Big Air!

12.14.2005 | 9:34 pm

Today’s post was going to be a list of things you can buy as presents for your cycling friends this holiday season. Believe it or not, it’s actually a pretty good batch of sensible stocking stuffers that I don’t think any cyclist would be disappointed to get.

As I was doing a little bit of background research last night, though, I discovered something. Something my mind is still doing flip-flops over. Something that could not wait. Something that made me no longer want to write a list of stuff I hope someone gives me, disguised as a list of things you can give someone else.

Oh, I’ll still do the list. In fact, I’ll do it tomorrow. But today, I must talk about Genuine Innovations’ Big Air!

Editor’s Note: Yes, the exclamation point is part of the name of the product. As an editor, I have a real problem with products that use punctuation as part of their name. I mean, what if I want to use the name of this product in the middle of a sentence? So usually, I remove the punctuation from product names when mentioning them, just out of spite. As you’ll read shortly, however, I think you’ll agree that in this case the exclamation-point-as-part-of-product-name is warranted. Thank you.

 

Background

I don’t like using hand pumps to fix flats on my mountain bike. The volume of air in a mountain bike tire requires you to pump and pump and pump and pump if you want to bring it to a reasonable pressure. After five minutes or so of this, you begin to question whether mountain biking is even worth the effort.

But with the advent of pressurized cartridges, inflating a tire on the trail is the fastest, easiest thing in the world. Especially if you have the right setup.

For more than five years, I’ve been using the same setup for inflating tires:

  • Genuine Innovations’ Microflate valve: This is probably the simplest CO2 valve on the market, and I think it’s pure genius. It has no moving parts. You just thread the tiny valve onto the canister, push the valve onto the tube stem, and then partially unscrew the canister. The more you unscrew it, the faster your tube inflates. Screw it back in to slow or stop inflating.
  • Genuine Innovations’ Big Air! 40g Canisters: These are much bigger than the CO2 cylinders you’re used to seeing. They hold a much greater volume of gas, and so can easily fill a mountain bike tire. (Genuine Innovations claims a single canister can fill two mountain bike tires, but my experience is that you need to plan on one canister per flat or you’ll underfill the tire and get a pinch flat.)

Let me state for the record: I am perfectly happy with this setup, and do not in any way want Genuine Innovations to further innovate it. I’m a fan.

 

Big “Air!”

So as you can expect, I fully intended to recommend a Microflate valve and a six-pack of Big Air! canisters as a terrific stocking stuffer for cyclists (in fact, I still do). In fact, I thought I’d provide a handy link right to Genuine Innovations’ website, so you could learn more about their fine products and order them from the comfort of your own home (I am an extremely service-oriented blogger).

This is the information/purchase window Genuine Innovations has for the Big Air! canister:

 

And this was my reaction:

 

You mean, I’ve been riding with a couple of little pressurized propane tanks in my seatbag for the past five years? I’ve been filling my tires with propane?

Wow.

Cuz, well, propane, well, you know, burns.

And by "burns," I mean "explodes."

 

Careful Wording

Unable to believe what I saw on the web page, I reached down to the lower bookshelf on my left, where — conveniently — I have several Big Air! canisters. Nowhere on the canister does it say something like, “Ingredients: Propane.” Although, now I finally understand what that “Warning: Extremely Flammable” is about, not to mention the admonition to not expose the container to heat above 120F (49C), or to not use near any ignition sources.

You’ve got to give the marketing folk at Genuine Innovations credit: “Big Air!” sounds much better than “Little Propane!”

 

I Have a Question

Being the intrepid journalist I am, I quickly went to the “Contact Us” page on the Genuine Innovations website, and sent them the following message:

Is it true that your Big Air cartridges really contain propane? If so, after I fill my tubes from a Big Air cartridge, are my tires in any kind of danger of exploding or bursting into flame when I ride my bike and the rims become very hot from constant hard braking on a long, steep descent?

