Editor Recs (Tyler Bainbridge)
Tyler taps in on his 29th birthday to rave about Crust Bikes, Gerry 2002, BLTs, Sweatshirt Hacks, and more.
Aug 7, 2024 BY
@tyler🚲
In 2021 I bought a shitty 80s road bike for about $300 from this guy named Richard who lives in Ditmas Park— I wrote about him here. This purchase sparked a love for biking that has become a borderline obsession ever since, and after validating that this hobby wouldn’t be short lived, I finally upgraded my bike last spring.
There are a dizzying amount of factors when it comes to selecting a bike, but at some point I caught the bikepacking bug from this lovely Instagram page @genosac. Their account is just a couple of people in Minneapolis who go on these weekend camping trips while riding through national forests, and they upload perfectly soundtracked edits that just radiate good times. It’s infectious.
I spend 95% of my time in New York City so I’m not sure how much bikepacking I’ll actually end up doing, but I ended up getting a “gravel bike” / “all terrain bike” from a smaller East Coast brand called Crust. The exact model is a lighter steel frame called the Lightning Bolt and a friend (@photo.realism) helped me pick out components + put it all together. I have it pretty decked out, but that’s nerd stuff that doesn’t belong here.
I love it, it’s my baby, and I’ve already put close to 500 miles on it since May. I’m constantly looking forward to my next ride whether it’s a 20 mile rip before work, a 10 minute errand ride, or an all-day beach adventure with friends. It gets me outside, keeps me in shape, gets me with friends, and shows me parts of the city that I probably would have never went on foot.
My loud n’ proud love of cycling has led to many a friend catching the bug as well, so let me know if you need any help or have questions. I’d love to pay it forward.
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I’m a big fan of Good Will Hunting (a perfect comfort movie with a great Elliot Smith soundtrack) but I had no idea that my fellow Boston boys (Matt Damon and Casey Affleck) had another Gus Van Sant collaboration under their belt. Also, I know Casey isn’t a great guy, but I’m a sucker for his mopey acting style— especially in Manchester By The Sea, and in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. It seems to come from some kind of deep & familiar Massachusetts sadness. Maybe I’m just projecting though.
That brings us to Gerry, a slept-on hidden gem that bombed in the box office and hardly has any kind of following. The film is based on a real story of two best friends from Boston who got lost in the New Mexico desert in 1999. Don’t look it up since it’ll sort of ruin the ending which is one of the best parts. Our friends at Simone Films announced they were doing a screening of Gerry at Roxy Cinema and my curiosity was piqued enough to check it out.
It’s a mesmerizing story that’s mostly devoid of dialog and unfolds over 103 slow and haunting minutes. The few conversations they have provide bits of insight into a friendship that’s mostly a blank slate for the viewer, so what you’re left with are beautifully composed desert shots tinged with a stranded desperation. The movie is heartbreaking, but at moments surprisingly funny, which you might not expect. If you’re like me, the camera-on-a-hood take at the beginning should be a dead giveaway that this is a special film.
Amazing score too.
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This is a “recommendation” to myself. I’ve written about the constant eb and flow of my hermit-mode tendencies on this newsletter before, but it’s gotten much worse over the years as my workaholic personality tends to leave me feeling burnt out and distant both physically and mentally. I need to be there— for my partner, my family, and my friends —but also to see more of the world and enjoy the city I live in. The hours at home coding PI.FYI, or fixating on how to make this newsletter my career without destroying what makes it special, are leading to a bit of a missing the golden years feeling and I need to get out of my own head. I’m going to make a conscious effort to reach out more, make it out to friend’s shows, simply grab a beer with a friend, and just generally be there.
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Underrated af. My friend TJ has been raving about these for years and I kind of just thought it was a “TJ thing” that I wouldn’t be down with, and boy was I wrong. If you’re in the area, and want to try a good pickleback, Hartley's in Gowanus has some truly delicious pickle juice.
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Sometimes a sweatshirt fits great overall, but the collar is too tight on my neck and which causes the the hood to be too tight, blah blah blah. It just leads to not being comfortable in a hoodie. Which is kind of the whole point of wearing one. I bought an old ripped up Russell hoodie on Ebay and it’s become something of a second skin because it 1) fits perfect 2) the collar is loose and 3) it’s not too heavy. Good to have one of these in your rotation.
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One of my favorite new acts, and if you’re in NYC you can catch them at their debut U.S. show on August 16th that Perfectly Imperfect is presenting with our good friends You Missed It. You can get tickets here if that sounds fun (hint: it will be fun). The big missing link of the whole indie sleaze revival thing has been a bass heavy dubstep inspired act, and Bassvictim has managed to bring this sound back in a way that feels very very fresh rather than merely nostalgia. This is especially apparent on their new single Alice which feels inspired by peak M.I.A, and don’t sleep on the acoustic version.
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Court St Grocers is one of the best things about living in Carroll Gardens, which is 100% something a transplant like myself would say, but in this case it’s actually true. A great spot that fits into the fabric of the neighborhood and has delicious sandwiches. Their BLT may be $16 dollars, but you are getting a one-of-a-kind messy n’ delicious creation— the kind of sandwich that you have to eat with plenty of napkins nearby, and most important, during peak tomato season (which is the only time of year they’ll even do it).
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The timing of this rec might make you think it’s somehow related to the movie Longlegs, but I can assure you that T.Rex has been an obsession of mine for months. This glam-rock act is somehow always exactly what I want to listen to. If you’re unfamiliar, you almost definitely know their largest hit Bang a Gong (Get It On) which is a classic car commercial / needle drop type of cut, but it’s far from their best. I’ve been spinning Electric Warrier non-stop, but writing this rec and reading more about Marc Bolan / T.Rex is making me realize that I really need to give that same love to The Slider. I know what I’m doing this afternoon.
