The new 7th issue of Sahtel magazine featured an exclusive interview with MASH members Garret Chow and Jonathan Burkett. Hereby we’re publishing the original english version of the text along with some of the photos over our website. The interview is made by Lily Lin and Risto Kalmre. Enjoy.

The Americans like to nickname their cities. For example, Chicago is known as “The Windy City”, and there is of course New York City, known best as “The Big Apple”. San Francisco also has a few, such as “San Fran, “City by the Bay” or “Frisco”. But the one thing that San Francisco is probably best known for is not quite the bay or the Full House houses, but for its massive hills. Before moving there, I would have probably laughed at the suggestion of riding a bike around in San Francisco. But two years later, I’m still car-less and my bikes seemed to have procreated and multiplied. Whenever I tell people that I get around the city by riding a bike, the reaction I get is usually “aren’t there a lot of hills in San Francisco?”. And the answer to that question is well, yes, but its something you learn to deal with.

MASH was still in production, but with its trailer circulating the internet, there was a steady increase in fan-base and rise in popularity all over the world. Call it a trend, call it a revolution, call it a passion, call it an obsession, whatever it was, there was energy and excitement surrounding riding fixed gear bikes. Riding fixed gear and brakeless (for some) in a hilly city may seem to be somewhat irrational to many people, but this did not stop the growth in interest. San Francisco itself is small as it forms roughly a seven-by-seven miles square. It’s a city where you meet people quickly and sometimes not by choice. Perhaps the compacted nature of San Francisco is also a reasons why track bikes blew up all of the sudden. Now, almost a year after the San Francisco MASH premier, there are more track bikes than ever in the city. But there seems to be a lull with the activities with the MASH crew. The co-directors Mike Martin and Gabe Morford have been busy with their jobs as professional photographers and the riders too are going about their daily business making bread and butter. Jonathan and I met a year ago through work and I knew Garrett because I had purchased my first track frame from him. Knowing them, felt a bit like knowing celebrities; MASH had made them appear bigger than life, as most films do with people. So after playing Tetris with our calendars, we were finally able to meet up in the East Bay and chat a bit about the film and what they have been up to over bottomless coke and mexican food.

Lily Lin

Photos: Mike Martin

What’s your name and how old are you?

G: My name’s Garrett. I’m 36.
J: Jonathan Burkett. 26 years old.

How long have you been riding track bikes? What type of bike or bikes did you ride before turning fixed or have you always ridden a track bike?

G: I’ve been riding track bikes for five years, and bikes in general my entire life.
J: I have been riding track bikes for almost five years now. I started riding a road bike as a means of transportation in 2002, then about a year later bought a track bike that was on sale via commission at the Freewheel. Been riding since.

L: Are you a messenger? If not, what is your profession? What about the other riders?

G: No, I’m not a messenger. I’m a graphic designer by study, and I do that, along with a smattering of other stuff: looking for shoelaces, riding my bikes, lazing in hammocks and generally trying to keep one step ahead of The Man. A few of the other riders are, or were messengers – Dirt, Travis, Emi, James, Richie, Josh, Dustin, Demarco.
J: Not a messenger. I am a Graphic Designer. Most of the MASH riders however are, or have been, messengers at one point.

Garrett in Tokyo. Photo: Mike Martin

How many mlles do you ride per week approximately? How has it changed since the making of MASH? (Has filming MASH changed how you approach cycling?)

G: Between the track bike and road bike, I ride somewhere between 200 and 250 miles a week. The majority of those being done on the weekend, on the road bike. Since MASH’s debut, I’ve spent a lot of time on my road bike. I like to try and balance things by riding the track bike during the week, the road bike once during the week; and all weekend. The main aspects of my riding that were changed by the movie are trying to vary cadence and gearing in order to become a stronger cyclist overall. Whereas, prior to the film, I would do all rides – short or long – on the track bike, nowadays I use the strength-gains achieved by pushing a large gear to compliment the higher cadences I try to favor on the road bike.
J: On a good week I would say almost 250 miles, though on an average week probably half of that. MASH has definitely added to the phases of how I ride track bikes. When I was first starting, I was very into riding fast in traffic. All I would do is ride all around the city as fast as I could, weaving in and out of cars. As MASH started, I kept that going, but everyone was interested in riding the super large steep hills in San Francisco, as well as playing around with more tricks. Now, I am more interested in long rides, and still love riding in traffic, just not as interested in being as reckless as I once was.

