Been looking at all these new fancy 2019 Cyclocross bikes, pictures of guys in muddied up lycra carrying their bikes over the rough stuff. This is John Tomac. He was my 80’s downhill mountain bike hero. Drop bars CHECK! Disc wheel CHECK! Way ahead of his time. He didn’t finish many races (mostly due to flats back then, a flat and you were out!) but he rode so aggressively and stylishly no one cared!
#GETBACKONTHEBIKE
What do you do when you break up with your girlfriend? You start spending more money on mods, and then you buy a grom, and then you start modding the grom, and then you visit old mate Justin for hangs by the beach!
We’ve made slow progress on our little Di Blasi, but we’re cool with that! The bike is in bits. From here we’ll clean everything up, the engine, the wheels, we’ll strip the frame back and prep for paint, which should all be in the next update!
More pics on Zen: http://www.zengarage.com.au/2016/02/zen-deathtrap-v3-update-2/
I’m always on the hunt for interesting scooters. I’m still a little upset that I never saw the Honda Monkey bike project through too (sold it to a dude who also still hasn’t finished it!). At one stage I was super close to buying an 80’s Honda Spacy (so ugly but so coooool), but I was outbid. There was a ‘buy it now’ button on this little Di Blasi though, and after doing a little bit of research online, I pulled the trigger and now it’s a new Zen project!
No doubt about it this is the Zen Garage Deathtrap V3. I mean just look at it. A 49cc two-stroke scooter that folds down and fits in your boot. It weighs 30kg and best of all it’s street registered!!! Bad news for everyone else on the road though, it’s top speed is only 45km/h.
The guy I bought it off explained that he bought it off a company which was using a fleet of these bikes for a drink driving service, where if you get intoxicated and can’t drive your car home, one of these guys will come out to you, fold and pack their scooter into your boot, then drive you home (then they would ride their Di Blasi back to base). Overseas it’s marketed as a unique auxiliary vehicle for boats, caravans and motorhomes, even light aircrafts.
We think this thing will be hilarious on back roads, but even more fun at EOMM’s and other Zen related events! We’ve started tearing the bike down so we can paint the frame, from there we’ll trick out the bike too, so stay tuned for updates!
PS: More on Zen.
I say no to most commercial work these days but sometimes you just can’t say no! This is a branding design I’m just finishing up for a new women’s cycling label in the UK. The concept was to avoid the typical cliche women’s cycling aesthetic (soft fonts, pinks, purples, flowers and pretty things). Client is happy. I’m happy!
Nanami gave me the heads up on this little bike shop which is situated in the laneway behind Taylor St. where I used to live! So rad! I hate it when places I used to live at get cooler!
I’ve put the full feature on Zen Garage. Visit: http://www.zengarage.com.au/2015/06/shimada-cycleworks/
I’ve kept the EZY Slider Trike build nice and simple. Swapped out the standard stem for a beefy FUNN Rippa stem, and the tall polished BMX bars for the left-of-field On-One Mary Bars (mounted upside down for extra points). I’ve also changed the polished brake lever for an all black Tektro lever, swapped out Fitbikeco grips and an Alligator serration disc rotor and scored an awesome set of 80’s BMX wheel covers for that 80’s flare.
View the full feature on Zen and also before photos here, and look out for action photos ASAP!
For more info, visit: http://www.ezyslider.com/
I’m helping the EZY Slider guys out with a photoshoot soon and today I built up one of their trikes that had been sitting in my man cave for a couple of weeks.
It’s a simple thing. Gravity trike so no pedals, heavy steel frame, a mechanical disc brake set-up on the front wheel and EZY Slider wheels. I love it that it’s a blank canvas.
Part of me wants to go nuts on it and have some fun with it. Even if it was with the parts I have lying around from my billion bike builds of old. I’ve got a few ideas for the shoot in mind, and I’m one step closer to finalising a concept now that I’ve built the trike and have it in my lounge room to perv at when I’m lounging about.
