One Frame To Rule Them All.

Hand-me-down frames used to be the norm. Back when Standard ruled the East Coast, it seemed like half the riders in the city were on second-hand (or third- or fourth-hand) STAs. And why not? They lasted forever, and who wanted to pay $330 for a brand-new one if it was just gonna get beat to shit anyway?

For the most part, those days are over. As frames get lighter and lighter, they get more and more disposable (although, alas, no cheaper). You can still find used frames, of course, but they're a lot more likely to be dented, twisted or otherwise mangled. And actually, with half the city riding for somebody (or just knowing somebody), there are always new frames to be had at less than retail. Not to mention people switching out frames from week-to-week—so I suppose the hand-me-down idea actually is very much alive, just with newer product.

Which brings us to the battered green frame you see up top (and below—in an exhaustive collection of photos). It's a rarity in more ways than one. For starters, it's one of the first Sunday frames ever made. I believe Jim Cielencki himself rode it first [CORRECTION: I spoke to Jim, and he did NOT ride it. My bad.], and it was the frame that appeared in the first Sunday ad. Then, in less than a year:

• Mike Hoder took possession, and was riding it when he 360ed over the Sean Burns gap at the Brooklyn Banks (see the Lotek Mixtape for footage).

• It was passed on to Vinnie Sammon, who rode it as his first Sunday frame.

• Big James got it, and rode it for a while. I believe the huge table out of the Banks (the very first shot on my blog) was on this bike.

• Mike Brennan had it for the Tiseo Jam this summer, and rode it for at least part of his Shook part. It survived sprocket stalls to over seven-foot drops to flat. More than once.

• Then it went to Blackman, who did God knows what on it. Hopped onto police cars, jumped off things that shouldn't have been jumped off of.


And now it sits in my apartment, waiting to go back to Buffalo. Jim sent Blackman a brand-new '07 frame in exchange for it, and I expect it will get a place of honor at the Sunday shop/offices. The amazing part? No dents or cracks. And still straight as an arrow. It looks beat, sure, but it's still perfectly rideable. A fresh coat of paint, and it would look brand-new. Not bad for a 5.4 pound frame that's been through the hands of some of the biggest street killers on the East Coast.

NEW ANIMAL BOB BARS.

Who would have thought it? Bob Scerbo buying into the whole "wider is better" revolution? And in chrome, no less? Apparently he's been spending a little too much time out of the New York/New Jersey area. He's not running brakes again quite yet, but if he decides to, he'll have plenty of room for the levers. Chroming was expensive, but well worth it jusdging by the finished product. The new bars are 28" wide and 8" high, and will retail for about $15 more than the current Bob Bars. Same sweep and bend.

According to Ralph, Bob "just wanted to try something different, and there was no way I was gonna let him run Slams."

(None of the aforementioned is true. Well, except for the measurements. In reality, that's two pairs of uncut GT bars from the early '90s, the bars that the "Bob Bars" are based on. One pair actually IS going to Bob—he doesn't have any of the old ones left—the other pair is probably destined for one of my bikes. And while it wouldn't surprise me if Bob ran the GTs, you can expect them to be cut down and—probably—painted black.)

Global Warming.

Woke up yesterday at the crack of 2 p.m. and turned on NY1 to check the weather. According to the little box in the corner, it was 72 degrees. 72? In NYC? In January? I had to open my bathroom window and stick an arm out just to make sure they weren't kidding. They weren't. Didn't even bother to wake up more, just threw on whatever was closest and rolled down to the Banks. It was crowded, of course, but just to be wearing a t-shirt in January was bliss. Never did get my camera out of my bag—which is unfortunate, because apparently Garrett Reynolds trucked the steps. To flat. And I didn't even see it.

Today it's in the 50s, which feels chilly compared to yesterday, but still downright tropical for NYC. I should be riding, but with my main bike down for the count (broken cranks) it's a day for laundry, football and finally updating (my bad) this site.

And I guess what this update is about is this—it doesn't have to be 70 in winter for people to be killing it. While some riders seem to disappear in October and hibernate until spring, others just bundle up and stay out there 24/7/365. Like Skinny. He's in Cali right now (or somewhere out West anyway), but this is what he was doing from 12/28-30 in the City. RIDING. You can check the image file names for exact dates if you're interested.


"Hey! I'm gonna do a fakie wallride and make a face!" Um, OK.

Fakie wallride to barspin. Progression. Joey Piazza behind the lens on the other side.

50-50 around the corner (sort of—sticky icky icky) at St. Vincent's. Someone wanna buy me a fisheye?

Good trick, bad photo. That's what I get for shooting from the hip.

Much better. Suicide no-hander up the wood.