To Genuine Innovations’ enormous credit, Tony Hollars, Founder and Director of Technology replied within twelve hours (eight of which I spent sleeping) of my sending this question. Here’s what he said:

There is no danger unless you have an open flame. Propane propellant is used in products like shaving cream and kids’ bathtub soap. That’s where we got the idea for the Big Air. Most propellants in aerosols are flammable, so use the same precautions.

And of course, the appropriate journalistic follow-up question to this is, “How come I’ve never heard of propane-powered bathtub soap?” ‘Cuz that sounds like fun.

 

A World of Possibilities

I confess: I was surprised and alarmed to discover that for the past several years I have been filling my tires with the same gas many people barbecue with (I’m a charcoal briquets man, myself — nothing beats the smell of charcoal-cooked burgers). I mean, one little spark and — BOOM! — Flaming Wheels of Death.

But am I really worried that those Big Air! canisters I keep in a seatbag directly beneath my butt are actually a highly-pressurized explosive? Nah. Lotsa people — including me and practically everyone I ride with — have used these canisters for years and years and years; I’ve never heard of any flame-related incidents happening to anyone. In fact, the only Big Air! injury I’m aware of went in the opposite direction. Once, as I finished inflating a tube, Rick told me I should inhale the rest of the gas and see if it made me talk funny. Always up for a gag, I lifted the canister up to my mouth.

This was an error.

Let’s just say that while I knew the canister would be cold, I didn’t expect it to raise a blister.

Now that I know that Big Air! is propane, though, I’m intrigued. Suddenly, I see many genuinely innovative uses for Genuine Innovation’s Big Air! canister. None of which you should actually try.

  • Hunger Scenario #1: You’re on an all-day mountain bike ride with friends. It’s lunchtime; everybody’s starved. While everyone else unpacks sandwiches, energy bars, nuts and other trail food, however, you get out a Big Air!, some surgical tubing, and a very small grill. You then pull out a kabob — I’m partial to a stack of shrimp, peppers, chicken, mushrooms and pineapple — you’ve had marinating in Teriyaki sauce in a waterbottle for the morning, grill, and enjoy. Massive envy ensues.
  • Hunger Scenario #2: You’re out biking in the desert and start feeling a little peckish. You’ve seen numerous rabbits during the day, and must admit to yourself that a nice braised rabbit sounds mighty tasty. You get out a Big Air! and, the next time you see a rabbit, puncture the top and ignite it, pointing it in the direction of the rabbit. The jet-propelled canister rockets toward the rabbit with extraordinary precision, killing it instantly. You gut the rabbit using the blade in your multi-tool, get out another Big Air! and the rest of the grilling apparatus you always carry with you (see Hunger Scenario #1), and get cooking. From that moment on, you are regarded by all your riding friends as the alpha male. Even if you’re a female.
  • Catastrophic Bike Failure Scenario: You’re riding your trusty, steel-framed mountain bike — just riding along — when the darn thing cracks. For most people, that would be the end of the ride. But that’s because, unlike you, most people don’t carry the Big Air! welding torch attachment. Since you also carry multiple lenses for your glasses, you put the darkest ones on, turn the torch up nice and hot, and weld the sucker back together. Good as new.
  • Catastrophic Injury Scenario: You’re doing extremely dangerous, technical moves deep in wilderness territory. A friend of yours tries a move he should never have attempted and breaks off his thumb. Yep, just breaks it clean off. Whoops. He’s bleeding all over the place; the band aids in your seat pack clearly aren’t going to do the trick. Luckily, you’ve got a Big Air! canister. First, you whack your screaming friend on the head with it to give him some blessed relief from conciousness, then put on the regular ol’ Microflate valve. Twist it out a half turn to start the gas flowing, flick a match, and cauterize the wound. Quick thinking, cowboy.
  • Lost in the Wilderness Scenario: You’ve missed a turn a while back, and now you’ve been lost for two weeks. You’ve been having a good time, really, thanks to your Big Air! canisters, but now it’s time to go home. So, you take a spare tube out of your seat pack and over-inflate it with two Big Air! canisters. The next time a plane flies overhead, you take this tube and light it on fire. The resulting fireball catches the eye of the pilot, who alerts the authorities. The search and rescue team has no difficulty in finding you; they just follow the scent of singed hair.

