I’m soooooo down with this! Bristol Fixed is a photo zine produced by Sean McGowan and illustrates the DIY aspect of the fixed gear scene perfectly. Here’s some more info…

28 Page, Staple Bound, Black and White Photo Zine documenting the Bristol fixed gear bicycle scene.

A5 portrait. 
160 gsm matt white cover. 
115gsm uncoated off white matt recycled paper inner pages.

First edition of 100.

The first 20 orders will include a 7×5 C-Type print of an image from the zine. The print will be on Fuji Crystal Archive paper with a lustre finish and white border.

Shot entirely on Kodak Tri-X 400 black and white film, push processed to 1600.

They are just £3 each and a quid for postage, I’ve ordered myself a copy and you should too because I reckon it’ll sell out quick. Pop over to Sean’s site to get your hands on one.

Bristol has a booming ‘urban cycling’ scene, loads of the dudes who were riding fixed a few years ago are now also riding road bikes, hitting track and trails and just generally riding for the love of it which is awesome.

DAS RAD KLUB is a new brand that has been set up to represent and cater for all those people…

“Hailing from Bristol, the epicentre of south west cycling is DAS RAD KLUB. A brand, a movement, in the loosest possible way a cycling ‘club’.

DAS RAD KLUB is all about having fun on bikes. We want riders to feel like they’re part of something, whatever & wherever they ride. While we share photos from our adventures here in Bristol & beyond, we want our customers to share their photos with us, using the modern wonders of the internet & social networking. We can’t wait to hear from the riders that purchase our products & take them wherever their 2 wheels lead them.

After months of discussion & planning between all of the bike rides, we’re pleased to reveal our ‘Prologue’ release, essentially the appetiser before the main course arrives in the coming months. We’re starting with 2 things cyclists can’t live without – t-shirts & water bottles. Our plan is to create an entire collection of apparel & accessories that represents everything we enjoy. To achieve this we’ll be working with some of the biggest brands around to put our twist on the highest quality, tried & tested kit possible.”

Tim Wilkey, the head honcho, was kind enough to answer a few questions that did a little deeper into DAS RAD KLUB.

Who’s involved?
Me, myself & a few good friends. I’m the one with the vision & the ideas, the friends are the ones that help make it happen. I could no way do everything I want to do on my own so I’ve called upon a couple of close friends to help me out with the things I’m no good at (most things then!). Most important of all, we all ride bikes, a lot.

What’s your background in cycling?
I’ve been riding bikes longer than I care to remember, from 24″ wheel jump bikes all the way through to cyclocross, I’ve pretty much had a shot at it all. When I’m not riding I love to hang out with friends & have a good time, usually involving music & food. I wanted to create a brand that embraces all of these things, and hopefully DAS RAD KLUB can achieve this.

Where does the name come from?
Finding the right name took a while, believe me. But the main reasons behind it are the fact that Germany is a great country to visit, and the community I’m wanting to create is much like a club, just without the rules & regulations that come with a physical cycling club.

What are your plans for the brand?
The aim is to get some good looking kit out there to riders that want exactly that, without it costing the earth. We’re talking technical cycling garments as well as casual apparel, our goal is to provide something for every part of the cyclist’s wardrobe, whatever & wherever they ride. Simple is the aim of the game, but most definitely not boring.

Is everything made in the UK?
We’ve not gone for UK made products, perhaps that’s something we’ll be able to do in the future, but right now we’ve chosen manufacturers from various parts of the world for various reasons. Even our stickers come from overseas!

Anything else?
The name of the game is adventures, we want to see those photos & hear those stories from riders who purchase from us. We don’t want to be a brand that sells stuff & doesn’t listen to what you get up to once you have parted with your cash. We want to know exactly what you’ve done & where you’ve been with your purchases.
I’d like to thank everyone that’s taken part in the brand so far (you know who you are) and in advanced every body who buys something from us. I recently summed up the brand in a few words: “I don’t know what I’m doing, I just want to have fun”.