(Oh yeah—also ran into Keith who does Ride LI yesterday. Cool site with great photos of guys from LI and the City. Check it out.)

Happy Holidays.

Yeah, man. The weather in NYC is still delightful, although the post-Christmas shoppers are wearing on my last nerve. LOOK UP WHEN YOU CROSS THE STREET, ASSHOLES. I'm definitely gonna be hitting somebody this week, I can feel it.

Haven't been riding much lately—was back home on Strong Island for Christmas, and I don;t have a bike at the folks house right now. I have every intention of building up an old Standard to leave there one of these days. Preferably a Trail Boss, although I don't actually have one yet. If you've got a 21", let me know.

I stopped by the old hometown bike shop while I was home, and man, it's scary what they still have laying around. Not only do they still have a bunch of BMX stuff from the '80s (I bought a set of GT folding forkstanders from roughly '86 still sealed in the package), but they have tens of thousands of dollars of '90s mountain bike parts (including a complete titanium Mongoose, of all things) all still listed at their original retail prices. I find it hard to believe they ever sell anything. And while I'm pretty sure I got the last pairs of Shimano DX pedals out of there years ago, but I still hesitate to mention the name of the shop lest it get cleaned out by some enterprising eBayer. Find it, you won't.

Other than that, I got to contribute a top five list to Defgrip, wrote up something on the Brooklyn Banks for the next FBM zine (good lookin' out, Steve), and I took the Odyssey Twisted PC pedals off my coaster bike (and added an Evo II front brake). Heading out now (with the camera), so hopefully I'll get some new flicks soon. Otherwise I'm gonna have to make something up. Like BMX resolutions for '07. Hm. That might be fun anyway.

Stay tuned.

Quit Your Day Job

Recently I wrote a story on Bob Scerbo for an upcoming issue of Ride UK (issue 100, if I remember correctly). While I was doing the research for it, I watched Don't Quit Your Day Job a bunch of times. It's not like I wasn't already familiar with it, but I wanted to make sure I remembered everything.

Those of you who know me, know that I have a little bit of a bike problem. OK, a lot of a bike problem. I probably have more BMX bikes and parts in my apartment than any shop in the city. So watching DQYDJ gave me an idea for my latest project. And when I found a 1" chrome Standard Lengthy frame and fork on eBay for $45 shipped, it all came together.

I call this one Project: Taubin, for obvious reasons. It still needs a Standard axle in the front, and a set of chrome Standard pegs, but other than that it's pretty much perfect. I never had a Lengthy back in the day (just an S&M Dirt Bike and then a long run of STAs), so it's about time I had one. And of course I had to ride it.

Took it to the Banks this weekend, set up with an Animal 45t sprocket (too new-school to keep on) and Standard two-piece Strips (the six-piece were more appropriate). It rode really well, except for the usual early '90s problems (the chain tensioners, front hub and headset all loosened up). There were a whole bunch of kids there, and they were all staring at the chrome. One kid, braces gleaming, rolled up on his Fit or whatever to ask a question: "Is that some sort of old race frame?"

Maybe some other people need to watch DQYDJ, too.

Blackman!

Whenever I run into Blackman, two things are guaranteed: 1) his bike is fucked up somehow, and 2) he wants me to shoot some photos. Usually it's just MySpace stuff—as was this—but this one was good enough to share. He's been talking about doing it for a while, last night was the night. Oh yeah, his chain was so tight that the cassette sounded like a chainsaw.

The Gonz—the original

Two days of posts in a row! Amazing.

Went to the Banks last week (on the 28th, to be exact) to ride a little, only to find an entire camera crew camped out in front of the main wallride pillar. Still and video. Turns out it was an adidas shoot, featuring one Mark Gonzales. That would be the Gonz, the OG Gonz, the one who essentially invented street skating back in the '80s. One of the illest skaters of all time. So, despite the fact that no one else could ride, it was actually OK. How often do you get to see an exclusive session with a legend?

So I sat in the back, pulled out my camera, and tried to time my shots with the professional flash. Did pretty well, too, probably got eight out of 10. These are the best of them.

Height

I don't mean to be getting all weekly on everyone. My bad, I promise to be a little more alive. I guess part of it's been that I haven't been shooting as much—and it's finally feeling a little like winter out there. Dipping into the 30s this week, sweet. Thanks to the weather changes, I'm also working on my first killer cold of the season.

Anyway.

Rumor has it that James Dickens is gonna pump up the volume this year and hit all the high-bunnyhop comps. And, if you know him, you know that a lot of people are gonna be in trouble. Late-night Banks hop over a construction barrel. Clean as a whistle.

I'm Back.