Last year you guys completed a 3 years long project Mash. What went into filming for the video?

G: More often than not, there was a concerted effort to go out and film with specific locales, specific tricks, or a specific rider in mind. However, sometimes Gabe and Mike would simply follow one or more of the riders while they did their thing – without any scripting or predetermined plan, or route. A tremendous body of raw footage was logged, and toward the end of the principle filming, a more focused effort to push tricks began to coalesce.
J: Lots of tires. MASH was a great project. It really was just a bunch of friends going out and filming, hanging out, which is exactly what I hoped it would be. There was no stress about what tricks you had, or what hills you did. Everyone had their efforts and everyone did them. It was a great experience.

What are your memories from filming for MASH? Best and worst?

G: My best memories of the project are the friendships I made, and the opportunities that the project has brought – traveling and getting to ride my bike.
J: It is hard to say what the favorite or worst part was. The entire part of creating was the best. Getting to meet and hang out with the people I have during and after filming has been high points of my life. The worst is dealing with the people who can’t stop hating unnecessarily or unwarrantably. If they had just cause or reason to dislike MASH, so be it, but most don’t.

Jonathan carving. Photo Mike Martin

How did the people who were there end up in the video? How were the riders selected to be a part of the film? Did you all know each other prior to this?

G: I think as new friends presented themselves as strong and talented riders, their inclusion into the final piece was determined. As, at the time I had newly returned to San Francisco, I was literally introduced to the entirety of the group in one fell swoop.
J: Only a few of us knew each other prior to the video. When we started riding, the whole fixed gear craze was no where near what it is today. For the most part, you knew everyone at least by their bike who rode a fixed gear in the city. It was literally that close. Mike Martin, after meeting Gabe, helped to throw the first ‘Hooligan’s Picnic’ which brought all the people together who would be in the first trailer. I was living in Mexico at the time, so when I got back, that part of the filming was done, but we were ready to keep going with the full length. Along the way, people showed up, like Garrett who had been riding track bikes for a while already and just moved back from Amstrdam, and just fell right in riding with us.

How did you get involved in the project?

G: I’d met Ugene because I walked or rode past the store he worked at, Huf on a daily basis. One day, he ran outside and introduced himself to me. He in turn introduced me to Benny who invited me on a ride that he, Gabe and Jonathan were doing. That same day, I met Mike, Andy and Massan. They invited me to go ride and film with them, and the rest as they say, is history.
J: I have known Andy since high school, and he was at that first Hooligan’s Picnic, and told the rest of the people like Mike and Gabe and Dustin about me, and me about them. I met everyone once I got back, one day when everyone else was riding, and that was the beginning.
G: Mine was a unique situation in that I entered the fray – upon returning to the U.S. from living overseas – while things were well underway in terms of filming and the project itself. I wasn’t actually a ‘formal’ member of MASH, rather, a new friend whom the members took under wing. It wasn’t until the first trip to Japan that I think the decision was made for me to become an ‘official’ member of the project.

Down the hill with high speed – Gabe and Andy. Photo: Mike Martin

What’s the Hooligan’s Picnic?

J: Hooligan’s Picnic was a race Mike Martin throw that ended with the usual skid competition and some freestyle sessions. It was a departure at the time from the standard format of alleycats with possibly having track stands and skid competitions. Tricks were being done, but never in that kind of setting. That, I think, was a catalyst for the initial members of MASH to come together, and was the start of the project. There was also a second one thrown the day after the Bicycle Film Festival showed the 20 minute trailer.

How much time did it take to film your section?

