Hi, I’m Joe V. The V is for Vadeboncoeur, but no one ever really calls me that (except my business card). That card also calls me the Global Director of Product Development, Marketing and Creative Design for Trek Bicycle. Yep, I am sometimes not really sure what all that means either. I do know that I dig bikes, oatmeal, motorcycles, burritos, the weird things I see along the way, my family and my job. I get to travel the world helping make great bikes, so it’s a pretty great gig.
Readers of "The Lane" know that this blog fully supports America's Hip-Hop efforts. Ever since the puzzled looks my parents gave me when I bought my first LL Cool J album have I stood up for Hippity-Hop culture. Listening to rap music while growing up in Wisconsin is not as weird as it sounds. Problem is with the music becoming so pervasive in American society, there is a whole lot more garbage to sift through. Way too many open mic nights, karaoke bars, and reality television have given people the impression that anybody can pick up the mic and throw down. This is, unfortunately, not true. However, some people are given the gift of gab and can spit it about any random topic. Like bike racks on the front of buses.
This video is courtey of Louisville's (I have the Cardinals losing to Memphis in the Final 4) Transit Authority (TARC). I gotta hand it to the 'Ville. The hook is catchy and the rhyming and production quality are pretty decent. Louisville is actually becoming one of the more bike friendly cities in the US. Stay tuned for more on that later.
"Bring it down, pull the bar, put it on..." That'll be rolling around the melon for a few days.
Favorite parts: The handlebar dance at :16 and the Lil' Jon-esque background chant, "Use a bike rack, YEAH!" at :14.
If you like Devo and custom fixed gear bikes, you will think that this is the greatest blog post ever. I can't say as I'm all that familiar with Devo's music (aside from "Whip It" of course) but I am quite familiar with dope rides and this is for sure the latter. Trek Industrial Design rockstar Mike Hammond worked up this custom fixie complete with "Devo Hat" spacers. After we wiped the drool from our fellow Trekkies off the bike, Mike decided that the bike could do more for the world than just reside in his stable of fly bikes. The bike is currently being auctioned and the proceeds donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. If you'd like a chance at owning this amazing piece of "Devo-tion", click here. Bidding is live now! Two LAF posts in a row. I'd send those guys a bill if I wasn't feeling so.....charitable.
This past weekend, yours truly hit the City of Angels as Lance Armstrong hosted a couple thousand of his friends for some seriously positive LiveSTRONG vibes.
We're painting a series of bikes for Lance this year around the LiveSTRONG theme and we've partnered up with a few artists to crank out some custom paint schemes for the man to race throughout the year. Lance is a bit of an art-buff and we couldn't be happier to provide the canvas to some of his favorites. This event would kick off LiveSTRONG's "Stages" art show and we hooked up with the guys at Nike to help make it all happen. The first two bikes are by iconic pop artists, Barry McGee and KAWS. The KAWS bike is going to make an appearance at Milan-San Remo (Euro Race) next week and is sure to blow some minds. The McGee bike is a serious piece of work with a vintage look and some unbelievable graphics. The bike is made to look as if it's rusted steel which is quite a feat when you're actually working with carbon fiber. Will any of these bikes be production? No promises.
The night kicked off with an open invite to anybody who wanted to take a two mile bike ride from the Los Angeles Children's hospital to the Montalban Theatre. The ride was fun but honestly the story of the evening was that for a solid hour on a Saturday night, major streets in Los Angeles were closed to nothing but bicycle traffic. There's something so gratifying about flying past a line of exotic cars waiting at a police barrier while thousands of bicycles get waived through.
After the arrival at the theatre, invitees were treated to free bike valet, some cool refreshments, and a preview of the hottest bikes on the entire face of the earth. Ben Stiller kicked the evening off with a little stand-up and intro'd Lance for a Q and A with Nike CEO, Mark Parker and artist Shepard Fairey, of the iconic Obama poster print. Shep did a huge wall mural for the event that is currently on the side of the Montalban Theatre if anybody from LA is reading this and wants to check it out. Corner of Hollywood and Vine. Big Lance face. Can't miss it. The surprise of the night was when Ben Harper hit the stage to do his thing and brought the house down with his band, Relentless 7. I've seen the guy only once before and if you get a chance, make it happen. He's an incredible musician.
Overall, an absolutely amazing event. Those peeps at Nike know how to get down, no doubt. The biggest winner of the night was the LiveSTRONG movement and the Lance Armstrong Foundation which is the reason for all the hoopla. Never has the fight against cancer been more important and that is an organization that is doing amazing things for victims, survivors, and anybody that's been touched by the disease.
If you dig the bikes, check back in from time to time as we'll be posting more as they become available.
For an insider's recap on the event, as well as a list of artists you can expect to see pieces from, click here.
