Out Of Commission

Life has been crazy, I haven't posted anything in over a month, I've been way too busy with other things.  Maybe I'll be back one day. Much love, over and out.

Things That are Random and Awesome

Spotted on the Huckberry blog

Although these photos are completely unrelated to anything, I could look at them for hours and never stop smiling.  Mexican Hairless FTW.
In other news Rothrock State Forest is unbelievable but I have been having way too much fun to take any pictures, hopefully more on that later.

Accuweather Trails

I'm so excited to be back in State College with my mountain bike, the trails here are endless.  Today I rode the Accuweather trail, it's not huge but it has some crazy turns and lot's of rad obstacles.  The photo is pretty crummy but I was having too much fun to take others.  More trails to come, I'm headed to Rothrock State Forest this weekend.

Leave Lance Alone

Bicycles and the Sartorially Inclined

Photo by The Sartorialist

This photo never gets old.  Tall bikes are awesome, the light is perfect and the rider is lovin' life.  It doesn't get much better.

Erik Jonsson's Pinarello Stelvio

If I had the means to build a road bike right now, it would definitely look a lot like this.  Old Steel, primarily modern components and zipps; such a killer combo.  The bike belongs to Erik Jonsson of The 5th Floor, for more images and a complete parts list, check out their site.

Chemical Brothers: Velodrome

Chemical Brothers 'Velodrome' - London 2012 from CrystalCG International on Vimeo.

Although this video has been making it's rounds, it is absolutely worth another post. I have been a fan of the Chemical Brothers for a long time and the soundtrack for the movie Hanna was the icing on the cake. Chemical Brothers do the Olympics and man do they kill it; groovy.

New Hat Day: Peonfx

I finally got my Peonfx 5-panel camp hat yesterday and I'm really stoked on it. It's a nice fit and the fabric is really cool plus it came with some interesting packaging and a few stickers. Check out more cool Peonfx swag on there store!

Smooth summer jams

Shiftin' Heads Not Gears

As you may have noticed, I have been out of commission for almost a month now, but not to fear! I have been really busy between work and traveling; things are finally starting to settle down and I will have more time for Crank it! A friend showed me the original post at the beginning of June and I'm really diggin' this guy's style (especially the first shot). Leader was an interesting choice for a fashion photo-shoot especially with the flat bars and white tires; questionable.  I think something like this would have been more appropriate. For more of the original spread check Adentro Style.

And then there is this...thanks to Real Men's Wear

The Termites Got Me

So in a nutshell, I have been way too busy which in turn makes me extremely lazy in my free time which leaves little time to post, whomp. On the bright side the Stumpjumber is getting plenty of use climbing, bombing and exploring.

I love when iPhone photos turn out great; this guy is from the inside of a termite eaten tree in the woods.

The Forbidden Drive

Even the sweltering heat couldn't stop this guy. I went into work early today and was able to get off by lunch time and take a ride up to the Forbidden Drive in Fairmount park. All trails are heavily shaded, no one was out and it turned out to be a beautiful ride. I saw the only covered bridge in Philadelphia, bothered some honey bees, checked out a few trails and can't wait to go back for more!

1988 SSpecialized Stumpjumper

This post is long over due but honestly, I have been having way too much fun actually riding it and haven't had much time to post. What is IT you might ask? Well its my new bike! Last week I picked this beauty up in Philadelphia and have been on it ever since. It's such a blast to ride (maybe a little too fun, I'm covered in scrapes from head to toe). You can check out a full parts list on Pedal Room, it's quite the set up. As of right now I'm heading to Forbidden Drive on Friday; STOKED and more to come.

Splinter Bike Quantam

Spotted on Designboom

Having dabbled pretty extensively in woodworking myself, the newest addition to the SplinterBike family immediately caught my eye. A completely wooden monocoque bicycle built for speed. The amount of time and planning put into this bicycle (over 400 hours) blows my mind. Not a single piece of metal was used to create the bike; just old fashioned wood and glue. The video is a bit dry but if you are interested in the technical aspect, it's worth a watch. The handle bars are fabricated from refinished broom handles, gotta love it!

Line of Site Official Trailer

Thanks for this one Tracko

I might be a little late to the party on this one (it only came out two days ago, gimme a break) but my mind is literally blown. There is really nothing to say except that these guys are out of there minds. Seriously who goes charging into a four lane green light in New York City? This had me on the edge of my seat the entire 2:11 and it is only the trailer. I can't wait for the full length film and Lucas Brunelle is a mad man. edit: unbelievable cyclist, I just read his bio and I can hardly believe it.

The Revivalists and The Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the Blockley

Got an unbelievable taste of New Orleans last night, starting off with a few Abidas and a Po Boy and culminating with two of the most unbelievable live performances I have seen in a long time. The Revivalists were the opening act and played a killer show, I have been listening to them for a little while now and honestly their live performance was out of control.  Wild solos by each of the extremely talented band members and consistent soulful vocals made my head spin. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band headlined the show, with a truly epic performance.  Needless to say it was an great time and New Orleans sure knows how to groove.

Road To Paris

Although, I haven't watched it yet, I patiently await the arrival of Lance Armstrong's "Road To Paris", a 27 day chronicle of Lance and the US Postal Service cycling team at the time (2008). There are always haters but it is really undeniable that Lance is one of the most driven people on this planet.  Even if you have no interest in the film, I highly recommend watching this clip of his trainer talking to him during a ride about the treacherous roads ahead.  It just shows you how insane he was during the peak of his performance

2012 Philadelphia International Cycling Championship

Although I wasn't in attendance myself (I had the pleasure of soaking up some rays at the beach) one of my good friends Cat Powers was able to snap a few shots for me.  I'm really digging these two, it's crazy how close to the action she got (the perks of being a Comcast Sports intern).  Next year I'm definitely going to try and make it out, if you missed the race too, check out the Pro Cycling Tour website for more info.  Thanks again Cat!

