Speaking of international aspects.... These photos showed up a while back, with the following information: "Hot Rod~Beetle Trike design by Fiftylowbikes, from Taiwan". That's all the info I have. Aside from our never having received bike pix from Taiwan before, the design is also quite refreshing. We almost never see a hammerhead trike with conventional frame architecture behind the front wheels, except for maybe examples by Mike Watson and Brad Graham. Even then, I've never seen one as sophisticated in finish, theme and kustom style as this.  Congratulations to the creator. JW

Stacey Lynn Rhymer R.I.P. I heard from our pal Sam Lingo that a member of the BR&K family had died of leukemia, Saturday morning, Nov. 29, at her home in Pennsylvania. Stacey was one of  our very earliest contributors. Her how-to article on turning a billiard ball into a shifter knob is still an important part of our archives. Who knows how many shift knobs have resulted from her sharing her experience with our readership? Stacey was a creator/restorer of both bikes and motorcycles, and was a kind and generous person. Her passing at the age of 51 is untimely, but she led a full and active life while she had the chance. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends, including those of us at BikeRod&Kustom. Jim Wilson

As of this writing (mid-November), I've just finished building the pages which make up John Brain's coverage of this year's FBI '08 Meet in Amsterdam. It shows just how thriving our version of bike culture is in Europe. A great deal of its success there is that it's mostly a movement of younger people. Sure, there's a fair percentage of more mature enthusiasts in the group, but it's younger people who have the time and energy to really add to the numbers needed for a mass movement to succeed, along with very large meets drawing a multi-national crowd. One of the principal motivations for my founding BR&K, back in the day, was that kustombiking is a great way of glamorizing cycle culture and ways of thinking to younger people, with the added benefit of also popularizing the DIY spirit. Both are critical in this new devolutionary period we're entering. This is a very good time for non-petroleum- based propulsion to be fashionable, along with the "fix or improve it, rather than throwing it away and replacing it" philosophy. Our world's resources are finite, and it's good to recognize that before it's too late. Sure, it's somewhat easier for Europeans to get into our kustombike thing, since everything's closer together, making functional cycling more practical and logical for a lot more people. Being more fashion-conscious, of course, makes younger people more inclined to creatively personalize their bikes, so as to stand out from the herd. Whatever the motivation, though, it's great to see how well it's working in Europe. I'm thrilled that our Euro-hipster compatriots are serving as such a fine example to the world. Maybe our thing will never be as popular in North America, just because of the huge scale of the countries here, and the distances involved. But I can visualize a time when many of us use "human-propulsion-with-electric-assist" vehicles for our local needs, and efficient rail transport or hybrid rental cars for more distant travel, with a bikeshare rental machine at the destination. We are entering "interesting times", in the Chinese curse sense, but I think that's also a great incentive for changing our transportation paradigm for the better. This makes our movement even more vital, as it demonstrates that being more efficient and thrifty can also be a lot more fun for creative and energetic people. Bring it on!

Another nice feature we plan to make use of is Kissena Velodrome, in adjoining Kissena Park. If all goes according to plan, we will have kustombike and velomobile races there on a regular basis.

The other good news is that our kulture is doing very well, with more meets and shows happening every year. And they're growing more popular every year. I'm involved with a New York City entity called Lightwheels, which aims to transform Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens NYC, former site of the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs, into a year-round "World's Fair of Cycling" sort of thing, in conjunction with the Corona Park- located New York Hall of Science, Queens Museum of Art, and other institutions. As part of this master plan, Steve Stollman, founder of Lightwheels, has acquired the bike and boat rental concession on the shore of the park's 84-acre Meadow Lake. This concession started up this past summer, and will be the beach-head for our campaign of conquest. Replacing the rental fleets of traditional paddle and rowing boats and ordinary bicycles with more interesting machinery has already begun, with the addition of more sophisticated human-powered watercraft, electric bikes and recumbent trikes. In the near future, we hope to introduce fully-enclosed, electric-assisted velomobiles, which will result in a much longer "riding season". The old rental

Josh Hadar, spotlighted in the last issue, was thrilled to receive complimentary E-mails  from BRK readers all over the world. . Josh's work, and site, has been plugged in countless hipster/design blogs within the past year or two, but none of those resulted in his actually receiving fan mail and informed commentary from knowledgeable afficionadoes capable of fully appreciating his work That's a great thing for anyone, and why every BRK Gallery page has the creator's E-mail address on it. Our job is to make you world-famous, Dude! So, if you admire someone's work you see in our Gallery, please tell them about it. By doing so, you may be making a new and fascinating friend, in an interesting location.

