Sponsor Spotlight: Chrome Industries, Phil Wood & Co, The Heavy Pedal, Low Bicycles, DZR Shoes

Chrome Industries recently celebrated their 20th anniversary of making bags, apparel, and footwear. Since then, one of their new projects includes working with denim legends Cone Mills to create the Wyatt Denim Collection, built to withstand the wear and tear of riding bikes and motorbikes. This year, Chrome donated a giant box of rad gear including apparel, accessories, pouches, and three bags!



No stranger to the Sweep, Phil Wood & Co. returns to sponsor us with some shiny high flange track hubs and more of their quality maintenance products to keep your stable running smoothly! Phil Wood products are completely designed, manufactured, and assembled in San Jose, California!

DZR Shoes recently introduced the DZR H2O, the "first ever fully seam sealed waterproof SPD compatible sneaker." DZR believes in a seamless transition for cyclists no matter the occasion or destination. The H20 guarantees that you arrive at your destination with dry and happy feet, and what great timing with these rainy days! DZR donated four gift certificates this year so four lucky Sweep participants can try a pair of DZRs for themselves!

We're happy to welcome Low Bicycles as a new sponsor this year! Low Bicycles, located in San Francisco's Mission District, was established in 2010 by Andrew Low. They excel at building race-focused track, road, and cross bikes out of aluminum, using a multi-pass smooth weld technique they've perfected that delivers improved joint stiffness and smoothed out fillets that are easy on the eyes! Low has donated an envelope full of stickers as well as comfy and soft tees perfect for layering in the City!

The Heavy Pedal also joins us as a new sponsor this year! The Heavy Pedal was founded in 2007 by cycling and design enthusiasts, Terrence and Victor. What started as a cycling blog soon flourished into a brand that also includes cycling apparel, casual wear, and accessories, striving to create great designs for products big and small. The Heavy Pedal operates out of Downtown Phoenix, Arizona and manufactures products in the United States whenever possible. The donated a couple of really cool and soft tanks and tees along with a bunch of stickers!

Thank you to all of our new and returning sponsors!

For a chance to win some of these prizes and support the SF-Marin Food Bank, sign up TODAY! 

Rider Profile: Zach Morvant

Meet Supermarket Street Sweep regular Zach Morvant!

Photo by: Jonathan Koshi

Name: Zach Morvant

Sweep Categories: Speed-Men, Fundraising

What was the race equipment you used? 

When I first raced in 2011, I was on my track bike with a Timbuk2 shoulder bag. Since then I've usually ridden some kind of aluminum road bike. I wear a Chrome Warsaw backpack to hold most of my stuff, and a hip bag to hold my receipts and snacks.

Why is the Sweep important to you? 

I think I'm an incredibly fortunate person, so it's important to try to give back. The SF-Marin Food Bank does a fantastic job of feeding people in our own backyard, and if I can help their mission while having a bit of fun doing it, that's awesome! While I love a good street race, that's why I also started participating in the fundraising category a couple years back. Bringing in 75lbs of food on your back is cool, but if I can raise a bunch of extra cash too, that means more meals for folks who need them.

Biggest thing you've learned since the first time you participated in the Sweep? 

Like any alleycat, routing rules and speed serves – but you need to be paying extra special attention to elevation as the race goes on and your bag gets heavier.

Favorite Sweep moment/memory? 

Oh man! There are so many. Winning the men's speed category in 2013 was pretty rad, because Adam is a consistently dominant and smart opponent. But last year, flying toward the beach mid-race, backpack already heavy with food, and having the sky open up with rain – all while thinking "man, I must really love doing this" – is something I'll vividly remember for a while.

Can you share a tip for someone considering racing speed or fundraising for the first time? 

For speed: Have a good system for keeping track of your receipts! I got disqualified in 2011 for losing one receipt. Never again (I hope). For fundraising: start early! There are a few steps to setting up your donation page and approval can take a day or two, so don't wait til the last minute.

