Tag: Bikes

Bespoke: The Handbuilt Bicycle Goes MAD

The Museum of Art and Design's The Handbuilt Bicycle

Want to browse some bikes that you likely won’t be seeing anytime soon at your local shop? The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York City has an exhibit running through the middle of August, which shows off the designs of six internationally renowned bicycle builders. The Handbuilt Bicycle showcases bikes that took weeks, and even months of skilled workmanship to build. Each bike of course bears the builder’s unique signature in design while showcasing their personalities through the choice of materials, forms and techniques.

The frames are metal, but these works of art show off the individual craft with graphics and other artifacts. Michael Manaram, owner of a textile company and an avid bike collector, along with Sacha White of Vanilla Bicycles of Portland, Oregon, organized the exhibit, which includes 21 bikes that were completely hand-built.

The bikes include fixed-gear, road racing, cyclocross, mountain and even commuter bikes, as well as a stripped-down randonneur, which was designed exclusively for long-distance racing. The exhibition includes bikes from Mike Flanigan of Alternative Needs Transportation (A.N.T.), Jeff Jones of Jeff Jones Custom Bicycles, Dario Pegoretti of Pegoretti Cicli, Richard Sachs of Richard Sachs Cycles, J. Peter Weigle of J. Peter Weigle Cycles and Sacha White of Vanilla Bicycles.

Museum of Arts and Design: The Handbuilt Bicycle

Tired Old Tires Turned in Bike Stands

If you have a high-end bike, then you probably have that sense of dread when having to use the typical a bike rack. There is the worry of scratching the frame’s paint or decal, and the fact that the wheel-in-first racks are designed for bikes from decades ago. Even the general “metal” loops are poorly designed to allow for adequate positioning, as there just isn’t enough space to lean the bike.

A Wellington, New Zealand firm may have the answer, and it is one that solves another problem in the process. Duncan Forbes and Matt Hammond of Bikerakk have created a cycle stand that has a solid steel core frame but has a softer outer layer made of recycled car tires. And to encourage businesses to adopt these stands, the rack is in the shape of a bicycle, allowing the rear wheel to be a glass disc that can light up at night for advertising and signage.

So far the Bikerakk is only available in central Wellington, but the company hopes to eventually get the stands throughout the island nation. Maybe it will catch on, as it is a great use of recycled tires and provides a bit of padding. Plus it could be just the thing to remind people that two wheels make a good way to get around.