Stoked to see this article in the Evening Standard after the lovely Liz Conner came down to take her first try at riding recently!
Click the link to see our chat with her about all about starting riding, presenting the first Babes Ride Out UK this year & launching our label VCC!
Weeew!
TO read the full article & interview click HERE
Totally stoked to be involved with the instagram project #MYSTORYUK.
The project & exhibition celebrates inspiring visual story telling by women all over the world & how they use Instagram to share it all. From mommas to models, skaters to shepherdesses, activists to artists they got us all together to celebrate!
We had a great night meeting so many amazing women, getting completely wasted, hearing the lovely Lauren Laverne announce "Motorcycles, good times and not giving a shit" to the entire room, teaming up with all girl skate crew Nefarious crew ( our new girl crush ) & skating through the exhibition space sealing both our reputations as the complete reprobates of the event....
Shout out to Frankie, Marieka, Michelle, Charlotte, Lauren & all the ladies that made it happen! x
VC Team Talks with Dakar racer, Red Bull romaniacs rider and previous record holder for the highest woman up Everest on a motorcycle - Tamsin Jones
Read MoreA rad little vid from Alex Grant of our visit to Babes Ride Out UK sponsors Red Wing shoes to collect our brand spanking new boots from the ladies collection ( launching October this year for all you ladies! ) for our trip to Wales last weekend!
ITS BACK!!!
Summer is here & we're teaming up with the lovely chaps at London Motorcycle Training again to run our ladies only CBT days throughout the summer months! The next one is on Saturday 18th June with a discounted rate & limited spaces so get in there quick if you want to book in !!!!!!
-----------------------------------------
For more details call London Motorcycle Training on 0207 2411111 & quote VC ladies CBT day to book in!
So that was the first of our VC monthly moto meet up nights at Bike Shed, in East London! Thanks to everyone who came down to hang!
Babes who have been riding years, some just passed their tests & CBTs & some who are just starting out (and a couple of dogs for good measure) got together for a drink over carb talks, customising tips, road trip planning & some Babes Ride Out UK plans. Eeeeeek!
Our next one is on Wednesday the 6th June at 7:30pm, same place. If you want to meet new rad babes to ride with, or even want to get into riding but don't know where to start, come down & hang! x
We're totally stoked to have the amazing Redwing Shoes on board for Babes Ride Out UK in August! Last week we went down to the store to pick up our new boots from the fresh to death womens range launching in October this year! Classic mens styles in narrower, lower profile & comfier fit? CHECK! Absolutely in Love!!!!
PHOTO: Alex Grant
This weekend we'll be test riding these boots on a ride out to the Babes Ride Out UK site in Wales. Scouting out some amazing riding routes for all you badass babes in & around the epic Breacon Beacons national park for the Saturdays Ride! Cant wait to show you this amazing place!
ALL IMAGES BY ALEX GRANT
A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to be invited out to Milan to The Reunion custom moto show by the shows organiser Matteo Andreani! In only its second year The Reunion is an incredible moto gathering with some of Italys best bike builders, moto brands & moto clubs getting together to show off their newest projects, hang out in the sunshine topped off by a mini dirt track & one gnarly drag race on the Monza track. We rode, we raced, we drank beers in the sunshine, ate too much salami, danced until the sun went down & came home with a few cuts & bruises but with massive smiles all round & a hell of alot of new mental Italian pals.
The thing that stood out for us about the Reunion was their incredibly Italian way of doing things... A totally welcoming, laid back, chilled out, family orientated event with so many friendly faces riding around on their bikes in the sunshine that you couldn't help but feel like you could only be in Italy...And the standard of bike builds blew us away
Well definitely be back next year.... and hopefully well be a bit more successful on the drag racing than this time ;)
A massive thanks to The Reunion, DMD helmets, Yamaha Italy & of course the wonderful Matteo Andreani & merry band of Milano Cafe racers for making it one crazy weekend to remember.
PHOTOS BY: MAX PIERERNIA & ALESSANDRA LEOCATA
PIC: ALEX GRANT
We had a rad time at The Shop Customs for International Female rider day yesterday.
Thanks to all the badass ladies who came down! Think this will be the first of many summer ride outs!
Thanks to Alex Grant for the shots!
BILTWELL BONANZA
After how well the last round up went down we thought we'd do another quick line up of whats new & on offer in the world of lids.... Enjoy!
( To see the first article we wrote about Lids explaining difference between DOT & ECE ratings click HERE)
I'm not usually a fan of a helmet that comes already comes with such specific artwork but Maria have done a good job here with the new NEXX XG. The helmet is one of the best contenders in the new full face helmet race. A good shape, nice detailing & with a lack of great new full face options in the gap that the closing of Ruby left this a good option. The only let down is that although sizing goes from XS to L the shell size stays the same so on people with smaller bodies it can look a bit big profile wise. Rumour has it that they are developing more shell sizes due to its popularity so that should be sorted soon.
