O N L I N E M A G A Z I N E M A RC H 2 013 www.sofbonlinemag.com www.issuu.com
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Shred crew
Vienna
London
Interview
Milan
Photography
DAVID PILI
PIRATI- BIKE SLAVA SHOW
JOE DODICI JOHN MCKEAG SHOP PROLLY
It’s up to you,
FREE or DONATE
please enjoy!
HIGH QUALITY MESSENGER BAGS BACKPACKS PEDAL STRAPS & ACCESSORIES HAND MADE IN POLAND veganski.blogspot.com facebook.com/Veganski veganski.pl@gmail.com
W E L C O M E
GALLERY
Rider: Pedrojose Ollveira / Photo: Duarte Lima http://www.behance.net/DuartePintoLima
GALLERY
SOFB ONLINE MAG no.12
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Ride: JayJay Rotterdam / Photo: Oli 7 http://partialpixel.tumblr.com
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his year is going to be different in many ways! Bicycles are more important then ever and so is Fixed Gear.
Bicycles have not only changed our life since they were invented but they play now a greater role then ever. No matter if they are actually fixed, single or mountain bikes. We are all in the same boat and it looks good for all of us. Cities are becoming more bike friendly, bicycle schemes exist or are on their way in various cities around the globe. This is great for the environment, our health. Nevertheless we at SOFB feel the vibe that is around fixed and single speed bikes – wether it is on a trade show, FGFS competition or track race. People love bikes and we love them no doubt and thats why we decided to make some changes at our end. What can you expect in the upcoming magazines? You have maybe already noticed the new SOFB logo and magazine design. This has changed now and will be our new look and feel. Additional things that you can expect from us are:
- Regular and latest news - Interviews - Images by photographers from all around the word - Bike product news - Shop introductions from around the globe - Coverage from the main fixed gear events - Bike checks and some specials that we do not want to review right now - SOFB iPad version (coming soon) We will also renew our www.sofbonlinemag.com web site where we plan to keep you more up to date with upcoming topics and interesting stuff. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to know when we are live and ready with the site. If you have anything interesting to share – feel free to contact us at info@sofbonlinemag.com – THIS MAGAZINE IS FROM YOU FOR YOU – We appreciate your help and involvement!
Your SOFB team!
Follow us on Facebook, Vimeo and Instagram
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THE TEAM OWNER & CHIEF EDITOR Greg Falski REDACTION TEAM Anto But Ricardo Lino Saskia Haex Marcel Opilka Marina Fenz ART DIRECTOR Bartosz Giszter CONTRIBUTORS Duarte Lima http://www.behance.net/DuartePintoLima
Oli
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irst of all hello to all old and new readers out there. I am happy to see you here and it is an honour for me to introduce to you the 12th issue of the SOFB magazine.
I would like to thank you for your support, your loyalty, you courage and patience sometimes – without you SOFB would not be what it is today – we soon will reach 1 Million magazine views which is absolutely amazing. In this issue a lot of things have changed and will still change. As you might have noticed the look and feel has evolved and as you will see in the upcoming pages we have included new sections and a clearer structure to the magazine which I believe make the magazine even greater. SOFB ride is now more then 2 years (two very interesting, challenging, sometimes difficult but also fun years) where I travelled the world and got to know many people. People like photographers, riders, organsers and party animals – many of them are now my friends! Beside some changes in the magazine itself we also have some new support within the editorial and management team. This is not a big cooperation but rather some experienced and professional individuals to whom I have reached out in order to move faster forward. I hope all work out well and remember that all of you are always welcome to be part of this magazine!
Ride on! (Owner & Chief Editor SOFB) IN STRAPS
http://partialpixel.tumblr.com David Pili Pepy Todesky http://radioaktivitat.tumblr.com/ Wojciech Artyniew www.WojciechArtyniew.com John Watson http://www.prollyisnotprobably.com Wojciech Czajka Paul Baltodano Herr Karl CREWS Shred Ninja Cats Online - ISSUU.com SOFB ONLINE MAG PART OF FOREACH PRODUCTIONS http://foreachproductions.wordpress.com/
www.sofbonlinemag.com For contributions, advertising and other enquiries, please contact greg@sofbonlinemag.com
THANKS TO Family and friends, all crews and riders, organisers and advertisers... will be not possible without all of you!
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IN STRAPS - Greg’s and Team words
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HOT DATES Get ready for action
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SHRED Geneva
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BIKE SHOW London
40 TEST 46
BIKESHOPS Berlin
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SHOP Dodici
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Roller Racing Rotterdam
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JOE Mc Keag interview
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PIRATISLAVA Vienna
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OTHER SIDE Prolly
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BIKEPOLO TParis
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CAT Ride Sol
102 INDOR Pruszkow 106 BIKE CHECK Bombtrack
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CONTENTS Together with my good friend and great document photographer Wojtek Czajka we desided to have some snow fun.. Stay tune for Wojteks photos in Issue 13. Photo: Greg Falski
COVER Shred x Falski Trip
Photo: David Pili
CONTENTS
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HOT
DATES
Rider: Pedrojose Ollveira Photo: Duarte Lima http://www.behance.net/DuartePintoLima 12
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LET SOFB KNOW Updates on comps, jams, race venues and all crazy fixed bikes events happening near you. If you are running these kind of events then let SOFB know as soon as possible and we will put it here.
