As I've mentioned before, one of my favorite things about Europe was the bikes. Not only did I like the fact that they rode them everywhere instead of driving, but the bikes themselves were awesome.
Here in Newport there are 3 major trends in bikes:
The road bikes for all the men who take cycling extremely seriously. You can usually spot these men on saturday mornings racing down PCH or going out towards Irvine.
Then there's a new breed of bikers; Hipster kids on their fixed gear bikes (aka "fixies") with their cut off jeans and slouchy beanies heading to a local coffee shop to discuss global poverty and the great influence our generation can have on the world.
And finally the beach cruisers for basically everyone else. This group typically consists of adolescent boys and girls riding back from the beach talking on their cell phones, barefoot and helmetless, in nothing but their bathing suits. Real safe, guys.
And because I take issue with something in each one of these peoples, I was floored when I got to Amsterdam and realized that I could stop the lifelong search. I had found what bike group to which I belong! Everywhere I looked, sharp dressed men and women rode with wicker baskets full of flowers to the market, or work, or the park or even to drop their kids off at school. I stopped in my tracks when I saw this girl ride down the cobblestone street with her pup accompanying her on the ride to Whereversville. So chic, I want to die. The bikes they ride are also pretty neat too; An awesome mix between a street bike and a cruiser, they have a simple, handsome look to them that I'd never seen before.
Ever since I've been back, there have been a few internet treasure hunts, but I've never been able to really find exactly what I'm looking for. Until now. The other day, I stumbled upon a European company called Velorbis that makes high end bikes.
Um, HELLO!?! I want this ad to be my life.
Small problem. Their bikes retail for over a thousand dollars.......hmmm......
I think the only way I could swing that one would be to combine this into my birthday and christmas gifts for the next 5 years or so. Not happening.
I guess I'll just have to dream.
Jujie -- ok, they are so cool . . .
ReplyDeletecheck out these sites: http://bessermachendesignstudio.blogspot.com/
http://www.long-john.com/lonjon1.JPG
The first one is just a cool blog that I think you'd like. The second is actually a picture of a bike called the long-john . . .another option for the not-traditional-loving-looking-for-something-unique-in-a-bicycle crowd.
You make me smile (inside too).