If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right. Filmed on 05.20.2017 this is a video that almost slipped through the cracks. We just never got around to chopping it together. Until last night that is. There will be an even longer SF track bike video with more riders coming out in the next month. So keep your eyes peeled for that and until then enjoy this. Shout out to MASHSF for always giving us a place to hang and for constantly throwing gas on the fire.
420 is a special time of year in San Francisco. It’s celebrated as a national Holiday in The City. We celebrated in our own way by meeting up at the Island (as usual) and riding around until the 420 Alley Cat that they held the day before Mission Crit. Check out that video HERE. Chris “Thrasher” is outta control with those triangle stands downhill. Enough to make your palms sweat just watching the man. Andy sparks stays in the mix and Keo Kid is way too good with those back pedals. It was great having a bunch of people from outta town here for the big crit in The City. Mission Crit is going to be on 420 this year (2019) so mark your calendar and we’ll see you there.
The last time Andy Sparks was in town we shot some photos of his bike in the Chrome Industries Studio here in Portland. Andy’s bike is rad because not only did he play a part in designing it, but it’s a cross breed between a track bike and a FGFS build. He’s running 45c tires, a slammed saddle and a bb high enough to keep his pedals from ever scraping in a turn. Check out a complete parts rundown as well as a couple other photos below.
FRAME: Nemesis Project Cycles “Galaxy Fighter” designed by Andy Sparks
HANDLEBAR: YoWelli V2 with chrome coating
FORK: Leader Reaper V2
STEM: Vintage Sputnik
HEADSET: Animal 45×45
SADDLE: Torn up Resist Saddle
CRANKS: Profiles 165mm
BB: Primo
PEDALS: Odyssey Twisted
STRAPS: YNOT
CHAINRING: Treelite 39t
COG: Dura-Ace 17t
GEAR RATIO: 39×17
CHAIN: Cheap KMC going 7 years strong
FRONT TIRE: Resist Nomad 45c
REAR TIRE: Resist Nomad 45c
FRONT WHEEL: MTX33 laced to Rinng Hub
REAR WHEEL: MTX33 laced to Reaper Hub (RIP lol)
Last month I was in San Francisco riding bikes for a couple weeks. I brought with me the usual slough of camera gear as well as the GoPro / Gimbal setup. It’s really fun to ride around and film without worrying about what you’re framing up. It’s basically a point and shoot video camera. Similarly to the trial and errors of shooting film, I was bummed when I realized I didn’t format the card correctly and subsequently corrupted the rest of the footage we shot that day. Oh well, at least this one clip made it out unscaved so we could chop together this little jammer. Enjoy.
Last Saturday Ramon Antonio hosted the “Still Pourland” premiere here in San Francisco, and all the usual suspects came out of the woodwork for the event. Valentin Racho showed up as well as Jeff Dempler, Alex Blanco and many others. We met up at Soma West Skatepark and rode there for a few hours. Stacking clips, cracking cans, and hanging out until the video premiere at Chrome Industries in the Mission. I brought a pizza to the jam so you know it was a party. I’m sure Mon will make a video from this at some point, but here are some photos from the day until then. The scene needs more meetups like this.
With everyone in town for Mission Crit and it being the day after 420, we decided to get the gang together and have a chill session in The Sunset. We warmed up at the skatepark on 42nd Ave (Watch that video HERE) then packed up the van and headed to SF State for the rest of the afternoon. Jimmy ripped his shirt off his body, Deacon live streamed everything on snapchat and we hung out with a scooter kid for once. This plus much more in this one day video, stop reading and just hit play.
Do you think you’re better off alone? If so, come ‘talk to me’. Alice Deejay’s hit single Better Off Alone was the anthem to our weekend. But isn’t it always. Riding is always better with a squad. I guess it’s the strength in numbers mentality that comes along with it. On Saturday we gathered together some of the best FGFS riders the West Coast has to offer, and met up to ride around our new found home in Portland.
We packed our bags, loaded bikes into the Re-Rack Van and headed to University of Portland to kick start our day. After dodging campus security for a few hours, we got what we needed, pushed our luck a little too far, and decided to head downtown for a change of scenery. Jimmy Watcha sealed the deal, and drove the final nail into the coffin with one of the heaviest lines I’ve ever seen. The sun was setting and the day was pretty much over after that. Always finish on a strong note
Click “MORE” to check out other shots from when the Bay Area homies were in town. (more…)
Friday the 13th may be a day of superstition for some, but to us it’s something to look forward to. Whether it’s cheap tattoos of black cats, or in our case afternoon sessions spent dodging rain drops and wishing for breaks in the rain. Either way it always feels like a good day to roll the dice and take some chances.
This weekend was a special occasion. The homies Andy Sparks, Gus Molina, and Jimmy Watcha drove up from the Bay Area to ride for the week. Friday was the first chance we had where the rain wasn’t completely shutting down the day. Jimmy caught some big airs on the River City Cycles banks while it was coming down. I’m surprised he never slipped out because of how wet it was. Gus Molina summoned some spirits underground as we attempted to seek shelter and ride uninterrupted. When the day was up, we all cracked cans by the river and looked forward to what tomorrow would bring.
Click “MORE” to see other photos from our Friday the 13th session (more…)
Fixie Master 700. With Summer coming to a close Chrome Industries just released this video I filmed with Andy Sparks in San Francisco earlier this year. With only 60 seconds on the clock, Andy opened up his bag of tricks and pulled out some quick combos, most of which were landed on the first t (try). The best part about working at Chrome is wrangling your friends in for “photo shoots”.
Click “MORE” to see some other photos from this shoot. (more…)
It’s Super Bowl Sunday here in San Francisco and this the third year running we’ve assembled the team to ride bikes instead of watching the football. Spots over Sports.
Squad:
Matt Reyes
Mike Schmitt
Jaoa Danaikrit
Josh Silva
Jimmy Watcha
Gus Molina
Andy Sparks
Anthony Combs
Adam T. Wells
Songs:
Nacho Picasso – By Myself
Travis Scott – Quintana (Instrumental)
Arthur Lee – Everybody’s Got to Live