#alexexploreshisstate

In the summer of 2015, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to ‘showcase’ a fixed gear bicycle from State Bicycle Company. 

The Idea was simple, get the bike and show it off in your local area. I had to produce a series of 25 images of the bike in it’s surroundings and post them to my Instagram feed (@atmoorehead) 

Given the time of year to stage the project, the locations gor my images were a no brainer. The Jurassic Coast world Heritage site, namely the sections in East Devon & West Dorset. A beautiful stretch of coastline with a different view with each turn of the pedal.

I opted to choose the State Bicycle Co ‘contender’ model in matte black to ride. My reasoning? Simple bike design, no bells and whistles everywhere & a beautiful finish. 

  

With ‘Explore your state’ being the State Bicycle Company tagline, I decided to tag my images with the #alexexploreshisstate hashtag (though counties not states in the uk!) 

  

Before taking up this project, I’d never riden a fixed gear bike, so to begin with I travelled around locally (within a couple of miles) just to get the feel of the bike. The main difference being the lack of gearing. This gives your legs a decent workout, especially when getting used to riding hills, no switching to a lower gear here! Once I had a few miles in me though, riding fixed gear became more of an enjoyable experience.

  

The image above was actually one of the first of the final 25. Close to home, but one of those images you get in your head, so it was just a case of the weather playing ball too!
  

One of a few clifftop images from the series. This was taken at the Devon Cliffs Holiday park near Exmouth, this view looking along the red sandstone cliffs towards Budleigh Salterton.

  

Another of the images closer to home, taken at Axmouth Harbour. I was asked how I made the bike stand unaided by several people on Instagram. The answer, a simple metal kickstand & some cloning skills! 
  

Again taken at Axmouth Harbour, East Devon, this outcrop of grass worked perfectly for the size of the bike.

  

After riding to the coastal locations, several of the images involved walking a distance to the spot where the image was taken. Though the State Contender is super lightweight, meaning I could carry the frame across with ease upon my shoulder
    

The two images here (above & below) were taken on Beer beach in East Devon, a few minutes ride from home. I had originally planned on incorporating the boats on the beach into the series. But the images I took just didnt work. The image of the beach huts below works well, with the flags of the UK & the US (where State is based)

    

Above is the Easternmost image of the project, overlooking West Bay in Dorset. It was a fantastic 20 mile ride to get here, with plenty of scenery and hills to taken in. Though this image made the effort to get here & back worth it!
  

Another one of my personal fave images. This one was taken alongside Peak Hill in Sidmouth, East Devon. The location for national hill climb championships in the past & always popular with cyclists. Always love looking out across the coast in the background, so this location was perfect for anither of the 25.

  

Like the first image, the one above was taken on a warm summer afternoon at Orcombe Point during Low Tide. The beautiful cliffs and geology around here make you feel as though you are in another part of the world.
  

Just above the cliffs at Orcombe Point, is the Geoneedle. This marks the western tip of the Jurassic coast. The perfect spot for another image. Great views from here and also great roads for cycling.

  
  

Further east along the coast is the fossil hunter’s haven in Charmouth, Dorset. I wasn’t looking for any dinosaurs though. The tide was starting to head out, leaving a pool of water invetween two banks of shingle. Perfect for a reflection shot. Converted to black and white for maximum impact.  

  

One of the original images I had in mund for the project. I loved the way the light hits the footpath as it makes it’s way through the trees.
  

Another clifftop image. This one was taken high up on Beer Head in East Devon. It was tricky balancing the bike on the sloped ridge, but worth it for the resulting image. Even a few passers by stopped to take a few snaps!