Yesterday we held the first VC X DOCKLANDS RIDERS DIRT DAY over at Docklands riders, East London & man was it a blast.
A huge thanks to Docklands Riders & to everyone involved for coming down & making it a great one.....Maaaaaaan I'm aching today.
Cant wait for the next one!
Thinking of coming to CAMP VC & want to know more about what its gonna be like heres a flash back to our last years Babe Ride Out UK event written by the lovely Lindsey Kelk for Glamour magazine!
Join us at Camp VC for a ladies only weekend of motorcycles, ride outs, beginners moto lessons, dirt biking, skating, talks, tattooing, camping, live entertainment & partying on a hill top 16th century farm site in the Breacon Beacons, Wales from August 4th- 6th 2017!
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FOR ALL THE EVENT INFO & TO BUY TICKETS CLICK HERE!
We're giving FREE GIFT BAGS for the first 50 ladies to sign up full of some rad stuff from our sponsors!
We're also limiting tickets to just 250 for our first year so don't snooze ladies !
CAMP VC IS PROUDLY SPONSORED BY HONDA, VANS, DMD, RED WING SHOES, VCC, BLONDIES BAR, THE DTRA, PISTONHEAD LAGER, SAILOR JERRY RUM, THE SHOP CUSTOMS, NEFARIOUS SKATE CREW, BABES RIDE OUT, THE GRAND HOWL ROASTERY & WINE & RIND
Tickets launch this weekend of our CAMP VC event & damn we got some amazing stuff in store! From August 4th- 6th 2017 were headed to wales for some dirt biking & enduro to free yoga classes, a skate ramp & 125cc beginner classes, it gonna be one hell of a weekend.
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TICKETS DROP THIS SATURDAY 1st April & are limited for our first year so stay up to date with all the details on our INSTAGRAM HERE & sign up to our mailing list to be the first to know when they drop to avoid disappointment ladies!
We have 125cc beginner riding lessons onsite
We're proud to announce CAMP VC is supported by HONDA - IMAGE BY @VELVET DESPERADO
Check out the latest VC Team Talk with BMX rider & motorcycle ripper Brooke Betancourt
Read MoreSo stoked to be included in this article by the Evening Standard ahead of international womens day 2017. x
We've been cooking something up over the last few months & we're stoked to finally tell you all whats been going on & release the save the date for our event this summer Camp VC!
Set in a 16th century farm site on a hilltop above the Welsh valleys at the edge of the incredible Brecon Beacons National Park, Camp VC is a womens motorcycle camp out &outdoor adventure weekend with dirt bikes riding, ride outs, camping, moto riding lessons from 125s to dirt & flat track , talks from women in moto sports, skate boarding, live entertainment & free booze (and thats just the tip of the iceberg). This is an event open to all no matter what you ride from those who already ride to those who want to start!
Follow the events page HERE on Facebook for updates & follow VC London on instagram for all the event news! ...... Its gonna be big!
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More details coming this weekend!
Get it in yer diaries ladies!
Its finally here! VCC was launched this week. From fully kevlar lined jackets you can ride, cycle & roll in to racing moto x jerseys, these girls got the stuff you need!
Get yourselves over to their website for a look at whats new & follow them on Instagram now-
Inspired by the gap for hardwearing womenswear for those who wander, VCC is tough wearing design, made here in England, for wherever you go, whatever you ride, whatever the trip, without having to forego style for safety.
VC Team Talk with the trailblazing UK based skateboarder Josie Millard
Read MoreWe hung out with the custom car queen herself Becky Evans aka Queen B to chat shit about cars, bikes & burn outs
Read More
Over the coming weeks we'll be featuring some bikes & builds we love from all over the world & the women who ride, design & build them. First up is absolute mega babe Manon Hache & her incredible Honda 125cc custom chopper.
