What's the idea behind this thing? . BR&K is an on-line, magazine-style publication (WebZine). It's purpose is to highlight the work of people who are not content to go to a store, buy a bicycle, and ride it. Bike Kustomizers perceive the bicycle as a creative medium, and we agree with them. It was started because, in 1998, there was absolutely no web entity devoted to the subject. BR&K was started purely to address this lack. Since our founding, a sizeable community has grown around it, which incorporates people all over the world today. . Other web entities to do with our subject have started as a result of this community's existance, but BR&K is still the only WebZine for bike kustomizers and those interested in the subject. We like to think it's because we do it so well that no one else thinks they can do it any better. Or maybe it's just because no one else is crazy enough to bother. Whatever. . Why do you spell the word "custom" with a K? . Because that's how George Barris spelled it. George Barris is, in our opinion, the founding father of what is now called Kustom Culture. Our use of that spelling is symbolic of our membership in that movement.. Spelled with a "C", the word custom has an entirely different meaning and attitude, .usually related to a higher price tag for things people buy. Traditionally, buying a "custom" bicycle means going into a bike shop and having some Lance Armstrong wannabee measure your inseam and then rolling something out the door which looks pretty much like any other bike on the street, except for the price tag. Kustomizers, traditionally, build their own damn bicycles. Now, of course, people can buy "kustom-style" bicycles, but that's just the starting point, in most cases. They invariably begin personalizing them as soon as they take them out of the box, because that's the urge which accompanies the style. And that's also why we're here. . Can I show my bike(s) in your Gallery? . Of course you can. That's why we're here, innit? But before you send us your photos, or even think about it, please read the articles which explain our guidelines on Photographing Your Bike and Submitting Your Work To BR&K. We don't run bad photgraphs, no matter how nice the subject bike is. People don't come here to look at bad photography, because bad photos don't show the bikes off well, and we're all about the bikes. Our guidelines for submissions are for ensuring, as much as possible, that your bike photos and accompanying text don't get lost in the shuffle. It's very easy for stuff to get lost, even if they're submitted properly. If they're not submitted following our guidelines, the chances of their being lost become considerably more likely. We get a lot of stuff in here, and it gets very confusing. . I build kustom bikes and sell them to people, or at least I want to. Can I show my products in your Gallery? If you have a business, we're interested in accepting your paid advertising. But that's not what our Gallery's here for; it's here for people who do it for love. Paid adverising is a normal part of doing any kind of business. If you don't feel that you can afford to buy advertising, even at the low rates BR&K charges for it, you probably shouldn't be in business in the first place. . If you aren't in business, our advice to you is to not give the impression that you are, by sticking some sort of grandiose logo into your photo. We don't accept Gallery photos with logos in them. If you buy paid ad space, you can stick anything in there you want. If you submit even commercial work under your own name, as an individual, we might accept it for the Gallery, if it's a prototype of something you might be selling in the future. We'll consider almost anything, especially if it shows some ideas we think our hobbyist readers might like to steal. But if it's a product you're selling, it's advertising. If you're an individual who wants to sell a previous bike project to make money to finance your next project, you're invited to submit it to our Concourse de Commerce. But, check with us first, before sending us photos. We have standards and practices for that sort of thing, too. . How can I go about joining the IBRKA, and what is it? . The IBRKA is a proposed sanctioning organization, for the purpose of making possible a national and international circuit of bike shows and events with a consistent set of classes and rules. This will make it possible for a builder on one side of the world to compete in a show or event on the other side of the world. This doesn't happen at this time, necessarily, but it eventually will, probably sooner than we expect. By organizers being able to all be "reading from the same page" regarding classes and rules, the playing field will be level for all players. Anyone can propose rules and classes. If they make sense, they'll be added in. . If you like the idea of being a member of an international kustombike organization, the best thing you can do is start or become a member of a kustombike-oriented club or organization in your own area. Then become affiliated with the IBRKA, as a group. There are many advantages to being a member of a local organization, not least that it makes it much simpler to organize shows and events in your own area, since you will have greater numbers of people to bring it off. To start a kustombike-oriented local organization, as an individual, we recommend that you announce a "cruise", being especially sure to invite anyone you know who has a kustom or kustom-style bike, in addition to yourself. There is no better propaganda for propagating kustom biking than exposing others to it, via a cruise. After the first one, start announcing them on a regular basis. You will soon have a growing hard-core, and it will naturally become a club or group in a short amount of time. You might also join in local Critical Mass rides. In doing so, you will meet others who are interested in kustombike building, since people like us like to show off our rides, and CMs are how many of us do that, if there isnt a specific organization already in existence. . In the future, there will be many advantages to being affiliated with the IBRKA, or something similar, such as discounts on parts, bikes, even travel and shipping. But, in the meantime, we need local organizations. And there are already many advantages to being part of a local club, if you're willing to start one. . Got questions not covered by this? |
All-New Frequently Asked Questions (As Of 2005) |
