January...

This blog is still active, though not much has been written in January. Nor will be written in January. We still have products - bicycling-friendly jeans and t-shirts, saddle bags, tools and bike helmets - that will be tested and evaluated, but when it looks like this:

outside here in Gothenburg we don't really feel like riding our bikes. Or... perhaps we should be riding our bikes. Defy the elements! Train our balance, riding on slush, snow and ice. Get some fresh air and exercise. And to be honest some of us ride our bikes to school and to work. A mountain bike with studded tires gets you further than you might think.

But those super-nice rides on a sunny but cool day, quick rides in the summer evening...

Men skärp er!

"Pull your socks up!" just doesn't quite do it. "Skärp dig!" (one person) or, in this case "Men skärp er!" (two or more persons) means "Stop acting like a fool and be serious!" but there's more to it. It also means "What you say or do is so utterly stupid that I just can't take it seriously!" So: Skärp er! When I walked to a restaurant yesterday - a 10 minute walk (not even worth it to take the bike) - I encountered three bicyclists.

Bicyclist #1. Almost blinded my sight (and I was on the sidewalk - not on the bicycle lane) with a super strong headlight.

Bicyclist #2. Almost ran me over, since she ignored the traffic rule, which said that she should give way to me.

Bicyclist #3. Stopped in the middle of the bike lane, where it was at it's narrowest, to pick up her mobile phone and answer it.

Some bicyclists... Dip your headlight, obey the traffic rules and pull to the side when you pick up the phone! Pull your socks up!

(We didn't take this photo, we borrowed it from Flickr. Hope that's OK! And we don't know the guy on the photo either - we're sure that he's a nice guy, who rides his bike responsibly.)

Ride safe! 

Why we don't hate fixies and single-speeds

Before it gets any bigger. Because we don't.

When did fixed-gear bicycles and single-speed bicycles first appear? Well, actually they've always been around. The first ever bikes were, in fact, both. The first competitors of Tour de France rode single-speed fixed-gear bikes.

(And just a note here: Almost all fixed-gear bicycles are also single-speed, but all single-speeds are not fixed-gear. Just by looking at a bike it can be hard to tell them apart, at least if you don't know what signs to look for. As a general rule though, if the bicycle rider isn't completely retarded, the single-speed bike will have brakes.)

But riding up mountains without low gear ratios is really bloody hard. Or alternately, if it's easier riding up mountains you have to pedal like mad going downhill and sometimes even on flat sections. The first derailleurs came in the 1800's, but the first ones were clumsy and heavy and hence not very popular with racing cyclists. In fact, it wasn't until 1937 that derailleurs were used in Tour de France.

But when we talk about fixies and single-speeds today, we can say that it started in the 1980's, with bike messengers in New York. The trend, primarily among hipsters, to ride fixies and single-speeds began in the late 1990's. However, as we recall it, it kind of exploded around 2010 or so.

Anyway, as people living in Seattle, Gothenburg, Porto or any other city built on top of and around hills know, having the ability to go into a lower gear when riding uphill is... just great. Simply put there is a reason why derailleurs were invented. And the same thing goes for brakes. Being able to slow down your bicycle when going downhill, without having to lock the back wheel and skidding is just great too.

And that's where we start. We think that derailleurs and brakes are great inventions. So when we first encountered people who voluntarily rode without both we simply thought that they were mad. And it didn't help that many of them were hipsters either... Second-hand caps in neon colours, vests, tight jeans, ugly sneakers and even uglier moustaches on the males. Many of them seemed to have their bikes as accessories, rather than as a means of transportation. Posers.

We also felt that there was a certain amount of machismo associated with fixies and single-speed. Certain people (guys...) had this attitude that riding without gears and brakes was super-cool. Dangerous. Hard. Outlaw. (In many places it is actually illegal to ride a bike without brakes.) And we're not really into that.

However, one thing we couldn't disagree with: The cleaner the bike is, the more beautiful it is. Or, at least, can be. When you remove the gears, brakes and the mudgards you see that the frame, the wheels, the saddle and the handlebar can actually be pieces of art. Like this saddle from Paul Smith and Kashimax. Cool, isn't it?