FIXED DAYS 9-10 March Berlin
WOLFPACK HUSTLE
Marathon Crash Race 16 March USA
FIXED COMP 16 March Lvov, Ukarin
RESTARP BIRTHDAY 30 March
HOT DATES
DON’T IRON THE BEAR // III
THE IG NOCTURNE
24 March Madrid
CMWC
open bikepolo
MINIDROME L’ISLE JOURDAIN on the The MET Fixed Adrenalin Tournament
13 April France
BESPOKED BRISTOL 12 - 14 April UK
8 June
UP COMING EVENTS 2013
29.07 - 04.08 Lausanne, Switzerland
RED HOOK CRITERIUM
• March 30th Brooklyn Cruise Terminal • June 8th Brooklyn Navy Yard • August 24th Barcelona, Spain • Early October Milan, Italy
RED BULL RIDE + STYLE
4th May, San Fransisco, USA
SPIN LONDON
is the worlds’ first urban focused bicycle consumer show & festival
3-5 May, UK
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S H R E D FA L S K I
Photos: David Pili, Greg Falski and North Race Halley Cat
IN NOVEMBER GENEVA’S SHRED CREW INVITED ME TO CHECK OUT THEIR HOME CITY AND FAVOURITE SPOTS. BIG THANKS TO PEPY AND HIS GIRLFRIEND FOR THEIR HOSPITALITY, I HAD A GREAT TIME EXPLORING GENEVA, IT’S TRULY AN AMAZING CITY! THERE IS THE IDEA TO ORGANISE A FGFS COMPETITION AND TO BE HONEST I CAN’T WAIT TO GO BACK THERE DURING THE SUMMER! HERE WE HAVE A COUPLE OF SPOTS WE ”SESSIONED THROUGH” FOR A FEW DAYS. THANKS TO ALL THE RIDERS THAT JOINED US!
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THE CREW TRIP FGFS
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S HRED FALSKI
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THANKS TO ALL THE RIDERS THAT JOINED US!
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David
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SICK RIDER INTERVIEW
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INTER VIEW with David Pili
WHERE YOU AT THE MOMENT AND WHAT YOU UP TO? At this moment I am in NY, I will stay here for a few months hoping this way to better my english and to meet new riders as well. COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT THE LAST TWO COMPETITIONS/ JAMS OR ROAD TRIPS YOU WENT TO? The last event I have attended was in Lisbon, Portugal for the WEST JAM II. It was one of the craziest experience I have been into: First I missed my flight for partying too much the night before, then Pepy broke his foot the very first day and finally we ended up sleeping in a „ghetto” caravan following a problem with the hotel we had booked. It was really sick but at the competition everyone killed it! The second event, was on Greg Falski’ s road trip to Geneva - from where the acronym FALSKITRIP in one of our videos. It was sleek welcoming him to our city since most of the time it is us who go to the various places. This was the perfect occasion to introduce Greg to the new Skate park in Geneva.
EVERYONE ENJOYS YOUR EDITS WHO MAKES THESE WEBBIES HAPPEND WHEN WE CAN EXPECT NEXT ONE?
sport started at and belongs, in the streets. Filming pushes your self to get better but dont make it your driving force. Just have fun!
Fo sure I am very glade to see increasing viewers that like our flicks , I always try to keep a creative and fun side to each of my videos, while still changing style regularly so that people don’t get bored. You will be seeing the next edit very soon, stay tuned on shredcrew.com.
WHAT IS THE NEXT OF YOUR PROJECTS?
I KNOW THAT SOME RIDERS GET SCARED OF BIG JUMPS AND OBSTACLES. HOW DO YOU PUSH YOURSELF? Everything is in your mind, if you think too much at the risks, you won’t go far... You need to overcome the fear in order to push your limits and at the same time, it’s when you crash that you can set new goals. YOU INSPIRE A LOTS OF NEW RIDERS WHAT YOU WILL SAY TO THEM? Well I don’t know if that is the case but I think that each person must ride for himself without thinking too much of what others think; be yourself!
DO YOU LIKE TO RIDE STREET OR PARK MORE? ARE YOU BETTER AT ONE MORE THAN THE OTHER?
HOW IMPORTANT IS YOUR CREW? FLOWING WHO YOU HANG OUT WITH..
I am more about street since I like to explore every city searching new spots that give me the sensation of freedom that I cannot find in parks. What I like the most is to ride with other buddies because each and everyone of us perceive places in different ways and give their own creativity. Parks are ideal to perfection trick and get comfortable.
