This is third-wave skateboard hill bombing. Big flip trick or sick grab off something crazy high or over an insane gap (lots of consequences, limited run-out), stick the landing on the sidewalk or in the middle of the street, immediately hit insane speeds because you’re at the top of one of the steepest streets in America, commence bombing through intersection after intersection. Good luck, fingers crossed. Except we’re not a gang of skateboarders, we’re just a wheel. Besides rolling down the hill, our wheel is going to session with friends and drop into a party. Our wheel is fearless, fast, good at tricks, and fun. So while we may not be a gang of skateboarders, we definitely roll like one.
San Francisco (skateboard) hill bomb riff.
We’re at the top of a hill somewhere in downtown San Francisco.
A naked Reserve 35 complete wheel rolls of the awning of a porch, maybe does a mid-air flip or a 360, lands onto the sidewalk below. 35 launches off a curb-cut into the street where it immediately starts to pick up speed and we reveal just how big a hill we’re dealing with and just crazy long the run-out is.
35 scrubs some speed then proceeds to send it.
35 rolls through a 4-way intersection, spotters on either side of the street are yelling at 35 and cheering for 35.
35 has crazy wobbles but is hanging tough. More powerslides and scrubbing off speed. Maybe some little hops and jumps.
At this point, we cut to 35’s POV as though 35 was wearing a GoPro. This footage is clearly less good and shakier, maybe there is an audio cue here too to let us know we’re now in 35’s world.
We leave 35’s POV.
35 rolls through another 4-way intersection and but this time it’s joined-up by some MASH dudes on fixies who are headed down the same hill but coming from a different direction.
Obviously, 35 and MASH dudes are friends. We communicate some kinda eye contact, nod, fist bump, etc. “It’s on.”
35 and MASH mix it up on the way down a section of our hill until eventually the MASH dudes peel off.
At which point 35, now back on the sidewalk and mixing it up there, rolls up the edge of a staircase retaining wall, jumps off the top it, flys over a fence and into a backyard where currently a big party is happening.
It’s a hipster, punk rock, alt scene party full of downhill mountain bikers (Syndicate), skateboarders, musicians, etc. There’s a DJ, lots folks gathered around here and there, talking and drinking, and in the middle of it all, a mini ramp.
35 rolls past some drinks on a table, maybe bumps a cup—our version of 35 having a drink.
The DJ hollers at 35. Air horn noise.
35 drops into the mini ramp. Flys back over the fence. Lands in on a very steep section of the street, but sticks the landing and once again begins to send it. Cut back to party folks, they erupt in cheer, throw up their hands, toss hats into the air, etc.
Street closes-out or maybe there is some construction ahead, for one reason or another 35 makes its way back onto the sidewalk, up a short set of stairs and into the lobby of a building.
Rolls through the lobby and out the other side.
Back down some other stairs. Maybe hops onto a railing and 50-50s down it.
35 lands on the sidewalk, hops off the curb into the street and starts to lose speed because we’re coming to the end of the hills.
35 slooooooowly comes to a stop then starts to do the penny wobble thing as it falls to its side and comes to rest next to a stripped-out bike frame locked to a parking meter.
ALT ENDING. 35 hits something, pops up into the air and lands in the back of a pickup truck next to some Stigmatas in a rack. The pick-up is obviously headed out of town to go for a weekend ride.
IRL, trundling is when bored backpackers and rock climbers roll large rocks or boulders down hillsides to see how far the rocks will go before the break apart or knock over full-grown trees. But what if Trundling was a competitive Action Sport not unlike disc golf. What if instead of rolling rocks down hillsides Trundlers rolled custom made “discs” designed to go farther and faster than rocks. And what if every Trundle Comp featured multiple courses each with their own set of specific conditions and attributes, thus requiring a disc designed to perform in exactly those conditions.
Each participant is called a “bowler.”
Each bowler has a caddy.
The caddy manages a quiver of discs for each course. The quiver is a series of forks mounted to a 2×4 on wheels, the discs are kept in a fork for transport and moving around the course.
A 60 for timed courses and low wind. Where aerodynamics matters the most.
A 50 for short, fast courses with crazy turns.
A 35 for mixed terrain.
A 32 for smoother courses.
