Lit Fuse Cyclery, one of Brooklyn's newer bicycle shops, has embarked on a nice old school marketing campaign. Spotted this one locked up out front of Pratt Institute's gates for all art kids to admire. I did a pit stop at their space in a more industrial part of Clinton Hill last fall. The shop space itself has a nostalgic vibe - as do the great photos on their website...
Another impeccable ensemble by oh joy! - this time for the guys.
You can read up on the featured Velorbis' Student Classic - the two-wheeled, utilitarian bicycle, with mudguards or fenders, a rear carrier or rack, relaxed loop frame or geometry, an upright seating position and generally an ‘old-time’ look reminiscent of the early 20th century, enclosed the gears, either freewheel/drum brake hubs which are popular worldwide, or coaster brakes/pedal brake hubs, lugged and brazed hand built frames from the highest quality Chromoly steel - [here]
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for the LOVE of bikes' reader, Pamela, shared her practical (and adorable) Electra wicker panniers -- which she customized by adding the red pom pom fringe! To switch it up, she also uses her Basil BLOSSOM TWIG panniers...
Held in the beautiful Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine on the upper west side... the 12th Annual NYC Blessing of the Bikes 
Design*Sponge updated their Brooklyn Design Guide - my home turf! Enjoying the nice line drawing by Julia Rothman depicting this lovely borough.
Brett Camper's lo-fi web maps, inspired by 8-bit video games, are super simplified interpretations of cities. Love how they resemble needle points.
Domenico Diego and Cristina Corradini of the Milan Polytechnic university call their plan the “Street Safe Initiative.” Their idea is to brightly color a lower layer of asphalt so that a break in the surface becomes easy to spot and the potholes easier to dodge.
“We have compared the road surface to the human skin,” Mr. Diego said. “When we are wounded, we start to bleed. So our idea is to put a layer of yellow asphalt beneath the tarmac, which appears and creates a high chromatic contrast that is visible from a distance.”
I think it was a Huffy, pinkish purple with streamers on the handle bars (of course), white basket with plastic flowers on the front, coaster brakes and training wheels... I believe it had a banana seat. I loved that bike, but all the neighborhood boys made fun of me so when I was with them I would borrowed my neighbors bmx!
I've been riding bikes for as long as I can remember but throughout the course of my life my interest has definitely waxed and waned. I lived in Boston for a bunch of years and rode my bike there quite a bit, but it wasn't until I moved to Boise, ID that I got really obsessed with it. Boston had a huge bike scene, and I'm sure the people in it are great, but I think I always felt intimidated by it... I wasn't a bike messenger and I rode a Schwinn Calente that was way too big for me. I guess I just thought I wasn't cool enough! Boise is a smaller more manageable city and everyone there rode a bike. It's really an amazing cycling town. It was there that I realized, 'ok I don't have to fit some mold of what a cyclist is, anyone can be into riding a bike!' It sounds kind of silly now, but it helped me get over some of the notions I had about being a "real" cyclist and allowed me to just be someone who likes bikes.
I'm actually in the market for a new bike at the moment. I have a few already, but mostly I ride this 'frankenstein' bike that I put together a few years ago. It's nothing special, but I really love it. It's a single speed, but lately I've been wanting more of a proper road bike. This one is good for my short commute over the Manhattan bridge, but I'd like something a bit more comfortable for longer rides. One of the shops that carries Pedaler is Ride Brooklyn and I know if I stop by they'll be able to point me in the right direction.
The idea for the line came from both of our personal needs for clothing that was conducive to a cycling lifestyle with out being obtrusive. We were both altering our clothing and bags to make them easier to ride in and over a bottle of wine decided to make a go of it.
No one would argue that there are differences between the east and west coasts, but we realized that if we were both having the same issues living in different cities then we probably weren't alone in our plight. Because of the milder climate in CA perhaps people there are inclined to ride all the time? I can't say for sure... I know a bunch of toughies who brave the north east winter on their bikes everyday. The cultures are different on each coast but safety and comfort are universal.
I'm obviously biased, but I really like all of it! Our hoodies and T's are made from Bamboo which is really an amazing sustainable fabric... %200 more wicking than cotton, anti microbial (anti-stink) and it feels like cashmere. They are a bit longer to help avoid embarrassing plumber butt moments and all of them have reflective elements and jersey pockets in the back.
The hoodies have longer arms and thumb holes on the cuffs... no more pulling when you reach for your handle bars!
Our denim and twill pants/shorts have a gusset seam in the crotch (I ride on a hard saddle and the seams on regular jeans can really hurt your bits!) and can be worn with or without riding shorts underneath. The cuffs roll up to reveal a reflective strip for safe night riding.
Our bag is waxed canvas and I'm rarely without it, but I may have to agree with you about the jacket... I wore it on a ride recently and it was pretty great.
Sustainability has been an important part of Pedaler from the start and part of that meant manufacturing our line in the U.S. I think if we had done this a few years ago we would have been met with a greater challenge. The unfortunate downturn of the U.S. economy has actually worked in our favor to some extent. Factories that never would have considered working with a small start up were eager for our business. And manufactures who previously would not have sold fabric to us because we didn't make their minimum requirements were willing to make concessions.
I was going to school at Massachusetts College of Art and knew I wasn't in the right place. I struggled with the idea of going to school for art. It's scary to study something for four years and not have a job at the end of it.
I annoyed the @#$ out of Fat Ram of Pumpkin Tattoo in Boston until he said he'd apprentice me! Tattooing was just being legalized at the time and Ram was opening the first legitimate Boston tattoo shop in over 40 years. I brought him my drawings all the time and basically harassed him every other day... I started working as the front desk person until he offered to apprentice me. A lot of people don't get what I had and they have to struggle for years to learn how to tattoo. I started my apprenticeship in 2001, and still feel like I'm learning something everyday.
I can't say I have. I wish I had though! I've done a few over the years and have a small one myself.... just a simple line drawing of a bike. But the amount of people coming for their appointments still sweating from their ride in has absolutely increased!
Designed as a foil on which to drape a bike frame, Pi allows quick release front tire to be removed and locked next to the bike. This sturdy solution meets Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle and Professionals (APBP) recommendations. (by Landscape Forms, Inc. / designed by Robert Chipman)
Perrrfect!
In conjunction with the Tim Burton exhibition, MoMA is playing Pee-wee’s Big Adventure TODAY at 4pm!1985. USA. Directed by Tim Burton. Screenplay by Phil Hartman, Paul Reubens. With Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton. With his first feature, Burton established himself as a director with a unique personal style. Pee-wee embarks on a cross-country search for his missing bicycle, a scenario that allows Burton to indulge in whimsical set pieces and extravagant sight gags. Like the elaborate Rube Goldberg–esque contraption (a familiar Burton motif) that facilitates Pee-wee’s morning routine, the simple plot unfolds in visually complex ways. The climactic ride through the Warner Bros. back lot is a montage of zany fun as Pee-wee and his beloved bike zoom through a 1960s beach-party, the North Pole, a Godzilla rampage, a Twisted Sister music video, and Tarzan’s jungle. 90 min.
Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco's Four Bicycles (There is Always One Direction) which he made in 1994 while in Rotterdam. MoMA has a new multimedia section of their website and includes this discussion:
While the cycle chic movement renounces it, the runway embraces it... Comme des Garçons' Spring 2010 collection - accompanying Louis Vuitton's bike-short-centric campaign post last month. Ohh, Rei ♥
