Citi Bikes are a simple, durable, efficient, cost-effective way to get around New York City. However, to Jerome Peel, founder of Instagram account-turned-lifestyle brand Citi Bike Boyz, they’re more than that. To Peel, they’re the perfect canvas for his imagination, and the ideal vessel for his death-defying battles with gravity.
Peel’s Citi Bike exploits are plastered all over Instagram, from him flying down the double stair set at the Coleman Skatepark in Manhattan’s Lower East side to carving up a six-pack of dirt jumps at a hidden trail in Harlem, and, of course, jumping the subway tracks at the 145th Street subway station, the very same station that both Nigel Sylvester and Tyshawn Jones have both had their own career-defining leaps at.
Despite the viral nature of Citi Bike Boyz stunts and the inherent rebelliousness of Peel’s social media presence, he’s deeply thoughtful about what his chosen endeavors stand for, noting that one of the most common misconceptions he faces is that he doesn’t care about the bikes or is being disrespectful, a notion he’s quick to rebut. In the latest installment of Hypebeast’s Diaries video series, we follow Jerome Peel from his home in Chinatown to the legendary Brooklyn Banks and then uptown to a wallride spot in the Bronx to watch him in action and uncover the personal philosophy behind his high-flying hijinks.
Watch the full video above, and for more from the Diaries series click here.
