News / Author Archive

Logo maniaPlaying around with logo ideas.

The nonsense continues…Tiny ears and chocolate make me smile

Purple helmet fax machineYep, I'm a hater.

I was Mat Hoffman’s Stunt DoubleMat's in the news again... new movie about him and he's riding some. Got me thinking about some old times.

Barfin’ Bunnies and hipster dufuses!The title says all I can think of to say about these drawings.

Tough timesThat's right, that line... I crossed it!

Early birdMornings at OTX.

Bike stuff to do in austinBikes are fun here.

New back safe designBack-A-Radical!

Some daysAnd some others

Solving the problems of BMX through design.Is BMX too hard? Is BMX too easy? We got you covered.

Gotta do what you gotta do…...but sometimes it isn't easy to do what you have to do.

fairdalebikes

Summer Launch’s new Taj bike. A special one to m

Summer Launch’s new Taj bike. A special one to me, not just because it has my name on it. I first started making ‘zine’s back in the late 80s. Later I even had a ‘zine store where I would collect assorted ‘zines from around the world. Eventually, I graduated to helping make real magazines, and books with the help of computers, but the high-contrast art of ‘zine making holds such an important place in my memory.

I love the feeling of being able to tell my own stories and see them in print. You’ll hear people say ‘zines were a way to communicate ideas before the internet… home made magazines at a time when everything topical came from real magazines. That’s true I suppose, but I fell in love with the making of them. The trips to Kinko’s at 3:30 am. The stoned guy who worked there would let me make copies for free if I fixed his bike. A sea of Xerox machines to play around on. At least one of them probably had good toner in it. Creating different techniques and cool looking effects with nothing but copy machines was a lot of fun.

For this bike’s graphics I went back to those old techniques. Copying art, crumpling it up and recopying, tearing it and copying again, dragging it along the path of the copy head to stretch the art, and bunch of other trial and error tricks I was pleased to remember. I eventually had to get this art into the computer so it could end up as decals on the bike, but I did make it all in the old school way.

As far as the bike itself goes, the Taj is chromoly 27.5” BMX bike that looks a lot like the “BMX cruiser” my buddy at Kinko’s rode to work. You can jump it and have BMX thrills on it, but its real purpose is to be a fun, timeless, and tough bike that you can “just pedal around on”. That might sound like we are downplaying the bike, but “just pedaling around” is what it’s all about! And, a simple bike that keeps working is often the most enjoyable one to ride.

Check out the new Taj in Xerox White along with the rest of our Summer Launch Bikes via your modem on the www.

Summer Bike Launch continues with the Dark Metalli

Summer Bike Launch continues with the Dark Metallic Silver Weekender Nomad. We are extra pleased with how this color came out–it has a soft glow to it without being too loud. We all know the color of a bike doesn’t technically matter, but we also know that the bike that looks the coolest is the one you’ll want to ride. This Nomad model dresses our versatile Weekender frame with crispy 1x11 mechanical shifting, 700c wheels, and shallow drop bars.

Check out our whole Summer Bike Launch on the ‘net.

Summer Bike Launch continues with new Hareraisers!

Summer Bike Launch continues with new Hareraisers! The Classic White Hareraiser with a rigid fork is shown at the bottom. The steel fork gives the bike a more BMX feel thanks to its non-squishy-ness, and a slightly shorter axle to crown (which steepens the head angle of the bike). Odyssey lever and a mechanical brake without a liquid inside the cable will also make sense to a BMX brain.

The Hareraiser FX (top), uses the same frame and comes with upgraded cranks, a hydraulic brake, and a tough Manitou DJ fork.

Check them out and the rest of our summer launch out there on the internet.

Summer Bike Launch. New Ridgemont in Cool Mint.

Summer Bike Launch. New Ridgemont in Cool Mint.

You won’t find any wind tunnel tested electronics here, just a simple and practical bike. 8 speeds, MTB tires, and a comfy/ casual riding position that will put a smile on your face. Ride a Ridgemont through the city and out to some bike trails.

Summer Bike Launch: Our versatile and much-loved W

Summer Bike Launch: Our versatile and much-loved Weekender platform shows the quality of its stripes again. The touring-inspired Weekender was designed with the idea that a bike that you can ride on epic adventures would also be comfortable for daily rides. Weekenders have quite literally ridden around the world, and are also happy to enjoy everyday rides (even on the weekdays). This Weekender Nomad MX build loves to monster truck its way over a wide variety of terrain. 2.1” wide Maxxis tires, 4” tall BMX bars, and crisp SRAM 11-speed shifting all married to the stout Weekender frame is a simple recipe for fun riding!

The Weekender Nomad MX in Gloss White is available now as part of our Summer Bike Launch.

We just launched a bunch of new bikes! Scroll arou

We just launched a bunch of new bikes! Scroll around our site (on the internet) to check them out, or stay glued to this feed as we post about the new models this week.

We’re out here at @nwtuneup. Come say hello if y

We’re out here at @nwtuneup. Come say hello if you’re around.

#fairdalebikes

Our Lookfar Step-thru is finally back in stock and

Our Lookfar Step-thru is finally back in stock and shipping! It’s a simple bike, and also a smile machine.

Our 27.5” Taj bike is a BMX cruiser is always re

Our 27.5” Taj bike is a BMX cruiser is always ready for a little BMX action. All the simplicity and durability of a BMX bike in a size that is comfortable to ride for anyone. The Translucent Winter Blue versions are beautys!

The Fairdale rear cargo Adjust-A-Rack pivots, slid

The Fairdale rear cargo Adjust-A-Rack pivots, slides, and adjusts to fit your bike.

This isn’t technically Fairdale content but I dr

This isn’t technically Fairdale content but I drew it during a long sales meeting. -Taj

My Weekender has turned into a jumbled mix of part

My Weekender has turned into a jumbled mix of parts over the last couple of years, but I love it. It makes me happy every time I ride it. I’m aware that reading a post proclaiming love for a product on the same feed that makes the product isn’t worth much. Still, it is sincere. This collection of mismatched parts, things I wanted to try out, see if they would fit, bought on a whim, or reinstalled after an experiment gone wrong, has landed on a rig I see no way to improve. Of course, there are more expensive and fancier components I could put on the bike, and our new Rockitship is just around the corner, but my Weekender will keep going.

The Oldman Mountain front rack is so handy for grabbing a bag of groceries or ferrying my laptop, U-lock, and sketchbook to work at a coffee shop (and a parking spot for my helmet while I run inside). The rear rack is handy when it rains to hold my waterproof laptop bag. The MX-4 bars and BMX stem make the bike match the riding position of my mountain bike, which I’m most used to. The Schwalbe Super Moto X 2.4 tire is absurdly big on the bike, making cornering on this commuter a lot of fun. There’s even enough grip to pedal the bike out on the occasional mountain bike trail. I switched out the drivetrain for the GX Eagle one that comes on our Elevator for big hills. Odyssey levers on the bars feel like a reminder of my BMX home.

Weekenders are fun bikes to mod, add accessories to, and, most importantly, ride on any occasion. Mine brings a smile to my face on every ride and I hope one can do the same for you.
-Taj