Well, between Thanksgiving, some super-nice weather (which is still with us for the time being) and lots of work, I kind of lost track here for a second. My apologies. I got a few shots over the past couple days, but haven't even uploaded them yet. Which means you're getting another old photo—and I haven't even decided which one yet.

Been hectic in the city lately. Lots of filming going on (for Skavenger—see Grindstate for more on that, and Prototype), lots of bangers dropping, lots of people getting broken off. Some more than others. Marlon, who normally does hang fives like some people do manuals, slipped on one on a narrow ledge and broke a couple toes. Badly. He spent the night in the hospital, and is out of commission for at least a month. Get better soon, Marlon.

It's funny, though, because this might be the last good week for a long while. Winter's coming, and these 65-degree days can't last forever. Edwin's leaving for three weeks or so on a DC trip with some other stops, and by the time he gets back it'll probably be time for the northern migration of the triple-fat goose.

Oh yeah, a photo. Dave Roman with a wallride to X back in September. Gonna be harder to do these now that you're running those Slams, Dave.

Wormz on Defgrip.

The interview is up. And I've got a lot more shots here that I may as well post up (sent some to FBM as well—I believe in sharing the wealth). Wormz is gonna blow up big this year, I can feel it. About goddamn time, too.


Brooklyn Banks railhop. Up the bank, over the stairs and rail to flat. I thought the contrast with the autumn foliage looked neat.

Fakie barspin on the steepest part of the bank. Not only is the rollout sketchy, but there's no lip or anything. He threw a whole bunch of these, and even the misses looked good.

George D. rail, Brooklyn, NY. This spot's right over the Brooklyn Bridge, and has been sessioned by everyone from George Dossantos (duh) to Will Taubin. Wormz fired out this icepick first take. Look at his face—it's as easy as pedalling down the block.

Oh yeah, big ups to Rob-O for comin' through with a copy of Fitlife. It was worth the wait (damn, Van Homan).

Wormz shoot.

Went out with Wormz a couple days ago (Friday, to be exact) to shoot some photos for an interview he did with defgrip. Figured I'd post one here—I'll post more (and a link) when the defgrip stuff goes up. Actually, you might want to click on over there right now to check out the interview with Will Taubin.


(Oh yeah, it's worth noting that he didn't really like this photo, and absolutely didn't want me to send it to defgrip. I didn't. Although if I ever pulled a turndown like this (especially on a steep, sketchy bank), I'd probably print up t-shirts with the image and wear one every day. Then again, I ain't no pro. Wormz is the best.)

Muffinman!

My main man Muffinman, no homo. Joshua Aaron Fuentes is 17, runs uncut Slam Bars and bright-ass Profile hubs, and says 'no homo' more than anyone alive. He also does whips to the pedals and all sorts of disaster variations, no homo. My man Shino has an interview and some rad videos up on Grindstate. Go check it out, no homo.

Brooklyn Banks, August, no homo.

Footjam nosepick, October, no homo.

Tapes

I found this box of tapes outside my apartment buiding one night as I returned home from riding. I didn't take any of them, because I've got way too much crap to begin with, but had to take a picture because I thought it was an interesting mix. Queen Bee!

NigelCo.

Was sitting on the basketball court at the Banks today, frustrated to the point of bike-throwing over hang fives (today wasn't my day), when the SK3 rang. T.I.'s, "Ride Wit' Me." Meaning it was a fellow rider. Nigel Sylvester, to be exact. Calling from LAX, where he was waiting for a return flight to NYC. I didn't really ask what he was up to out there—but he's sure got a lot going on right now between MirraCo, Nike 6.0, and whatever other new sponsors he's down with. Hopefully this means—at the very least—he's gonna be getting more coverage. Here's a few shots to tide you over.

180 bar up the stairs on We The People, August.

Huge 180 bar flyout on MirraCo, October. Actually, this may have been a double bar attempt, or a bar-to-bar back. Whatever it was, it was HIGH.

Skinny!

Is the best, period. He's always down to ride, and—more importantly—always down to scavenge a piece of wood so everyone can ride the Union steps. And I don't think I've ever seen him mad. Ever! I was super-stoked when he got on Volume, because he deserves a spot on a real company more than anyone I know. He reps BASE Bkln and Animal HARD (check the screened Abercrombie shirts for proof), and he did a lot for Bulldog that went unappreciated. If Jimmy Mac had listened more, maybe the company could have actually kept some of its better riders (and, um, had frames with internal headsets).

I've seen Skinny do some amazing things—like 180 bars anywhere and everywhere, and putting his bottom bracket back in with a rock. I also have no doubt that, if you needed it, he'd give you the shirt off his back. Logos and all.

Tailwhip up the wood, Brooklyn Banks, 8/12/06.