What's the idea behind this thing? . BR&K is an on-line, magazine-style publication (WebZine). It's purpose is to highlight the work of people who are not content to go to a store, buy a bicycle, and ride it. Bike Kustomizers perceive the bicycle as a creative medium, and we agree with them. It was started because, in 1998, there was absolutely no web entity devoted to the subject. BR&K was started purely to address this lack. Since our founding, a sizeable community has grown around it, which incorporates people all over the world today. . Other web entities to do with our subject have started as a result of this community's existance, but BR&K is still the only WebZine for bike kustomizers and those interested in the subject. We like to think it's because we do it so well that no one else thinks they can do it any better. Or maybe it's just because no one else is crazy enough to bother. Whatever. . Why do you spell the word "custom" with a K? . Because that's how George Barris spelled it. George Barris is, in our opinion, the founding father of what is now called Kustom Culture. Our use of that spelling is symbolic of our membership in that movement.. Spelled with a "C", the word custom has an entirely different meaning and attitude, .usually related to a higher price tag for things people buy. Traditionally, buying a "custom" bicycle means going into a bike shop and having some Lance Armstrong wannabee measure your inseam and then rolling something out the door which looks pretty much like any other bike on the street, except for the price tag. Kustomizers, traditionally, build their own damn bicycles. Now, of course, people can buy "kustom-style" bicycles, but that's just the starting point, in most cases. They invariably begin personalizing them as soon as they take them out of the box, because that's the urge which accompanies the style. And that's also why we're here. . Can I show my bike(s) in your Gallery? . Of course you can. That's why we're here, innit? But before you send us your photos, or even think about it, please read the articles which explain our guidelines on Photographing Your Bike and Submitting Your Work To BR&K. We don't run bad photgraphs, no matter how nice the subject bike is. People don't come here to look at bad photography, because bad photos don't show the bikes off well, and we're all about the bikes. Our guidelines for submissions are for ensuring, as much as possible, that your bike photos and accompanying text don't get lost in the shuffle. It's very easy for stuff to get lost, even if they're submitted properly. If they're not submitted following our guidelines, the chances of their being lost become considerably more likely. We get a lot of stuff in here, and it gets very confusing. . I build kustom bikes and sell them to people, or at least I want to. Can I show my products in your Gallery? If you have a business, we're interested in accepting your paid advertising. But that's not what our Gallery's here for; it's here for people who do it for love. Paid adverising is a normal part of doing any kind of business. If you don't feel that you can afford to buy advertising, even at the low rates BR&K charges for it, you probably shouldn't be in business in the first place. . If you aren't in business, our advice to you is to not give the impression that you are, by sticking some sort of grandiose logo into your photo. We don't accept Gallery photos with logos in them. If you buy paid ad space, you can stick anything in there you want. If you submit even commercial work under your own name, as an individual, we might accept it for the Gallery, if it's a prototype of something you might be selling in the future. We'll consider almost anything, especially if it shows some ideas we think our hobbyist readers might like to steal. But if it's a product you're selling, it's advertising. If you're an individual who wants to sell a previous bike project to make money to finance your next project, you're invited to submit it to our Concourse de Commerce. But, check with us first, before sending us photos. We have standards and practices for that sort of thing, too. . How can I go about joining the IBRKA, and what is it? . The IBRKA is a proposed sanctioning organization, for the purpose of making possible a national and international circuit of bike shows and events with a consistent set of classes and rules. This will make it possible for a builder on one side of the world to compete in a show or event on the other side of the world. This doesn't happen at this time, necessarily, but it eventually will, probably sooner than we expect. By organizers being able to all be "reading from the same page" regarding classes and rules, the playing field will be level for all players. Anyone can propose rules and classes. If they make sense, they'll be added in. . If you like the idea of being a member of an international kustombike organization, the best thing you can do is start or become a member of a kustombike-oriented club or organization in your own area. Then become affiliated with the IBRKA, as a group. There are many advantages to being a member of a local organization, not least that it makes it much simpler to organize shows and events in your own area, since you will have greater numbers of people to bring it off. To start a kustombike-oriented local organization, as an individual, we recommend that you announce a "cruise", being especially sure to invite anyone you know who has a kustom or kustom-style bike, in addition to yourself. There is no better propaganda for propagating kustom biking than exposing others to it, via a cruise. After the first one, start announcing them on a regular basis. You will soon have a growing hard-core, and it will naturally become a club or group in a short amount of time. You might also join in local Critical Mass rides. In doing so, you will meet others who are interested in kustombike building, since people like us like to show off our rides, and CMs are how many of us do that, if there isnt a specific organization already in existence. . In the future, there will be many advantages to being affiliated with the IBRKA, or something similar, such as discounts on parts, bikes, even travel and shipping. But, in the meantime, we need local organizations. And there are already many advantages to being part of a local club, if you're willing to start one. . Got questions not covered by this? |
Editor-In-Chief |