It’s been already a few years that we ride together, and this was good to really get to know each other well, in fact today we have such a good vibe that we are all committed to go forward with shred crew. It’s important to me to thank my buddy Pepy and my brother Laurent for creating this solid team. Filming in skateparks and go back to where the
For now I am working on an edit about my trip in NYC, and later plan a roadtrip with my crew through Europe or even California, why not! WHAT IS THE NEXT OF YOUR PROJECTS? My next project is probably I want to work on a short winter edit and then I have some tour clips coming out in the next Cant Fool the Youth dvd. Follow me on instagram to stay up with me @ jonnydirt LAST QUESTION; ANY SHOUT OUTS? Of course, a Big thanks to my crew, Pepy Todesky, Laurent Pili, Léo Ceravolo, my Girlfriend, Sebastian from AURORA Collective, ONE GEAR, Thieth, Greg Falski and all of those that supports me and my team! Enjoy!me this opportunity and anyone else I’ve forgotten.
FIND MORE ACTION WITH SHRED CREW AT:
www.shredcrew.com
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GO BACK TO WHERE THE SPORT STARTED AT AND BELONGS; IN THE STREETS.
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SPIKE PARTS IS NOW OFFERING A TRACK HUBSET AVAILABLE IN THIS SUMMER 2013
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H T T P : / / S P I K E PA R T S . C O M
Photos: Greg Falski Text: Greg Falski
IT WAS GREAT TO SEE THE LONDON BIKE SHOW EVEN BUSIER AND MORE POPULAR THEN LAST YEAR. ITS FUN TO SEE NEW BRANDS AND ORGANISERS MAKE SURE THAT YOU WILL NOT GET BOARD. STUNT SHOWS , PUMP TRACK ACTION, INDROR CRIT RACING AND MANY MORE
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Pinarello and they mean machine
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The Moda Senza titanium, brushed finish and clean graphics, 6.8kg.
Condor Lavoro Custom-butted, superlight aluminium tubing is aggressively shaped for performance on the boards.
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Standard JKS TR1 Aerospace grade high tensile T800H carbon fibre
Polo&bike
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Metropolitan Bike by Rizoma
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The All-City Thunderdrome is a competition style track frame-set. Im sure that many of you will find it great on the street to. If you like rigid feel of aluinium. Carbon track fork to take all the vabraitions. Check www.allcitycycles.com
PURE Handmade in Italy, 7005 Alu
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Ana Nichoola
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TEST SECTION
Photo: 40 Wojtek Czajka
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ION CT SE ST TE Photos: Greg Falski Text: Greg Falski and Sol Smith
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DODICI Gara
Cinelli Kinks Straps
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The Halo Twin Rails has always been one of my favorite tires. It features a perfect street style tread which grips really well on the road and off. The V2 twin rail has a tighter and neater tread which makes teh tire even more light. The V2 also has a white gumwall which makes riding at night safer for car awareness but also makes your bike look like a snow power in these dread full conditions
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26 BB17 Charmer Cobar fork,Spike parts
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bombtrack pivotal seat
BLB Flatliner Roar Pedals
BLB Lockdown Straps
BLB Raptor Stem
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Photos and text: Greg Falski TITTLE OF THE ARTICLE
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8 BAR
SHOW ROOM
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While hanging out with Stefan from 8bar he took me on a short triparound t he Kreuzberg area where most of the fixed specific shops arelocated. We started with the 8bar show room.. This place has big potential and will be a great spot to hang out during our next visit or the Fixed Days competition. Our next stop was Keirin shop. This place is a bike- history paradise! Run by lifelong riders, they have this true spirit and great coffee, you can spend hours in there and these guys know their stuff. And last but not least.. Gold Sprint shop, If you ask me this is the place for all the Bb17 track frames. They have a great stock range from Tokyo fIxed frames to their own Goldsprint products. It is great to see all those shops in this small area working and doing their thing. Thanks to that Berlin is a special place for Bike fanatics.. we are coming back soon for the Fixed Days in March.
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The number of riders in London is constantly growing, and Herne Hill is taking TITTLE OF THE ARTICLE big responsibility for that!
