Tom update
December 12th, 2011Empire was just the beginning, and Tom has become a real international movie star. He did a ton of stunt work on Premium Rush. Then he got picked up by Specialized and put out a sick video with Tom Briggs that raised the bar for fixed gear freestyle almost impossibly high. Tom also got a video camera and has been shooting himself and others a lot. Look for lots more from him in 2012.
All that said, Tom’s part in Empire is pretty sick, and definitely different than his other videos. We put him into traffic, and even with those huge bars of his, he cut some pretty great lines. Pick up a copy and check it out.
Tom La Marche from Skitch on Vimeo.
Ed update
December 9th, 2011
Ed hasn’t rested since he was almost killed by a van while riding in 2008. We hooked up with him around then, and in the years it took to finish the DVD, Ed moved to Philadelphia, back to New York, started a bike company, and most recently moved to California. Ed has consistently pushed fixed gear freestyle forward both as a rider and as an entrepreneur. His Empire section doesn’t do him justice as a rider, but it does showcase his drive and personality.
Here’s Ed more in his own words.
Ed Wonka’s The Dog from GRIME BIKES on Vimeo.
Cover boy
December 8th, 2011Dan Chabanov
December 7th, 2011Dan is easily the best spandork racer in Empire. This year he raced for Mengoni on the road and Richard Sachs for cross. Next year he will continue with Sachs, and move to Foundation on the road.
But much more importantly, he has expanded his internet presence, and has an athlete Facebook page. Head on over and like it. And follow him on Tumblr.
Oh yeah, Empire has a Facebook page too.
Production snaps
December 6th, 2011The pic above is from when we were on the corner of Houston and Bowery. A waitress at the restaurant there was on her break and curious about what we were doing. This sort of thing would happen very often, even when we were in traffic.
I uploaded a lot more snaps from Empire shooting. They’re old, but new to you. Check them out here. Also, I updated the Empire Flickr group with those and a few others. If you’re on Flickr, go ahead and add some images to the group.
Empire screenings and more shops
December 5th, 2011
The DVDs are shipping, and the screenings are starting. Just last night Allan held a private screening in Brooklyn. Check out a pic here of the screenings and here of the parking lot.
The DVD is now available at a number of shops in NYC: Affinity, King Cog, Chari and Co., and Continuum.
The DVD is also beginning to be carried elsewhere online at Turntable Lab. You can also swing by their East Village shop at 120 East 7th Street between 1st and A and pick up a copy there.
Shipped!
November 30th, 2011The first round of orders have gone out, and people are stoked. If you ordered an interior poster, those will go out by the end of the week. Thanks to everyone around the country and the world for your early support. We got orders from all over Europe, South America, Australia and Asia.
We’ll be sending out wholesale orders this week too. Once those go out, I’ll update the blog with information on where to get the DVD in stores.
Also, there will be some screenings. So if you missed Empire during last year’s world tour with the Bicycle Film Festival, you will have a second chance. And even if you did, there is over an hour of new footage.
So check out the DVD!
DVDs available in NYC
November 23rd, 2011If you’re in NYC and don’t want to wait, we dropped off a few copies at a couple NYC bike shops. Stop by Affinity Cycles or King Kog to pick one up! And if you have a shop and would like to carry the DVD, get in touch. Wholesale pricing is available.
Everyone else will have to wait, but not long. We’re starting to ship next week.
The DVD is (almost) here
November 21st, 2011And just in time for the holiday gift-giving season. Click on the Shop link in the left-side nav, or just go here. The DVD has a ton of new footage, the edits only seen in NYC at the first Bicycle Film Festival screening, and a couple more never seen before with special guest riders. The audio on the feature was remastered, so now you can hear every horn honk, skid, and comment by Dan C.
We’re doing pre-orders this week, and will start shipping everything after Thanksgiving. But prices will go up a little then, so grab your copies now. And if you’re a shop, get in touch about wholesale pricing.
It would have been done sooner, but our cameraman was always napping on the job.








