It’s not that I am a lazy sun’bitch, but I am just super bussy right now. It’s only two months before I have to find and start my new job somewhere here in Cologne (or just outside of it) and I just keep pushing it ahaed of me. The intented daily comic didn’t really work out and made me think a lot about this picture (and the I mean that right panel). So I layed of the drawing and focused more on my job and my bikes. I have been riding a lot lately, but I won’t bother you with the details. I do want to bother you with the fact that I am planning to ride the Eroica next year… Would you just look at this:
But I shouldn’t get a head of myself. First there will have to be another job, but before that happens I am back into updating my portfolio, start writing my résumé, design and create my portfolio (analog or cd?), getting letters of recommendation from my mananger and maybe some clients and whole lot more… Wish me luck!
I’ve spent a long time last night browsing through a webcomic called ‘Caffeinated Toothpaste‘. The American author/writer/drawer/creator lives in Germany, Berlin to be exact and draws a ‘daily diary strip’. Before I knew it I spent my whole night clicking through all his little (and some larger) strips. Being a sort of foreigner in Germany myself and having the urge to draw made me try and start something like that for me too. Well, maybe that’s not the main reason. Maybe it’s because my girlfriend told me I should try it, but hell. Here it is.
My first (sort of diary) strip! Enjoy.
Well, after the first one I redid another one soon made it’s entrance and I am just talking about bicycles here. My father’s old Gent’s Touring is now all complete and in use. Last sunday I took it for a spin since it was such nice (and cold!) weather. The lighting was awesome and made for some very nice photo’s. Just look at her al shining in the cold freezing sun shine!
The second bike that showed up was the old Gent’s Luxe from my uncle. This used to be a more race specific bike. No lighting, no fenders, smaller cogs and such. Most interesting thing are the front chain rings and the brake levers. They are all drilled out to save some weight. I had to buy a new stem for it, because the one that came with it was just really ugly looking… So after a month of cleaning and polishing it all ended very nice and clean. Take a look!
This beauty is on eBay now, I’ll only ship it in Germany, but it can be picked up at the end of the auction. Happy bidding :)
In the last few days I have done a lot of research on this bike, but it isn’t always that easy. I found out that the Koga-website offers all the brochures in PDF (from 1976). Most of them also have a list of parts for every bike mentioned in the brochure. Except the one from 1978. With my Gents Touring in it. So, I just have to cross check the parts used in the ’77 and ’79 model and compare them with what is installed on my bike. (more…)
Time for a personal update. Last weekend my parents came over. Dad hadn’t seen my appartement as it looks now with all the furniture and after a few months of living in it. My girlfriend and I have a preference for old 50′s furniture so we got our hands on a nice Strinning wall shelf and some nice Danish design-ish couch with chairs. This taste for old things is something we share and the fact that my dad had is original 1978 Koga-Miyata Gent’s Touring standing in the garage for the last 25 years was itching. Being interested in technical stuff, bike, bycicles and cars I mentioned it a few months ago already. That the bike should be better off in my house. Warm, dry and getting some exercise… Nothing happened, but that was everything I expected. Not a word since then and this weekend my dad handed me an old envelope. On the outside the adress and name of an old bikeshop in Hengelo was printed (lead type, you can feel it!). Inside was the original bill for this vintage touring bike. He really brought it with him as a present!
I will make a more detailed post about the bike, it’s parts and the state of it all later on. For now I am just too excited about it! I want to make it shiny and polish the hell out of it. After that it will be taken for a spin once in a while, preferably with sunny and dry weather.
