flailing and whailing
Now Playing: Minutemen The Cheerleader

A week between posts makes one weak. Deliverance is my "night time" project. I have a real job and a family that keeps me real busy. I love doing Deliverance stuff but sometimes finding the time for such things as blog entries is difficult. I got tired of my 80s-aqua colored bike, as I knew I would and with the weather clock clicking rapidly I managed to lay down a new coat of paint. I honestly still liked the aqua but a lot of people are on the same color and I just couldn't take it any more. I guess the red isn't totally original either but there is nothing new under the sun, literally, when it comes to the color wheel. The gyro (Snafu Mobeous) is a long story that I would rather not get into. I will say that I am really fucking sick of working on my bike right now.
Matt Sparks won best trick at the big Flow contest in Ohio this past weekend (Flip from Albes should be posting pix soon. Sparks also got a clip in the opening intro to the new Props, which is awesome. I couldn't tell you if he had more clips inside or not because I had to go to bed before I finished watching it because I stayed up real late working on my damn bike that still isn't running.
I got some interesting replies to the win a free Bar Bag contest, but Minnesota's Bill Sympson won it all with the correct answers of "Supersuckers Born With a Tail" and Crandall's demonic phone number. Froseph Ardelean took his Bar Bag to a more long distance level with this road bike application

Fro's good buddy Chris Hatfiled scared all of really good when his chain broke at Modern on Sunday. He was cranking full speed toward the hip and his chain gave way right before the "A" ramp. Luckily, he got his hands out as he was falling, but the old "into the face of the ramp" trick can be hard on the old mug. He was somehow okay and even continued riding sans the busted drivetrain. What a trooper.
I've been trying to play guitar for years and am still terrible at it. I stopped at a pawn shop in Flint last week that had some extremely good deals and came up on this:

I bought the amp a couple days later at a place called "Junkyard Guitars" in Royal Oak. This is a cool spot if you're in the area. I didn't even notice this at first, but I couldn't be more stoked...

I don't aspire to play any Metallica licks, but you gotta love the phantom image of good metal done badly.

the best of times in the worst of times
I mentioned the passing of Dave Fawley (sorry for botching his name before) last week. A sad and tragic event indeed. In the worst of times, however, sometimes the best in people comes out. Dave's friends put together a benefit jam at TRP on Friday night that was a huge success. Tons of people: riders and non-riders, young and old, mountain bikers and BMX dudes that had maybe never even seen a skatepark, along with a huge group of area shredders came together in honor of Dave and to help raise money for his family. 100% of the door went to the benefit, which was very cool of the folks from TRP. Sean Rakos designed and printed some awesome shirts that sold out in less than five minutes and some stuff was raffled off that helped raise a little more. Dave had a lot of friends and some of them were giving it their all with his spirit in mind.

"New York" Dave was a good friend of Dave Fawley's and unleashed a display of complete madness. He took it so hard on this giant gap to ledge so many times. Sparks was on hand as well, putting on a show that I'm sure the non-riders in attendence are still trying to figure out.

Joe Gall took those photos with my camera while I got it all on tape. There are tons of photos and great coverage on Veteran BMX and Team Young. It is nice to know that such a sad event can bring people together for such a good time. I'm sure Dave would have liked it that way. I just want to extend my sympathy to Sean, Davey Coop, 40 oz. Dan, JR, Thomas, Otto, NY Dave and all the rest of the people whose lives were made better by knowing Dave....
I didn't make back to TRP on Saturday for the Veteran's Day jam, but that looked like a good time as well. See the sites above for more info on that. Deliverance was a sponsor of that event and was well represented with the likes of Dane Wild's Porter-ish antics:

Flip from Albe's took that shot in between skid variations.

