Rob Penn - Beach to Border

I like his take on biking. I'll look for his book.

I finally found my fork today. The Rockshox Recons are affordable and I went all the way to Cartimar to find them. Then I went to Life Cycle and found them there for the same price.

I also found nice, white, flat pedals. I just need a flat bar, a stem and a seat and I'm done.

The new outdoorsy, active me.

Week 3.

This is how my bike-building project is looking on Week Three. I'm going to be a gearhead for a couple of paragraphs and talk about what's in that photo before getting existential. Feel free to zone out.

The frame is a Voodoo Bokor 29, size 19. Picking that frame was a bitch. I'm 5'9 1/2" (177cm) and it's a size that's apparently quite tricky to size up for bikes. Depending on the manufacturer, I could be a Medium or Large, or to be more precise - or not - can fit sizes 16 to 18, or 17 to 20. I've never so diligently used what little math skills I possess to convert units and compute for ratios and differentials. Inseam length finally came into play, and after getting cozy with Edmund, the bike store manager who measured my inseam, we figured my frame and 34" inseam could comfortably ride this particular Bokor 29.

Other frames I considered were On-One's 456, a Surly Karate Monkey (the name alone!), and a Santa Cruz Chameleon. I picked the Voodoo Bokor 29 because it's relatively affordable and easy on my eyes. I like round tubes over common, modern, sleek frames that are products of aerospace engineering. Also it's versatile. Though designed as a mountain bike, you can stick a rigid fork into it, hitch it on narrower tires, and ride it as a touring bike. I can also configure it as a single speed but hipster skinny jeans won't fit me. The over-sized 29 wheels will roll over almost any terrain while still looking proportional under my, er, hefty body.

Also, in that picture is a Fulcrum Red Metal SL wheelset. Though it matches the Bokor's colors, the decals are a bit gaudy. Maybe after it's been scratched up a bit, I'll refurbish and repaint the rims white. The tires are Kenda Nevegals, which I might return in exchange for Karmas. In the box is a Deore drivetrain and a Race Face headset. I traded in the brake set that came with it and got Hygia Usagi hydraulic brakes. My brakes are beyond my biking skills but it was on sale and can be carried on to future, more advanced bike builds. So far I've got a Salsa Shaft seatpost, and free Chunky ESI grips from my distributor. I've yet to decide on a fork and cockpit configuration, but hopefully, by next week, this bike-building project will be a bike-riding reality.

The awakening of my inner gearhead is just a means to an end. I just want to be outdoors more. I realized that I spend an unhealthy amount of time staying indoors, literally sitting on my formidable ass. Being a photographer is an active job relative to desk jockeys. But for the most part, I'm in airconditioned studios, conference rooms, kitchens, homes, or sitting behind my tripod during the inevitable downtime between layouts. The real workout is lugging the gear around. And I've got a guy for that. My assistant is lighter by at least 20 pounds now than when he started working for me three years ago. I kid you not.

At the end of the day, I get home, sit at my desk editing photos, or kick back to watch a ballgame or my favorite shows. My activities are split between hanging out with friends, eating out, and catching movies. That's all good but I could do more.

More Daniel Danger

... because he reminds me of Todd Hido.

Daniel Danger

Still have a thing for carnivals.

Daniel Danger

via Ramon de Veyra

I'm gonna toot my own horn.

It's not often they put a person on the covers of Real Living, but they did, and they got me to shoot it.

Also, Dwell, the only magazine I actually subscribe to, has an Asian edition that's premiering this month. And it's been extremely... mind boggling that I get to shoot a story for it, and have an image from that story make the cover. I'm really not into bucket lists, but if ever I had one, shooting for Dwell would be on it. Check that.

I like the blue versus orange thing going on on these covers. These issues are out in newsstands now.

Real Living cover styling by Dagny Madamba. Art directed by Joanne Enriquez-Bohol. Photography by Miguel Nacianceno.

Dwell cover art direction by Melinda Williams. Story by Chinggay Labrador. Photography by Miguel Nacianceno.