Ever since she popped up on our instagram feed (thanks to the ever amazing Dice Magazine who's next issue she'll be gracing the pages of next month with her chop) we've been pretty obsessed with the awesome bike she built with her dad & brother at home in Belgium. With another build already on the go for this winter (this time a 79' Harley Ironhead) we had a chat to her all about her first bike build & her ideas behind it, chopper shit & her dream road trip.
Enjoy! x
GEMMA: So where are you from?
MANON : I'm a 24 years old girl from Mons, Belgium, EU. My dad is Belgian and my mom is Italian from Sardinia.
G: How did you first get into bikes?
M: My dad and my brother run a garage. They work on cars and bikes, mostly on Harleys and choppers. That's where my love for choppers comes from.
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My Honda is my first bike. I decided to start with a 125 to be comfortable on the road beforebuying a Harley. When I bought it, I knew I wanted to build a chopper: A Tall sissy bar, ape bars, super tall fishtail pipes and colour would be orange. Those are the first things I was sure about. My brother @mauro__hache always has good advice - he decided about the line of the bike, also the seat was his idea, fender too, and he also did the all paint. He's the master of paint of this house! My dad did everything else, by hand: The sissy bar, pipes & the electrics. The ape bars are from a good friend of ours @alexdew. Apart from that everything was made with old parts we had at home. My dad disassembled and rebuild everything. I spent my all days with him learning and helping him in the garage. That's the best part of building a bike- the memories and hours spent in the garage togheter. I'll say it's really the result of our 3 minds. Dad, Mauro and I made my dream lil bike come true. Now I've got an original 1979 Iron head which we're staring to build this winter. Fun time again!
G: How long did it take to build from start to finish?
M: We just did it when dad had a bit of free time in the garage so we didn't work on it everyday. We started like 6 months ago.
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G: So what made you go for this model of bike & what made you go for a chopper style rebuild?
M: Choppers are my favorite style of bike. My first influences about choppers was definitely from my brother and my Dad. I start to get into it a few years ago then really wanted to start my own project. I'm always searching for vintage pictures of choppers. I'll say I had my idea of my dream bike in my head before to start the project, but when it came to real life, it's even better than what originally I had in my mind. I was the happiest girl in the world when the bike was finished, and I am still.
To me if you own a chopper, you can make your bike very personal. That's the funny thing. Your bike ends up looking like you and your personality. The end of 60s - 70s is my favourite era for just about everything i'd say. Choppers, music, fashion, furniture, style, womens liberation. I was born too late!
G: Whats your dream bike?
M: I've got a little preference for Panheads. But I'm pretty sure i'll own a knuckle too one day.
G: If you could go on any dream motorcycle trip where would it be?
M: I'd like to travel America on a bike. I will one day. I'd love to be lost in the mountains in the middle of nowhere and thinking: damn, i'm at the other side of the world and I'm so happy and free. We did a lot of EU bikes shows this year so it was an amazing summer. I love meeting new people who have the same interest. I can't wait for next summer!
G: Favourite thing to wear when you ride?
M: My everyday to go outfit: flares with a band or printed t-shirts from small businesses . Also my vegan leather jacket customised by pins and patches from small business too. My favorites brands for the coolest t-shirts or the best vintage custom are places like @Shopbadrevival @Shopthecreatures @Shophellbound @Backbite_ @Velvetcaveclothing @Bornabadseed and so many others....Go girls!
G: Favourite helmet?
M: My Biltwell Gringo full face. Ride safe!
G: Tell us about your business - Le rendez-vous vintage!
M: Le rendezvous vintage is my vintage shop that I opened 2 years ago. It's my dream job! I need freedom in my life. I could never wake up every day & do something I'm not happy with. I wake up with a smile everyday thinking how lucky I am to be an indenpendant women who loves her life and work.
Go follow Manon on instagram HERE & checkout her vintage store Le Rendez- vous Vintage on facebook HERE
A big thanks to Manon & Dylan Mura! Go see more from Dyan on insta HERE
Loving all the people that you can see taking their first steps to 2 wheeled adventures lately! Your first summer riding is something that stays with you for sure... Whether it’s full of roadside breakdowns, stalling and running out of petrol or friendships, road trips and ride outs it’s something you don't forget in a hurry.
