My boy ‘Do You Know’ Clarence gave me the heads up on a little promo Rapha is doing for us Bostonians – The Boston Bundle. The Bundle consists of a Winter Jersey, Winter Hat, Fixed base layer and a pair of Winter Socks – they claim its all we’ll need to brave the freezing cold weather! You’ve got until February 15th to drop $340 on the collection, which is marked 25% below retail – I wish they knew it was cold until June and kept that sale for a few more months! The Winter Jersey is very high quality and well detailed, especially the back (pics via Rapha):
Tamika & the rest of the Vimby crew dropped this video interview with Brian at Bicycle Revolutions in Philly. It looks like we’re going to have a whole lot in common with this shop – enjoy!
After multiple revisions, the New Haven Scorchers have finished up the flyer and announced info about Grand Theft Velo 3. Notice the sponsors hidden on spoke cards and as product branding, pretty clever! We haven’t told them yet, but in trade for sponsoring the race, we’re making the Scorchers come up and help paint the new shop. Since I’ve been on the back of a milk carton for a week (yes, missing) – here’s a video and some pics that of the guys in their local skate warehouse and followed by a pic of Drew running from his girlfriend!
Good friend & 3RRR Products mastermind Nao showed me an early stage resin cast of this 3R Fink toy a few weeks ago and he finally finished it up! This little guy comes complete with a mini U-Lock in its back pocket, Vans authentics, bandana, cycling cap and one rolled up pant leg – all hand-carved by Nao! Expect to see these guys hiding around our shop in just a few weeks…
Nao has also finished up an even more bling version of the 3RRR Bling Ring – polished to mirror quality, without engravings. The ring only comes with 46 teeth for now, but a 49 tooth is in the works for those of you in need of more speed.
Brek.One worked hard last weekend, so we decided to give him a break and bring in a guest – let me start by saying that we’ve got something special here:
The Butcher Block for Open Bicycle – Frank The Butcher w/ Paul Mighty.
Download (right-click & save) the Weekly Commute #4 here.
I got a text the other night that read, “I murdered the podcast,” which kept me awake for a few hours frantically checking my email, waiting for something to appear in the inbox. In order to fully understand why I was this way, you need to really understand who Frank “The Butcher” is. Before I give you the rundown on Frank, here’s a note he wanted me to pass along:
This is not a test! It’s Frank The Butcher here for the OB Crew… This is a special edition Butcher’s Block podcast for your Weekly Commute. I did it how I’m supposed to do it, the way you’d expect it and definitely how you needed it to be. Big shout to my co-d Paul Mighty who will be joining for on the “Block” from now on. “Don’t front you know I got you Open…”
Peace
Frank The Butcher | TBB
And now for the rundown… After repeatedly writing and erasing sentences, I’ve settled on this as my introduction to The Butcher: Frank is a cultural voice that lacks the bullshit that has become common within our daily encounters. He’s an honest writer, cornerstone within the music industry, established creative-mind, intelligent businessman and most importantly a humble, hardworking family man. While keeping his chin-down and pulling more cultural weight than Doctor Dre did with Ed Lover, Frank has fun – much like we’re trying to do with our bicycle shop. Meet Frank:
As one of the few truly credible authority-figures on classic hip-hop, graffiti and street culture, there is no question to why he is partly responsible for helping turn the things we’ve grown up doing for fun into a legitimate way of putting food on the table. After all, that is the American dream isn’t it? I’d like to think that Frank has grown fond of what we’re doing with this bike shop project, because its all in the same family: hard work, real passion & cultural progression.
If you want to seek a little more education on The Butcher, pick up the next issue of Vapors or Sneaker Freaker, check in with the HighSnobiety columns, listen to one of the many episodes of the Weekly Drop or try to catch him while he’s keeping Concepts under control in Harvard Square. Frank’s got a lot going on, so keep an eye out for more from The Butcher Block.
