Candy Cranks

I’m loving these bikes made by Dutch man Herman van Hulsteijn. They look just like a modern take on the classic Penny Farthing bicycle.

Van Hulsteijn originally started as an interior design studio 7 years ago but when he built a prototype of this bike for personal use 2 years ago no wonder people started asking obsessively were it came from and only then he decided to start manufacturing a line of bikes. He’s obviously got a great eye!

Herman van Hulsteijn and his team design the bikes in-shop so they are built just the way Herman wants them. When making a Classic Van Hulsteijn bike, the team begins with cyclone stainless steel frames made specifically for the company that features their trademark frame. Options added to the bike include either the two-speed Sturmey Archer kick shift coaster brake or the three-speed Shimano Nexus with coaster brake and additional gearing choices. For style, the company gives the customers their pick of 3 seat colours, 3 rim colours, 5 standard frame colours and two frame heights.

The gear change detail is fab!

I want one! For more info and pretty pictures check out their website  http://www.vanhulsteijn.com/website/#

Scary Bike!

My friend sent me this picture and I had to share it.  I hope eveyone is having a great Halloween!

Before

Just over a year ago I rescued this bike from my great aunt’s garage. It is an old steel frame single speed Raleigh road bike. Its around 40/50 years old (I think!) It was in terrible condition as you can see from the picture.

I thought it would be a great project to bring it back to life but at the time I found it I was saving up to go traveling so I couldn’t afford to do anything with it. So it was left to sit for another year :/ until a few weekends ago when I stripped it down with the help of my boyfriend and we painstakingly put it back together. It was actually lots of fun.

Here are some pics of the work we did:

I didn't realise there were so many parts!

We started off by dismantling the bike completely and cleaning each part. Lots of tea breaks were required Our aim was to re-use and salvage as many of the original parts as possible.

the rim tape had seen better days!

We took the wheels down to the local bicycle shop and bought some new tires, rim tape and tubes for them. We used a metal polish and wire wool to clean all the crome parts of the bike – the wheels were particularly bad!

before and after

the frame ready for a good clean

We were going to re-spray the frame but the paintwork wasn’t actually as bad as we thought so we just gave it a good clean instead.

the bottom bracket all cleaned and ready to go

all the hard work is done - now to put it back together!

all finished!

All finished and ready to go. I managed to find an old saddle in good condition on ebay which was great as the original saddle was gone beyond repair. I found an old basket in the garage which fits perfectly on the front of the bike and everything else is original! Success!

The only think I am having trouble with is the rod brakes. The front one is working fine but the spring is gone on the back brake and I haven’t been able to find a replacement yet. I’ll have to google it more!

My friend Natalie, who like myself is big into bikes was interviewed for an article in our national newspaper The Irish Times. The article was written following the introduction of the Dublin Bike Scheme, 10 cyclists throughout the city were interviewed about their bikes and their experiences of cycling in Dublin.

Natalie Keville, Designer for Exhibit Design Group
“I built this myself last year – it took me six months and I got most of the parts from the US, in places such as Ben Cycles in Milwaukee. I love fixies because they are really suitable for city cycling. You gain greater efficiency and power because there is no coasting, which is great for keeping control in heavy traffic. I love the light weight, simplicity and low maintenance, but the best part is the sense of fun and achievement of the actual build. It all started just after I left college, when I had a bit of money. Mine cost €1,400 and it’s a black Pake Track frame, with Nitto Jaguar stem, straight chrome Conago forks, deep Vs, Sugino messenger cranks, a Brooks team pro saddle and custom-made wooden handlebars (wild cherry strips laminated to a five degree curve). The only downside is the frequent near death experiences. I have been hit by two taxis this year! Cars need to be more aware of cyclists.”
Extract from article “Heels on Wheels” by Deirdre McQuillan

Pictured above is a great shot Natalie and her lovely bike taken for the article.

I was in New York last week on holidays and this bike caught my eye outside the American Museum of Natural History – I love the green wheels and patterned saddle.

I really like Affinity bike frames which are based in Brooklyn so while in New York I headed out to their shop for a look and managed to get a spin around the block on one of their new frame, unfortunately it was too small for me and there is a waiting list of a few months for new frames!   Better luck next time! I’ll have to go back soon so

http://affinitycycles.simple-helix.net/stop/ (although their site was down for maintenance last time I checked!)

Below is the Marta frame by Affinity. I just love the mean angle of the frame and most importantly it is a really nice bike to cycle too.

Richie's Bike

A major change I have noticed in Dublin since I have been away is the Dublin Bike Scheme;  it is a bicycle rental scheme that was launched in Dublin last September.

Dublin City has made 450 bicycles publicly available from 40 locations around the city in a scheme similar to that which exists in Paris and done in conjunction with the same private partner – outdoor advertising company JC Decaux.

People are able to pick up a bike whenever they need it and drop it back to any one of the locations when they are done. A Smart-card system handles issues like deposits and payments. A Long Term Card costs €10 per annum (I got one of these in my stocking for Christmas ) or a three day ticket costs €2 – ideal for a weekend tourist! And once you have registered, the first 30 minutes of every journey is free, a nice touch!

The system seems to be working really well – I often go past docking stations with no bicycles left! Its great to see a lot more cyclists around the city!

http://www.dublinbikes.ie

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Happy New Year Everyone!

It has been a while since my last post reason being I have been away traveling for the last seven months and just got home to Dublin. It is great to be home, after spending the last few months traveling around Asia, Dublin seems a lot less hectic

After saying hello to everyone my first port of call was checking out my bike which had been gathering dust in the garage. I really missed her while I was away! All she needed was a quick pump up of the tires and I was motoring again but I soon realised it was not the weather for cycling in Dublin; it was so cold I nearly froze; I am definitely missing the hot weather I left behind! We’ve had some sever frost and snow over the last few days with temperatures going as low as -10 degrees which has made cycling around the city a bit like cycling on an ice rink!

white on white!

cold!

So unfortunately my bike has gone back into the garage for the time being until the ice melts. Meanwhile I have my feet up by the fire and have started the mammoth task of sorting through seven months of holiday pictures below are some pictures of bicycles that caught my eye in Hanoi, Vietnam.

My bike is better than yours...

Everyone does it, checking out their neighbours bike while waiting for the lights to turn green, I know I do

Hanoi

a lady and her bicycle

These old bikes get a lot of use and abuse but they are so sturdy they look like they could last forever!

a lot of flowers on one bike!

www.AllOrNothingproductions.com present ‘London to Paris’, directed by Grace Ladoja, documents 10 riders from all over the world making the track bike journey from London to Paris to meet Lance Armstrong as the Tour De France 2009 comes to a close. Made in association with Nike Sportswear’s CTRS project, the film’s NYC premiere is set for late October 2009… www.stages09.com

D.O.P. David Procter.

Last Wednesday I got to meet up with fellow candycranker Rosy in Sydney! I was in Sydney for a few days as part of my round the world trip and it was really great to meet up with Rosy (unfortunately I missed Meg) for a chat and of course a bike ride!  

Rosy took my friend and I to a great pub for some pub grub and she gave me my new candycranks cap which is awsome, I also got some great candycrank stickers which I will be putting on my bike as soon as I get home! She very kindly lent me her bike and took me out on a bike ride around the city with the Le Pista Resistance crew. Having not been cycling in the last few months the ride was pretty challanging but great fun! It was great to meet up with a fellow candycranker and go on a ride with lots of bike enthusiasts.

It would be great if we could all get together for a bike ride soon