Our good friend the lovely Georgia Sherlock just started riding this summer, so we asked her to write all about her tips, road trips, CBT stuff and her first summer on 2 wheels.
Thanks G!
x
GEORGIA:
This summer I made the massively excited but mildly apprehensive step into the world of motorcycles. At first glance it seemed like an exclusive world, dangerous and arguably aggressive but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only have I learnt a new skill, but Ive also managed to meet some amazing people, all of us connected by an engine and two wheels.
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So what made me want to start riding? When I was little my dad had a bike (he still does) and I always kinda thought he looked quite badass. He also used to race cars so anything with an engine makes sense to me (sort of). By no means am I a mechanic but it isn't a totally alien world in some ways. I must have been about 10 when I had my first memory of being on a bike was clinging onto my dad and his very ugly Triumph Tiger.
So, with a wobbly start and a couple of very helpful spins around a car park with the lovely Gemma of VC London, I got my act together and managed to pass my CBT in torrential rain with a bunch of aspiring Deliveroo drivers. The prospect of getting on a motorised, two- wheeled machine with minimal practise was a pretty nerve wracking thought but for anyone interested in the idea please don’t be deterred - you can all do it with yer eyes closed! My main advice would be to take it on a scooter, these are automatic and only 50cc. Get legal and then get your ass on a geared bike, there’s no rush with these things but the most important thing is that you can legally cruise the roads!
For my first bike I chose a Yamaha SR 125. I wanted something older and of more vintage style so I trawled through millions of eBay listings and stumbled across the bike I now own. Luckily the woman selling wasn’t quite aware of the market and the bike was an absolute steal. The appeal of something older was the idea of customising it and the vision of a little cafe racer, however, that’s yet to happen (but in the pipeline). After getting my bike I just rode and rode and rode, everywhere, anywhere, nowhere. It didn’t matter the occasion, or why, the liberating feeling of being sat on a motorcycle trumps any other. Whether it’s to clear your head, meet some mates, or just a way to spend your time, the experience is incomparable.
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Despite what people might think you can do some serious mileage on a 125 as I did this summer. From Kent to London - Wales and all through the Brecon Beacons, I’ve made some pretty amazing memories in my first summer on two wheels.
A ride out to Kent with a motley crew - It was a Sunday, the sun was shining. Rachel Billings and I fancied a BBQ and a river to swim in so a group of about 10 of us rode on down. We cruised along some picturesque A-roads and tried to delay the inevitable Sunday blues as much as humanly possible. We all managed to avoid swallowing rat shit from the dodgy looking river, however we did not manage to avoid partial nudity from some of the guys…
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Babes Ride Out UK, Wales - Friday 5th August, a group of brave and perhaps slightly mad motorcyclists met at The Bike Shed in Shoreditch. The sun was shining and coffee and croissants were being consumed as we prepared to embark on our ride to Wales for Babes Ride Out UK. Asides from the ride itself taking a healthy 10 hours, for many of us it was our first time out on the country roads; hearing your bike, smelling the fresh air and absorbing the scenery was a blessing and the freedom we felt was like no other. When we eventually arrived we were greeted by a group of some of the most awesome women I’ve ever met. Asides from the cold beer and relief of climbing off our bikes, my overwhelming sense of respect for these ladies was very real. It takes a lot of courage and confidence to organise such an amazing event, the girls behind VC London are carving the way for women in a traditionally male world and bringing Babes Ride Out to the UK is just the beginning of a very long legacy.
