howies®

this Tuesday, 7th September we have the creators of  ‘the ride journal’ joining us at Carnaby Street to do a Wee Do Lecture.

they will be here to tell us all about the inspiration behind the books, how they put their ideas into reality, the huge success they have now become and what’s going to be happening from here. 

if you missed your chance to get hold of the first 3 they are available to download from the website and are well worth it, issue 4 is still currently available to buy but be quick because i doubt they will hang around for long.

the lecture will begin at 7:30pm, if you would like to come down or know anyone else who may like to come then just drop us an email at carnabyst@howies.co.uk or ring us on 0207 287 2345 and reserve your free tickets.

the usual beers and juices will be available to quench your thirsts.

we hope to hear from you all soon!

Yesterday I set out with a car full of spring summer 2011 womens collection set for Jo’s place near Brechfa.

I met up with Geraint at the dodgy car park on the way and follwed the GPS.

However I had made a bit of a mistake in true Mel style and set the GPS up slightly wrong and we almost ended up in Swansea (we were too busy talking  about clothes and stuff), so we turned around and headed back the way we came before turning off into the Brechfa forest.

The rain poored and the view was white, untill we got to the smaller lanes winding in and out of the valleys, then we we could see bits of mist drifting through the hills.

The roads got smaller and smaller until we went past the post office and up the hill I had seen on the google satellite view, we dropped down the hill, through the ford and up to Jos’ studio which is most definitely out in the wilderness..

We poked and proded clothes into the right shape for hours and when we popped out for lunch we met the dogs.

They took a shine to Gerait and jumped all over him, luckily or unluckily he was wearing a howies hoody (don’t tell Lisa) which got covered in mud.

Here are the lovely chocolate Labs, they watched us untill the evening when we finished and the sun was shining for the journey home.

Thanks to Jo for coffee, good music, lots of dog talk and your expertise in shooting clothes.

A bit short notice but we’re in need of a guy aged between 25 and 45 to nip down to the Carnaby Street shop this afternoon to have some photos taken in one of our jackets.. the sooner the better! Anyone knocking around central London with some time to kill? Please give us a ring  on 0207 2872345 (we’ll give you some nice things as a thanks).

I just got a time lapse app for my iPhone.

I love how time lapse lets you see more in a view than you usually would.

This is an hour of rain and sunny spells out of my bedroom window.

Watch out for the double rainbow. (Yes, a double rainbow.)

I want to do some sunrise and sunset ones next.

Freshly pressed.

The Bourgeois Bicycle Caravan has landed!

In the Autumn of 2009, the trio of Jimmy Bodean, Harold Hobart Hellybutt & Del Da-Foster embarked on an expedition, along the western seaboard of france, by bicycle. With trailers brimming with the necessities (surfyboards, box cameras, pencils and books of russian beat poetry) the trio went in search of the image perfect and the ultimate rambling tale.

This is the outcome, and very nice too.

Read more here… or pop into the Bristol shop and pick one up.

James Bowden is the guy who does lots of our catalogue shoots.

Enjoy.

James McKnight one of our team riders has set this ace little blog up.

Really is worth a look, Mc Blog Part 1.

‘James Mcknight starts a summer series of updates and rants about anything and everything from the saddle of his Euro ‘access all areas’ Vendetta. Don’t expect to find gear ratios, sprockets and spoke tension here, this is a glimpse into the life of the professional bike bum, pump tracks, brioche and beer.’

This guy is always on his bike. A total nightmare to get hold of him! haha!

Right now he is somewhere bike testing in the sun! What a life!

Thanks McKnighty…

Every Tuesday a few mates and I get together for pizza. We thought this week we’d mix it up, and work off the pizza.

This is Josh Oglive’s pump track, built by hand in his garden. Well, his mother’s (poor woman). The most fun I’ve had on a bike in a while . There were a few crashes, some mental lines, one or two odd bikes and the occasional mockery.  Roll on  Tuesday, might order a different pizza next week….

for the month of June the Carnaby Street gallery will be playing host to the work of photographer Jack Symes. now based in london but hailing from chester, his work is based around skateboarding, bike riding, good times and attempting to fill his spare days with as many adventures and interesting things that he could find.

come down and have a look at his results.

Jack studied photographic arts at the university of westminster and is currently looking for work based around his experience.

symesphoto@hotmail.com

James from the Bristol Bike Project has just dropped off more Boneshaker Magazines to the Bristol shop. It is a collection of articles, stories and anecdotes about people and projects doing great things with bicycles. With its high production standards for photography & graphics and bike articles from all over the world, its a lush lil’ book for only £3.50 that is also available in the Carnaby Street shop.

“Full to the brim with photography and illustration, we hope that it will both inspire and entertain, raise awareness and bring a smile to your face and appeal to both bike-heads and to those who may not yet even have experienced the true joy and freedom that can be found from our two-wheeled friends.” 

We also stock The Ride Journal and for those with a more specialised cycling interest we now stock Fixed Mag.

Every time a new issue of The Ride journal lands on my desk, it gets in the way of Work for a while.

See, I love bikes more than almost anything. (A certain someone would kill me if I worded that wrong.)

But it’s not just the machines themselves, it’s everything that bikes mean to the people who ride them.

It’s the places, the stories, the friendships, the agony and the joy that owning a bike can bring you.

Bikes are so much more than ‘just bikes.’ And that’s what The Ride is all about.

Issue 4 is online now – you can buy it here. It features a piece by our very own Nick Hand of Slowcoast fame.

I’m off to put the kettle on.

You can also pick The Ride up in our Carnaby St. and Bristol shops