The Radavist

I really, really had a blast in Minneapolis. As a by-product of running this site, I always have a camera on me. Unfortunately for some people, that means I am usually catching them doing something idiotic. Fortunately for you, it’s quite funny to see some of that behavior unfold.

What you’ll fine within this narrated Gallery is only part of some of the stories to be told here on the site at a later date. Most of these photos involve the following: bros, babes, Baroo, beaches, bikes, beer and bourbon. Simple enough right? Check out more in the Gallery!

Now, I won’t say the following tidbit of information was all that surprising to me. I’m not really a numbers person when it comes to running the site, but I do like to pay attention to what you, the readers, respond to. Not necessarily traffic, per say, or comments, or trackbacks, or whatever but when a bike gets as much love as Seth’s 650B MTB did, I take notice and as I said, I wasn’t surprised. This thing has pizzaz in a world of mediocrity.

While the serenity of a solo bike photo shoot is nice, sometimes I like to get the builder to hold their work of art and pose for a few photos. Case in point: Seth and his Rosko 650B MTB! Check out more in the Gallery!

Tools of the trade:
Mamiya 7ii / 80mm / expired Kodak Portra 400

A visit to New York wouldn’t be complete without me bugging Seth Rosko for at least an afternoon. In the past, I’ve tried to document his workspace but have never been 100% satisfied with the outcome, until this visit. The thing about Seth’s workshop is that it’s most likely smaller than your bedroom…

His shop measures roughly a four meter cube, barely big enough for two grown men to move about, much less a Bridgeport, jigs, tubes, component boxes and bikes. Every time I come back to see Seth, the shop is more dialed in and this time, I am confident with the documentation.

Seth’s been working a lot of keeping up with his grassroots racing support. A lot of up and coming racers in NYC are riding his steel bikes and that’s something he’s very passionate about. Cross, MTB, road, it doesn’t matter. If you pedal it fast in circles, he can build it.

Check out a few photos from my Shop Visit to Rosko Cycles in the Gallery!

The tale of Hubert d’Autremont is an interesting one, but that story will be told another day. Instead, I’ll start the coverage of this unique craftsman off with the bike that he rides the most, this Cycles d’Autremont porteur.

I don’t know why, but I really love the aesthetic of porteurs, especially when they’re owned by a builder. A road bike, mountain bike or randonneur all have very specific uses, but a porteur implies a certain utilitarian aesthetic. Grocery getter, errand runner, bar bike and even quick morning mountain jaunts. A well-rounded bike like this is bound to log more miles than the other arrows in the quiver.

Burlington, Vermont isn’t exactly SoCal, and inclement weather is no stranger in the Green Mountain state, so a fully-fendered bike with integrated lighting quickly becomes an essential tool in these parts. Elegant but rugged, Hubert’s own porteur is exactly that. Like any detail-oriented (i.e. obsessive) artist tends to create, this piece of work just appears effortless… See for yourself in the Gallery!

The problem with going to New York City is that I spend more time photographing bikes, then I do actually riding them. Which, in this most recent trip, wasn’t as much as I’d like. Being behind a lens, staring down a unique beaut like this does have its merits. Especially when you’re so familiar with its builder and owner.

Seth Rosko was one of the first builders in Brooklyn that I spent a good amount of time profiling years back. We first met at Brooklyn Machine Works, where he was a designer and fabricator. He and Joe worked extensively on the Gangsta track back in the day, before setting out on his own.

Rosko builds unique, yet utilitarian, yet lightweight bicycles made for racing. Each year, more and more fledgling racers find themselves on a Rosko and that means that Seth has less and less time to work on his own bikes. Case in point: this 650B single speed MTB. It took Seth years to finish this bike but he managed to complete it in time for this year’s season.

Using the ultralight True Temper Supertherm tubing, Black Cat dropouts and Stan’s tubeless wheels, this thing is light. It comes in at 20 lbs with XT pedals.

Today is my last full day in NYC. This trip, unlike previous visits, I spent a majority of my days walking around the city, even in the rain. While I’ve visited a few shops and seen some friends, to me, New York is just as engaging by foot as it is by bike. Check out a series of narrated photos in this Friday afternoon Gallery!

From a company whose name resonates in the NYC downhill and street scene comes a new bike model, suitable for the modern rider. If steel is real then Brooklyn Machine Works are as authentic as they come. BMW’s history lies heavily in tried and true mountain bikes, so it should be as no surprise that when Joe decided it was time to develop a few new models, one of the first on the agenda would be a 27″ or 650B.

This bike is literally 10 days fresh and it’s already been put through the works. Fresh off the mountain, I was able to not only photograph this beauty, but take it for a spin around the block. I’m a sworn 29’r rider, through and through but even I was impressed at the zippiness and tight, responsiveness of this Made in Brooklyn masterpiece.

Don’t let the mix of parts distract you, Joe wanted to ride it as soon as he could get it built up. With the tapered fork, even with the smaller diameter wheel size, the 650B comes in 9 ounces heavier than the 29’r. It’s still a prototype, so some specs are to be tweaked but I think it’s safe to say “so far so good”… Check out more in the Gallery.

Without New York City, I wouldn’t be who I am today and quite possibly, this site wouldn’t even exist. The people here are like family and while I may be detached from their day to day lives, I still always roll through for a quick visit when I’m in town. Lauren and I arrived late Sunday, so yesterday was our first day in town.

I swung by a few spots in Brooklyn after my friend Harry and I took a morning spin around Central Park. Later, day turned into night and I turned to some of my old digs to meet up with some old friends. Beer, bros and bikes. Just like the Brooklyn I left three years ago.

Most of these photos are quick shots, or portraits but all came from the Sony RX100… Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery!

Sometimes, good coffee is more than enough motivation to do a quick ride through Golden Gate Park in SF. If you don’t have time for the San Bruno loop, there’s a quicker way. The first time I made it out to Trouble Coffee was with Chas, back in May when I was in town for the ATOC. This time, the sandwich board spoke its words of wisdom with one simple phrase: Live to Shred. We rolled back through the park, bumped into Marc and swung by the De Young museum, one of my all-time favorite HdM projects.

I can’t say I shredded much riding home, filled with toast and coffee but it did make for some excellent photos of the #lightbro through GGP… See more in the gallery!

July has been a busy month for me. When I wasn’t on the road, I was out and about here in Austin with my Mamiya 7ii shooting portraits and other randomness. This set is heavily focused on the 4th of July party at Yellow Jacket Social Club but also includes a few bike portraits. I hope you enjoy!

Tools of the trade:
Mamiya 7ii
Kodak Portra 400