Buy online at the BIKE SHED or URBAN RIDER or try on in store at the Bike Shed
Another in the line of Bell star retro remakes the DMD seventy five is a Kevlar / carbon mix helmet with a nod to retro BMX styling. ECE & DOT approved so good to go anywhere. Some great goggles that go with these helmets are the Barstow 100%, Biltwells "Overlands" & The Baruffaldi "Speed 1". Its one of our faves.
Available to buy at URBAN RIDER or BIKE SHED
IMAGE: FEVVA AT WOMENS MOTO EXHIBIT
This one is getting all of press at the moment. Elders Company are an Indonesian based helmet brand growing quick in popularity with fans like Zachiatrist & Fevvvaa . Their x-bone helmet has more than a small nod to the moto 3 styling & comes in some amazing colour ways. The downside of this helmet for europe is the non ECE testing tag but damn is this one sweet helmet.
For more info got to The Elders Company Instagram HERE or website HERE
Super classic retro styling & not too many bells & whistles make the Trophy a well priced option in the new full faces on offer. With relatively low profile & some good basic colour ways (liking the yellow) its a great helmet Just one thing though...Why oh why did they decide to put the logo sticker on the mouth piece?!? Don't know why it bothers me so much but when I tried it on it wasn't love.
Go have a go for yourself & prove me wrong at Bike Shed or buy online HERE
The new editions to the Bullitt range have dropped with new colours & different interior styling. A slightly higher price than the standard the helmet is made from a carbon composite so its pretty lightweight. This helmet has never been my personal favourite ( The thin chin bar has never looked good on me) but its DOT & ECE approved so perfect for taking away when you're riding abroad & rumour has it there will only be one delivery being made of theses to the UK so these helmets won't last long.
Buy online at the BIKE SHED or URBAN RIDER or try on in store
The Epicurism is the newest addition to the Hedon stable. With the ultra light carbon composite shell & all the usual tasteful hardware & colour ways usually found on a Hedon helmet the newest feature is the inbuilt visor with some serious hardware finishings. At £349 this helmet tips the bill for open faces but its well worth the cash. These guys are rumoured to be bringing out a full face soon... Cant wait to see it!
For more info or to buy got to www.hedon.com
Another option in a slightly lower price range for an open face is the Nexx XG10. A good standard open face with a few artwork options if you're looking for that sort of thing. The white option is pretty good but I'm still big fan of my bell custom 500 for a simple open face around this price point. If you're looking for something a little different in a similar price range though maybe go have a look at this.
Image from www.gilbygtr.blogspot.co.uk
The legendary Paolo owner of Joe King helmets painted his first one in 1993 and today runs a small family-owned custom shop based in sao paulo, brazil. Joe king speed shop specialises in old school, vintage-styled motorcycle helmets built with the kind of craftsmanship one can only get from a hand made product. These babies are the lowest profile open face in the game.
'An ultra tight shell sporting opened up cheek sections, a tightened brow area and better appointed lower sections on the left and right. these helmets pay honorable homage to the classic and iconic 3/4 helmet that never should have changed due to DOT/ EU restrictions and government pocket books.'
These are handmade so expect await for yours & also factor in posting from Brasil but these are fully worth every second to get your hands on one.
(NOTE: No DOT or ECE rating)
& keep your eyes on www.vclondon.co.uk for more exciting news dropping today on the event
POSTER ARTWORK BY TORIA JAYMES OF STAY OUTSIDE STUDIO
A ladies riding weekend of dirt bike training, track skills & camping from Greenfield Dirt track , Dirt track riders & VC London.
Come learn how to go fast & turn left like a pro from some of the UKs best dirt track riders at the new Greenfields dirt track in Lincolnshire with UK national number 37 DTRA rider and 2016 Minibike champion Leah Tokelove overseeing the weekend ends riding.
Open to all levels of Female Riders (over 18) with all riding skill levels welcome from total beginner!
What to expect
Friendly fun times with a group of like minded people who enjoy motorcycles and racing.
No matter what your riding level you will enjoy riding motorcycles off road & skills learnt on the dirt are directly transferable to other motorcycle disciplines. After introductions and a short saftey briefing riders are split into groups based on ability. You will complete some basic training drills on small honda crf100 bikes which are ideal to practice your skills. As you gain confidence your instructors will talk you though riding techniques, body position and race tips. How to ride different surfaces and bike setup tips will also be on offer. We will move onto riding other bikes and different tracks as the training progresses.
Camping, bonfires and camp vibes are optional & family / friends are welcome!!
