Over the next few months, I’ll be spending more time on the road than I will in Austin and it all begins today with Los Angeles for the Amgen Tour of California. Last year, I was in LA and SF almost as much as I was in ATX. This summer, it’ll be even more.
Expect nothing but the best on-the-road coverage for the next week or so…
As I travel more each month, the time I spend at home in Austin is really precious. I’ve been really enjoying the Mamiya, shooting portraits and some of the randomness that I come across. I was going to find some more meaningful way to display these photos, with some theme of “weekends” but I’m too tired from this weekend’s activities…
I hope your weekend was rad and I hope you enjoy!
Tools of the trade:
Mamiya 7ii / 80mm
Kodak Portra 400
Sometimes, the simplest changes in a bike’s setup can really enhance the ride. Take my Sword. Sure, it looked mean as hell with drops but I swapped them out for those Budnitz Ti sweep bars and plugged on a Cetma rack. It’s the perfect photo bike, with the aid of the Tanner Goods Field Camera Bag… Check out a few more photos below.
Tools of the trade:
Mamiya 7ii / 80mm
Kodak Portra 400
Being the girlfriend of a “bike blogger” has as many ups as it has downs. The obvious down being that I’m on the road a lot but one of the ups is, well, this… Lauren loved her Tokyo Fixed Dream Machine porteur but wanted something more suited for front-loading and longer rides in the hilly landscape that is Austin. Maybe, just maybe, some camping, too.
I chatted with her a lot about what she wanted and we came up with this “sportif porteur”. Mid trail for front-loading, fender / rack mounts, long-range gearing and an upright riding position. She didn’t want big touring tires, so its designed to fit a 28c with fenders or a 32c without. The build is quite reasonable, with higher-end components where they count.
Once we resolve which basket or rack we’re gong to use on the front, I’ll shoot more photos, highlighting Ian at Icarus‘ handywork. For now, this is all you get…
I’m even surprised I had the time to walk around SxSW for an afternoon but I did anyway. Something about the shitshow that descends upon this sleepy little town is very alluring for a person who likes shooting photos. The freaks mix in with the locals and the homeless cope with it the best way they know how. I lost one roll of exposed film somehow, so you’ll have to make due with these…
Tools of the trade:
Mamiya 7ii / f4 80mm
Kodak Portra 400
Sun Graphics does a hell of a lot of resprays, oops, pardon me, I meant “restorations”… Shit. Let me start over. In Australia, if you need a place to get a classic Eddy Merckx restored to (or above and beyond) its original condition, the place to go is Sun Graphics.
Andy at FYXO works exclusively with Sun and Shifter to deliver pristine complete future Eddy Merckx classics. Above is one of my favorite Merckx liveries, team Stuttgart. This one’s heading off to Sun for a little TLC and below is a classic Eddy Merckx famed for polished Campagnolo.
I can’t wait to see how both of these turn out. Maybe they’ll be a future Merckx Mondays?
When I’m in Melbourne, it’s always a pleasure to meet new people and see some incredible bikes. This go round, I walked almost everywhere with my Mamiya, shooting portraits and other bits of randomness. I finally got all my negatives scanned and they came out great. So let’s waste away the lazy Thursday afternoon with a full-loaded Gallery… Also, a lot of these are sitting in print form at Shifter Bikes, so if you’re in there, swing through a pick up your print.
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery!
I don’t think I’ve shot a better photo of Dan from Shifter Bikes before. Out of all my Mamiya 7ii photos from Australia, this might just be my favorite. There’s a full set coming soon, once I finish scanning…
Regular scanning will commence today. I’m trying to wrap my head around jetlag and emails.
I feel like this goes without saying but Pearl Velo, Berkeley Supply Co and Avery County Cycles really left a great impression on me and just about everyone else who was visiting for this year’s NAHBS. These three shops have created a really admirable energy through their spaces and the shop owner’s faces.
Pearl Velo would fall into what I’d like to call a neo bike shop. While it is full-service, Tyler won’t hesitate to send work down the street to the larger shop. You walk in the doors and everything is merchandised with thought. Its surfaces are clean and orderly, so much so that you almost don’t want to touch anything, but you do anyway. Tyler sells everyday accessories from brands you trust, he carries complete bikes and frames from the manufacturers you probably ride and as previously stated, his own branded products are worthy souvenirs.
To top it off, Tyler’s father hand-painted each of the wooden signs outside the shop. They’re so beautiful that I had to shoot the first couple of photos in the Gallery with my Mamiya 7ii to capture the color and light just right. Check out more photos in the Gallery and shop info below!
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