In summary, I used to like Big Air! canisters. Now I think they’re the coolest thing in the world.

 

Banjo Brothers Bike Bag Giveaway Question

As your entry in today’s Banjo Brothers Seat Bag contest (their new website is now online, so you can pick between mini, small, medium and large), tell me your thoughts on filling your mountain biking tires with propane. For bonus points, tell me a cool new application you can think of for Big Air! cartridges. 

43 Comments

  1. Comment by Unknown | 12.14.2005 | 10:07 pm

    i remember when ricky got you to suck on that cannister. it was on grove (a pinch flat paradise). i’m pretty sure he also got you to lick a cold tetherball pole during recess.you’ve got to admit, you did, in fact, talk funny for a while.

  2. Comment by Unknown | 12.14.2005 | 10:12 pm

    If my idea is stupid, at least it will be first, or among the early entries. If Big Air! can kill a rabbit with a well aimed shot, surely a couple of cans lashed to the frame, maybe jammed in the bottle cage, maybe strapped to the handlebar extensions, can serve a a rocket propellant, allowing a cyclist to either close a gap, create a gap on a challenging climb, or maybe even leap over a creak. This is, of course, the bonus points point. As for filling my tires with propane, it’s lighter than air, and that makes my bike lighter. Just think of the grams saved. No need to waste money on light weight parts. No need to worry about what I eat. Instead, I’ll just pop in some Big Air! and the grams will melt, or burn, or evaporate (disipate?) away!

  3. Comment by Unknown | 12.14.2005 | 10:20 pm

    You can use it to cool beer! Just by carrying a jet engine (easily constructed out of PVC pipe), a beer, and some rubber tubing with you, amaze your friends by cooling off a Guinness (or whatever) in the middle of a hot summer ride. See this website for details: http://www.asciimation.co.nz/beer/This web site is much like a Fat Cyclist entry its ownself.

  4. Comment by pete | 12.14.2005 | 10:21 pm

    Bikes AND blowing stuff up. What could possibly be added to make life better?Great post today. However, I think you have missed the most obvious reason for having one of these little tins of genius in your seatbag.Underprepared for your race? Can’t stay with the bunch? Shelled out the back? No problem. Just crack a "Big Air", spark a match and bingo: rocket-powered acceleration. Enjoy the look of amazement on your rivals’ faces as you speed past without breaking a sweat. Relish the sight of their eyebrows singing in your rear-view mirror.NB The manufacturer does not recommenc rying this on a fixed gear.

  5. Comment by pete | 12.14.2005 | 10:23 pm

    Bah! Beaten to the punch.And I believe you would say "recommend trying" in your language.

  6. Comment by Zed | 12.14.2005 | 10:40 pm

    Okay, back to the last scenario. Suppose your tube doesn’t quite do the trick but you have a few more cans of propane–voila! Flares! Or suppose the plane is Russian (cuz we all know how we feel about those pesky Russians) you take aim, light the puppy, shoot down a Russian spy jet, get the Congressional Medal of Honor and join the ranks of famous people like Forrest Gump …

  7. Comment by Tom Stormcrowe | 12.14.2005 | 10:45 pm

    If you want to get "Big Air", inflate your tubes with HELIUM!::GRIN:: Actually, it is safe to inflate your bike tires with propane, and it actually makes your tubes last a bit longer. Propane doesn’t leach the long chain polymers like air does thru oxidation on the inner surface. This leads to longer flexibility. Propane molecules are also larger than oxygen or CO2 or Nitrogen, so you don’t lose quite as much pressure through osmosis. Gawd, I sound like either an engineer or a geek……..or both!::GRIN:: You get one other advantage with propane! EXAMPLE: a large snarling dog approaches and you deter him with a blast of flame by holding your lit bic lighter in the output stream, generating a flame 35′ long! This works for bears AND idiots who almost run you over with their cars as well! It works as a great way to light your campfire, and if your battery dies on the trail, you have a heck of a good torch! Some pesky fellow racer is about to pass you? same thing! 35′ column of flame!::EVIL GRIN::

  8. Comment by Unknown | 12.14.2005 | 10:50 pm

    Gu Brulee?

