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This bike is a real stunner and one that I was hoping to document before I left Los Angles for Santa Fe but never got around to it. It was one of those “I’ll document it the next time it’s in the shop” moments. Carson‘s Funk La Ruta+ is a real gem of a bike and the dude puts in work on it, maintaining trails for the Mount Wilson Bicycling Association. Let’s check it out with Carson’s own words describing this idiosyncratic steed…
We’ve been reading, watching, and listening, as the world’s largest push for civil rights has unfolded in front of us this week and in that time, fundraisers have smashed expectations, surpassing their goals. L39ION, a road racing team, based in Los Angeles, and founded by Justin Williams has raised over $50k to help bring diversity to cycling in LA and beyond. This fundraiser is still going, so let’s do our best to keep pushing it! Donate to their GoFundMe if you have the means and give the team a follow on Instagram!
I was an architect in my previous life. Before I began documenting cycling culture. One of my favorite architectural theorists is a fella named Rem Koolhaas. In his book, Delirious New York, he claims that “A city is a plane of tarmac with some red hot spots of urban intensity”. While the book is an examination of New York City, many have applied this observation to the sprawling city of Los Angeles.
Before we packed up and moved out of Los Angeles, Light and Motion came out to check out our “operations” and go on a sunset ride with me on my then-new-to-me Starling Murmur. I’m rarely in front of the camera but if you’ve ever wondered how this website came to be and what our office looked like in LA, then check out this video!
Thanks to Josh for doing such a kick-ass job with this video!
Photo by Damon Casarez
There has been a rumbling online. A debate. The conversation centers around whether or not bike shops should be “essential.” Some very outspoken individuals claim cycling is a rich white man’s sport and that the shops which remain open are catering only to that demographic. While we can’t deny that might be the case in some shops, Bicycling Magazine contributor Peter Flax presents a different side of this debate.
“It is the first Friday of April, 15 days after California Governor Gavin Newsom announced a statewide shelter-in-place order. In Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other large cities in California—as well as in many other states—bike shops have been classified as essential businesses, a move that has been celebrated by some and derided by others. Some critics have argued that bike shops primarily cater to privileged fitness-oriented hobbyists and that putting shop staff in harm’s way (and risking community spread of disease) to serve recreational riders is unwise. But that assumption renders invisible the thousands of neighborhood shops in cities across the country that serve customers who mostly rely on bicycles to facilitate their livelihoods, customers from some of the most economically vulnerable communities in the U.S.”
Continue reading at Bicycling.
Endo Customs, the makers of our very own jerseys, has released a “Quarantine Vibes” pack featuring a very real message, “Six Feet Please.” While their face mask three-pack has sold out, the neck gaiters, road and mountain jerseys are still for sale (jerseys ship in 3-4 weeks). Head on over to Endo to check them out.
With Hermanas, Machines for Freedom shines a light on two women who have found their strength through cycling and seek to inspire others to do the same.
Before you go out and buy a new bike due to discomfort, have you considered a proper bike fit? Portland’s Endurance Bike Fit Studio has taken its operations on the road thanks to Wahoo Fitness and VANDOIT. During Analisa’s pop up at Golden Saddle Cyclery last Sunday, I hopped on board to check it out. Read on below!
To coincide with a story that Kyle wrote for TokyoBike’s blog, the MiniVelo featured is being auctioned off today through February 16th with all the proceeds going to RadShare, an organization that aims to bring cycling accessibility and safety to kids. This is a great bike, being auctioned off for a great cause, so spend a few minutes soaking this one in!
Apologies for the double-dip of Los Angeles bike shop goodness but Path Less Pedaled also visited the Cub House in San Marino during their stay in LA and I had to share it!
Path Less Pedaled is in Los Angeles to soak up some Southern California sun and gravel riding. While in town, they swung by Golden Saddle Cyclery, who is hosting the Path Less Pedaled watercolor show. Check it out and be sure to swing by this Sunday from 3-6pm for the show.
Casey Neistat takes his new Cyberbike out for a spin in the streets of Los Angeles.
This is the second layout of the Radavist 2020 Calendar, entitled “Spring Sprint” shot with a Canon 1DX mkii and a 24-70 lens in Los Angeles, California.
“Even though it’s bone-chillingly cold outside, the warmer months are coming, so put your hands in the drops and hold on!”
For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right-click and save link as – The Radavist 2020 – February. Please, this photo is for personal use only!
(*set background to white and center for optimal coverage)
The mobile background this month is from Mount Lowe Railway. Click here to download February’s Mobile Wallpaper.
I would like to assume readers of this site are familiar with the name Koichi Yamaguchi. If not, let me offer a quick intro. Yamaguchi began his career as the master builder for 3 Rensho in Japan during the early 1980’s. Most of his frames went between the legs of professional Keirin riders. They had to be light, durable, and fast! Keirin frames have to withstand the trials and tribulations of track racing. If one were to break, the builder would lose their NJS license and that would mean the end of the company.
Los Angeles’ Golden Saddle Cyclery is a hive for unique bicycles. From classic Miyatas to vintage MTBs and even work from framebuilders, if you hang out enough, you’ll see all kinds of bikes roll through. Blake’s Gretlein Cycles is a perfect example of some of the stunning beauties that roll through the shop.
As it goes in the pleasant winter months in Los Angeles, we get a lot of cycling tourists, rolling through town like a tumblin’ tumbleweed. Last week, my friends Brad and Rhys were in town, soaking up the sun and riding all the dirt roads LA county has to offer. Rhys was riding on this Pioneer Valley ‘cross bike and I had to document this noble steed.
Gravel Bike California pulled together a video recap from the LA Tourist Race, showcasing the monster climbs during this event!
Paul de Valera does it all, he’s the mechanic, manager, buyer, PR, HR, ride leader, ride organizer, social media expert, designer, illustrator, coaster brake extraordinaire at Atomic Cycles. Paul doesn’t have a cell phone, still uses a yahoo email address, and hand draws every single one of his flyers. While this may be fine for a shop that puts on a handful of events a year, but Paul’s ride calendar is ridiculous. Atomic Cycles host a weekly BMX Cruiser ride, two Coaster Brake Race Series a year, vintage mountain bike rides, downhill racing on children’s bikes, a few long gravel rides, a winter and summer solstice ride across the Santa Monica Mountains, a SoCal Single Speed Mountain Bike Championship, a ride where everyone dresses like ninjas in the middle of the night and spends most the ride in fear of someone jumping out and attacking them, a BMX Sidehack Race, the S.C.U.M.B.A.G Mountain Bike Weekend, a Turkey Day Ride, and a SanFernando Valley to DTLA ride. Try to say that 10 times fast!
