MASH JAPAN PREMIERE: N.B.

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We are back in San Francisco after touring Japan and Korea for events last week. With a few days to get acclimated, we are finding fun photo sets from these trips, and want to share them here. The first set comes from N.B. who works at Blue Lug, and took time to show us around while in Tokyo. With Hiro, the team had a weekend full of events, and a new city to explore for many. Enclosed are some of N.B.’s images from that weekend in Tokyo.

We met at the airport on Wednesday, and celebrated Chas’s shorts birthday ever, as we flew forward a day, landing in Tokyo Thursday. Nine of us flew out from SF, bikes are built, and we explored, quickly mapping routes to the event spaces we would be using in the days to come. Open Distribution set up the Tokyo events, and we could not believe the details that went into this packed weekend. Friday, we met at the gallery, where a team was fast at work setting up a large photo show, and had flown the 10 year Cinelli Parallax from Italy to have on display. Riders where met with some photo/video press interviews. This was a new experience for many of them, and an indication of what the weekend ahead had to offer. The room filled up as the night ramped up. Many old friends we had med over the years, so so many new faces, excited to better understand what our group of friends/riders are into. Chas was greeted with a birthday cake, and some dudes got loose that night.

Setting up the show

This was the first time we had traveled with Matt and Eddy, and it was a blast for these guys to have time to explore the city together.

We had sent hundreds of photos published in our new book to the organizers, and they in tern sent them to several bike shops and cafes. We did not realize this until we rolled to W-Base and found another full art show, with tons of artifacts from our premieres hosted in 2006 and 2007. Very inspiring for all of us to see the love and respect that came from Moto and his team.




The next stop was another full display at See You Soon Shop. The guys all loved their designs and instantly bought gifts to bring home to friends.

They had a wall of Polaroid 665 prints, and asked the guys to contribute to the prints.


We learned there was a lottery to win tickets to the video screening. The venue seated 250, and the plan to show the new movie two nights in a row made it possible for most interested in checking it out. the following photos are a mix of Saturday and Sunday screenings, that offered a Q&A, as well as a warm introduction of the history of our project, translated.



Martin and Kevin are old friends, and put in endless time to help make the new video strong. We are grateful for their efforts.
On Sunday night, Dylan awarded the first women racer Mone from the alleycat from the night before. Garrett designed special jerseys, and Castelli produced them for winners of all the races that happened as we traveled.
We are a very small project, and bike shop. To travel around the world, and share with others, what we love, was an incredible honor.

Family photo

Saturday night after the screening, Nicolas, and the 25LAS / Black Sox Bicycle Club hosted a large alleycat. 117 racers signed up, and set up for a late night point to point street race. This was the largest alleycat Tokyo had seen in six years. The pressure from police suppressed this community heavily, and we felt lucky so see so many racers come out, and take some fun risks together on this night.

Nickolas



Smoke is always a fun way to start these races, so it was a nice surprise to see these organizers make this dramatic start happen.


The race finished at the cafe where the podium was awarded.
Massa, a messenger from Cyclex was the winner on this night, upsetting Torizo, who has a long standing history of winning Tokyo alleycats.

Sunday afternoon, a large group of riders met up to show the guys the Tokyo streets. The group was maybe 150 riders, so they split up into three smaller groups, and ran around, seeing sites, and finding as many times as possible to stop for ice cream. Mission accomplished. Group ride photos by Takuto Watanabe.



We want to thank everyone for coming out, and the endless amount of support put out by all of the volunteers to make this a massive weekend in Tokyo. We all got on the plane, instantly missing new friendships made. It was a reminder to come back soon.

Thank you!

MASH JAPAN: DEVOURFILMS

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https://vimeo.com/143463456

Vallejo Race Report: Rainier Schaefer

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I started in the third row for the very wide and very steep uphill road start. I found a line on the very outside of forty-five racers, and got a good jump. Unfortunately, in the center of the first or second row, something happened and it looked like a wheel was exploding mid-sprint. The racer was flailing around as his bike jumped around under him like a crazed bull. This threw me off—but not as bad as I’m sure it did those behind him.

