Squid Bikes - Where Art and Cycling Are One. The Origin Story and Much More - Episode 14 Artwork

The Cross Section Podcast

As a cyclist and filmmaker and photographer, this is a new creative outlet for me and one that I am very excited about. I think one of the takeaways of 2020 is just how much I miss the people in my life and fostering those relationships so this seemed like a natural progression. I was kind of down in the dumps in the early winter and I missed everyone. I had been flirting with a podcast for quite some time and I decided to just go for it. I do not make any claims that I know what I’m doing. If you're into photography, bikes, and art, I sit down with people I find to be pretty interesting and unique. The show sort of cross-polinates amongst those topics and the podcast is the result. These are the conversations I would have on any given day. This is a show where my goal is to hang out with athletes, artists, musicians, friends and just follow the conversation wherever it leads and I thought, maybe, you might be interested in what we explore. Have a listen and follow wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes will typically drop each Sunday. For Season 1, which will include only 10-15 episodes, I hope you like it.

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The Cross Section Podcast

Squid Bikes - Where Art and Cycling Are One. The Origin Story and Much More - Episode 14

May 13, 2021 • Drew Coleman • Season 1 • Episode 14

It's the penultimate episode of season 1 and a session that I had in mind from the very beginning. This week’s episode is unique in that I have not one, but two guests - Emily Kachorek and Chris Namba of Squid Bikes. They joined me from Sacramento where their unique HQ is located; a place where art and cycling become one. I first met Emily and Chris and their third wheel Pete years ago when they hosted the 2nd live screening of my short film State of Cyclocross. We projected the film on a Saturday night onto the side of one of the many shipping containers right there in their courtyard. A intimate gathering of 'cross devotees and an experience that I treasure even more now due to the lack of such things today.

On this episode we caught up and talked about Squid’s origins, their design process, and how it has used the gap year of 2020 and the bike boom to transition a bit with a renewed focus on its roots. While it may seem that they fly by the seat of their pants, they are a very professional outfit and they always have a plan; nothing is ever arbitrary. We of course talked tracklocross and cyclocross, the past and the future as well as their legendary 'Cross Nationals After Parties (how the cops weren't ever involved I'll never know).

As The Cross Section has no sponsors for this first season, I decided that this episode is brought to you by Mid-Town Taqueria in Sacramento - the best chips and street tacos I have ever tasted and I eat a lot of street tacos.

This is the penultimate episode of the first season. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and I appreciate you all for listening in the past 4 months. It's been a labor of love and a celebration of friends and their stories.

One more episode to go, but for now … let’s hang out with Emily and Chris co-founders of Squid Bikes … I think you’ll like it.

Thanks so much for taking some time out of your life today and I hope you had as good of a time as I did with this one. Follow me on Instagram@dcmediahausand also Sign up and download, rate and review and subscribe wherever you source your podcasts so you’ll always know when a new show drops - it means the world. Stay Safe. And just keep pedaling.

Content Warning: A small handful of curse words by both host and guest (but mostly by the host).