Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Jumped In: THIETH

This is definitely a new one. I am super proud to formally introduce THIETH to the CSK Family.

Well this is a slightly odd introduction as I am not truly introducing him in the fullest sense. I can however start off with the first time that I met him. As with a few other CSK family family members, I first met THIETH at the inaugural Red Bull event in 2011. We had been messaging back and forth and though he was originally not going to make it, I think he drove up on a whim like the night before the contest.

I knew he was somewhere in the crowds, but unfortunately didn't really know what he looked like so wasn't too sure I'd know when I found him. As I recall, he found me, and basically introduced himself by handing me a shirt. I thought to myself, oh, so this is THIETH. I don't think I even caught him name at the time. Either way, here's some goofy commentary after one of Tyler's rail rides that he caught during his live feed action. Can you feel my genuine excitement?



Anyways, he is sick dude and I am really thrilled to have him down with CSK. A true role model and class act. I've had the opportunity to hang with him on a few other occasions and can confidently say that you are missing out. Not to crush his edgy appearance, but he is a generous guy with solid intentions and aspirations. He provides a fresh perspective for the Fixed Gear community and is in it for the kids, not just to make a name for himself.

You already know where to go for all the necessary updates: www.TTvBLOG.com, but how well do you know him? Hopefully after reading this interview you can feel a bit closer to understanding who he is.

Officially, welcome to the CSK, we're excited to have you on board!

CSK: So, I usually ask people to introduce themselves, but for the sake of anonymity, how about you just skip that part. Unless this is going to be the coming out interview where you reveal your identity. That would blow my mind. If not, no biggie. 
THIETH: I don't plan on "revealing myself" to the the whole internet... but if by "coming out" you mean on some gay shit. yeah, im gay like based god, dont tell my bitch cuz she'd probably be pissed. as far as my concealed identity goes// im not one who enjoys attention, or large crowds, or anything that comes with being #fixiefamous. if i needed to feed my ego, i would make youtube videos of myself singing pop music about life as a 13 year old girl. i live a private life and hope to keep it that way. the times ive met people for the first time, like you for instance... you had no idea what to expect, it wasnt until we were introduced, or that i was "THIETH" /// before that... we were just two people watching the fucking fixie x games rebull comp together. i dig that, i just want to be around people without any expectation or some shit of who im supposed to be based on what i do here on the internet. theres probably more to it than that... but that's the idea.

Your first blog post was the death pedal 2 trailer, February 3rd, 2010. Why did you decide to start blogging and why did you choose this as your first post? And it took you 17 other posts to finally get a ZLOG Crew deal in the mix, what’s with that?
lol. im so fucking pumped you did your research hahaha. i really didnt know what i was doing back then, nor did i have any dialed ways for tracking down all the videos. the first couple months or so was just to get the ball rolling. but i can GUARANTEE you that i was a ZLOG reader//fan back then. that shit was definitely a big part of my inspiration.

I’ve been meaning to ask, If I wanted to get some ad space on your blog, how much for a year’s subscription?
ha. you a funny fucker ruff. i been dedicated to no ads since day 1. i have a couple friends who run a MLB blog and make rent off that shit. they push me to get ads in the mix // but i feel like flashing ads on the side of a blog are ugly, and by design they encourage people to buy unnecessary shit // I'd rather a blog just push riding than push products... im all for the grass roots start ups and rider based brands (like what you got going) getting theirs and making money, and i will post about it, and push that shit til i die... but no ads. don't get me wrong tho/// I love all the new products and shit, and post about the stuff im into//I just don't wanna turn my blog into a NASCAR/billboard or some shit. 

Fucking Killing It
Where did the Charles Manson icon come from and what sparked the “fucking killing it” tag line?
the "fucking killing it" tag came before the graphic. u always hear people say "so and so is fucking killing it right now" or shit like that... its one of those phrases like "sick" or "cool" or whatever... I just figured i would get more literal with it... and then manson is the most recongnizable face of murder/psychopathic killer, so i went with it. i pitched it at goTThross and he went ape shit, so i just ran with that.