J: A bit over a year. The majority was really quick, but towards the end, there were always little things we wanted to get on tape. That was the hardest part since from the start to a year later, I had been riding the most I have ever ridden, and I was disappointed with the old footage. It was all almost two years old once the video was actually released.
G: As I said earlier, my section wasn’t really a planned thing – meant more to reflect a more spontaneous and ’slice-of-life’ feel to things. I think I got a call from Andy or Gabe to go ride one day. They filmed Andy and I during that day, while riding throughout the city. In my part, Andy and I literally cover the larger majority of San Francisco proper. It was particularly hot that day, and because of the distances we covered; and that he and I were basically racing one another, there were times where we were almost pushed to vomiting from the effort.

Gabe and Jonathan filming his section. Photo: Mike Martin

What kind of techniques did Gabe and Michael use for getting the footage?

G: They did most of the filming from the scooter, with Mike at the helm and Gabe filming.
J: Most of my section was just done with me and Gabe. He would bomb the hills on a skateboard in traffic, filming. You can hear at times where he is telling me speed up, or times when he actually starts to drop me. He is one of the most amazing people, and the way he shot the film was simply the best there is. No video can rival the filming.

Do you have other filming experience in the past?

J: None really.
G: I did a lot of super-8 filming and editing while in college, and I worked for a time for Kyle Cooper, whose studio Imaginary Forces does a lot of title sequences for Hollywood movies. I worked on the title and end-credit sequences for Titanic, Donnie Brasco, Fools Rush In, Conspiracy Theory, as well as some stuff for TV commercials.

Really? That sounds like some really interesting projects! Do you think your experience in film and video aided you in the filming of MASH in anyway?

G: No, not at all. Although I am conversant and able to express myself filmically and through narrative sequence, I didn’t have a hand in the film-making – that is Gabe and Mike’s thing – I just peddled really fast.

What kind of feedback has MASH got back from the riding communities?

G: I think that the feedback is largely varied, with a lot of people loving the project and an equal number not liking it. All in all, the friends and relationships we’ve made as a result from our travels and while promoting the film are indicative of people’s general enthusiasm for MASH. However, like any (quasi)underground culture, there is a camp who believe that presenting things to the mainstream kills and undermines the ’street cred’ of it. The self-same thing happened with skateboarding so long ago.
J: For me, most of it has been positive – to my surprise. Though of course, now I keep hearing of people saying we are dumb, or slow, or do not understand what the hype is about. In the end, I just want people to be excited by it, and plenty of people I really respect have said they get that feeling, be it wanting to skateboard or ride or whatever. The rest don’t matter.

Any accidents involved while the guys filmed for MASH?

G: Those that were, were fortunately minor.
J: There were all kinds of little accidents. Couple crashes, couple broken frames, one cracked ankle. For the most part though, I think we were all extremely lucky.

How has riding track bikes changed over the recent years, on and off the track. And you personally – what do you feel has changed? Either gained or lost?

J: The fixed scene has obviously grown, and not in the most positive way in my eyes. People are too interested in what others think around them, which just leads to poor choices all the way around. I see too many people with no ability to handle themselves on their bikes, and that scares me. I hope it matures a little bit, and everyone stays safe. For the riders, and for the culture.
G: I’ve observed a lot of people, as well as shifts in the way bikes are built-up and ridden come and go – even within the short lifespan of MASH. Some three years back, the larger majority of people were on deep track dropbars. In an effort to adjust riding position to a more sensibly upright one for city cycling, people began a move toward riser bars. A move toward tri-spoke, deeper dish (front) rims and low-spoke count wheels seemed to come about at this time, as well. A milestone was the introduction of the rear Randonneur for its great skid-handling properties. This feature is crucial in a steeply-hilled city like San Francisco. Being able to stop and slow the bike more efficiently translates to being able to ride faster. These days, it’s rare to see any bike in San Francisco built up without a Randonneur on the rear.