Our invitation in the last issue, to members of our readership interested in doing an interview of someone of their recommendation has resulted in Jeroen van de Wier's interview of Richard Jacobsen in this issue. I was especially pleased with Jeroen's choice of subject, as I'd never even heard of Mr. Jacobsen before.  I  was aware that a subset of our activity involves building bikes so low that their pedals scrape, but I hadn't realized that the style was as prevalent as it seems to be. The fact that a guy in the Netherlands knows a guy in Norway because they share a fondness for a certain (odd) style of kustom bike, reveals just how global this kulture of ours has become, and the special relationships which tend to develop among devotees. Thanks to BR&K, I have people I consider friends all over the world. And many of you, I'm sure, can say the same.

B I K E R O D & K U S T O M   W E B Z I N E The world-wide journal of creative cyclery. JIM WILSON Editor-In-Chief JOHN BRAIN Associate Editor, North America FRANK RUSSO Associate Editor, Europe John Youens, Roberto Mintiero, Keith Moss, J. Frank Webster, Mike Watson, Sam Lingo, Jeroen van de Wier, Peter Watson. Contributing Editors P U B L I S H E D   B Y   W I Z A R D   B R O T H E R S N E W   Y O R K   C I T Y  ~  B A T O N    R O U G E

BRK Associate Editor, John Brain,  recently had a dream come true- he got to meet our hero, George Barris. John's been working on his magnum opus: the definitive history of KustomBiking, for which he'd been seeking the holy grail, a photo of Mr. Barris' "Munster Bike", created for young Butch Patrick, who played Eddie Munster in the '60s TV series. The bike is generally considered the stylistic inspiration for the lowrider bike movement, which came later, as it originated many iconic elements, such as a frame made of welded chain and over-the-top accessorization, which established the pattern for many other LRBs which followed. John finally managed to acquire a print of the elusive photo, just in time to take it along to a huge car  show http//www.fleetwoodcountrycruizein.com/2008/2008.html held annually in London, Ontario, at which Mr.Barris was slated to appear. John hoped that Mr. Barris would autograph it for him. As John is a guy who looks our for his pals, he also took along a print of the classic photo of Mr.Barris we used on the cover of our big Barris Bicycle Issue, hoping he'd sign it for yours truly. Being a legendary nice guy, Mr. Barris obliged, as seen in the photo above.

V O L U M E   N I N E ~   I S S U E   O N E

BRK Associate Editor, John Brain,  recently had a dream come true- he got to meet our hero, George Barris. John's been working on his magnum opus: the definitive history of KustomBiking, for which he'd been seeking the holy grail, a photo of Mr. Barris' "Munster Bike", created for young Butch Patrick, who played Eddie Munster in the '60s TV series. The bike is generally considered the stylistic inspiration for the lowrider bike movement, which came later, as it originated many iconic elements, such as a frame made of welded chain and over-the-top accessorization, which established the pattern for many other LRBs which followed. John finally managed to acquire a print of the elusive photo, just in time to take it along to a huge car  show http//www.fleetwoodcountrycruizein.com/2008/2008.html held annually in London, Ontario, at which Mr.Barris was slated to appear. John hoped that Mr. Barris would autograph it for him. As John is a guy who looks our for his pals, he also took along a print of the classic photo of Mr.Barris we used on the cover of our big Barris Bicycle Issue, hoping he'd sign it for yours truly. Being a legendary nice guy, Mr. Barris obliged, as seen in the photo above.

Bob Brown: The once-forgotten pioneer of kustom bicycling. The world of kustom bicycling has one great forgotten pioneer, and if he were still alive today (?) he would be 91 years old.  I'm referring to Mr. Robert Brown of Hayward California. In the early 1960s Mr. Brown was the proprietor of the "Palma Ceia Cyclery" a Schwinn dealership in the city of Hayward. Brown had a long career in the world of cycling. He received his first bicycle in 1927, spent nearly 20 years in competitive racing, and even manufactured bicycles in Berkeley, California during World War Two. From John Brain's History of KustomBiking.