  9. Comment by Unknown | 12.14.2005 | 10:59 pm

    Totally with you on the microflate valve – bought the wife a decent sized wedge, an Ascent Barebones tool, a patch kit, and some skinny tire "irons" for her K2, her first real road bike. Tire changing & flat fixing lessons to commence 12/26. I’ll stick with the bulkier Pro-Flate system in my mondo five pound Snap-On Tools Sponsored wedge bag, thanks. The ProFlate takes threaded or unthreaded cartridges. Not a big deal, unless you have been known to have 5 flat days while doing heavy hill climbing on shot Contis. Ahem. So I’ll stick to the $1 unthreaded cartridges, thanks. Bonus: my Proflate (in a runaway wedge) was run over repeatedly in traffic a few months back. The cylinder you stick the cartridge in bounced back into shape with a little squeezing, and the valve portion was uninjured except for the plastic shroud that used to go over it. It worked just fine, once I worked the Gu out of the mechanism. Double bonus: that means it probably weighs like 3 grams less. I’ve hesitated putting this unique weight loss method out there though, for fear that guys will be throwing their carbon Pegorattis and Cervelos into traffic, hoping to shave a couple more grams off the unsprung weight. As for propane uses – why, using it to test for leaks where you don’t have a bathtub to submerge the tube. You just pull out your handy Bic lighter, and work your way around the tube. Just make sure nothing on you or the bike is made out of lycra, nylon, spandex, rubber, or plastic, because I hear that stuff burns really easily and it wouldn’t be safe at all.

  10. Comment by Tim | 12.14.2005 | 11:12 pm

    KeepYerBag definately wins IMHO – nothing quite like a short, concise statement to have you rolling about laughing… Gu Brelee (http://www.ehow.com/how_6722_make-creme-brulee.html Item 13.) indeed!Personally I’d like to have a stovetop attachment to heat my Bialetti coffee maker http://www.bialetti.com when out on that muliday adventure ride.

  11. Comment by Unknown | 12.14.2005 | 11:26 pm

    I cannot for the life of me think of a funny or insightful comment about propane and bike tires, mountain or otherwise. But is it really too much work to pump air the old fashion way? As an aside, in Tim Krabbe’s "The Rider" or the "The Racer," Het Ridder in Dutch, he mentions some long-ago racers strategems for for decreasing their bike’s weight or increasing its aerodynamics. One guy hammered his spokes flat, the tires broke, some other guy filled his tires with helium, they flatted. So maybe they ought to change their motto to "Burning up the trail for real."

  12. Comment by Donald | 12.14.2005 | 11:42 pm

    The good news is you will probaly never have a problem with it exploding……….unless you have a slow leak and park it next to a water heater in a garage. BOOM!!!!!!

  13. Comment by EricGu | 12.15.2005 | 12:00 am

    Well, obviously…There you were on the last lap of the crit. You had timed your sprint to perfection, but as you get within 100 meters of the finish, another rider starts to come by you. You whip out your can of "Big Air", press it against the back of his jersey, and press the button.The resulting discharge freezes has back muscles on the left side of the body, he veers to the right into the barriers, and you coast over the finish line for an easy win.

  14. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 12:04 am

    Forget the cartridge. What you need to do is a little setup i’ll call "Bike to the Future". Once you have to bike tires fully inflated with Big Air!, pop open the valves, light them, and ride like hell. Everyone will wonder how you got those pimped out flamin’ bike tires. Until you die that is.

