It occurred to the clever folks at Elevengear that it would be very cool to be able to re-use these symbols of significant effort for a new and noble purpose. After several iterations they’ve come up with the “Race Number Cap”.

It takes five numbers to make a cap – five less numbers that will end up in the landfill. Send them your numbers and they’ll stitch up a memento that will look better on your head than tacked to the wall above your workbench. For more information about ordering click here.

Don’t forget, Friday is National Bike to Work Day. See you on the road!

For more 2-wheeled inspiration click here.

When speaking about creating the shoe Straffon claims, “Working on the Rapha Grand Tour shoe was a daunting task. The decoupage needed to sit well with the company ethos. It also had to exist as an embellishment to the already apparent ‘beauty’ of the raw object, and not speak a different aesthetic language. In addition, much trepidation arose when my usual working method introduced resin-coated sanding papers to fine Yak leather. Not a moment for the faint-hearted. Grand Tour was a journey in itself.”

Straffon chose his images carefully. One flank features the line-up of the very first ‘Grand Départ’ in 1903, outside the Café Reveil-Matin, Montgeron, France. Eventual inaugural Tour de France winner Maurice Garin can be seen poised at the far right. The fated 1967 Tour is also honoured, with reference to Stage 13, Marseille to Carpentras, where Tom Simpson died the slopes of the Ventoux. Barry Hoban’s consequent Stage 14 victory is also represented. Merckx, Rivière, and Géminiani are also featured in the subtle interlocking of images.

Straffon has also collaged shoes donated by cycling stars David Millar and Bradley Wiggins. The shoes will be part of a solo exhibit of Straffon’s cycling based works LE TOUR – from maillot jaune to lanterne rouge opening June 30^th at Snap Galleries in London.

David Millar’s re-envisioned shoe

Bradley Wiggin’s wonderfully modified shoe

Via: Road.cc

For more cycling inspiration click here.

The unusually early arrival of spring has me disoriented. I’ve been straddling two seasons – skiing and cycling. On one hand I’ve been hanging onto the snow, and with the other thinking how nice it is to ride in shorts!

Snow will win out as I’m off to the Alps for a ski tour in a couple of weeks. Getting gear together for trips and getting work squared away before departing is always madness. I suspect that I won’t be very regular about posting for the next few weeks! And hopefully you’re off someplace nice for a spring break too!

Above Luxembourger and astounding climber, Charly Gaul climbs a snowbank lined and muddy road at the 1957 Giro d’Italia. He was called “The Angel of the Mountains”.

From: Cycling’s Golden Age; Heros of the Post War Era 1946-1967

Spotted at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show by BikeRadar.com.

For more 2-wheeled inspiration click here.

According to Ginther’s website her techniques for carving leather seats are quite straight forward. She only uses world renowned Brooks saddles. First she traces her design by hand and then embosses it with an awl into the surface of the saddle. She then carves away super thin slices of the outer layer to achieve a light and dark contrast. Some of her designs are hand colored. The carving doesn’t hamper the integrity of the saddle – it only enhances it.

She welcomes custom designs and her prices depend on the size,  complexity and content of the design.  Text, for example, is much more difficult that an organic pattern and is more expensive. Custom saddles range in price from $99 to $400 – that’s after you provide the saddle. When you’re splurging on a handmade custom titanium and carbon bike, what’s another couple hundred bucks for a really special saddle? Tally-ho!

If you’re not into cycling, she also custom carves Dansko clogs! Visit her etsy store here.

For more 2-wheeled inspiration click here 

“Like” Poppy Gall on facebook here.

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© Ann Howard 2011

It appears that from the 1950’s onward she competed in Endurance and Speed competitions, but was barred from competing at higher level Club or GP racing because she was a woman.

I find it especially interesting that Goldmann designed her own motorcycle racing leathers. Apparently she worked with German leather riding gear manufacturer Harro in designing her custom riding gear. I’m presuming there wasn’t much in the way of motorcycling gear available for women in the 50’s so she helped create her own.

The custom summer one-piece riding suit she designed had a distinctive diagonal zipper starting at the neck and angling across her upper torso. A look that is certainly current today in women’s fashion. Harro went on to manufacture her designs for public consumption.

In winter her jacket featured a wide multi-buckled belt, too large to be merely a kidney belt. Perhaps it helped keep her warm in cold temperatures. Her winter riding suit was significantly bulkier and larger than her svelte summer cat-suit, and clearly accommodated woolen under layers.

After her closest friend died in a riding accident, Anke-Eve Goldmann seems to have given up motorcycles altogether, and began to travel with a backpack to remote Asian locations. Traveling alone, she trekked through Burma, the Sunda Islands, Vietnam, and Cambodia, not many years after the conflicts there had ended. More of her story at The Vintagent.

More Photos

You might also like to read about globe-circling motorcyclist Elspeth Beard

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I don’t know the origins of this picture, whether it is an actual miniature frame with components, perhaps being held by the maestro himself, or just a very clever Photoshop job. I’m not actually even sure it is a Masi since I can’t quite read the lettering on the down tube, My quick google search to learn more left me empty handed. If anyone can shed any light on this photo, please let me know!

You might also like Vintage Cycling Toys

(Greg and Joop are also available)

For more Two-wheeled inspiration click here.

This was not the case with the women’s cycling kits I designed for a fundraiser for Stowe Unfunded Sports. Project coordinator Pascale Savard and I started working on the jersey and short concepts in late May and they were delivered at the beginning of August. That’s super fast in my world!

The design direction demanded that the kit be feminine, sporty and somewhat retro – but NOT “girly”. Pascale is in love with Pantone 293, so that is the blue color we chose for the main body. I used a lot of white, making the kit both visible and feminine. 70’s cycling jerseys inspired the striping and makes for a clean look. The big Stowe logo adds an identifiable and retro touch. My biggest challenge was balancing the placement and colors of the sponsor’s logos on the jersey side panels, sleeves and back pockets.

Proceeds from the sales will go to help fund cross-country running, Nordic skiing, golf and the alpine ski teams in the Stowe schools. Kits are available while they last at H.E. Shaw’s General Store in Stowe, Vermont.

To become an interactive part of Poppy Gall Design Studio on facebook click here.