Sunday, March 22, 2015

Inspiration from a Townie


Sonja posted up photos of her Quest for Spring, but it was her Townie bicycle that inspired me to take my Electra Deluxe Relic 3i out for a bicycle ride today. Thanks Sonja!

I love the older style bikes and follow Rat Rod Bikes with admiration for the work these fabricators do and share.

So I thought I'd strip off the modern reflectors, forgo the helmet and go get some photos of my ride with the idea of making a modern bike look old timey. It helps to have an old timey university nearby.

















I love this bike, it reminds me of the bike my dad had and how he would take us for rides on as kids.

A simpler time.... a simpler time.









11 comments:

  1. Holy cow! Some of those projects over on Rat Rod Bikes are simply awesome. I love to see when folks not only restore older equipment like that, but redefine it a bit: A tweak here, a slight bend there, and an old bike becomes a still-functional work of modernized art.

    A few years back I happened upon Derringer Cycles' website (you might already be aware of them). Were I in need of a motorbike--which I most certainly am not--but if I were looking for a new commuter for the city streets, I'd surely be tempted to take a closer look at one of those.

    (BTW: In no way am I affiliated with, or invested in, Derringer Cycles.)

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    1. Aren't those Rat Rod bikes cool? I checked out Derringer Cycles on your recommendation, very nice electric bikes with retro styling.

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  2. Beautiful pics! I gave a Townie too! Unfortunately mine has been gathering dust for a bit and I think I'll be dusting it off and going for a spin. I love the retro styling it's comfortable.

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    1. Post photos when you do. I considered posting a blog challenge to encourage everyone to get their bicycles out, but I thought I'd wait until the weather back East was better.

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  3. Glad to be of service, Brad. ;-) It's good to see another beach cruiser out there. The bike looks smashing. And they are darn photogenic, aren't they? Easy to put a vintage look into the picture, eh? Hope to see it out and about more often on this precious thing.

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    1. I'll ride it much more often now that it is down from the garage rafters and parked beside the mountain bikes. More photos coming this summer, the same goes for you too. :)

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  4. To think that we threw bikes like these away not that long because no one cared....it IS nice to see the old and classic-looking machines being ridden like they're supposed to be.

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    1. Noooooo, don't throw old bikes away, they're fetching hundreds of dollars on Craigslist, ebay, and at local bike swaps. Although mine is a new model, I do peruse CL regularly looking for that orange Schwinn/Sears Stingray type I had as a kid.

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  5. Nice showing of your bike ... thanks for waiting for the snow to clear here in the east before you throw the gauntlet!

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  6. The possibilities of digital photography are well illustrated. Bicycles for me are te openers for the show, the warm up before the performance, the silence before the engine. But in a faded sepia scene the velociped suddenly takes center stage. Interesting.

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  7. Loved the "old timey" feel of your photos and your bike is cool too!

    I have a Townie too...never seen one like yours though. Really retro looking.

    I also need to think about some fenders for mine 'cause I'm feelin' the mud too much! :=)

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