  15. Comment by Big Guy on a Bicycle | 12.15.2005 | 12:32 am

    The insurgents already have roadside explosive devices. You could try using Big Air! bombs to shake off the competition at Leadville next year, but then again, terrorism might not be your desired trademark.

  16. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 1:10 am

    I guess I’m thinking in a different direction. It’s nice to know the next time I’m in the back woods and get a flat, I just need to find the nearest redneck in a trailer. It should be fun to wander up on the front porch of said trailer while wearing brightly colored lycra and ask the occupant if I could tether my tube to their propane heater or stove. If I don’t get shot while doing so, maybe they would let me refill my "Big Air!" canister too.Along those lines, what trinket should I carry to barter with? You know they won’t let you have the propane for free.

  17. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 2:34 am

    It’s real cold up here in Vermont this time of year. I’m thinking you can stick a flaming Big Air! in one end of the handle bar and exhaust it out the other thus warming the bar up nicely and warming my hands.

  18. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 3:36 am

    This is one of those watershed discoveries. I believe I can now engineer a setup to better enhance my cycling abilities. Big Air! seems alright, but what if I filled a can with nitrous oxide, then attached it to the bottom of my seat, at the 100m mark I ignite it…good bye Ale-Jet.

  19. Comment by Kevin | 12.15.2005 | 4:32 am

    I’ve always wanted a bike that would crash with the same extravagancy as most movie-ish car crashes.

  20. Comment by James | 12.15.2005 | 5:07 am

    ‘they’ (the all knowing source) reckon that the Hindenberg exploded due to its aluminium coated skin, not the million or so litres of hydrogen inside. hmmm propane in the tyres hey, im sure if ‘they’ say its alright you will be fine big man.I wish I could come up with a better idea but the rocket powered bike is just too much. Next time im spinning my sorry arse up a hill ill think of the Big Air! and wish I had that boost, even if it carried me right over the otherside and into the fabled pages of the Darwin awards.

  21. Comment by Kelly | 12.15.2005 | 5:17 am

    I have a couple "notes to self" on this revelation:1. Propane-powered bathtub soap has already been invented by my boys. I just didn’t know they deserved some credit for it. This goes along with propane-powered legos, propane-powered english muffins, and propane-powered shoes. (that’s just the stuff they’ve experimented with) and…2. When riding with this product attached to my own bike, don’t fart.Kelly

  22. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 5:23 am

    Would that flame-thrower idea work on Presbyterians?Oh… and you forget the part about the lemon pie. No more watery-looking meringues in the desert, mountains or elsewhere now… light up and toast those puppies, just like Emeril! BAM!Hugs,MuMo

  23. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 10:36 am

    How about a special attachment with two valves. You connect one to the top of your pump handle and the other to the base. By opening and closing the valves alternately, you can push the pump up and down, inflating your tyres with minimal effort. I estimate that to inflate a 26" tyre would only take four or five Big Air! cannisters.

  24. Comment by tayfuryagci | 12.15.2005 | 10:49 am

    when I saw the word "propane" I went OOOOHHH MAAAN THATS F.KNG RETARDED! :D:D:D (I watch australian extreme sports TV way too much) filling your tires with highly flammable material? hunger scenario 2 was the most vicious thing I have seen on this site, ever. still unbelievably fun though.my thoughts on filling my bike’s tires with highly flammable material: I wouldn’t.new use for Big Air! canisters: Instant rocketship, tie as many big air canisters to the back of your bike as possible, open the valves, have your friend light you up! Helloooo Sputnik!

  25. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 11:51 am

    On a related note. Some friends of mine were out on their road/triathlon bikes when one got a puncture. The tube was swapped quickly and one of the guys says "try my CO2 inflator" . First cartridge goes on, lots of hissing & friend number one has frozen his fingers to the valve whilst squirting CO2 into the atmosphere. Once his fingers warmed up, he tried again with a second cannister. Psst BOOM. Tube inflated, tyre blown off rim, tube explodes. Friend number one then scrounges a spare tube and a hand pump from friend number two.