Edwin De La Rosa

I've known Edwin for a long time now—since he was just another scrappy kid rolling around on a second-hand (probably more like fourth-hand) cracked STA. Thing is, Edwin was never "just another" anybody, really. He was always doing something worth watching. And when he got put on Fit (good move, Robbie), he just got better. Quickly. He let the haters hate and just produced banger after banger, progressing at a geometric rate (check the difference between his parts in Turbulence and the first Animal video—let alone Can I Eat?, All Day and Fitlife (still waiting, Robbie)).

After however many years of riding, Ed hasn't let anything grind him down. To me, at least, he's the same quiet dude I met way back when. He may be living in Philly now, but it's always good to see him back in NYC. He may not have started the whole four-peg, no-brake thing (Will Taubin, motherfuckers), but he's done much to preach the gospel of street riding to the masses worldwide. And with Fit, DC and Animal on his side, he should continue to do so for a long time.

*Disclaimer* I've ridden two Ed frames, both acquired courtesy of Nick Benson at Fit. While I'm not running one at the moment, I have nothing but love for those guys. You too, Robbie. Get back out here more often.

Straightforward street gap, Bond Street off Broadway, NYC. Warm-up stuff...

...for this. 360 street gap, stomped clean. Same spot 10 minutes later.

Something on the Banks pillar—360 wallride, maybe. Bob Bars, yep.

Random photo post

As I continue to go through the hundreds (thousands?) of photos I've shot over the past couple months, I'll need to do the occasional photos-only post to keep things moving (and hopefully interesting). Eventually maybe I'll even be caught up.


Launchpad's Halloween costume. If you don't know who he's supposed to be, please kill yourself.


These guys rolled past Union Square more than once this summer/fall in their matching $200,000-plus cars (a Ferrari F430 droptop and a Lamborghini Gallardo—I think), zooming around other traffic and stopping to talk—about what, who knows? Probably supermodels and cocaine. Those Lambo exhaust pipes are, how you say, bitchin'.

BooJuw does pretty good hang fives—better than me, anyway. Another night at Union.

I shot this bird at the Oklahoma City zoo a couple years back when my sister used to live there. I'm not sure where the "ORLY?" phenomenon started, but I'm always glad to partake. SRSLY.

Tyrone Williams, full factory.

Joey didn't pull this particular icepick. I'd like to think it was because the ledge flat-out rejected him (gold and green polka-dot bike? cuffed girl jean shorts? tie as headband?), but he was probably just having a bad minute. I shot the whole sequence, but thought I'd leave well enough alone.

Tyrone Williams

I ain't gonna lie—when you meet Rone for the first time, you might think he doesn't like you. And you might even be right. But you might also be wrong, and if that's the case, you're good. Because there aren't many realer dudes in the greater NYC area.

Besides working a full shift at Metro Bikes on Canal, Rone finds time to produce like crazy. Animal, Prototype NYC, Redline, [fill in shoe sponsor here]—if Rone's riding for someone, he commits 100 percent (on either side of the camera, even). Notice how many ads he's been in lately? Also note the color coordination he's got going on with the signature Piff bars. Always thinkin'. And it's always been like that, even when he was riding a free STA, or getting flow from Fly.

So if you see him rolling, say what's up (whether he's on the NY-monogrammed pegged bike or the raw and orange pegless freecoaster Phantom). It can't hurt. Much.

Up the bank, to alley-oop rollback to halfcab bar back in.
Wallride to tiregrab out.
All previous photos from the Brooklyn Banks, 10/21/06.


Other side of the lens. 10/10/06.

Grease

If Chris Brescia ("Grease," from here on out) didn't have a full-time girl and a part-time dog, he'd probably find a way to actually live at the Banks. OK, and if he wasn't a full-time student and worker as well. Actually, it's hard to believe that he finds time to ride at all, let alone be good at it. He's a bit of an anachronism among New York riders—for starters, he has those two weird clamps on either end of his bike connected by cables to levers of some sort that make his wheels slow down and stop, and—it's probably related—he knows how to use a spoke wrench to make his wheels more round and straight than is usually required. His idea of "dialed" is actually DIALED, not the usual "hey, it rolls when you pedal it."

He won't stop watching the Front Brake Revolution DVD (and if you sit on his couch for more than two minutes, you're gonna end up watching it, too), and considers Rob Ridge and Rick Moliterno to be somewhere up there with DaVinci and Mozart. And, since his time is indeed precious, if you're out there to do something other than ride, he's not interested. Respect that.

Double footplant whip. He pulled it. Now, if he'd only pull a REGULAR whip.

Something resembling a double-peg stall that's more like—whatever. He pulled that, too.


Both shots above from a balmy November 1st, 2006.