Birthday Boy
Now Playing: David Bowie Ziggy Stardust
I have a bunch of stuff to post later, but for now, please join me in wishing FOD Kelly Baker happy birthday! I write about Kelly a lot on this blog and there are many reasons: He's a kick ass rider, a huge supporter of Deliverance, a dude I can relate to in a lot of ways and at the same time, am completely dumbfounded by (ha!). Most of all, Kelly is a true friend and a great person. He celebrated this big day by hanging out with his family, playing board games from the 60's and riding children's bicycles with his children. Here's to you, buddy.

It's not polite to discuss people's age. Just know that Kelly has joined an elite club of BMX dudes. These photos were both taken back when Kelly was in his thirties....

Sad times
The owner of Imperial Bike Shop in Saline, Michigan, Dave Famley, passed away on Friday. I didn't know him that well personally, but FODs Sean Rakos and Davey Coop were good friends with him and always involved in the shop. There is going to be a fundraiser session this Friday night, 11/10, at TRP in Dearborn. I don't know the specifics, other than I assume it starts at 11pm. If you can spare some extra money, it will be donated to Dave's family to help with costs during this sad time. My heart goes out to Dave's family and friends...

full circle psycho
Now Playing: Lucero Hello Sadness
Vision Hip Sacks were huge in the late '80s. These goofy little belted sachels held everything from keys, film, tools, weed, granola bars, you name it. They are now considered lame. I hope no one in the year 2019 is writing this same type of thing about the "Bar Bag" that came out in 2006

I know, we've been calling it the "man bag", but it really is a handlebar bag and it would be handy for riding your bike to the bar. I'm pretty siked on the "ZeroNine Technology" integrated into the straps, which keeps it from flopping around

It fits really well, is easy to put on and take off, has a belt-loop if you want to get really daring and it holds a lot of stuff.

There is a bigger version of this photo somewhere on this website and the first person to e mail me with the answer to these two questions gets a free bag:
What song is playing on that Ipod?
What is Crandall's phone number, according to the phone in the pic?
I'm serious about this. stowne@twmi.rr.com
The belts came out really cool as well.

Dans Comp has the Draft Dodger hats and Test Pattern shirts in stock. Last Call Distribution has all the new shirts and a bunch of stuff if you have a shop and are interested in getting Deliverance product and Albe's has the Bar Bags and some new shirts in stock. Hook it up, son!
After my public badgering of Sparks and Dane, I noticed that Dane had some Deliverance stickers on his top tube. I saw Sparks the next day and he asked if I had any stickers, but didn't mention the blog. I realized too, that neither Dan Closser or Chris Hatfield really have any Deliverance stickers on their bikes, so I apologize to Dane and Sparks for not coming down on Dan and Chris as well. I guess the team is going to be me, Solan, Kelly B, Crandall and half the kids at Modern and TRP who are representing. Sparks, Dane, Hatfield and Dan are all off the team. Sorry guys.
Sparks is riding a 22 pound bike with 1.75 tires front and rear. Hatfield pointed out the ridiculousness of this in that Sparks is stronger than a retarded gorilla. Coincidence or irony? Don't carve too hard on that front tire, buddy. I love Sparks...okay, he's back on the team. Wait, Dane is back on as well, since he put stickers on. Hatfield and Dan are out to pasture. They are getting old anyway.
I got the Fitlife Video and it is amazing For real. It opens with the gnarliest slam section, then goes into part after part of unbelievable riding with very little BS. Chase Hawk is one of my favorite riders and his part is incredible. Van Homan seemed to calm it down a notch after his amazing early video parts and subsequent knee injuries, but his part in this proves that he has not let up one bit. Just F-ing going for it! Brian Foster is dear to me with his racing background, veteran status and flowing style. His part makes BMX seem like the most fun thing a person could ever do. It is, isn't it? The Edwin/Tom White split part is kick ass, Chase Dehart's part is rad and the Eddie Cleveland part is stunning. The big surprise standout to me is Justin Inman. His skills have never been questioned, but his part in Fitlife is so F-ing good! I replayed his 360 to snapped table so many times, pausing it at the pinnacle. This eloquent move is my single favorite trick in the entire video. Such beautiful style. And speaking of style, we can not overlook the ender with no surrender, Mike Aitkin. His style, attack and commitment are a fitting end to this video. Mike kills it. The friends and family part is good too, with some big moves and keep-it-real-ability of the H.M.F.I.C., Robbie Morales. Rob-O is a stand up dude and there is no one more devoted to BMX than Big Bob. I often think of something he says in Road Fools 2 when he's arguing with Rooftop "This is all I know". So true. Fitlife is the best video I've seen in ages (and I watch them all). I even made my wife watch Mike Aitkin's part...

