BAY AREA Paramount Review-Adam S Lifestyle

The small silver one with the swept back bars belongs to my friend Yuko. I met her when I was working a summer at an art gallery called Low Gallery back in 2005. The gallery was run by the guy who runs fecalface.com, an art website based around SF but highlighting sort of underground/skate style works. Good site, still active today. She was friends with one of the artists showing that summer, and while she initially thought I was an ass, we eventually became good friends and still stay in contact. The Paramount was her first track bike after she got hooked on a Mercier fixed conversion I helped her put together, she found it through a mutual friend in LA. She still has that bike.

The taller brown one belonged to Brian. He is a super talented writer and photographer, and local child. I don’t even know how to properly describe him and do him justice, so I’m not sure I’ll try, other than saying he’s an incredibly humble person who totally deserves to be famous. His outlook on the world is admirable. He sold that bike a few years back, and I’m not sure where it ended up. His true love is Chesinis, he’s got 2 or 3 now. Doesn’t ride as much as he used to but still is around. Good man.

The black one belongs to Joshua. Joshua is (like me) originally from Marin, the home of mountain biking. He spent some time in Santa Cruz, helped found the Bike Church down there. He now works doing computery programmer things, but was a courier in the 90s in between. I first saw that bike while eating Indian food on Haight St with Yuko and another friend and stopped mid sentence to stare at his bike while he walked by. I met him about a year later and still remembered it. He toured on it, thrashed it around town, rode it like it was meant to be ridden, in a set up that would probably offend purists, but please people who love good bikes. He also has (had?) a white Paramount track, and a tandem. I’m pretty sure he still has that bike.

The chrome one belongs to Puck. Thai native, London educated, and a classy bloke. Hilarious to boot, he had a japanese magazine follow him around a while back and through that my backside (as in my back, not my ass) ended up in some bike magazine out there. That was funny. He splits his time now between SF and Bangkok. I’ve only seen him a handful of times in the last couple of years as our circles have drifted apart but I always enjoy catching up.

My squad now is what it is. I left SF for Oakland about a year ago to move shops (I’m a mechanic). I was working at a big volume shop for several years making good money and hating life and quit to move to a really great shop in the East bay that while payed less, gave me my sanity back.

The shop is called Montano Velo, its just Jason Montano (the owner and founder), Jonathan the front end guy, and myself as the second mechanic with Jason. The shop has a real soul. I mostly ride alone, but Brooks R (also on the LLGS Strava) is my roommate and we ride together a bit as well (Degenerates Cycling Club.) I’m prepping for Grizzly Peak Century in a week and a half, and I’m going to Provence in September with my bike to go ride Ventoux and the country side.

Fuck man! Adam S is doing it right and putting in major miles. We have to say we are jealous of the Provence trip. Send us some mustard.

For more pictures click here