Slow → articles tagged with cycling

The Miti factory by Gavin Karl Campbell

In 2012 Rapha initiated this inspiring factory visit to Italian knitting company Manifattura Italiana Tessuti Indemagliabili or in short Miti shot by the talented English photographer Gavin Karl Campbell. Miti has been an innovator in the knitting industry since its foundation in 1931 and is located in the Northern Italian town of Urgnano, not far from Bergamo. The first and foremost innovation made by the company was the nationwide introduction of wrap knitting techniques, which allows for the construction of durable and stretchy fabrics, introduced by founder Vincenzo Polli through his fascination with the technology and his decision to acquire the German-made machines which would carry it out; establishing Italy’s premier fabric mill. Today the raw fabric is milled six hours away in Hungary, near the border with Slovenia, close enough to monitor total consistency in the highest possible quality after which processing, dyeing and finishing takes place in Urgnano by this major supplier for almost all the cycling brands. [ Continue reading ]

Kings of Pain

At the very start of Rapha, in 2004, they initiated the beautiful 'Kings of Pain' exhibition in the Old Truman Brewery, on London’s Brick Lane, which featured a collection of photography and memorabilia devoted to six iconic riders. Riders who epitomize the key elements which make the sport of road cycling so beautiful. Their stories and images of exploits have come to define road cycling. The original Kings of Pain: Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Tom Simpson, Fausto Coppi, Raymond Poulidor and Bernard Hinault, remain, a distillation of road racing’s most celebrated qualities. They embody the glory, suffering and drama of the sport, and their unmistakable styles defined their respective eras. Now, ten years later a capsule collection has been created in honor of the original Kings of Pain, and everyone who has and still does enjoy the, sometimes painful, ride with Rapha during the past decade. [ Continue reading ]

The Rapha Continental — Hidden Europe: Holland

The Rapha Continental project began in 2007 with the clear ambition to explore the road less travelled, discovering the things you only find out when cycling the open road. That sense of camaraderie which comes from sharing the effort and the adventure of meeting new places and people along the way has been the key motivation for a string of beautiful rides through the years. Last year it brought a group of riders to the Dutch shoreside called Hoek van Holland, in weather conditions making it a rather typical ride for our little country. Wind, rain, followed by some sun and always those returning threatening packs of grey clouds. Typical Dutch circumstances, and therefore contrary to many other countries, stopping very few Dutchmen and -woman from actually getting on a bicycle when it is needed. This culture of dealing with nature despite its hardships was also translated to a beautiful iconic poem written in 1936 by Hendrik Marsman named  'Remembrance of Holland,' which inspired the whole feel of the The Rapha Continental — Hidden Europe: Holland, resulting in a beautiful film by  e r t z u i ° film serving the spectator a ride ones loves to hate. [ Continue reading ]

Cy-collage

'Cy-collage' was the great pop up exhibition by the London-based collective Colectivo Futuro during last Spin London. Housed inside the iconic Old Truman Brewery building on Brick Lane, the exhibition featured works from both International and local, London-based, artists, most of which had been previously featured in the inspirational colectivo futurist series on their online platform. Each artist was commissioned to interpret cycling through the use of collage as a technique. In the eyes of Colectivo Futuro, like the act of cycling, a collage piece is made up of carefully assembled parts that harmoniously fit together to achieve their purpose, which resulted in beautiful raw works with a somewhat punk aesthetic. The unique and limited pieces by the artists are from now on for sale through Colectivo Futuro's webstore. [ Continue reading ]

The Ghoda Cycle Project

Recently the fascinating 'The Ghoda Cycle Project' was brought to our attention. The project is a visual document of the myriad avatars of bicycles in the rural and urban landscape of India by Mumbai-based illustrator Sameer Kulavoor, who works under the name Bombay Duck Designs. The linchpin of 'The Ghoda Cycle Project' is to lay emphasis on the framework, structure, decoration and design of the cycles of India. Ergonomically these cycles may not be the best examples of bicycle design, but they have the strength to carry the hopes and aspirations of a big section of the Indian population. No wonder they are called ghoda, which translates to sturdy or durable, cycles. In India basic necessities like cooking gas, milk, bread, newspapers and tiffin are delivered to people's homes on a cycle. And next to this activity, there are the mobile cycle shops that sell, among other things, tea, vegetables, waist-belts, ice-creams, SIM-cards and so on. Bicycles in India are truly multifunctional beyond Western imagination, which is caught perfectly by Kulavoor. [ Continue reading ]

