I had a Burnout Syndrome… I finally got up myself to write about my bike journey to Europe. Sorry,this is kind of old stuff and already passed a few months but I still want to post & share this now otherwise I never will. Europe just melted my heart too bad XD I got a burnout…
I love traveling with my bicycle. I took my coffee bike and went to Leeds and Budapest in May. This was my 1st time being to Europe and there were some big reasons I went there.
♥Reason 1: Meeting my best friend Monika in Leeds. It’s been years to see her; I first met her in Kyoto, Japan and became best friend through the bicycle.
Here are some photos I developed of my trip to Leeds. I was there for only 3 days but had a good time to ride around the city with some friends. Thanks to Monika + Marek and fixed gear leeds crew!
♥Reason 2: Meeting Linda - Candy Cranks author from Budapest. Wowww! Candy Cranks is the great tool to make cool bike friends all over the globe!! I’d never met Linda but we are now really good friends!! Viva Candy Cranks!!
Thanks a lot to Linda to make my trip so much fun, helped me out, put me up and showe me an awesome time!! Hungarian people are so nice and kind. I love Budapest!! (and Gosser Lemon beer!)
♥Reason 3: ECMC (European Cycle Messenger Championships) in Budapest. I am not a messenger but I like to hangout with them and watching the messenger race. They are pretty tough and hardcore cyclist. I love their life style and crazy parties.
Hi cheeeeez! (Japanese photo peace sign, yaaay! :D)
♥Reason 4: CharRie’s Café (my bike café).
I brought my original coffee beans and all my coffee bike stuff in huge freight baggage backpack from Japan. (It was super heavy to bring them all! :() I was a bit nervous to doing my coffee bike at ECMC for 3 days by myself because I had no friend, only a few Japanese around this event. I knew only Linda and Sinya (organizer of ECMC) and I wasn’t sure if European would love my Japanese coffee… but I had a confidence to make people to love my coffee so Linda was in love♥ yay!
… was sexy ; ) ♥Thanks everyone!
Many people stopped by my bike café, having my coffee and happy talks…♥ It inspired me a lot!! I didn’t charge for my coffee but everyone tipped me good. Thank you!
♥Reason 5: Cheering my messenger friend Izuru from Naogya. He came with his wife and 2 years old son. It was their late honeymoon as they said. Sweet♥
♥Reason 6: Sightseeing in Budapest. We had a group riding all day long. Riding and hanging out the city by bicycle is the best way to see, feel and smell the local. Too many beautiful castles in Budapest!! I felt like I was in Disneyland!
LANGOS tastes sooo good! (especially when you get drunk at midnight like mexican burrito)
Needless to say, traveling with a bike and meeting some bike friends across the ocean are always great. Even if we don’t see each other, we can still have a good friendship through the bicycle. Bicycle unites people all over the world.
It took a lot of courage for me to do my coffee bike in my 1st time being in Europe and 1st time doing my coffee bike out of Japan. The bigger try is, the more worth it has.
My chain jumped off the cog when i tried to stop, there was a huge lorry passing on the road . i was going to stop at the junction but because the chain jumped i ended up heading straight into this Articulated Lorry! There was nowhere to go because the truck was so long, I remember hoping it would speed up so that i could dive under after the last set of wheels ..it didnt .. I flew into it at the rear wheel’s,, managed to push my head and torso away but the last wheel went over my foot and ankle!
I thought No way ! that truck is soo big i’ll probably have to have my foot amputated or something . I was taken to hospital and x-rayed but nothing was broken .. a bit squashed and tissue damage so they gave me crutches and a cast which i had on for a week, it was painful for another 2 weeks but i could use it an by the 3rd week i could ride my bike again which was amazing because i thought i was gonna be crippled all summer. I was very lucky!
I later realised that my shoe had saved my foot , there is a huge crack across the solid nylon/ plastic sole which took the force instead of my bones , and the strong suede material held my foot together so that it didnt get all twisted and mashed. I think that if i had been wearing regular trainers that day i wouldnt have much of a foot left.
Thanks to Specialized for making this tough shoe it was the Womens Riata Mtnbike shoe they are seriously good!
The Yellow line is where the crack is .
By the way ! the reason my chain jumped off my cog was because my wheel had been kicked in and was warped , I wouldnt advise riding a fixie with a bent rear wheel and no brakes , deadly combo!
