27/4/10

Ever since I leant about French bike builders wrapping their handlebars in cloth, twine and shellac, I've been wanting to try out this classic combo on my own bicycle.
So, when I came across 500m of cotton ribbon for 3 Euro at a flea market the other day, I couldn't afford not to buy it.

Here is a handy link that shows you how to tie the twine. (Thank you Rivendell Bikes)
I decided to add a cork (Bordeaux & Chablis for the trainspotters) to each of the bar ends to complete the homage.

15/3/10

Berlin bike thieves are ruthless.

12/3/10

So, I have a new bike.
After a frightfully embarrassing incident outside the British Embassy where the brake cable of my old Simplex was dragged into my spokes, bending the fork, shredding the hub and forcing me to a halt in a blur of expletives.
I managed a 'controlled dismount' and thankfully my person was unharmed but the bike needed some serious repairs that would have totalled around 200 euros. It's still chained up somewhere on Wilhelmstrasse.
After a few days of searching, I managed to find a suitable replacement. It's a French road bike, a Motobecane.
Unfortunately there's been a bit of snow lately so I haven't had a chance to give it a good run, but I'm sure we'll become better acquainted over the Spring.

3/3/10

I am the proud owner of a new bike.
Bicycling in pancake-flat Berlin, with it's hundreds of kilometres of bike lanes is so easy. Actually, I encountered a slight hill going over a bridge today and was quite put out by it.
There's a real market for fixed gear and single speed bikes here, not just because they're trendy at the moment but the cruisy terrain means you don't need gears (I'm keeping an eye out for a lightweight single speed road bike for the summer) but it seems most Berliners prefer the old-style cruiser like this one, below. A true workhorse.
It's made by a Dutch bicycle company, Simplex. I just learnt from my father-in-law that Simplex, in a very Dutch tradition, used to also manufacture chocolate vending machines.

14/2/10

The Hi-Cycle.
I found this in a communal book exchange in the foyer of my dad's apartment block. It's from a 1968 Hearst Publication titled 'The Do It Yourself encyclopedia of popular mechanics"

I can only assume the Hi-Cycle never really took off due to the fact that it positions the rider nine feet off the ground without the ability to;
a) steer, or
b) brake

28/1/10

As I'm currently (f)unemployed I need to find new ways to amuse myself.

Today I stripped a couple of friends' bikes to prepare them for a re-spray/upgrade

Check back in a few days (hopefully) for the finished products

5/1/10

2/1/10

Ever since my car got smashed up, my bicycle has been my primary mode of transport.

Walking is too slow, you see.

I'd been on the lookout for a crate for my bike but hadn't seen anything lying around on the street which met my strict criteria.

It's dimensions had to be such that it could accommodate two six-packs of beer or a heap of 12" records

So, using my 8th grade woodworking skills I decided to build my own.

Et Voilà!