Are the 80’s Back?
Posted on 22. Feb, 2011 by Ben in Ben, The Gear Movers
Are the 80’s back? Listen to today’s music. Look at how kids are dressing. Come-On! Am I right? The 80’s are back. Just different, but fu-get ‘bout it, they’re back! Now, how can our outdated generation fit in? Easy, we grew up in the 80’s (at least I did), so lets use that knowledge. First order of business to consider, what season is it? Right now, its winter, so lets plan our wardrobe accordingly. Second, what to wear? Well a puffy (yet tight fitting), overly obnoxiously colored, one-piece ski suit – OF COURSE! Or maybe just go skiing with some jeans and a hot pink and yellow vest. Dunno? Just a guess. We’ve sold a few of these items in the past, maybe we could help you find one. eBay is always the best choice for finding such attire.
Rad 80's gear, this is a necessity... Photo courtesy of eBay seller Retrovision65
Third, what to do? Um…. Ski. Or snowboard, whatever floats your boat, who needs to get specific? Or wait!… lets get specific… MONOSKIING! Ya, that bridges the gap! That’s totally 80’s bro! I’d give a body part to have one of those. If we get one in to sell, we’ll be sure to make a fuss about it in another, never boring, Newsletter.
Looking to bridge the gap? Done! Phot courtesy of www.pdhyman.com
Ok, fourth consideration to consider considerably would be your ability to pull a Spread Eagle… (level = Easy)
Skill Level = Spread Eagle, check! Photo courtesy of amazing bad-ass spread eagle dude...
Ok, got that one? Think that’s easy? Try a Daffy… (level = Medium)
Need we say more? Uhh no... Photo courtesy of www.shredbook.com
Ok hot shot. You’re beyond level Medium… it’s time to try a Screamin’ Seamen!
Seriously, this video is a must see, the guy does a 360 and a Screamin’ Seamen. at the same time! Not even guys from the 80’s could pull that off! …. “Poor some sugar on me” – ya sing it!
Finally, you’ll need to listen to good music. The 80’s rocked! Today, artists are trying to recreate the sounds of 80’s rock legends like Queen. Although they’re no match, today’s tunes are actually quite catchy.
Fast Tube by Casper
…CRAP! I’m old. I can’t tell you any new artists to listen to, or what exactly to wear when you’re NOT skiing. So just listen to Def Leopord; wear bright clothes (that are too tight in some areas and too baggy in others w/ tendancies to lowride); buy a Mono-Board, and with it… try a SPREAD EAGLE!
‘Till next time – CHEERS!
Ben, Jordan and the entire crew at The Gear Movement. Rock on!
Tour of California Wrap-Up
Posted on 17. Jun, 2010 by Jordan in Jordan, Pro Wrenching, The Gear Movers
Arriving in San Francisco for Stage 3 of ToC, beautiful and typical weather of this area
An 8 day bike race wrapped up and done, but geeze, it feels like a grand tour. This 2010 edition of California’s premier sporting event was by far the most exciting and intriguing race I have done in years. I have worked this race every year but one and couldn’t have asked for anything more. I have never worked for a ProTour Team before, and this was an experience. From the late nights, to the extra little bit of work we did all day to set ourselves apart from the other teams at the bike race, it was definitely a good experience. From the outside the Garmin-Transitions ProTour Team looks like a looming fortress of pretentious staff and riders. It is not, this team is a huge family that after spending a week and a half with them I noticed how close they really are!
Jordan with the Specialized Angel at the start of Stage 3
Garmin-Transitions Team Super Fan, this kid was soo adorable!
The 20 some staff and 8 riders gelled really well together during the race. We had 2 personal chefs, 3 mechanics, 3 sougniers, 2 directors, 1 team photographer, and multiple media and sponsorship liaisons. Can you imagine the logistics of getting each one of these people to and from each race every day? I don’t know how it all gets done.
Our Chefs Chris and Barbara Grealish with thier new parking lot toy!
