About Us
We like bikes. We firmly believe that anything with two wheels and pedals will lead you down the road to happiness. This website is about that road.
There's quite a few different bike subcultures out there: from brakeless fixie kids pedaling in skin-tight denim to hairless racer dudes drafting in skin-tight lycra and we tend to like them all. We like organized rides with bountiful food stops and numbers pinned to our jerseys just about as much as we like to get surly and take over the streets on the last Friday of the month. We like pump tracks, dirt parks, Sunday rides, midnight races, velodromes, single track, watching the tour, touring the countryside, climbing hills, Thursday crits, truing our wheels, anything to do with bikes we like. And that's what this website is about: Bikes!
Write For Us
We're just getting this blog off the ground and we'd like to get a few more people involved. Do you like to write? Do you like to ride bikes? How about both? Drop us an email.
Advertise
If you would like to advertise with Velotopia send us an email and tell us what you have in mind. We don't have any stats yet because we just got the wheels rolling on this thing, but we should have some numbers soon. Our best guess is that rates are going to be pretty cheap for at least another year. Like, really cheap. Also, a bunch of us are graphic designers so we can probably throw in some free design.
About The Site
We designed this site ourselves. It was hand-coded with mostly standards-compliant XHTML and a large helping of CSS. Expression Engine makes up the back end with some custom PHP thrown in for good measure. All photographs from Team Velotopia.
Mailing List
Here's the deal: You sign up for our mailing list and every now and again we might send out a newsletter. We also might host some informal rides in Seattle or a roller race or something cool like that and we may notify people on the list. This will be infrequent. Either way you will only hear from us if it matters and your email address is never shared, manhandled, abused, coerced, railroaded or browbeaten. And you can unsubscribe at an time, natch.
Friends & Affiliations
- David Cole Creative
- Editor-In-Chief David Cole is also a fine designer, painter, and illustrator among a multitude of talents. He runs this design studio form his home in Ballard.
- LookatLao Studio
- Publisher and designer Geoff has been running LookatLao Studio for more than 20 years with a focus on design, photography and publishing.
- 900 MPG
- Dave's fantastic bike-commuter web resource is brimming with content.
- Phinney/Bischoff Design House
- Karl, Cody and Dave ride for Team PBDH and work at this Seattle graphic design firm during the daylight hours. Well, actually, Karl owns the place.
- Step Down Racing/Second Ascent
- Kevin races Cat 4 for this regional cycling team.
- Blue Flavor
- Kevin is a also designer at this Seattle Web design and development firm.
- It's Only a Burger Quest
- Sarah is involved with this Burger Quest website somehow. We don't understand it, but we know it's right.
Team Velotopia
David Cole
Editor-In-Chief
Staff Illustrator
Dave is a graphic designer, bike commuter, road bike rider, mountain biker, downhill dirt park junkie and generally a fan of anything with two wheels and a human for an engine. Dave likes bikes because they are fun, they are nerdy, they are hardcore, and they are possibly one of mankind's smartest inventions. Dave likes dogs, beer, tacos and tattoos, dislikes gasoline-powered vehicles, television and suburbs.
In the stable: 1983 Trek 560, 2003 Gary Fisher Tassajara, 2005 Kona Stinky, 2006 Kona Scrap.
Geoffrey Smith
Publisher
Staff Photographer
Geoff is a graphic designer, avowed skeptic and professional web knucklehead. He drinks a lot of wine. He rides bikes because he can. He likes road bikes, wool knickers, and the place where his carbon fiber seat post meets his old-timey Brooks saddle. When not riding around Lake Washington he can be found taking photos, grilling meats, and hanging out in Bangkok. He also wrangles the design and backend of this here site.
Bikes: 2007 Giant OCR A1, 1994 Novara Alight
Mike McGary
Requisite Bike Industry Guy
Mike has been riding and working for the bike industry longer than he cares to remember, and currently resides in Tucson. He grew up in San Diego, and has lived in Seattle and LA, but details are a bit dodgy. This one time he saw a wolf. Travel, music, reading and watching old movies are other things Mike will do. Also, he is known to be able to be talked into having a beer.