I came around quite a few dudes before we hit the dirt. After a couple of turns we rode a loose and sketchy dirt chute that was six inches wide. I think I was just inside the top ten at this point. The new Scott Chapin, Justin Abbott, was leading the way with Derek Yarra a few spots behind. Over the next couple laps I, maybe a little too furiously, tried to pass (my first cross race of the year, afterall). I was making moves on a couple leg-sapping grassy hills and definitely hit it hard on the pavement climb. These features helped me move up a few spots. However, a few technical spots on the course made me lose just as many.

First, I came around one sketchy ninety degree sidewalk corner and sprinted hard. In doing so I completely lost control of my rear wheel and my rear end flew in the air sideways toward a cliff. I lunged the other way at a chain link fence and bounced one-handed back on two wheels. It was a miracle! Second, I lost my front wheel in a u-turn off soft dirt, falling and losing a spot. This type of crash is very typical for me. The third crash, occurred in one of the many dark corners of the course. Digging deep into my pedals over rutted dirt and roots I skipped my rear wheel and again completely lost control of my rear end, sending me spinning off my bike into the dirt and losing a couple spots.

The good thing was that I learned from each of these. Thereafter, I played it safe exiting the sidewalk turn, ran the dirt u-turn, and soft pedaled rutted roots. The bad thing was in one of those incidences I landed on my rear derailleur. I discovered this when shifting into my largest sprocket and put my derailleur into my spokes.

Strong-man Swanson came around me after my last spill and I was grateful—his steady riding was a relief to the furious elbow bumping, wheel skidding, sprint/brake riding of the first few laps. Swanson and I picked off a few riders for a couple laps as he motored along, but Keith Hillier popped by both of us on a grassy rise and got a good gap. After a lap chasing with Swanson, I gave it all I had into one grass climb and came around Swanson just before the top. Now it was up to me to catch Hillier, who had a little less than twenty seconds on me, and I had a solid nine laps to do it.

Eight to go and it was still up to me to catch Hillier.
Seven to go and it was still up to me to catch Hillier.
Six to go and it was still up to me to catch Hillier.
Five to go and…you get the picture.

That is, until one to go. I closed ten seconds in the first half of the lap — at this point he was very close. I just needed one more solid effort — I had to get around him on the road climb. After the road climb, the latter half of the course was single track, single track sidewalk, single track run-up and a bunch of turns (for all intents and purposes also single track). I sprinted as hard as I could up that road and just as I was nearly coming around him near the crest he looks back and says “shit!”. He accelerates ten meters over the top and maintains his lead going into the single track to finish second.

Rainier Schaefer

Photos courtesy of Tim Westmore.

MASH IN JAPAN

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Eddy Bach

We found ourselves, eight years later, at W-BASE bicycle garage. This was home turf when we visited in 2006 and 2007. At that time, Garrett took photographs of all of the riders’ bikes. With that same spirit, I saw it fitting to document the current riders’ bikes in the same spot.

Walton Brush III

Chas Christiansen

Al Nelson

Matt Shapiro

Dylan Buffington

– Martin Bustamante

MASH SAN FRANCISCO PREMIERE EVENT RECAP

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When we started the 10 year project, it was tuff to see the light at the end of the tunnel, being it was by far the biggest project I have worked on in my adult career. I sat with Garrett and planned a ruff map of components including a large photo/design book showing the history of MASH, a full length new movie that shows where the level of riding has progressed to, street racing, where we come from, and where our passion still lives today, and space to show these photographs, design projects, and art from our friends over the years. Once we had this on paper, we dove into organizing 10 years of photographs, and design projects, and with Dylan’s help, we shaped up the 355 page book. The video was always being shot in the background, with no real deadline, or end goal beyond keep shooting. By creating a calendar to share all of these ideas, a premiere in San Francisco would be our first stop on what would become a world tour. On September 12th 2015, we shared with the locals, and travelers alike, what we love. Track bikes and their riders using the streets and roads of the Bay Area, to express their interconnection of these elements. This series of photographs show some details from that weekend in San Francisco. We are grateful to all of our friends who tirelessly helped us prepare, who hung artwork in the middle of the night, who worked checkpoints at races, or lost their voices screaming at a video projection, and who woke up the next morning to sweat out the previous nights celebration. We want to thank sponsors that contributed by supporting these riders with the hardware needed to make this video/book possible, and the added legs to travel it around the world. THANK YOU.

