Ugly bicycle spotting, 3

Here's another pretty ugly bicycle:

Or actually the bike itself... No. It is ugly. The blue colour is kind of nice, but the decals, that gold colour of the decals, don't match at all. And that triathlon, fast forward seatpost... Ew!

So what can we say? It's probably a very fast bike. And it probably is less likely to be stolen, due to it's looks, which is a good thing. Interestingly, when we googled "Everest Sora Racing" all the top hits were from Norwegian sites... Is Everest a Norwegian bicycle brand?

Ride safe!

Jean-Pierre - Peugeot Aubisque (1987-1989)

Le Tour de France is in full swing and we could write about it. For example: Which team are we rooting for? Well, since Jussi Veikkanen isn't riding le tour we're not that much into FDJ right now, even though we do feel for Thibaut Pinot. Can you believe how much bad luck he has had this far? Still, our favourite team in this year's tour is Movistar. Their team suits look really good, they ride Campagnolo groupsets and they have both Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde on the team. What's not to like? Seriously, though, we think that it would be nice if Nairo Quintana would win. Currently he's in 17th place, but we expect him to show his full potential as soon as the tour hits the hills.

And we do watch the race on TV, every now and then. But there are other web pages that are both more focused on and know more about the tour, so we leave commenting on the tour to them. Probably, at least!

Instead, this post will be about Jean-Pierre. Remember this bike?

Actually, you shouldn't. I found this bike standing abandoned behind a garage row in Kalmar. At first I just noticed it because it is the exact same model as the one I found standing in a backyard here in Gothenburg. Then I noticed that it was in pretty bad condition - it missed the back wheel, the saddle and the saddle post and... Well, just look at it. And then I noticed that it was unlocked. So I took it home to my mum's, reported it to the lost property office of the police, it stood in my mum's cellar for three months... Actually it stood there for more than six months, since I only took it with me to Gothenburg this Sunday. Now I have papers from the police saying that it's mine.

If I'm going to save one Peugeot Aubisque from just becoming scrap metal I might as well save two, right? (I'm doing it anyway.) What's funny is that not only are these two bicycles the exact same model, they're also the exact same size! That means that they are too big for me, and for anyone I know that could use a bike, so I will try to find new homes for them. That is, I will sell them. Not to make a profit, mind you - just to get the money that I will have spent on them back. The other bike, which from now on will be named Jean-Luc, will need new parts for about € 71 (+ shipping). And this bike - Jean-Pierre (they're twins, right?) - will need a new backwheel, new wires and new brake pads. Fortunately I have an old Sachs-Maillard Helicomatic rear wheel hub, saddle post (fortunately since they're a really unusual size) and saddle lying around home. (Hoarder? Who? Me?!) so at least I will be able to keep costs down. But the first thing that I need to do is to give it a thorough cleaning!

Look at the pictures (and the bicycle mistreatment):

 (Standard pedals? Yeah, you should be able to do what you won't as long as you're not hurting anyone else, but come on! You're hurting this bike's looks!)

 (This might actually be the dirtiest rear derailleur that I have ever come across!)

 (The front derailleur is quite dirty as well, but most notably it is too low. Did it even work like this?)

(Dirty and rusty.)

There will be more pictures, and hopefully more progress following, in time. In the meantime: Enjoy the tour and ride safe!

Ugly bicycle spotting, 2 ½

When we saw the latest Ugly bicycle spotting post's bicycle again yesterday, we noticed another thing: The saddle. It is really tilted. A bit too far? Perhaps. But then, perhaps not. We prefer to not have our saddles too tilted, because doing that increases pressure on hands, arms and shoulders and neck, creating future problems, but when it comes to the nitty-gritty it's just a question of personal choice.

Ride safe!

