The Best of Survey 2012

Cycling as a cultural attitude

Cycling as a cultural attitude. Not just style or ‘Streetstyle’, a phrase first expressed by anthropologist Ted Polhemus and one that is omnipresent across many sartorial blogs. This is what I think of when I think of the Rapha Survey blog:

To me Survey is a scrapbook documentation of people whose love and passion is cycling. This in turn exudes an attitude in both their attire, style and bike choices. That’s me just below: no brakes, no helmet, just a bit of gold and my cycling attitude. Say what you will but like all people we have the choice of what we do and how we wear ourselves to the outside world, and this is how I like to roll.

Below is my selection of city riding types whose attitude has made 2012 an intriguing year for Survey. A gallery of photography which has perhaps expanded, morphed and re-shaped its original purpose as a cycle sartorial blog.

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Half-Inch

_{London / Photographer - George Marshall}

“Don’t call me urban” the title of Simon Wheatly’s photographic book archiving the grime music scene speaks of the negative connotations of the word driven by commerce and media. This image reminds me of that work. For me this striking shot does not speak of 'urban' in the music sense, it only speaks of an inner city attitude and the style that supports it. From the attire to the customised Ridgeback hybrid, this image shouts "Great Britain", just as previously frowned upon youth subcultures like Punks and Skinheads did.

_{Gavin Watson - Gavin's brother sits on a BMX in High Wycombe, 1984}

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Basket Case

_{London / Photographer - George Marshall}

This gentleman and his ride simply had to make it into my selection. You could say he desperately needs a van to put his cargo in. But no. This is not the attitude of a hardened cyclist. Everything serves a practical purpose here, which in turn naturally helps push out a cool, calm and effortless style. It starts from the loose, relaxed fit of his Kaftan and ends with the laid-back geometry and weaved baskets of his hybrid bike.

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Mountain Man

_{Denver CO / Photographer - George Marshall}

There is so much that is attitude in this shot, I don’t know where to begin. Clearly a man that wears his habitat, the Moccasins, ripped denim shorts a cut above the knee, wolf-man hair, a dog that matches and a car and a bike that form a perfect marriage of style-cool born from living rather than a glossy style mag.

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The Archbishop

_{London / Photographer - George Marshall}

Timeless signature style and an attitude of a man with respect. The bike itself is as traditional and as classy as the man with which it travels. Three gears is all the speed God needs.

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MOKO

_{London / Photographer - George Marshall}

Body adornment is no stranger to attitude and this man wears his passion for cycling on his skin regardless of what he puts on in the morning. Judging by the amount of slack in that chain, this gentlemen rides till it breaks. That sort of hardened attitude can only be found in courier culture or further south in the Pacific.

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Outrigger

_{San Francisco / Photographer - John Reiss}

With a look so cool and a swagger straight out of Wayne's World, this man should be sipping Coca Cola from a glass bottle weaving through traffic on a skateboard just before hanging out in an 80's arcade. But no, he cycles custom. He wants to turn heads and then take them as passengers for a party back home.

For that. I salute him.

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Cavallino Meccanico

_{Melbourne / Photographer - Andy White}

Survey wouldn't be Survey without the girls and their style that consistently begs the question "you can ride your bike, in that?" A question that is no more relavant than the lady above. When this was originally posted many shouted "fake" due to her attire not being practical enough for her steed.

Take a trip to Dalston in London, Harajuku in Japan or Mississippi Avenue in Portland and you will see that practicality in city riding often comes second after style. The very fact the outfit highlights the paint job simply shows this girl knows how to pull the style trigger and if the bike isn't hers, she does a damn good job of offering inspiration. The very reason we are celebrating Survey.