february 2012
a magazine for urban riders
THE STREETS OF
Philly $10 US
FROM THE EDITOR
When setting out to make our inaugural issue, we knew that Philadelphia had plenty of bikes, but upon our arrival we found city streets steeped in a tough style and a passion for the two-wheeled pursuit. You’ll find that the riders in these pages exude a unique style and grit that exists nowhere else but Philly.
We’re excited to bring this issue to you, and we hope that you’ll find as much joy in reading these guides to urban biking as we’ve had making them.
Jim McAuley Editor-in-Chief
february 2012
vol. 1 no. 1
Contents
4Philly 15 RELOAD 17STREAMLINE FEATURE
THE STREETS OF
BIKE CHURCH 11
Editor
JIM McAULEY
Team
TERRY EILER MITCH CASEY MATT ADAMS BECCA QUINT JOEL PRINCE JUNRU HUANG PATRICK ODEN MADELINE GRAY CAYCE CLIFFORD BRYAN THOMAS DARCY HOLDORF ANITA VIZIREANU WAYNE THOMAS HEATHER HAYNES REBECCA MILLER PRISCILLA THOMAS EMINE ZIYATDINOVA MADDIE McGARVEY SAMANTHA GORESH PATRICK A. TRAYLOR
BUSINESS
LOCK &
PHILLY’S MOST TRUSTED MESSENGER BAGS
STYLE
STREET STYLES FOR WINTER AND SPRING WEATHER
P
FEATURE
Philly TAKE IT TO THE STREETS
Philadelphia’s growing bike scene has a tough skin, but can it leave its divisions behind to become a world class cycling city?
G
rowing up in the shadows of New York City,
utopia here. Philly one-upped New York with more people
Philadelphia wants to stick it to its cruel bigger
per capita commuting to work by pedaling than in the Empire
sibling. Grit. Philly has it. You don’t find such
City. Now, Philly’s two wheel idealists compare themselves
ruthless spirit in any other city. Philly’s streets are narrow
to world-class bike hubs like Portland, Amsterdam, and San
and rough. During critical mass one year, I saw an oversized
Francisco. Bicycle racks are in front of every building. The grid
pickup truck nearly swipe a girl off of her bike as she rode
layout and flat terrain make the city streets easy to navigate,
around city hall and lob profanities at her for being on the
especially with the addition of bike lanes in much of Center
road. Another woman planted her face in the cement as she
City and South Philly.
crossed a set of trolley tracks. You hear stories of friends
of friends being knocked off their bikes and beaten in the
wide diversity in riders. Philly’s thriving bike culture breaks
street by teenagers with brass knuckles and lead pipes
down into niche groups. Style varies from suit-wearing
looking for fun. Every rider here has a story or two about
businessmen commuting to work by mountain bike to
how the streets chewed them up and spit them out, but
couriers carrying packages across town, stripping their gear
Philly’s bike scene grows with a grit in its teeth.
down to only the essentials. Young urbanites build bold and
striking colored fixies and constantly upgrade their parts.
The city is quickly moving up as the east coast’s bike
culture capitol. There are big ambitions for an urban cycling
Like any metro area with bicyclists, Philly shows a
Tourists run the steps and raise their fists in the iconic
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Rocky pose. A few members of a young Philly fixie gang, “Team Bangout,” converge on the plaza in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art just before dusk. Ignoring the tourists, the crew practices bar spins, track stands and bunny hops. Daniel Tran is the oldest in the group at 21. The others at the plaza are younger, between 14 and 16. He rides a solid black Pake (pronounced ‘Paa-kay’) fixie with a white aerospoke in the back and a brown Brook’s leather saddle. He recently moved to Philly from Seattle. They all try to ride every day. Their bikes are their companions. They painstakingly build them up so that they can ride Philly’s streets in style and maybe turn a few heads.
There is a supreme trust between rider and steed. A bike
is meant to embody the character of the rider. Team Bangout swaps stems for cranks as if they were swapping lunch box pudding cups for cookies. Nate bought his purple frame off of his uncle and decked it out with matching deep purple, deep V wheels that he bought off of Justin. Justin sports a pink and purple pair of handlebars that he swiped from his little sister’s girly bike. In their mid-teens and early twenties, these kids know their bikes down to the last part.
Justin tells me his fear is parked cars that open their
doors. Last week a taxi turned into a bike lane and opened its door in front of him.
“I was like ‘Oh shit!’ and I flipped over the door,” he says.
