Team Bikes: Jason Rivera
If you race or ride in LA, you've probably met Jason aka @obviousisme aka jasonthehedgehog aka "doesn't that guy ever take a night off?" When he's not overseeing the warranty process here, he's out riding. Competing in alleycats, crits, and mashing at the drome, Jason also throws his own races and always has something fresh going on bike-wise. In this edition of our Team Bikes series, we'll check out his go-fast ride, a Keirin Pro named Susanoo.
Just like Ms. Frizzle, this bike's appearance changes every week and if you spot it at the races, you know some folks are about to get schooled. It's rocked everything from goofy wide riser bars to pure track drops, H+Son Archetypes x Phil Woods to Reynolds full carbon, Gatorskin clinchers to sticky slick tubulars - it's as much a race machine as it is a rolling R+D department for the race team (and Jason's personal aesthetic). In its latest iteration, it's set up to dominate the street circuit heading into the Wolfpack Civic Center Crit.
Jason's favorite upgrade (so far) is the Sugino 75 crankset on his Phil Woods bottom bracket. It's a setup that thrives on high-watt sprints - and he's a firm believer in "buy nice or buy twice" so he always goes for high-end drivetrain components that he knows will stand up to thousands of miles of hammering. When it comes to riding, his philosophy is to always roll with those that're faster than you and keep an ear open for advice from their experience. You'll be surprised how quickly "barely hanging on" turns into "comfortably keeping up" if you're always focused on improvement.
If you're in LA and up for a climb, you can normally catch Jason summiting Mount Wilson or, more recently, riding across the mountains from the valley to PCH. The ride to the coast offers breathtaking views with blue seas meeting blue skies and serving up plenty of opportunity for positive self-reflection on sadboy rides when you just need to clear your head. To see more pics of Susanoo (without chasing Jason up a mountain), check out his instagram, blog, or swing by a race! He's always happy to meet new peeps passionate about life on two wheels.