Probably some of the best times at the bike race where had by the 3 mechanics, hanging out in the parking lot after a bunch of bike working, eating the leftovers of a gourmet dinner served by our two chefs! I gotta say, Chris and Barbara Grealish, thanks so much for the food! On stage 7, the Time Trial in Downtown Los Angeles, I got to follow Tom Danielson during his ride. What an experience, he was flying through the course and although he didn’t post a great time on the day, he had an impressive ride through some of the gnarly windy sections and the one steep little climb.
HTC Columbia mechanic Chris Franges and his awesome bikes get ready for the TT at the hotel in Big Bear
Following Tommy D in the TT on Stage 7 in Los Angeles
Hanging out with TT1 mechanic Alex Banyay and Fly V's mechanic Tennyson Hulcy after Stage 7 of the ToC
The SRAM crew poses for a photo op in-front of the Staples Center at the Stage 7 TT in Los Angeles
I gotta say the number 1 experience for me came on the last day of the bike race when I got to drive the 2nd caravan car in the peloton on the unassumingly tough Stage 8. A lot of teams came into the last day unprepared for what was about to hit them. What looked like a simple course turned out to be a leg/lung burner. A super technical, twisty climb of more than 5k, followed by one of the gnarliest descents I have ever witnessed. I had the 4 tires on the super reliable Subaru Outback squealing on the 8k descent, ohhh my gosh it was the most fun I’ve ever had! I definitely envy a Team Director who gets to sit in the front seat and drive on a regular basis, my spot in the backseat is like a desk-job…boring!
Redwood forests from Stage 3, beautiful!
Mechanics Tom Hopper and Jordan chilly and wet to the bone after Stage 2 to Santa Rosa. It was a downpour all day...
We took two stage wins, and the overall team classification win for the entire race, what an impressive performance boys! It looks like I will be working part time with the Garmin-Transitions Pro team for the rest of the year. On tap next will be the USPRO Championships in Greenville, SC in early September. After that I will most likely do my first ProTour races in Canada – Montreal, and Quebec City, if I don’t do those, look for me on TV at the Vuelta a España, holy cow! Adios amigos!!
Post race dinner, me and Dave Zabriskie getting comfy...
Online Communities and Marketing Power!
Posted on 27. Apr, 2010 by Jordan in Jordan, The Gear Movers
As The Gear Movement grows and flows we have tried to continue our quest to remain a part of the cycling and skiing community in every aspect possible. If it is attending a bike race, event, stopping by local shops, doing community or charity work or partnering with other like minded cycling or skiing businesses, TGM is all about it
Fast Tube by Casper
Starting a small company and figuring out creative and intuitive ways to grow your business through social media avenues is always an interesting challenge. The fun thing about it is that it grows on a daily basis and constantly changes. One day you focus on some fun Twitter games and posts, the next day you are plugging away with something on your blog or sending some cool emails to friends and family. The advertising avenues on Facebook have opened a few doors for us. To those that don’t already know, much like Google Adwords, Facbook Ads are the perfect way to focus in our your targeted demographic. With millions of users worldwide and the ability to choose which demographic to focus on, locally, nationally or worldwide, you can promote the heck out of your company in a heartbeat!
Another great way we use the internet to our benefit is by collaborating with online communities who provide different types of services to their members. One such online community like this is www.raceplan.com.
The RacePlan community was started in 2005 as a community for cyclists to stay connected, organize rides, race, share photos, stories and videos. This site has grown and grown over the last few years with more than a 100 members. The site not only provides users with the ability to stay in touch with each other but they also get great discounts on Gear and other benefits through the community’s partnerships. RacePlan has partnered with The Gear Movement to offer its members great deals on listing fees and the ability to unload their old Gear and Inventory’s.
Communities like this one show us the importance of having an online presence in this day and age. The days of local small clubs run out of bike shops are not gone but the internet and the online marketplace has definitely developed the need for something else; an online based community all over the world!
In closing, thanks a ton to our friend Kam over at RacePlan for helping us get this partnership off the ground and for the cool video plug above. If you are interested in joining the RacePlan community please check out their website and contact Kam: www.raceplan.com
Check out these ridiculously large icons Jordan found below and follow us!
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