A few guys from Utrecht, my home town, started a little company called Elian to make handcrafted and tailor-made bicycles. Beautiful elegant and simple bikes, made to last, and more important, made to survive the dutch circumstances of the weather and intense use. All the frames are completely build up by hand and have their unique number. [ Continue reading ]

Last month, a new outdoor light festival named Lumiere London debuted in England's capital. For us the undisputed highlight of the 4 day event was the impressive 'Spectra-3' installation created by London-based creative studio FIELD: a 3 meter tall sculpture surrounded by animated lights and spatialized sound. Based around a mirror disc moving on two axes, the 'Spectra-3' created a choreography of movement, light and sound, and illuminates its surroundings with dancing reflections. In the words of FIELD: the project celebrates humanity’s inexhaustible optimism to advance technology, all with the aim of understanding our place in the universe. Although, regularly criticized for its reliance on style over substance, there's an undeniable intrinsic quality in the practice of creating technology based aesthetic projects which we really appreciate. Obviously, even the greatest cynic can't deny the inherently (positive) constructive quality of the field, having strong roots in the modern times we live in. Being one of the most elegant creations in its genre 'Spectra-3' is in our eyes not just a highly eye pleasing piece, but also a relevant frame to contemplate todays ever-growing reliance on technology and its quality to stimulate self-reflection. [ Continue reading ]

On the 17th of November, London-based The Redfern Gallery opened the third solo exhibition by one of our favorite contemporary British painters, Danny Fox. The new work of the self-taught St. Ives-born and London-based artist has moved on to become less calligraphic, more solid, but maintaining his signature fluidity. The inspiration for Danny's paintings continues to have strong roots in the heritage of the European Masters, where the subject matter still is the artist's unique non-sentimental vision of cowboys, indians, strippers, cavalryman and those (like himself) who like to drink more than they should. The color palette is as punchy as before, applied more solid compared to his older eclectic works, still grabbing one's gaze by the horns and sucking it into the little narratives they portray. With Danny's star rising in the art world, part of the new works were created through new friends like painter Patrick Heron, who invited him to stay in his old St. Ives studio and a period in Los Angeles, in which he always maintained his fast paced production of some of the most exciting work being created today. [ Continue reading ]

New York-based ISAORA recently released their first-ever Rainwear collection and we really love it. The collection is completely waterproof, though not resistant, and features three pieces that clearly represent ISAORA's guiding principles. Made in Portugal, the collection includes an amazing Mac Coat in black and bone color, a black Sportcoat and a Wetworker Tech 3L Field Jacket also in black and bone. By applying precision ultrasonic welding to fabrics from their technical apparel, ISAORA was able to eliminate their reliance on stitching, perforations, and taped seams during production. This technique yielded a rainwear collection that embodies the intersection between all- season wearability, emphatic minimalism, and leading-edge performance. Each piece features 100% 3L technical nylon from Japan, ultrasonic welding construction, ventilated eyelets under the arm and YKK Aquaguard zippers, creating completely waterproof garments that can be worn throughout the year, without compromising on its beautiful design. [ Continue reading ]

We are very proud to have had a part in the creation of this remarkable project: Minute, a fast, powerful, compact and maneuverable bike for the city. A mini commuter with remarkable small wheels and a durable steel frame. Based on the idea of the Mini Velo, a popular choice in large Asian urban areas, Minute is the ultimate city bike made to last a lifetime. Minute is the first non-custom bike produced by Behave Bicycles, a small Dutch company with big ambitions. The brains and the craft behind the company and therefore Minute is Elian Veltman, a young talented, yet very experienced designer, best known for his handmade custom bikes and acclaimed Cargo bike. Elian is not afraid to opt for alternative solutions in the service of the outcome, which is exemplified in his creation of Minute. [ Continue reading ]

A while back I featured my own custom Eliancycles road bike here on Another Something. Since then, Elian worked on the bike he'd build more than two years ago, fine-tuning and re-engineering the frame and tech, resulting in the first two-wheeled bike that steers without a front fork.
From the first time Elian showed me this bike I was stoked. A cargo bike with race allure feels like something people really need, especially when it looks good. [ Continue reading ]

Yesterday a new Dutch magazine was launched called Soigneur, a stylish and beautifully made magazine dedicated to road cycling. Documenting the love for cycling and the world around in interviews, photo reports, and background stories the magazine is a welcome alternative to the boring industry magazines. Featured in this… [ Continue reading ]

When I started road cycling a few years back I bought a simple bike, just to see if this was the thing I wanted to do. After the first km's it felt like I was built for it! When I met Elian, a dutch craftsman building some amazing bicycles, a year ago, I instantly wanted a bike from him as my 'official' road bike. We did a little tour together with The Village from Utrecht to Antwerp and back, supported by Rapha, joint by Ajanaku a.o. and I got infected with the custom bicycle virus... We sat down, talked about steel frames, details, colors, old vs new techniques and we drew the first outlines of my new bike. More then 6 months later it is here, and it was so much worth the wait! [ Continue reading ]

Days away from riding my new custom build bike by Elian Cycles (later more on that) I found these images shot for the first issue of Curves Magazine. The magazine is dedicated to Route des Grandes Alpes. A route through the Alps to the Mediterranean, crossing 16 high… [ Continue reading ]

While waiting for my new bike being build by Elian, making plans for La Marmotte and first rides on my new bike on the Vesuvius this november, Rapha comes in at the right moment again. A whole new range of autumn and winter ware featuring exciting… [ Continue reading ]

After a lovely week in the south of France I’m back. We’ve enjoyed the wine, the weather but sadly enough not the hills on my bike. A broken rear dropout kept me from climbing the hills, which was too bad, especially since Rapha supported us with some really… [ Continue reading ]

We’re back! After a bike ride of more than 250 km, from Utrecht to Antwerp and back, we all arrived safe at The Village coffee & music. I wanted to thank everybody for supporting us along the way! On first hand Rapha for the… [ Continue reading ]

On this early day in spring, with the first beams of sunlight on our face, we started of in Utrecht (the Netherlands) with a group of 10 friends. Bike builders, barista’s, bloggers and likes, on hand made bicycles from Elian Cycles. Now… [ Continue reading ]

On Saturday, March 12th, we will hit the road with eight friends to make a journey from Utrecht to Antwerp on the handmade bikes from Elian, to return the next day with fresh roasted coffee beans for the new espresso bar, The Village Coffee… [ Continue reading ]