Taken from Loose Nuts Cycles IG @LooseNutsCycles
Errybody got the fever… and I like that!
“Loose Nuts patches are ready to rip! 5.00 bucks for one or 12.00 for all three! Check out loosenutscycles.bigcartel.com to snag them.” – LNC
Illustration by Kyle Steed
I’M IN LOVE!
“The thing I love most about working with my best friend is getting to create things just for the fun of it, and watching the progression over time. I feel like this little piece embodies so much of who we are and what we want to achieve. Next year will mark 3 years for Folly and I can’t wait to see how we push past our limits in all things awesome. – Kyle
Illustration by Kyle Steed
And then he drops this on me! I’ve had a couple folks ask me what this means. Essentially, people love excuses, so much so that they give up before they’ve started. They “argue” with them self and debate with others how they will never be good at said desired skill.
List of Preceived Limitations and Solutions:
PL: “I don’t have the money.” Sol: Time to sell your game system or whatever junk you have lying around or buy less beer or both.
PL: “I’m not good at BMX or Skateboarding.” Sol: How often do you ride? Never… ok.
PL: “I can’t be a photographer. All I have is a phone.” Sol: Go look at Kyle Steed and get inspired.
Although this is on the verge of “motivational speaker” status. My goal is to bring awareness of excuses vs. real limitations. If you want to dominate bad enough… you’ll do it.
With that said… ONTO 2014!! It’s just around the corner and we have a bunch of good things in the works. We’ve held back from producing simple products (t-shirts, sticker, etc.) to really nail something in ’14. Keep your eyes peeled for that. Cheers!
Photo taken from Velo Cult’s Intagram (@velocult)
A. Mazing!
“Velo Cult patches are in! Limited quantities! $5 each or $15 for a set of 4! We will ship anywhere in the US for $5. Email us to order (info@velocult.com)” – Velo Cult
Photo by Dave Beard
Dave Beard has been killing it with photos. This is a solid capture of Matt doing his thing. Go check out Wheels Talk‘s inside look at TURF Bikes.
Looks like you just found that last minute Christmas gift. You’re welcome.
Rapha Gentlemen’s Race: West Coast from RAPHA on Vimeo.
This looked good! Go check out all the words Jeremy Dunn wrote.
At the risk of over promoting myself… I wanted to talk about why being chosen for VSCO Cam® Best of 2013: Black & White is a big deal to me and how it relates to the Ride x Create vibe Kyle and I have been promoting for the last few years.
So… I’m not a photographer, but I do strive to develop better photo capturing skills. When I first nabbed an iPhone (about a year after Kyle) I went picture taking crazy and polluted the internet via Instagram for a long time (I still do to some extent), but after watching Kyle really fine tune his iPhonography skills (and FOLLY started developing)… I saw the light.
“Argue for your limitations and soon they will be yours”. There is a lot of truth to that statement and something the resonates with me daily. When you have perceived limitations one of two things happen… you either give up (maybe because you don’t want it bad enough or you’re just really lazy) or you get creative and make it happen with whatever tools you have available (thanks Macgyver). So… the tool that I had was an iPhone and away I went developing better perspective and understanding how light works.
I started searching for spots to shoot as I cruised around town. It had/has a very similar feel to searching for skate spots. Once I find a spot to shoot the creative juices start flowing on how to capture that spot. This happens most when I’m out shooting BMX (Chris Rost) or other like minded folks.
With all that said, at first I was using a lot of Instagram filters to “enhance” my snap shots and they were ok for the time being. Then VSCO happened. I saw Kyle Steed and Brenton Little #VSCOcam and check’ed it out. My initial thoughts were “These aren’t nearly ‘enhanced’ enough” HA!! I was very ignorant to the purpose of VSCO and didn’t even know it stood for Visual Supply Co. Neat right? As I saw my buds pushing some absolutely stunning shots I gave good ol’ VSCO a second look. I. Was. Hooked!! Once you dive deep into the VSCO vibe, you never look back. They have developed a mobile editing app that will allow you to better develop yourself as a photographer on the go.
I start pushing VSCO, diving deep into its functions and before I knew it I started producing better photos. It was so rad! I would get on the phone with Kyle and he would say… “that was a good shot”. Simple right? It let me know I was on the right track, and If I wanted to get better I needed that affirmation of good or told it sucked. Oddly, no one has told me I suck yet. Not saying you haven’t thought it. Sometimes I think it.
The next step is to transition out of editing the photo at all and let the shot speak for itself. Now that… that’s hard with an iPhone (Editor’s Note: That was a perceived limitation), but I’ve been working on a #nonvsco hashtag project that only utilizes the “tools” vs. filters. It’s a fun personal challenge.
To sum all this up. It’s a big deal to me because I started out at sucking and pushed until quality started presenting itself. It also doesn’t hurt to capture a rad pro skater. Push your “limits” every. damn. day! Get the tool (photo taking device, skateboard, bicycle, etc.) that works best for you and dominate. If you suck at first… that’s ok. We all do. Get/Stay motivated and get better.
Go check out all the amazing folks on VSCO Cam® Best of 2013: Black & White. I’m so amped mine is featuring Collin Provost.
Time to go ride. Cheers!
RIDE x CREATE
The Bones Project #1
TheBones Project #2
“The Bones Project exists at the intersection of manufacturing, art, and performance. It is a collaboration of designers, machinists, frame builders, and artists, most importantly the brilliantly talented local illustrator, designer, and muralist Eric Bones.” – Firefly Bicycles
The Bones Project Part 5 from Firefly Bicycles on Vimeo.
No words will accurately describe how I feel about this project. Go to Firefly and check out all the very rad details on this limited run of 22 pieces of art you can ride.
RIDE x CREATE
Chrome Films: Massan Barrage Cargo from Chrome Industries on Vimeo.
Chiller than chill. Enjoy that. Go to Chrome and check out the Barrage Cargo bag. Perfect time to pick one up for Christmas.
I can finally post VIMEO videos (thank you new site!) again and I’ve been itching to get these out there ever since round one. Enjoy these. Keep your eyes peeled over at Firefly and “follow along as we leak clues about a project we have been working on via this short series of videos.”
The Bones Project Part 1 from Firefly Bicycles on Vimeo.
The Bones Project Part 2 from Firefly Bicycles on Vimeo.