What is the fundraising category?

For every $1 you raise, the SF-Marin Food Bank can distribute $5 worth of food, which can provide 3 meals. To set up a team page of your very own to start fundraising for this campaign, click HERE to register. See this blog post for step-by-step registration instructions.

To sign up for the speed race, register HERE!

Have a favorite Sweep story you want to share? Send us an email at supermarketstreetsweep@gmail.com

Rider Profile: Adam Shapiro

Hello, friends! We're starting a new series of posts featuring at least one Supermarket Street Sweep rider from each race category to highlight why they love the Sweep and how you can get started. First up, we have Adam, a seasoned and decorated Sweep racer and our reigning Men's Speed champion.

Photos by: Jonathan Koshi

Name: Adam Shapiro

Sweep Category: Speed-Men

What was the race equipment you used?

BIKES	BAGS
Bianchi 1885 - I miss that bike!!	187 Full Custom Backpack
Orange mongrel SSCX fixed that I designed and welded myself in 2002	Timbuk2 Pro Series Backpack
Cannondale CAAD 5	Rickshaw Oakland Scrape XXL Sling
Ritte Crossberg (Grand prize of the 2011 SMSW!!)	Chrome Metropolis XL Sling
Norco Threshold

Why is the Sweep important to you?

The Food bank provides such a critical support to our community.  I've been on both sides of charitable giving and feel super driven to loudly support such an important cause.  I love the work that SMSW does to bridge the bike racing scene to the city that surrounds us. 

SMSW has been far too good to me - I've been trying to settle the score!!  

Biggest thing you've learned since the first time you participated in the Sweep?
Be prepared to HAUL!?!  The Speed race has steadily escalated in size and scope over the years.  I finished the speed race last year with 83 pounds on my back!!!  Probably rethinking my race rig this year...

Favorite Sweep moment/memory?
Battling Grey W for the line in 2008.  Was one of my early street race victories and Grey was a bit of a hero/legend at the time.  

Can you share a tip for someone considering racing speed for the first time?
Cash is king! Buy your cans and pasta with cash for quickest in and out!!!  Have a system to keep your receipts safe and organized.

What is the speed/points category?
Individual cyclists must earn at least 50 points to finish the Sweep successfully. This category is designed so that you can do an easy or a more difficult version, depending on how much you want to ride or donate; you can customize it as much as you like. But if you'd like to win some prizes, you'll have to choose a more challenging course. 

Here's an example: Buy (2) cans of beans from "SAMPLE STORE". If it's a store that's worth 10 points, it'll be located closer to the start. If it's a store that's worth 30 points, it'll be further away in the city. We will give you the addresses for the stores, but it's up to you to look them up on your map or smart phone. 

Part of the challenge is creating the most efficient route to go shopping! However you want to "choose your own adventure," you MUST bring back receipts for all of your purchases and be back at the SF & Marin Food Bank by 4PM to finish. The top five men and women will win great prizes!

Ready to give the speed race a go? Register HERE! 

Do you have a favorite Sweep story to share? Send us an email at supermarketstreetsweep@gmail.com

Returning Sponsor Spotlight: Chrome Industries, Osmo Nutrition, MSC Customs

Chrome Industries has evolved as much as we have over the years, expanding their line of messenger bags to include clothing, shoes, accessories and much more. They're one of our long-term sponsors and have sent us a huge box of bags to give away.

We love Marin-based Osmo Nutrition and personally use their science-based hydration products while we're training or competing! They've given us a ton of these Active Hydration mango-flavored drink mixes for women to give away -- so we hope lots of ladies sign up for the Sweep so you get a chance to earn some!

MSC Customs is a bike and apparel company that hails from NYC. Located on Telegraph Avenue near UC Berkeley, you'll be dazzled by the gallery-like storefront that showcases

their customizable single-speed bikes, clothing and components! They donated a big pile of rad t-shirts and two of their sweet Bolt caps. Thanks for returning as a sponsor this year!