“I JUST WANT PEOPLE TO SEE WHAT WE’RE DOING AND THINK: I CAN DO THAT TOO.” 

JEROME

JEROME, HOW DID THE IDEA OF CITY BIKE BOYS COME TO LIFE?

I GREW UP IN FLORIDA RIDING BIKES AND DIRT BIKES. WHEN I MOVED TO NEW YORK, I DIDN’T EVEN BRING A BIKE—MOSTLY BECAUSE I KNEW IT’D GET STOLEN. THEN ONE DAY, MY FRIENDS AND I STARTED MESSING AROUND ON CITI BIKES JUST FOR FUN. THEY WEREN’T COOL AT THE TIME; THEY WERE SEEN AS NERDY. BUT WE RODE THEM AROUND THE CITY RECKLESSLY, JUST HAVING FUN, UNTIL ONE DAY WE THOUGHT, “WHY DON’T WE POST THIS ONLINE?”

WAS IT HARD GETTING STARTED?

HONESTLY, I DIDN’T REALIZE WHAT I WAS GETTING INTO. ONE OF THE FIRST STUNTS I DID WAS JUMPING DOWN A MASSIVE, ICONIC STAIR SET IN NEW YORK. IT WAS CRAZY—BUT I LANDED IT. THAT CLIP WAS WHAT KICKED OFF CITY BIKE BOYS. IT WENT SEMI-VIRAL AT THE TIME. EVERYONE IN NEW YORK SAW IT.

WHAT BROUGHT THE GROUP TOGETHER?

HONESTLY? THE BAR. WE’D GO FOR A DRINK, THEN GO OUT AND FILM. THAT’S HOW IT ALL STARTED.

AND THE BRAND – HOW DID THAT EVOLVE?

IT STARTED OFF IRONIC. CITI BIKES HAVE THIS BIG, CORPORATE CITIBANK LOGO. I STARTED MAKING MERCH USING THEIR LOGO AND MIXING IT WITH OTHERS. IT WAS MY WAY OF POKING FUN AT CORPORATIONS. WE USED THE ACTUAL LOGOS — IT WAS TOTAL INFRINGEMENT. BUT FOR FIVE OR SIX YEARS, NOBODY CAME AFTER ME. EVENTUALLY, LEGAL STUFF DID CATCH UP, BUT BY THEN WE HAD ALREADY MADE A NAME.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND AND LIFESTYLE.

I’VE HAD A LOT OF JOBS—BIKE SHOP, PIZZA DELIVERY, BARISTA. I ALWAYS WALKED OUT. I’VE ALWAYS HAD A PROBLEM WITH AUTHORITY; I JUST KNEW I WANTED TO BE MY OWN BOSS. AT 17, I STARTED BUYING AND RESELLING IPHONES. THEN APPLE CRACKED DOWN AND SHUT THAT DOWN. AFTER THAT, I REALIZED I NEEDED TO FIND SOMETHING I COULD BUILD ON MY OWN TERMS—AND THEN I LAUNCHED MY OWN CLOTHING BRAND.

DO YOU FOLLOW ANY MUSIC OR CULTURAL SCENES THAT INFLUENCE YOUR WORK?

PUNK. PUNK IS ABOUT DOING WHAT YOU WANT, NOT FOLLOWING RULES. THAT’S VERY MUCH IN THE DNA OF CITY BIKE BOYS. WE’RE NOT HURTING ANYONE, BUT WE’RE NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES EITHER. HIP HOP IS COOL TOO, BUT PUNK INSPIRES ME MORE WHEN I’M RIDING.

WHAT KIND OF CLOTHES DO YOU WEAR WHILE RIDING OR CREATING CONTENT?

BAGGY, COMFORTABLE, AND NON-RESTRICTIVE. 

ALSO, EVERYTHING I WEAR USUALLY HAS A STORY. I PREFER WEARING SOMETHING A FRIEND MADE, OR SOMETHING LOCAL, INSTEAD OF BIG-NAME BRANDS. I THINK THE COOLEST FASHION IS KNOWING WHERE YOUR CLOTHES COME FROM.

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON THE TECHNICAL FASHION TREND?

IF YOU’RE ACTIVE, IT MAKES SENSE. TECHNICAL FABRICS ARE PERFECT FOR PEOPLE WHO PUSH THEIR LIMITS PHYSICALLY. IT’S FUNCTION MEETING FASHION.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL STYLE?

A CHAMELEON. I DRESS FOR WHAT I’M DOING. ONE DAY IT’S BEAT-UP SNEAKERS AND PATCHED DENIM, THE NEXT IT’S LOAFERS AND A DRESS SHIRT TO GO DJ. I LOVE SWITCHING IT UP DEPENDING ON WHERE I AM AND WHAT I'M DOING.

WHAT ARE YOUR CURRENT OR FUTURE PROJECTS?

I’M ALWAYS BRAINSTORMING WAYS TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES. I WANT TO GET MORE PEOPLE RIDING AND DOING FREESTYLE WITH PUBLIC BIKES. THERE ARE ALREADY CITY BIKE-STYLE CREWS FORMING IN CITIES AROUND THE WORLD—PARIS, VANCOUVER, CHICAGO. THAT’S AMAZING TO SEE.














HOW DO YOU GROW YOUR COMMUNITY?

I HOST A BIG RACE EVERY YEAR AND POST VIDEOS TO INSPIRE OTHERS. IF I SEE SOMEONE DOING SOMETHING IMPRESSIVE, I MIGHT REACH OUT. A KID RECENTLY POSTED A CRAZY JUMP ON A CITI BIKE—I MET HIM, AND WE FILMED SOMETHING TOGETHER.










 

THOUGHTS ON COLLABORATIONS?

COLLABORATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR GROWTH. I USED TO TURN DOWN COLLABS FOR THE SAKE OF STAYING “COOL,” AND IT GOT ME NOWHERE. NOW, I’D RATHER GROW, TAKE RISKS, AND OPEN UP TO NEW AUDIENCES. I’VE LEARNED THAT "COOL" DOESN’T PAY THE RENT.














 

ONE WORD TO DESCRIBE IDAMA?
OPEN.
YOU’RE OPEN TO IDEAS, COLLABORATION, AND PUSHING BOUNDARIES—JUST LIKE US.

FROM BREAKING RULES TO BREAKING GROUND, JEROME'S JOURNEY IS PROOF THAT CARVING YOUR OWN LANE ISN’T JUST ABOUT REBELLION — IT’S ABOUT VISION. WHAT STARTED AS A PERSONAL PASSION HAS GROWN INTO A MOVEMENT, AND TODAY, HE'S NOT JUST BUILDING A BRAND — HE'S BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF LIKE-MINDED RIDERS, CREATORS, AND DISRUPTORS WHO ARE ALL CHASING SOMETHING BIGGER THAN THE STREET.