The Radavist

You might recognize this bike from the profile I did on Seth Rosko and Johnny Coast a few years back. The Atavistic Urge was a video Sara Kinney and I worked on, showcasing the two Brooklyn framebuilders. At the time, Seth had just gotten this bike back from paint and was anxious to build it up. Now, almost two years later, Seth’s been putting in miles on his bike. This simple street fixed setup is one to drool over, especially when it comes to that paint!

Check out more by clicking the photo above or here to open in a new tab and if you haven’t seen the Atavistic Urge, I embedded it below.

Since Andrew LOW began building aluminum track frames in SF last year, the whole world has been salivating over their aggressive geometries and bright liveries. But I’ve seen few that rival Marc Marino’s newest LOW track bike, remember his Low Pro? This bright pink beast is almost impossible to photograph but I did my best to get all the details. We took the TIME to look at his pedals already but did you notice the extra gussets at the bottom bracket cluster? Or the killer Ritchey cockpit? Details, this bike has ’em and it’s hella #FixieFamous.

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The whole week I was in NYC, I couldn’t get over how rad the SF to NYC connection was working out for people. Chas and Steve came over to race Monster Track this year and stayed for the Red Hook Crit. They work for TCB Courier in SF and decided to work in the city with various independent messenger companies while they were in town. These two got thrown in the fire and had to learn the ways of the streets almost immediately. But they’re resilient and took every lesson in stride. After he settled in a bit, I met up with Steve on 15th street to see how he was adjusting to the NYC hustle. He’s working for Clementine Courier and has been on his hustle. As I said, dude’s resilient and you’ve gotta be when you’re #FixieFamous.

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Squid was one of the first “OG messengers” in NYC who reached out to me. Still to this day, I have the utmost respect for the man. He embodies the hardworking NYC hustle but is never to busy to stop and chat for a minute. He’s split off from his old courier crew, now named Street Kings NYC and continues to push advocacy through Cyclehawk, Velo City and is the rep from Chrome in NYC.  I caught up with Kevin last week in NYC and shot some photos of his work bike, a custom Squarebuilt track bike.

Check out more by clicking the photo above or here to open in a new tab.

Yesterday was a blast. As I was getting my coffee in the morning, a young man came flying up the sidewalk yelling “Checkpoint!”. Immediately, I thought there was a race. Turns out, he was lost, so I followed him all over the city looking for the an alleycat. We stopped everywhere looking for fliers or information. Chari, Continuum, all the shops downtown. While we were in the city, I headed up to meet Daniel from Search and State and then we blasted 7th avenue with a group of guys from LA and SF before heading back to Brooklyn.

Riding a track bike in NYC is a buzz like none other and these photos came out sick.

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I just got in from the 2012 Red Hook Crit Dinner Celebration and I’m a little drunk, very tired and anxious for what tomorrow night will bring. The general vibe at this year’s dinner was quite intimate, drawing in a small crowd of racers, media, supporters and NYC locals. A dinner was served, drinks were poured and I got to see some familiar faces. Cinelli unveiled the 2012 Red Hook Crit Vigorelli, Giro displayed their prizes and other brands showed off their contributions. It was a great night.

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I rolled up to Affinity yesterday and came across this site: Hern and Steve’s Cinelli Mash Histograms, 69’ing with each other on a parking meter. Everyone knows these two: they’re #FixieFamous. I feel like this year’s Red Hook Crit attendance is off the walls.

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Yes, steel is real but traveling with a bike on some airlines is too rich for my budget. Knowing it would cost me over $100 to fly back and forth from NYC with my Icarus, I emailed Jason from Affinity and asked if he had a loaner bike. He replied, saying I could ride a Affinity Kissena Velo Fund bike. As he handed it over, I realized I could come under fire for riding, wait for it… aluminum! Truth be told, I raced a Felt TK2 at Kissena and while I prefer steel frames, I’m not gonna pass up riding a mean racing machine like a Kissena as a loaner in NYC.

I won’t get into why I don’t like aluminum here because the purpose of this post is to thank Affinity for all the support over the years. The Kissena is a racing machine and it’s fun to ride on the street, especially with a spinny gear and wide risers. How many of you own these bikes? What do you think of them?

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I’m back in what I still like to consider my home turf and I’m still amazed that other “bloggers” in NYC have failed to cover this majestic neighborhood. While Williamsburg is the epitome of “hipsterdom” to the rest of the world, to me, it’s my old stomping grounds, filled with great shops, great textures and unique individuals.

Just 10 minutes after I arrived in the neighborhood, I was immersed in an environment like none other. The city changes and yet, it remains tactile and real, at least to me. Affinity Cycles evolves every time I visit New York and King Kog, just a mile away, had some familiar faces hanging out. These photos were real quick, taken in haste. I just wanted you to know I’m still alive. ;-)

Check out the Gallery by clicking the photo above and click here to open in a new tab (does anyone NEED this explanation?!)