I had some gorey pictures of my foot but lost the memory card : (
Wheelman & Co have released their new bag the Minuteman Messenger bag. Some of it’s features include being waterproof (yay!), able to withstand wear and tear, environmentally friendly (yay!) and it has some lovely cork panels on the front. Dimensions are 13″ x 8″ x 11″. For more info check out Wheelman & Co.
So the messenger competition to shut down… It was a great time in Budapest, many messenger arrived not only from Europe. You know as well that Rie too from Nagoya with her coffee bike!!! (I have to tell You guys I never drink coffee, I don’t like it, but this is something different, so delicious… love it)
This 3 days past so fast, we had many program in the daytime: bike polo, foot down, sprint in Velodrome after we had a nice group ride in the city to the next place, what is an interesting old socialist factory. First night we had a fashion show and concert and we tried hungarian drinks!
The next two days was pretty hard, everybody ride hard and the rout was not easy. The main race, the skid, and everything was very exciting, we had girls as well too. One of the best race was the Gold Sprint, where Sarah from Britain was the fastest!
The factory was a good choose, because only we was there and it was so free feeling, like in a festival and we don’t had to worried about the bikes, it was such a nice landscape… everywhere bicycles!!!
So the Finals on Monday was really exciting, in the foot down finals Sabrina from Poland was the only girl Here You can check the results
We had there the youngest messenger too, Izuru&Izumi from Nagoya took the 2 years old baby, He is already riding… and You can see his messenger bag… :)) so cute
Miss me so much this days… we had so much funs, everybody was so cool and nice, we had nice parties and now all around the world knows a bit about Hungary and Palinka (shot) …
Tuesday we had a sightseeing group ride with the Guide Kole from Canada who was a guide/messenger here in Budapest, I think it’s a beautiful city!
And thanks Rie, we had so great time together !!!
Pre Event Friday 30th july - Park circus street keirin and silly sprints.
Millport is an old viking island with beutiful scenery not far from Glasgow , its famous for cycling round . Every year we have a Time Trial, lots of beer and partying. This year we are having a mini festival , time trial, skids tricks etc. It shouldnt take more than 30 mins to get round the island . If anyone wants to come, get in touch and we’ll sort you out some accomadation.
QA with Jenny, Glagow’s only female bike messenger
Where did you grow up, where do you currently live?
I grew up in Glasgow, Scotland and I still live there.
How long have you been riding for?
ive been riding bikes for most of my life, been riding fixed for just over 4 yrs.
What’s your favourite bike to ride?
Fixed wheel
Where is your favourite place to ride?
Around town, Kelvingrove skatepark.
You’re currently working as a cycle messenger, what city are you working in, how does it compare to other jobs you’ve had.
I work in Glasgow, its a good job because you dont have someone breathing over your shoulder all day and you get to be outside and do what you want when your not on call. Me and my friend James have our own courier company called FFWD>> Bicycle Messengers so we dont have anyone telling us what to do.
Are there any disadvantages being a woman in such a male dominated industry? Not that i can think of ? but sometimes its hard to get women size bike stuff at local shops like shoes and smaller stems etc.
Are there any advantages being a woman in such a male dominated industry? I dont know :s ?
On average how many miles/km would you ride per day whilst working? If its quiet :( 10 + If busy 50 + miles
How do you keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter? In summer you need to drink more water, wear less clothing, the summers here arent ridiculously hot so it’s ok. The winters are either really windy, cold and wet or snowy and frozen. Layers are what it’s all about. I wear thermals undermeath, hoodie, fleece/bodywarmer, gore tex outer shell, gloves, hat, scarf and waterproof socks. What bike do you ride whilst working as a messenger?
I usually ride my fixed gear but sometimes a single speed kona or geared racer.
Have you have any close calls, accidents or injures as a result of working as a messenger? I’ve had a few, one time I was hit by a bus whilst walking on the pavement cause I had a puncture and had ran out of patches, the bus must have overlapped the pavement coming round the corner! Another time a BMW pulled out on me and I ended up crashing into a wall with my arm fully extended, afterwards I couldnt straighten my arm and for most of a year it felt pretty sore, it’s ok now tho!
When was the last time you flipped the bird in anger?
Today when a taxi tried to crush me, I had to boot his door to warn him of my impending doom!
What do you eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner when working as a messenger? For breakfast usually banana on toast, or poached eggs on toast at a cafe called Where the Monkey Sleeps, for lunch prob a good sandwich and dinner something home cooked, pasta, stew, fish etc.
What’s the best thing about Glasgow?
The people and parties.