Ugly bicycle spotting, 2

OK, so the weather here's crap, it's only about 10° (Celsius. Of course. If you live in a country that still persists on using some other archaic unit of measurement for temperature, I suggest you write to your government and complain. Celsius rules!), and it's rainy and windy. To top that, my bicycle is squeaking, and I can't for the life of me figure out why. The chain is all oiled up (twice!) and I even took apart the rear derailleur and re-greased the jockey wheels... it didn't change a thing. So next week, on Tuesday, I'll be off to the only bike shop that I let near my Heli. (The guy who owns it only keeps it open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.) And until then...I'll just be concentrating on other-not-necessarily-bicycle-related stuff. But this is a bicycle blog! So why not continue with ugly bicycle spotting?

We have stated that we think that people should be allowed to do what they want, as long as they don't hurt anyone else. We're really not into all these rules, stating what you must and can't do. You have to wear your eyeglasses temples outside the helmet straps, you can't use a saddle bag, blahblahblah... That's rubbish. If you want to participate in a road bicycle race and you ride a hybrid bicycle, wear a mountain bike helmet, your eyeglasses temples outside the helmet straps (unless it's a full face helmet, of course), a 100% cotton t-shirt and your have a backpack as well, we will fully support your wish to do so. Rules are made to be broken. As long as you have fun, you are doing things right.

And we have fun looking at ugly bikes. Again: We don't mean to be mean or to hurt anyone's feelings. If you do get hurt by our posts, please tell us so and we will stop. And if your reaction is that our bikes are just as ugly as they are crappy, that's cool too. You can tell us that. We think that there's a place in this world both for really ugly as well as really good-looking bikes. And we all have different opinions about what's beautiful and not.

We think this is a really ugly bike:

 (Super-functional, though! This mudguard is homemade, cut out of grey plastic.)

(This part looks homemade too. And actually that's skilled!)

(We're not so sure about the position of the shifters. It could be a more comfortable solution than having the shifters on the down tube, but it looks really weird. And if you want a narrow handlebar, why not go for a road handlebar with drops?)

Ride safe!

Ugly bicycle spotting, 1

We have a thing for ugly bicycles. Not that we want them or anything, they're just hilarious to look at. Like this Bianchi. We think that everyone is fully entitled to do whatever he or she wants to do, as long as they don't hurt anyone else, but this bike... The question we would like to ask is "Why?" Why would you buy a Bianchi road bike but ride it like a standard bike? Or was the bike too small? Then why did he or she buy this bike and not one in the right size?

(We borrowed this picture from Blocket. Hope that's OK!)

Whatever the reason, we think that this bike is really ugly. We don't judge... Or do we? Maybe we do. Anyway, we hope you're not offended. If you are, you can say that our bikes are really ugly. That's OK.

And hey... Ride safe!

Big and small - Cinelli and FreeBird Velo

When we're not tinkering with our bikes, cleaning and polishing them, adjusting that tension screw one millimetre to the left or to the right, checking the tire pressure and heightening the saddle two millimetres we are always on the lookout for improvements to our bikes and new projects. A new saddle or new pedals to put on one of our existing bikes or a completely new frame, which marks the start of a completely new project, a new bike. We think it's the same for most cyclists. Actually we know it's the same, just judging by the number of bicycle manufacturers and suppliers of bicycle related products. Not to mention the discussions on various internet forums about everything from the exact composition of the carbon in a bike frame, to the taste of an energy bar. It is a bit of fun, surfing the internet, seeing what's going on in the cycling world, but perhaps we should try to forget what riding bikes is really about: Getting outside and doing it. Swinging a leg over the bike and start pedalling, whether it's a dusty old bike or a shiny new one. Yeah, sometimes we actually ride our bikes too! Perhaps we should try to think about the environment too and ask ourselves if we really do need that new bottle holder or those new wheels. We only have one earth, people, and the natural resources aren't infinite.

