The Radavist

At a glance, Los Angeles might not feel very bike-friendly, but scratch the surface like a lottery ticket to find an intertwined network of very open, majestic roads, many within the city itself. If you don’t have time for Dirt Mulholland, or the Angeles National Forest, Griffith Park and the famous Observatory will do just fine, especially if you start your ride out at the Trails for a coffee and pastry.

This particular morning, a solid group of people gathered to ride with LA-based artist and creator of the fabled Mudfoot racing team, Geoff McFetridge. No one was half-wheeling, no personal records were set, we all just chatted as we climbed Griffith Park and took a quick loop through “La La Land”. The ride ended at Geoff’s studio where we were given insight into his daily operations…

See more in the Gallery but first…

During the Tour of California, Rapha North America and PiNP got together once again for a series of stories from the road. Under the guise Cali is Not California™, I took photos and Jeremy Dunn of Rapha North America told the tales, all relating to the thing we love: riding bikes with friends.

See more on this afternoon at Rapha’s blog, including Geoff’s illustration for the La Centieme Poster Collection at the Cycle Club SF.

Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4
Fuji Pro400H

Previously:
Recent Roll: Cali is Not California™

Couldn’t make it out to the opening party of The Ends at Mission Workshop? No big deal, yesterday I shot some photos of the pieces and they’re all displayed in the Gallery. At this point, I’m exhausted from this whole process of going through 800 drum-scanned photos and narrowing a selection down to around 30 photos. The theme is apparent here, if you take the time to soak it all in and I’ll be posting more about The Ends over the next few weeks…

This show will travel to Eurobike and Paris later this summer, as well as Interbike. We’re still trying to figure out what pieces will be displayed where, but in the meantime, the photography book is available at Mission Workshop. Also, you can contact Mission Workshop if you’re interesting in purchasing one of these handmade, high-quality photographic prints on Fuji paper.

While I was in California last month, I worked on a few pieces for the Rapha blog, loosely-related to the Amgen Tour of California, with emphasis on loosely. You’re not going to see any pain face pros, just Regular Riders who we met along our trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco. There’s more on the way, but here’s the first edition of Cali is Not California™!

I’m not the best raconteur but Jeremy Dunn is and he did an exceptional job at profiling some of the people we surveyed, so do yourself a favor and check it out at the Rapha Blog!

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

Austin, Texas is a superb place to live in the summer months. If you can stand the heat, which many can not. Let me tell you, no matter how hot it is where you live, it’s hotter in Texas, because, well, everything is bigger in Texas. Part of living here is having access to swimming holes and this place in particular has been on my list for some time. It’s close enough to our house and seemed like a perfect day trip for Lauren to take on.

As with anything new and unfamiliar, bicycle camping, touring and even day trips can be a daunting task for people. Lauren’s never really done anything like a bicycle camping trip, so we took it one step at a time. The right mix of mileage, hills and hauling had to come into play.

We left before it was too hot and were home before it was hotter. We made a picnic, got sunburnt and swam. She got to officially christen her Icarus and I got some great photos of it all. Anyone with a spouse or a partner who rides knows the feeling of seeing them happy on a bicycle…

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

“Local access only” is not to be confused with “locals only”. If there’s one thing to be said about Australians its that they love to show visitors how great their land is. Land is something that’s very ethereal these days. Tourism changes the way one interacts or engages with a place. For example, a surfer would have a very similar experience as a cyclist in Australia but a businessman or businesswoman might have a different perspective altogether.

As cyclists, we look for the most anti-social areas to socialize. No one wants to chat on a busy street. #NotBeachRd. We look at cities differently and while many people prefer the beaten path, some head out down roads with no KOM, no segments and no social scene. I’ve been very blessed to be given such a unique view of Victoria and over the years have met some great guides.

This roll of film was lost. Ok, not lost, just in the bottom of my film container in the fridge. It contains some moments from rides, a Black Breath show in Melbourne and some other randomness. Check out the narrated photos for the full story.

Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4
Fuji Pro400h

I’m still filing through all of my film photos from the 2013 ATOC but wanted to share with you a few showcasing Garrett Chow and his own FEA-inspired Specialized Venge. Without going too much into what an FEA model is, or Finite Element Analysis, I’ll give you a basic rundown. In a 3D software like Solidworks, an FEA charts the areas of high-stress or load. FEA readouts are essential when prototyping a new frame or component. They allow the designer and the engineer to address areas of high stress.

On a bicycle, these areas tend to be in the bottom bracket, seat mast or seat tube extension and the end of the forks. Garrett used the FEA diagram to become a literal paint sceme on his bike. Some areas have clear lines of demarcation, while others are almost faded into each other. It’s a truly incredible paintjob and the whole time we were walking around the San Jose stage of the ATOC, people were literally picking their jaws up off the ground.

I shot a few portrait-style photos with Garrett on his bike and maybe one day I’ll end up shooting it in more depth, but for now, check out a few more below.

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

Andrew Low has been working on a prototype track frame unlike any of his other bikes. These frames are simply put: team-edition racing machines. Some details are consistant with his other bikes, while others are not. Marc’s LOW is one of four in existence, being raced by Team Chica Sexy in SF. The geometry is true track, with steep angles, a short wheelbase and an aggressive saddle to bar drop. You can barely see the compact geometry in these photos but the top tube does indeed slope back.

Marc brought this bike out one of the last days I was in SF so I could shoot photos of it and from what I can tell over on the LOW Instagram, these are getting closer to production…

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

Well, not that kinda jamming.

I’ve been very fortunate every time I’ve been to LA, only because I have the best friends there. Friends who are the best ride guides and of course, own the best bike shop in LA (I mean the best bar in Silverlake). Tracko took me on one of the best cross rides I’ve been on in Los Angeles the last time I was in town. Parts of it were very LA, while other sections felt like Austin and some even reminded me (mostly smelled like) Australia. We got to fuck around a bit on tech sections, avoid dog walkers, took a few spills and hammered it home just in time for lunch. Los Angeles really does have some of the best bike riding in the country…

We totalled 48 miles and around 3,600′ of elevation but who gives a shit about the numbers with trails like this. See for yourself below!

Tools of the trade:
Yashica t4
Fuji Pro 400H