FIVE THINGS RAD DAD EDITION: STORYTELLER T.C. WORLEY

Five Things is a weekly feature on the Banjo Brothers Blog started in 2018. Five Things posts are short articles (interviews) we publish every Friday where we talk to different kinds of cyclists about life and bicycles.

The Rad Dad Edition is a variation of Five Things articles leading-up to Father’s Day which shows how kids and family-life factor into these Dad's bikestyle!

Rad Dad #3 is T. C. Worley. Worley is a Minneapolis-based cinematographer and photographer who specializes in capturing people on the move. The fit father of two is not one to sit still in his personal or professional life. His ability to capture the perfect shot bring him to the far corners of the earth to help brands, agencies and people tell their stories. 

Enjoy this Rad Dad Edition of Five Things.

BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU AND YOUR KID(S) RIDING?

TCW: I of course have a bike for every type of terrain. But I think the bike that sees the most miles is usually my 1983 Trek 830 (steel) single speed. It’s so steadfast and fun that I use it for anything from errands to little local races. My kids both have road and mtn bikes, but both seem to prefer their road whips. Oldest has a (like his pops) vintage steel Trek frame and younger bro has a Fuji track bike. Ever since they could ride a real bike I’ve made sure they had a quality whip. They both got BMX mini’s at about age 5. I had heavy department store bikes and wanted them to have a different experience. I’m not a big carbon bike guy. I’ve ridden many, but love the investment in a quality metal frame. I own 2 Peacock Groove Custom bikes. They are a local custom frame shop and I’m buds with the builder Erik. If you’re familiar you know that his steel bikes are beautiful and often have unique touches that you don’t see elsewhere. I’m proud to own something fully handmade by a friend.

Angry Catfish + Mend Provisions + Northern Coffeeworks + Northern Frameworks from Angry Catfish Bicycle + Coffee on Vimeo.

Filmed by by: TC Worley Edited by: Todd Grabe Music by: Ben Weaver

 

BANJO BROS: WHERE DO YOU RIDE WITH YOUR KID(S)? 

TCW: Some of my most fond ride memories are from bike camping trips we’ve taken based out of our Minneapolis home. We’ve ridden as far as 25-30 mi to camp overnight and return the next day. It’s far enough to have to work for it, but also to put you in a place that feels different than your immediate city surroundings. Those are the bike rides with those dudes that I hope I never forget. And now that I’m thinking of it, I think I need to plan one soon! Our city is rich with cycling options, so we utilize the public trail system as well as all the awesome mountain bike trails. Theo Wirth is 5 miles from us, and is not too long or technical, so they’ve ridden there a lot. Last winter we rode downtown to check out the Super Bowl pre-party hoopla on the streets of our city. We traveled safely on bike lanes or paths the whole way there. Minneapolis is awesome at giving cyclists safe passages to all corners of the city. We’re lucky here!

I’m not a big carbon bike guy. I’ve ridden many, but love the investment in a quality metal frame. I own 2 Peacock Groove Custom bikes. They are a local custom frame shop and I’m buds with the builder Erik. If you’re familiar you know that his steel bikes are beautiful and often have unique touches that you don’t see elsewhere.

BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU WATCHING/READING/LISTENING TOO WITH YOUR KID(S)?

TCW: My kids are older now 14 and 17, so we’re past cartoons and such. They have turned me on to some hilarious stuff on YouTube. You really have to check out “Good Mythical Morning” if you haven’t - those guys are nuts! I’m a podcast guy, real nerdy stuff like nature conservation, but my kids just make fun of me for it. Musically, we don’t align as much anymore, but they do workouts with me and I like to crank “Rage Against the Machine” or similar. Sometimes I need a little anger to motivate me! One highlight I’ll share was watching “Dumb and Dumber” with them. It’s pretty perfect high school humor and we laughed from beginning to end — like tears in your eyes kind of laughing. That hot pepper scene?! Never gets old…

BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU COOKING/EATING/DRINKING WITH YOUR KID(S)?

TCW: Again, my boys are older, so don’t judge me here! We are a coffee-fueled family. We make it good and we make it often and our boys have learned to appreciate it with us. My oldest got a job at a coffee shop, so younger brother and I ride over to see him sometimes and get food/drinks. I’m drinking coffee right now! We also taught them to make cookies (recommended to all parents) and every two weeks or so, one of them fires out a batch. Genius, right? 

BANJO BROS: WHAT’S STUCK IN YOUR CRAW ABOUT RAISING KIDS?

TCW: Of course, I have to complain about video games here, right? Actually, like most things in life, if done in moderation, they are great. I’m not a video game guy in the least, but more important to me is that I take charge of how I use my free time with my kids. Do I model sitting around on my phone, or do I model using every shred of life to the fullest? Honestly, I’m somewhere in between, but I try hard to engage with them while I have them home. Someday soon all I’ll have is my free time to spend how I want. They’ll have moved away and built their own lives and families and all I’ll have is memories of things we did. So, maybe that’s a little “Cat’s in the Cradle” of me, but that’s how my parent’s were. They craved time with me and I feel the same way. If I’m allowed to give advice at all, I’d say meet your kid where they are and find something you both enjoy doing together. If that’s bikes, awesome! If not, that’s cool too— time invested in them will never be a bad decision.

MORE ABOUT THE FIVE THINGS INTERVIEWS FROM BANJO BROTHERS

A big Banjo Brothers thank you to T.C. Worley for participating in this special Rad Dad edition of Banjo Brothers' Five Things. These short interviews about life and bicycles will appear every Friday on the Banjo Brothers Blog. If you liked this FIVE THINGS from Banjo Brothers you should check our full series of past five things interviews.

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