Archives: Bicycle

What’s more American than handcrafted steel shred sleds!?

I had the absolute please of meeting up with Justin Shipp, Founder of Silent Cycles, during yesterdays Chattanooga, TN invasion. REALLY loving everything about his two wheeled creations! Although I only got to dive into Silent’s vibe for a handful of minutes, I began to fall in love with some of the small details that set Silent Cycles apart from the rest.

I hope you enjoy as much as I do. DEFINITLY go check out more info on Silent Cycles site. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Always a pleasure to feature Matt Blease’s creative mind.

Also… I started to title this post “HOTHO”, but that wasn’t gonna work out…

RIDE x CREATE

Had a killer mid week ride yesterday with Team Infinity rider Timo Stark. His slow is my fast, but that’s besides the point. Being a lone wolf rider can be fun and all but gets old quick. I mean… cycling should be spent with pals, pushing each other, celebrating the road/mtn/gravel together. During the beginning of Fall last year I attempted to train with Timo to race this summer. Really it was just the tip of the iceberg and I was already feeling the pressure and missing training rides due to other priorities in life. Road racing is an entirely different animal all together. I was intrigued to see what it was like. Got a taste and decided I just don’t have the desire needed to push it to the next level. What does that mean? It means I love where I’m at with riding! Making pals along the way and staying strong enough to keep up with stronger riders when needed. To me, that’s my personal happy place.

Anyways… per the previous posts bellow, I’ve been shooting at f/11 primarily lately and found some limitations when shooting while riding with that small of an aperture. Well, really it just presents an image I wasn’t shooting for but turned out “Full Nuke” and interesting to look at.

I hope you can relate to my blabbering. It’s fun to explore and find out new things in places I’ve frequently been with photography and riding. Cheers!

RIDE x CREATE

Fresh Duffles from North St. Bags. Really love these! I always carry my Chrome Knurled Welded 37 pack and Topo Designs Field / Camera bag when I travel. They have served me very well but leaves me limited in some of the other bags I’d prefer to bring along when I explore new cities.

The trio of new duffles from North St. gives plenty of traveling options. I personally like the Scout 21 for its 30 L size and signature waterproof X-Pac^TM sailcloth interior. It’s large enough to pack everything I need for week worth of shenanigans but small enough to keep as a carry on when I fly; thus allowing me to carry smaller back packs to use when I skate or ride in the city I’m going to.

With that said… North St. Bags didn’t stop at a large duffle, they hooked up two other sizes to meet your traveling needs AND they both are double purposed to be used as handle bar bags if needed. Pretty effing cool!

“Portland, OR – North St bags based in Portland known for manufacturing quality and durable products announced today their new line of duffel bags. Three sizes available, The Scout 11 which doubles as a discrete cycling handlebar bag, Scout 14, a mid size bag perfect for the weekend warrior and the Scout 21 for the long excursions.

Adventure travelers continue to search for the happy medium between cycling-friendly and a travel-ready bag system—one bag to rule them all. North St. Bags new Scout series includes three American-made waterproof duffle bags that are optimized for travel but simple enough for your everyday carry. The Scout duffle system can handle the big family vacation or the daily two-wheeled commute. Made in the USA. In addition North St has just released a limited edition Scout 14 with Handsome Cycles that can be purchased here.

Available three sizes:

• Scout 11: 11” Length, 6.5” Diameter, 6 L

• MSRP: $59 – ($20 – Optional Handlebar Mount)

• Scout 14: 14” Length, 8” Diameter, 15 L

• MSRP: $79

• Scout 21: 21” Length, 10.5” Diameter, 30 L

• MSRP: $99

Features:

• 1000 denier Cordura® Outer Shell.
• X-Pac™ Waterproof Liner.
• Interior zipper pocket and lanyard.
• Shoulder strap included.
• Custom colors also available.
• Guaranteed for Life.

I have neglected my double digit F-Stops for far too long. I’ve been shooting at f/11 the last few days and loving it. The clarity of fujinon glass never disappoints.

I hope you all had a great weekend filled with good times. I battled intense headwinds all weekend which brought me to a realization. Once you accept the pain and struggle of moving like a snail but giving effort that would push you up into the high 20mph range… you can slow you mind, accept the struggle, and start to have fun; focusing on technique to get through it. At least that’s my experience.

OFFICIAL Park Ragers from OFFICIAL on Vimeo.

Sincerely love this. Perfect stoke builder for this season of riding and camping.