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GOLD SPRINT SHOP
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Photos: Greg Falski Text: Greg Falski and Jacopo
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TELL ME HOW WAS DODICI BORN & HOW DID YOU AND CREW MEET, TELL US ABOUT THE STORE AND FEW BRANDS YOU LIKE ETC. Dodici started after a period of time in which i was helping my friends build the first fixed gear bikes here in Milan at the same time i was buying parts from dead stocks of old italian bicycle shops and using them on my friends bikes while selling the most collectable items on the internet, after i finished the deadstock of gipiemme 716 rims I decided to produce high profile rims by my self and needed a name, here it is where DODICI was born and it was back in 2006, in 2007 became my main job i started hiring some friends but Dodici was still inside an apartment/loft, we opened the first shop in via pietrasanta in 2009 and finally moved to a more visible location in 2012 in via conchetta 17. If asked to name some of the brand i like i need to say , first af all: Campagnolo, this brand will always be in my heart , campagnolo is from my home town and since i was i kid i always loved the beauty and preciousness of the is product. frame wise i love the lines of the old Pogliaghi. COULD YOU TOLD ME PLEASE ABOUT COMPETITIONS AND EVENTS AROUND SHOP YOU ORGANISE, HELP TO MAKE IT HAPPENED. we sponsor alley cats around the globe on weekly basis and of course we give logistic and physi-
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cal support to almost all the races happening around the milano area, dodici supports bike messengers in Milano and Rome, we are official sponsor of Call me daddy and Milano bike polo and we just started our very own squadra corse, the racing team for the amateur circuit in north italy. FUTURE PROJECTS. in the future we are about to lunch new rim profiles , improve our current model of frames and finish the all new website with tons of items in it! WHERE DO YOU THINK FIXED GEAR BIKE WILL IN A YEAR FROM NOW? MEANING CLASSIC/MODERN FIX & TRICK FIX FREESTYLE. i see fixed gear cycling being stronger every day, in the beginning only the hip and trendsetter type of people where using these bikes but i feel a great joy inside when i see kids of 14-16 coming to the shop to get them self a fixed gear good quality made in italy bicycle instead of the motorbike as a tool of their personal independence . I will love to see fixed gear bike becoming a life companion for everyone that needs a fast reliable simple bicycle for the everyday transportation while still preserving your own personal style. ANY SHOUT OUTS we love bikes! support your local scene and have fun!
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Photos: Greg Falski Text: Greg Falski and Saskia Haex LIKE MANY FIXED GEAR CREWS ROTJE ROND STARTED DOING THEIR THING BECAUSE THERE WERE NOT MANY FIXED-RELATED EVENTS BEING ORGANISED IN THEIR CITY. A couple of years ago the Rotterdam fixed community had been quite tight. The foundation for this community had been the website Rotterdam Fixed Gear and the 24K shop. Since the shop went bankrupt and the site went offline a void was left and most of the riders went their own way, trading their conversion fixed bikes for roadbikes, Cyclocross or FGFS. The number of riders increased quite a bit over the two years since RFG went offline and the urge to ride together with friends and likeminded peeps grew. It was the perfect time to start a new crew for organising races and rides in Rotterdam. So Rotje Rond was founded in November 2011, by Lamri, Farid, Tarik & Saskia. In one year they organised about 10 events: alleycats, sprints, rides and even a bike market. All of which took place in the area of Rotterdam. And to finish the year off…a 1 year jubilee event: a Rollapaluza.
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Like in the old days the rollersprint was taking place in a bar. The guys from Fixerati Antwerp/Rollapaluza Belgium brought their whole rollersprint kit and set it up perfectly in time. While all the visitors and racers came in the dj was playing some nice tunes and photographer David van Bennekom was making some oldskool analog portraits with his antique camera. Locals and out of towners filled up the small bar and as the contest commenced the sweat started pouring and with every contest closer to the final the crowd went louder and louder. The final race was
Ladies: 1. Farah Zannouri 2. Saskia Haex 3. Lana Vermeegen
Men: 1. Piet Hugen 2. Roland Cos 3. Rowan Graafland
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McKeag photos and text: PAUL BALTODANO
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FOR THIS 12 ISSUE OF SOFB WE HAVE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JOE MCKEAG BY PAUL BALTODANO. APART OF KILLER PHOTOS YOU CAN CHECK WHAT JOE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT FGFS SCEAN AND HIS PLANS FOR 2013. PLEASE ENJOY!
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McKeag
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HOW OLD ARE YOU - AND WHERE EXACTLY ARE YOU BASED? I’m 20 years old and I’m from Long Beach, California. Best place ever. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN RIDING FGFS - DID YOU COME FROM ANOTHER SO CALLED "ACTION-SPORT" AND WERE SWITCHING TO FGFS AS A LOT OTHER FREESTYLE RIDERS DID? I skated for about 2 years during middle school and then I moved my way up to BMX for 2 and half years. And now I’ve been riding fixed gear for about 4 years and I’ve been riding FGFS for 3 years. WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN INTENTION BY RIDING FGFS, AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO GO FIXED & NOT FREEWHEEL WHEN YOU STARTED TRICKING ON A BIKE? I used my FGFS bike as a commuter back in the day when it still had a positive BB and 700c wheels and then I realized you could do as many tricks as BMX but with an added level of possibilities such as difficulty because of the pedaling. I prefer riding fixed because I feel more comfortable on a bigger bike with having more control at the same time by using straps. WHO WAS YOUR MAIN INFLUENCE WHEN YOU STARTED RIDING FGFS? WHICH TRICKS AND RIDERS FASCINATED YOU MOST IN THE PAST - AND WHICH ONES IN THE PRESENT?
