Action Sports
Velo City Bags Speeds into Downtown
Since the inception of Velo City Bags in 2008, owner and creator Nathan Larsen has adorned cyclists and others with handmade, colorful and well built messenger bags and backpacks as they cruise around the city. As his bags have caught on, he made the long-awaited move into his first storefront in downtown Salt Lake in mid-February. I sat down with Larsen in his new shop to pick his brain on the new location and the high-quality goods within. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Ladies, Leave Your Man at Home
Bike shops intimidate me. I don’t think it’s so much that I walk into a shop and there’s a whole bunch of dudes who know way more about bikes than I ever will throwing around bike mechanic gibberish—I’ve got mad respect for people who can do things I can’t (yet) do. I guess I just feel a little sheepish walking in there and asking them to switch out my pedals when I purchased a fixed gear primarily for its low maintenance. This is why the Salt Lake Bicycle Collective is one of the greatest places in all of Salt Lake. … read more
Cameron Wood: BMX pro, Jesus Carpenter, Entrepreneur … Anything Else?
For the last 15 years, Cameron Wood has been perusing the back alleys and grungy side-streets of Salt Lake on his BMX bike. Instead of focusing on giving the public more contests or being a poster child for his sponsors, Wood is taking a more unique approach with his involvement in the sport. The Wood Shop, recently opened by Wood, is not just the sole BMX-only shop in Salt Lake, but it is also home to his unique, crafty carpentry designs. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: SXSW Edition
As part of my SXSW experience, I participated in SXcycles, the new (as of this year) bike share program provided by the festival and Tern bikes. They opened it up to those with badges and wristbands during the Interactive portion of SXSW, and I was lucky enough to catch the tail end of it on Monday and Tuesday. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Night Riders
As the weather warms up—Ok, who are we kidding, it never really got cold—my favorite kind of bicycle rides, night rides, become more comfortable and, thus, more frequent. Riding a bike at night is awesome for various reasons: There’s less traffic, the inversion clears out in the winter and it’s cooler in the summer. The number one reason? A lot of fucked up shit goes down with the sun, and your bicycle’s the best saddle in the house to see it all. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Bike Love
Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful powder blue converted fixie. One day, the bicycle’s owner got super wasted at a local bar and, too drunk to bike home, decided to hail a cab instead. Left alone, its frame hugging the cold black curve of the bike rack, the bicycle cowered under the shadow of the night sky. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Ice Ice Baby
Riding a bicycle from October through March doesn’t even cross most of your minds. I know this because your bikes look shiny and new, and you look fat and slow come springtime. I’m just messing with you … This month I’m giving you some tips on how to make it through the “Greatest Snow on Earth” via bicycle—hobo style. … read more
Killjoy Premiere @ Tower Theater 11.28
Back in August, I got the chance to tag along with the Killjoy film crew for an article I wrote for the Sept. issue of SLUG. Killjoy finally premiered on Nov. 28 and confirmed what I’ve been thinking since August: BMX is way fucking cooler than skateboarding. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: My Invisible Bubble Burst
It was a beautiful day in early October. I flew down 200 South with a grin on my face and my legs pumping just fast enough to get me to work with a few minutes to spare. Turning left onto 300 West, I was taking in the aroma of Café Trang’s lunch special when the door of a parked car opened up to my right. My brain processed this almost at the same time as some part of me or my bicycle hit the open door. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla
Instead of listening to my slow ass whine about boys and bicycles this month, you have the pleasure of reading my interview with one of Salt Lake’s most badass babes on a bicycle—scratch that—most badass HUMAN pedaling in the Rocky Mountain West: Jessica Gilmore. ’Nuf said. … read more