26 or 29?
i alctually ride both/// mostly tarck type shit on my 29 /// its a v1 first run bruiser, i love rolling around town on that thing, bombing hills, longer rides, I love the beefed up track bike feel. my 26 is an unknown v2 /// it rolls like a fucking monster truck haha, it's my wheelie rig, chicks love wheelies. i like em both for different reasons and i dont plan to stick with just one...

Who do you like watching ride and what kind of riding gets you stoked?
fuck if i made a list of who's riding gets me psyched it would be a page long. i love everything creative. people who take the bike and do something outside the generic with it. i also really get psyched on noobs who just go fucking hard to get clips. theres so much you can do with a bike, and its not coached, or directed by anyone except the person riding it. so to each their own///originality always speaks.

You’ve set precedence with the whole live updates from the Red Bull competition the past 2 years. The first year it was a huge surprise. I know a few people this year that didn’t make it out who were actually glued to their computer hitting the refresh every few minutes waiting for your live feed. Now with BMX doing live streaming of Simple Sessions and the Bakery Vitamin Water competition, I’m thinking you’ll have to up the ante for next year. Perhaps a commentator booth with mics and headsets? No pressure though.
i really wish i could get a full on live feed of the event. but im all about working "within my means" however shitty that might be. i looked into what it would take to stream the redbull event and it just wasn't doable this year, but who knows what the future holds // its definitely something im into, and the blog is called "TTv" so the dream of delivering a more television-like experience is always in the back of my head.

One of my all time favorites, hands down, was your Walmart T-shirt scavenger hunt when you started releasing the Manson shirts. Where did that all come from?
sick man, thanks for the good words on that, i was super pumped to do that shit. actually had planned on it for a long time before i ever did it... then started getting hit up for shirts by more people than i could deal with... so i thought it would be a good way for whoever wanted em to get em. went for beers with a friend of mine one night, he told me "we're doing that THIETH Walmart shit tonite" haha. it was pretty fun, no one at walmart thought anything of it either hahaha, way too easy to fuck around in one of those stores. fuck Walmart, i dreamed of grandmas shopping the clearance rack the next day and coming across the shirts hahahaha 

When you aren’t blogging, how do you spend your time?
i spend all of my time blogging actually, but thanks for asking.

What is the most personal thing that you are willing to admit?
i have a barber pole tatooed on my penis. its my only tattoo, chicks dig it. I'll have to show it to you some time haha.

Presta or Schrader?
id prefer schrader if nothing else for gas station fill ups without any extra equipment haha, I always lose those little adapter shits... but most of my bikes got presta// dgaf really tho.

To you, what does CSK represent?
real deal grass roots fixie shit. a movement for the future /// also, i wear collared shirts about 90% of the time so im psyched on that part haha.

Do you have any questions for me?

how good is life in seattle? i always want to visit, that city looks pretty epic man...
Life is good in Seattle. In fact, I can't lie, Seattle is good everything and is achieving on all fronts. Even though it's the land of sun breaks, we just enjoy it that much harder when it comes around. Also, it's home base so I'm pretty biased. You know you've got a couch and a couple Zlogtown and Z-Boys for some tourist attraction action when you get here...

whered you come up with CSK?
Well the gang used to give me a hard time for always wearing a collared shirt when we were riding. I also wear a button up polo shirt for my work uniform every day and I guess it just stemmed from that. Tyler likes to dress fancy some times too and Zach and Chris also got that style. Anyways, no one can deny a sharply dressed dude riding a bike and doing tricks. Am I wrong? For our holiday time gift exchange, Chris sneakily put together some hand made stickers for the CSK and that was my kick start. 

...and why jerseys for a "collared shirt" krew? thats the most "collar-less" shirt you could make haha
We all wanna be ballers. The jerseys just get us that much closer to achieving. Plus, who doesn't love the feel of a baggy jersey flowing as you cruise down the middle of the street? Oh, and I'm also organizing a fixed gear 3 on 3 basketball tournament.

are you going to make a collared shirt with outlier, polo, or tommy hilfinger?
Outlier couldn't source enough fabric for the XXL size, Polo is just played out, and I couldn't get a hold of anyone Hilfiger. Trying to pull some strings at Blackbird though...

thanks for the interview ruff. you a good guy to be around // fuckin psyched you even asked to interview me... sorry for all the language haha.


