Bike Tee Inspiration

The classic pinup.







The freedom of the revolution.

2013 :: Art in Motion :: Cycle du Soleil

International. Colorful. Art in Motion.

Cycling is joyful, expressive, globally powerful in its freedom and mobility. Bicycles themselves are evolving for street and urban expression, in sync with the needs of city residents to use bicycles not only as transportation, but with a desire to be distinctively unique. Bespoke. Original. Customized. No better example of this than in the fixed gear movement, as observed at last week's Interbike trade show. Part poser, part statement, part messenger, the original de-badged, primer-ed frames with handmade accents have been transformed into an explosion of color or stealthy black-on-black matte/gloss combinations.




On the apparel design front, NYC's recent Fashion Week also celebrated the custom creativity of the bicycle with its Tour de Fashion. Not only were the runways filled with bold color and graphic prints (seen below), but the roadways of Manhattan were as well. Handmade bikes from Bowery Bicycles provided the mobile canvas for 30 top fashion designers and offered to stylistas in attendance during the week. Here are a few examples of the bikes, as well as looks from the runway.





The new trend toward brightly colored, highly personalized, bike as mobile art makes me think of Cirque du Soleil. Nothing captures street entertainment or the beauty of human mobility better. International in appeal and influence, the artists' costumes enhance the visual performance: aesthetically graceful and bold; energized and magically theatrical; body conscious styling with ergonomically placed graphics. I love the thought of this approach applied to cycling. Even the name works: CYCLE DU SOLEIL.

Jim's C-Type

The Jaguar C-Type in the garage is the prettiest thing in Wayne County NY.



Here it is on the day the C-Type arrived in 2002, and the last time Jim officially drove it. For the next several years, he researched endlessly, fabricated windscreens, sought out original jaguar parts that would come in antiquated condition from England and was permanently in pursuit of "the beautiful shift knob" that eluded him on ebay.




The few things I know:
Purchased from William Fox in Cincinnati OH, 2002 (that's the test drive photo above).
Constructed in England in 1965 or 66 as a replica (not kit), by Roger Worrell of Heritage Engineering.
The engine/gearbox/instruments/front and rear suspension are from the donor car which was an S type saloon (sedan).
Engine is as catalogued for a 1965 Jaguar 3.4S saloon and except for polishing of alloy components, the engine is essentially unmodified from stock.

Dimensions (updated thanks to Phil at Jaguar Classics, current makers of modern Heritage replicas).
Wheelbase: 8'2"
Body Length: 13'2"
Track: 4'10"
Width: 5'0"

Tubular space frame steel chassis and custom fiberglass (FRP) and aluminum bodywork that closely resembles a (1951-53) Jaguar C-Type, one of the most beautiful cars ever designed.


Good friends, Steve Rizzo and Christopher Amann were able to get the C-Type going a month before Jim passed away and we drove it to a couple of local car gatherings. Here are photos of the car in its most current finish.