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I don’t think I’ve shot a better photo of Dan from Shifter Bikes before. Out of all my Mamiya 7ii photos from Australia, this might just be my favorite. There’s a full set coming soon, once I finish scanning…
Regular scanning will commence today. I’m trying to wrap my head around jetlag and emails.
Tomorrow morning (in a few hours here), I leave Australia for Austin. A solid 24 hours of travel awaits but I’ve got a few things scheduled for Monday, so stay tuned!
Photo by Brenton Salo
One of the people I’ve gotten to know over the past year is Aaron Edge. We met via bikes, through my travels to LA, which eventually brought us out on rides and talks of music. Last year, Aaron moved to Portland and shortly after, he was diagnosed with MS.
Now, Aaron is coping with one of the most crushing diseases but has found strength through Further Faster Forever. Head over and check it out, particularly this article. Aaron, best of health my friend.
See more of Brenton’s photos of Aaron on his lovely Milani road bike in the Portland hills here.
Let’s rewind a week or so ago. I had just “escaped” from China and landed in Melbourne via a hellish flight, filled with turbulence, a pesky, smelly neighbor and suspect food. Andy picked me up and after noting an “off smell” (me), he asked what I felt like doing. What came out of my mouth never felt more right: “a ride”…
You know, like 30k or so. Just a pleasant spin around the ‘hood. With FYXO, there’s no such thing as short and sweet. We went here, then there and ended up on Bald Spur road, one of the many areas that was ravaged by the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009. Trees stripped of their leaves, half-charred houses, melted water towers littered the roadside.
It was around 60 miles and 6,000′ or so. I didn’t have my Garmin, so my legs, the elapsed time and post-ride appetite were the gauge. To think that this was all in Andy’s backyard…
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery.
Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4 (the last photo is my Leica M7 with Zeiss 28mm)
Neopan 400
Photo by Doug Dalrymple
Doug’s portrait photography is always refreshing when I come across it in my RSS. Here’s one of the forthcoming Cinelli track bikes, ridden by Alfred in NYC. That tapered head tube looks so mean! Keep an eye on The Job for more portraits and track bikes.
Photo by Kyle Kelley
I hope to go “disappear” in the woods myself in an hour. GREAT photo Kyle! Miss you dudes.
I feel like this goes without saying but Pearl Velo, Berkeley Supply Co and Avery County Cycles really left a great impression on me and just about everyone else who was visiting for this year’s NAHBS. These three shops have created a really admirable energy through their spaces and the shop owner’s faces.
Pearl Velo would fall into what I’d like to call a neo bike shop. While it is full-service, Tyler won’t hesitate to send work down the street to the larger shop. You walk in the doors and everything is merchandised with thought. Its surfaces are clean and orderly, so much so that you almost don’t want to touch anything, but you do anyway. Tyler sells everyday accessories from brands you trust, he carries complete bikes and frames from the manufacturers you probably ride and as previously stated, his own branded products are worthy souvenirs.
To top it off, Tyler’s father hand-painted each of the wooden signs outside the shop. They’re so beautiful that I had to shoot the first couple of photos in the Gallery with my Mamiya 7ii to capture the color and light just right. Check out more photos in the Gallery and shop info below!
I know I’ve given Denver, specifically Pearl Velo, a lot of love here on the site this week and it’s not going to end. Not yet anyway. One of the best ways small bike shops can generate income during the slow winter months is through selling merchandise. The problem is, very few shops put time and energy into this, so they miss out on the opportunity.
Every time I travel, I always end up with scrap photos. Maybe they fit into an article, maybe they don’t. Usually they’re airport shots, which I like because it shows the weather of the departing and arrival city, or maybe they’re random portraits. Just hanging around a shop for a week often brings about unique moments. This batch from NAHBS is a little bit of all that.
I’ll narrate these as well, because the people in Denver are RAD!
Mamiya 7ii
80mm
Portra 400 / Velvia 100
NAHBS. For some, it represents a culmination of a year’s efforts and creates unbearable stress and deadlines. For others, it’s a place to see all your friends, have a drink, or twenty and dork out over bikes. Then there’s the media, scrambling around with mini recorders, LCD lighting for their DSLR rigs, flashes, notepads and sweaty brows. Somewhere in between all of this, I fall into place.
Over the years of covering NAHBS, I’ve gone from taking it very seriously to finding a middle ground (thanks to Tracko for always talking some sense into my bull-headed mind). Halfway between the all-nighter, hot tub hopping, bourbon binge fest and the casual conversation in a pizza restaurant is where NAHBS fell for me this year. I didn’t stress about how to cover what, I just showed up and went with what I felt was right.
This Recent Roll is an amalgamation of my time in Denver. Mixed in are some convention center shots, some party pics from the #OutsideisFree event, a few from the Mile High Messenger Challenge alleycat and some around the town photos.
I already can’t wait until next year! Again, this photoset is a little long, so I narrated each photo.