In The Shed: 2009 Storck Scenario 1.0, Fisher Ferrous 29er, 1962 Cinelli Super Corsa, 1994 Ibis Scorcher Fixie, 1979 Corlyn Touring/Commuter, 1996 50th Anniversary Roadmaster Luxury Liner repro, 1970's Raleigh 3-speed, 1962 Scwhinn Deluxe Stingray, 1957 Schwinn Speedster, 1978 Schwinn Deluxe tandem, 60's Space Liner bar bike.
Robbie Phillips
Writer
Taco-addicted Cyclist-At-Large
Robbie is a public relations professional who utilizes her persuasive skills convincing others to pedal with her in search of tacos. She loves that her bike commute to work takes less time than driving. She finds joy whooping it up mountain biking the wealth of single-track near Seattle, and has been known to get her drop and jump on when the occasion calls for it. When not riding around town wearing knee-high socks, she can be found hanging with Zack (husband) and Cooper (Vizsla).
Bikes: 1997 Salsa la Raza, 2006 Bianchi Axis, 2003 Santa Cruz Superlight (with squeaky toy frog), 2006 Ellsworth Moment (with intermittent squeaky bottom bracket), 2005 Kona Coiler
Angry Shop Guy
Mechanic
Sales-guy
Angry Shop Guy isn't quite old enough to know any better, but is old enough to think that your music sucks. When not working on your bikes, he is out searching for Seattle's best taco, and putting hot sauce on everything.
Bikes include a dual-suspension Stumpjumper, a Kona Zing, and a 1940's Raleigh that is almost, but not quite entirely, seized with rust.
Kevin Tamura
Writer
Road Bike Racer
Kevin is a professional pixel pusher and all around web junkie. He's also one of the rare bread of people that has never owned a car. Somewhere along the way he saw Greg Lemond win the tour de France and traded in his bmx bike for a road bike, shaved legs and all. When not behind the computer he's out riding and racing in the mad plaid of Step Down Racing presented by Second Ascent.
Bikes: 2008 Giant TCR Advanced, Giant TCR Advance Aluminum SL (rain bike), various parts and frames.
Johnathon Fitzpatrick
Writer
Token 20-something
Johnathon is a freelance journalist, bike commuter, occasional alley-cat racer, and intern for the Bicycle Alliance of Washington. He likes exploring the secret short-cuts and sky-line views of Seattle, riding to Canada on a whim, and leap-frogging buses in rush-hour. At your local coffee shop Johnathon can be observed in his native environment stooped behind a glowing laptop or staring spellbound at passing female cyclists.
Bike: 1978 Raleigh Supercourse; Black.
Kenneth Graves
Writer
Newbie Roadie
Ken is an underemployed jack of all (non-web) trades, a makeshift haberdashery enthusiast, singer-songwriter, gerbil juggler, dog yeller-ER and story teller extraordinaire. He enjoys a good girl-fight (no mud wrestlin'), watching his akita cull slow moving squirrels, and furiously pedaling his new bicycle hither and yon around the greater Seattle San Diego area. Other activities include coaxing ridiculous flavors from exotic ingredients, and getting "kinky" on christmas morning.
Bikes: 2009 Giant Defy-1, 2004 Giant Yukon
Karl Bischoff
Writer
Boat Captain
Karl is an avid cyclist, wooden boatbuildin', bass playin', design firm ownin', wife lovin', skate skiin', dog walkin', bike team oldster. Karl is Team PBDH Captain and very curious as to what's on the other side of the next hill.
Bikes: Cervelo Team Soloist, Klein Aura X, Klein Attitude Race, Raleigh (hybrid-don't-bother-locking-commute-in-Port-Townsend-bike)
Cody Rasmussen
Designer
Extremist
Cody is graphic designer who prefers a work-life balance that includes two wheels. He is self proclaimed non-competitive type who likes put the hammer down on occasion. Riding a bike is fun. Riding a different bike everyday is livin'. Cross-fit for a variety of sports, he is known to be daring mountain bike and downhill rider, a expert freeride skiier, and a rusty wakeboarder. He often commutes to work (via bike) 9 miles each way. When not riding you might find him eyeing a 20 ft drop at Crystal Mountain, taking photos, working on his house, drinking light beer, or hanging out with his beautiful wife and daughter.
Wheels: Motebecane Vent Noir, K2 Razorback Team, Kona Stinky Deelux