SEOUL KOREA

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After the Tokyo Premiere, we will be in Seoul Korea for a screening. Come out!

HOUSE OF VANS LONDON VIDEO

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House of Vans London put together a video showing some of the messenger games put on by local couriers while in London. The entire night was a blast. We are thankful for the support from the local community for setting up an awesome weekend!

MASH PREMIERE: PARIS BY CARO PAULETTE

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One week ago, Chas and Dylan jumped a plane with a passport, and toothbrush, to fly to Paris for a quick screening in route to Berlin. Friends at Wanderlust, Steel, and Drop It Courier set up a fun Monday night. Riders and racers met up at Steel magazine/Cafe, where an alleycat and group ride split out, before re-connecting at Wanderlust for the outdoor screening. Enclosed are some of the details from the Caro Paulette photo essay. Please check their site for full details, and photographer links. Thanks for sharing!

MASH PREMIERE 2015: BLUE LUG PHOTOGRAPHS

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After traveling for the European stops, we are back home for a week, and seeing tons of photo stories from the stops along the way. Enclosed is a set from friends at Blue Lug Japan, who came to the SF premiere, and shared their story HERE.

CYCLIST OR BIKE RIDER: ZO

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Erik Zo just released a new Zine titled Cyclist or Bike Rider

I have been enamored with the writing of Reginald C. Shaw in his book “cycling” since the day I first read from it.. The idea that a bike rider can learn to be a cyclist ,and what the difference is , is my favorite concept from the book.
I decided to go through the hoard of prints I have been accumalating, from my hours in the darkroom, and pull out all the ones I have with bicycles as the subject.
I ended up with a group of about 50 photos taken with a variety of cameras in various formats.
When putting them together and condsidering how to bind it I could not reconcile the fact that I would have binding issues with the photos orienantated in one direction or the other…so I decided to make it a two part issue! Part A is Portrait format Part B is landscape format.

I have now (26 sept 2015) Finished the 2nd printing of “Cyclist or Bike rider”
I fixed an error in the first printing,cleaned up the covers,adding a pattern on the inside,and added an index of the images with each half of the zine having the index for the other half,so you can leave it open to the index page while you browse.
I made these at the print house closeset to my house. I did not scan these so I was not able to get a collated package over the counter, my originals are mostly 8X10 prints so they cannot be machine fed..This is an inconnvenince but I decided to make the most of it and change to machine settings to suit each print.
When at Kinkos the machines in are area are Canon Imagemakers which are getting long in the teeth. I will say the menu choices on the canons seem more sutble than on the machine I used for these which was a XEROX 5545.
On this machine you are given 4 choices for your type of original and you can control light/dark, sharpness and contrast. Its much like color printing in the darkroom. You change the color balance and the exposure is off. Changeing the type of the original from PHOTO to PHOTO/TEXT or /HALF TONE photo would require resetting darkness..etc I have a few photos in the zine/paper blog/art book that I reduced down from 11X14 during the first printing, those were the ones that were hardest to get something I liked out of,and for the 3rd printing (if I ever make more) I will bring those in and copy off them ,as if hand placing it is only a modest difference in time.
I took over the counter of the copy shop collating and printing for about 3 hours. I might be able to do it a little quicker but still comes out to at least 10 minutes per issue of time to print.
Everyone in the paper trade who has seen the zine has asked about the cover paper. It is a metallic siVer paper named Currencey, it runs about 75 dollars for a ream of 150 sheets. These are all silver prints so I figured why not spend a couple of dollars on a flashy cover.!

Cost 30 dollars shipped 25 in person. international inquire for your location..

BUY HERE other zines there as well..

missterpissta@gmail.com