icepick's blog

We're lucky to live in a place that is full of talented people. One of our favorite folks to work with is photographer Brenton Salo. Early last week, in between some biblical rain showers, we headed out to Mt. Tabor to shoot some new print ads with him for our light line. We're very happy with what he came back with and how the ads came together. What do you think?

Spent yesterday at Portland Internatioinal Raceway (PIR) for Cross Crusade #3 and what a day it was! The morning was chilly, but we got things heated up early at the Corsa Concepts tent thanks to our co-sponsors at Just Coffee and  Dave's Killer Bread. Jen and I had the double burner Coleman stove fired up and we started making french toast for anyone who wanted it at about 8 am. We switched over to grilled cheese in the afternoon. Many new freinds were made as a result.

I was stoked to see some of the custom decals on the Ira Ryan Team bikes when Ryan and India King showed up. Represent!

Portland 'cross photog Dave Roth who bought the very first Take Out Basket from PDW this spring told me we need to make the basket bigger for pit boot carrying duty. Noted Dave.

Buddy of PDW, Nick Sande, always rolls deep at local cross races. Like I've come to expect, this weekend he showed up with a gas grill (and the best burgers I've had in recent memory), a cooler full of canned domestic lager and a raging sound system. You can alway find Nick by smell from the grill, sound from his stereo and the crowd standing around him.

This weekend the Crusade heads to Hillsboro, and then to Bend for two days of racing action that will also coincide with the Oregon Handmade Bicycle Show so if you are around Bend, OR Halloween weekend, we'll see you at the races!

Around these parts (the Pacific NW) cyclo-cross is a way of life. So when the mercury begins to dip, the days shorten and the colors change you know it's time to dust off your cowbells, dig out your pit boots and spend your Sundays following the temporary tent town of the Cross Crusade. This season we've gotten a bit more involved and PDW is proud to be actively sponsoring both the Corsa Concepts and Ira Ryan Cycles teams.

You may wonder what an accessory company is doing sponsoring race teams, so I'll let one of our racers Matt Hall show you:

This is a picture of Matt showing up at the Alpenrose race with 4 sets of race/pit wheels on his BOB trailer. Sponsoring these guys and gals is simple and fun for us. They embody what we think all cyclists should be: daily riders.

So if you are out and about over the next few weekends checking out the races, stop by our team tent(s) and say hello. You can find us under the Deschutes Brewing/Castelli EZ-Ups. I'll be slinging peanut butter/jelly or grilled cheese sandwiches, french toast, coffee and some cold beers. You read that right. Aside from getting to spend the day surrounded by some cool pals, we are also stoked to be working with some other great sponsors who'll set us up with product (bread and beer) to give out every week.

Last Thursday night, we knocked off work an hour early and headed to the far side of SE Portland where we spent a few hours working on the new pump track that the Northwest Trail Alliance is building in Ventura Park. I've been lucky enough to attend trail work days at Sandy Ridge, Stub Stewart and now Ventura Park with these folks, and I need to say how proud we at PDW are to work with them on these amazing trail projects. The Ventura Park pump track still needs a couple of more work days before it is finished, so keep an eye on their site to see when you can lend a hand.

Berms get built one shovel full at a time.

Starting to see the line out of turn 2.

Une Minute de Vélos - Rwanda from Darcy Turenne on Vimeo.

Several months ago one of our favorite local shops, 21st Avenue Bicycles in NW Portland, asked us if we'd like to get involved with a project idea they were kicking around. Kyle was thinking about sponsoring a team of non-bike racers. The concept was pretty far outside the box, but as he explained it further, we realized we had to jump at the chance. Everyone sponsors bike racer teams, even PDW (we currently sponsor Ironclad, Trusty Switchblade, Corsa Concepts and Ira Ryan Cycles). Kyle's concept was to sponsor regular folks that are out riding the highways and byways of our fair city to do more than go fast. Fast forward several months to late last week, and the XXI Ambassadors team was born.

So just who are the XXI Ambassadors, you ask? Well, anyone could be one, even you! The idea is to encourage folks to be responsible for themselves and others out there; to stop and help riders in need, to follow the rules of the road, and to promote cycling as a way of life.  We supplied some 3Wrenchos and Shiny Objects, and the gang at Trusty Switchblade made some sweet tool rolls. The idea really seems to have blown some people's hair back. Even the UK's Guardian picked up the story. I gotta say, we're proud Kyle asked us to be a part of the program. If you get a minute, check out the XXI Ambassador program. And if you've got a suggestion for a shop near you that may want to be involved in a similar program, let us know!

PDW Circulus Promo 1 from James Wilson on Vimeo.

We're very pleased to announce our collaboration with our friends up the street from the PDW Mothership at Queen Bee Creations! We've long admired their bags, and a few months back we approached them about doing a limited run of bags to go along with our Take Out Basket. Long story short, they were into the idea! We've just taken delivery of the bags and they are ready to go. There are two designs to choose from. And yes before you ask, we did "put a bird on it." You can buy one for yourself or someone else you think is groovy from your favorite local shop, from the Queen Bee showroom or from here.

Yes, lots of folks know the Pacific Northwest for our craft beers, especially the IPAs. But we'll always have a soft spot in our hearts for the many, many beers of Wisconsin. Recently, our buddy Pete from Cog Magazine borrowed a Take Out Basket for a shoot with Lakefront Brewery out of Milwaukee. We're very happy with how it turned out!