Man in a meeting
Posted by Benedicte | Filed under Brussels
Man in a meeting, supported by his Brompton in a tough negociation. I’m sure he won the discussion!
Fall in love… with your bicycle
Posted by Benedicte | Filed under Brussels, stories, traffic light
“Memories of the times we’d had together came back to me incontinently. Me and her together on the ferry to the Orkney Islands, then pedalling across the Orkney mainland to attend a funeral. Me and her flying into Bristol airport together then scooting across the Clifton suspension bridge and down into town. Me and her scooting down to Waterloo, hopping on the Eurostar, then scooting across Paris from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de Lyon, then taking the train to Provence.”
No, this isn’t about a man and a women going on romantic trips, but about a man, Will Self and his Brompton! I found this love story on the website of a passionate bicycle shop owner, Werner Van den Mooter. Werner loves customized bicycles, adapted to every client’s needs and oh yes, he also loves his Brompton!
I wanted to investigate this Brompton-love phenomenon further. And I happened to be standing at the red lights with Brompton rider Vessalina. She’s been riding it for four years now, and she’s mostly in love with the practical aspects of the bike. You can take it anywhere! She ordered one in her favourite colors, showing the band between her and her bicycle. Lana, here below, did not hesitate one minute either: both ladies affirmed they love their Bromptons!
I continued my search a bit more on the internet, discovering that Brompton-owners are called Bromptonians. I read things like ‘wherever I go, it goes‘ saw a ‘brompton sunrise‘ and found out there is an international Brompton World Championship, also organised in Belgium, Antwerp for the first time in 2012. It seems to me that one could almost write a phd about the Brompton mania!
Lets conclude with Will Self trying to explain his feelings: “It was love at first sight – the first time I saw a Brompton folding bicycle, I fell in love with it. All right, perhaps this is an exaggeration on all fronts: it wasn’t the first time I’d seen one, but the first time I’d really noticed it – or her. And it was not so much love – an emotion, I concede, that unless you’re seriously perverted, only truly exists between sentient beings – as a kind of lusty covetousness; but, you can take it from me, it was a very strong feeling, and one that has only increased over the years I’ve either had a Brompton between my thighs, or hefted one in my arms.”
Tags: bicycle love, Brompton
Toon me je fiets, en ik zeg je wie je bent
Posted by Stefan | Filed under Ghent
Cycle Chic gaat in de eerste plaats over de mensen op de fiets, en niet over de fiets zelf.
Anderzijds is het zo dat de fiets in de hedendaagse mode- en lifestylecultuur steeds vaker als een heus accessoire wordt uitgespeeld en gehanteerd. De fiets als verlengde van je persoonlijkheid, een nieuwe manier om jezelf uit te drukken en jouw levensstijl te etaleren.
Net daarom vonden we de foto die Edwin Vanderstichele ons bezorgde heel interessant. Er staan geen mensen op, maar wel twee fietsen. Bovendien zijn het twee fietsen die je niet zomaar even snel koopt, om praktische redenen, denken wij dan. Een Brompton en een Achielle.
We keken naar de foto; fietsen zonder mensen. En het duurde dan ook niet lang voor we ons begonnen af te vragen wie de eigenaars waren van deze fietsen. Fantaseren en verbeelden. Verraden fietsen echt persoonlijkheden? Wie is zij, en wie is hij? Hoe kleden ze zich? Waar eten ze uit? Wat doen ze van werk?
Toon me je fiets, en ik zeg je wie je bent. Zou het kloppen?
foto: Edwin Vanderstichele
Tags: Achielle, Brompton, gent, Ghent
Sigur Ros & Brompton
Posted by Stefan | Filed under abroad, video
Here’s a silly little gem I found on youtube: Sigur Ros having a bit of typical tour fun with some Brompton folding bikes in Montreal, Canada.
Gotta love Sigur Ros. Yep.
Tags: Brompton, folding bike, Montreal, music, Sigur Ros, video
