What happens to an impoverished developing nation town when you flood it with 20,000 bicycles? You lift three times that number of people out of poverty. Pedals for Progress and founder David Schweidenback have been shipping used American bicycles to Rivas, Nicaragua for the last two decades and the transformation has been incredible.
Via.
Posts Tagged ‘bicycle’
Nicaragua.
March 30, 2011BFF Submissions.
March 16, 2011
Submissions are now open for the Eleventh Annual Bicycle Film Festival!
The BFF is looking for films with a bike-related theme. Any style is acceptable: animation, experimental, narrative, documentary and music videos are all a go.
There is no fee to enter your film, simply download a submission form from the BFF website, and send a copy of the film to the BFF Head Office in New York.
Don’t forget Liverpool on the 8th April too, where you get to see this!
Cyclepedia.
March 7, 2011
Thames and Hudson recently asked if I’d like to peruse a pre-publication copy of this book and, of course, without wavering I said yes.
A few days later a thud on the door mat indicated the arrival of said book. The following hours saw me sat in front of the fire, gawping at pages upon pages of pure -dare I say it- bike pron. It’s all good, with pro studio photographs of TT bikes, golden era racing cycles, randonneurs, mixtes, porteurs and also classic examples of radical bike design like the Elettromontaggi SRL Zoombike, the most beautiful folding bike I have ever seen!
As far as bike collections are concerned this one of Michael Embacher is the best, bar none and the fact that it is now in print, with accompanying words and a foreword by none other than Paul Smith means this book is not to be missed. Buy it, borrow it from a pal who has it, whatever. You’ll love it.
Cyclepedia, a tour of iconic bicycle designs is out mid march and you can also go to the free launch party at LMNH in London on 16th March.
Bespoked Bristol.
February 18, 2011
A lot of you may already know this but:
Bespoked Bristol is the UK’s first handmade & boutique bicycle show celebrating the craft of beautiful bicycles. The event will showcase the talents of independent makers and designers of bicycles, small-scale makers of premium products, components, clothing, bicycle accessories, and media.
Bristol is the UK’s first Cycle City so is the ideal place to host the show which will be a focal point for makers and customers to come together and discuss and share ideas. Awards will be up for grabs, including the most beautiful bicycle and product of the show.
Above you will see a lovely piece of craftmanship by Tom Donhou who will be exhibiting at the show and it’s actually my pal Sparky’s BB too… Nice work chaps.
Bespoked takes place on 10th-12th June at Paintworks, Bristol and I will most certainly be attending.
For a full list of exhibitors go peep. You won’t be dissapointed!
Look Scan.
January 31, 2011
Rapha Bicycle Collection.
January 11, 2011Beginning January 2011 and for the next two years, Rapha has partnered with four masters of framebuilding to offer four distinct, hand-made bicycles. Each partner has been selected because of the mastery of their craft and passion for road cycling. With each partner we have created a model constructed uniquely for a particular style or purpose of riding.
I’ll take this, the ‘Continental’ please, sans guards.
In all seriousness, I love this bike. It’s pretty much my ideal whip, actually.
See more at Rapha.
Bicycle Quarterly.
October 21, 2010
What? How do I not know of this?
I clicked on the webpage and instantly thought I was looking at someone’s paper-magazine collection from decades ago. Mistaken. This is a modern magazine. Like, made now, today. Awesome. I want a read.
They say:Bicycle Quarterly is a magazine for discerning cyclists, who enjoy their bikes, whether on a weekend ride, commuting, randonneuring, racing or touring the countryside. In Bicycle Quarterly, you find professionally written articles about a variety of topics rarely covered in the “mainstream” cycling press.
Go seek.
Image taken from TFG where you can also purchase BQ magazine.
Fritz Fleck of Flema.
August 5, 2010
There is a great interview with Fritz Fleck over at Speedbicycles.
Fritz Fleck born in Germany in 1928. A technical designer and manufacturer who made ( probably ) the first titanium road and track bike frames, under the Flema brand (FLeck, MAnnheim).
Flema Campionissimo, Germany, 1972.
More photos of this magnicent beast… Here.
Olmo Progression.
July 9, 2010From this: A beat up early nineties Olmo San Remo with a flaky paintjob, rust like tears weeping out of it’s surface and in desperate need of some help.
To this: The same beat up old early nineties Olmo San Remo but now with a fresh lick of “silver sparkle” powdercoat and a set of repro decals.
I was prevented from completing the build yesterday evening due to the loss or misplacement of my motherfu**ing bottom bracket lockring. No matter, sometimes stretching out these types of activities is the best way. I now look forward to getting hold of a modern italian BB as, to be quite honest the one it in is a knacker and probably needed to go anyway.