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B I K E R O D & K U S T O M   W E B Z I N E The world-wide journal of creative cyclery. JIM WILSON Editor-In-Chief JOHN BRAIN Associate Editor, North America FRANK RUSSO Associate Editor, Europe John Youens, Roberto Mintiero, Keith Moss, J. Frank Webster, Mike Watson, Sam Lingo, Jeroen van de Wier, Peter Watson. Contributing Editors P U B L I S H E D   B Y   W I Z A R D   B R O T H E R S N E W   Y O R K   C I T Y  ~  B A T O N    R O U G E

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Our invitation in the last issue, to members of our readership interested in doing an interview of someone of their recommendation has resulted in Jeroen van de Wier's interview of Richard Jacobsen in this issue. I was especially pleased with Jeroen's choice of subject, as I'd never even heard of Mr. Jacobsen before.  I  was aware that a subset of our activity involves building bikes so low that their pedals scrape, but I hadn't realized that the style was as prevalent as it seems to be. The fact that a guy in the Netherlands knows a guy in Norway because they share a fondness for a certain (odd) style of kustom bike, reveals just how global this kulture of ours has become, and the special relationships which tend to develop among devotees. Thanks to BR&K, I have people I consider friends all over the world. And many of you, I'm sure, can say the same.

Josh Hadar, spotlighted in the last issue, was thrilled to receive complimentary E-mails  from BRK readers all over the world. . Josh's work, and site, has been plugged in countless hipster/design blogs within the past year or two, but none of those resulted in his actually receiving fan mail and informed commentary from knowledgeable afficionadoes capable of fully appreciating his work That's a great thing for anyone, and why every BRK Gallery page has the creator's E-mail address on it. Our job is to make you world-famous, Dude! So, if you admire someone's work you see in our Gallery, please tell them about it. By doing so, you may be making a new and fascinating friend, in an interesting location.

Dog Health Update: Since you're reading this, it should be obvious that the dog still lives. It was a very close call, though. Fortunately, when I called Homestead to tell them that I wasn't going to renew for another year, the company representative, who asked why and was told that it was too expensive to continue with an overpriced hosting plan which was already maxed out of space and bandwidth, got creative. He came up with a new deal, which added more space and bandwidth, at a price a bit more than half of what we were paying before. So, the dog lives for another year. Although the new deal is better than the old deal, it's still more money for less space and bandwidth than most other hosts offer, so I'm still determined to move BR&K before the year is out, or let it die. The problem is that the use of volunteers to move and reconfigure the site didn't work out very well, to say the least, and BR&K literally can't afford to pay anyone to do the job, or any other, come to that..

Our immediate problem is that there aren't even possibly enough appropriate paying advertisers for BR&K to pay its own way, much less pay the people who put it out, and I refuse to trash our pages up with those stupid Google ads which make so many more whore-ish sites look so horrible. If the Google ads which end up on our pages had anything to do with what we're actually about, it would be different; but an ad-placement algorhythm in which the word "stiff suspension" on a page means that there's an ad for Vagra or Cialis at the bottom, is not something I will ever accept. So, while the dog lives for now, death is still its close companion.

The other good news is that our kulture is doing very well, with more meets and shows happening every year. And they're growing more popular every year. I'm involved with a New York City entity called Lightwheels, which aims to transform Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens NYC, former site of the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs, into a year-round "World's Fair of Cycling" sort of thing, in conjunction with the Corona Park- located New York Hall of Science, Queens Museum of Art, and other institutions. As part of this master plan, Steve Stollman, founder of Lightwheels, has acquired the bike and boat rental concession on the shore of the park's 84-acre Meadow Lake. This concession started up this past summer, and will be the beach-head for our campaign of conquest. Replacing the rental fleets of traditional paddle and rowing boats and ordinary bicycles with more interesting machinery has already begun, with the addition of more sophisticated human-powered watercraft, electric bikes and recumbent trikes. In the near future, we hope to introduce fully-enclosed, electric-assisted velomobiles, which will result in a much longer "riding season". The old rental

bike inventory, augmented with 200 bikes recently acquired at a police auction, once refurbished, will be the basis for a community "Yellowbike"-type bike-share program, beginning at the park and spreading outward from there.Another aspect of our plans is the organization of regularly-scheduled water and bike events, taking advantage of the huge lake and the miles and miles of car-free paved cycle paths and roads throughout the 1,255-acre park. My main interest is in an annual KustomBike Show and Meet, which will eventually be the largest event of its kind in North America, if not the world. We also want to have similar events for kustom-built human-powered watercraft, including submarines.