Ritte Van Vlaanderen Overload

Ever since I saw the radical Ritte window display in Cadence Cycling and Multisport in Manayunk, I fell in love.  The style, craftsmanship and standard colorway are unbelievable,  the team is awesome and who else comes up with ads like this and this?  Fabrication videos are some of my favorites and this is no exception. Plus, the music is dope, which is always an added bonus.



In going with the Ritte theme, this is the best tattoo of all time (sorry for the lack of photo credit, it's an awesome shot that has been sitting in depths of the "random junk" folder).



I'm on Ritte overload right now, too bad I'm a starving college student.

Finding Time

Waking up at six in the morning and working forty hours a week has really been taking a toll.  My Crank it posts have been struggling and I haven't been able to ride nearly as much as I would want.  I have finally been getting into a rhythm and yesterday I was able to get a nice ride in.  The weather has been awesome and it's summer!  Get out there. 

Mystery Messenger

I don't know where I found this painting or who painted it but I just fell upon it in my "random junk" folder so I thought I would share because it is so great. Seriously an awesome idea and if anyone knows the artist I would be very interested in seeing more.  On another note, (see what I did there?) this song is awesome, as are most of the KEXP live sets.  Enjoy!

Hell on Wheels: In Praise of Mutant Bikes

Spotted on LIFE Magazine

The other day a fantastic young woman sent me a link to LIFE Magazine's Hell on Wheels in celebration of bike month and I must say, these bikes are insane.  I posted a few that I thought were pretty whacky but honestly it is 100% necessary to check out the full post.  From a bicycle used to aerate a field to one with square wheels, I'm really not sure what is going on here; 1948 must have been a pretty wild year.

And for your listening pleasure, a modern twist on some jazzy old tunes. It seemed appropriate.

BMC Dream Machine

So I have been admiring this 08' BMC SLX01 for quite some time now, waiting for some photos of it built up but honestly, I just can't wait any longer so I am going throw up what was available.  This repaint bumped BMC up significantly on my "one day I'll get one of those" list.  For a full component rundown check out his Velospace. Still hoping that one day there will be some rad photos of this machine in my inbox, but until then...I can only dream.

Wooden Wave: Board Number 2 Preview

So now that school has finally come to an end, for the time being at least, I have had more time to work on a few projects that I have been meaning to get done.  The first being my second, hand pressed and painted longboard.  It has been pressed since last summer but I finally got around to staining and painting it in the last couple of days.  It's not quite finished but here are a few shots of what I have so far.

Life Behind a Lens: Full Frame Collective

Photos by Terry Barensten and Aaron Durand

I know that I have been doing a bunch of life behind the lens write ups lately but honestly these photos from Full Frame Collective are some of my favorites as of late.  Amazing landscapes and awesome riding make for perfect shots.  I highly recommend adding these guys to your list of blog frequents.  Keep the rad content coming!

Raleigh Bicycles: How a Bicycle is Made

I spotted this short film about the bicycle manufacturing process over at Go Means Go and man is it rad. Basically the video starts out as an advertisement for Raleigh Bicycles and then starts in with the manufacturing of steel all the way to the final product.  The film was recorded in 1945 which makes it even cooler.  If you have about 17 minutes to watch it, it's definitely worth a look.

Life Behind a Lens: Extra Bigger

I have been meaning to post a few images from the dudes over at Extra Bigger for quite some time now.  I originally found out about Extra Bigger after googling the guys from Macaframa; Jason Yim is a major contributor to the Extra Bigger photo stream. Prolly also posts some of their stuff from time to time.  There is a ton of rad photographs and these are a few of my favorites.  Keep the awesome shots coming!

Also be sure to check out their webshop with some rad stickers, American made beanies and a few other assorted goodies.

Dizzee Rascal vs. i-SPEED

I first heard about The OMC through their Bicycle Freestyle clip released a couple weeks ago, which is an unbelievable compilation of bicycle maneuvers in extremely slow motion.  The video includes all different styles of biking and is definitely worth a watch.  This video however, has nothing to do with bicycles.  It's a wild concert video from none other than Gahanian rapper, Dizzee Rascal featuring his new single Heavy.  The crowd is going wild, the beat is dirty and Dizzee is jumping all over the stage. All you have to do now is crank up the bass and click play.

Stanridge Speed "Teaser"

Since I was young, I have always had a strong interest in woodworking.  Using your own hands, and a few well engineered power tools, to build beautiful furniture out of raw wood is one of the most satisfying feelings.  When I got into cycling I instantly took an interest in hand made bicycles. It never ceases to amaze me how these builders can start with raw tubing and a torch and build such a beautiful machine.  In recent months I feel as though private builders have been getting way more notoriety because of sites like Prolly is not Probably and companies like Rapha who are promoting small scale builders to the general public. Anyway this is a rad "teaser" video of Adam Eldridge, the founder of Stanridge Speed talking about the art of building a bicycle frame. I love the the random shots around the workshop, there's nothing cooler than beautiful old shop tools and the final product is so rad.

I can't wait to own a handmade bicycle of my own.

Radness: Kenzo x Vans

Between Highsnobiety and Hypebeast, I have been seeing a ton about this Vans x Kenzo Collaboration and man do they look rad.  I have always been a huge fan of Vans and it's so great that they are branching out and doing some truly unique collaborations.  The green and red ones are so cool, I couldn't help but post them. Also while we are on the subject of cool Vans collections, check out this collection of one off Vans made from Hermes scarves (from mid 2011).