100 Years of Bicycle posters.
April 1, 2010
This looks like one amazing book. Unfortunately it was pressed in 1973 so the chances of me getting my greasy mitts on one is like, well, slim to none.
Excerpt from this, the 1973 first edition.
This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the two machines that have had a profound influence on us. It was roughly in 1872 that color lithography, which made colorful pictorial posters possible, came into popular use; it was also about 1872 that the modern bicycle evolved. It is the coincidence of these two inventions—the modern bicycle and the modern poster—converging and maturing at about the same time, that interested me. It is this founding and parallel growth, as evidenced by the bicycle posters, that this book illustrates.”
See more here and if you have $130 spare, holler.
Via sprinting for signs twitter spot.
Simplicity Rules.
March 11, 2010The Lotus Sport Bicycle from 1992. Is this the most beautiful Carbon track bike ever made?
This is a replica made by Lotus Engineering of the bicycle on which the British racer Chris Boardman won the Gold Medal in the 4km pursuit event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. The bicycle was constructed largely from carbon fibre and weighed less than 9kg. It was designed by Mike Burrows for Lotus Engineering, and was extensively wind-tested to be as aerodynamic as possible, both from the perspective of the bicycle itself and the rider’s body position
If you are a keen reader then this Mike Burrows written book is well worth a look in terms of bicycle technology. And pay no attention to the recumbent on the cover either, it really is a great book full of great insight about all types of human powered vehicles.
Titanium Hotness.
February 26, 2010
It’s another Speedbicycles banger!
There are so many amazing details on this bicycle, I cannot show all of them but if you would like to see more just peep the link.
Perfection Pt.2
October 1, 2009
I have posted a photograph of this bicycle before but upon finding a few more detailed pics I could not resist the posting of it again.
This 1979 Colnago Pista is perfection in Steel. End of.
Mo Look.
September 29, 2009LOOK KG 96
See more of this beauty right here and you really should go peep it out as this whip is truly s t a c k e d !
Thanks Joe for the heads.
Mo Wilier.
September 29, 2009I know I said I would be posting a De Rosa today but my mind has wandered, wandered specifically over to this:
Kind of a repost but it is all in the details!
Man that plating has me dazed like a rabbit in the headlights… someone please put me out of my misery!
Look.
September 28, 2009This one is for Joe… The Look KG 196, France, Circa 1992.
Tomorrow I post another drool worthy geared bicycle from this period and I am currently thinking it is going to be a 1988 De Rosa 35th Anniversary museum piece, but for now we just drink this in…
You know that every last detail on this frame has been meticulously thought out and it has truly paid off, just look at the seat cluster – Could you possibly get it more spot on?
I think I have just found my new favourite brand.
Spotlight.
September 21, 2009
Beauty.
August 24, 2009Whilst paying for a packet of 10 Marlboro ‘lights’ at my local off license’ last night I heard “Yo! How much your bike was!?” This poor use of the English language had come bellowing indoors towards me from one of the three youths stationed outside like a verbal tsunami and I replied accordingly. “Mind your own business son”.
After the smoking materials had been gained and my change emptied into my pocket I returned to my parked bicycle outside to be met again with “How much?” and my answer was the same.
The brief conversation that followed between these three boys and myself brought us to the untimely conclusion that the Purple 1989 Duell track pursuit bicycle that I was using was actually “shit” and worth no more than £50 in today’s money and that their cousins Carrera “racer” was blatantly ten times better than mine as he had bought his from Halfords. I had absolutely no come back. Actually he did say that my saddle was “Sick eni” which apparently means that it is pretty good… bonus. We finished up, threw a couple of soft curses at each other and went on our way, smiling.
Now then, joking aside they actually did think that their cousins Carrera was ten times better than mine and why wouldn’t they. Beauty is, after all in the eye of the beholder.
Which leads me to these. Some photos from a gallery Hardy sent me via email a while ago with the title ‘Crap but good’.
Photographs taken from Custom Star Japan.
De Rosa Appreciation.
August 17, 2009
“The dropout treatment, with the red paint, the white pinstriping and the chromed borders and faces, is very detailed and fancy. But in the context of the entire frame, it becomes a flourish which enhances the look of the entire bike in a subtle way. The more I consider this paint scheme, the more I appreciate it.”
Vintage Hotness.
July 14, 2009
This Berlin based fellow has a collection of bikes that is sicker than most, seriously he has some killer bicycles and I would potentially do ( almost ) anything for the chromed out C.B.T Italia he has… Ouch!
Go check out his steez as he individually details each of his bikes with a whole bunch of photographs, which is nice.
Many thanks to Kris for the linky.