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Wonka and Congie aka Congo had the most influence on my riding style. Tabletops, barspins, and 540’s have always had my interest, so I really wanted to perfect those tricks and have them on lock just because I love them! YOU'VE CHANGED A FEW SPONSORS OVER THE LAST YEAR – WHAT WAS THE REASON BEHIND THAT? MATERIALS, BUSINESS, OR THE BRANDS’ POSSIBILITIES? HOW IS YOUR CURRENT SITUATION AND HOW ARE YOU INVOLVED IN THAT NEW COLLABORATION? My previous sponsors weren’t good for their word and didn’t hold up their end of the deal. Right now I have the best companies backing me like Bombtrack bicycles, Zen grips, Royal HC, heavypedal and Bumsteads bikes, they have all done so much for me lately and the position that I’m in is great. I wouldn’t change any of it for the moment. EVEN IF YOU ARE BEING SPONSORED BY VARIOUS BRANDS, WE ASSUME YOU CAN’T LIVE AND PAY YOUR MONTHLY RENT 100% YET FROM BIKING. HOW DO YOU EARN YOUR MONEY BESIDES RIDING? I work with my family and do random jobs to get by and support myself; you have to have a roof over your head and food on the table. I live with my homie Paul from Royal HC, and I’m always chilling at the fixie factory with Antonyo, Congo, Kris and the Daniels. IN EUROPE FGFS IS STILL A PUNKY SUBCULTURE FULL
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OF ATTITUDE AND NOT YET A MASS-TREND (IN OPPOSITE TO THOSE COLORED ALUMINUM BIKES YOU SEE ON EVERY CORNER). BUT THOSE THAT RIDE FGFS IN EUROPE ARE CONNECTED TO IT AND TAKE THEIR BIKING VERY SERIOUSLY. HOW IS THE SITUATION OVER THERE AT YOUR HOME BASE - IF YOU GO RIDING, HOW MANY PEOPLE MEET USUALLY AND IS A FGFS RIDER COMMON IN THE DAILY CALIFORNIAN LIFE – OR RARE? Hahaha there is a ton of kids that ride here just because it’s cool, and all their friends have “fixies’’ too. Usually when we all meet up to ride there is anywhere from 5 to 30 adults and kids that are ready to shred and chill. It also depends on the area like los Angeles, Long Beach and Culver City/ Venice area. 8. What would you say is the average age of FGFS riders in California? The age range is about 15 to 19 I’d say, but all the established riders are older than that and have been riding way longer. FGFS wasn’t the way it is now when the 20 to 25 year old age range was just entering the sport 4 years ago. It has changed and progressed like crazy and has done what BMX took 20 years to do. RECENTLY SOME COMPANIES DISCONTINUED THEIR FGFS LINES WITHIN THEIR USUAL BIKE ASSORTMENT AND SOME BRANDS QUIT SPONSORING RIDERS. OBVIOUSLY FOR SOME COMPANIES IT WAS NOT WORTHWHILE TO KEEP
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AT IT AS THEY EARN MORE MONEY WITH SELLING MOUNTAIN BIKES, BMX BIKES OR ANYTHING ELSE. IT SEEMS ONLY 100% FGFS DEDICATED BRANDS SEEM TO HAVE STAYED ALIVE AND SHARE THE MARKET. IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING ON CALIFORNIAN STREETS – WHICH BRANDS ARE PRESENT AT THE MOMENT? It sucks to see companies just enter the sport, make a good product, then leave as soon as they aren’t making as much money as they once were. It’s like they have no faith and don’t want to support an industry that made them money for a few years. It’s great to still have all the dedicated companies in FGFS. There is currently a good amount of everything out here but Unknown has the biggest presence in Long Beach right now. 10. What is your main focus when riding FGFS? I just really want to be as smooth and stylish as possible. I’ll redo a trick over and over until I’m happy with it. It’s a blessing and a curse at the same damn time!! I want to prove all the negative people wrong by doing tricks that ”can’t be done on a fixed gear” also. A backflip has been done now and people said it will never be done. ARE YOU PLANNING TO TAKE PART OF CONTESTS OR JAMS IN 2013 – IF SO, WHICH ONES WILL IT BE? ANY ROAD TRIPS PLANNED THIS YEAR?
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I'M 20 YEARS OLD AND I'M FROM LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA. BEST PLACE EVER. Joe McKeag
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JayJay Rotterdam Photo: John Prolly www.prollyisnotprobably.com 72
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Red Bull Ride n Style, Summer Fix and Midwest Mayhem!
WAS IT BECAUSE YOU HAVE A HUUUGE HELMET SPONSORING DEAL - OR ANYTHING ELSE?