I’ve observed a lot of kids getting track bikes as an offshoot to, or, from other cultures: Sneaker, street fashion, and etc. I think that people riding bikes, for whatever reasons, is a good thing. Despite what a person’s primary interest in track bikes might have been, I can hope that their mindset begins to skew toward the health, environmental and the sheer joy of riding for oneself can bring.

What does riding a track bike give you?

G: To me, bikes have always represented independence. From an early age, bicycles enabled a means to extend my range. Track bikes are among other things, a great means to get from point A to point B. I don’t believe in cars, and use the bicycle to get to where I need to go.
J: Track bikes are just really fun. Period. The style of riding is in a class on its own. I love the way you have to stay connected and work with the bike, especially on long rides.

This photo is from a series of races Andy and Jonathan threw. It was a trilogy of which that was the first race. That was called Descent, the second Ascent, and the third Traverse. The meanings imply how they went, and they were fun. Riders were strictly no brakes on these, and it was free with quite a few good prizes. The guy on the red bike is Garrett and the second one back from the front is Gabe. Photo: Jonathan Burkett

Do you race too? Why or why not? Do you race in alleycats? If yes, how do you feel its changed in the past few years?

G: I love all racing, yes. But, my specialty are shorter, 250m to 500m sprint races. I love short, explosive and powerful sprinting. The main changes I’ve observed are the increase in number of races being thrown, as well as their organizers being from outside of the messenger community. There are a lot of unfamiliar faces at the races I’ve done in the recent past. I’m guessing this is a function of new people entering the fray.
J: I used to race in alleycats, and felt I had something to prove back then, and to some extent I did. Back then, if you weren’t a messenger you got tons of crap from the other riders. So I went out and proved that they weren’t as great as they would like to think. But now, I don’t care about that. As the scene grew, I fell back and riding on my own, away from everyone else. Now, the only person I race with is myself. I have nothing to prove to anyone, and steer clear of most the races now, unless it is an actual alleycat or thrown by a friend.

North American Cycle Courier Championships (NACC) in San Francisco. Photos: Lily Lin

Now, a bit about San Francisco. How long have you lived in San Francisco? Where were you before this? If you’re not in San Francisco, where are you now?

J: I grew up in San Diego, California. Not the most bike friendly town, and you need a car to get around. Right now, I am in San Francisco, but by June will be living in Berlin.
G: I grew up in the Bay Area. I spent two years in Central California, five years in Los Angeles at university and seven years in The Netherlands. I returned to San Francisco after living in Europe, and remained there until recently. I moved across the bay, to Berkeley in February. I love it here.

Why Berlin, and why Berkeley?

G: The MASH project came directly on the heels of my working as a street artists with The London Police. I’d spent the better part of four years traveling the world and living out of suitcases in support of the installation, gallery, live-painting and exhibit work I did with that project. There were periods of time where I would be on continual tour for four or more months – returning to Amsterdam to find all my plants long since dead, a mountain of mail and a carpeting of dust on everything. All of this set the stage for my move back to San Francisco which enacted a slowing of the pace of life, and having a greater sense of permanence. As things with MASH began to gain momentum, the suitcase came out of storage and I found a real pull to slow things again. Moving to Berkeley is a transitional stage to ultimately making a move to the country, and back to the land. For now, it’s a great place to focus on riding and to get my hippie on.
J: Berlin to start something new. Out of a seemingly endless places I would love to live, Berlin has an amazing creative culture, and is still relatively cheap, allowing me to look into purchasing property and start my own design firm. San Francisco has been a great city to live in, but the time has come to move on for a bit, and see what happens. Plus, I have always wanted to head back to Europe. I have always felt more comfortable there than in the States. So I am really excited to move.

How would you describe the city?

G: San Francisco is a pretty tremendous place. It’s one of the better places in the world that I’ve experienced. The proximity to nature, quality of life and people all make for a pretty great place to live.
J: Peter Pan Syndrome. Beautiful city, just lacking content.

San Francisco hills. Photo: Mike Martin

How do you cope with cars in San Francisco? How do you compare it with other cities you’ve been riding your bike?

