PROLLY IS NOT PROBABLY

AMGEN Tour of California #ATOC: Stage 03 – San Jose

After only shooting the start of the AMGEN Tour of California yesterday, today I was glad to be out on the course. My good friend Jeremy Dunn ensured that I got to ride in one of the SRAM support vehicles. We were in a caravan of about 20 cars, as the peloton chased down the break through the mountains. The biggest prick on the elevation map was Mt. Diablo and as the temperatures rose throughout the day, it was surely hell for the racers.

While I didn’t have the chance to hop out of the car and frame any shots, the audience and super fans provided more than enough entertainment as we drove through some of the most beautiful countryside California has to offer. Oh and descending in a team car is something else. Wow.

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AMGEN Tour of California #ATOC: Stage 02 – San Francisco

This morning I found myself walking up to the second stage of the AMGEN Tour of California not knowing what to expect. I didn’t attend the opening day in Santa Rosa, nor did I experience the Sunday afternoon crowds that flooded the city, so I had no idea what awaited in San Francisco.

SF is a cycling-savvy city, to say the least and the reception, especially on a Monday morning, was warm. Each team’s caravans bustled on the inside, as their bikes were neatly leaned against the side. Fans walked up, commented on gear and patiently awaited for the athletes to leave their busses.

Once a team would exit, they were swarmed with fans, flashing their iPhones, interrupting them for a photo and it quickly became apparent that it was going to be an energetic morning. Rather than go too much more into it, I’ve compiled a nice Photoset, only of the start. We didn’t make it to stage itself, or the finish, but I’m happy with how these came out.

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Portland Design Works: Summer 2012

Portland Design Works presents their new line of cycling lights in this new video. Man, they really are bad at basketball.

Sean Martin for Affinity

Sean Martin rides for my boys in Brooklyn, Affinity. Check out this video with the gear-mashin’ ginger as he talks about riding in LA and being involved in a hit and run.

All-City: Save the Track Back Bars Now Available

Kyle from Golden Saddle Cyclery named a track bar! After those Save the Track Bike buttons made him millions, he decided to immortalize the slogan in a new handlebar from All-City. Pick these up at your LBS! See more here and here.

Merckx Mondays

While I didn’t get the chance to do a Shop Visit at Pushbike, I did manage to get some great Merckx Mondays content. Sarah has quite the collection of Eddy Merckx memorabilia at the shop, so if you haven’t been, you should really check it out. For now, see more below!

Breakbrake 17: Transfer Low Pro Now Available

Breakbrake 17′s triple triangle, Columbus tubing, low pro is now available. Dubbed the transfer, these frames are in stock and ready to ship. Hit up your local Breakbrake 17 dealer, or iMinusD. For more photos, head to BB17′s blog.

The Future of the Stanridge Speed Highstreet

Adam from Stanridge Speed has been working with an industrial designer on a new integrated stem head tube. These CNC’d front ends will be a throwback to low pros and pursuits of the 70′s and 80′s but made with modern materials. Throw on some Cinelli LA84′s and you’ve got a mean looking bike. This is only an illustration, but you get the idea. More to come! Thanks to Will Rei Design for the illustration.

Deal With it TV: Snow O’ Connell

Matt Rice has been shooting video for Snow over the past few months and I gotta say, I really, really enjoyed this. It’s creative, ballsy and a lot different than a lot of the FGFS videos I watch. Snow makes damn good use of the environment and his smooth, 29′r style is fast and precise. Good job dude, I’m diggin’ it!

Photoset Re-Up: From Sydney to Wollongong

Some of my favorite riding photos came out of my stay in Australia last winter. While I doubt any ride I go on in the near future will compare to the two days into hell that Fyxo and Shifter Dan took me on, I had a blast riding from Sydney to Wollongong with Adam of CycleEXIF. What I thought would be an hour long ride, ended up being a 60 mile ride through rainforests and coastal roads, leading us to the workshop of Primate Frames.

I was on my MKE Orange One, in city clothes, toting a camera bag and Adam was on his singlespeed. Neither were ideal vehicles for this hot, Australian summer sun-filled afternoon but we managed to have a blast. For more dialog, see my old A Day in 10 Photos entry and for more photos, check out the slideshow…

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How a Bicycle is Made

This is one of those videos that I watched one night and blanked on posting, then I received a flood of emails from readers sharing it with me. Though rudimentary by today’s standards, this 1945 video depicts how Raleigh bicycles were made in England. I love the dry and sterile explanation, reminiscent of an old sex ed video you’d watch in grade school, but with better visuals. Don’t miss the hub packing clip…

For more sexiness, head to Raleigh‘s website to see how far they’ve come.

A Wall of Fresh Freight at Pushbike

How rad is this? While I was at Pushbike today, Travis dropped off a whole lotta color in the form of these Freight Baggage backpacks. They’re in stock now at Pushbike, so swing through and pick one up. The conversation seemed to center around the yellow bag…

Full Fingerflip Collective

It’s Sunday. That means it’s dude day. At least that’s what I found out when I bumped into “those guys” in Full Frame Collective. I remember riding skateboards out to jib spots when I was in middle school but of all the places to ride in SF, these dudes just thrashed a 4″ curb for two hours. Long enough for me to get sunburnt and catch a few flicks.

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Brussels Express

If you’ve got 19 minutes tonight, you should really watch this documentary on cycling in Brussels. It’s not just your ordinary courier documentary, it’s a story about how the car has created one of the least cycling friendly cities in Europe. I thought all Flemish cities were havens for the bicycle but Brussels only boasts 4% cycling traffic. Some of these shots make Brussels look like Los Angeles at rush hour.