WHICH NEW TRICKS ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON AND PLANNING TO LAND IN 2013?
I am super stoked that you guys like the fact that I wear a helmet! I didn’t do it to go against the trend, I did it for safety. When I was growing up my parents wouldn’t let me ride unless I wore a helmet, so I kind of embraced it. Even with wearing a helmet I’ve had 8 concussions. I’m really happy that the younger kids are realizing that they need to protect themselves and as the tricks get bigger the consequences get bigger as well.
I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I’m not going to call them out but hopefully I accomplish them for everyone to see. They will be the first time anyone has done them on a fixed gear bike. WHICH BLOGS WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IF ANYONE IN EUROPE WANTS TO GET INFORMED ABOUT FIXED GEAR FREESTYLE – WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION FROM? My favorite blog is TTV. Then all of the others like SOUNDTRACK, PROLLY, WOLFDRAWN, ZLOG and FIXIE FAMOUS. I am really into all the stuff that Thieth posts up, the roots, skate stuff and music are on point! OBSERVED FROM A DISTANCE YOU ALSO SEEM TO SET UP A NEW AND REASONABLE TREND BESIDE YOUR RIDING. EVOLVING FROM BMX IT WAS (AND IS) A "NO GO" TO GET PHOTOS AND CLIPS PUBLISHED WHILE WEARING A HELMET. You just didn’t and don’t care and since your first photo showed up you were wearing your helmet. After a term of some sceptical views in the beginning kids started respecting and looked up until you see nowadays more and more yourng riders wearing a helmet while training. WE SALUTE THIS TREND A LOT. WHAT WAS YOUR INTENTION BY WEARING A HELMET FROM THE FIRST MINUTE? WAS IT RATHER TO BE OUTSTANDING AND EXTRAORDINARY OR WAS IT ACTUALLY FOR SAFETY,
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DO YOU HAVE A VIMEO ACCOUNT TO WATCH YOUR CLIPS? If you search Joe McKeag for Bombtrack, that video was posted from my personal account that I just recently made to start uploading more stuff; I really need my own account so I could promote myself better and get out there more. YOU ARE NO STRANGER TO PUSHING BARRIERS. IN YOUR LATEST WELCOME EDIT FOR BOMBTRACK, YOU DID THE FIRST 720 AND THE FIRST TRUCK TAP 180 THAT HAS EVER BEEN DONE ON FIXED (AS FAR AS WE KNOW). HOW DID YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT, AND DID YOU EVER THINK THAT FGFS WOULD GET TO THAT POINT? I’ve always wanted to push myself as hard as I could with anything I’ve done and FGFS is no exception. I’m super stoked that I was the first one to do it. The 720 was something I was able to do on BMX so I just transfered it over to FGFS and was lucky enough to be the first person to land it on film and I’m super pumped about that. The truck tap 180 came along while I was messing around with 3 tap 180s so I just figured I could throw the bar and sure enough it worked out fine!
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VIENNA
Piratislava Photos: Greg Falski and Herr Karl Text: Greg Falski
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I went to Vienna in late December to spend New Year's Eve with my beautiful girlfriend, just to find out this city is changing to be the Bike City 2013! Whilst checking out the 'FixDich' shop, Danny who runs the shop, invited us for the 'Piratislava' ride... Some local crews were working together with the Velo Vienna during the first weekend of the year to organise the 'Piratislava' ride 80km from Vienna to Bratislava. They showed a great spirit when all the riders transformed their bikes to ship wrecks for a day! Sails, weapons, firecrackers and pirat flags were a must! From the old city centre of Vienna they took on the battle ground for the whole way to Bratislava- in the rain!On the road a treasure hunt.. apparently tons of fun! Please enjoy the photos!
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Photos: Herr Karl
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THIS YEAR WE WILL BE COVERING MORE EVENTS FROM THE VELO-CITY 2013 - STAY TUNED! TITTLE OF THE ARTICLE
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OTHER SIDE OF LENS Issue 12 with
P R O L L Y JOHN WATSON AKA PROLLY IS MAN BEHIND ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR BIKE BLOGS: PROLLYISNOTPROBABLY.COM WITH LAST COUPLE YEARS HE DOCUMENT MANY EVENTS AND HE IS PUSHING HIS PHOTOGRAPHY MORE AND MORE...