G: The cars in San Francisco aren’t so bad. To be certain, I’ve experienced much worse in places like Milano, or Paris. All things considered, people’s awareness of, and respect for cyclists is pretty heightened in San Francisco. That’s not to say that it’s not dangerous –it is –or, that people still don’t act like dicks – they do – it just means that the average driver is more used to sharing the road with a person on a bicycle.
J: Yeah, people are generally aware of cyclists. We have a fair share of bikes on the road, so it is not he worst, but it is far from the best. Cars are horrible, period. I have nothing good to say about cars, and hope they would disappear.

What type of people ride track bikes or fixed gears in San Francisco?

J: In San Francisco I have seen all kinds of people riding track bikes. While it is definitely more prominent with younger people, I have ridden with quite a few people who have been riding track bikes for 20 plus years and are going into their 50’s. It seems it is how you ride the bike, not the type of bike you ride, so fixed gears are enjoyed by everyone.
G: San Francisco has always been unique in that the people there don’t make a distinction about the scenes they participate in. For example, I remember growing up and seeing people of all types, colors and backgrounds being a part of the punk scene. Whereas in other cities, one would be hard-pressed to see someone other than a white teen-aged kid being a part of that world. The San Francisco track bike ’scene’ is comprised of a varied and complex group of people who don’t fit a particular archetype.

Why do you think SF has such an healthy bike scene? Or do you think its healthy? Why do you think so?

G: I think San Franciscans have pretty progressive attitudes about most things, and bikes are no different. There is a large group of people who use the bicycle to commute. This aspect of cycling culture is easier to envision within the context of The Bay Area as opposed to a place like Dallas, Texas for instance.
J: SF as a whole has a healthy bike scene. It is a progressive city with lots of commuters. The track bike scene though isn’t quite so healthy. Too much attitude and competition for my liking.

MASH has made two tours to Japan, what’s it like to ride in Tokyo or Osaka?

G: Aside from driving on the left-hand side of the street, things in Japan are much the same way they are in any large city in the world.
J: I thought it was amazing to ride in both cities. Both are by far, in my opinion, more difficult to ride in. The streets are tighter. They drive on the opposite side of the road, cabs have automatic-opening doors. Tokyo is super fun to ride in though. Osaka as well, but they drivers intentionally try to run you off the road there!

Like with many other things, the Japanese seems to be taking in and absorbing the track bike culture almost obsessively. Do you think Japan is going be the leader among the fixed scenes?

G: The Japanese have a knack for embracing new things and making them their own. There was an incredible increase of bikes on the street from the first time we went over, to one year later, on our second trip out.
J: And I honestly think no. The Japanese get really into something and run with it like no other people. But I don’t see them as leading the culture. I think they will feed more off other trends. Though, I mean this in general terms. Two of the best, or THE best, track bike riders are Shino and Hal. They are both amazingly good people, and faster than anyone else I know on a track bike. They will school anyone.

Jonathan: You recently visited London and met up with some guys there. How are things looking in the London scene? And Garrett, you used to live in the Netherlands? What was it like riding there?

J: London was amazing. Their take on track bikes is definitely a bit more recent, so more into parts, and tricks, but I think Odge and Andy (of Fixedgear London) are getting it right. They have the right attitude and are creating a good scene in London. In a lot of ways it reminds me of SF four years ago. I would definitely watch out for London.
G: Amsterdam has such a long and deeply established ideal of what constitutes a city bicycle. People couldn’t believe I would carry my track bike up the stairs and into my place each night. Bikes are generally used as ‘work tools’, ridden into the ground and kept locked up on the streets. Consequently, it’s a slow evolution to get people there to understand that there are options outside the typical grandma bike (oma fiets – in dutch) that 90% of the population rides. While I was living there, there were fifteen to twenty track bikes in the entire city, with all of them (with the exception of mine) being ridden by messengers. The bike is such a large part of life in The Netherlands. The routing and bike paths are great. There are few places on the planet that wholly embrace the bicycle as is done in Holland.