OPENING SCENE: We’re high above a crazy spectacle happening along the edge of a cliff somewhere in the mountains of the American West.
On the edge of the cliff, we see a driving range or ski/snowboard start ramp area where our bowlers and caddies are queued-up.
On either side of them, there are huge crowds leaning up against railings, peering over the edge. Lots of binoculars and rangefinders. Some of the “viewing platforms” have those coin-operated binoculars on a stand that you see at state parks.
Lots of event flags and banners. This is a little bit Red Bull Rampage.
The judges are in a lifeguard looking tower adjacent to the launch zone.
We establish that there are several start areas along the edge of the cliff, each one is numbered like golfing.
Today’s event as four holes/courses.
The bowlers look like super athletic bowlers. Bad taste. Visors. Gloves. Wrist Guards. Crazy sunglasses. But they’re also kinda fit. Or not.
In addition to the bowlers, their caddies, the crowd, the judges in the judging tower, there are two ABC Wide World Of Sports types—Best in Show, ESPN El OCHO (Dodgeball).
“Welcome to Wallowa Mountains of Eastern Oregon home of the 2020 Trundling World Championships, I’m Chip, joined by my cohost Chip and this year’s comp is ready to kick off any second!”
We interview the crowd.
Favorites and underdogs are discussed.
Lots of our announcers using the “golf whisper” to describe our Reserve Bowler’s throw technique, his disc choice, and the way his bowls go. “Oh wow will you look at that, Chet just really made the right choice going with the 60 on this one, look at the way it cleaned “Dicky’s Waterfall” which is definitely the crux of number 6.”
Lots of animation showing the course and the conditions.
We interview the bowlers.
One of our bowlers, the crowd favorite, is sponsored by Reserve.
We link-up a series of fantastical, epic, stunning, arresting, trick-centric moments inside the idea of the best ride ever. We shoot this so it looks like one ride, with a clear start and finish, the same folks on the same bikes throughout, but we condense it down to it’s best moments. A highlight reel, effectively. That said it def has a magical realism quality to it in that we seamlessly move between geography, varying climates, and environment that don’t in reality link-up; i.e., obviously, there is no way that any single ride has all of these insane great spots contained within it. The only “actual” chronology would be the time of day: our opening shot is the crack of dawn, our last shot is sunset. This is about stringing together the best most epic moves/tricks/moments of a bike ride. This is about the perfect line. Our riders are always encouraging each other. They are always sharing the stoke. I feel like this could have a “spots’ vibe the way that skateboarding is about spots. I think our crew is 3-4 folks, as diverse as possible. Also our crew vibes like a crew. I think we go full ATB mode here. The bikes are basically mountain bikes but with drop bars. Monster cross and beyond. They’re equipped with bags but the vibe is sub240, not a 10-day expedition.
OPENING SHOT: Diner at night in some kinda Hollywood or Silverlake-type spot, getting coffee and/or eating donuts. It’s dark. Lots of lights and reflections. This is about anticipation, psyching yourself up, the last bit of comfort before shit gets real. Drawing back the arrow, ready for release.
Drone shot of the crew sending a set of urban stairs together.
One by one we see the crew try to ride through a snowbank on a mountain pass where the snow has not yet melted or been cleared. They each attempt to see how far they can get before coming to a stop or flipping over the handlebars. Or whatever. Lots of cheering, laughing.
Try to clean a river crossing. Some make it, some don’t. Lots of fun. Lots of sketch.
Sending a super steep section of singletrack.
Downhill side-hilling with bikes through the bush. Lots of rocks and sand in shoes. Lots of sticks and bushes snagging clothes and cranks and handlebars.
Riding into and out of a giant culvert, or a train tunnel.
Waiting out some rain on some random porch.
Section of riding freeway. LIKE THE WORST ROAD EVER. The grapevine.
Fire Brigrading bikes one by one over a fence.
Throwing rocks at a street sign. Killing time. Target practice.
Half naked doing kit laundry in a laundromat.
Playing cards on a ferry through a misty sound, bike leaned up against a railing.
Carrying bikes up something too steep to ride.
Hitting a tight high berm corner one by bone. Some folks drag their back wheel through it, some plant the inside foot.
Riding through a skatepark. Getting air, drifting over stuff, high-fiving kids on scooters and skateboards, just a chill driveby through a park.