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INTERVIEW with John Watson
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YOU LIVES IN TEXAS, HOW THIS INFLUENCE YOU AND YOUR WORK? I live in Austin, Texas and the locals will tell you “don’t move here”! Why? Because it’s cheap, the food is amazing, it’s really not like the rest of Texas and the road riding is phenomenal. It’s also the BMX mecca of the world. Since moving here, I’ve been able to ride out of my door and in 3 miles, be in some serious hills. It’s made me enjoy riding my track bike and road bike in this terrain a lot more than NYC did (moved to Austin from NYC in 2010). I also bought a BMX and love hitting curb jibs and parks. There’s not really a FGFS scene here, so it makes it hard to get out and ride that as much as I used to. WHATS YOUR FAVOURITE TIME OF DAY LIGHT TO SHOOT IN? Obviously the last hour of sunlight but I’m not opposed to a 35mm point and shoot flash at night, either. WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE RIDER TO SHOOT WITH? Tom LaMarche, because he’s so easy. He just rides and you shoot. But I also enjoy shooting BMX riders here in Austin because the scale is so much different than FGFS. Especially when someone is blasting 10-15’ out of a bowl or a quarter.. FILM OR DIGITAL?
JayJay Rotterdam Photo: John Prolly www.prollyisnotprobably.com
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They both serve their purpose for me. You’ll never get the tones, highlight detail or colors of film in a digital SLR. Modern glass sucks when compared to high end film lenses and adapters for DSLRs are bogus. Digital is great for the kind of journalism I do. For instance, I need to be able to shoot a product, event or a bike and post it almost immediately, especially on the
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JayJay Rotterdam Photo: John Prolly www.prollyisnotprobably.com
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Tracko / Photo: John Prolly www.prollyisnotprobably.com
ALWAYS CROP WITH YOUR EYE / GLASS IS BETTER THAN A BODY AND IF YOU WANT YOUR DIGITAL PHOTOS TO LOOK LIKE FILM, JUST FUCKING SHOOT FILM.
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Tanner camera bag or Incase DSLR Pro Pack. The new Poler Expedition bag looks nice as well. I kind of have a thing for camera bags.Usually when I travel, I bring my 35mm Rangefinder and three lenses, my Hasselblad, three film backs, two lenses and my Canon 5D with my 24-70mm f2.8, my 50mm 1.2 and my 70-200 f2.8. Those days it’s probably around the 40lb range. Not to mention my laptop, charges, film, etc. SOFB - MINIMAL SETUP? PROLLY - 50mm f2 Summicron on the Leica, Canon 5d 50mm f1.2 L, 80mm Zeiss on the Hasselblad. SOFB - DREAM LOCATION FOR FILM THIS YEAR?
road. It’s easy to fill a 8GB card, select the ones you like, post process them and put them online. Film is a different beast. I’ll shoot a fraction as much. I’ll take one or two shots, try to capture a moment and a feeling, rather than covering it from all aspects. But getting film processed while traveling is expensive, so I usually save the rolls and develop them when I’m home. Usually, I’ll shoot film when I’m on road rides, out and about doing “touristy stuff” or shooting rider portraits. Over the past 6 months I’ve made some hefty film camera purchases: a Leica M7 and a Hasselblad, so I like to use them frequently. SOFB - YOU RIDING YOURSELF, HOW MUCH DOES THIS AFFECT THE WAY YOU LOOK AT THE SPORT TROUGH YOUR LENS? I’m kind of a stickler for a few things, especially when it comes to shooting bike portraits. You can’t fuck up the side profile of a bike. I like a long focal length so you can tell the geometry of the bike and I’ll always shoot key details at a flat profile before examining them at an angle. I’m an architect by trade /
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education and elevations tell you a lot about a subject, so that spills over to my photography. Vertical lines are always straight, etc. When it comes to action, I like to have barspins clicked at 180*. Don’t even post it online unless they’re clicked. I also like to shoot the less-likely documented things at events. Getting photos of the photographers, or the random shit that happens when no one’s paying attention. All that and I’m still working on the perfect panning shots. Getting the subject completely sharp and in focus, with the background blurred really captures the feeling of speed. A little motion blur on the subject is nice, too. SOFB - YOUR CAMERA BAG? HOW HEAVY ITS? PROLLY - Depends. I don’t like carrying all my lenses and I’m not the person who uses lights. My general feeling is that if I can’t shoot something in natural light, I just wont. Sometimes I’ll use a tripod for low-light, though. Depending on where I’m going, I’ll either use my ILE Ultimate bag, ILE Photo Mini,
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PROLLY - It’s hard to say, running the blog has me traveling the world. Last year I was in Australia, Bali, Indonesia. Who knows where I’ll be this year? Right now, I know that I’ll be back in Australia again and over in Asia. So maybe Europe? I haven’t been to Europe since 2004. It’s long overdue. London would be rad. Or Germany. SOFB - IF YOU COULD GIVE YOUNGER YOU ADVICE ON HIS WAY TO THE FIRST VIDEO PROJECT WHAT WOULD YOU TELL HIM? PROLLY - Act professional and make sure you have your client sign a contract before you even step foot on the job. SOFB - ANY FINAL THOUGHTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD? PROLLY - I’d like to shout out some of my influential cycling photographers: Brian Vernor, Emily Maye, Andy White, Brenton Salo, Damian Riehl, Kyle Kelley and Emiliano / Daniel from Yonder Journal / Manual for Speed. Also, always crop with your eye / glass is better than a body and if you want your digital photos to look like film, just fucking shoot film.
