beautiful godzilla
Beautiful Godzilla: Rebel Grrrls—Ovarian Psycos
Ovarian Psycos’ Maryann Aguirre, aka La Fingers, answers a phone somewhere in East LA with unrestrained enthusiasm as I state my name on the other end at the SLUG Headquarters in Salt Lake. Ovarian Psycos claim to organize and cycle “for the purpose of healing our communities physically, emotionally and spiritually, by addressing pertinent issues through cycling. ”As she explains her nickname, La Fingers, a result of being caught wagging her middle-finger on more than one occasion, I know I’m talking to the right person. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: My Chain Hits My Frame When I’m Bangin’...
I know that, as a cyclist, I’m supposed to love nature and spend the daylight hours outside mountain biking and hugging trees, but give me a fat stack of Tom Hanks movies and every season of 30 Rock on Netflix, and I’ll be happy never seeing the light of day. I only ride bikes ‘cause I hate walking, remember? That being said, movies ABOUT bikes are the cat’s pajamas, the bee’s knees, the fixie’s wooly pubes. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Gucci Gucci, Louis Louis, Fendi Fendi, Wal-Mart
I was once pretty fashion forward: putting lots of thought into my outfits, makin’ my hair all fancy and even smearing on eyeliner every day––but my entire look changed when I started cycling. When your main transportation is a bicycle, that cute sundress you pull from storage that highlights your supple winter boobies, and the matching sandals that showcase your fresh pedicure … Well … their story won’t end as happily as The Brave Little Toaster’s. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Yeah, Prolly
John Watson, aka Prolly, has documented everything from epic alleycats and up-and-coming fixed-gear freestyle riders, to the latest in urban cycling trends since 2006, wrenching it all together on his blog: Prolly Is Not Probably. Prolly has pedaled into a successful career on the blogosphere over the past five years, traveling around the globe from San Francisco to Australia, providing us with a taste of what those greasy bike meccas have to offer. I met up with the “#fixiefamous” cycle god himself where he now resides in Austin, Tejas to juice his brain. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Will You Go To Prom With Me? Check...
Last year fellow lady cyclist Agnes Robl and a handful of others decided Salt Lake City needed a bike prom. Jonathan Morrison of the Bicycle Collective, along with a bunch of help from some more dedicated cyclists, made it a reality. Wouldn’t you know it, the hands-down most fun dance I’ve ever been to, I attended stag. I said no to all of my suitors, matched my dress to my pink bike chain and danced the night away with friends and strangers after going on one of the best-dressed group rides in the history of Western bike civilization. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Ladies, Leave Your Man at Home
Bike shops intimidate me. I don’t think it’s so much that I walk into a shop and there’s a whole bunch of dudes who know way more about bikes than I ever will throwing around bike mechanic gibberish—I’ve got mad respect for people who can do things I can’t (yet) do. I guess I just feel a little sheepish walking in there and asking them to switch out my pedals when I purchased a fixed gear primarily for its low maintenance. This is why the Salt Lake Bicycle Collective is one of the greatest places in all of Salt Lake. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: SXSW Edition
As part of my SXSW experience, I participated in SXcycles, the new (as of this year) bike share program provided by the festival and Tern bikes. They opened it up to those with badges and wristbands during the Interactive portion of SXSW, and I was lucky enough to catch the tail end of it on Monday and Tuesday. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Night Riders
As the weather warms up—Ok, who are we kidding, it never really got cold—my favorite kind of bicycle rides, night rides, become more comfortable and, thus, more frequent. Riding a bike at night is awesome for various reasons: There’s less traffic, the inversion clears out in the winter and it’s cooler in the summer. The number one reason? A lot of fucked up shit goes down with the sun, and your bicycle’s the best saddle in the house to see it all. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Bike Love
Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful powder blue converted fixie. One day, the bicycle’s owner got super wasted at a local bar and, too drunk to bike home, decided to hail a cab instead. Left alone, its frame hugging the cold black curve of the bike rack, the bicycle cowered under the shadow of the night sky. … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Ice Ice Baby
Riding a bicycle from October through March doesn’t even cross most of your minds. I know this because your bikes look shiny and new, and you look fat and slow come springtime. I’m just messing with you … This month I’m giving you some tips on how to make it through the “Greatest Snow on Earth” via bicycle—hobo style. … read more