Where would you take an-out-of-town mate visiting Glasgow? I’d take them a tour about the city, maybe visit Loch Lomond, then for a good night out, Mungos HiFi at the art school or pubs and partys.
What do you get up to when you’re not working?
I like to go to festivals and parties, make stuff, build up bikes, at the moment I’m building up a good jump bike so I can do trails at the weekend.
I’ve been lazy and just finished sorting out my great memories of bike trip to Australia. I miss the weather back thereee, it is snowing here in Nagoya today, awwwww! so I would like to share some pics of my holidays to keep warm here like the sumer time…
Riding in Melbourne is great. It’s really flat and everything is close together so it is easy to ride around.
I went to see my friends there. I met these lovely messengers at CMWC Tokyo.
The funniest guys in Melbourne! Gotta see Brian & Lane if you are ever around there. They know how to throw a party. It is really great to have cool friends all over the world.
Melbourne was over 37℃, I was just about sit down in the shade of a tree… then 2 guys on bikes came up and said “Are you Brian’s friend?” I was like “Yeees…” Mmmm, I recognized him by his dread locks hair from CMWC tokyo. We didn’t know each other, he is from Dublin and Im from Nagoya but we start getting some drinks and became friends. It was just an accident that we met in Melbourne but it happens when you ride a bicycle!
For New Years Party…
Swimming in the living room!?
OMG these guys were so hilarious! They have a swimming pool in the living room, RAD!!!
Ausie BBQ
Exploring the city...
Lots of good coffee shops in Fitzroy
NUTS! tee & Love Wheels Nagoya Calendar. *Thank you*
Thanks a lot to everyone who made my trip so much fun, to all the great people I met who helped me out, put me up and showed me an awesome time. All the things made me want to move into Australia more. Im definitely coming back soon. See ya!
Hello mate! I went to travel around Sydney & Melbourne with my best friend Nikon & NISHIKI for my holidays. It is summer time there, Gotta Go now!
My biggest reason to come out to Sydney was…
Meg and Tarn
“MEET THE MEG!”
Tarn, Rie and Meg
As you can expect through the Candy Cranks blog, Meg is one of the greatest and nicest people you ever meet! I met Meg at CMWC Tokyo and became great friends. I didn’t know anyone in Sydney but thanks Meg! Candy Cranks screwed up my courage to make a lot of new friends in Sydney and all over the globe!
Meg and her partner are so kind and took me a lot of cool places. They’ve got their own work space for bikes hidden the back stage of the Sydney Theater Company, looks soo sick! I was riding my bike on the stage as an actress in front of NO audience, hehe… (Rie in Sydney by Meg)
Cross Sydney Harbor Bridge by bike
on Sydney Harbor Bridge
Emily and Rie
★Emily's Candy Cranks★
Sydney Sunday Nite Crew
Group Riding
Emily & J just found this warehouse, so D O P E...
Sydney Sunday Nite Crew
Great to see messengers working in the city!
Ausie burger is HUGE!!
I like riding in the city to explore bikes and coffee. It is the best way to feel the local culture, I think★
Bicycle leads me to meet great people. I like Japanese proverb;
一期一会(Ichigo-Ichie)： Treasure every encounter, for it will never recur.
I was so impressed that people in Australia are so nice and friendly. Also Wine, Beer and Coffee are absolutely my type of taste. I will definitely move in this year!
Thanks to Meg, Tarn, Emily, J, Sydney Sunday Crew and messengers. It was great to meet u all! Awesome time. Cheers Sydney!
Sydney | London | New York | Tokyo | Berlin | Los Angeles | Milano | Boston | Dublin | Vancouver | Amsterdam | Paris | San Francisco | Zurich | Nagoya | Singapore | Nashville | Honolulu | Shanghai | Toronto | Salt Lake City | Houston | Portland | Glasgow | Kansas | Budapest | Atlanta | Jakarta | Chicago | Seattle | Memphis
because the chain jumped i ended up heading straight into this Articulated Lorry! There was nowhere to go because the truck was so long, I remember hoping it would speed up so that i could dive under after the last set of wheels ..it didnt .. I flew into it at the rear wheel’s,, managed to push my head and torso away but the last wheel went over my foot and ankle!
taken to hospital and x-rayed but nothing was broken .. a bit squashed and tissue damage so they gave me crutches and a cast which i had on for a week, it was painful for another 2 weeks but i could use it an by the 3rd week i could ride my bike again which was amazing because i thought i was gonna be crippled all summer. I was very lucky!
(shot) …
Westcoast messengers annual event