“This past spring Official was honored to participate in one of John Cardiel’s long time aspirations of riding bikes from our homes in Sacramento, CA to Yosemite National Forest (around 180 miles in 3 days). The bike tour was inspired by John’s childhood trips to Yosemite with his father and his ever inspirational need to challenge and push himself. Official Park Ragers is a fun play on the original Yosemite Rangers, birthed completely by John and as a way to commemorate the epic three days of riding and camping with our bros and also to poke a little fun at the time honored rangers. This collection celebrates everything that is classic, perseverant and awesome about John Cardiel and we couldn’t be prouder to have gone on a small piece of the journey with him.”

DyoungV and DZR from DZR on Vimeo.

Pretty sweet flat pedal sneakers from DZR. The Shift’s look right up my alley for my summer time kicks.

NEW SHIFT FLAT PEDAL LINE

“The Shift line of footwear is a natural extension from DZR’s existing offerings of the original clipless urban bike sneakers. The design is rooted in urban street style, yet still maintains all performance elements that are non-negotiable for the urban dweller. The Shift has been co-designed among three world-renowned artists, Burrito Breath, Wakako and D Young. Each artist has designed the interior of the shoes in order to compliment the exterior design of the new Shift silhouette.

Design features include a stiffened midsole for power transfer while pedaling, a counter-griped gum rubber outsole that is durable and provides optimum grip on a variety of surfaces, as well as a strategically placed directional tread. The toe portion of the sole is able to grip the ground and the mid foot is lowered for the best pedal grip, while the heal-tread sheds dirt and optimizes traction. The well thought aspects of the outsole have been designed for the balance of stiffness and all day comfort while being wrapped in a sleek urban profile.

Additional features include custom chain link eyelet and hand stitch detail on heal cup, 12oz canvas, reflective heal badge, ventilation ports and a low profile design that fits seamlessly into toe straps.”

Well… like, 98% American. Sometimes you work with what you’ve got; thus encompassing Squid Bikes intention, I believe.

I kinda love how punk rock this is. I first got a glimpse of Squid Bikes about 2 months ago. Then to find out they paired with Gevenalle and a couple other rad homegrown folks to display their “BANANAS” CX build at NAHBS, I was pumped. To level up further, I find out that Matt (owner of Blevins Bicycle Co.) just completed his “All American” garage paint job Squid build; I txt Matt “Photos ASAP” and here we are today.

I was excited to get my hands on this build. To be honest… I’m more impressed than I thought I would be. Light, strong, solid; it just felt good. Even outside the lore of creating your own paint job for a truly aesthetically custom build, Squid Bikes can rip, I’m assuming from my first impression. Only time will tell after this summer and hearing about Matt’s experience. I’m predicting the results will be outstanding.

Follow along on @BlevinsBicycleCo and/or @SquidBikes Instagram to catch Matt’s riding review in the coming days.

RIDE x CREATE

DOSNOVENTA RUNS WEST COAST from Dosnoventa on Vimeo.

Always building the stoke. Always in love with videos from DSNV. Time to ride!

RIDE  x CREATE

So SOLID!

I’ve absolutely been in love with Gevenalle products since the first time I put my hands on the hoods. Impeccable guaranteed shifting with every click. Really love seeing them expand to meet the demands of the people. Cheers to that!

GX (Gravel) Shifters: “Gevenalle expands it gravel offerings with a new 1x version of the GX shifter named the GX1. Gevenalle GX shifting systems are 10 and 11 Speed compatible. The GX1 is designed specifically for those running a single chainring, and is compatible only with short pull brakes. Both the GX1 and GX2 work with Shimano Dyna-Sys MTB s, offering drop bar shifting and braking with MTB gearing. With the release of 11 Speed Dyna-Sys and increased customer demand, the GX1 now gives the option to shave weight while maintaining a large selection of gearing for the ride. Both versions of the GX shifter work exceptionally well for gravel/dirt riding with drop bars, saves weight, and is the only option available on the market. All Gevenalle shifters come with a no questions asked crash/rebuild policy, getting you back on the road for only $34.00.”

UX Shifters (Shimano Alfine 8 Speed): “UX – Urban. Compatible with Shimano’s excellent ‘Alfine SG-S501 8sp internal hub’. Already loved by commuters for its low maintenance sealed design and instant shifting ability, the UX shifter completes the picture for those wanting to use this hub with drop bars. Based around Gevenalle’s proven CX  platform, UX1 shifters are short pull only, UX2 offer both long or short cable pull and come with standard $34.00 no questions asked crash/rebuild service. Shimano only makes shifters for flat bars for this hub, drop bar integration gives riders more options to commute with style, comfort, and speed.

Ever since the inception of the CX shifting system, Gevenalle has received requests from cyclists to adapt the cyclocross shifting system to other disciplines. Gevenalle is known for simplicity, speed and ease of shifting, and in many cases the only way to get integrated MTB shifting on a drop bar.”