The Radavist

Racing and Riding the Fairdale Goodship
Words by Andre Chelliah, photos by John Watson

When Taj from Fairdale reached out to us and asked if we were interested in testing their steel road bike, the Goodship, I had a hard time containing my excitement. Fairdale, who has an office in Austin is a staple of the cycling community here. You can’t go to a downtown restaurant, East Side bar, local swimming hole, or ride through campus without spotting a Fairdale between the legs of an excited Austin dweller. The company radiates positive vibes and makes quality bicycles.

When Austin, Texas based Fairdale first came onto the cycling market, it all began with the Skate Rack. Soon, ex-pro BMXr Taj Mihelich and his team at OTX began designing commuter bikes and other around-town / get outta-town rides.

From there, Fairdale grew and in my opinion, it wasn’t until the Weekender OG that the company reached its full potential. A 1×9 disc, townie bar cruiser quickly took over. Now just about every city has fleets of Weekenders rolling around, all built up differently, as per the customer’s specific needs. Even the production models have options now: a drop bar with disc and a canti version.

For 2014, Fairdale is set to release their most ambitious project yet: the Goodship road bike. A race-inspired geometry, paired with Fairdale sensibilities. Utilizing the Odyssey integrated head tube, scaled for a road bike, an ENVE road fork and a custom pulled Japanese Drawnright tubeset. This tubeset is custom butted, heat treated, custom shaped and tuned to Fairdale’s specifications.

I knew going into Texas Toast this year that I wanted to catch the general vibes of the event and not worry so much about the clicked and dialed tricks themselves. Being here in Austin, there are dozens of photographers who specialize in BMX but one dude I’ve become good friends with, Cody Nutter, has an approach to photography I really admire. His work is far from ostentatious, he’s humble and has a great eye.

With all the other BMX blogs and news sites gathering imagery from the legends of BMX photography, I wanted to give Cody a bit of exposure. Upon opening this file, I was amazed at what he achieved without use of heavy lights or flashes. Even if you didn’t look at my Event Recap yesterday, take the time to check out Cody’s Guest Gallery.

If you like his work, follow his soon-to launch portfolio site here and his Rambling Leftovers here!

Be sure to read the captions on this one.

After a successful first year, the Odyssey BMX Texas Toast Jam returned to the east side of Austin, Texas with promises of more fun. And fun it was. With a bigger, deadlier Gauntlet of Death, flatland competitions, improved street course and a ripping dirt course, Texas Toast brought riders from all over the world to have at it over a weekend.

Even with a rainy first day, the turnout was thousands more than event organizer Taj Mihelich anticipated. The first day alone, over 2,000 people showed up to spectate and compete. It was really incredible to see it all take shape and everyone I talked to said it was the most fun they’ve had at a competition. Hell, most of them didn’t even consider it a comp. See for yourself below and don’t worry, this event is getting a ton of love here on the site. Expect more to come.

If you’re within driving distance of Austin, or you’re already here for ACL, you better make it out to the Odyssey BMX Texas Toast Jam this weekend. It’s bigger and better than last year, with a tighter, more techy dirt section, a new and improved Gauntlet of Death, better street course and even a flatland section. I went out yesterday to check in on the guys and it’s a lovely, colorful mess of ramps and paint right now. Some of which look dreadfully fun to shred.

Sure, it may look like a bunch of dudes, standing around, looking at some plywood but those are the most capable ramp builders west of the Mississippi. The crew is already cracking away at the 2012 Texas Toast Jam course. With the dirt already getting shaped and the ramps underway, you can expect it to be bigger and better than last year. I’ve seen the sketches for some of the course and its insanity.

Last week I swung by to see the guys. While I was checking in on their progress, I shot some photos with the Hasselblad. Check ’em out! And if you missed out on my photos from last year, see them here and my Recent Roll photos here.