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Paris
BIKE POLO Photos: Greg Falski Text: Greg Falski and Alex
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WHILE VISITING PARIS DURING THE WINTER I HOOKED UP WITH SIMON GAMOK AND THE GUYS FROM ‘LA BICYCLETA’ SHOP. THIS TIME NOT FOR A FGFS SESSION BUT FOR BIKE POLO. BIKE POLO IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE POPULAR AROUND THE WORLD AND THE PARIS, CREWS ARE COMPLETELY CRAZY ABOUT IT! APART OF SEEING VETERANS OF THIS SPORT LIKE MARK FROM STEEL MAGAZINE OR YORGO, ONE OF THE YOUNG PLAYERS GOT MY ATTENTION WITH HIS WILD STYLE. ALEX STARTED TO PLAY ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO. READ HERE WHAT HE HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE PARIS BIKE POLO SCENE:
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ALEX
My name is Alex, i’m 17 years old and i play bike polo. I started bike polo 2 years ago when i saw some guys playing next to my house. Bike polo is so addictive and even more when you live 5 minutes from the court ! I’ve been playing a lot of tournaments for the past 2 years but the only one i’m really proud to have done is the WHBPC 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland, that I played with the Goal Diggers and it was really the perfect spot! The Parisian scene has a lot of great players, like the world champs Lefty Will and Greg, we also have two amazing courts, a real handball/hockey court for the weeks and the famouse Invalides court wich give us a great visibility, this weekend court is also perfect to play some cool polo, as we say in Paris, “Polo plaisir !”. This year i’m proud to play with two of the greatest players in the bike polo scene, Hugo from the famous “Dans ta gueule puceau” team and the young (but older than myself ) UK player Luca from the “Dead rappers”, MVP of the WHBPC 2012! We are planning a lot of tournaments but we only have two tournaments in mind, the EHBPC and WHBPC 2013, we hope to be at least in the top 10 of both!
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Text: Greg Falski Photos: Greg Falski
NINJA
CAT RIDE 96
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IT HAS BEEN A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO SINCE I HAD A CHANCE TO RIDE TOGETHER WITH SOL, NINJA CATS CREW. LUCKILY, WE FOUND A WINDOW IN THIS BAD WINTER WEATHER. SOL TOLD ME THAT HE IS READY TO HIT COUPLE OF SPOTS HE HAD IN HIS MIND. I LIKE TO HEAR THAT IDEAS ESPECIALLY FROM HIM... WE HAD VIDEOGRAPHER WITH US ON THIS ESCAPADE ,WHO IS WORKING ON A SMALL EDIT FOR ‘ILLUSTRATED PEOPLE ‘ - ONE OF THE BRANDS SOL IS RIDING FOR. WHAT CAN I SAY.. FUN TIMES AS USUAL!... PLEASE CHECK A COUPLE OF PHOTOS HERE AND STAY TUNED FOR THE EDIT!
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SNAP SHOT
Hector Ninja Cats Filming last sceans for new edit streets of London
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TRACK Photos & Text: Wojciech Artyniew Artyniew
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Pruszkow
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Indor Track, Pruszkow - couple photos from track in Poland. Small event , you could try yourself on 500 and 1000 meters heats from a standing start and type of a keirin race. Attention.. new the simplest formula, or just race for 8 laps - came out pretty good. TITTLE OF THE ARTICLE
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BRICK LANE BIKES 118 Bethnal Green Road London E2 6DG T: +44 (0)207 033 9053 info@bricklanebikes.co.uk bricklanebikes.co.uk BRICK LANE BIKES ONLINE SHOP bricklanebikesshop.co.uk BLB BIGMAMA DISTRIBUTION blbbigmama.co.uk orders@blbbigmama.co.uk
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BIKE CHECK
Bombtrack Bicycle Co. ”Dash”
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ISSUE 12 WE HAPPY TO PRESENT JOE MCKEAG WHIP!
Fork: BOMBTRACK DASH Handlebar: BOMBTRACK DASH Grips: ZEN Barends: ECLAT BMX CORKX Stem: ECLAT BMX SEAN BURNS Headset: ECLAT BMX DUAL Seat: BOMBTRACK Cranks: BOMBTRACK MAJOR 175MM Bottom Bracket: ECLAT BMX MID Pedals: ECLAT BMX SLASH ALLOY Sprocket: BOMBTRACK 30T MAJOR Gear: 30/10 GEAR Chain: ECLAT BMX DIESEL Tires: SPECIALIZED COMPOUND FOLDABLE 2.25 F, MAXXIS DTH 2.15 R Wheels: BOMBTRACK OWL Modification: CUTTED SEAT TUBE TO WHERE MY SEAT CLAMP SITS FLUSH WITH THE TOP TUBE Tire Pressure: 80-85 PSI
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