Monday, June 18, 2012

Mike Dinh is Boss: MKE Edition

Mr 420

Mike Dinh in Milwaukee from Sam Erickson on Vimeo.

Sam Erickson filmed and edited this mix of Mike from some Milwaukee escapades earlier this month. It's enjoyable to watch Mike ride as he slaughters spots with his laid back new age style.

One of my tricks was from this was curved double peg. Spot was rad and mike served it with a smooth style. He almost got it to hop over on the way back down. Something to come back for...

Dinh double peg // Sam with an epic filming stance

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

What are you doing this weekend at #MWM3?

See you there? Maybe? You know that CSK dropped some prizes down for this...

Life Long Learning: Get More Intellectual Friends (or Tyler Johnson and Antonyo Wothe)

Another installment for Life Long Learning brought to you by Antonyo Wothe for WRAHW and Tyler Johnson for Coal Headwear.


Start spending more time with people who think. Not just people who are smart. But people who actually invest much of their time in learning new skills. Their habits will rub off on you. Even better, they will probably share some of their knowledge with you.


Even before watching these edits, I'd consider Tyler and Antonyo some of my intellectual friends. Creativity and opportunity oozes from their brains. You can't help but want to go out and at least try a bump jump, right? Too much to call out but here are a few of my personal highlights:
  • Antonyo's halfcab bar banger
  • Tyler's death wall ride
  • Chris' steady cam, glide cam, zip line cam (3:08)
  • The fact that both have standardized uniforms for most of their edit
These 2 are definitely ones for the archives.

CSK in Taipei and Taichung

I wanted to take a moment to introduce some of the Far East Division members in Taiwan and how they rock CSK

Cogwei, Damn it's hot in Taipei, maybe we should get some bubble tea and wear our CSK jerseys
CSK Socks are better with tattoos and WRAHW inspired goods
Teddy Boy, All around Boss, Taipei
Lucas, owner/operator of SDG in Taichung and BB17 rider
Adorning the entrance of Breakbreak17



Tuesday, June 5, 2012

K Birdie for CSK

K Birdie
Well not too sure how to introduce this story as there is only a brief history behind it. K Birdie and I started talking a few months back. I told him I was headed to visit the Breakbrake17 crew in Taiwan and felt compelled to convince him to make the short trip over from Hong Kong. A few days before I left, he sent over a message sharing that he would be coming!
We met on the day I arrived and after only a few hours were cruising the streets. Pretty stoked to meet him in the flesh. We were able to hang for most of the week in Taipei and Taichung. He came on all of the sightseeing adventures and was a great travel companion. Pretty awesome to talk fixed gear politics and get a glimpse of his angle on things. He shared quite a bit about the up and coming things for Machete Bikes and I know you'll really be pumped.
On the second night of riding, K grabbed out his camera and turned the insanely bright light on me. We caught a few clips but I had no expectation that he would turn around and send this edit over my way yesterday. He came insanely prepared and equipped with camera gear, and was patient and encouraging. He even told me to not be sorry for missing the trick. Now that's some CSK moral support.
If you read this, it was great to meet you and I am looking forward to the next adventure (perhaps in HK?). Thanks for coming out to Taipei and for making this edit, it will always serve as a great memory for this trip!

He is definitely down with CSK for Life.




Here is what K had to say for this mini edit:


Stack some clips in Taipei & Taichung with CSK main head Jacob Ruff.
Not much bangers but it's all about style and silky riding. Murdering so hard for CSK.
Was so awesome hanging and riding with you. Wish to see you soon in Hong Kong or wherever.
One love. CSK 4 Life!!
Filmed & Edited: K Birdie

Sunday, June 3, 2012

1/2 Assed v6: Gus, Joe, Congo

Gus, Joe, and Congo coming through with some fresh iPhone clips. How have there already been 6 of these?!