Phillip "Pipmeister" MOCK KONA GURU AND LEGEND
- Thread starter Ernie
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Need to clear up a few things, but I'm hoping to attend - will know for sure next week.
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Yep, I need the details, but I'll be there.
2pmGood afternoon all..
Pips sister Hilly text me yesterday with an update...
Friday 22nd April 2022 at West Berkshire Crematorium, Thatcham RG19 4LD.
After the service she would like all of his friends to join the family at a local venue to celebrate Pip.
She will be preparing a tribute and has asked if anybody here would like to make some suggestions.
This is written with a heavy heart....I am afraid I wont be there as I am already attending a funeral for a former shift colleague here in Plymouth. This funeral was arranged 2 weeks ago and I have given my word to the family that I will attend.
This is a great shame as I would have liked to meet Hilly, her Husband and people from " Retrobike" who can attend.
So just to recap..if any of you have something you want me to pass on please do
take are all
Ernie
Pip got a wonderful sending - as he absolutely deserved - led by his wonderful sister Hilly. With well over 100 friends and family in attendance, it was naturally very emotional, but equally beautiful.
I wrote some words which Hilly kindly used, much to my surprise. Here's the unedited, full version, that I sent to Hilly.
I met Pip virtually, like many, through his detailed knowledge sharing on the retrobike website and forum. His knowledge about Kona bikes was second to none, even though he did his best to say it wasn't. Pip had a distinct view on the future, present and past, and unlike many who are rooted in a distorted, twisted view, that the good old days were some sort of utopia, Pip was able to see through the nostalgia and bring a modern, forward thinking twist. I appreciate this will sound quite geeky but his and our obsession with Kona bikes goes beyond the brand and the product. It runs deep to the roots of mountain biking, and the ethos and culture the forefathers accidently created when they decided to race clapped out cruiser bikes down Mount Tam in Marin County, California.
Kona always did and always have done something different to the market. They walked the line between cool and uncool frequently, and we didn't agree with everything they did. But that's part of the obsession and the people who are attracted to the company and culture. You're not just riding a bike, you're riding a blend of history and the future.
Pip represented Kona perfectly in that regard. His bikes, whilst classified retro or vintage, were never glass cased exhibits. He built them to ride, as they were intended, often with a mix of modern components, bringing them bang up to date. He often proved that "the next best thing" - a terrible trait the industry has - wasn't always the case. His classic "Emperors new clothes" thread is one that will live long in the memory where he ever so politely ranted about how poor modern day gearing was. (I told you it was going to be geeky!).
His legacy, and one I'm humbled and overwhelmed to maintain and build on, is his cataloguing of rare Kona bikes. He started with the titanium framed bikes of the Hei Hei (pronounced Hey Hey), before moving onto the classic steel framed Hot and others. Over the years he built up a worldwide list to the point that as people shared their bikes on social media, outside retrobike, "Pip's register" would be linked with people encouraging them to share their serial number and details. From this, Pip catalogued the detail history and evolution of the brand and bikes, far beyond what anyone had done before. He was diligent to the point where he'd get quite frustrated with people who wouldn't read the detail he'd spent years creating and instead ask silly questions, already answered. On many occasions I'd tell him to take a deep breath and remind him "people are people"!
The register moved into real life when I helped him purchase a very rare 1998 Kona Hot, in glorious sparkling metallic red. Pip didn't like dealing with social media platforms, and so I worked with the seller on his behalf. We were stoked when the deal went through and Pip more so when it finally arrived from the US. His personal collection of Kona's was the finest in the UK and the most distinctive in the world. I remember when we met in-person for the first time at his cosy home. Entering it, I was greeted with an incredible sight of unicorns, the rarest Kona's everywhere I looked. Peaking into each room revealed another delight, I was lost for words. Bikes I'd only read about on seen in pictures, were there in front of me, sparkling clean and ready to pop a leg over and shred. And then there was the shed, also full of Kona's!
Naturally our relationship developed and we shared all our passions; as a huge music fan and DJ, his stories about growing up in the 70s as a gay man, sneaking into Greenham Common airbase for late night discos and parties - a place I'd pass frequently as a kid in the 80s - were eye opening in more ways than one. His passion for rock music and of course Black Sabbath are legendary. I remember when I told him I'd heard "Fluff" for the first time in a record store in NY some years ago and he very patiently explained most Black Sabbath LPs have a quieter, more downtempo track - exactly the sort of music I like. I think I offended him somewhat when I said The Cardigans version of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" was a favourite of mine!