  26. Comment by Nina | 12.15.2005 | 3:02 pm

    You can use it to freeze off the lipoma.

  27. Comment by Sarah | 12.15.2005 | 3:15 pm

    Fatty,As cycling chemistry graduate students, my officemate Tim and I decided that it was of the utmost importance to research this topic instead of doing less important things like our actual work, so we spent the better part of the afternoon googling densities and what have you. And we may have even consulted a physical chemistry textbook. We learned:1. Propane is not lighter than air! It is, in fact, MORE dense than air with a density of 1.9kg/m3 versus air which is 1.3kg/m32. Your humble rep at Big Air! even told you that it was propane propellant and not actual propane that you are pumping into your tires!3. Haven’t you ever taken a match to an aerosol can whilst spraying? What kind of pyro are you?4. If you would like to play around with chemicals and stick some more in your mouth, etc, stop by the lab and we’ll let you have at it. You can fill your tires with a variety of atmospheric gasses we have laying around the lab, including nitrogen, helium, argon, or anything else of your choosing. If we really like you, we’ll let you freeze things in the liquid nitrogen. Just for fun.As the Fat Cyclist, you would really love our research. We do stuff with lipids all of the time. And we ride bikes. I mean, we are seriously the coolest ever. Really.Cheers,your humble cycling chemists Sarah & Tim

  28. Comment by Fat Cyclist | 12.15.2005 | 4:27 pm

    sarah – in your #2 comment, are you saying that there’s a difference between "propane" and "propane propellant?" i thought that the "propellant" part of "propane propellant" just describes the function of the propane. if there’s a difference — most especially, if the stuff that’s going into my tubes is not flammable — i’d be really interested to know.

  29. Comment by Sarah | 12.15.2005 | 4:57 pm

    In Tim and mine’s not really expert opinion, we think the propane in the Big Air! canisters is a small amount of liquified propane that expands more rapidly than the CO2 when exposed to atmosphere and pushes out the CO2 into your tire.This is different than, say, hooking up the propane canisters from your Coleman stove to your tire and letting it loose. Which the thought of freaks me out. The amount of propane is small in the Big Air! canisters, although it is still flammable, as with most aerosol propellants.But yes, propane = propane propellant. As to how much propane is actually in the can and how that translates into the concentration of propane gas in your tires, well we could figure that out if we had the numbers. We think.

  30. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 5:14 pm

    Have you learned nothing? Remember the recent post about your readers and dug’s disingenuous "congratulations"? Right now, some monkey is out there duct taping BigAir! cannisters to his handlebars to try getting big air off of something he shouldn’t jump off of. Can you stand that kind of negative press?

  31. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 6:16 pm

    A few days ago, a friend and I were discussing the merits of attaching a Red Dragon propane torch ( http://www.flameengineering.com/Red_Dragon_Propane_Torch_K.html )to the front wheel of our bikes for winter cycling. We could use a Big Air can to power the torch. Presto, instant snow melter! But, filling the tires with propane too would add that certain something, would it not?

  32. Comment by Zed | 12.15.2005 | 7:03 pm

    In the words (but not punctuation) of Mike Ferrentino: "You want Big Air!? Pull my finger!"

  33. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 8:55 pm

    Hunger Scenario #2 alpha-male-even-if-you’re-a-female comment gave me a good laugh today!Hey, this brings back memories of the movie Grease. Specifically, the "race" scenes w/John Travolta + Greased Lightning racing that black flame-shooting car of the rival gang (whose name escapes me). No car guy can resist the appeal of a flame-shooting vehicle, and I am no different. Hook up a pair of those Big Air! cannisters, 1 to each chainstay, along with a remote-control servo to activate the cannister valves & a BBQ starter switch. Remove attention-getting bike bell from handlebars and replace with the control pods. Now, instead of the typical jostling, positioning, and manuevering before the usual club-ride sprints, you fire those bad boys up, flames-a-shootin’ from your bike. Other riders will be so distracted/intimidated/freaked out by your secret weapon, that you will easily win each and every sprint. Night rides will be even more exciting!You will become the new Cipollini of every club ride without the added hassle of training!