Dreaming, however, is just fine. In fact we think that people should dream more. We dream a lot, and some of those dreams are about new bikes and new clothes to wear while riding our bikes. Here are two of our favourites to dream about:

Cinelli

Cinelly has quite a following in the... well, should we say in the fixed-gear and single-speed world, among the connaisseurs or among the hipsters? A lot of people who ride fixed-gear and single-speed either do it on a Cinelli or want to do it on a Cinelli. And we don't blame them - Cinelli bikes are really good-looking! Take a look at these frames, for example:

This is one of their track/fixed-gear/single-speed frames, the Vigorelli. And the logo isn't misprinted - it's supposed to look like that. (We borrowed this picture from Cinelli. Hope that's OK!) 

And this is the Zydeco. (We borrowed this picture from Cinelli. Hope that's OK!)

Beautiful and supercool. Cinelli also makes components like handlebars and bottles, and they make clothes. And while the clothes are good-looking, sometimes they feel a little bit too aimed at posers. Or maybe it's the other way around? Maybe it's the posers that wear Cinelli, that make the clothes look really trendy, but not quite genuine? So we like Cinelli, but we're not superfans of some of the things that you sort of get into the bargain. But simply put, Cinelli is one of the bigger actors, with a real passion for cycling.

One of the smaller actors that we really like is FreeBird Velo.

Jenny Wilson, who runs the company, doesn't make bikes but clothes, mostly t-shirts. We love her designs, though we have no words to summarise them. Some t-shirts prints are just weird, others are simply genious. We really don't need more t-shirts, but either we might make an exception for FreeBird Velo just to have one or we'll buy one from the company next time we do need one.

We think this t-shirt is cute. (We borrowed the picture from FreeBird Velo's Etsy page. Hope that's OK!)

These socks are simply cool. They're sold out, which is unfortunate because we could really use a new pair of socks. (We borrowed the picture from FreeBird Velo's Etsy page. Hope that's OK!)

So maybe you're riding a new bike, maybe you're riding an old bike. Maybe you wear old clothes which work just fine or you've gotten a new wardrobe. Remember to have fun.

Ride safe!

Just a nice, green bike

Honestly, we don't have that much to say today. We spent the morning riding bikes. We will spend the afternoon cleaning and fixing bikes. It's not that interesting to hear about. And we won't write anything about the Giro d'Italia - it's better that you get your own opinion about it, from another source. So here:

Just two photos of a really nice-looking, green bike. We don't know who owns it, but whoever it is she or he must surely like her or his bike, because it is really in pristine condition.

Ride safe!

Look who's gone!

Remember the abandoned Bakfiets Classic, from De Fietsfabrik, that we wrote about half a year ago? (If not, you can read about it here.) Well, apparently it isn't abandoned anymore. And we promise, we didn't have anything to do with it! When we passed by the bike stand that it had been chained to, today it was gone. What made the owner change his or her mind? Or was it a bike thief who took it? Whatever happened we hope that the bike's coming to good use.

Ride safe!

Julie - Peugeot Mont-Blanc (1988)

I have decided to sell my Peugeot Mont-Blanc, from 1988. I bought the bike about five years ago, in 2010. I was curious about road biking, I wondered if it was something for me. And I thought that the best, cheapest way to do that was to buy an old road bike. Then, if I thought that riding road bikes was not really for me, I'd sell the bike. And if I thought that riding road bikes was awesome, I'd sell the bike and buy a new one. I wanted a Peugeot, because when I was younger a guy who I used to see riding a road bike looking kind of cool had (and probably still has) a Peugeot.

So I found a Peugeot Mont-Blanc, from 1988. When I bought the bike it was... crap. I mean, really. The paintwork was chipped, the wires were a mess, the wheels unusable with spokes broken and bent, and the smell when I pulled off the old, once white, bar tape... Eeew! But it was mine for 500 Swedish krona - about € 50 - and I was happy anyway, because it was a Peugeot and it was lavender purple. When I had changed the wires, bought new wheels (I had them custom made with the old hubs), a new saddle and bright yellow bar tape I thought it looked really good too. I named her Julie.

And it was fun to ride! An old steel bike, but it was fast and just plain fun. Changing gears on the frame took some getting used to, but I learned the trick. As you can guess, I decided that road biking was indeed something for me. And I have bought a new bike. So Julie is going to find a new owner. Best of luck to her!

