05.01.12
They don’t do packaging like they used to. Some cloth bar tape that I found in Belgium (at the Exceller Bike Shop). The packaging also points to two very European branding trends. The first is adding in this case the word “Super” before a product to give you the impression that it is the best. The second is adding numbers after a name or brand to give you the impression it is new and innovative. Which of course is time locked, and gets dated very quickly. If they had really wanted to make the Tressoplast tape VERY modern, they should really have called it “Super Tresse 2000“.
04.26.12
In a city where the primary mode of transport seemed to be by bike, it takes a little effort to stand out from the crowd. In Bruges pretty much everyone was riding the typical dutch commuter, or sometimes a modern hybrid. But every so often we would spot someone on a classic Moulton folder, or a beautiful Pashley Guv’nor and wonder where they were picking them up. On one of our days off from the classics wondering around the streets I think we found the place, the wonderful bike shop Exceller. Over a cup of coffee with owner Christian he talked about how a love of design and all things well made became his way of defining what products he would sell through the shop.
He carries everything from beautifully built bikes (Pashley, schindelhauer, Cooper and Creme to name a few) to accessories, tools and the clothes you would expect to find in a quality boutique shop. But by coffee number two the good stuff started to unearth. Custom built lugged steel stems built by the same frame builder that built the original Merckx frames as executive paper weights. Handmade bells and pedals by Søren Søgreni. Custom saddles by Gilles Berthoud. But maybe my favorite of all was a box of Tressoplast cloth tape that I hadn’t seen in years. If ever you are passing through Bruges this shop is well worth a visit, especially if it is during the Tour when the stage starts in the main Square, Christian informs us there will be live coverage, sausages and beer served in the shop.
CATEGORIES: Design,The Other Stuff
COMMENTS (2)
04.10.12
I have been reading and tracking the Condor Super Acciaio frame for a while now, and hearing nothing but good things about it. So in the middle of a life simplification dilema and attempt to get my choice of rides down to two (Editor: we will see how long that lasts) one carbon and one steel, the Super Acciaio feels like the perfect choice for the steel ride. It is the perfect blend of timeless material, coupled with all Condor has learned about bike design and building frames over the years. Plus it just looks fast built up. I used to live around the corner from the shop in London and have been a fan of the brand for a long time, but never owned one (my father did though) – so I figured it was time. And with the wonders of modern communication, email, I worked with the very helpful Claire Beaumont the Condor brand manager to get the order rolling. I had a few chicken scratches down on paper for a very simple and hopefully timeless Elcyclista paint job that Claire passed on to the Condor designer Ben who created the above, which I love. They said it might be the first Acciaio in white, which I will be very proud to own. More to come….
CATEGORIES: Design,Rides
COMMENTS (14)
04.06.12
The year that: Wouter Weylandt was born. That Hinault attacked Fignon 5 times on the way to Alp D’Huez but couldn’t drop him, then had Fignon attack to win by 3 minutes. That Scot Robert Millar took the King Of The Mountains jersey and announced he was a vegetarian. Where Moser delivered on his dream of winning the Giro. That Grewal and Carpenter took gold at the Olympics for the US. An epic year for cycling, now captured and remembered by this killer jersey from GAGE+DESOTO. Not only a homage to a great year in cycling but to some of the most loved brands of the 80s. Logo’s in the 80s were cool.
http://store.gagedesoto.com/product/summer-84-jersey
CATEGORIES: Classic Jerseys,Design
COMMENTS (0)
It is 7 days and counting before we head to Belgium for the Ardennes week. Watching racing, photographing racing, and drinking beer while watching racing is how I plan on spending my days. As you can see despite the lack of bike, racing still features quite highly. In honor of returning to this corner of the world where cycling rules, I dusted off my “Fabulous Exploits Of Eddy Merckx” comic book. It basically chronicles Eddy’s palmares and career in wonderfully illustrated watercolors, along with some interesting commentary.
CATEGORIES: Classic,Design,Riders
COMMENTS (1)
03.30.12
In response to the tragic Tsunami event in Japan in 2011 Chris King made this limited edition Cielo CX Racer, with the proceeds going directly to disaster relief. A beautifully understated bike designed for a great cause.
CATEGORIES: Design,Rides
COMMENTS (0)
02.25.12
This is restoration at it’s best, if you can call it that. It was created by a company called Icon in LA founded by Jonathan Ward, that takes classic 4X4s and turns them into modern performance vehicles, keeping their classic good looks. This Bronco is in a custom matt volcanic grey, with a hint of metallic (we took the liberty of adding the pink Elcyclista stripe), a 5.0 Ford Coyote engine (the one from the Mustang) with manual transmission. They have literally reconsidered every item on this truck. They re-machined everything from door handles to the wing mirrors, put in architectural glass and redesigned the graphics on the Speedo. Now that is attention to detail.
Visit Icon »
CATEGORIES: Design,The Other Stuff
COMMENTS (4)
02.19.12
Our friend Nigel Mason surely means to travel in style with what has become affectionally known as “Bike No.3″. A gorgeous custom steel Serotta all coupled up and ready to get on a plane. I can remember looking at colored brakes in the past and wondering if they could ever look good on a build. Well I think this build pretty much nails it, the perfect accent contrast to a masterfully crafted Serotta blue grey frame. Finishing kit Campy Super Record, Deda, PMP, Carbon Ti, amongst others, pretty classy. You will have to be out on the lanes of the south of England to see this one in the flesh. Or maybe the Alps later in the year….
CATEGORIES: Design,Rides
COMMENTS (0)
02.18.12
I don’t know much about KCE, but every now and again I get a lovely little piece of art in the mail. They show up in a beautifully hand-written envelope, and contain handmade cycling themed prints. In this case above, a cycle cross brake cable hanger. For now they are going up next to my desk here at the Elcyclista Service Course. Looking forward to the next one…
CATEGORIES: Design,The Other Stuff
COMMENTS (0)