(We borrowed this picture from Bike Reviews. Hope that's cool!)

Or this saddle from San Marco and Lobster.

(This picture we borrowed from Blue Lug. Hope that's OK!)

Just as a couple of examples. And the bike frames themselves... For example, check out these examples from Pegoretti. If these bike frames can't be viewed as art, then what can?

(We borrowed the photos from Flickr Hive Mind. Hope that's OK!)

Over time we have realised that the hipsters have actually done something cool. They have taken the bicycle and turned it into a piece of art. It isn't just a means of transportation, it has a worth in itself, as an object. Something desirable and cool. So thanks, hipsters!

And as we realised that it was also easier to acknowledge that there are other positive aspects of fixed-gear and single-speed cycling. Despite the machismo surrounding it, it has made many women start riding bikes, in a different way. We wrote about the short film Fixed on fixed, directed by Rachael Harding, a while ago. A perfect example of what we mean. And there are more examples still.

There is a certain amount of machismo in "regular" (non-fixed-gear non-single-speed) bicycle clubs as well, so if women get into riding bicycles their own way, on fixies and singles-speeds, then that's cool too.

By the way, if you haven't watched Fixed on fixed yet, we really recommend it. Because the tricks an experienced rider can do on a fixie are really cool. The standstill, pedaling and rolling backwards... Impossible on a regular bike!

So in conclusion, fixd-gear bicycles and single-speed bicycles are not really for us (at least not yet!) but if you are into that and want to join us we welcome you. Or if you just want to convince us of the benefits of not having gears nor brakes.

(This is a fixie. With the saddle tilted a little too far (isn't it?), and upside down road handlebars. We love the colours!)

Ride safe!

Put your hands up for Antikmagasinet?

Did you miss Antikmagasinet on SVT Kunskapskanalen yesterday, and are thinking about watching it online? Well, don't bother, we were a little bit disappointed. Or let us put it this way: If you don't know the first thing about bikes but want to know more (and are Swedish-speaking), then by all means watch it. But if you are already into bikes, the programme really isn't for you.

We thought that anchorwoman Li Pamp did an excellent job guiding people who know nothing about bikes into the glorious two-wheeled world. Simona Bava

(Simona Bava. We borrowed the picture from CykelAlex. Hope that's OK!)

seemed like a really cool and knowledgeable person, as did Jonas Olsson. But we felt that the programme only scratched the surface. Maybe because the programme was only 30 minutes - the feature about Detroit was about 2 minutes long.

But let's not be negative. It's cool that Sveriges Television (Sweden's Television) did this programme,  and acknowledge that bicycles are on the rise. And if you like us love to hate the Itera plastic bicycle there was also a feature about this hidous monster! (We laughed so hard.)

Ride safe!

Put your hands up for Detroit (remix)

If you missed the programme Kultur i farozonen (Culture in the danger zone or Culture in danger) on Swedish Television - SVT on the 21st of March 2014 - we wrote about it here - you're in luck! Or... well, kind of. Because SVT is broadcasting a programme called Antikmagasinet (The Antiques magazine) tomorrow Thursday. Judging by he trailer that we saw on television last night it will be a  about what's happening in Detroit, however judging by the information on the SVT web page... we're just not sure. According to the latter the programme will be about the bicycle as a design object, with talks with "the bicycle nerd" Simona Bava and producer at Design- och arkitekturmuseet (Museum for Architecture and Design) (they probably mean Arkitektur- och Designcentrum (Centre for Architecture and Design )) Jonas Olsson.

Well, we'll check it out for sure anyway. Because we like bikes. Easy as that. You can, too, if you like. It's aired on SVT Kunskapskanalen tomorrow Thursday (15th of January) at 21:00 (that is 9 PM for all you Anglo-Saxons... and drop that outdated system while you're at it!) but you can probably watch it for a month on the internet. Information (in Swedish) and a link to the last programme (and probably where the programme that is aired tomorrow will end up) here.

 (Anchorwoman for Antikmagasinet Li Pamp. We borrowed the picture from the SVT web page. Hope that's OK!)

Ride safe!

It could be worse. It can always be worse.