Ride safe!

(As yet) unnamed Mustang, part 1

I haven't given her a name yet, but I might. (If you have any tips, write to me!) This probably is, or will be, my latest project. I found this old 10-speed Mustang bicycle standing abandoned by a train station. It's in a pretty bad state but that's actually how I want it. Unlike the vintage Peugeot Aubisque I found I plan to use this bike myself, as a winter commuter bike. You know, hardcore, gritty slush and cold... So you see, I won't have her sandblasted, painted and lacquered. The only thing I am going to do is clean her and replace all the broken or missing parts. I might use the luggage carrier and I will add mudgards. A winter commuter bike, with focus on "commuter". And "winter". And "bike"...

I haven't done anything, except pick her up from the lost property office, where she has been standing for three months. (Handed in to the police and reported as "found" in december last year, and now, three months later I have paperwork that says that the bike is mine.) So if this bike turns out to be in a really bad shape I'll just recycle it. But I will give her a chance.

That's all I have to say about it right now. I must confess that I don't know much about it. Mustang was an old Swedish bicycle brand, started in 1947 by the Trelleborgs Velocipedfabrik bicycle factory, but the bicycles themselves were made in Japan after production was discontinued in Sweden, in 1994. This bicycle of mine is made in Japan and... probably not that good. But again: that's actually how I want it.

So: Pictures! (And revelling in bicycle mistreatment...)

Ride safe!

Been there, done that

A couple of days ago I spotted this bike. At first it looked like a pretty regular everyday bike, repainted, some new components, no luggage carrier... Upon closer inspection the shifter cable was mounted really weird - along the top tube instead of along the down tube (I guess it works, though), the paint was chipped and there were rust spots everywhere... and there was this gash in the seat stay.

Now I have been there. When I renovated Marisol I decided to saw off the welded lock, and I managed to saw a gash into the seat stay in the process. I was saved later on, fortunately. This gash, on this bike, might be less dangerous than the one I had on Marisol and I still used that bike. So maybe I shouldn't say anything. But you, bike owner, whoever you are... Be careful!

Ride safe, all of you!

Unnamed - Peugeot Aubisque (1987-1989)

Some time ago I found a Peugeot Aubisque standing in a backyard.

(This is not the Peugeot Aubisque I found. This looks like a really happy example! I borrowed the picture from Australian Cycling Forums. I hope that's OK!)

It was exposed to the weather, wind and snow, and it missed handlebars, saddle, derailleurs, chain and brakes. The wheels were bent, with broken spokes and the tires were flat. It looked really sad. But I thought that it was a shame that it should just stand there and become a wreck, since the frame was really nice. It was too big for me but I still decided to save it - I took it home and reported to the lost property office at the police that I had found it, and that I was keeping it in my place. A few days later I got a letter from the police, saying that they had registered the bike. Three months later - yesterday - I got another letter from the police, saying that no one had claimed it and now it's mine.

Aubisque is one of the great hills that occur in Tour de France (some years).

 I just love the 80's colour scheme!

The wheels were in such a bad state that they were unusable, but I have cleaned the frame + fork up and I still have the chainset, pedals and the saddle post. Stupidly enough I misplaced the headset, the bottom bracket and the crankset when I cleaned it up... New parts are available here, for about US$80 + shipping. So here's what's going to happen:

In some time I am going to order the parts, and then I will sell the bike for at least €71 (+ shipping). I will try to sell it at one of the bicycle second-hand markets here in Gothenburg, and there I will hopefully also have a special surprise... However, if you want to buy this frame + fork, the chainset, pedals and the saddle post now, as it is, before I have ordered the new parts that's possible too. Just give me a decent offer and you can have it.

The frame would, by my estimation, fit someone who is about 185 cm or taller. When I stood astraddle over it I had to stand on my toes to reach the ground, and I am 178 cm tall. If you're into fixies and are thinking about converting it, here's some inspiration.

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!