Is there a city or place that you want to ride your bike in the most? Why?

G: I’ve ridden my track bike in most major cities throughout the world. I would love to ride my road bike in some of those places, as well as the major climbs found in the Spring Classics and The Tour. I think my focus these days would be to do some longer, extended cycle-touring in support of the goal to ride in places like the Dolomites, the Pyrenees and the Alps. Last summer, I did an eight day solo and unsupported ride from Portland, Oregon 1300 KM to San Francisco, California. That trip was life-changing. I have been looking forward to the day when I can do another long ride like that! The sense of freedom and reveling in one’s sense of independence while powering oneself along is something pretty incredible.
J: Copenhagen for the city. I just want to cruise around that city. Amazing urban planning. As far as riding, I am just excited to get back to Europe and ride as much as possible. Especially on my road bike. It is the birthplace of road cycling! It makes me feel giddy to think about getting to ride the same routes as the Giro, Le Tour, or even the Tour of Flanders.

Track bikes or, fixed bikes have turned into such a big trend just within the past two or three years. Why do you think that has happened and do you see it as a good thing?

G: The popularity of the track bike may be due in large part to its rise alongside the internet. Kids all across the world are tied into what each other is doing through hype-sites, Youtube, and the like. This wasn’t the case with the rise in skateboarding for instance. The dissemination of information at that time was limited to the slow mediums of the magazine, or teams touring in order to propagate and spread the sport outside California. Regardless of their motivation, the more people riding bikes in the world, the better.
J: Fixed gear bikes growing doesn’t have to be a negative, but I think it is. Too much strange pressures about who is better, causing people to ride dangerously and outside their limits. Or going and filming silly looking tricks and immediately throwing them up on Youtube. It could be great, but I think it became a hollow trend. I am fairly sure three quarters of the people riding now will not be in 5 years.

San Francisco is a city with a growing population of people riding track bikes. What do you think is the attraction of track bikes/fixed gears to people in the city? How do you think MASH has attributed to this?

G: It’s undeniable that MASH has had some small hand in the growth of riding track bikes on the street. To be certain, there were a ton of people riding track bikes on the street prior to the movie, but perhaps MASH acted as a springboard for others to push themselves and their local scenes to higher, and new levels. I think MASH helped to catalyze things but, if it weren’t MASH having done that, then certainly another group of people and their home movies would have, perhaps. MASH just happened to be the first.
J: People are interested because of it’s popularity, and the bug grows. The positives is that it is more people on a bike. Though hopefully, track bikes are kept in a positive safe viewpoint. I don’t really know how MASH has attributed to it though. I assume it hasn’t much, since we set a certain style of riding in the film. Running red lights, ignoring traffic laws, not wearing a helmet. Though luckily through discussions like this, we can make amends for it. I didn’t in the film, but I always where a helmet now, and strongly encourage others to do so. Also, it ain’t a race. Chill, and stop at a light instead of blowing through it like an idiot.

BMX bikes have really blown up in Estonia because of one big event we do, new skateparks and also because of local shop we started. What does it take for track bikes scenes to get bigger?

J: Nothing. You really don’t need anything like parks to ride a track bike, just the bike. Though it would be amazing to see more tracks come back here in the States. It is difficult to actually race on the track since the velodromes are fairly scattered here.
G: Maybe it’s just a simple matter of uniting what were otherwise disparate parties? In the same way that an event like the Estonian BMX one brings together people, so too can a project like MASH, or a similar event within the scene – a race, a movie premier, an art opening…

In recent times several BMX companies have jumped into a bandwagon and produce their fixed gear line. For example FBM and Volume. What’s you’re intake on that?

