FIVE THINGS WITH JUDI LOPRESTI CO-OWNER SPUN BICYCLES
FIVE THINGS is a weekly feature on the Banjo Brothers Blog. It’s a short interview about life and bicycles with a notable person. This week’s FIVE THINGS is with Judi LoPresti, Co-Owner of Spun Cycles in Banjo Eric's hometown of Cincinnati. LoPresti and her husband Dominic opened Spun in February 2013, three years after getting married at the Interbike, the cycling industry's largest trade show, in Las Vegas and seven years after meeting at Bicycles and More in Cheviot. LoPresti is a former bicycle messenger who didn't get a driver's license until she was thirty. It's not been a smooth or easy road for LoPresti. After several years off the bike, she returned with a vengeance at thirty-seven competing in triathlons, criteriums and cyclocross. These days she just rides for fun.
Check out this great interview about the "soul of work" with Dom and Judi on the Distiller Podcast.
BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU RIDING?
JL: I have a bike for every wheel size, but my favorite bike is any bike I am riding outside. Steel is my tubing of choice, but I have all the flavors in my fleet of bicycles. Dominic has been completely obsessed with a '95 Miata we bought last summer. It's a convertible and it goes really fuckin' fast. He has been doing lots of upgrades this winter, new suspension, engine work, and the race wheels are currently at the powder coat shop being sprayed Spanish gold. It's going to be sick sick sick.
BANJO BROS: WHERE ARE YOU RIDING?
JL: Typically I ride in the city, all over, anywhere and everywhere in Cincinnati. I like to just go out the front door with my bag on my back with no destination. It could be a ride downtown to the cigar store to grab Dominic's stash for the week, or to a park in Kentucky that overlooks the city, or out to my Mom's house for a quick visit. I cherish every mile I get to ride these days, so I am very selfish with my time on my bikes. The shop keeps me so busy, we are running it solo with no employees so even my simple 5 mile commute after a hard gym workout makes me happy.
Typically I ride in the city, all over, anywhere and everywhere in Cincinnati. I like to just go out the front door with my bag on my back with no destination. It could be a ride downtown to the cigar store to grab Dominic's stash for the week, or to a park in Kentucky that overlooks the city, or out to my Mom's house for a quick visit.
BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
JL: Currently I am sitting in the shop watching Kill Bill. We tend to watch all kinds of great movies from the 80's and 90's. Dominic also loves those awful horror flicks from the 80's. On Saturdays we typically have cartoons on in the shop with music. Dominic has been working on his summer playlists for evening cruises in the Miata that include everything from Lil' Kim to old Elvis love songs.
BANJO BROS: WHAT ARE YOU COOKING/EATING/DRINKING?
JL: We are sober - I have been booze free since 2001 - I love coffee. So much. It can be shitty diner coffee from a local restaurant or fancy beans from a local roaster. We have two local roasters within two blocks of the shop we switch around from - Sidewinder Coffee and Cluxton Alley.
Dominic cooks and preps all of our food. We don't eat out much. It's all healthy, clean food. Bodybuilding food. Tons of chicken, fish, eggs, yada yada yada.
BANJO BROS: WHAT'S STUCK IN YOUR CRAW?
JL: Social media is the fucking devil. It can be a powerful platform for us to express an opinion, market a product, or get the word out about an event but right now, I wish we could all just put our fucking phones down and focus on what is in front of us, right here, right now. Life is short - we only get this one chance to live and love and do the things that makes us happy. Staring at my phone is not one of those things. Unfortunately we are living in the age of high tech everything and if it weren't for my shop I'd bolt from social media. It's a necessary evil and that sucks. We should all take a break from time to time to just be present and grateful for the person sitting across from us at the dinner table.
XXOO - Judi LoPresti, Co-owner Spun Bicycles, Northside Cincinnati Ohio.
MORE ABOUT THE FIVE THINGS INTERVIEWS FROM BANJO BROTHERS
A big Banjo Bros. thank you Judi for participating in this week's 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 our full series of past five things interviews.
Would you like to be interviewed for Five Things?
Use the contact form on our website to send us a note. See you next Friday. Also, since you're here, we do need to mention, Banjo Brothers makes a whole line of tough, practical and affordable gear for cyclists. Thanks for reading.