Japanese Steel: Classic Bicycle Design From Japan
I’m a bit of a sucker for beautiful bicycles and Rizzoli has recently published a brand new book called Japanese Steel that specifically highlights some of the best Japanese bicycle companies currently operating.
The book by William Bevington, does a wonderful balance of bringing together historical details of Japanese bicycle culture and design with the intricate details — from build, to components, and color — of each company’s unique perspective on the market.
The photographs by Scott Ryder featured in this book are all privately owned bicycles donated for the purpose of this project. The result is just a big volume of gorgeous imagery that really shows how these Japanese bicycles have held up over time. No bicycle in the book is straight off the production floor so don’t expect ultra-clean and shiny bikes (although a lot of them look that way). Instead, just be sure to note the patina on the metals and the worn-in yet lasting leather bound components.
A bicycle’s purpose is for getting from one place to another in an efficient manner. But after looking at this book, you might just reconsider the bike as an object of art rather than a strict utilitarian tool.
Pick up Japanese Steel over at Amazon today. It is currently $30 and makes a perfect holiday gift!
Pizz Bars w/ Integrated Rack
I like this bicycle front rack without connections to the fork. More photos of it here.
Why protected bike lanes are more valuable than parking spaces
I love this woman and her work.
A quick look at New York City's electric pedal-assist Citibike
This past week, NYC unveiled its first electric pedal-assist Citibikes. The new bikes look almost the same as the latest generation of Citibikes except for a small black box which you turn on to enabled pedal-assist. This will be very welcome for bridge commuters.
If you want to find one, open up your Citibike app and look for the lightning bolt icon next to docking stations. If you see one, that means at least one electric bike is available. As of now though, they are limited and you have to seek them out.