G: When a company produces an ill-planned and rushed product, for the simple reason of trying to make a buck, it is very evident. The track bike ’scene’ has its collective bullshit detector set to hair-trigger. Whether through mislead marketing, or poor product development a company who attempts to enter the tricky slope of the track bike world, will be doomed to failure. More and more companies are trying to co-opt track bike ‘culture’ without first doing their homework, and the limited longevity and life-spans of their offerings in the marketplace are a testimony to these impure motivations.
J: I am stoked they are into it. I know Robbie Morales is hyped on MASH, but I think the best thing they can do is just keep doing their thing and supporting the track scene whichever way it may present itself. Personally, I love BMX and wish that the track bike scene would stop trying to copy their tricks. It is done so much better on a BMX bike.

As the bikes are getting stronger we now see BMX and skate tricks being adapted to fixed riding. How do you see riding fixed bikes evolve?

G: The evolution will most probably meld some form of the BMX bike with a track bike. The limiting factor of the track bike for doing tricks on the level with BMX is the physicality of the thing. Track bikes were not meant to be ridden in that manner. That said, simply making a standard BMX bike into a fixed gear sort of nullifies all the characteristics inherent to a track bike. I’m not actually altogether certain why people are trying to emulate BMX tricks on a track bike. I always thought it was dumb of roller-bladers to try and copy skateboard tricks, so can the same be said of the track bike? I like to view the track bike for what it is: a machine designed for speed. If I really wanted to do tricks on a bike, I think I’d get into BMX!
J: Personally, I love BMX and wish that the track bike scene would stop trying to copy their tricks. It is done so much better on a BMX bike. I wish that serious riding, fast and hard, on a track bike would come back, and the focus on tricks would disappear.

Have you had any big accidents? How do you feel about the general approach to bike safety in San Francisco?

J: I luckily have been very very lucky on my bike. Never had anything serious happen. I also don’t plan on putting myself into any situation now that could go bad. Remember the helmet! But, bike safety is pretty bad here in SF. Lots of commuters with no etiquette for other cyclists or cars, which really just breeds a small hatred, making it harder on everyone.
G: Thankfully, no bad accidents. Recently, there has been a marked increase in the number of people wearing helmets while riding. I always wear a helmet while on my road bike, but for some reason, I seldom wear one while on my track bike.

As far as I know medical insurance isn’t the best part of living in the States. I know it’s a really big problem for some BMXers. How does it affect you guys?

J: For me, it has never been a problem. As I said, I have been lucky, and have always had good insurance. I know for messengers it is a hard problem, but for a lot of them they love the job. The risk is with the pay-off.
G: You’re speaking to a guy who didn’t have health insurance for over eight years! There is a broken-bones messenger fund that helps uninsured messengers who’ve had accidents. Outside of this, there are few options to those who get injured and are uninsured. Welcome to America…

Do you keep any special diet? Is it because of cycling?

G: My metabolism is very fast, and cycling mandates an incredible amount of caloric intake to sustain peak power, so I tend to eat very frequently – five to six meals a day. I’ve always been interested in diet and how it affects my performance athletically. I rock-climbed for eight years and learned from that the need to properly fuel and re-fuel my body in order to perform optimally. Consequently, I favored a healthy diet from an early age. I’ve been a vegetarian for twenty years, and don’t drink at all. While I’m riding, I religiously use various nutritional supplements to insure I am getting the things I need: electrolytes and carbohydrates. Post-cycling, I am a strong believer in re-fueling the stores my body has used: amino acids and glycogen.
J: I have been vegan for the last 9 years, with only recently starting to try eating dairy again. I have tried to keep a fairly healthy diet, but am experimenting to see if I can increase my health by eating different foods. I however, do take any of the performance drinks or powders, such as Hammer.

In the past year, more and more ‘crews’ all over the United States are coming out with their own videos and are also being sponsored by apparel companies and cycling component companies. Huge corporations are seems to be picking up on the whole “Fixed-Craze” as of late (ie. Urban Oufitters with their own messenger bags and featuring product shots directly related to riding track bikes), as well as a few celebrities seems to be taking keen interest in track bikes as well. How do you feel about this and how do you think this effects the attitude and the culture within cycling?