CLOSING SHOT: Silhouetted sunset shot of riding back into town. Everyone is sitting up and riding no handsies. Slow downhill back into town. Lots of carving and graceful swerving. Effortlessly gliding back into town.
Alt Story Elements:
Story starts at the end, i.e. in the doughnut shop, the characters all where the signs of their ride – grease marks, sweat, and salt, maybe someone has mud or ripped shirts, they have a burrito wrapper, etc – the story is then told in reverse using the same elements as above but ending on the start of the ride.
On that closing shot, we think at first that we’ve come full circle and are returning home and closing the loop, but suddenly it’s revealed that that’s not Los Angeles, we’re dropping into a different city. “Yeah, but that’s not LA” / “Wait, I thought we were doing a loop.”
Dialogue:
Option One: We hear “real” dialogue based on each situation. Very specific. Very immersive. Very honest. No narration or big script. Just snippets of situational conversation. All positive. All very encouraging.
Option Two: Playful friction between the leader who is obviously lost, and making shit up as he/she goes along, and everyone else who begins to question the leaders decisions the farther and farther they get into the day, not in a shitty way but in an eye-rolling sure sure, I’m sure it will work out, kinda way. “It will go.” Everyone has been on that ride before that’s way longer than they thought it was going to be based on what they were told. It’s basically a trope. “So David………”
The 80’s Action Sports movie genre is absolutely a thing. Skateboarding had Thrashin and Gleaming the Cube. BMX had Rad and BMX Bandits. Road Cycling had Quicksilver, Breaking Away and American Fliers. Surfing/Robbery had Point Break. Breakdancing had Breakin and Beat Street. Rock Climbing had Cliffhanger. The list goes on. Almost all of them are horrible and wonderful and unforgettable. They never work but they always work. They’re a trope. We love them. All is right in the world except why doesn’t bikepacking or gravel or mixed surface bike riding have one? Let’s right this wrong.
We write an outline for a murder/caper/high jinks/mystery movie centered around bikepacking or whichever other drop bar discipline we want to highlight.
It’s the apocalypse and earth is barely inhabitable, we have to make it to the top of Mount Wilson to sound a radio transmission to Mars to get help.
A new kid moves to a small town where kids keep going missing in the woods. Everyone is scared to go into the woods and find out what’s happening. Everyone except the new kid.
The Russians attacked (Red Dawn!) and have seized control of all the major cities, ports and roads on the West Coast. Someone has to get word to the resistance in Denver. But backpacking is too slow and motorcycles are too loud!
We could do a bond movie.
Lot’s of options, would be fun to spitball the final direction because we could literally do anything.
ALT VERSION: Just shoot the trailer for BMX Bandits scene for scene. Call it Gravel Bandits. There is no way in hell to tell what that movie is about from the trailer but after watching it you definitely want to the rest of the movies so who cares. Plus some folks would get the reference and doing a remake is interesting.
If the Perfect Line is a fictional take on the perfect ride all in the context of one day, Brevet is its non-fictional sister. Let’s deep dive into one of the most legendary and esoteric disciplines of cycling, Ranndonnuering. Diverse crew. Diverse bike set-up, not too dissimilar to The Perfect Line but more traditional road and mixed-surface looking and less rugged. But we still see handlebar bags and the occasional frame bag or two.
Right out of the gate we make a decision.
Recreate a “traditional” rando event. Where we see sign-in, the start area, and a finish line. We have 50-60 folks line-up at the start with our crew. And at the checkpoints and in various places throughout the video we may see other riders. We’re really leaning into the organized event aspect.
Or maybe a homemade version is what we want because really it’s just about a ridiculous group ride with your friends, not an “event.” Similar to Yonder Journal’s Brovet.
Either way, we capture, share and exalt the really interesting world of Randonneuring. I like the idea of seeing this through non-cycling eyes. I think we lean into the gamification aspect of practicing in Brevet. If done right this could as educational as it is entertaining and in that way has legs because of it. This is a great time to acknowledge the many tribes of cycling, but this tribe for some reason keeps missing its day in the sun. Feels like a great way to show the range of wheels too since Rando lends itself to lots of different approaches.
There is a clear start, with a predawn team huddle; “We need to make it to Washington DC in 24 hours. It’s 365 miles. Alright, let’s go.”