Or, well, once a friend of mine and I, as a sort of thought experiment, tried to think of a situation when it couldn't actually be worse. Did we succeed? Of course we did - we're Nordic! If there is one thing that we Finns and Swedes excel at it is thinking about dark, heavy topics. (But interestingly enough, and contrary to popular belief, we're not in the top of the "suicide list". According to a quick search on the internet (thanks Wikipedia!) Finland is at place 21 and Sweden at place 35.)

But lately, when we have been thinking about the traffic situation in Gothenburg, we are reminded of a short film that we saw on Vimeo: Brussels Express

(We borrowed the picture from Vimeo. Hope that's OK!)

We love Belgium and Belgians, we really do, but the traffic situation in Brussels just seems insane. According to the film only 4% of the travelling in Brussels is done by bicycle. Here in Gothenburg, despite the rain, wind, the snow and the "automobile mafia" it's 7%. It's not that much more, but the city of Gothenburg wants to increase that share and is constructing new bicycle lanes, constantly improving the situation for the bicyclists. A lot remains to be done but... hey, it could be worse.

And check out the film - it's definitely worth it. Besides, it's only 19 minutes long. Here it is!

Ride safe!

Coffee and cycling

As a sort of continuation of yesterday's blog post:

If you are going for a ride but you don't know whether you are going to pass a place where you can get a really good espresso, or not. Or if you want that espresso at home, before your ride. Or if you want an espresso but all good places are closed. Whatever the reason might be to brew your own espresso, you'll want to drink it from this cup:

(We borrowed the picture here. Hope that's OK! Much respect to the publisher and to the photographer.)

marimekko espresso cup. Finnish design. There's not much else to say, is there? It's really good looking.

Ride safe!

Cycling and coffee

You don't need to drink coffee to enjoy riding bikes, like some pompous asses want to make you believe. Absolutely not. But some of us do. And one of our two favourite places to get a really good espresso (and some tasty pastry) here in Gothenburg was Brunos Espresso.

Was. Because some time ago it closed.

However we did talk to the owner of the café just a couple of days before she closed it, and she is going to open up her café again, but in other premises.We have seen those premises and to be honest they are a bit tricky. They have a lot of potential, but you have to plan it carefully to make it right. Which, we are confident, the owner is able to.

Well, luckily there is another place here in Gothenburg, where you can get a really good espresso. (We said that there were two, remember?) And the other one? It's Il moro. There are countless Il moro restaurants and other places around the world, but the one we are talking about is located on Danska vägen 86. Well worth a visit, not just for the espresso but also for the sandwishes and the biscotti. (Probably for the other products and for the warm food as well, but since we haven't tried it we can't promise anything.)

Ride safe!

Just like heaven

You - soft and only
You - lost and lonely
You - just like heaven

 (The Cure)

Remember the Bakfiets Classic we wrote about here? Well, it's still standing on the exact same spot. Now for more than four months.

This is how it went:

First I asked the police if I could take care of it, and if so, how. They explained to me that since the bike is locked, moving it is considered arbitrary conduct and, consequently, criminal. Even if you take it to the Police's lost property office, where they keep it for three months. (And then, if the owner hasn't showed up, the finder can get it, with official papers that it's hers or his.) They suggested that I talk to the owner of the building. "OK," I thought, but first I thought that I could ask the City of Gothenburg if they had any advice, since it's probably they who put up the bike stand. I got to talk with a really nice lady that explained that they don't act on these kinds of bikes. As she put it, they "clean out" their bike stands intermittently but they don't remove a bike until it has been standing outside a couple of winters, if it is locked. "When they are wrecks," as she put it. Well, then I went to the owner of the building - Poseidon (yup, that's their name) - and explained to a really nice guy what I was thinking. (What I am thinking, to be precise, is that it's a shame that fully functional bicycles are just going to waste, becoming wrecks, when they could go to someone who needs it. Cykelköket - The Bicycle Kitchen - would be happy to give it away to anyone who needs a bicycle.) The nice guy listened to me and then said that I should talk to the company that manage public buildings owned by Poseidon - Göteborgslokaler - since the bike isn't standing outside a residential block. Then I mailed Göteborgslokaler, explained what I was thinking and a couple of days later got the answer that moving the bike is arbitrary conduct...

