Fixed Gear Freestyle has done a lot for me over the years and it still continues to give. Good times, chill vibes and an endless reason to explore new places. This video was filmed in the first few months of 2017 back when I still lived in San Francisco. Shout out to the homies Mike, Jaoa & Ramon for going out and filming. Shooting these things is always a team sport.
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BAY AREAAA // 2017
Filmed By: Mike Schmitt / Jaoa Danaikrit, Ramon Antonio
Check out some screenshots below.
We shot this video back in 2011 when Ed “Wonka” LaForte first moved to the West Coast. San Jose was the Meca for FGFS for a hot minute and had a gravitational pull that brought in riders from all over the country. Ed Wonka was one of those riders. Not only did he crush it on two wheels, but he played a big role in bringing the FGFS community together in the Bay Area.
Flashback to Jaoa Danaikrit’s welcome to Wheel Talk video. Filmed in the Bay Area during his first stay with us back in 2013. Jaoa is like a brother to me and I’m glad we’ve had the chance to travel and spend as much time together as we have. Truly thankful to have friends like this.
Vimeo deleted this video a while back because of copyright issues regarding our righteous song selection. Well I say fuck Vimeo. Today I re-uploaded this video to youtube, which only seems to growing as the video platform of choice. I’ll be going through a lot of our older videos and getting them hosted on youtube over the next few months so keep your eyes peeled for some more Wheel Talk classics.
A glimpse of what’s to come. Here’s a little sneak peek of Devin Tolman wiping the slate clean during the filming of our latest Super Bowl Sunday video here in Portland. There’s so much moss growing all over the place, that I’m glad we were able to put a patch of it to good use. Keep your eyes peeled for the full video dropping later next week.
Leon Li is one of those cats that I’d always see on my ride home. If I saw Leon, then it was pretty safe to say that Georges (Milk Tea Rider) was somewhere close by. Leon has a handful of different track builds, but this red Bridgestone frame is flossin. Steel frames and quill stems are always a winning combo It’s timeless look.
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It’s hard to believe that this is the camera that we used to film the first Wheel Talk videos. Video cameras sure have come a long way since this. The one redeeming factor of this camera is how small and portable it is. Not to mention the fact that it’s nearly impossible to make video look this shitty anymore.
Anyways, here’s an assortment of pocket clips using the flip cam from the last time I was back home in SF. It always feels good to be back among a sea of familiar faces and visit places with a whole different sense of awareness and appreciation. Hits me right in the feels. Everytime. There’s some clips of John Cardiel sandwhiched in the middle of this from when we were filming the Chrome X Antihero video. Some of my favorite footage in this is of everybody at the MASH STORE just hanging out. It’s such a hub for the community that it’s pretty much a guarantee that some of your friends are already there. Loitering mostly, but playing our part and getting to know eachother better one day at a time. Thanks Mike.
Nothing quite beats the look of an LoPro frameset. The homie Ryan Jennings recently picked up an Affinity Cycles 10th Anniversary LoPro and it looks siiiick. I caught these photos of it during the first Roll Up & Roll Out rides we hosted. We were doing the old “stand to the side and take your hand outta frame” trick, but ended up going with these instead. For whatever reason they just felt better. I’m sure I’ll have more photos of this build to share in the future, but for now, just remember that “good days start with great jeans”. Check out more photos below to see what I mean.
Roll Up & Roll Out Number 2 was a huge success. When Ernie & I got to the meetup spot I couldn’t believe that there were already a dozen people hanging out waiting for others to arrive. I thought there might be one or two more people since the last ride, but I was honestly wasn’t expecting 10 more people and 20 more wheels.
It’s really great to see that Portland has such a rad community of people on track bikes. We’ll have to keep the ball rolling on this and set up another ride this weekend. Just checked the weather. Looks like it’s a go. What do you think? Same time, same place, new destination? We’ll be there on Sunday at noon underneath the westside of the Burnside Bridge. Be there or be square.
Check out a bunch more photos of Slam Dunk Ernie & the gang below. See y’all this weekend.
