Cycling isn’t all about moving from point A to point B and My Cool Bike makes that point very well. There’s a lot more to the cycling world than new product launches, says its author who goes on to cover local inventions that fill individual needs.
My Cool Bike: An Inspirational Guide to Bikes and Bike Culture By Chris Haddon Pavilion Books, hardback, 160pp ISBN: 9-781862-059610 Available at Asia Books, 695 baht
The book is divided into four parts, each comprising several reports on related subject matter.
“Bringing Together” covers cycling communities from around the world. Members of the Classic Riders Club in New York, who are passionate about the classic form of the Schwinn Cruiser, regularly meet for cycling expeditions across that city. The Bicycle Library in London is the brainchild of Karta Healy; you can borrow a bicycle from his extensive stock to explore the UK capital.
The “Because I Can” section shines the spotlight on incredible personalities in the cycling world, including Tommy Godwin, a double bronze-medal-winning cyclist in the 1948 Olympics, and Joff Summerfield, who rode from England to Amsterdam on a pre-WWII bicycle and later on a penny-farthing bicycle all the way to Budapest, before ending up cycling around the world.
In “The Mavericks” we learn that what we think of as a two-wheeled vehicle can take very different forms, depending on the circumstances and individual creativity. A Dutch inventor named Toon “suffered a broken collarbone after plunging head over heels on his penny-farthing,” according to Haddon, who goes on to explain that Toon’s passion for this proto-bicycle arose from its mechanical inventiveness which resulted in Toon later devising an extraordinary version of the penny-farthing for his personal use.
Finally, a section called “Making a Difference” shows how the bicycle has encouraged people to look at things from a different perspective and to help less fortunate individuals living in other parts of the world. Since 1998, almost 42,000 used bicycles have been shipped to needy communities in Africa, including in Congo, Ghana and Gambia. In Amsterdam, a quartet called the Bakfiets Band came up with a cunning way to perform music on the street, bypassing city regulations on stationary public performances of music by converting their cargo bike into a mobile stage.
In the United Kingdom, Pashley Guvnor appreciators arrange year-round cycling activities that usually involve a pint or two of ale along the way.
Bicycle-shop owner Peter Horstmann has bypassed the more traditional approach to advertising by emblazoning his shop’s facade with scrap bicycles. They currently number in excess of 100.
The “bike band” is an idea dreamed up by members of the Bakfeits quartet to bypass Amsterdam regulations on public performances of music.
Dandy 911 is an “emergency delivery service” created by Fine and Dandy, the New York City men’s accessories store.
Almost 42,000 used bikes have been shipped to needy communities in Africa since 1998 as part of a recycling project.
Dutch inventor Toon’s love affair with the penny-farthing was sparked by the mechanical inventiveness of that format.
The Classic Riders Club and their Schwinn cruisers in New York.
The Raleigh Explorer is a classic 1950s roadster that was built for durability and the bare minimum of maintenance.
The Penny-Farthing Post.
