The Radavist

The first images of these frames popped up at the first year of the San Diego Bike Expo. Not much was leaked at that point, other than Velo Cult was working on a made in the USA touring frame with an American builder. That builder is Mark Nobilette and since the San Diego Bike Expo, Velo Cult has cranked through dozens of custom orders for their customers. While I was doing my Shop Visit, Anthony let me photograph one of those recent orders.

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Shooting races with a 5D is easy compared to shooting with a Hasselblad. I finally got all my rolls developed from the 2012 Rapha NW Gentlemen’s Race and I’m very stoked on how they came out. This was the first real event I photographed with a medium format camera and it won’t be the last. Some of these came out incredible. For more information on the race, check out my last post on it for the rest of the photos, check out full photo set below.

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Velo Cult is easily one of my favorite shops in the States and their recent move to Portland from San Diego was far from easy on the guys but it’s been worth it. Their massive, sprawling storefront has a bar, a huge basement with a movie theater and one of the classiest mechanics area I’ve ever seen.

When they made the move, Sky and Anthony were literally selling bikes to build millwork. It’s been a slow process but the community is embracing these SoCal natives. If you’re in the Portland area, swing through, grab a beer, chat about touring, gravel and the next rando and if you can’t make it to Portland, check out my Shop Visit photos. And if you missed the Recent Roll, check it out here.

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If there’s one thing shooting with the Hasselblad has taught me it’s selection. Velo Cult‘s new location in Portland is far too massive to capture in a roll (or in this case, less than a half of a roll) but I feel like these photos pick up on some of the highlights. For those who want a more comprehensive Photoset, don’t fret, digital is on the way. It just so happened that the analog photos were done before the digital.

This shop needs no introduction but for those looking for a background, I do believe Velo Cult’s San Diego space was one of my first Shop Visits. Check the original photos out here.

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Carrying around the Hasselblad all day is not exactly fun but when I get a few rolls back, from various Shop Visits, it’s all worth while. These photos are from recent spaces and faces, some of which you’ll recognize, others you wont.

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Jordan Hufnagel is one of the most “fly under the radar” builders out there. His web presence is almost non-existent and that’s because when he’s not building his Porteur project bikes, rad cross bikes, or working on West America projects, he’s out camping on his motorcycle. With rumors of him going to Mexico soon for some dude-time with West America co-founder James Crowe, I had to get into his shop and check out his work place. Like most builders in Portland, his space is tucked away in a space on a quiet street. After catching up, I let him work as I poked around…

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At this point Damian needs no introduction but as a man who finds himself behind the lens, more often than in front, I had to fire off the last exposures in a roll one morning. Fresh Pot is Damian’s daily digs and their coffee ain’t that bad either. Check out a few more shots below.

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Last year, the NW Rapha Gentlemen’s Race was one of my favorite events to document. There’s something classic about staring down a 200k, grueling, day’s-length ride and greeting it with acceptance, not anxiety. Each of the 26 teams this year were rolling fast and the course was even more epic’er than last year’s, totaling 122 miles and over 11,000′ of climbing.

The stage was Government Camp, Mt. Hood and included two loops through the countryside before ending with a gnarly 10 mile gravel climb. Reports came in of it being akin to a Civil War battlefield, with wheels and riders lining the road in shambles.

My day wasn’t nearly as painful, as I hopped in a support car and hung out of the window, taking what I could.

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Mixed in with my rolls of film from my 2011 Summer Tour were a few random photos. We already saw a couple from LOW and now here’s a handful from the 2011 Rapha Gentlemen’s Race that took place just outside of Portland last year. Truth be told, I’m way more into these photos after sitting on them for a year. Maybe it’s because I haven’t looked at them in some time, or maybe it’s more of that nagging nostalgia. For whatever reason, I’m really digging these and they can only inspire me to do an even better job covering the event this year.

Man, that HP5 looks great…

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