He shrugged off the incident with a nonchalance for the unlucky nature of riding on the streets. “She was like, ‘You ok?’,” he says of the cab driver. “I said ‘Yeah, I’m ok.’ I just got up and started riding again.” Another member of the crew punched the rear view mirror off of a car when it tried to cut him off. He ended up in court for it.
The gang rides with seven on a good day. They tend to
crash a lot and found the name “Team Bangout” to be fitting. Old habits and tricks linger from their BMX days. They all rode BMX before flipping to the fixed scene a year or two ago. Like a figure skater, Nate, the youngest at 14, circles in a backwards manual. Pulling into spirals, he and Sam pivot on the point of their back wheels, one hand in the air for balance, the other doing bar spins.
Style carries through and across groups like this, in bike
builds and in clothing. “Skinny jeans,” Justin quips. The group breaks into chuckles, because they know that the cliché is true. Skinny jeans are comfortable to ride in and don’t catch in the bike, but more importantly, the style dictates it. Flat brimmed hats, tight fitting clothes in solid colors and messenger bags are in. “Basically, we put our own style into our bikes and
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“Team Bangout,” represented in part here by Justin Chenh, from left, Sam Hean, and Daniel Tran, try to ride and practice their tricks every day at urban playgrounds like Penn’s Landing, Rittenhouse Square, or the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art (shown here). SPOKE - February 2012
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whatever we wear,” Justin says. They keep old pairs of beat-up shoes for biking, “cause our new shoes, we don’t want to get those dirty,” Nate explains.
“We ride from 10 o’clock,” Justin tells me. “That’s our chill time.
We’ll just sit at the park, play basketball a little bit, hang out with some girls.” The crew pushes around their schedules to maximize riding time. “We try to make the most of our day,” Nate says. The gang shows me the ringtone alarm they use to get up early and ride together. A tinny voice echoes out of Nate’s phone, repeating ‘Get up, bitch!’ over and over.
But, with hyper style and rough streets, Philly’s bike scene isn’t
necessarily reflective of “The City of Brotherly Love.” With more and more bikes on the road, the divide between drivers and cyclists is high here. The pride in a prized fixie build can also encourage elitism in biking groups and discrimination based on the type of bike you’re riding. The passion and grit of street culture sustains in Philly, but will these riders adopt the nasty nature of the city’s streets? Or will they take the high road and encourage all to join in everyone’s favorite two-wheeled pastime?
On a Sunday afternoon in North Philly near Lehigh and
Aramingo, a group of eight gathers at an outdoor hockey court riding bikes and carrying club-like sticks in their backpacks or strapped along their top-tube. Philadelphia’s bike polo league meets three times a week to play at different courts across the city. If you’ve never witnessed a game, the players chase a small ball on single-speed bikes with a higher gear ratio, wielding clubs made of old ski poles and PVC tubing. Usually played on a hard court rink, the game resembles hockey, played three-on-three.
The riders know each other well. Some of the best polo
players compete here. Each of them can even tell you how each rider’s play varies in style. Jesse Dewlow, a recently joined member of the group, sat one of the matches out and pointed some of them out. Cris GT plays wily, using his club like a snake. Mark Capriotti is a bit more reserved, but most regard him as one of the top five players in the world. Perry Zanki is the oldest by far at today’s match, but he can’t stand to lose and throws himself after the ball. Despite their tight-knit nature, the group holds sessions for beginners and love to see new recruits to the sport.
“I’ve never really played many sports before,” Jesse says. “I
signed up for this without thinking it was a sport. Then I found myself getting really into it, getting really competitive.” He started playing less than a year ago, but he quickly adapted to meet the rate of play of those more experienced on the court.
While divisions exist here on Philly’s streets, groups
like these work to effect change and welcome more people into the biking community.
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(Above) Tommy Manson wheels his bike into the rink between matches of bike polo on a Sunday morning north of town. Philadelphia has the second best selection of bike polo standouts in North America, answering only to Seattle’s scene. (Left) Bike parts hang in wait at Philadelphia’s Bike Church Adult Co-op.
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Cris GT reaches out to push the ball up-court during a friendly but competitive round of bike polo, followed closely by Brendan McHugh, right, and Mark Capriotti, back, and led by Tommy Manson. Each three-on-three game is played to five points.
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IF PHILLY’S STREETS DIVIDE, THE BIKE CHURCH UNITES.
