Mr Eastman was one of Sacramento's most eligible bachelor during the WEAVE event hosted by The Girls on The Grid earlier this year. And has been lucky enough to be photographed by yours truly out and about in our lovely city ;)
Today Eastman works in the Capitol as a state Senator's legislative director, though his free time is spent prowling used bookstores, fly fishing from the American to the Cascade Mountains and loitering in our local coffee shops, restaurant and watering holes.
Sac Cycle Chic: Tell me about your bike? Do you remember your very first bike? Do you have an all time favorite? Why?
Kevin Eastman: My trusty steed is a 1976 Eisentraut Limited, hand-buil in Oakland and ridden steadily by my father for about 25 years before he converted it to a fixed gear. A steel frame with some sweet details and hand-cut lugs, this was the actual bike that Bicycling! Magazine borrowed to review the model ( the review may be found here) Albert Eisentraut was one of the very first American frame-builders did most of his work in the area I grew up in, so this is definitely a meaningful bike to me. My father often travel with it, so it has been in places like the remote Indian Ocean atoll of Diego Garcia.
A lugged steel frame is ideal for Midtown - it has a backbone when accelerating but enough give to absorb a lot of the bumps of our city's streets. I certainly lucked out when my dad bought a new frame and sent this one my way.
One of the most vivid memories of my childhood was the moment I realized that my dad was no longer holding the seat of my first bike and that I was riding on my own. My all-time favorite is probably a red Specialized Allez, which was mortally wounded after an incident with a stop-sign-running Honda. Along the way I've had a number of road and mountain bikes, including my current GT that sees a fair amount of mileage on trails in the upper American River watershed.
SSC: What is cycling to you? What would you tell others to encourage then to cycle? Do you commute to work by bike?
KA: Living in Midtown means that cycling is by far the easiest means to reach my most common destinations, but I'd ride even if it wasn't. Cycling also allows me to fly fish remote rivers, save what is probably a significant amount in commuting and parking costs and get great exercise while I'm doing it. That's not to say that it is simply a means to an end, as I often ride simply to enjoy our city and the great outdoor areas surrounding it. My commute is a very walkable six blocks, but I still find myself riding to work fairly often. Every person that takes up cycling will discover their own reasons to do so, which may or may not include some of mine.
SSC: What do you think of Sacramento's bicycle culture?
KA: The most compelling aspect of cycling in Sacramento is that bikes are ubiquitous in our region. Cyclist of all age, economic and social groups may be found in Midtown and Roseville at Sac State and in Folsom. Cycling seems just as popular with commuters coming downtown as it is to those riding to the local coffee shop or along the American River trail.
I think the public's exposure to cycling through the Amgen Tour has been a major catalyst of the renewed enthusiasm for cycling in our city, with the massive crowds that gather for the Sacramento stage including people from every walk of life. Combine that with Sacramento's intrinsic ride-ability, the efforts like the Sac Bike Kitchen and blogs like this one, cycling is a more important part of our culture than at any other point in my life.
2 comments:
Nice post, I really liked the family bike being passed down from father to son. Thanks for sharing.
I can see why he is one of the most eligible bachelor's in town!
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