The Radavist

The first time I visited this space, everyone was still setting it up and its future was still up in the air. Would it be a pop-up shop that comes in with nice weather and leaves in the winter or something more? Well, time has told its tale and the SF Rapha Cycle Club is their first permanent shop in the States. Nestled in SF’s swanky Marina neighborhood is a well curated collection of cycling apparel from the brand and insignia from the cycling’s yesteryear.

Check out more photos from my Shop Visit to the Rapha SF Cycle Club below!

While I’m still recovering from my tour, I figured I’d give you guys some eye candy to check out on this Thursday morning. Yesterday I swung through Low Bicycles to see how Andrew was doing. Like my last visit, his queue was packed with sick track bikes but this time, he had some special projects in the works!

Check out more below!

As I made the rounds to a few shops in Portland yesterday, we swung through 21st Avenue Bicycles. Filled with commuting and city riding parts and accessories, their parts selection is only out-shined by the wonderful staff.

Check out more below!

This week brought some very interesting discourse in the comments section of a few blog posts. First, the Bruce Gordon SOS went up and then I posted a teaser to Majaco Bicycles, without stating who the builder was, allegations and assumptions flew like sparks. Frame building, especially in the USA, is a difficult profession. All the builders I know struggle from day to day but they continue to make Beautiful Bicycles with their hands. Mark from Majaco Bicycles is new to frame building. He’s been producing custom bicycles for a little over a year now. I spent a few hours at Mark’s house in South Austin talking bikes and discussing what makes Majaco Bicycles different from many other builders in the US.

Check out more below!

Somerville, Massachusetts has a rich history with titanium bicycles. Merlin, Seven, Indy Fab all dabbled in the material and now Firefly Bicycles continues this fine tradition just 15 miles from where it began in the Boston area. Jamie and Tyler both left Indy Fab with ambitions of creating something of their own and in just 6 months, they did just that. With a packed queue and plenty of work to take care of, I was honored that they’d make time to show me around.

Check out more from my Shop Visit to Firefly Bicycles below!

Getting back “surprise” Recent Rolls is the best. I totally forgot that I shot fisheye photos at Shifter Bikes while I was in Melbourne. While the use of a 15mm lens might be gimmicky, it sure shows you the full space.

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Today I visited the crew at Firefly Bicycles here in Boston. Do I really need to give them any more of an introduction? In just 6 months, they’ve dialed in some fantastic bicycles. Here are a few teasers to hold you over until I post-process my photos.

If there’s one Brooklyn-bred business that I’ve covered here extensively, it’s Brooklyn Machine Works. I swung by to see Joe and Ken one of the first days I was in town to use my new 15mm Fisheye FD lens and I was pleased with the outcome.

Check out more of my Recent Roll with BMW below!

One of the things I’m striving to do is to cover multiple types of bike shops in the cities that I travel to. While I may cater to the more “boutique” style shops here on the blog, many other shops have some legitimate eye candy as well. When Andy hooked me up with DC, the owner of The Fitzroy Revolution in Melbourne, he leant me the Specialized Elite Crux cross bike. In return, I decided that I wanted to do a Shop Visit because behind the facade, this Specialized shop has some incredible vintage eye candy!

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God is in the detail.

Mick Peel’s work has been showcased here on the blog many times and it wasn’t until I met Mick and saw his operations at Busyman Bicycles that I realized how much work goes into each of his commissioned works. If you’re wondering why I’m referring to Mick’s work as an art piece, it’s because it is. His hand-embroidered and perforated bar tape is only matched in beauty by his hand-embossed leather saddles. Mick’s work is stunning and watching him work in his home studio was a wonderful way to spend a sunny Melbourne morning.

Check out more photos from my Shop Visit to Busyman Bicycles below!

Ben has exquisite taste when it comes to coffee and bikes. We’ve already seen his neon Mazza track but we’ve yet to see where he works. BT runs the barista training facility at Genovese roasters here in Melbourne. There he hold seminars, teaching the city’s newest baristas how to pull a mean shot. When I showed up to shoot his bikes, he gave me a tour of their facility and let me shoot his unique, triple triangle, Columbus MAX Peter Bundy Track.

Check out photos of both below!

It’s safe to say that I’ve been a fan of Dan’s work, well, since forever. Shifter Bikes has been the vintage backbone of the Melbourne cycling scene for years. Dan began his cycling experience racing mountain bikes professionally and soon, his love for vintage steel spilled over from a small studio to a massive, sprawling warehouse in South Yarra. Located a block off the country’s most expensive retail strip, Shifter Bikes is a cycling enthusiast’s dream. But don’t expect to find the shelves stocked with the latest and greatest bar tape. Dan’s got standards!

Check out more from my MEL Shop Visit to Shifter Bikes below!

So we’ve already heard the mantra that some Aussies live by here in Melbourne: “life’s too short to ride shit bikes”. The same can be said about coffee. With the cafe scene booming in the CBD and surrounding areas, it’s comforting to know that when you sit down at Liaison Cafe, over 20 years of experience in coffee goes into your cup. Danny and his lovely lady Siany greet each customer like they’re family. At this quaint coffee shop in a tiny alley off Lt. Collins, a few surprises await you.

Check out more from my (Coffee) Shop Visit to Laison Cafe below!

Nestled in the Fitzroy neighborhood of Melbourne is the city’s only track bike-specific boutique shop, Saint Cloud. Over the past year, Nick has done his best to bring in a bit of the fixed gear culture that has been thriving in the States to the streets of Melbourne. Inside this shop you’ll find everything you need to build a track bike or fixed freestyle bike and even some of the finer accessories and clothing on the market.

Check out more of my MEL Shop Visit to Saint Cloud below!

Melbourne ain’t exactly the sunny, surfer bro city you’d expect it to be. Where there are foreboding skies, there will be metal. This week for Tuesday Teardown, I thought I’d give you a look at the premiere metal music and book shop in Melbourne, Ritual Music and Books.

So yesterday, a local reader named Dylan hit me up asking how I’d feel about featuring Ritual for Tuesday Teardown. Sure enough, I was stoked to see a grassroots record store and was eager to check out what people were digging here.

Check out more from my special edition of Tuesday Teardown below!

Nestled in the back of the Fringe is Michael Dacey’s print shop, Repeat Press. Using old letter press machines and traditional print methods, Repeat Press continues what many would consider to be a lost art. Littered throughout the shop are drawers of typefaces, vintage machinery and loads of ink. I spent some time documenting the space as Michael was out to lunch.

Check out more below!

While I’m up in Boston, I visited Ian at Icarus to further discuss my Icarus track bike and shoot some photos of him working. For those of you who aren’t aware who Daedalus is, he was the father of Icarus, the child who flew too close to the sun with his wings of wax and feathers.

Check out more photos from my visit with Ian of Icarus below!