I miss Pip tremendously, not least right now when I've so much to share with him about Kona UK's recent store re-launch, my Kona ambassador news and the new bike they gave me that we'd been waiting months for, and of course a bunch of newly discovered old Kona's. I really miss his unconditional love and wit. But I also know he's having a whale of a time hanging out with the greats, riding his arse off on a one of his beloved bikes, doing what he does best.
I'll post some updates re the register in the next few weeks.
I wrote some words which Hilly kindly used, much to my surprise. Here's the unedited, full version, that I sent to Hilly.
I met Pip virtually, like many, through his detailed knowledge sharing on the retrobike website and forum. His knowledge about Kona bikes was second to none, even though he did his best to say it wasn't. Pip had a distinct view on the future, present and past, and unlike many who are rooted in a distorted, twisted view, that the good old days were some sort of utopia, Pip was able to see through the nostalgia and bring a modern, forward thinking twist. I appreciate this will sound quite geeky but his and our obsession with Kona bikes goes beyond the brand and the product. It runs deep to the roots of mountain biking, and the ethos and culture the forefathers accidently created when they decided to race clapped out cruiser bikes down Mount Tam in Marin County, California.
Kona always did and always have done something different to the market. They walked the line between cool and uncool frequently, and we didn't agree with everything they did. But that's part of the obsession and the people who are attracted to the company and culture. You're not just riding a bike, you're riding a blend of history and the future.
Pip represented Kona perfectly in that regard. His bikes, whilst classified retro or vintage, were never glass cased exhibits. He built them to ride, as they were intended, often with a mix of modern components, bringing them bang up to date. He often proved that "the next best thing" - a terrible trait the industry has - wasn't always the case. His classic "Emperors new clothes" thread is one that will live long in the memory where he ever so politely ranted about how poor modern day gearing was. (I told you it was going to be geeky!).
His legacy, and one I'm humbled and overwhelmed to maintain and build on, is his cataloguing of rare Kona bikes. He started with the titanium framed bikes of the Hei Hei (pronounced Hey Hey), before moving onto the classic steel framed Hot and others. Over the years he built up a worldwide list to the point that as people shared their bikes on social media, outside retrobike, "Pip's register" would be linked with people encouraging them to share their serial number and details. From this, Pip catalogued the detail history and evolution of the brand and bikes, far beyond what anyone had done before. He was diligent to the point where he'd get quite frustrated with people who wouldn't read the detail he'd spent years creating and instead ask silly questions, already answered. On many occasions I'd tell him to take a deep breath and remind him "people are people"!
The register moved into real life when I helped him purchase a very rare 1998 Kona Hot, in glorious sparkling metallic red. Pip didn't like dealing with social media platforms, and so I worked with the seller on his behalf. We were stoked when the deal went through and Pip more so when it finally arrived from the US. His personal collection of Kona's was the finest in the UK and the most distinctive in the world. I remember when we met in-person for the first time at his cosy home. Entering it, I was greeted with an incredible sight of unicorns, the rarest Kona's everywhere I looked. Peaking into each room revealed another delight, I was lost for words. Bikes I'd only read about on seen in pictures, were there in front of me, sparkling clean and ready to pop a leg over and shred. And then there was the shed, also full of Kona's!
Naturally our relationship developed and we shared all our passions; as a huge music fan and DJ, his stories about growing up in the 70s as a gay man, sneaking into Greenham Common airbase for late night discos and parties - a place I'd pass frequently as a kid in the 80s - were eye opening in more ways than one. His passion for rock music and of course Black Sabbath are legendary. I remember when I told him I'd heard "Fluff" for the first time in a record store in NY some years ago and he very patiently explained most Black Sabbath LPs have a quieter, more downtempo track - exactly the sort of music I like. I think I offended him somewhat when I said The Cardigans version of "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" was a favourite of mine!
I miss Pip tremendously, not least right now when I've so much to share with him about Kona UK's recent store re-launch, my Kona ambassador news and the new bike they gave me that we'd been waiting months for, and of course a bunch of newly discovered old Kona's. I really miss his unconditional love and wit. But I also know he's having a whale of a time hanging out with the greats, riding his arse off on a one of his beloved bikes, doing what he does best.
I'll post some updates re the register in the next few weeks.
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