Rapha City Spring/Summer 2014

We really like the recently released City collection of Rapha, with its beautiful lookbook shot in Mediterranean Barcelona. This season is the premiere of a new Italian-milled fabric, more breathable and faster drying, for the Long and Short Sleeve Shirts, and the addition of the Randonnée Shorts, technical and lightweight for city riding in hot and humid conditions. Overall spoken; there are new garments, colors, and redesigns across the Women’s and Men's collections, and updates to luggage and accessories. Barcelona with its gothic splendor, beautiful beaches and Mediterranean vibes proved to be the perfect backdrop for the collection that goes way beyond just cycling wear. Some of the beautiful places the riders are caught for the lookbook are the beautiful neighborhoods El Raval, El Barri Gotic, L’Eixample and Gràcia, and at the former Olympic village; the Piscina Municipal de Montjuïc, Jardí Botànic and the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. [ Continue reading ]

Machine for Riding

This amazing video by Christopher Kippenberger for German bicycle producer VANDEYK catches the sentiment of solitary cycling on a snowy day perfectly. Named after VANDEYK's top of the line carbon fibre road bike collection; 'Machine for Riding' captures the almost spiritual cyclist moments when the sole rider, the wide landscape and trustworthy bicycle hybridize into perfect unity. With a minimalistic 'code' at the core of the design concept, this particular bicycle collection of VANDEYK patronizes the optimal alliance of man and high-performance machinery. The Machine for Riding bicycles were engineered by Formula 1 proven engineer Ralf Brand and fully manufactured in Germany by ax-lightness, making it an amazing product of the finest in carbon fibre technology. The clear goal for the Machine for Riding was to create perfect balance between rider and road, which was immaculately intepretated by Kippenberger. [ Continue reading ]

Rapha Spring/Summer 2014

The Cévennes, a range of mountains that are part of the Massif Central, in the South of France was this year the backdrop for the beautiful lookbook of Rapha's Spring/Summer 2014 collection. Rapha traveled to the Cévennes for the first time already in 2004. Not surprisingly so, as the area is forever connected to cycling as it is also the setting of Tim Krabbé’s 1978 cult road racing novel 'The Rider'. At that time, in 2004, two riders and a photographer shot the first ever Rapha products along the route of the book’s ‘Tour de Mont Aigoual’, a mythical race upon which the narrative is set. In this remote part of France the terrain is beautifully rough. Desolate gorges, empty roads, steep climbs, wild scenery and windswept plateaus. 'The Rider' is one of the finest books written on the sport of cycling, rooting very close to the fundament Rapha was founded on. This year the brand returned to the almost mystical area, this time with nine riders and the same excellent photographer, Ben Ingham, to shoot the latest seasonal collection and celebrate 10 years of Rapha. [ Continue reading ]

Minute

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 ]

AETHERfocus presents Argonaut Cycles

We really like the latest endeavor by one of our favorite outdoor label, Los Angeles-based Aether Apparel. Last December, as an enhancement to their online Journal, they introduced AETHERfocus. The new project is a video series that showcases individuals and companies that inspire the people at Aether. The very first episode focusses on Ben Farver of Argonaut Cycles. This company offers custom-built carbon frames, designed and manufactured entirely in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Each of their bikes are handcrafted using an innovative construction process for a completely tailored riding experience. The company is driven by a sincere passion for the sport of cycling, striving to make the best, because they want to ride the best. [ Continue reading ]

Moulton Bicycles Company

We love this video portraying the high level of craftsmanship one finds at the workshop of the Bradford on Avon-based Moulton Bicycles Company filmed by WellPlastic Films. Moulton Bicycles' founder, Alexander Moulton, is known as the pioneer of the small wheeled bicycle revolution which took place in 1962. All of today's small wheeled cycles owe a debt of gratitude to the original Moulton 'F' frame design, which not only introduced and proved the concept of full-size bicycles with small wheels, it was also the first frame that utilized front and rear suspension systems for improved comfort and performance. The Moulton bicycle has been developed and refined constantly ever since, and is seen as one of the finest bicycles being produced all over the world. [ Continue reading ]

Rapha Cycle Club New York

As we are in New York City at this moment we are lucky enough to just have visited the recently opened Rapha Cycle Club New York, which opened its doors within the heart of the meatpacking district last September. Following the success of the first permanent Rapha Cycle Club which opened last year in London’s Soho, and the recently completed club in Sydney, the New York Cycle Club was once again beautifully designed by British agency Brinkworth. [ Continue reading ]

