While biking around Governors Island on a nice sunny day this past summer I spotted this bicycle with a rear rack with a built on storage/tool box. Brilliant and practical! Turns out that the owner swapped it off his girlfriend's Peugeut. If I were her - I would have not let go of it!
I treasure the experience of unexpectedly encountering art. While biking over the Pulaski Bridge - which connects Long Island City, Queens to Greenpoint, Brooklyn over Newtown Creek - I couldn't take my eyes off “The Bridge that Binds”. These torsos were stenciled along the bridge's waist high concrete barrier by Joel Voisard were sponsored by the DOT's Urban Art Program. As the city is constantly in a state of change, this piece is only scheduled to be up for 11 months -- which would make October (next month) the last month. I really like how the stencils came to live during the NYC Marathon...
soaked
Since 2004 Brooklyn-based writer Grace Bonney has been filling the blogosphere with great design on the ultra popular Design*Sponge -- and most recently shared her love for bicycles! She posted 55 of her favorite bike-related designs, an interview with the owner of NYC bike boutique Adeline Adeline, along with one of my current obsessions -- bikes in homes. For many urbanites this is one daunting issue. Whether you own one or two or six they can easily become problematic in ones living space (though made easier if you have high ceilings - we once had 5 sets of wheels and 4 frames hanging in one tiny one bedroom, ahh not ideal). Thus I was thrilled to see a couple nice bike storage options spotted in a couple 'sneak peaks' of designers/artists homes in the D*S post:
sneak peak w/ some Leonardo Wall Hooks in action
The Leonardo Wall Hook is one ultra minimal and affordable option which I personally adore (actually recently ordered three of them). Public Bikes loves these hooks so much that they hung 40 of them in their office!
And another approach for a couple bikes... the Michelangelo Two Bike Gravity Stand which leans securely against the wall - no attachment required. Particularly good for those transient apartment renters out there!
eye-catching custom painted vintage Schwinn
glow in the dark saddle(!) Max snatched up
adorable belt pouch (which holds an iphone superbly on your waist) by Dargelos
loved the look + feel of Rapha's pro team mitts 
colour crush on fluorescent pink in small amounts... like grip tape
locked up nearby was a custom cargo by Hudson Urban Bicycle (HUB)
... just spoke to DARGELOS and the Jumble is indeed ON amidst the grey skies!
via Refinery29
Spotted Specialized's Airtool Double Barrel Pump with it's sleek all-metal design at Bicycle Habitat. Should have noted its size since I can't find the details online - but take my word this is one compact pump + comes with bracket to mount to your frame. Love the classic design and that it's all-aluminum -- also given the face that Specialized sells replacement parts if need be -- should last a lifetime! Can't help but imagine how it would look on mounted on an all-chrome bike or this Sacha White commuter bike...
Oh, and if you want ultra compact then check out the pocket size Airtool Mini Pump...
(Note that these appear to be only for Presta valves -- but here's hoping they'll come out with Schrader compatible version.)
Having always been fond of the brilliant marketing tactic of incorporating animals on wine labels - just love this repurposed wine crate with an owl as it's mascot I spotted in Brooklyn . One sweet wooden crate.
Our Cities Ourselves: The Future of Transportation in Urban Life is on exhibit until September 15th at the Center for Architecture in NYC...By 2030, sixty percent of the world’s population will live in cities. Sustainable transportation will be the key to the health of our cities, our own health, and the health of the environment.The exhibition features a number of prototypes including the recumbent-like cargo bike 'Etta' designed by Nick Foley, a recent ID graduate from Pratt Institute. Some nice process shots...
Our Cities Ourselves envisions sustainable urban futures for ten major global cities: Ahmedabad, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Dar es Salaam, Guangzhou, Jakarta, Johannesburg, Mexico City, New York City and Rio de Janeiro. In each city, ITDP field offices and international architects propose ideal transportation futures grounded in current conditions. The proposals present safe, vibrant streets that promote social and economic equality, privilege mass transit, bicyclists and pedestrians, and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Photos via Visual Syntax - thanks, Matthew