  34. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 10:38 pm

    I think it is awesome to have that amout of propane at the ready for emergencies.Another use could be:After riding for 3 hours you know that you have that one last hill ahead (cardiac hill, alpha goat maker, etc) but you are feeling as though even a dozen Power Gels can’t revive you. Stop. Get out your Big Air! attach it under your seat, remount bike, pop a hole in the canister and ignite with the lighter that you ALWAYS carry. ZOOOOOOM! you are the Alpha goat for today!

  35. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 11:29 pm

    i tend to use the old hand pump method, as it seems to be the most consistent. i have a CO2 inflator, but it makes me a little nervous as i have seen many a tube blown off the rim. as for a new use:i’ll go one step further and NAME my use "the ghost rider" (a la marvel comics).for large volume (downhill) tires: overinflate tubes, and install quartz ignitors on fork near tire, and on rear triangle near tire. install push buttons for quartz ignitors on handlebar. at night, bring bike up to top of a hill. make small punctures in each tire, and begin downhill run. push button for ignitors, turning (hopefully) your wheels into 2 flaming circles as you cruise down. bonus points for crashing at the bottom as your tires completely deflate. EXTRA bonus points if this classy move is pulled during the midnight lap at a 24 hour event.

  36. Comment by Unknown | 12.15.2005 | 11:48 pm

    Okay, so I missed the ligther-than-air bit with the tires, but it was close, especially for someone who merely made the information up, and such a good idea, especially in conjunction with my being the first person to suggest using Big Air!!!!! as a rocket booster!!!!!

  37. Comment by Robert | 12.16.2005 | 4:24 am

    You know how the pinwheel at the top of your helmet doesn’t turn all the time, even when there’s a strong wind? Well, I was trying to think of a way to use Big Air! to keep my propeller spinning, but all I managed to do was burn my helmet and freeze my hand. After some bone-jarringly honest reflection, I’ve concluded that the best — and only — use of Big Air! is to refill your flat tire. Forgive my forthrightness.

  38. Comment by BIg Mike In Oz | 12.16.2005 | 6:33 am

    If you carry the Big Air! cannisters under your seat and you had a particularly spicy dinner the previous night, what resultant dangers are there from the mixing of propane and methane in the vortex behind your seat?I hope someone has developed some sort of after-burner nozzle to assist with particulary steep climbs. It would give a whole new meaning to the often heard term, "I’m fried".

  39. Comment by BIg Mike In Oz | 12.16.2005 | 6:46 am

    That just proves a point doesn’t it. I obviously suffer from "acute unthinking blurtitis". When there are already 37 comments in the field of play, a smart person would read them first to avoid a fundament duplication. But I feel it necessary to put both feet in my mouth at the same time. I’ve proven more than once that I can speak without thinking, and again today I have confirmed my affliction.

  40. Comment by tayfuryagci | 12.16.2005 | 7:13 am

    how many people (including me) suggested turning a bike intoa rocketship? umm like 20? man we don’t have anything in the name of imagination!tayfur

  41. Comment by Tom Stormcrowe | 12.16.2005 | 11:32 am

    Fatty, I think you just got visited by a SPLOGGER! See below!

  42. Comment by BIg Mike In Oz | 12.16.2005 | 1:32 pm

    It really adds a new dimension when you get someone commenting so completely off-topic that they seem to be speaking a different language. I got the same visitor in my comments and just out of curiosity I went for a trip to each link. Not a single word of english in any of them.

  43. Comment by Unknown | 12.16.2005 | 2:02 pm

    I just assumed it was more baseball talk

 

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