Another nice feature we plan to make use of is Kissena Velodrome, in adjoining Kissena Park. If all goes according to plan, we will have kustombike and velomobile races there on a regular basis.

As of this writing (mid-November), I've just finished building the pages which make up John Brain's coverage of this year's FBI '08 Meet in Amsterdam. It shows just how thriving our version of bike culture is in Europe. A great deal of its success there is that it's mostly a movement of younger people. Sure, there's a fair percentage of more mature enthusiasts in the group, but it's younger people who have the time and energy to really add to the numbers needed for a mass movement to succeed, along with very large meets drawing a multi-national crowd. One of the principal motivations for my founding BR&K, back in the day, was that kustombiking is a great way of glamorizing cycle culture and ways of thinking to younger people, with the added benefit of also popularizing the DIY spirit. Both are critical in this new devolutionary period we're entering. This is a very good time for non-petroleum- based propulsion to be fashionable, along with the "fix or improve it, rather than throwing it away and replacing it" philosophy. Our world's resources are finite, and it's good to recognize that before it's too late. Sure, it's somewhat easier for Europeans to get into our kustombike thing, since everything's closer together, making functional cycling more practical and logical for a lot more people. Being more fashion-conscious, of course, makes younger people more inclined to creatively personalize their bikes, so as to stand out from the herd. Whatever the motivation, though, it's great to see how well it's working in Europe. I'm thrilled that our Euro-hipster compatriots are serving as such a fine example to the world. Maybe our thing will never be as popular in North America, just because of the huge scale of the countries here, and the distances involved. But I can visualize a time when many of us use "human-propulsion-with-electric-assist" vehicles for our local needs, and efficient rail transport or hybrid rental cars for more distant travel, with a bikeshare rental machine at the destination. We are entering "interesting times", in the Chinese curse sense, but I think that's also a great incentive for changing our transportation paradigm for the better. This makes our movement even more vital, as it demonstrates that being more efficient and thrifty can also be a lot more fun for creative and energetic people. Bring it on!

Stacey Lynn Rhymer R.I.P. I heard from our pal Sam Lingo that a member of the BR&K family had died of leukemia, Saturday morning, Nov. 29, at her home in Pennsylvania. Stacey was one of  our very earliest contributors. Her how-to article on turning a billiard ball into a shifter knob is still an important part of our archives. Who knows how many shift knobs have resulted from her sharing her experience with our readership? Stacey was a creator/restorer of both bikes and motorcycles, and was a kind and generous person. Her passing at the age of 51 is untimely, but she led a full and active life while she had the chance. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends, including those of us at BikeRod&Kustom. Jim Wilson

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You may have noted that the interval between this issue and the last one has been especially long. Many factors contributed to that, including the hosting/relocation situation, yet another computer crash with ensuing loss of data, and the fact that our M.V.P. John Brain took on a particularly heavy share of this issue's content. One guy can only do one job of this kind at a time, after all. I think you'll agree that the wait was worth it, though, as this is a really good issue.

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Speaking of international aspects.... These photos showed up a while back, with the following information: "Hot Rod~Beetle Trike design by Fiftylowbikes, from Taiwan". That's all the info I have. Aside from our never having received bike pix from Taiwan before, the design is also quite refreshing. We almost never see a hammerhead trike with conventional frame architecture behind the front wheels, except for maybe examples by Mike Watson and Brad Graham. Even then, I've never seen one as sophisticated in finish, theme and kustom style as this.  Congratulations to the creator. JW

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Better Late Than Never Department: Show Your Colors. It just occurred to me that it would be kind of cool, if somewhere on the cover page of BR&K issues, we had a designated section to show various kustom-oriented bike clubs and organizations' logos- like little patches. The invitation applies to the entire world, but only to clubs, not businesses. The "patches" will be linked to the club's website. All who are interested, E-mail us a .jpg image along with the URL for the club's site. We can even start the practice now, and add the section to this issue's cover page. Let's see how it goes, eh?