G: I don’t have a whole lot of time for people getting all bent out of shape because ‘their’ scene is getting ‘invaded’. It’s going to happen. You need only look at skateboarding and its ubiquity in the world at large to see that it takes a very short time for an activity to go from being a ‘fringe’ and ‘underground’ activity to becoming globally broadcast on the X-Games.
J: I am happy that people are into riding, but I wish the ‘crews’ would save it. A lot of the things being put out there are nothing new, and just rather poorly done. I think bad videos and riding is only going to perpetuate more bad videos and riding. I know not everyone can film a huge thing like MASH, but I don’t see the need to put everything on Youtube. As for the companies, keep those blood-sucking leeches as far away as possible. Nothing good can come from them, it is the wrong influence we need.

How do you think this movement differs from say BMX or skateboarding?

J: It will never be as big. Maybe I will be proven wrong, but track bikes as a trick bike will not last. Not when such better forms already exist, like BMX. Why watch a kid do horrible pedals grinds and ugly wheelies on a track bike, when there is people ripping on BMX bikes.
G: A skateboard has four wheels, and a track bike has two. BMX bikes can coast, whereas track bikes can not. These are the only differences, really.

Also there has been questions about the obvious dominance of male presence in MASH, as well as other videos mentioned previously. Why is that?

G: There wasn’t a concerted effort to not feature any girls in MASH. In fact, in the early stage of the project a few girls were asked if they wanted to participate. They did not want to. People seem to think we are misogynists because there are no girls in the video. That is ridiculous.
J: Honestly, there weren’t many out there at the time. The girls who rode weren’t interested in filming or riding like the rest of the guys. Now, however, there are a lot of girls in the scene riding seriously. I know London has a lot of ladies out there riding, and I have seen a few show up to races here in SF that hold their own with any of the guys. I mean really, MASH riders are some of the most female crazy guys out there. They love women, especially those that ride!

MASH has been pretty quiet since the major premiers. Are there any more projects in the works? MASH 2? What’s next?

G: We are currently moving forward and enacting some very big plans to evolve the project. MASH was a tremendous point of departure and inspiration for a lot of our future thinking. There probably won’t be a sequel per se, but by introducing new members and new locales to to the mix we can keep things ever-evolving and fresh.
J: MASH just gave me the opportunity of a lifetime last week in Austin, but for the most part it has been pretty quiet. The focus is definitely not on filming, and I know a lot of us faded back from the whole scene. People think we stopped riding, but we are just out there doing our own rides and working on becoming better cyclists. Most of us are going to be in the game for the long haul, but aren’t interested in being visible in the scene. We can make stuff happen in the background.

What was in Austin? Can you divulge a little bit on that?
G: Yes, we learned that apparently, Rainier needs glasses…
J: Yep, Rainier hooked up with the ugly girl. Bound to happen on road trips. Someone has to make the mistake. But Lance Armstrong opened a new bike shop in Austin called Mellow Johnnys. I guess a copy of MASH was sent to him and his people got in contact with us about doing a project together. A few of us went down to ride and shoot a short promo spot for each of our efforts. Hopefully it will be online shortly on each of our sites, and playing at the Mellow Johnny shop.

Gabe, Jonathan and Garrett together with Lance Armstrong riding around in Austin.
Photo: Scooter Revolution

Do you have anything else to add? Any advice for aspiring riders out there?

G: Choosing to ride for the sheer personal pleasure of it can be a great foundation to insure one’s longevity in a great sport with a rich and colorful history. It was through a love of riding bikes that my eyes were opened firstly to the track bike, and then by extension of that, the road bike.

J: Ride for yourself, wear a helmet, ride bullhorns, ride BMX for tricks: Chase Hawk and Ruben Alcantara rip! There is no death before derailleurs, and no more aerospokes please!

That will be all, thanks guys!

Photo: Lily Lin

Bikes of the whole MASH crew.

postitas: risto | 28. aug 2008 | Teema: Bike, English, Featured, Fixed, Intervjuu, Sahtel |