Monthly Archives: June 2014

For the ladies! Cadence… never not nailing it!

Go to Cadence and check out the Women’s Club Flow Kit

FWDSET: Forever Forward from Forward Set on Vimeo.

Fine example of working hard and enjoying life. Very inspiring.

Go to FWDSET and check out what they are all about.

Matt Blease for Tokyo Fixed. Go check out more of Matt’s radness!

I’ve been one busy/beat up person lately. Traveling for some personal stuff, getting hit by a car, stomach virus death junk, and working on multiple projects simultaneously in two weeks time. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about any of that.

“Wait… you’re not complaining about getting hit by a car?”

Ok… lets talk about it. I’m a rider. I ride a lot. There are plenty of folks that ride more and harder than me that have never been hit by a car or had cycling incident in their years of cycling radery. Big high five to those folks, but the facts are that no matter how cautious or experienced we are at riding there is a chance that somewhere down the road a driver is going to do something dumb and put you in the hospital. This isn’t a pessimistic perspective. I hope this never happens to anyone, but you know getting hit by a car is a possibility every time you hit the road, so don’t be supprised when a driver does something dumb to injure you and your beloved bicycle if/when that happens. I don’t take this lightly and am VERY thankful only my shoulder is messed up. Gotta stay positive and look at the up side of things. I’m ok. I will heal. I’ll be on two wheels again soon.

OK… onto the photos above. As mentioned I’ve been traveling and have been unable to ride bike or board. I was up in the Fargo, ND and rural areas of Minnesota. All I kept thinking was how bad I wanted it to be winter riding a fat bike around in the snow and drinking whiskey… instead it just so happened to be the Summer Solstice and I got to watch the sun set at about 10p.m. which was pretty rad from a farm out in the middle of nowhere. Not bad at all!

Stay tuned to our Instagram for some upcoming projects that Kyle and I are very proud to be a part of. I hope all you crazy riding goons are doing well!

Forged Rubber: 70 Years in the Making from Chrome Industries on Vimeo.

This is BAD. ASS!!

“INTRODUCING THE BEST CITY SNEAKER IN THE WORLD

Urban Mobility Gear Maker, Chrome Industries, Turns Modern Manufacturing Upside Down With New Individually Crafted Forged Rubber Sneakers

San Francisco, CA — Chrome Industries, the San Francisco-based company originally known for its messenger bag with its iconic seatbelt buckle and renowned for crafting “bombproof gear for living and riding the city,” today unveils ‘The Best City Sneaker In The World’ with its Forged Rubber line of footwear.

Chrome turns modern manufacturing upside down by resurrecting 70-year-old Forged Rubber machines originally used to make army boots in Europe.  Discovered in eastern Slovakia, an area of the world known for its demanding city landscapes, these Forged Rubber machines were refurbished and adapted to make Chrome shoes that embody the brand’s spirit of making thoughtful, highly durable products.  Each Forged Rubber sneaker is individually made by hand using heated pressure and the outsole is fused directly onto the upper to ensure no separation. The result is that no undesirable cement is used and Chrome shoe lasts under the most demanding conditions.  A reflective heel and an odor resistant technology are also integrated for daily city survival.

“Chrome isn’t re-inventing the wheel with our new Forged Rubber process,” states Ben McCosh, Chrome’s Product Director.. “We are challenging the industry by using the best processes available to make durable city sneakers that last beyond one season. It’s a back-to-basics concept that most manufacturers simply overlook today due to the time, effort, and resources required to make durable sneakers.  This is the Chrome way.”

Chrome’s Forged Rubber shoes are crafted from the bottom up.   Its foundation – the rubber sole – is harvested from local rubber tree farms in Thailand and molded just 3-5 days after leaving the tree.  From there, the materials are quickly assembled, and the canvas upper is pressure fused with the rubber at 300 degrees Fahrenheit to create shoes that look like sneakers, but are constructed with the durability of army boots.

With this introduction, Chrome continues to demonstrate its leadership in the rapidly growing urban mobility category that caters to city commuters and urban adventurers.

Chrome’s Forged Rubber Mobile Factory Tour brings making back to the people.

Chrome celebrates the craftsmanship behind their urban sneaker debut with its Forged Rubber Mobile Factory Tour, where one of the refurbished 70-year-old Slovakian Forged Rubber machines will travel to Chrome’s HUB stores in five cities, allowing more people to experience the hand-made manufacturing process in-person.”

Where to see the Forged Rubber Mobile Factory Tour

Chrome HUB’s

•San Francisco – 6/20 – 6/21- 962 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110

•New York City – 7/1 – 7/2 – 238 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012

•Chicago – 7/11 – 7/12 – 1529 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

•Seattle – 7/18 – 7/19 – 1117 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98121

•Portland – 7/25 – 7/26 – 425 SW 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97205

Go to Chrome Industries and peep these for yourself as well as their Look Book for more rad info! I can’t wait to get my hands on a pair!!

Last weekend had two days of sweet bicycle racing in North Alabama. The Southeast Regional Series pops in every year for a Crit and Road race that’s pretty rad to spectate. Unfortunately this weekend I had a stomach virus and was unable to attend the Crit, but was able to check out Zach as he smashed through the very steep climbing in Grant, AL. Specifically the 1.4 miles of death climbing to the finish line!

“Seriously, it’s tough. I climb a lot around here (Atlanta, GA) and that climb is just so long and brutal the whole way up. In a race scenario it’s even harder!” – Zach

Pumped to see Zach get focused on dominating the field. He finished second in the Crit and Fifth in the Road Race bringing him enough point to take the Cat 4 GC lead!!

Make sure to head over to Cogzilla Attacks and check out all his radness! I promise you won’t be disappointed!

So… this is rad!

The 2014 Tour Divide mountain bike race kicked off a few days ago. Ty Hathaway got pumped and posted up his top 5 photos from his 2013 experience for sale over at his web shop.

Go check’em out! There are only 5 of each so get’em while the gettin’s good.

Brian Kleiber over at Culture Cycles sent these bad ass shots of friends Kyle & Stephen skating on top of Stowe Mountain in Vermon. These are so rad!

Go to Culture Cycles to catch a little history on the project as well as The Good Life for more photos!! Jah blessed

Father’s Day is this Sunday! Not sure what to get good ol’ dad?! Look no further than some rad gear from Topo Designs!

You know he would love some American made goodness from Topo but don’t know what to get him… well you’re in luck! Topo has you covered with convenient gift cards!

Go check out all of Topo’s goodness! You’re welcome. You’re father will thank you! Promise!!

“The Flèche is the kind of ride that doesn’t make sense to most people the first time you try to explain it. It’s 24 hours long, self-supported, self-designed, and tough, mentally and physically.” – Carolyn Johnson

I love this! Great story of pushing limits and camaRADerie! Go check out the full write up over at Firefly’s Adventure Team site!