IMAGE BY THE COSTA SISTERS
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The Trip Out, Bedfordshire - Summer was coming to a close but there was time for one final hoorah as a bunch of us descended upon a farm in Bedfordshire. The ride up there was quick and easy… proves what a little practise and experience can do to your riding (confidence had grown since the 10 hour adventure to Wales). We arrived in the pissing rain but our spirits were not dampened. Cracking a beer, ditching the bike and watching the sun go down surrounded by a spectacular array of choppers was certainly a pleasant experience. With a well stocked bar, live music and awesome people there was very little to complain about. Differently to other events this was less about riding and more about displaying. The variety of motorcycles encountered in one weekend was an entire experience in itself and as a newbie to the scene it was quite a spectacle…
TRIP OUT IMAGES FROM SUBSCULPTURES BY JONNY WILSON
So, at the end of my first summer riding my best advice to anyone wanting to get on two wheels would be to just do it. If you’re interested and the idea of a bike gets the heart racing then book a CBT and get legal. It would be a lie to say the CBT wasn’t nerve-wracking but take it easy and take your time, anyone can do it and once the certificate is in your hands jump on a bike asap. A big car park, industrial estate or quiet country road, as long as you have space and someone with experience and patience to guide you through the gears and getting your balance you’ll be cruising about in no time.
Anyway enough from me but all I’ll finish on is the totally positive outcome of my fairly impulsive choice to hop on a motorbike. It’s a decision I’ll never regret and if you love it the rest comes naturally.
G x
IMAGE: HEIDI ZUMBRUN
Missing the summer so bloody much ....But then the very talented Costa sisters send you a reminder that makes you feel next summers worth waiting for .... And believe us , it is! 😉
A massive thanks to the Costa Sisters for the awesome video.
Enjoy! x
Last weekend the lovely Olivia Bohac of Nefarious skate crew came down to The Shop to hang with us for her youtube channel Ordinary Narrative ... Bike break downs, a bit of a skate & one too many beers... Enjoy!
Go follow Olivia on INSTAGRAM HERE & YOUTUBE HERE
DtL: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the VC Collective?
Gemma: My name is Gemma Harrison and I run VC LONDON, a motorcycle collective made up of myself, and my friends Mai & Namin. There is also a network of other riders who we’ve taught to ride or have met through a shared passion for motorcycles, skating/whatever else we get up to. It’s not a club or a gang.. in fact its very non-definitive. We like it that way as it encompasses many things from events and The Shop Customs (our shared motor workshop and studio) to the VCC clothing line. Basically it’s just us having fun!
DtL: When/how did you first discover your passion for motorcycles?
Gemma: I was a latecomer to motorcycles by a lot of people’s standards. I’m not someone who started riding when they were 3 years old or anything like that. I grew up mostly around cars as my dad restored classic cars – but I suppose the roots of something maybe started there…
My husband bought a small motorcycle with our wedding money 6 years ago which quickly got passed down to me. From there I started to learn about mechanics and building bikes and I thought I would try and find other women who also shared this passion (it wasn’t easy at that stage as there weren’t many women into the same type of custom bikes as I was getting into back then). After meeting VCC co-founder Namin Cho through work, and Mai through her then-boyfriend who was into bikes, we started to ask ourselves why there weren’t more women into what we were into in the UK. We also travelled to Joshua Tree for the Babes Ride Out event last year (an event where 1000 women ride out to camp and party in the desert every year) and saw how many women in the US were getting into motorcycles. We thought if there wasn’t a scene already here in the UK then we would help grow it! We put out a post on Instagram asking if any women wanted to learn to ride and we had a huge response, so it all just went quite organically from there for the VC.
IMAGE: JAMES GRANT
DtL: How do you find being a female in an industry that is heavily dominated by males? Have you ever experienced prejudice/stereotypes/sexism because of attitudes towards your gender?
