Randy Rush Leaves Team For Winter Games

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The Tratt Pack.

The Tratt show has been raging, and last weekend's session was a pretty good indication of how things will go from now on. The group of musicians that are to be regulars have already gained the name "The Tratt Pack" with each week bringing in new acts to keep things rolling.


The City Of Columbus' "Neighborhood Pride" program has also been really fun. Bruce Black appointed Lydia the Celebrity Judge and singing coach for a very nice and very talented group of middle schoolers. There are about twelve kids who have made the cut, and all have been making the effort to get to practice on time. The final talent show will be held at the King Entertainment Complex on December 16th, and will also include a few kids who will be dancing.



The Tratt will have a show each month from here on out, and we will be there to host it! I would recommend that you call ahead for a table reservation, as the past two shows have been packed!


Oh, and P.S...if you are interested in playing..BRING YOUR OWN CRAP..the biggest Chachi maneuver you can pull is to assume you can borrow someone's horribly expensive equipment. Just don't do it.

Charles Back After Concussion

Not known for making wise medical decisions, Charles was back out at Fontana just a few short days (actually, the very NEXT DAY) after his "WOW, I see everything in GREEN outta' my left eye" concussion during DH practice. Here he is running a newly cut trail below the water tanks at Fontucky on his one-of-a-kind TOMAC SNYPER 4X mod. Good to see him up, although I'm sure it's only matter of time before he either gets arrested by UCR campus Police or takes a shot in the bean.

Tomac Carbide SL Reviewed In MBA!

The newest Carbide in the fleet is Sean Cavaluchy's, but it's not the SL!

Bert showing off his Backbone Team Issue Tomac Carbide frame from 2007.


I just received my new issue of Mountain Bike Action Magazine in the mail, and they are reviewing the TOMAC CARBIDE SL!
As usual, the reviews are awesome..and why not? The bikes have been rocking it hard for us for the past two (more than that now) years, and it's great to see other people saying what we have known for a while. The bikes are bad-ass. Their factory '09 issue bike weighs in at 25.4 lbs, but the 2010 will have a full SRAM XX kit with all the cool new stuff..so it may be a bit lighter.

Keep in mind that Randy's Carbide (NOT THE SL) weighs in at 24.5lbs, and Vanessa's Carbide (NOT THE SL) weighed in at 22lbs...so this bike frame with the right parts kit should be able to get REALLY lean. My TYPE X in a large, with nothing over XT on it and a SUNLINE hardgoods build sits at 21.5 lbs with computer, bottle cage, and pedals! Crazy, right?

Lydia Posted Three New Songs.

**Lydia Brownfield in Brooklyn, 2007.**

If you are at home today anxiously awaiting the chance to test the limits of your "super-band-waistband" during the nights festivities, you should stop by the Lydia Brownfield website. Listen to her Reverbnation profile to the THREE recently recorded and mastered songs (thanks to Jeff Tobin) that were added today! They are older songs, written many years ago..but they sound GREAT and were laid down initially inside Rock City Studios here in Columbus last week.



**Lydia rocking out during the Grandview Fire Benefit Concert last year.**

Songs include one of Lyd's first, "Sex With You" and another one of the early ones, "Wanting's For Sinners." The last one Jeff finished was one of her personal favorites (out of over 200 songs she's written that may mean something), "Temporary." So..if you are just hanging out waiting for the garlic-mashed-'taters to cool, get on it!


**After the show at Vonn Blues lounge.**

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Here's a never-seen pic form the '08 Sea Otter..just seemed to fit!
Hope that everyone out there in Backboneland (yes, even Wehe) has a great Turkey Day. Please try to NOT to be like Charles and mash your head on a rock until you see green for two hours, ok? Great. :)

Randy's Fontucky Race Report

Chris,

What’s up Captn? Sounds like not much good if you can’t back up the rig, but I will send Mc rib sandwich if you need them, anyhoo Trevor and I went to Fontucky for the Southridge challenge this last weekend to do some race-in. Now I haven’t ridden but once in the last eight weeks so I wasn’t expecting much in the X-C race and that’s exactly what I got.


