PROLLY IS NOT PROBABLY

Archive for February, 2013

Extra Bigger: New Products

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Extra Bigger has some new products up on their site, ranging from the simple Extra Bigger pocket tee, to the Tourrorist Target / Poster and other randomness. Head over and swoop! Seriously, the targets are too funny.

Wheel Talk Welcomes Devon Lawson and Anthony Combs

Man, what a week it’s been. I know this one’s a few days old but I really wanted to show these guys some love in the midst of all the NAHBS madness. Nothing beats a bit of street riding to loosen up all the tight bolts from shooting show bikes… So many bangers.

Wheel Talk Fixed

2013 NAHBS: Winter Bicycles

Eric Estlund of Winter Bicycles like many builders, is beginning to step into the production / semi-custom market. While he’s still making fully custom frames, his recent Pelican rando project for Box Dog Bikes marked a new direction for Winter. At his NAHBS booth this year, Eric displayed two semi-custom production bikes. One of which is en route to Texas now. Still, I couldn’t take my eyes off this track bike…

2013 NAHBS: 6 Eleven 3 Rensho Tribute Track

When I first walked into the Six Eleven Bicycle Co booth at this year’s NAHBS, I immediately was drawn to this purple machine, like a moth to the flame. Like many people, all I saw was a 3 Rensho track bike. That is until I spotted the very clever 6 Eleven decals. Aaron went overboard here and I’m still dumb-founded that it didn’t win best track bike. It’s so good! Even to the point that a certain Japanese builder asked why he had a 3 Rensho in his booth!

Don’t miss those Sugino-branded Suntour cranks, either! Congrats to Aaron for doing a stellar job on this beauty.

2013 NAHBS: Moots Trail Clearer

The fact that the crew at Moots plans on actually putting this beast to work merits its own post. With attachments for a shovel, a chainsaw rack, 6 pack rack and plenty of packing room, this fat bike is meant to maintain the trails surrounding the Moots facility. It’s gimmicky as hell but man, what a presentation!

Practice Makes More Practice

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Since the moment I arrived in Denver, Josh from Avery County Cycles has been an exceptional host. He picked me up from the airport, took me to a whiskey sipping night, then dinner and let me crash at his place. I’ve spent a lot of time around his shop and today, I took some film photos of him working. As we were having a beer tonight, he pulled out his cheater bar. Every shop has one, but few have a story like this.

Josh is a self-taught frame builder. Which, these days you rarely hear about. With dozens of frame building schools sprouting up all over the US, you don’t need to spend countless hours by yourself, figuring the ins and outs of brazing but he did anyway. This piece of tubing is where Josh learned how to use a torch.

Of course, there’s no easy way to venture into building bicycle frames. Just a lot of practice and patience. Over the past year, Avery County Cycles has built numerous frames for friends and even a single speed cross team with Pearl Velo. On Sunday, his hard work paid off, when he won Rookie of the Year at NAHBS (he even sold his car to pay for the show’s fees).

There’s more to come here on the site but I just wanted to congratulate Josh on his award!

2013 NAHBS: Head Shots and Head Tubes

Going into the 2013 NAHBS, I wanted to find a way to capture the personality of the builders and the bikes they create. Headshots, especially when the subject is comfortable around you, is an easy way to do so. As I was halfway through this shoot, I realized something: the builders look a lot like their frames. Drawing that comparison is easy enough, shooting portraits in convention center lighting is not. That said, I’m pretty stoked on how these came out.

I wanted to thank these men for what they do and I wish I could have gotten around to shooting everyone but this selection is pretty spot-on.

Beautiful Bicycle: Ty’s Stinner Ride the Divide Rohloff 29′r

Ride the Divide is one of the most difficult MTB endurance races in the continental US, so when Ty from Golden Saddle Cyclery decided that he was going to participate, he looked to Santa Barbara’s Stinner Frameworks to design a no nonsense 29′r. Utilizing a Rohloff Speedhub 14-speed internal belt drive, this bike will require zero maintenance for the extent of the ride. Tubeless wheels, XTR hydraulic disc brakes, SON hub, E3 lamp and Thomson Ti bars add just amount of show-worthiness to the bike. We rode our new mountain bikes yesterday and I am beyond pumped for Ty. This is one sick ride!

2013 NAHBS: Bishop Raw C-Record Track

Yeah, I know, there’s already been a ton of Bishop NAHBS love here on the site but I was very impressed that with all the bikes Chris has been building, he brought two track bikes with him. My level of respect for Chris and Tommy only increases each year and I know the owner of this bike is beyond stoked on how it turned out. Full Campagnolo C-Record Pista, Cinelli heritage saddle with matching bar wrap and those fillets! This frame will be getting a coat of wet paint from Bryan Myers of Fresh Frame before it leaves for China. Have a napkin ready, this one’s a drooler.

2013 NAHBS: Festka Brought the Bling

It was hard to miss Festka’s mirror-like finish on their track bike. These Czech builders brought a little something for everyone. If their Motol Chrome track bike isn’t your thing, maybe their neon pink carbon Zero road or razzle-inspired XCR Pablo road would do it for you? I didn’t get a lot of time to chat with two of the builders, so check out more information at Festka and see more in the Gallery.