Riding Bikes: Shinola Bixby & Runwell
Shinola is a new, Detroit-based company taking over the long history of the shoe-polish brand, in name at least, and entering the bicycle manufacturing world. Debuting last year, Shinola has three models in their stable at the moment. Two versions of the Bixby (the step-thru is seen above left), and their flagship, the Runwell (above right). A contact of mine on flickr recently shared a blog post about the 1940s Runwell Despatch Carrier bikes from England – inspiration for the updated Shinola? I’m sure.
Shinola also manufactures watches, leather goods and journals in the USA made from local, raw product – think ‘American Steel’ for instance. It’s an interesting story, one with obvious allusions – reinvigorating the once mighty ‘Motor City’ and reframing as a Bicycle City. Shinola aren’t the only ones building bikes from the bottom up in Detroit these days. Detroit Bicycle Company with their fixed-gear track bikes for certain city riders, and Detroit Bikes with their one-for-all model of smart city bike. And there are numerous handbuilders making custom bikes for discerning cyclists, high-end wheel companies, and more. It’s great to see ‘mass-produced’ bicycles being made in the USA and hopefully this trend will continue. With a strong tradition of handbuilders, especially in the Pacific Northwest, the increase in factory-produced, steel city bicycles to this country is an exciting one. More bikes made on the continent, more trained craftspeople equals a strong contribution to North American bike culture.
I’ve moseyed about on the Runwell a bit and it’s an easy riding machine with good handling, solid drive-train, comfortable riding position and bad-ass Velo Orange porteur rack to carry your stuff (essential!). A proper review will be featured in Momentum Mag down the road, but here’s a shot I took for our recent 2013 Gear Guide. Shot in Strathcona, a few blocks from Chinatown on a sunny spring afternoon.
East Vancouver, 2013.
A Red Skirt and A Gazelle
Lily rides a Gazelle Tour Populair T3 in Timberland Earthkeeper Maeslin sandals. Shot for ‘Heels on Wheels’ in the latest edition of Momentum Mag #61.
Vancouver, 2013.
Goose Up Front
Another goose, another view. Coming at you at f/1.4! Ladner, 2013.
Goose From Above
Another way to see a Canada Goose. At rest in the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Ladner, BC. This would make an interesting print… lots of crisp detail in the feathers.
Between Two Doors
These two doors…..and these two doors. I love the history that reveals as paint chips and flakes away. Antigua, Guatemala, 2011.
Endless Flowers
Vancouver, 2013.
Hollywood’s Faded Glory
Apparently, this single-screen cinema is now home to a church…? At least the building remains, unlike many others of it’s kind that are falling to the wrecking ball.
West Broadway, Vancouver, 2013.
Maritime Ultra Boom
Vancouver, 2013.
Después de la Fiesta
Taking a break after the Guadalupe procession in Sayulilta, Mexico, 2012. Take a look at my previous post for a large set of images from the street parades and celebrations during the week-long Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe last December.
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe may be one of the biggest fiestas of the year in Mexico. Certainly some parts more than others, like the Pacific Coast near Sayulita for instance. Here, the Catholic Church’s ‘Patroness of Latin America’ (also known as Mexico’s Patron Saint) is celebrated with gusto for one week in December with parades, pageantry, food, music and fireworks. All culminating in the big event on December 12.
I was in Sayulita for the week leading up to the 12th (and sadly had to leave that very night) and every night the party got started with a bang. A massive firecracker literally woke us from siesta and announced the start of the parade procession. From my laymans’s eyes, I could see the interpretation of Catholic and Mexican history was on full display by the community and very different each night. New marching bands, new floats, different religious icons represented by ‘living statues’ atop said floats. Sometimes posed dramatically as if frozen in time during a pivotal moment of history. Figures of note included the Devil (and his firecracking whip – ouch!), the Crippled Old Man, the Women (that’s a man, baby!), the Gaucho, a Bull, a Hare and many others. After the church service, the plaza explodes (literally) by a man wearing what appeared to be a goat effigy, covered in pinwheels and fireworks, running through the crowd, terrorizing the children and adults alike. Not entirely sure what it all meant, but man, it was a spectacle!
I was keen to work with the new Fuji X-e1 camera to shoot these events. Equipped with a fixed 35mm f/1.4 lens and looking to push the low light capabilities of this camera to the max, I shot with existing light (candles, overhead street lights), got close and pushed the ISO to 12,800. A few years ago, that might have been a major gamble. This time, I was confident the mix of low profile camera, my ‘fly on the wall’ technique, along with excellent ‘pushed’ film (for lack of a better analogy) allowed for some decent, unobtrusive captures. Have a look and let me know what you think. Images below are from two different nights on the streets of Sayulita.
Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico, 2012.
(Please click an image to see larger and scroll from there.)
Meeting Fires Creative 