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As I’m doing my best to keep calm and wait for the FOLLY x BRYANT shred sled to get finished, Matt Blevins is out thrashing on a few fresh Surly Pugsley builds he just put together. I took the opportunity to do my best at a first film product shoot. I’m ok with the outcome but looking forward to improving my film game.

These fatbikes are available for demo. If you’re in this town and want to experience some big wheeled shredding then I highly encourage you to check out Blevins Bicycle Co. to do so. Jah blessed!

Last night I got the FOLLY x BRYANT FaTRoB #getradmachine completed with the help of Blevins Bicycle Co. As soon as it was finished I darted out the door headed for anything off the road. I smashed through a construction site, rode the grass, and had the biggest smile on my face the entire time! I’VE BEEN OFF TWO WHEELS FOR 2 MONTHS!!! It was an explosion of pent up energy transferring through my legs into this snappy cross, road, rando! It was glorious!!

I ride for a few hours, taking snaps as I go, just thinking of how the next morning was going to play out. Do I wake up at the butt crack of dawn and hit up the FOLLYCROSS race routes or do I wait till the sun sets and enjoy that… WHY NOT BOTH?! I get up at 5 a.m., make coffee, eat a small breakfast, and head out to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge where FOLLYCROSS 2014 will be held.

The humidity here in Alabama is through the roof and this morning was no exemption. It’s my first legit ride back. I take my Yashica FX-3 Super along for the journey to photo document smashing gravel on this beautiful black beauty. The fog was everywhere, peacful and quite, I take a few shots before I get out to Wheeler. As I’m peddling through the woods I see streaking light that would be a solid shot! What I didn’t focus on was that every shot doesn’t necessarily needed f/1:2. I was too excited to pay attention to what my aperture was set at and that’s ok. Things got a little tight. Lessons learned for next go around… PLUS my lens and view finder were fogged most of the time. This fall I’ll have a lot more experience and it won’t be magma hot/humid.

The photos below were taken this morning, processed locally, and now up for your viewing pleasure. It shows the pre, during, and post ride.

I hope you enjoyed!

Did you know that the FOLLY x BRYANT FaTRoB is available for pre-order? Check this out for more details.

I mean seriously… why not? There are a billion solid affordable film cameras to choose from. This was shot with a cheap Vivitar PS:30 that you could find for less than $10! It was a good place to start understanding the value of film vs. digi, how light will be captured differently, and to be confident in what you are shooting with no instant gratification.

Since using the Vivitar I’ve moved on to the Canon ELAN 7E, that I wasn’t hugely impressed with, and now a Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 (fully mechanical) that I LOVE (more on that after I get a few rolls processed)!!

Check out the digi version of the shot above (iPhone x VSCO) to see what I’m talking about. Is one shot/version better than the other? I don’t know… I love them both, but that’s why I took the shot to begin with. My goal is to encourage you fine folks to explore and use film photography to capture what you find.

**OH and… I don’t edit film photos… if the shot sucked then it encourages me to get better! I try to remember my intent with a roll, take a few notes as I’m shooting, and if the outcome isn’t what I was going for then I tweak a few settings in similar lighting situations and push on.

Consistent x Progressive

RIDE x CREATE!

LOL! This is super on point! Go to TCB Courier’s YouTube page to check out more rad videos like this!

I’m in the final days without a bicicleta and I getting pumped like a kid on Christmas morning!

I got up this morning a bit earlier than normal and hit the ground running. I grabbed my camera, opened the door, and a wave of cool breeze/birds chirping filled the air! It was everything I wish each morning was.

These photos are from this mornings run x shoot. I hope you’re having an equally rad morning! Cheers!

TiagoTravaSingle and double pole design.

As soon as I saw these drop in Boreas Gear’s lookbook I was in love! So clean, simple, functional. Boreas really nailed it with these two tents. They come in a clean/simple one pole (Trava) and two pole (Tiago) design. They both sleep two people, or one person and dog, or one person and two smaller people, or four small people… you get the idea.  

“Since 2010, we’ve been designing award winning outdoor gear: beautiful, practical, hardwearing gear for people as passionate as we are about getting outdoors.”

Yes they have. I hope you dig as much as I do. Go to Boreas Gear and check these out for yourself. Also keep a close eye on John Watson’s IG page. He’s been putting the Tiago to the test. Cheers!

This had to happen eventually. Glad it’s with the smart folks over at Cuppow!

Go to Cuppow and nab one of these suckers. Simple, effective, smart!

BAM! back in the saddle!

So much has happened the last 6 weeks! I have no clue where the time has gone but pumped on the outcome. My time has been sparse as of late and the blog has suffered posts because of it, but no need to fear… great things are in the works that nail it on all levels! 

About a week ago I took my first ride after getting hit by a car. When I don’t ride, my creativity takes a tole… fact. It was interesting to see how I would react in life without riding and all I kept thinking was “this is weird”. I started running more (“this is weird”) and diving deep into projects referenced above.

Some say it might have been perfect timing. The FOLLY x BRYANT FaTRoB came to completion and currently up for pre-order. This also means that the Surly CrossxCheck I’ve ridden all over the land that was smashed by person not paying attention will be replaced with an amazing American made, hand build #getradmachine (Editor’s Note: Seriously guys… I’m halfway done building my personal FOLLY x BRYANT FaTRoB up. This thing is killer)!!

With superb amount of energy and only my junkyard fixed gear build available… I took off!!  My plan was to ride down to a river I’ve rode to many times before, crack open a beer, and watch the sun set. I wanted to see how my should would react riding a small 18 miles. The route I took was the same, but I had my eyes geared to finding something I’ve never noticed before, ride/hike it… and that I did. I found this beautiful spot on a railed road overpass that has one HELL of a stunning view of the valley.

I hope you guys have had a killer summer so far. Really looking forward to the cross season and thrashing with my FaTRoB. Fun times will be had for sure.

RIDE x CREATE

Hunt 4 from Deux North on Vimeo.

I’m so ready to be back on a solid #getradmachine ! This gets me pumped!

So good!!

“Blackburn, designer and developer of innovative cycling products and accessories, announced today the induction of four new adventure cyclists into the 2014 Blackburn Ranger “Out There” program. Created in 2012 to embody the culture of adventure, the Blackburn Ranger program supports cyclists that the brand admires on their journeys along the Pacific Coast and the Great Divide.

To continue the legacy and spirit that Founder Jim Blackburn built in 1975, the Ranger program is created from a simple and effective people-and-product-first approach with everything it touches. This no-nonsense style provides in the field product development feedback that gets fast-tracked for future innovation and also places community first; which has always been a fundamental tenet of the brand.

According to Robin Sansom, Brand and Product Manager, “The Rangers are on the front line with our products on a daily basis for months. Their level of focused feedback is instrumental to our product innovation, validation and testing.  We are approaching our third year of the Ranger program and our team is all so proud of the cyclists for stepping up to share their adventures.

Ultimately, the program encourages everyone to ‘get out there.’

Blackburn sent out a smoke signal to cyclists asking for participation into the Ranger program from January– March 2014.  There was an overwhelming response as hundreds of applicants created videos and wrote essays explaining why they wanted to embark on the adventure and become a Blackburn Ranger.  The end result was the Blackburn team choosing four new Rangers that they felt symbolized the sprit of the brand and would carry the torch of the proceeding Rangers.” – Blackburn

Make sure to follow along over at Blackburn to watch these Rangers tackle the unknown. Looks like one hell of a great ride!