The Stylings of June - Old Skool NYC Messenger
June has been on a fix for most of his life. He's worked as a messenger in NYC for about 17 years, more recently as a messenger company owner. The only thing he's ridden in all these years has been a fix. He started back when you didn't see too many fixes on the street. I remember seeing June back in 1991, though I didn't know that was him. I'd just arrived with my street fix from upstate NY. I saw this dude with long dreads doing a few backwards circles at a stop light. Damn! I wanted to catch up with him and ask him how! But catching up with June is not easy. Many have tried, and failed. He's got a nickname on the street, "The Ghost." He has this unpredictable style of ghosting through traffic, making moves, loops and turns, finding holes and leaving others way behind. Before fixed June rode BMX, and you can see this in his style. "What? A curb? A few stairs? A taxi, a bus? A 3-ft pot-hole? No shit!" And he's gone!
June can ghost a package from one side of Manhattan to the other as fast as anyone. If you wish to have a package delivered, you can call him at his company
June @ Braveheart Enterprises
(347) 992-6205 // (646) 552-7134
braveheart4888@yahoo.com
June does backwards circles with as much ease as most people do a simple trackstand. I asked him where he first saw it done. There was maybe one other guy back in the late 80s doing them. But where June learned up close and personal was from Larry, of Larry and Jeff's Second Avenue Bicyle Plus bike shop (See our article on Larry's NYC bike shop here). Larry's the guy most uptown old-skoolers go to for old-skool parts and frames. Larry put together my Serotta, and his main mechanic James built the wheels. These wheels have been rock solid for years, including some stairs and pot-holes. And the front is radial! Anyway, back in the late 80's June had his first fix, and took it to Larry for a repair. To check the bike out, Larry hopped on, did a few backwards circles, and pronounced the bike OK! Of course June went off and worked on that till he had it. Now June can do lots and lots of them. He hasn't taken this skill to compete in an alleycat yet, but I suspect he will soon!
I'll be putting more of June's videos up on this page. Meanwhile, you can find more, hosted by Triplerush's NYC fixed messenger site called "NYC MASSIVE". Triplerush is one of the folks who bring you NYC's Monster Track race each year.
The videos require Apple's QuickTime. If these videos don't play, then you can DOWNLOAD QUICKTIME HERE. But try the videos first, they just might work.
VIDEO!!! Freestyling with big up on a hydrant
VIDEO!!! 23 or so backwards circles at Herald Square
VIDEO!!! Freestyling at Columbus Circle