Brooklyn by Bike

Found this fantastic gallery of photos from Brooks Saddle factory in Smethwick England.

Metal parts are stamped out and heat-treated, flat pieces of leather are soaked and then formed in molds and the parts are all assembled by hand. After seeing how much work goes into a single bike seat, these famously expensive saddles start to look cheap. [via Doobybrain via Wired]

A room full of messengers, cycling advocates, commuters and fans turned up for this past weekend’s Bike Short Films at Public Assembly.  Out of the 17 films, there was a good mix of stuff from the stupid to the serious. It was fun to see the messengers go all silent when a Streetfilm went up and the advocates do the same for the trick videos but all in all there was a love of bicycles and mutual respect in the room. Hats off to the organizers for bringing everyone together. Scroll down for even more video love.

The winner:  Shut Your Mouth – Fake Money feat. G. Nasty

One of my favorites: Pedal Away From Global Decay

Ghostbikes put out a hauntingly beautifully short, which will hopefully be online soon. In mean time, check out some of the other shorts:

Gear Up – Bike Safety

Pirates of the Broadway: Salmon

and of course the Empire Begins Trailer

Cute or useless?

Master-Piece, known for their high quality bags and luggage, has produced a new series of bike chain covers. As usual you can count on the brand’s quality and styling. The bike chain comes in a series of colorways and will be released soon. Via Warp via Highsnobiety.

Can you imagine if they replaced that giant tree composed of many other trees in Rockefeller center with something a little more sustainable? London’s got the right idea.

Sarah Wigglesworth Architects has been commissioned by developers igloo to create a bespoke Christmas tree for Bermondsey Square, London, SE1. The Bermondsey Square Christmas tree is composed of 35 recycled bike wheels, set on a simple structure, in the recognisable shape of a Christmas Tree. [via Architects Journal h/t @rachelleraehouse for the find!]

You might remember last year of a major dispute between the Hasidic community and bicycle community in Williamsburg regarding the Kent Ave bike lane. While that lane though redesigned stayed, last week the DOT stripped 14 blocks of bike lane off the street neighboring Bedford Ave with no warning or community voice. Bedford Ave bike lane provides a direct connection for cyclists to the the Williamsburg bridge – possibly the most highly trafficked bike commuter bridge in the city. The community is understandably upset considering how much work and community support must go into installing a bike lane. Apparently removing one requires no thought at all.

Yesterday Gothamist reported that a few people were arrested by the Shomrim or local watchdogs for trying to repaint the lane on Bedford though other sources report no one was actually arrested. Regardless, a group called  “OccupyEverything” succeeded in repainting the lane anyway!

Eric Corriel, a Brooklyn based artist has created an interactive video installation that explores the history of bicycle culture in Brooklyn from 1880 to today. The piece is viewable at sundown on Clinton and Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights from now until January 3rd, 2010 but check the calendar to be sure.

He’s looking for photo and video submissions from the cycling community. Help him out and become a part of the installation! [via Brooklyn Cycling]

This bike safety video might scare and/or confuse you but that’s part of the fun. Thanks to @sburgay for the find!

1963 Bicycle Safety Film entitled “One Got Fat”. A group of monkey-masked kids decide to ride their bikes to the park for a picnic. Along the way, one by one, the kids are knocked out of the ride due to careless or unsafe riding. Narration by Edward Everett Horton of “Fractured Fairytales” (Old Rocky and Bullwinkle) fame.

This past Saturday, we completed an epic Tour de Taco Ride through Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. The ride itself was around 36 miles. Though nine stops were planned, we only made it to six taco joints – a pretty decent showing nonetheless. (See the list and map below.) Along the way each taco was rated on a scale of 1 -5 in the categories of tortilla, filling, guac and spices.

[For more photos from the ride check out our Flickr. Were you on the ride? Add you photos to our Flickr pool!]

Personally I thought Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos, a tortilla factory and taco place, killed the competition.  Their tacos had the best marinated meat and a crispy soft taco shell.  That combined with the ambiance of sitting in an actual factory, placed it high on many lists.

Once the Tour de Taco ratings are complied, I believe the winning taco joint will receive an award. We’ll keep you posted!

Here’s the list of taco places with the tour map below

01. Taqueria y Fonda – Amsterdam btwn 107th & 108th, Manhattan
02. Tortilleria Nixtamal – Corona, Queens
03. Papacitos – Greenpoint, BK
04. Tortilleria Mexicana Los Hermanos – Bushwick, BK
05. Tacos Matamoros – Sunset Park, BK
06. Tacos Nuevo Mexico – Park Slope, BK
View Larger Map