Are we going to have to see this bike... this €1890 bike simply disrepair and become unusable for the next year, every time we ride past it? That sucks! We are not exhorting anyone to do anything illegal, because that is criminal too, but if anyone should take a bolt cutter, cut the chain and take the bike to the Police we will have seen nothing. We will be useless witnesses, we promise.

This bike deserves a better destiny

Trendy fashion accessory for Spring Summer 2015

And I was even ahead of my time. Last year I spent a good deal of my time walking around or riding trams with a bicycle frame in my hand. Sometimes these bicycle frames were looking really good, with brand new paint and lacquer jobs, but mostly they looked really scruffy. First I renovated two old bicycles of mine, and then I built a brand new one. And by built, I of course mean that I bought a frame + fork, bought all the components and then mounted most of it myself. Not all of it, though, because for some stuff you needed specilised tools that I don't have, and that's why I was carrying it around. Like a Persian guy with a heavy accent, in a hamburger stand, said to me: "Most people are riding around on their bikes, but in this case it looks as if the bike is riding you!" Yeah...

So all around I went with my frame, getting it blasted, painted, had components removed or mounted. Then, just as summer turned to autumn, I spotted a guy... a hipster, in a bike shop where I was to buy a tube, with a worn old bike frame over his shoulder. And then, a few weeks later, another hipster with another old bike frame. And just a few days ago I spotted this

(We borrowed the photo from the Claes Göran homepage - we hope that's OK! But we could't find the photographer's name.)

ad for Claes Göran, in the Swedish magazine Filter. I am not going to comment on the model's style or clothes or on his facial expression - judge for yourselves - but I am going to comment on the bike frame in his hand: It's broken. Or it could possibly work as an alternative, very unstable chair.

Anyway, the best thing about this new trendy fashion accessory is that an old bike frame is much cheaper than a Michael Kors bag or a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes! Although, admittedly, not as good looking.

The first blog post for 2015

Hi!

Christmas and New Year is passed, at least if you celebrate the festivities according to Gregorian calendar. If you go by the Julian calendar you can look forward to celebrating Christmas in six days, on the 7th of January.  I have celebrated both festivities, though. Or... Christmas was spent with my family, spending time with my loved ones, eating good food, getting some really nice Christmas presents. Properly celebrated. But New Year was spent coughing, sneezing and sounding like Tom Waits when I spoke. I have been down with this really stubborn flu, that just won't go away, for five days now. Largely thanks to SJ AB, who gave me a seat in a pretty much unsheltered, uninsulated cabin on the train.

So that's how my days are spent currently. But how are you? Have you been celebrating Christmas and New Year already, and if so, how was it? Hope all is well with you.

I thought that the first blog post after the holidays would be about something completely different. We do have so much to tell you. Although no training sessions have been planned yet the members of our club the club are very active, and there are things that we will write about here. We have gotten products (as Christmas presents) that will be tested and evaluated in the months to come - bicycling-friendly jeans and t-shirts, saddle bags, tools and hopefully bike helmets. We have came across some really inspiring people, organisations and events that we want to tell you about. At the moment we have handed in five different bikes to the Police's lost property office, and if the owners don't show up these will be taken care of. Some of them will go to Cykelköket - The Bike kitchen - and hopefully make someone happy, and others will become personal projects. The political situation in Sweden is becoming clearer and at the same time is more unclear than ever, and we will have to comment on that.

So that's what you can look forward to! But at the moment I am mostly interested in going to bed, sleep and get rid of this bloody flu. So I will quit here, for now. And I'll see you soon again.

Take care! Lots of love

(This is not one of the bikes handed in to the Police's lost property office (because it's locked, see?) and maybe it's too late for this bike anyway. Maybe it wasn't of very high quality to begin with, it's rusty, it's been stripped of basically everything that you don't need specialised tools to take off and if you look at the top tube it's really damaged. It's a bit sad, isn't it? There are people who would like to have a bike but can't, for different reasons, and even though this is probably the result of a thief looking for easy money, now it's just scrapmetal. Oh well...)