a supermarket they are not that much, more than an industrial turkey perhaps, but not outrageous. I'd look around for another source.
Best Wishes-I'm making studded tires for the frozen slushy holidays-old mountain bike tires with sheet metal screws driven through from the inside.
ReplyDeletedarcy
Dear Chris,
ReplyDeleteyou sound like quite a cook! I've had trouble with geese before, but your recipe makes me salivate. Please continue to share cooking-related tidbits with us!
happy holidays,
michael white
thank you chris for sharing your delicous goose secrets. bon appetite! thx superfreak
ReplyDeleteooo LED dynamo lights, are they expected to be significantly brighter? or will it be mostly the practicality of bulbs lasting indefinitely?
ReplyDeleteThere is huge potential for far brighter lights. I have a Cygo Lite Hi Flux that really is equal to a 10 watt halogen, and it uses one watt. I have tried it with a hub dynamo, and the results were very impressive. I did not run it long, because that light had nothing but a current-limiting resistor protecting the emiiter at the time, and I did not want to release the majic smoke. I have since upgraded it with a driver that makes it work great on battery power, but is not appropriate for the AC current the dynamo produces. I haven't gotten around to trying it with a diode bridge in there, partly because it mounts on the handlebar or helmet, and it makes a perfect helmet light.
ReplyDeleteVery powerful LED lights for dynamo hubs are on their way, and there is no reason for them to be expensive. Three watt emitters can be bought at retail, one at a time, for less than $10.
french bb's? (!)
ReplyDeleteYGS: I have the new Schmidt eDeluxe LED dynamo light.
ReplyDeleteIt is brighter and projects light down the road further than the trusty Schmidt E6. It is also smaller and lighter.
The eDeluxe has a very concentrated beam. On the other hand, while halogen lights do not project as far down the road, good ones tend to disperse more. This is handy in areas with little or no street lighting. You might miss a deer approaching the road from the side with the eDeluxe where a halogen will send at least enough to reflect off its eyes.
The best choice of light really depends on where you are riding.