That's It...That's a Wrap...

I honestly don't know how I made it to the last day of the photoshoot. The previous days festivities...along with trying to be pretty, witty and creative all week had definitely left it's mark. I was tired, drained, possibly hallucinating and smelled like stale beer that had been spilled on gym clothes with a touch of shame lingering.

Undaunted, I awoke at 6 am (on a Sunday) ready to go. For the sake of time and efficiency I was still wearing my clothes from the night before. My french press still contained leftovers that helped kick start my saliva glands again. And a well placed Dick's burger in my fridge from the nite before helped me make the drive to our Mountain bike shoot. Where I took no pictures. But trust me...the new Talus mountain bikes look awesome!


Upon returning to town I did manage to get these 3 pictures of the new RX 1.0...the camera felt like an extension of my mind...

Once I heard the final shutter click...a feeling of relief fell over me. That was it.

I had run my PhotoShoot Marathon.

My IronMan of production days were over.

My South Padre Spring Break of late nites and early mornings was...well...at least slowing down. Because that afternoon was the main event of the West Side Invite and I was not going to miss it...

Feathered Hair, Take a Bow

A piece of innocence and childhood are now gone forever...

Farrah Fawcett (February 2, 1947 – June 25, 2009)

PhotoShoot Day ???

{if we get just ONE shot I'll be happy...right now, it's all crap}

I can't even remember any more. This day had waaaay too much going on. Started off in the arboretum with our new Misceo and Detour Deluxe as the primary bikes. Made our way to the West Side Invite to get some snaps of the Gridlock. I found myself at a BBQ and had an extremely blurry ride home.

{Misceo...a 'do all' vehicle}

{Really?! Are the two positions THAT different?!}

{New cockpit of the Detour Deluxe}

{Plus a whole new drivetrain}

{Consumer's Digest Best Buy...just got better}

{looks like the Alysa is just a little bit quicker}

{Gridlock...you know you want one}

{I swear this job drives me to drink}

{You know it's a party when the Snuggy comes out}

One day...and one bike left...and the quest for mud.

Critical Mass...For Cars?

Being from Colorado...reading this on Urban Velo made me quite sad.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE
JULY 25TH
BLOCK DANGEROUS CYCLIST DAY BOULDER CO

ON AUGUST 5th new regulations limiting driver rights regarding dangerous bicyclists will be the STATE LAW.

CYCLIST FLOUT COMMON SENSE, ENDANGER THOSE IN CARS ON MOUNTAIN ROADS IN THE NAME OF SELFISHNESS; CARS WILL BE FORCED TO CROSS DOUBLE YELLOW LINES ON DANGEROUS LIMITED VISIBILITY ROADS DUE TO THE EXPANDED RIGHTS OF CYCLISTS.

CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE HAS A LONG HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES. THE GOVERNOR AND OTHER LAWMAKERS WILL ONLY RESPOND TO COMMON SENSE WHEN PUBLICITY REACHES THE GENERAL MEDIA.

ON JULY 25TH IN CELEBRATION OF DRIVERS RIGHTS MANY CARS WILL USE THE LEFT HAND CANYON ROAD, DRIVE SLOWLY AND MANY MAY BREAK DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY, BLOCKING AREAS TO THE CYCLISTS ON THE RETURN LEG OF THE “SUNRISE CENTURY”. PLEASE USE JUDGEMENT DURING THIS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE.

MANY WHO ALSO LIVE IN THE FOOTHILLS OR WHO HAVE BEEN ENDANGERED BY CYCLIST BEHAVIOR WILL JOIN IN WITH THEIR “DRIVERS RIGHTS” TO PULL OVER AND INSPECT THEIR VEHICLES FOR ENGINE TROUBLE, SOUNDS, OR OTHER SAFETY ISSUES. MANY CARS AND SAFE DRIVERS ALL WORKING TOGETHER CAN SEND A MESSAGE TO THE STATEHOUSE TO RESTRICT CYCLING ON OUR ROADS WHICH ARE OUR ONLY ALTERNATIVES DURING FAMILY EMERGENCIES, COMMUTING AND REQUIRED DUTIES.

BLOCK THE ROAD DAY IS JULY 25TH CENTERING AT LEFT HAND CANYON and nelson road. DRIVE SLOWLY FOR SAFETY AND PULL OVER WITH FLASHERS as SAFETY REQUIRES.

Please be careful out there.

Devil Take the Hindemost

When my "word hole" falls short...I rely on others. This was from the promoters of the MFG Cross series.

The intent of this night is to have “try-outs” (would we really turn people down, probably not) for some announcers for the MFG series. We needed something to announce, so why not a race? The plan is to meet up at Woodland Park, ready to race and announce by 6 pm.

Racers:

We’ll be doing hot laps on a specific part of the MFG course. The laps will be fast (file treads?) with no barriers or running. We’ll be doing 3 heats of races, with hopefully 5-6 riders per heat. The race will be “miss-and-out” format after 3 neutral laps; after three laps, the last rider will be pulled until there is only 1 left!

