The collaboration between Sylvester from Brakeless and Meka, here’s the fall 2012 lookbook from Montreal’s Idlehand, a new venture following their Zombie Corp collection from a while back. From their about,
‘Street culture and responsibility: these are the themes at the heart of the first collection of IDLEHAND. Taking off where “Brakeless x ZOMBIEcorp” had left them, this first collection is as much a reference to the duos experiences within their motorcycle club than it is to their deep values: authenticity, positivity, and simplicity.’
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Posted in bikes, clothes, motorcycles, video
This got me stoked when I was doing my bookmark rounds this morning… Meka from Idlehands / Dead Riders shot this GoPro vid of their 2011 run from MTL to NYC for the Brooklyn Invitational. The vid also features some of my favourite people in the world, Syl, Jesse, Yoan and Denis. Riding with your friends, there’s nothing better… just had a great weekend of that ourselves.
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The followup video to the lookbook we posted a few days ago, not much to say here other than this is a great compliment to the photos, keeping the same washed-out style and celebrating everything two-wheeled (and all subcultures related).
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Lot of familiar faces in this one! Montreal’s very own Brakeless have teamed up with fellow 514 dirtbags Zombie Corp. for a run of tees showcasing all things motorcycle, fixed, bmx, and metal. Here’s the full lookbook for the collaboration, featuring members of both crews in their natural habitats (two wheels, BBQs and tattoo chairs). I really like the treatment throughout, with a great mix of color and black + white shots capturing the good times. Bigs ups Syl and Jesse from Brakeless, those bikes look nice boys! Click through for the rest.
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I don’t know how many MTL readers frequent this here ‘ol blog, but if you do and you’re in town for what is shaping up to be a beautiful weekend weather-wise, try to stop by under the Van Horne bridge (Bridge Burner location) Saturday evening for a projected screening of Macaframa, the SF fixed-gear epic. This film has probably the best footage of track bike hill bombing ever put to screen, so I highly recommend checking it out. Plus the Brakeless crew will be in full effect, most likely getting loose before the Lando Kal show at ZooBizzare later that night. See you this weekend!
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Just wanted to take this opportunity to thank Sylvester for making me a part of the Brakeless People family… definitely an honor, amongst some illustrious company. I came to Montreal five months ago with no plan and next to no friends: the second day I was here I ventured into the store hoping to find like-minded cyclists, and ended up finding that and more, building friendships that started over a mutual love for track bikes but ended up transcending the sport and the physical space of the shop. Anyway, if you ever wanted to know a little more about me, you can find it out here. And if you’re ever in the Mile End neighborhood of MTL, stop by Brakeless and say hi to Sylvester.. I’ll probably be sitting at the back of the store in the barber chair.
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In the wake of this week’s Urban Outfitters bike post and an awesome party thrown by Brakeless here in Montreal, the explosion of bike culture is a topic that’s been front and center lately. Specifically, I refer to the fixed-gear bike scene that has blown up in cities across the globe and on blogs across the internet. What I noticed at Wednesday’s BBQ/ride/party was the coming together of many different scenes within this newly popularized sport: the OG messengers, road cyclists who have locked their cog, the homie crew who hangs at the store like it’s our living room, new riders keen on hitting the street as much as possible, and fashion dudes who wear too much color and usually rock an Aerospoke. Regardless of what reasoning one has for riding the machine, I think what excited me most was that everyone was genuinely stoked on bikes and the culture that comes with it: harboring any animosity towards the rapid growth in popularity of fixed-gear cycling just makes no sense. Everyone benefits when more people ride bikes; cruisers, mountain bikes, fixes, whatever. I mention Prolly (aka John Watson) a lot here on the blog, and for good reason. His documentation of the fixed-freestyle evolution has been meticulous, but more importantly, he has an insistence of positivity whenever discussing the sport. Recently the NY Times published an article on the weekly trick gathering in Brooklyn, the Peel Sessions. There was also a superbly done audio slideshow featuring an interview with John, well worth a watch here.
I’m always ready to ride, and whether I’m simply going to the store or spending a Sunday exploring the city, the feeling I had the first time I laid down a skid on /85′s bike remains the same, pure satisfaction and fulfillment. There’s not a lot of other things in my life I could extend those platitudes towards… so why would I ever not want someone else to share that same experience? Bottom line is this: get a bike, have a bike, ride your bike. I’ll see you on the streets, grin on my face.
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thanks to Mike Chui for the photo