Lots of epic riding.
Checkpoints. Getting Brevet Card stamped. Mailing postcards.
Lots of stopping, going into and out of stores.
Crazy food consumption along the way.
Crazy snacking.
Lots of napping in ditches and on benches.
Lots of waiting for someone to pee or fuck with their bikes.
There will be weather.
There will be tunnels.
Using cue sheets.
On phones, mapping.
We go from day to night, through the night and back to day again—we show this v crazy passage of time.
It’s hard and epic but we only show that. Nobody says that. It goes unsaid. Everything else; the facial expressions, the musical cues and the energy is less suffering/tortured and more “yes we’re exhausted, committed, resolute and slap happy from lack of sleep but also we’re having a weird form of fun full of crazy moments and problem solving all in an effort to complete the ride.
Ticking clock. Miles to go, time to beat. Countdown.
We begin with a series of post-race interviews with Tobin Ortenblad.
*Could be a different cross racer. Could be a number of different Reserve athletes.
Point is we see a series of post-race interviews and they all go the same way.
Journalist: Tobin you won again, how was it out there.
Tobin: Oh man, I had a great race, I just love it out there and today just worked out great. I had a plan and I stuck to it.
With each next interview, Tobin is getting increasingly exasperated. He’s not upset or bitchy but something is pretty obvious to him and only him which strikes him as a little WTF.
Journalists keep asking him how he’s doing it.
How he continues to dominate.
What his secret is.
He’s breaking records.
He’s blowing the competition out of the water.
He’s a meteor, at this pace he will 1000% win Worlds. It’s not even a question, it’s a given.
How is this possible.
Etc.
Through it all, Tobin is thankful, positive, etc. He talks about the hard work and the things he thought he did right in his race, and the ways that he could improve next time.
We’ve seen about seven of these interviews now, all back to back, all at the end of the race, off to the edge of the course, muddy face, etc etc. But now we finally cut to the start of the race. We see everyone lined up but from the bars up. Everyone is legit. They all the right kit the right look, it’s a real course, this should be a good race.
Cut to the start gun.
Pop, it goes off.
Cut to a wide.
Tobin, all alone, sprints out of the start and just shoots waaaaaaaaay into the lead. We follow him to the first corner and through it and just lock-off there for a moment or two until finally, 2nd place comes through the frame. Man, is he struggling through because his wheels aren’t round, they’re pretty seriously ovalized.
At this point, we cut back to the start area where most folks have not moved much at all.
Some guys have triangle wheels. Some guys have squares. We’ve got different types of ovals. Hexagons. Octagons. Some folks are doing better than others but everyone is sucking.
Super: OUR WHEELS ARE ROUND
Alt Super: ROUND WHEELS ARE GOOD
Alt #2 Super: ENGINEERING. SUPPORT. RACING / AND ROUND
Using this 1984 Chevy Corvette ad as a template.
First, we write a jingle:
Engineering know-how / in reserve
Racing legacy / in reserve
All of the support that you deserve…it’s in reserve.
Then we write a script about how anything is possible now. About how there’s no trail, no road, no descent, no climb, no crosswind too much for you under the power or Reserve’s precision, under the spell of Reserve’s reliability. Or similar.
Then we outfit the World’s best couples Bicycle Ballet team in full custom tron kit.
Then we make them a custom bike (painted our version of the Reach For The Dream) using our wheels (also painted crazy) and a Santa Cruz frame, if possible.
Then we put them in a sound stage painted black.
Where we create a laser show and lightning storm on the surface of Mars. Lots of smoke and ground fog.
Then we add in plexiglass ramps and jumps that light up.
On which we get some crazy good bike skills bros to wear silver lemme suits while they do a bunch of next-level tricks on drop bar bikes.
Add in some Daft Punk looking back up singers.
Original music by Chemical Brothers.
We film it all like this place is the origin story and birthplace for Reserve wheels. HEAVY product focus.
YOUTUBE: APOCALYPSE BIKE
The show opens with the title: HOW TO BUILD THE ULTIMATE APOCALYPSE BIKE
We’re in a basement or a garage.
At best it’s a super shitty but kinda fun attempt at a set. Wayne’s World. The Broken Bones dude’s set-up.