Announcers:

Dress for the occasion, trim your beard, and try not to talk at work all day!. Right now we have 8 announcers, and you’ll be “calling” about two laps each. Google the shit out of the confirmed rider list, know your start list, and get ready to heckle the racers, name by name! We’ll provide a microphone and a lap top.

6 pm at The Tree, just across from the southern most bridge across Aurora.

And shortly afterwards...this little bugger sent me a text with his intentions to do me bodily harm out on the course tonite.

The gun show ready for action....I even have red spandex mandex if need be..

"Or is it the hammer brothers...that sounds better." One Gear One Mind

The Rainier has been tuned.

I'm picking up race fuel from Schooner Exact on my way over.

And my costume is almost complete.

Time to start praying to the cross gods to deliver me from sobriety.

If you're in the neighborhood tonite (6/17), grab your cowbell...the rest comes naturally.

Bicycle Belles...the performance

Can words really do any justice to choreographed bicycles routines? I think not.

{it was really a nice day...my camera was just in a funk}

{kinda like Critical Mass...but without the 'holes'}

{picturesque back drop}


{performance}

{cast of characters}

Bicycle Belles from Saleigh on Vimeo.

Great nite, great friends, great performances. Can't wait for the next show later this month in Georgetown.

PhotoShoot Day 4

It's pretty well known that I've got a 75watt bulb of intelligence that's running off of 45watts of power. I may not light up a room, but I do cast a shadow. And after 3 days of shooting pictures and having drinks when we were finished...it became quite clear we could save a lot of time if we just combined the two and did a shoot at a bar. Eureka! So off to Loretta's in South Park we went. (if you've never heard of Loretta's, and you hang out in bar's that people frequently say "this place was cool until..." then you never heard about this place from me)

{OneWay bellying up to the bar}

{Have you seen the review in CXMagazine?!}

{Cruiser looking cool standing still}

{Some fine detail on the Clubman}

{When the shoot went to shit}

{I mean really?! Who else is making a bike this pretty?!}

{From one pro to another...}

{Gridlock}

{New colors for the Rush Hour}

{Reflections from the Airstream}

{a fine Champagne toast to a sweet bike}

{don't know bout you...but I'd rather have a Hamm's}

{All in the family}

{I'm ready...}

Tomorrow...we turn to the commuter, and the West Side Invite starts.

Station Identification

We take a break from staring at the computer screen to bring you this brief moment of awesome on this Monday...

{KISS just plain rocks!}

We will return to our regular broadcast in just a moment.

Girls and Bikes

Do you really need anything more that that?!

Alley behind 1st and Wall is where it starts....Saturday June 13th. Should be fun.

2010 PhotoShoot Day 3

Starbucks, Plaid/Grunge and Windows Vista are all scourges that Seattle has unleashed upon the world like a pandemic. There's nothing any of you can do about it...so live with it. There are those here that try and level out our karmic values with the universe by frequenting coffee boutiques, wearing Gor-Tex 342 days a year, and eating the Apple to the core (at least those Hip enough to afford the hype).

Other things that are famous here and we can't live without...fenders and disc brakes. And since Raleigh has been based in the Emerald City for a number of years, these are things we think about when spec-ing a bike. Folks in dryer climates always bring this up thinking it's overkill...but in all honesty, there is no more consistent braking system than a disc brake. And I don't care where you live, if you ride a bike the weather will eventually catch up with you.

This day we went to Pike's Market to shoot a couple sweet commuter inspired/classic bikes that have evolved to include new technology.

{Ahhhh...the elusive sunny spring day in Seattle}

{check out the shadow of the drivetrain...}

{New AlleyWay integrated stem/handlebar set up}


{Artists....hmmmph}

{Superbe Roadster in it's second chic year}

There would've been more photos from today but my battery died out just before we started shooting the new Record Ace (Raleigh blast from the past). It also died before I could snap pictures of my truck being towed away with one-off bikes that couldn't be readily replaced (stupid parking spots that turn into tow away zones). Or could I snap any photos of my guests for the evening and the post-shoot libations and torrential storm that followed. Oh well...I can't put a picture of Rainier in EVERY post...can I?

Tomorrow...we head to the bar!

2010 Photo Shoot Day 2

{Every shoot should have Unicorns}

Day 2 was a bit of an accident. We were supposed to finish up in the studio with our Glamour Shots, however...when one of your models doesn't have the right thing to wear, you really can't get the shot you want.
However...it was 'bike to work day' and there was a huge after ride celebration going on in Ballard. So I made a quick executive decision that we'd head down there and see if we could get anything good...

{Circa's...chillin}

{One-Way...with some improvements for this year}

{Really?! I am not a bike...do your freak'n job!}

{The Clubman got a little make over as well}

{Ballard was a flutter with bikes}

{notice a theme with how each days photo shoot ends?}

Next...we hit the mean streets and back alleys of downtown Seattle. And I'm reminded...again...why I ride a bike in this town and leave my truck for mountain bike adventures.