Wild Planet
Battle of the Bands This is the single greatest You Tube video I have seen yet. I'm dating myself by disclosing this information, but the B-52's Wild Planet and AC/DC's For Those About to Rock... are the first two cassette tapes I every purchased, right after receiving a second rate, no-name Walkman for Christmas, 1979. The Man Bags and belts are here! Photos later.

holiday confusion
Now Playing: Here comes Peter Cotton Tail
I know Halloween was last night, but Kelly Baker got a little confused about the holiday and re-did his bike....

I shouldn't make fun of Kelly since he actually runs Deliverance stickers and wears the gear...

The Manifest
I wrote this about the company when it first started in 2002. It still applies (more than ever).

Ghouls Night OUt
Now Playing: Misfits Halloween
Happy Hallows eve. I love Halloween. I'm stoked that I can continue my celebration of this sacred holiday with my own demon-spawn

Joe Gall of Team Young is a big time FOD.

There is a rad little movie clip of Joe on his site, too. I'm glad Joe reps Deliverance because I haven't seen a photo of Sparks yet that indicates any affiliation with our brand (I guess I need to give him some more shirts and stickers). Besides the fact that he is wearing a Zoo York shirt, the sequence of Matt in the new Ride BMX doing the tail-whip rewinder reminder is awesome. At least he's wearing Etnies, right Matt?
Dane Wild just got back from the Baco jam in Florida where he kicked enough ass to land in sixth place. He flew (for the first time ever!) down there with Flip from Albes (there is a good pic of Dane on there as well). Congrats Dane (I guess I need to get him some more stickers as well). More later...

FOD Dave Davenport
Here's a bike check for FOD Dave Davenport. Don't skip the post below, I kept the editorial to a minimum.

Frame- Stolen (Eben Fischer) E-Train prototype model, 20.5”

Fork- Stolen Team Fork (3/8”)

Bar- Stolen Cell Bar (7.5” rise)

Stem- Stolen “S-Hole”

Front Hub- Odyssey Vandero 3/8”

Front Rim- Odyssey Hazard Lite

Rear Hub- Odyssey Cassette w/ 10t driver

Rear Rim- Odyssey Hazard Lite

Spokes- Odyssey

Cranks- Stolen Team Cranks 175mm

Sprocket- Stolen Mood Ring 28t

Chain- KMC 510HX

Pedals- XPEDO Magnesium

Headset- Stolen prototype IS2

Grips- Season Bike Co.

Barends- Stolen Bar Plugz

Brake Lever- Odyssey Mono Lever (small)

Cable- Stolen Whip

Brake- Dia Compe 990

Seat- Stolen Hot Seat

Seat Post- Stolen Shank

SPC- Integrated into frame

Tires- Maxxis M-Tread (1.95”) rear, Maxxis Holy Roller (2.20”) front

Tubes- Yes

Weight- 24.1 lbs.





I built this bike up for the 2006 Interbike show in Las Vegas. It was at the Stolen BMX booth for the entire show, and most of the people that checked it out were pretty psyched on it. I haven’t made any modifications to the bike yet. I am still going back and forth as to whether or not I want to put a gyro on this bike. I am planning on cutting the bars ?” on each side, and cutting the steer tube on the fork down a little bit. I should probably note that this bike weighs less than 25 lbs. WITHOUT ANY TITANIUM PARTS. I’m sure I could make this thing lighter if I wanted to, but I think it’s plenty light as is (plus, I’m 20 lbs. overweight, so what’s the point).