Rapha Cycle Club Tokyo

We are very sorry not to have been in Tokyo during the last Tour the France as we would have loved to visit the Rapha Cycle Club Tokyo which was located in the Calm & Punk Gallery for the whole period of the race. For Le Centième Rapha erupted an impressive store, (coffee-)bar and meeting place for lovers of the Tour and cycling in general from Tokyo and beyond. [ Continue reading ]

Between Cities by Yorit Kluitman

Two years ago Dutch designer and photographer Yorit Kluitman jumped on his bike with one major goal in mind: To cross all the 418 Dutch municipalities in 3 years. A journey called 'Tussen Steden' (Between Cities) crossing cities, villages, hamlets and enjoying the open space left between them. Kluitman's motive is his fascination for this, from a bicycle riders perspective very well seen, organised structure of space and seemingly two-dimensional world surrounding the urban areas of Holland. [ Continue reading ]

The Peloton by Timm Kölln

With the hundredth edition of the Tour just finished it's the perfect time to visit the exhibition of Timm Kölln's The Peloton at the Fotopioniere gallery in Berlin. For The Peloton, Kölln started in 2005 traveling all over Europe attending every major race on the UCI calendar to photograph the entire professional peloton and capture their images just moments after crossing the finish-line. The results are highly impressive and insightful black and white portraits of all the major (and less famous) professional riders of the period, which were published in book-form by Rouleur in October 2010. [ Continue reading ]

Single Speed Basel

When we visited Basel World last April we came across a wonderful store founded in 2010 by Michael Seelinger called Single Speed. The store excels in it's curation of bicycles, a broad spectrum of bicycles-accesoires and at the same time a significant selection of fashion. The bicycles (related) selection with a specific classic aesthetic determines the major part of the store, but a third of the 100 square meters of the retail space is dedicated to fashion. [ Continue reading ]

Rapha’s summer

2013 will be a very good year for our friends at Rapha. It started magnificent in January with the news that they will outfit Bradley Wiggins' Team Sky. And now they released, in their persistent elegant aesthetic fashion, a very appealing Training & Racing range for Spring/Summer 2013. Backdrop for this season's range is Corsica, the island hosting the Grand Départ of the Tour de France for the first time this summer with the event celebrating it's 100th edition. Corsica is the most mountainous island in the Mediterranean, and the last of the 27 ‘régions’ of France to be included in the Tour.  [ Continue reading ]

For Thousands of Miles

In For Thousands of Miles film maker Mike Ambs shares the story of a young man’s 6700 kilometer bicycle ride across the Northern United States. Larry McKurtis, at the age of 26, left for the Atlantic ocean, leaving behind the small town he had always known, in search of new experiences. A familiar story mostly ending as a life changing experience for the subject as the people he or she encountered. For Thousands of Miles tells a different story though.  [ Continue reading ]

The Cargobike

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 ]

Soigneur No 2

Yesterday Soigneur released its second issue. Another great magazine jam-packed with inspirational stories, lovely portraits and features on the highly needed products all for the love of road cycling. I was invited by Soigneur and Rapha to join them on the road less travelled… [ Continue reading ]

Team Rwanda

We love the wonderful initiative called Team Rwanda. In the East-African country Rwanda, most famous for the civil war and genocide of 1994, people living in rural areas tend to spend their lives within a day’s walking distance of their homes. And as cars are too expensive, the bicycle is the most common form of mechanized transport. Where in countries like the USA children look forward to owning a car, in Rwanda children dream of having a bicycle. [ Continue reading ]

Gage + DeSoto

Recently we were introduced to the New York based Gage + DeSoto, a project in which founder Mike Spriggs combines his profound love (shared by me) of books and cycling. Mike, also a former collaborator with Rapha for the New York Cycle Club, recently opened a small storefront in Brooklyn which is open in the weekends and is doing business online around the clock. Gage + DeSoto has a wonderful bike related collection consisting of magazines, books, notebooks and prints, but also has t-shirts, cycling shirts, cycling hats and helmets and all kinds of accessories which you can use on and with your bike. [ Continue reading ]

Bohemia

While on a short holiday in the Belgium Ardennes, sharing my time with the family and enjoying the hills on my bike, Rapha released a new Continental film: Bohemia. Invited by Soigneur and Rapha Europe we traveled all the way to the very north of the Czech Republic, a region called the Bohemian Switzerland, and had a wonderful weekend chasing the guys on the bike. This time, I didn't brought my bike (Next time I definitely will) but focused on an article for Soigneur, the new dutch cycling magazine (later more on that). [ Continue reading ]