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I’m way into this project. Zane’s been busting his ass filming and editing clips that he’s shot all over the world. Can’t wait to see the final cut!
Filmed & Edited By
Zane Meyer
Events:
Huntington Beach LDG May 26th
Midwest Mayhem MWM3 June 9th
San Jose IMINUSD June 26th
Website coming soon chopemdownfilms.com
Sometimes, you just need to go off and take those roads you ride past everyday, or jump over the fence that says “No Trespassing”. These shots were all compiled during a few days I spent out wandering the hills and forests on my road bike.
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Kenny always has the nicest work bikes. His Raleigh, Guerciotti and now this Cannondale track bike have been featured on the site but this one takes the cake. Chris Lee bought this frame a few months back and realized it was too big for him, seeing an opportunity, Kenny snatched it up. Since the original fork was nowhere to be found, he picked up a similar track fork and threw a Cetma on it. Now the fork and the rack have a nice patina to them and Kenny is already riding it into the ground. As evidence by the bird shit all over it, he’s more into the ride, than keeping a museum-quality icon of the 90’s track racing scene.
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I think every cyclist goes through ups and downs when it comes to what they want in a bike. When I began talking to Ian at Icarus last year about my ViKING track bike, I wanted something more relaxed to ride on. We kept the geometry of the frame true track and went with a fork with a little more rake than normal, to make the ride more road-like. That way, I could just drop a 32mm track fork on the bike and have that “aggressive” ride associated with a track bike.
Well, after having the urge to ride a fast, nimble track bike on the streets, I contacted Ian about making a 32mm rake fork. Initially, we couldn’t find a Columbus MAX fork crown in 1 1/8″ so we went with a unicrown. At NAHBS, Chris Bishop told me he had a stainless 1 1/8″ MAX fork crown, so I bought it from him and sent the materials to Ian at his newly-located facilities in Ashville, NC.
A few weeks later and this baby arrived. I held off on painting it for now because I can’t afford to drop the cash at the moment and I want to work out the paint scheme. But with the Chris King polished stainless headset, I plan on polishing the crown to really set the bike off. Because Ian knew I’d be riding it raw, he torched it a bit, giving it a hippie tie-dye finish and then coated it with furniture polish to keep it from rusting.
The feather on the blade lets you know this bike means business. Beware of impostors, there is only one feather to rule them all.
Check out the Gallery by clicking the photo above, or click here to open a new tab.
Photo by AJ Austin
Sometimes, I head out with ambitions of pulling together A Day in 10 Photos post and well, it just doesn’t happen. At any rate, here’s a few photos from AJ and my FGFS session yesterday. See more below.
Empire‘s Bad Idea opening credits may just be the best intro ever. Check it out as the team thrashes the storefront and stockrooms.
Here are two random 35mms from the road here in Austin. The one of the tree was a gem. So eerie. And I wish I had taken that sign later that day…
When I got my last Recent Roll back from this show, I could have sworn that I shot more. Alas, I found some scraps in another roll, filled with all the expected goodness.
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Grade school. It’s a place where you go for life’s lessons. No matter how strong of a rider you think you are, a few hours in grade school each day will whip your ass in shape. Granted we don’t have mountains here, but we’ve got good climbing and this Recent Roll is dedicated to the people who have put in work the past few weeks on the hills. It’s from a few different films, hence the change in grain and color.
Check out more by clicking the photo above or here to open in a new tab.
I remember first “encountering” Tristan on the internet a few years ago. There was a photo of AJ doing a barspin on Flickr and Tristan critiqued the photographer, saying something along the lines of “shadows”. The photographer had placed the flash in a less than ideal location and Tristan was merely pointing it out. I thought it was an asshole move at the time, but I wasn’t aware of Tristan and the photographer’s past.
To call Tristan Afre passionate is an understatement. His moniker Gutstains, is already making waves on the 4th Reich known as The Come Up (I can joke, right?). Loving what you do and obsessing over it until you achieve perfection isn’t easy and Tristan’s definitely on that route. For more of a background on this #bmxiefamous photographer, head over to BMX Union for the read.
Getting to know Tristan and other BMX photographers like Cody Nutter is already helping me learn to shoot better and reading what these guys do will help you appreciate photography even more. Thanks for the color-correction last night Cody!