Or maybe we go full Katana Sword review and we’re just seeing a shitty fold-out table with an industrial-looking tablecloth over it and while everything is obviously lit it’s all very amateur.
Our host is deep-nerd, southern accent, mouth breather type—we are in this YouTuber form factor fully and completely. In fact. our host is an actual reviewer with fame and a following, just not anyone related to bikes.
On display in front of the host is the perfect Apocalypse bike aka a bikepacking gravel whip. The bike is entirely gloss white or matt black or similar. All branding is absent accept for on the reserve wheels.
Host begins by telling us how Mad Max and Road Warrior have got it all wrong. Petrol won’t exist in the future. It’s time for us to update our records and take the impending apocalypse seriously. It’s not going to be a high speed burning man parade like Fury Road, with flamboyant cars and motorcycles everywhere, it’s going to be a life or death pilgrimage of indefinite length and trajectory. Horses need food. Donkeys are too sensitive to solar flares. Camels can’t jump good. Scooters only work on pavement. Mountain boards are dangerous. Rollerblades are a solid runner-up but no matter how you slice it they’re not good at carrying stuff. Nope. It’s gonna be bikes. Bikes are how we will survive. Now obviously I’ve built the ULTIMATE apocalypse bike, which lives in my bunker next to my shotgun, water rations, some duct tape a tactical flashlight and a wind-up radio, point is, if you can afford it you should order one from me right now or at the end of the video just follow the links. But if you can’t afford it the exact size and type of your whip won’t matter too much as long as you have Reserve Wheels.
Host launches into all the features and benefits of an apocalypse bike.
It’s a playful blend of real/sincere and fantastical/hyperbolic features and benefits.
We never get too dark.
The whole time it could, without too much of a stretch, just be bike-packing we’re talking about.
We end on him talking about the Reserve Wheels about how they will perform perfectly in the apocalypse.
He wraps up then rolls out of the garage into a sunny Portland day. Joins Critical Mass or a Naked Bike ride. Something chill and fun.
The bike is LEGIT. We spec it out next level. The only real issue is do we use a Santa Cruz frame or do we go all in and get a ti frame with a pinion box made custom?
We actually make it and build it. Maybe it travels. We shoot it. We send it to various magazines. It also becomes a PR piece in itself.
BURNING MAN ART BIKE
Literally make an art bike.
Take the bike to Burning Man.
Make a movie “about burning man” from the Bike/Wheels POV.
Rando’s riding it.
All kinds of different folks riding it to all kinds of different spots inside of Burning Man.
The bike is always winding up in interesting spots.
Dancing.
Tripped-out.
Dust blowing around.
Sunsets and sunrises.
Blair witch or horror film POV and handheld camera style. But, not creepy or sinister. More leaving Las Vegas. Snippets of real conversations.
Reference here to would be Hidden Camera style of Jackass or Punked minus all the shitty fucking with people. Would be more about just seeing our art bike in the wild.
Making this actual bike could be a “thing.” Could be its own PR piece. The design, aesthetics could/should be very forward and amazing.
The overall feeling of this spot would be nonsensical-but-interesting meets immersive study of a “scene”. No direct product story or connect at all. Except for obviously, the wheels would be glow in the dark (or similar).
The burning Man Bike Art Bike and the Apocalypse Bike could be the same?
We could integrate these, using the bike as a through-line.
One long skid that transitions/flickers between environments/people/bikes/wheel size.Grass, mud, dirt, trail, double exposure transition – THIS WOULD BE RAD as a standalone music video.
KATANA GUY TEST
We open on the katana blade test guy in his studio.
“Today the folks at Santa Cruz have asked us to give their Reserve wheels the Katana Test” Smirks
“I think we’ll start out with something a little less sharp, no need to waste Katana energy here”
Uses a machete, it breaks on the reserve
“Hmmm, gary get me the broad sword”
Swings, its breaks on the reserve
“Ok, alright, I see what’s up, Ok Gary get me Excaliber”
Swing and it breaks on the reserve
“Fine, Gary, Katana now.”
Swings, katana breaks – Katana host is obviously pissed, maybe holding back a tear
“Gary, get me the sledgehammer.”
Swings, the hammer breaks or maybe he shakes Tommy and Jerry style?
Escalates until the katana guy gives in, maybe bends then knee or something.