What not to expect
To be pushed beyond your comfort limit & Not to enjoy yourself! Dirttrack is traditionally a friendly family sport, if you don't have someone to come with don't worry we have a great team of helpers from the DTRA, Greenfield and of course us at VC London who will help you out & welcome you.
For more info, prices & to book a place go to http://www.dirttrackriders.co.uk/#!ladies-day/qp0gg
We have only limited spaces available so get in there quick ladies!
Ahhhhh take us back to last summer.... Probably one of the best days of last summer was the ladies flat track day set up by the chaps over at the DTRA . We turned left, crashed, got back on, crashed some more but all went home with multiple bruises, new pals & big smiles on dirty faces. Oh, if only we could do it all over again........... But wait..........
We've got some exciting news coming soon..... Watch out Insta & Events pages for news coming very soon!!
PHOTO: DTRA WEBSITE by the amazing Dimitri Coste
We never thought we'd see a bunch of riders being weirder than us ...... Meet the Quake City Rumblers of Christchurch NZ & check out their new vid.
'More than 2 strokes is a wank'.... Pure genius.
Pic by Virginia Hall - of Brittany Olsen @20thcenturyracing
This amazing lady rides, wrenches & even recently rebuilt her own harley, which was the subject of a very popular video by her other half to be , Jay Cagney (See further down our blog feed for the full vid). Amongst her many talents (including teaming up with Babes Ride out to bring the event to the east coast) she is one of the most amazing photographers we know.
Her latest series is from the famous Race of Gentlemen held in Wildwood NJ - a beachfront vintage motorcycle & car race that celebrates the era of American racing heritage of a by gone era. Although called the race of gentlemen our faves are the images of Brittany Olsen of 20th century Racing & Jen Sheets battling it out on their vintage Harleys. Not a race for the faint hearted .... Have you ever tried to race on sand?! Let alone on bikes a good few decades older than you are!
Virginia's photographs never fail to put a smile on our faces & make us dream about getting out & having fun on our bikes ..... and surely thats what its all about isn't it?
Enjoy x
Errrr.... Hello.... We're the VC & this is a video about us messing about with bikes in the place we call home.
Directed by David Hartley at Incomingchaos
A massive thanks to David Hartley & all his fam & crew & all at The Shop Customs for putting up with us. We know we're a handful.
THIS ONE IS GOING TO BE RIDICULOUS!
Come party till you pants fall off with us & the wonderful chaps from Dice Magazine & co for their issue 37 Launch.
Booze, Food, Bikes, Dj set from Apache Jack & a very special performance from The Black Tibetans..
JUNE 10th from 7pm....Be there or be a dick!
Errrrrrrr...This got us all road trippy dreamy like...
"21 DAYS UNDER THE SKY examines the timeless American love affair with motorcycles and an even greater American tradition: the road trip. Four bikers meet in San Francisco to start a 3,800 mile ride down the Lincoln Highway – the oldest coast to coast route that remains mostly two lane blacktop.
As they travel, the journey becomes less about getting anywhere and more about going back to where things started; about the heavenly landscapes, the proud people they encounter, and the small towns they rest in. It is a contemporary look at the American Dream, and the fearless few that have the guts to go without a plan – and a reminder of what a real adventure feels like."
Coming Out in May 2016 from the wonderful chaps at Dice Mag.
For more info go to www.21daysunderthesky.com
Last Saturday morning we had the pleasure of dragging our sorry hungover arses to The Shop to hang out with the lovely Dice Magazine. Watch out for Issue 67 to read about us blab on about rubbish that may or may not have included motorbikes. Thanks for putting up with us Matt!
x
IMAGES FROM: @dicemagazine & @jmbrln
To know this lady is to absolutely fall in love with her. We first met Virginia Hall back last year at BRO3 where she was all smiles & the longest limbs ever to grace a Harley.
Alongside her incredible photography work Virginia recently took on her own bike build & boy did it turn out pretty sweet. Luckily her other half, Jay Cagney, was around to make a vid about the whole process. Welding never looked so good...
"Over the past year, I’ve documented Virginia's creation of this motorcycle. The bike started as a stock '96 XL1200c, and through many hours of late nights, dirty fingernails and torn gloves, Virginia was able to complete the bike you see her riding today. The bike above covers about 6 months of building from January to June of 2015. Because neither of us had a lot of experience building motorcycles, we pulled knowledge and advice from the people around us, and through lots information online. We're both happy to see the bike complete, and even more happy to present to you our journey through it."
Virginia Hall and Jay Cagney are recently engaged, and live in rural Northern New Jersey. Virginia is a Senior UX Designer and Jay works full time managing a video production department, as well as a freelance photo and video career.
To see more of Virginias work including her rad photos from BRO3 click HERE & visit Jay Cagneys Website HERE . Also follow them both on Insta now! @virninja / @jaycagney
