Making hats

I've wanted a decent hat for ages and haven't really come across one that i've liked that I can afford (check out  This Is Cambridge for some beauties)... after a bit of doodling, some research and a bit of standing in front of the mirror I decided to see if I could make my own.

 There's quite a few makers out there handcrafting these and a few patterns (some free) that you can have a look at. The best I've come across so far is from Dudecraft, the pattern's a good start for your own creation. I had to call on the considerable talents of my beautiful assistant for this project, check out how we got on.

Gather your bits and pieces (scissors, material, pattern and a pen) and begin cutting out

Once you've cut out all the bits you'll need, pin it all together and check out how it all fits

 Sew it all together

Try it on your head!

Lovely old Triumph 'Sports'

I recently acquired this lovely Triumph and am scratching my head thinking about what to do with it next. It works as well today as the day (i'm guessing) that it was made so mechanically there's not much to do other than a little fettling- cosmetically it shows its history in the various additions, scratches, dents and Heath Robinson adjustments. I reckon it'd be a shame to do any more than simply oiling the frame and checking the brakes








Its a standard 3 speed Sturmey Archer with the original 48t Triumph chainset

 It still has many of the bits and pieces that came with it, original grips, dynamo lighting and a big old bell. I think descibing it as 'sporty' might be going a bit far, it weighs a fair bit but surprisingly you don't really notice it when you're trundling along.








Anyone else got one? 

Bike tyre keyrings

A free afternoon, a pile of bits, an old tyre and a small spillage of blood....look what we made!

 
         





   From this ...

           




  ... to this!

The new workshop is now open!

Its been a really busy and exciting couple of months which has seen us move to our new premises in earlsdon. we're all really tired because its been a bit of a slog, but finally its all coming together.

Its gone from this....

To this!.....








There's lots going on, we're still busy fixing up old bikes, running the referal scheme and offering advice and training to all who'll listen. We have met some fantastic people already and had a great day saturday at bike club where I got to eat cake, drink coffee and chat about bikes...brilliant! As always we always need more bikes, so if you have a bike which no longer need please get in touch.

Coventry Recycled Cycles
The Bike workshop
10b Kensington Court
Kensington rd
Earlsdon
07788 673632

A family of bikes...

Most of the bikes we pick up have a tale to tell or bear the marks of an experience or some adventure... I think children's bikes must bear more marks than most. The other day I was lucky enough to meet with a family of six who had asked me to recycle some of their bikes. Looking at them I was struck immediately by how clearly the bikes reflected the growth of their children, from first wheels (and the removal of stabilisers) to the independance of the big wheeled mountain bikes...brilliant

I thought this was great, I can still remember attempting my cycling proficiency- wobbling around the cones in the school playground...come to think of it I can't remember whether I passed or not!

How does he do that?.. Danny MacAskill

When I was alot younger my friends and I would gather on our bikes in the little park at the back of our houses. We'd construct ramps out of old bricks and bits of board that we'd found lying around and spend the afternoon taking turns to race off the end...hoping that we wouldn't be the one to fall off and embed six tons of gravel in our knees (which, with a sinkfull of dettol, our mums would have to carefully pick out later). Jumping off the top of that ramp felt like a real achievement, particularly on my mates grifter, which had 3 gears and weighed as much as a car. It's summers spent in the park falling off my bike that make me appreciate how amazing guys like Danny MacAskill are, someone showed me this video the other day and its blown me away- have a look and see what you think

Knitting bikes

I think its fair to say that my partner is as passionate about knitting as I am about bikes. Living with a knitter means that I'm never short of a jumper or two, living with a bike addict means that my partner is forever bored to death with endless conversations about small bits of bicycle. The other day when talking about a couple of bikes that had come in with nasty saddles we got to talking about what the possibilites might be. Up until that point damaged seats were removed and stored in a dark corner of the workshop...until some remedy could be found for their decrepid state. She disappeared and returned a couple of hours later with this solution...

 A fabulous knitted seat cover!

...and in her other hand was this, a bike sock to protect the frame from nasty boots and heavy locks....thanks chicken!