The race started off ok we had a short course only 4.5 miles so we did three laps and that’s a bitch climbing to the water tank after no riding but oh well I was running 5th or 6th till half way threw the second lap and the old lower back seized up so I proceeded to yell and scream every cuss word I could think of and had to stop and stretch for a minute so I ended up getting seventh but I tell you what the f-ing Carbide rocks that thing is soooo sweet it’s ridiculous.

On to super-d I went and pre-rode the course to find out it was perfect for the Snyper just a little bit of climbing and a lot of down hill that bike rocks to it was a lot of fun and I got second in super-d it was cool.

Now on to the old D-H and I’ve only ridden my D-H bike one time since I got it so I was really looking forward to this. I headed up for some practice runs and I was beat to shit tired from the other races on my first run (and only one for the day) I said OH SHIT the course was really rocky some said more rock than dirt and I got way intimidated and said no more for the day I was to tired and didn’t want to get hurt so stop to live another day.

Ah get up Sunday morning all refreshed (after 7or 8 beers Saturday night) and go up for some more practice and one run that was worse than Saturday and I said f**k it I will just hope for the best on my race run. Race time and I’m really nervous and I cleaned my run except for one small foot dab and I was very happy with it and got third so that was cool. Now on a two and a half to three minute run the guy who won beat me by 31 seconds and the second place guy beat me 24 seconds (can we cheery picker) but no big deal if they can live with it so can I. all in all a fun weekend and I will do some set up on the D-H bike and be ready for the winter series.

Trevor ended up getting fourteenth after having a great run going only to eat shit on one of the g-outs at the bottom of the course. Now Mr. Darter just killed it after moving up to the vet pro class he got second and had a fall on his run. That dudes an animal man, and you already heard about Mr. T.

Randy

Transmission Failure, Yet Again.

**The ol' truck, when it wasn't TOO old at the first camp-N-Ride in Sycamore Canyon State Park.**


So after eight years and 150 thousand miles, my truck's transmission finally failed two years ago. Taking it to the local " very large chain" transmission shop, they rebuilt it for about 3/4 of what the truck is actually even worth. In EXACTLY two years to the week (and less than 13,000 miles), it has failed again. I'm not sure, but I'd say that is one sucky cost/benefit ratio. Of course, the place only gives a year warranty, so just in time for the holidays I get to spend cash I don't have on something other than gifts. Awesome! I have had Shimano drivetrain parts and Truvativ cranksets last longer than the 2K rebuild on that transmission, and the bike parts get hammered a hell of a lot worse than that truck does.


**That bike (and everything on it) was over ten years old when I sold it.**
I wonder if SRAM makes a compatible XX automatic tranny for a '99 GMC pick up? Well, luckily this time of year it's only about 20 degrees and snowing/frozen here in Columbus, so walking or riding to work should be a breeze. Or maybe not.

CONCUSSION!!!

**Chucky-T at Fontana early this season aboard his Tomac Primer.**

Hey Chris!
The last race of the year is upon us Southern California folks, and the weather could not be any better. Donny put together a brand new DH course that involved plenty of rocks and steep drop-ins. Unfortunately, my head met one of these rocks during practice yesterday.



**Our gravity crew relies on products like the 661 Evolution helmet to stay alive.**
I never lost conciousness, but my vision turned green for a little while. It went back to normal after about a minute. I have a mild concussion (yeah, I know, shocking), and a very sore neck (which was compressed when I hit head first). Needless to say, I will be skipping the race today. But, I would like to at the very least say thanks to 661 for making an awesome helmet! The rock took a small chunk out of the side, and since my head and neck took the brunt of the impact, I can only imagine what would have happened without my gear! So, I am a little sore and slightly concussed, but I'll be back on the bike in a couple of days. Maybe I'll take up something less injury prone next year, like shuffle board. . .