Oh man.. someone get the blue Unicanitor back to the man… he will hook you up with a Zo bag.. BOOM…

As promised – I have uploaded another twenty pictures from a visit to Cycle Square. Last month we went over to Cycle Square in Tokyo to check out the spot and see Erik’s exhibition.
Cycle Square is in Sendagaya, which not too far from Shinjuku and a bit north of Shibuya. It’s a quieter neighborhood, surrounded by several parks and garden such as Shinjuku Gyoen National garden, Yoyogi Park and Aoyama Cemetery.  A very tranquil place to be.

The inside Cycle Square is like a bike nut’s heaven. No - you can’t buy anything here, but there is an array of bicycle objects which blends in with interiors all around 360 degree.  So what is this Bicycle Square is all about?  Think of it as a super-specific Cycling Lounge.  It’s where you come and get a cup of coffee, a bite of cake, maybe some lunch, read magazine, get information about bike ride, see listing of bike events, rent a bike, learn about health care as bike rider, and get a massage, yes there you can get a full on athlete massage pamper session.   Most of all, though, is that this is a real place where people can come together and socialize, similar to the internet but a lot better since it involves face-to-face interactions inside a plush environment that is catered to your love of the bike.  The interior feels very comfortable; there is a concierge lady that will help guide you on cycling topics. Servers and the barista on duty are friendly. Dishes served there look real nice, I think in the menu there’s even the all important Nutrition Facts listed. Very healthy looking place, I tell you.

The Art show that Erik set up there had us all stunned. Erik’s exhibition on the first 4 years of CMWC was very well put up. Collections of manifests, t-shirts, photos and small schwags were nicely presented.  Each item seemed so special, and to see them all together was very impressive.  Erik’s collection grows on and on, and it is his dedication to preserving the past that provides us all with a bit of a guiding light towards the future.

Here’s slide show of the set…

I really glad we stop by to check out the show, the cake was so goood…..

As always, we like gossiping and name dropping - but we only do it with nice words for awesome action that are worth mentioning.

So IT’S OFFICIAL!!! our friend Erik Zo , 4 times freight bike world champion, is now officially part of Team Bullitt. He will be taking part in CMWC Tokyo next month.

Last Friday when I heard the news I was really excited, and without hesitation I hopped on my bike and rode to Erik’s house for a more quality chit chat time. Funny thing was, when I entered his workshop the first thing I saw was a brand new Belinky freight bike in the middle of workshop. Erik won the Bilenky freight bike from CMWC 2008 Toronto and it finally made it way to him yesterday.

But back to Bullit business. I have long been fascinated with this rather spacey freight bike. Please stay tuned when I can convince Erik to give a first impression and review on Bullitt. The only thing I can say from looking at their Website, is that the lower center of gravity definitely gives me a solid feeling when hauling ass, and I can tell you, the lower the better. Think about this: would you rather lift a keg of beer just a mere foot from ground to the cargo bed of this Bullitt? or three feet up to a trunk of SUV, get it?  I would love to ride one, maybe here or maybe in Tokyo next month. Look at it! mmm Red or Black??? or both…

Below is what Larry VS Harry had to say on their first phone encounter with Erik, quite awesome indeed. Also the picture is Erik grandfather Danish passport.

“I had a call the other day from San Francisco. The guy in the other end was pretty enthusiastic;i t sounded like he was jumping up and down, screaming and laughing. Despite this his presentation was clear. “Myname is Erik Zo and I am the reigning freight bike world champion!”. In the discussion that followed, I realized that he wasn’t only the reigning champ, but four time world champion. What he wished from me was to be allowed to be a part of Team Bullitt at The World Messenger Championship in Tokyo 2009!

We are honoured to be chosen by this legend!!
Not only a pair of excellent legs but also a fantastic personality and best of all: His grandparents were Danish citizens.
So during the championship, Erik will be as Danish as redgred and Bullitt.”