B
illy Mascio, one of Philly’s toughest and longest street
piece of metal weight that Billy affords it. The handlebars
riders, lounges on the doorstep of St. Mary’s Church
were chopped down to the shortest practical length, to fit
taking the last few drags of his cigarette. Before him,
between cars and buses at full speed. Billy found no need
bikes-in-progress and skeletons of mutated bike creations
for the luxury of a chain derailleur or brake cables. He
fill the inner courtyard of the church. Behind him, a staircase
demonstrates how he switches the chain from gear to gear
leads down to Philly’s “Bike Church” co-op.
with his fingers and squeezes the front brake as he rides
the street. The chipped and faded blue paint job on the old
Billy wears an American flag bandana around his head
and keeps warm with a winter coat. His bike, which he built
Schwinn seems to suit Billy. Slightly worn, they both have
at the co-op, rests gracefully on its kickstand, the only extra
had more than a few rides and more than a few wrecks.
(Left) Nick Sukiennik examines a wheel and tire for a possible upgrade to his bike at the Bike Church Adult Repair Co-op. (Above) The Bike Church resides in the annex basement of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on the University of Pennsylvania campus.
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He finishes his cigarette and rings the buzzer to
be let in. Down the stairs into the basement, Billy finds
too. The Bike Church serves as a real safe-haven for all
himself at home.
those interested in bikes. No matter what walk of life
you’re from, if you want or need to work on a bike, the
The Bike Church co-op exudes a family
atmosphere. The hallways into the co-op are filled
people at the Bike Church can help.
with colorful ceiling-to-floor murals boasting with
bike enthusiasm. Silhouettes show people doing bike
afternoons, offering a designated day for women and
tricks, and large faces wearing bike helmets smile
transgenders. During the winter, the co-op gets about 10
down at you.
people on a given Saturday. During the warmer months,
that number more than triples and the co-op operates at
After he signed in, Billy greeted strangers and old
The co-op operates five days a week in the
friends who had come to work on their bikes. He set
capacity of 30 people in a three hour period.
to work amongst the maze of gear buckets, stray brake
cable, and wheels dangling from the ceiling.
one tries to offer a different area of expertise. “Between
all of the facilitators, we have a pretty wide knowledge
The Bike Church, like many co-ops, is mostly
A volunteer facilitator works each day, and each
free to use for anyone who wants to work on their
base,” Maicher says.”I don’t know a lot about older
bike. If you use a part on your bike, you pay a small
bikes, but I know a lot about wheel building.”
fee to benefit the space. When you sign up to use
the space, you also sign up for a chore to keep
began delivering food for a restaurant by bike to pay his
the co-op running. The Bike Church’s parts are
student bills. He didn’t know much about bikes to begin
stocked almost entirely by donation. “The volume
with, but he quickly realized the valuable resource in
of parts and the volume of patrons are unlike any
the Bike Church. His bike wasn’t great at the time, and
other thing I’ve ever seen,” says Greg Maicher, the
he needed to repair it on a budget. Gaining something
volunteer Saturday facilitator.
more than just a bike repair, he learned much more
about bikes by working on them with his hands at the
While individual donations are made regularly,
Maicher started volunteering at the co-op after he
most of the parts come from large donations from
Bike Church. Maicher found a previously undiscovered
local and national bike shops and retailers, like Keswich
love for bike building and decided to come on as a
Cycle and R.E.I. Adding to the family atmosphere, these
volunteer facilitator. “It’s such a valuable resource, that
companies donate with ambitions to create community.
I couldn’t not give back,” he says.
A $4,500 check from R.E.I. hung on the wall at the co-op
for most of last year. “Those big community aspects of
Think of the Bike Church as a makeshift hospital
outreach fit under that umbrella of another thing to do
that keeps all of Philadelphia’s bikers pedaling
for the community,” Maicher says.
smoothly. If Philly’s streets divide bike culture, the
Bike Church most certainly unites them. §
You can find all types of people at the Bike Church.
Located on the campus of University of Pennsylvania in West Philadelphia, the co-op draws in a diverse crowd. Students on commuter bikes come here. Young graduates on recreational bikes and fixed gears come here. Homeless and those with unstable living situations
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who ride any bike they can put together come here
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The family atmosphere echoes throughout here.
Derrick G. and other patrons work in the Bike Church co-op on a Saturday in early February. The co-op has strong support from the community and the local bike shops. “The volume of parts and the volume of patrons are unlike any other thing I’ve ever seen,� says Greg Maicher, one the volunteer facilitators, pictured at back helping a fellow biker.
The co-op is filled with quirky, yet helpful, scraps of bike information and parts like this diagram labeling the names of bike parts in different languages.
The plethora of gears, chains and parts is kept in check through a simple and effective structure of chore duties for each person who uses the space.
