: Some hard-core bicyclists sport enough ink to give the Hells Angels a run for their money in the tattoo department.
From stark, black-and-white symbols to colorful skin-art standbys like flaming skulls and comic-book characters, you never know what will show up on the arms and pedal-pumping legs of bike fanatics.
Left:
Sean McKinney, of S&M Bikes, has the company logo tattooed on his wrist. He had the skulls added to the logo for effect.
: The number for "4130 Chromoly," a steel alloy containing chromium and molybdenum that is commonly used in bike frames, is tattooed on the right shin of Dave Harris, 34, of Binghamton, New York.
"It is my metal of choice," said Harris, who is a welder for FBM Bike.
: Matt "The Beard" Bischoff, owner of Cincinnati's Failure Bikes, has a tattoo inspired by bike rider Tim "Fuzzy" Hall on his inner bicep.
: A lost bet led to the tattoo on the thigh of Zack "Catfish" Yankush, of Dayton, Ohio. The artwork shows fellow BMX rider Alan Cook doing a back flip over his wife.
: Brian Osborne, 31, of Louisville, Kentucky, has sprockets tattooed on his right arm. "BMX," said Osborne. "What more can I say?"
: The Silver Surfer rides a Schwinn Black Phantom on the forearm of Jason Faircloth, 35, of Marin County, California.
"My buddy had a really cool Silver Surfer tattoo, but it seemed kinda poseur for me to get," said Faircloth, who works as a product manager for Marin Bikes. "I'm not a surfer. I'm a biker."
: Brad Cider, 30, of Thousand Oaks, California, has a tribute to his riding partner NJJ tattooed on his chest. Cider is a sales rep for Pronghorn Racing.
: World Bicycle Trials champion Vittorio Brumotti has a tattoo commemorating his favorite rider on his chest.
: A bicycle tire bursts out of a flaming, winged skull on the thigh of Denver resident East Foster, 39.
"I didn't have anything to do with it," said Foster. "I gave a friend free rein and this is what he came up with. I think it is perfect."
: Ryan Sher, 28, of Portland, Oregon, is brand manager for Subrosa Bicycles. He has the skull-and-snake emblem from the company's Malum bicycle tattooed on his forearm.
While he makes the designs for the bicycles, they don't all end up as tattoos on his body.
: Michael Sean Moore of Santa Cruz, California, and an employee of bike shop Calfee Design, has the word bicycle tattooed on his forearm.
"So simple," said Moore.
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