WTB Galaxy saddle honors late Buddy Newman
After graduating high school in 2009, Buddy was hired by longtime mentor Jason Moeschler to work on the graphic design team at WTB.
Last year, WTB lost one of their own in a tragic car accident. His name was Buddy Newman. He was 24 years old.
I never had the pleasure of meeting Buddy, but I know WTB. Every member of the staff I’ve interacted with over the years is the kind of person I’d be proud to call a friend. They’re a clever, irreverent, and good-hearted bunch.
While you may not be familiar with his name, you have probably seen Buddy’s work. He was the mind behind custom WTB graphics, including this stunning Galaxy piece.
To celebrate Buddy’s life, WTB is releasing a custom saddle graphic that he designed. Proceeds from this saddle will go towards supporting his former high school mountain bike racing team, which is still coached by his father.
Sales of this unique piece will go towards a scholarship fund set up in partnership with the NorCal High School Cycling League.
The WTB Galaxy is a Team-level Volt saddle features titanium rails and sells for $130, the same price as the regular Team Volt. It’s available online.
Here’s WTB had to say about Buddy:
Last December, the mountain bike community lost an incredible person when Buddy Newman, graphic designer for WTB and the son of Nevada Union Miners Mountain Biking head coach Eric Newman, passed away in a fatal car accident. Buddy was a student athlete from the time he was in 8th grade until he graduated from Nevada Union in 2009. He grew up racing bikes with the Miners, where he met some of his closest friends, as well as the memories he made with each of them. After he graduated, Buddy followed his dreams and went to work combining the two passions he loved most, art and mountain biking. He quickly found a home at WTB designing custom saddle and rim graphics with Jason Moeschler, one of his former high school coaches.
Buddy’s legacy lives on both from his countless acts of kindness that have touched everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him, as well as through his artwork you see on bikes all around the world with custom WTB graphics.
The late Buddy Newman raced on the mountain bike team for Nevada Union High School (left) and was a talented graphic design at WTB. Photo Robert Lowe Photography/robertlowe.com.
In honor of Buddy, all of us at WTB are pleased to put one of his custom saddle designs into production, and provide an opportunity to support high school mountain bike racing through a scholarship fund made available through a partnership with the NorCal High School Cycling League.
The WTB Galaxy saddle is a Team-level Volt saddle, features titanium rails and DNA Padding, and is available in a limited quantity of 135mm width. Now available for purchase through WTB’s online store for a retail price of $130, the Galaxy saddle mirrors the price of a non-custom WTB Volt Team saddle. Proceeds from sales of the Galaxy saddle will pay for racing fees for the Nevada Union Miners mountain bike team.
We at WTB hope you will join us in celebrating Buddy’s memory by enjoying some of the unique beauty he brought into this world while also supporting high school mountain bike racing in the process.
For more info, visit www.wtb.com
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