Musician and producer Dan Kaufman didn’t start cycling until 2003. Since then, the 38 year-old Brooklyn neighborhood resident has become a “cycling evangelist.”
Last year, he and his wife Kirsten launched PDXK Productions and decided to pursue Internet television. Dan thinks the future of TV will consist of independently produced shows distributed via the web.
As he began experimenting with podcasts and videos for his company PDXK TV, he realized a cycling theme kept creeping into his work. He decided to follow his passion and the result is his new Internet TV show, CrankMyChain!. Here’s more about it from Dan:
“CrankMyChain! will document psycho bike niches, create bike music videos, review parts and accessories, and discuss cycle advocacy. We strive to have an interactive show where others will contribute or respond with their own videos.”
Dan uploads his videos to YouTube but also offers higher resolution QuickTime versions.
Judging from his first few efforts, it seems Dan has a knack for getting in the middle of controversial topics.
With an assist from Reverend Phil, Dan was able to edit some official, on-board video from a Portland Police patrol car that was staking out Zoobombers.
Dan’s video includes some priceless quotes from the cops and shows Zoobombers running stop signs and swerving across the entire width of the tunnel on Highway 26—a route known as the Hellway.
I don’t think putting this video into wide circulation is such a wise move for Zoobomb PR, but that’s another topic.
Dan has also just released a film of local messenger Ayla Holland. Holland is currently in the middle of a media and legal storm for fighting a citatation she got for riding a fixed-gear bicycle without a brake. The video demonstrates her ability to bring her fixed-gear bicycle to a skidding stop on dry, level, pavement (and thus, passing the performance test for braking as stated in Oregon law).
Dan is currently working on editing some footage from this weekend’s Dead Baby Downhill event in Seattle and hopes to debut a podcast very soon. Stay tuned, I think we’ll be hearing a lot more from this guy in the future.
Thanks for reading.
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It is interesting to note that in the video comparing coaster braking to back pedal braking, Matt (with the coaster brake) also has a front and rear rim brake. (I’ll bet he uses them.)
I have no problem calling back pedaling “braking”. However, after watching the video I must say I’m sold on a front brake. If it takes that long for a pro to stop a fixie then I have no chance.
skidding is not the fastest way to stop a fixed gear bike. You can’t skid a bike using a front brake anyway, unless you have disc brakes and a very slick surface…
The law states its requirement as being able to skid on dry level pavement, which we can all see Ayla do in the video. Concerns about what is safer or more effective are irrelevent as the video is only meant to show Ayla’s compliance to the law and show a coaster braked bike for comparison.