The Radavist

LA has a bad rep for cycling. Just the other day I got in a debate with someone at a bar because they literally said “LA sucks for cycling”. I laughed, thinking they were referring to the hashtag (right?), only to find a solid 10 minute debate followed. Basically, any city is what you make of it. It’s your attitude and approach that changes your outlook.

I went through so much film during my last stay in Los Angeles and that’s probably because we rode every single day. Some of the rides I had done before, but having Andy along brought a new perspective. We rode mostly cross bikes and even the “road rides” had a fair amount of dirt thrown in.

Here’s a collection of a few rides, in a playful Photoset. See more in the Gallery!

Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4 / Fuji Pro400H

So there we were, planning our drive to Las Vegas for Interbike when Andy throws out the idea “mates, let’s go to the Grand Canyon”, like it’s on the way or something. Personally, I’d rather spend a day or two riding in LA than on the road, so I schemed with Kyle on how to convince the Aussie that there are perfectly fine parks not as far out of the way.

Solution: Zion National Park. We’d drive straight through Vegas and head two hours east. Get there in time to swim and then go on a hike before camping that night. Simple enough. So we drove and landed in Zion with two hours of sunlight remaining. Our agenda: Angel’s Landing.

I had one roll of film left.

See more in the Gallery!

Tools of the trade:
Leica M7 / Zeiss 28mm / Fuji Pro400H

It’s the end of Summer. That means my busiest time of year is finally over. After finally combing through all my random film scans, I’ve pulled together a big photoset filled with shots from all over the globe. From Zurich to Columbus, there are some gems in this one. See for yourself in the Gallery!

Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4 / Leica M7 28mm / Neopan 400

For some self-deprecating reason, we decided to go ride mountain bikes in Topanga, the day after we climbed Mt. Gleason. Nothing like getting out of bed at the crack of dawn the morning after a 100 mile, 10,000′ ride. Was it worth it? Hell yes.

Topanga Creek Bicycles supplied Andy and me with rentals and Sean from Team Dream Bicycling Team was our guide. On the agenda for the day: Backbone, J-Drop, Sullivan, Snake Stick, Squirrel Cage and other trails, but first, we’d start the day climbing all of Cheney into the trail system.

Basically, we had a cold start and climbed around 1,200′ in two miles. It sucked and the climbing didn’t stop there, because to go down, first you must go up. We totaled our day with 30 miles and 4,500′. The only thing that kept me from cracking at the end of the ride was the delicious banana bread the guys at Topanga Creek Bicycles had cooked up!

See more in the Gallery!

Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4
Neopan 400

Like many cyclists who have spent time in the Angeles Forest, I know that the roads and ranges can be very unforgiving, especially during the hottest time of the year. Over the years, I’ve been up a number of the area’s HC climbs and every time, I’m reminded of the massive undertaking a 100 mile ride is in these parts.

Mt. Gleason is no exception. In fact, I’d argue it’s harder than Cloud Burst and Baldy. The difficulty lies in the shear steepness of the climbs and the full exposure from the sun. If you’re going to go, go early! Had it not been for the two fire stations and the spigots, we all would have cracked…

Our ride began heading out with the sunrise, en route to Big T. From there, we spiked off up this little prick of a peak known as Mt. Gleason. Come mile 50, we’d already hit over 8,000′ in elevation. We climbed for 30 miles straight, got to the top and then had to climb out of Clear Creek. If you’re familiar with that area, you know what kind of an undertaking that is.

Totals for the day were 100 miles and 10,000′. Nice and even. If you feel so inclined, here’s our route.

One of the main reasons for taking on this ride is the exceptional views over the fire-torn mountain tops. It’s truly breathtaking. See more in the Gallery!

Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4
Fuji Pro400H

Now, I won’t say the following tidbit of information was all that surprising to me. I’m not really a numbers person when it comes to running the site, but I do like to pay attention to what you, the readers, respond to. Not necessarily traffic, per say, or comments, or trackbacks, or whatever but when a bike gets as much love as Seth’s 650B MTB did, I take notice and as I said, I wasn’t surprised. This thing has pizzaz in a world of mediocrity.

While the serenity of a solo bike photo shoot is nice, sometimes I like to get the builder to hold their work of art and pose for a few photos. Case in point: Seth and his Rosko 650B MTB! Check out more in the Gallery!

Tools of the trade:
Mamiya 7ii / 80mm / expired Kodak Portra 400

A visit to New York wouldn’t be complete without me bugging Seth Rosko for at least an afternoon. In the past, I’ve tried to document his workspace but have never been 100% satisfied with the outcome, until this visit. The thing about Seth’s workshop is that it’s most likely smaller than your bedroom…

His shop measures roughly a four meter cube, barely big enough for two grown men to move about, much less a Bridgeport, jigs, tubes, component boxes and bikes. Every time I come back to see Seth, the shop is more dialed in and this time, I am confident with the documentation.

Seth’s been working a lot of keeping up with his grassroots racing support. A lot of up and coming racers in NYC are riding his steel bikes and that’s something he’s very passionate about. Cross, MTB, road, it doesn’t matter. If you pedal it fast in circles, he can build it.

Check out a few photos from my Shop Visit to Rosko Cycles in the Gallery!

While local developer group, Two Trees Management begins to plan construction on the lot across from the now defunct Domino Sugar factory on Kent avenue in Williamsburg, Ride Brooklyn snatched it up for a year-long lease. After working on the site for weeks, the Ride Brooklyn staff, along with volunteers have finally opened the gates to the first ever Brooklyn Bike Park.

This football field sized pump track offers various lines to rip on, depending on the rider’s skill level. When I was in New York a few weeks back, I stopped by to check it out and shoot some photos of this dirt oasis.

Check out more narrated photos in the Gallery!