Leica M7
Zeiss 28mm f2.8 T* ZM
Neopan 400
Yashica T4
Neopan 400
Last week, before the SxSW shit storm settled in on Austin, I had some friends in town from New York. Wilis and Josh from King Kog wanted to get out on some trails, see the sites and eat some BBQ, so I arranged just that. For what felt like every single day, Wilis and I were out hitting my normal trail loops I’ve worked out, while still finding time to stop for some rope swing action.
We ended the week with some Austin BBQ and as the guys packed their bikes up in my living room, I could tell they were a little bummed to be leaving… Can you blame ’em?
Since this Recent Roll is almost 36 exposures, I narrated the photos.
Yashica t4
Pro 400H
Photo by Damian Riehl
As long as Damian keeps photographing this work horse, I’ll keep posting it. Even if this Casati is in need of a quick seat stay repair.
Over the years, I’ve established what many would consider a “relationship” with Steve Crandall from FBM. Sure, some of it has to do with his latest videos, or products but most of it boils down to our mutual, vested, stokedness on bikes. FBM is one of those brands that never will, nor have ever had it easy. They’re not all driving sports cars, or hanging with SoCal bikini babes in hot tubs in their condos but they’re still living the life that many of us would consider meaningful and honest. And I don’t know that they would even want that lifestyle.
While I’m not as into BMX as the next guy, I can appreciate good company and that’s what I always get from Steve. Well, that and a bunch of crushed beer cans and leather jackets. I shot these two photos at House Park one day, before we rode to get cupcakes and I like to think that both of us are happy with how they turned out.
You look great ripping that bowl, brother!
Leica M7
Zeiss 28mm f2.8 T* ZM
Neopan 400
Red and yellow, kill a fellow, red and black, venom lack. Growing up in Southeastern North Carolina (what snake hunters call the tin fields) and spending a lot of time collecting pet snakes, you quickly became familiarized with this saying. While the exact wording differs from place to place, the message is clear. If a snake has red bands, touching yellow bands, steer clear.
I didn’t have much of an option to “steer” anywhere last week on the Greenbelt. Instead, I hopped off my bike like my excited 15 year old self would have done and contemplated picking up this gorgeous Texas Coral snake. Instead, I pulled out my Yashica and took this photo. Handling venomous snakes isn’t anything new to me but disturbing the wildlife on a trail is something I try to avoid, even if it’s a beautiful creature like this.
The Texas Coral is closely related to the Eastern Coral, the snake that I grew up catching in NC and these rear-fanged snakes pack a powerful neurotoxin, akin to cobra venom. Corals are nocturnal hunters who usually feed on other snakes like earth or worm snakes (it’s very rare to see one during the day). They’ll also feed on lizards, frogs and even baby Coral Snakes. There hasn’t been a reported death from a Coral Snake bike in the US for over 100 years, but there are dozens of bites reported.
Unfortunately, the rest of my riding buddies weren’t as enthralled with “that fucking snake” as I was, so I let it be.
I don’t know about you, but I would have much rather been swimming, soaking in the sun during NAHBS weekend, instead, we all found ourselves stomping through snow. Denver in the winter isn’t exactly warm (although the locals say it is) but that didn’t stop us from going on a quick little ride the morning after NAHBS wrapped up. Ty had his Stinner, I took my new IF 29’r, Josh from Avery took his award winning bike (in jeans and work boots), Tyler from Pearl Velo had his Karate Monkey SS and Kerry had his Gunner (probably the least equipped tool for the job and yet he still crushed it). It was a pack of grown-ass-men goofing off, getting pitted in snow drifts and that’s all I wanted to do the whole time I was in Denver…
Yashica T4
Neopan 400
Usually, when I shoot a portrait of a rider and their bike, it goes at the end of a post but I really liked how these photos of Rob came out so he’s getting two galleries. Rob is quite the character. He came into Pearl Velo the day after NAHBS while I was working, snot dripping from his nose, bag all crusty and his bike was filthy. I couldn’t help but pull of the Mamiya 7ii and fire off a few shots. Rob helps throw a lot of the alleycats in the Denver area and has put in some serious saddle time on his Nature Boy. A full bike check is coming but for now, let’s admire this red-bearded brethren. Ladies, don’t get too hot and bothered, he’s taken!
Mamiya 7ii / 80mm
Portra 400
Photo by Kyle Kelley
I hate rubbing in good weather for everyone who’s under snow and grey skies but spring’s right around the corner and that means spring cleaning. Loving these two photos of Kelli working on her road bike at GSC. See the other here. Nice nails girl!
Photo by Brenton Salo
Around the time that I was shopping for my M7, Brenton was looking at the Leica R6.2 SLR. Those cameras are bomb-proof work horses and Brenton’s recent exposures are doing it justice. He posted this up on his Tumblr last night and I had to share. It’s like some modern day rendition of some hardened stage racer smoking on a mountain pass.
Digging the TCB Rack as well!
