The Radavist

Now, I won’t say the following tidbit of information was all that surprising to me. I’m not really a numbers person when it comes to running the site, but I do like to pay attention to what you, the readers, respond to. Not necessarily traffic, per say, or comments, or trackbacks, or whatever but when a bike gets as much love as Seth’s 650B MTB did, I take notice and as I said, I wasn’t surprised. This thing has pizzaz in a world of mediocrity.

While the serenity of a solo bike photo shoot is nice, sometimes I like to get the builder to hold their work of art and pose for a few photos. Case in point: Seth and his Rosko 650B MTB! Check out more in the Gallery!

Tools of the trade:
Mamiya 7ii / 80mm / expired Kodak Portra 400

A visit to New York wouldn’t be complete without me bugging Seth Rosko for at least an afternoon. In the past, I’ve tried to document his workspace but have never been 100% satisfied with the outcome, until this visit. The thing about Seth’s workshop is that it’s most likely smaller than your bedroom…

His shop measures roughly a four meter cube, barely big enough for two grown men to move about, much less a Bridgeport, jigs, tubes, component boxes and bikes. Every time I come back to see Seth, the shop is more dialed in and this time, I am confident with the documentation.

Seth’s been working a lot of keeping up with his grassroots racing support. A lot of up and coming racers in NYC are riding his steel bikes and that’s something he’s very passionate about. Cross, MTB, road, it doesn’t matter. If you pedal it fast in circles, he can build it.

Check out a few photos from my Shop Visit to Rosko Cycles in the Gallery!

While local developer group, Two Trees Management begins to plan construction on the lot across from the now defunct Domino Sugar factory on Kent avenue in Williamsburg, Ride Brooklyn snatched it up for a year-long lease. After working on the site for weeks, the Ride Brooklyn staff, along with volunteers have finally opened the gates to the first ever Brooklyn Bike Park.

This football field sized pump track offers various lines to rip on, depending on the rider’s skill level. When I was in New York a few weeks back, I stopped by to check it out and shoot some photos of this dirt oasis.

Check out more narrated photos in the Gallery!

Ever have one of those rides where a crazed redneck kicks you off “his mountain” and you end up somewhat lost, having to re-route yourself? Yeah. This was one of those rides. Not that I’m complaining. If Santa Cruz is dirt heaven, then surely the roads are worth a mention.

During the ATOC this year, a few of us got together and rode from Santa Cruz to San Jose. Leading the way was Garrett Chow on his FEA Venge. He promised a big climb, some poaching, a little dirt and heat, heat, heat. All of which were delivered. Then our route was truncated short by the above-mentioned, real king of the mountain…

60 miles and 4,000′ later and we were in San Jose, just in time to watch the last TT and drink a few beers. It’s a bummer we missed the stage, but so it goes. Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery!

Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4
Fuji Pro400H

If #NatureIsMetal, then Gibraltar is a barrage of blast beats. This iconic climb is located in Santa Barbara, California. Just the word, Gibraltar, carries a certain mystique. As a cyclist, there are a few climbs that carry connotations of pain. For me, I think of Diablo, Cloud Burst and Gibralter.

Depending on how you start, you can climb from sea level to 3,600′ in just 12 miles. The road itself, up to the summit is about 7 miles. What makes Gibralter so magnificent though is the weather. One minute, you’re riding in the scorching morning sun and the next, a weather system will move over the crest and down the roads, creating an eerie and really fuckin’ metal vignette.

A group of us during the ATOC got in a quick ride before rushing to the start at Santa Barbara’s stage. We climbed fast and because of the ominous fog, took the descent slowly. The whole time I was descending, I felt like I was entering some lost world… It was brutally epic! See for yourself in the Gallery!

Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4 / Pro 400H

Sometimes, good coffee is more than enough motivation to do a quick ride through Golden Gate Park in SF. If you don’t have time for the San Bruno loop, there’s a quicker way. The first time I made it out to Trouble Coffee was with Chas, back in May when I was in town for the ATOC. This time, the sandwich board spoke its words of wisdom with one simple phrase: Live to Shred. We rolled back through the park, bumped into Marc and swung by the De Young museum, one of my all-time favorite HdM projects.

I can’t say I shredded much riding home, filled with toast and coffee but it did make for some excellent photos of the #lightbro through GGP… See more in the gallery!

San Francisco has many great coffee shops but one in particular has become sort of a tradition in the past few times I’ve visited the city. Trouble Coffee is by no means a local’s secret, but it’s worth the jaunt over if you have the time. Especially if you can meander a bit, say, up San Bruno.

Chas took me on a great 28 mile loop around SF one of the last days I was in town. We started in the Mission, headed south up San Bruno, took a dead-end but scenic road and then headed west to Trouble coffee before splitting GGP on the way home. All in all, it was a great little ride and it goes to show that you really can get in a lot of climbing (2,000′) on an easy ride like this.

Check out the route on my Strava and maybe give it a try yourself. See more shots from the road (and dirt) in the Gallery!