19 May 2011

The Burlington Bike


How awesome is this bike? The owner must have found a stretchy cling map somewhere, I can't figure out how it came to be so perfectly and seamlessly attached to the bike.


Certainly there is some careful application involved.


The lugs are perfect for this sort of treatment.


This was the coolest bicycle we saw in Burlington, outside of the Old Spokes Home. When I was visiting their WONDERFUL museum upstairs in their shop I got a phone call that someone very dear to me had died, so I didn't get you any photos. You'll just have to go up and visit yourselves and I promise it's worth stopping in.

13 comments:

Jim Tolar said...

So sorry to hear of your Great Aunt's passing. From your previous write-up, she sounds like a wonderful woman who lived a full and interesting life.

jt

MamaVee said...

so sorry to hear about your aunt charlotte.

That bike is too fabulous for words.

cycler said...

What an amazing bike!
I wonder if they decoupaged it to the frame? I would be afraid to ride it in inclement weather for fear of ruining it. It would be a funny touring bike (let's see, let me check the map- yeah we're supposed to turn here).

Sorry to hear about the bad news.

Anonymous said...

So sorry to hear about your Aunt passing. I hope she was able to meet Future Cyclist.

BTW, I'm the guy who talking about the Tweed Ride on Columbus this morning.

Thanks for all the great bike and biker photos,
Mark

Charlotte said...

Thank you all. She was just shy of 100 years old and still refused to go to a nursing home, she spent her last days in her own house on her terms, so all in all it was perfect for her and for that I'm grateful. She will be missed by many. She met Future Cyclist but she couldn't see him very well. She did manage to give him several kisses, two of which we have on film. If my grandfather had been present we would have had 5 generations there!

Cycler, I don't think the bike was decoupage because there didn't appear to be any substance applied over the map, which was plastic. It almost looked like contact paper, but with a local map on it! You're right, it would be perfect if you could line up complicated routes along different parts of the bike.

Anonymous said...

heh, now I'm thinking of the climbs between App Gap and Lincoln Gap on the downtube, the steep bits around Wachusett on the seat tube, the bike trail on Lake Champlain on the top tube ...

condolences on your great-aunt. it does sound like she had quite an enviable life, though. oh, to be lucid and sassy and feted with cakes when we're in our nineties.

Anonymous said...

The Bike Museum is not to be missed. One of the many treasures of Burlington.

Velouria said...

Oh wow, that is seriously cool stuff!

Velouria said...

Condolences about your Aunt : (

Simply Bike said...

I'm sorry about your great aunt! My condolences to your family.

And the bike is awesome, I'd love something like that with a map of my favorite city.

Anonymous said...

Great blog<3

Jon said...

Charlotte,

Sorry to read about your loss.

Anonymous said...

Hunt Manley does those frames

http://www.oldspokeshome.com/crank-recap

he's done others with comic book pages, and I forget what else