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I’m looking forward to seeing the brand develop, be sure to check out DAS RAD KLUB at all your favourite spots…

DAS RAD KLUB Website
DAS RAD KLUB Facebook
DAS RAD KLUB Instagram
DAS RAD KLUB Twitter

After quite a while, in fact what seems like an eternity, the website that serves the Bristol fixed gear community, Track Dropouts is back up and running. I’ve busted my balls over the last few months acting as the glue that holds the Brizzle scene together and it feels good to finally let go of the responsibility, phew. I’ve organised, like, so many races and get togethers and everything because that’s what I’m all about, give give give give give give give give fucking give.

Anyway, enough about how awesome I am, if you live and ride in Bristol and even if you don’t you should check out the site and especially the forum because they’re far more friendly than those halfwitted jackals in London.

Also, if you like a ruddy nice piece of kit the TDO range is always a good place to start, have a gander.

And last but not least Like the Facebook page too and visit the Hamilton Wheelers and traumfahrrad blogs too for fuck’s sake.

Tickets for Bespoked 2013 are now available to buy online at special early bird prices of just…
£7.50 (+£1.20 booking fee) for day entry &
£13 (+ £1.20 booking fee) for a weekend ticket.
Tickets will also be available on the door…
£10 for day entry, £15 for a weekend ticket. (under 14s free of charge)

Show times -
Friday 12th April – Launch Night – 5.00pm – 8.00pm
Saturday 13th April – 9.30am – 6.00pm
Sunday 14th April – 9.30am – 5.00pm

Get yours here, the first year was great, last year was amazing and this year will blow your mind. With the huge cycling boom in the UK it’s going to be crazy so buying your tickets in advance is recommended!

Paul from Goanna Films made a short film at one of the many Bristol bike polo events this summer.

It’s well worth a watch if you play already and if you don’t I think it really captures the atmosphere of the day and will encourage you to get into it. There’s a lot of familiar Bristol and London faces in there, nice to see (and hear) Cab, he’s a gent.

Paul wants to shoot more polo and play too so drop him a line on his site!

Tap Out from goanna films on Vimeo.

Hacksaws Challenge 2012 went down on the weekend, Tim from Hamilton Wheelers has written up a nice post-race report and be sure to check out Mike Leary’s site for loads of photos.

I sent some prizes along to the prize fund, I will always try and support real grassroots, small, underground races that are put on by people that are into riding fixed for the right reasons. Keep it real out there you kids!

Bristol’s OG fixed gear race, the Hacksaws Challenge returns for 2012, no official flyer yet just this fine piece of craftsmanship to announce the date which is 3rd November.

Keep your eye on the Facebook Page for updates.

The Bristol Bike Project has been going strong for years now and I love the idea of their women only nights.

Every Monday from 6-9pm there is a session where women can work on bikes without having a bunch of men looking over their shoulders and muscling in to remove stuck bottom brackets as their rippling biceps tear through their shirts.

“…it is important to be able to fix your own bike and not to have to rely on favours of male friends or the often quite expensive bike shops. The knowledge of mechanics has been historically gendered and segregated – that is, men (and boys) are encouraged to pursue technical and mechanical activities while women (and girls) are discouraged. As such, women are often seen as unable to use tools and hence not trusted to use them.

I can’t think of anything more attractive than a woman who would just flip her bike over and get right to work when something goes wrong. I think that may be sexist, I’m not sure, but I’m sticking to it.

For more info on the Women’s Night at The Bristol Bike Project head over to their website.

Do you ride a bike with one gear? Do you live in Bristol? Do you like lactic acid screaming through your legs? If you answered yes to these questions then you need to get involved with the Hell Climb 2012 hosted by Hamilton Wheelers on October 14th.

Back in the 90′s, long before the days of the internet we used to buy 411VM every month to keep up to date with what was going on in the wonderful world of skateboarding.

#31 had a feature on Danny Wainwright, I’d say the best skater in the UK at the time and me and Ric would watch this part all the time before shredding. Danny has back foot steeze for miles and miles.

My skateboard comeback is in its 4th week today, I even bought a new deck (which is too big!). I think the thing I’m enjoying most about the whole thing is the sheer amount of bruises and pain I am in constantly, nice!

He is also a fixed gear rider, check out this video of him riding and all the other pro skateboarders that ride fixed.