Wednesday 20 October 2010

The Red One: A Bit More Detail

The Thistle Pattern

A little more revealed
This red saddle is for one of my own bikes, a cream fixie with matching red rims. Originally the saddle was an early Busyman recover, same colour but completely plain. It's about time I had one of these fancy ones on my own bike. Still a few more bikes of my own to do though. Next will be the Peel family coat of arms for the purple Master Sports and then I need to do something about the Turbo on my Hillman road bike.

Tuesday 19 October 2010

Skull, Scissors and Folk

Skull on Mind Map

Desk, Skull, scissors - My Office

My office at work has been set up in PhD mode. The walls are plastered with sketches, photos, patterns and posters. Saddles on the desk and all kinds of notes, thoughts, mind maps.
The red saddle pictured here will be featured in The Age Melbourne Magazine out this week. The black one is for Jay's bike, the bike's kind of got skulls all over so he had to have a seat to match. Selle Italia SLR, repadded and covered by me.

Tuesday 12 October 2010

Busyman: Updates

There haven't been too many blog posts lately, I feel like I've been neglecting the online world. That's not to say I haven't been working. We recently spent two cold months renovating and fitting out the new MAIIKE Store. That's what kept me out off the bike and out of trouble over June/July.

There have been several saddle through the studio but I haven't made it a priority to photograph them. In particular I have revived a couple of used and abused Brooks saddles. One received a new set of solid copper special rivets and a general makeover while the other received a recolouring to scuffed sections and remoulding as it had become rather splayed from harsh weather conditions.

So if anyone is in need of some Brooks maintenance feel free to drop me a line.

Now that summer is on it way bikey type people seem to be re-emerging from everywhere.

I have a Selle SMP basic black re-cover waiting for delivery, another Selle SMP awaiting treatment - a black skull and cross bones actually - and another skull and cross bones to do, white this time. It seems that all of a sudden the Skull is having a revival. I wonder whether it has something to d with all the kids I see around the streets with rib cage and x-ray like t-shirt prints.

Wallets - I've made a few Busyman wallets for Maiike Store ans they've asked me to craft some belts and bags too.

I guess I'd better get back to the work bench and get these things made.

MAIIKE store





A family affair, the Maiike Store is a collaboration between my sister Aly and wife Feride. They stock Maiike Soft Things and Maiike along with other nice stuff mostly made locally. Things like porcelain by Alistair White and merino knitwear by Uimi. That's my shopping bike there by the window, it makes a cameo appearance every now and then as part of the visual merchandising do. Speaking of which the "do" changes almost every day.
54 Church Street Hawthorn, if you're in Melbourne and happen to be riding past.
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Thursday 7 October 2010

Malcolm Peel: Sculpture and Painting

Anyone who's in the area or interested in a day in the Yarra Valley my father is exhibiting some of his incredible (biased but actually true) sculptures and a selection of paintings from the hundreds that are usually just stored away in his studio. He keeps producing work and it keeps being stored in the studio. Every few years the studio needs extending to accommodate the new works. Anyway, please come.