Gemma: The motorcycle world is actually really supportive of women in my experience, just as it’s supportive of everyone. It’s a great community. The only bad experience I’ve had was very recently after almost 6 years of riding; I was on my 66′ Triumph Chopper and a guy on a scooter stopped alongside me at some traffic lights. He leaned across and said he liked my bike. I thanked him and looked away…he then went on to tell me that I should obviously be riding his scooter and really he should be riding my bike, me being a woman and all! Luckily the lights changed and I left him for dust…so it obviously still exists but that’s honestly the only time I’ve ever encountered it. It’s a very small, old fashioned demographic that believe motorcycles belong strictly in a man’s world.
At the workshop we share in London (The Shop Customs) we work in a really mixed environment; both girls and guys work there and we support one another and share our skills. We never feel like our gender separates us – that’s something we really believe in and try to instil in others – I’m not just a woman who rides; I’m just another rider, irrespective of my sex.
IMAGE: JAMES GRANT
DtL: Our research revealed that 35% of teenage girls believe their gender will have a negative impact on their career. What advice would you give to young girls who want to pursue a hobby or career in an area which is largely male-dominated?
Gemma: Growing up, I was never the kind of girl who wore much make up, I’m not the shy and retiring type and I constantly have a colourful array of bruises all over me from whatever I’ve been doing that day. I’m not exactly what you’d call a ‘shrinking violet’, but on the other hand I can still be feminine when I want to be. Having this personality means everyone around me (my husband, my family and friends ) have always accepted and encouraged me to pursue anything I've wanted to do, whether they its considered masculine or feminine. I hate labelling people and personalities and I don’t believe in stuff like the “tomboy” pigeonhole. I’ve always had quite a dominant personality; it wasn’t until after years of being labelled ‘bossy’ by every school report, that I realised that boys were never called bossy! Qualities like that in men don’t seem to be frowned upon….in fact they are encouraged and referred to as ‘leadership qualities’! That’s when I started to accept that I am who I am and it’s done wonders for me in my career, and also what I do at VC. Having a strong personality means I can use my confidence to support and encourage others.
The world is changing; women can do absolutely anything they want to do. I’ve never felt held back by being a woman and neither should anyone else.
HAILING FROM CARDIFF, JUST HALF AN HOUR FROM THE BABES RIDE OUT UK SITE, THE COSTA SISTERS CAUGHT THE VIBE PERFECTLY WITH LOTS OF MOTOS, SMILES & FRIENDS NEW & OLD IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SETTING YOU COULD IMAGINE.
YOU NEVER KNOW THERE MIGHT EVEN BE A VIDEO ON THE WAY SOON ;) STAY TUNED...
STAFF BABES RACHEL & SOPHIE
THE BEST CHASE VAN IN THE WORLD
SAMI GRAYSTONE OF THE MEATHOOK
805 BEERS READY & WAITING AFTER THE LONG RIDE FROM LONDON!
JODIE DEVANEY & AUDREY
THE 125 CREW ARRIVE...
THE 125 CREW ROLLING INTO BRECON
A MASSIVE THANKS TO STANCE SOCKS & RED WING !
A MASSIVE THANKS TO THE AMAZING COSTA SISTERS FOR THE BEAUTIFUL IMAGES & A HUGE THANKS TO ANYA & ASHMORE OF BABES RIDE OUT, ALL THE US TEAM, ALL THE INCREDIBLE BRANDS & SPONSORS WE HAD SUPPORTING THE EVENT & EVERYONE ,FROM OUR AMAZING STAFF BABES TO THE RAD PEOPLE WHO CAME AND PARTIED WITH US. YOU MADE IT A WEEKEND WE'LL DEFINITELY NEVER FORGET.
WE'VE GOT SOME BIG PLANS ALREADY IN THE WORKS FOR 2017 AT VC & WE CANT WAIT TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU ALL ;)
GO FOLLOW THE COSTA SISTERS ON INSTAGRAM HERE & CHECK OUT THEIR OTHER WORK ON THEIR WEBSITE
To read the full article on the VANS WEBSITE click HERE!
ALL IMAGES BY VIVIANNA GOMEZ- MORALES
All images by Andrea DoSouto
To see the rest of the article click HERE