Follow @Gutstains and @CodyNutter while we’re on the topic…
This was all over Twitter today and with good reason. Dugan’s one of my favorite riders and if you need ANY reason whatsoever why, just watch this. I love the bouncy castle in his backyard ramp but the big nollies are crucial. Epic.
See more at Etnies.
In some communities, a barn raising brings neighbors together and on the east side of Austin, it’s a mini ramp. Mike’s been going on and on about how he wants to build a mini in his backyard. Last week, he finally started it. Now, $600 into it and the mini is almost ridable. After my road ride yesterday, I went over to help him and Luke out. So far, so good!
Check out more by clicking the photo above or here to open in a new tab.
I’ve been meaning to do a bit of exploring off the beaten paths of my typical hill loops. A few wrong turns and sneaking into gated communities proved to be a great way to spin off the day. I found a nice, 1-mile long path along mesquite trees and a few streams. What I intended to only be a 10 mile jaunt became a 38 mile, 3,200′ afternoon. What can I say? The weather is amazing in Austin right now…
Check the route on my Strava and share your Sunday rides in the comments!
Yesterday, I woke up rather early and went on a little ride with Ross. It wasn’t particularly long, nor were there many climbs, we just wanted to get a spin in before the weekend hit us. Austin’s great for many reasons, two of which are photos like this, taken from my Instagram. What I didn’t get photos of were the two pitt bull / mastiff mix dogs that chased Ross for a mile. The water bottle trick didn’t even phase those beasts.
Vans has historically been tied to BMX and skateboarding, so it only makes sense that they would support one of the biggest companies in the industy. There’s no comp when it comes to Empire BMX. This is Texas after all. To commemorate general badassery, the guys designed the Empire BMX Ruark shoes to smoke bowls, dirt, street and parks alike.
Featuring a canvas upper, Vans BLC cupsole, Vanslite midsole for fewer bruised heels, the WaffleGrip outsole, and a vegan-friendly construction, the Ruarks are a large improvement from the standard, off-the-shelf Vans. I went up to see these in person yesterday and photographed them at the newly constructed Empire BMX bowl.
Pick these up at Empire BMX for $59.95
Check out more photos by clicking the photo above or here to open in a new tab.
If there is anything that’s more inspirational than this to watch this week, send it to me. Right now, this is as good as it gets. I’ve posted photos of Clint’s van before as well as his motorcycle and even a few shots of him riding. He’s one of my favorite BMX riders and has a vibe that I can get behind. Don’t miss this one! Congrats to TREE for putting such a solid team together.
Ride BMX had the exclusive on this and there’s a great reflection on the video over there, so check that out.
Look, cycling in Austin is by no means as “epic” as Oregon, Colorado or California, but we’ve got some damn fine riding here. In Travis county, the elevation maxes out at 1,300′ and drops down to around 400′, leaving most of the gain on your rides to short, steep climbs. The Dam Loop is a popular ride for weekenders and training elite alike but it’s no where near as fun as some of the hill loops, unless you incorporate a few into the mix, which is what we tend to do. It’ll come in around 50 miles and over 3,000′ if you play it right but it doesn’t have to end there. And it’s hard not to, especially if it’s cool out and the heat hasn’t gotten to you. Not to mention the looming skies and limestone cliffs make for great scenery.
In the few days that I was in Austin after Australia, I hit the loop with Jon a few times and this Recent Roll showcases that.
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People always ask me why I don’t do A Day in 10 Photos posts that often anymore. My answer is simple: with the new blog format and gallery, it’s a lot easier for me to dump 40+ photos into a set and call it a day. ADi10P was an easy way for me to link to 10 important photos and then post more on Flickr but now, I have been putting them all in big photosets. Case in point are the “Randomness” posts I’ve been making recently. But today’s activities merited a return to “the” 10. And to be honest, this was only a few hours out of my day.
It’s summer already in Austin and with all the rain we’ve been having, the rivers, swimming holes and beaches are flooded. Both with water and people. Today, I took Murph from PDW and Billy down to the Greenbelt for some people watching and straight relaxing. Check out nine more photos below.
Check out more by clicking the photo above or here to open in a new tab.