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RELoad
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BUSINESS
LOCK &
RE LOAD
A look at the makers of Philly’s most trusted messenger bags
(Left) R.E.Load’s “appliqué master,” Gerik Forston, starts a new concept in the North Second Street store. (Above) All of the bags and accessories are handmade by the small Philly operation.
Y
A few of R.E.Load’s custom appliqué gems in their Philly store.
ou can’t pay much attention to biking in Philly
and all bags are made in-store. In their early days, the shop
without recognizing the name and influence of
was famous for their appliqué work. Jorgé Bito, a courier in
R.E.Load Bags. Our team couldn’t help but notice
this month’s style section, carries a bag bearing a large image
their gear in use all over town. The couriers use their
of his pit bull riding a bald eagle.
messenger bags almost exclusively. The polo players and fixie
street riders sport their frame pads with pride. If you take a
back some of their custom work and make bags on a quicker
second look at the photos in this month’s issue, you will most
timeline, but the experienced sewers still do the appliqué
likely spot a few of their products and loyal customers.
on demand. You can build one of their standard bags in
seven sizes for an average price of $150 plus custom add-on
Co-owners Roland Burns and Ellie Lum (the ‘R’ and ‘E’ in
Because of the recession, R.E.Load has had to scale
the R.E.Load name) were both working as messengers prior to
straps or pockets. The custom bags cost a pretty penny,
1998. Roland asked Ellie for her expertise in sewing him a bag
but the reputation and quality of the bags precede them.
to carry packages. The bag caught attention on the street, and
You can also find handmade frame pads, wallets, hats and
the duo made more on demand, creating custom dimensions
other accessories. The bags are offered in bike shops from
and designs for each customer. Without intending to begin a
Philadelphia to Berlin to Japan, but for the best options visit
business, R.E.Load was formed and Roland and Ellie quit their
their website or stop into the store on North Second Street.
day jobs a few years later.
The team is constantly seeking better modifications and
responsibly-sourced fabrics to make the best bag you can
Now, R.E.Load Bags ships to customers worldwide from
their store in Philadelphia. The operation has remained local,
carry in Philly or any other city. SPOKE - February 2012
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STYLE
STREAMLINE Philly’s couriers and commuters display street styles for winter and spring weather
Our team hit the streets in search of those in Philly who would ride through any winter storm or spring shower. While it was an unseasonably warm winter this year, we found a few riders who were up to the task. We present them to you as we found them on the street, wearing the clothes and gear that they would normally ride in. From college and Center City work commuters to Philly’s street-smart courier community, these extreme riders will leave you pedaling hard in their streamline as they dart around cabs and busy intersections.
Jorgé Bito Occupation: Courier for TimeCycle Courier for: 10 years Jersey: supplied TimeCycle windbreaker Bike: Voodoo by Joe Murray, hand built, $600 used Bag: R.E.Load, custom appliqué, his pet pit bull riding a bald eagle Shoes: Dr. Martens, $95 Cold weather motto: “Wool, layers & Doc Martens” Weirdest package carried: Denied delivering a human head to the morgue.
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Tim Beitz Occupation: Graphic Designer at 160 over 90 Lives in: South Philly Commutes to: Center City, everyday Bike: Affinity Lo Pro, brakeless fixed Built at: Bike Revolutions in Philly, $630 Gear Ratio: 4 8 - 1 5 , “Fast as shit.” Will ride: even in 0°, but not snow
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Matt Manhire Occupation: Audio Professor at Art Institute of Philadelphia; Tim Beitz runs vintage audio repair business from home Occupation: Lives in: North PhillyDesigner
ETC: Bike: Converted to: Single-speed with brakes Shoes: Mittens: Urban Outfitters, $20 Pants: Jacket: Marmot, $250 Jacket: Pants: Red, Levi’s $10 Scarf:
Bought bike as: used ‘70s Raleigh, brakeless fixed, $450
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Rachel M. Stumpo Occupation: Broadcast Journalism student at Temple University Bike: Retrospective, single-speed, $400 Origins: Philadelphia, born and raised Possible names for bike: The Hulk, Green Machine, Jolly Green Giant Pants: American Apparel, high-waisted, $70 Jacket: Thrift find, $18 Riding in the cold makes her feel: Refreshed
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Julian Root Occupation: Courier for TimeCycle Jersey: supplied TimeCycle windbreaker The Bike: early ‘80s Ducati, 10 speed, $700, Craigslist His other bike: Surly Steamroller, fixed, straight black Bag: R.E.Load, custom appliqué, Calvin and Hobbes Secret to warmth: Merino SmartWool base layer, $130 Motto: “Function over Fashion”
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