Duncan Lewis

I'd personally like to introduce everyone to Duncan Lewis, the newest member of the Skitch team. Duncan has been with us since day one and has been pushing the sport of fixed gear riding since before a lot of us even threw our leg over a top tube. Duncan is a Vancouver native who has recently made the migration east to Montreal where he is currently destroying new spots. Not even snow can hold this guy back as you can see in the photos below. Welcome to the family Duncan.



This is easily the best endo photo ever shot. Good thing you had some powder to land in Duncan.

Cog Magazine Issue 5

The fifth issue of Cog Magazine is out and feature our new ad with non other than Tom Mosher absolutely boosting the highway hip here in Toronto. Thanks to Ted Power for the photo and thanks to Cog for putting together such an awesome publication.

Tom Mosher

Mosher is riding his new aerospoke.Photo by Ted Power

Tags

I was asked a question the other day that had never been brought up before and I thought I would share some answers with you. I had a customer ask me about the tags in our shirts. They brought up that the one in their shirt had fallen broken up while they were washing it and they was also wondering about the numbers that had been on the tags because they noticed that all three of their shirts had the same number.

I was intrigued by the fact that they had actually noticed the numbers and I realized that we've never fully explained why we manufacture our tags the way we do. Some people might find this interesting another people might find this to be the most boring thing they have ever read but I just thought I should shed some light on these questions.

First of all the reason the tags break up in the wash is that we wanted to create a tag that was somewhat unique. We noticed that most of us here at Skitch found tags in the backs of shirts to be annoying and would often cut them out. Most of the time it’s a material choice that is the problem. A lot of brands choose something that is far to stiff and scratchy, so ours are printed on lightweight linen that will not irritate the neck. I know what a lot of people are thinking, 'why wouldn't you just silkscreen the sizing onto the inside of the shirt?' Well the reason we chose not to do this was because of bleed and breathability. Although it is very possible to print on the inside of a shirt without it bleeding through to the outside, we opted to stay away from that because you do run a risk of ruining a few shirts and also because then the size is permanently printed creating a stiff spot across the back of the neck that doesn't breath. Our tags are designed to break up in the was so after a few spins though the machine the tag no longer exists and the back of your neck is both not irritated and cool. We're aware that this is not rocket science, just something to separate us from the millions of brands out there and besides, who needs to know the size of their shirt after they've purchased it from the store?

The 'numbers' question was quite interesting for me because it was a small detail that we included when we first started Skitch almost two years ago that no one had asked us about until now. On all the tags is the number 183-8. We have always included this on every one of our products and its something that we will continue to do. It's like a second trademark. The number 183-8 corresponds to the city of Vancouver bylaws. The bylaw filled under 183-8 reads, "A cycle operated on a highway must be equipped with a brake that will enable the person operating the cycle to make the cycle brake on dry, level and clean pavement." This bylaw has gotten us out of trouble a few times. As long as you can make that back tire skid, then you're all good.

If any of you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask us at skitchclothing@gmail.com.

Torey Thornton

It's the start of a new year and with that we've got another rider representing Skitch. I'd like to introduce you all to Torey Thornton (often known as hfwido). Torey currently resides in New York City where he has been tearing it up with the likes of John Prolly and Tom LaMarche. Torey brings a unique style to fixed gear riding that really sets him apart and we're happy to have him join the team. Torey previously appeared in the Council of Doom video and will be appearing in Bootleg Sessions 3 along with both Tom Mosher and myself (Tom Briggs). He also recently appeared in the latest Urban Velo Magazine. Here is Torey's latest online edit. Welcome to the team Torey.Photo by J. Martinez
Photo by Chicken Kid


Winter Mini Edit from hfwido on Vimeo.