An artistic still life on my living room floor, made by the folks of CycleZine! The chair-base, stem, and bars have each been given to me by my friends, and fellow blog-writers here. A collection I’m quite proud to share: 

The stem comes from William.  Early last spring we all converged on Dolores Park for an impromptu bike swap.  I was unemployed and hopeful, and William made a wonderful gesture by presenting me with the gift of a steel Cinelli Pista stem.  The nice one, the one I’d wanted for — oh, around nine years or so!  The one last touch on my bike that I’d never been able to indulge myself enough to purchase.  It was a nice sunny day, and I was blown away to be handed such a present.

The chair base is a newer acquisition and comes from the collection of our own Sean.  He’s a furniture fanatic with sharp taste and a keen eye and happened to have just upgraded bases for his Herman Miller/Eames fiberglass chairs, and had a spare old Eiffel Base that I was obliged to purchase.  Soon, actually, it will be mated with a fiberglass shell from none other than Kyle of Trackosaurus Rex… yes, quite a piece.

 
Today, Puck showed up with a bag of goodies.  Among them were this pair of amazingly old (50s) french track bars made by the illustrious company known as Phillippe.  They are highly sought after and rarely found, the bend is much like the steel Cinelli bars of the era but the sweep is just a touch deeper and more round making for a svelte and classy resting place for the old palms.  I won’t actually be back on my track bike for at least 6 months, so these and the stem are just eye candy and a much needed goal to work towards.  

There you have it – a collaboration art installation in my living room.  Enjoy a little bit of needless beauty – half finished chairs, bicycle-less handlebars… It’s a nice weekend.

Also among the things Puck delivered today was my Maruishi!  This was my first track bike, purchased from a friend way back in 2001.  I have always held onto it as it holds many wonderful memories, and I’ve recently built it up with a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub, laced to a pair of old Super Champion low profile rims.  It will have a nice pair of old townie bars from a French Girls bike, circa 1965 (thanks again, Sean!), and will be a fitting recovery bike for a 26 year old with a busted and screwed together hip.  I cannot wait!  
(photos of the Maruishi are by Puck)

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