Shibori

Here's something different from Busyman and S!X and Melbourne's State of Design Festival. My contribution to the "Sculpted Packages - Reshaped" exhibition on show at Von Haus next week: Upstairs 1A Crossley Street Melbourne, across the lane way from Pelegrini's near the top end of Bourke Street.

Shibori is range of traditional Japanese resist dyeing techniques that work through compressing the material to prevent the dye permeating beyond the surface. Methods include folding, clamping, tieing, bunching, stitching and capping. Applying shibori to leather is a whole new ballgame when it's usually used on linen, cotton and silk. I'm happy with the outcomes, quite experimental without a definite idea of what might happen when I began. I'm inspired to develop a new collection of saddles around these ideas.

My First Banana Saddle

My first custom banana saddle flies out of the country tomorrow bound for the United Arab Emirates. To be united with Albert's fully custom bling bling pimped chrome and gold low rider pictured here. This one was an exciting adventure into the unknown of new materials and techniques. The base is a Lowrider brand banana saddle, that is the pressed metal shell only. Thanks to Clarke Rubber I completely re-padded the frame to give a much sturdier and more plush seat. Adventure all the way right down to the final touch of the eyelets for the sissy bar bolts.

I hope you enjoy it Bertie!

It's In The Mail!

The Casino Royale now comes in British Racing Green on a Turbo. Special order for James up in Gloucester, North of Newcastle. There are a few more on the way including my first banana seat for a fully pimped up blingy low rider in Dubai. The full story on the banana saddle coming soon.

This one's going on the recently repainted frame pictured. I hope I've managed to match the colour OK.

Garth's Ride

The orange Casino Royale MKII at home on Garth's new fixie. Well done Garth, looking good.

Stolen Last Night

If, during your rides around Melbourne, anybody chances upon my rubber tree with purple(ish) leaves planted in a tall cream coloured rectangular pot please let me know. Some scumbag stole it from my front doorstep last night. Seems to be the thing to do in Carlton, a few months ago someone uprooted and took a plant from my front garden. Of course I reported it to the police with an accurate description for identification. I don't want to live behind bars but may be compelled to fit them to the front of our modest terrace house, for the garden's sake. Strangely one tends to feel violated. The picture is the front of my house, the rubber tree sits to the left of the front door, or rather it used to.

Exhibition: Cycle Craft

If anyone is interested my class of 2nd year fashion students are exhibiting their work at the Knog store in Chapel Street, South Yarra. Opening tomorrow night at 6.30, the work will be up till Thursday July 2, normal business hours.

The project was to explore the design possibilities in addressing the sartorial needs of the urban cyclist.

Next semester it's tailoring all round.

While you're online and doing the blogs check out the lovely things the Bike Snob NYC readers have got to say about my work. Here's my version of the silver foil saddle, christened The BSNYC Saddle.

Gloves?

He we go off on a new adventure in designing and making with plenty of integrated technical challenge. The completely hand stitched leather glove. It started out as a project to replace Feride's favourite leather gloves she ruined when trying to clean them and has somehow ended up with me having a go at making some stylish cycling gloves.

Actually I haven't done the cycling ones yet, here's a picture of the first prototype. The cycling ones will initially be based on this design, then we'll see how they evolve. Fingerless, perforated, plain, multi-coloured.......

Casino Royale MKII: White with Orange

The White and Orange Casino Royale took a bit of work to get it looking nice. The base saddle, an old Cinelli Suede Unicanitor (I think), was a bit beaten up and needed a some repair work to the foam padding before covering. Turned out pretty nicely though. It's to go on Garth's new build, blue frame (light blue would be nice) and orange deep V's. Not sure what he has planned for the bars, grips, tyres etc but sounds like it should be a looker.

I have recently started twisting my own thread with bees wax so that I can get the variety of colours needed in the right weight for this kind of work. Both Casino Royales and the recent purple bars have the home twisted thread.

Stay tuned for some more hand stitched leather lunacy.

Custom Made: Grips, Pants and Bras

Despite the long silence things have been happening in the Busyman studio. I've been making some made to measure stretch wool 3/4 trousers for a tall fellow in Sydney. I've covered a couple of sets of handle bars for a couple of lads in Windsor and my dear wife has been assessing the handiwork of her young students in the form of 18 brassiers. That's right, bras not bars.
Currently looking into doing a small quantity production run of the trousers, so keep posted for details.

Fixie for sale! SOLD

Lovingly customised with a selection of new and reconditioned parts this chrome moly steel framed fixie conversion needs to go to a new home. Since the build was completed back in January it's een hanging in the window of the Knog Store feeling very sad and unridden. I rode it home from South Yarra to Carlton and again it's hanging around feeling sad and unridden.

If abyone out there is interested please enquire, I need to free up some space for more projects.

Click the title to view the earlier post with info on parts and specs.

The Bike Pants Are On Their Way

I've been busy designing, sampling and testing these bike pants. I'm very happy with them, 97% wool, 3% elastane. Here's the photographic evidence that Boris' pants are well on their way. Since the photo's were taken and this posting they've actually been completed, posted, received and worn.

Casino Royale: White Leather Rolls Due

Tri has finished another bike to add to his 'quiver' which is starting to resemble something like his surfboard quiver. He seems to have a compulsion for collecting but he certainly has impecable taste and he uses everything that he collects. All three of his builds have Busyman customised saddles (thanks for your loyalty Tri). We love your new Merckx.

A Business Lunch at Busyman

A couple of weeks ago there was a business lunch hosted at the busyman studio. Here's a picture of the flowers and the food. Flowers by ? Food by Busyman.

Custom Bicycle Saddle in Leather: The Navy Goth

The inspiration cam from the stained glass windows in the small East Melbourne church I attended on Good Friday. The service was in Latvian of which I didn't understand a word. We were there to honour Opa who passed away a few days earlier.

This one was done for BSC at QV on a dusty old Fizik Arione.

The colour of the leather is deep indigo purple, the overexposed image kind of makes it look white.

Leather Bicycle Saddle: The Red Whale Shark

Here's the new one I decided to make for my

cream bike, I thought I needed something a little fancier than the plain red one. It takes a little getting used to visually when you're used to the look of the old one.

Trying a couple of new techniques or variations on my old ones, again the design is informed by the technique. My box of reclaimed saddles generously given by Fyxomatosis is now almost empty, well you could say it's officially empty because what's left is pretty much unusable.

Custom Bicycle Saddles: Busy in Melbourne

Here are a couple of saddles I managed to finish the week before heading off to London. Included, in order of appearance: Sheybeler Two Tone Tan Rolls; The Red Cross Stitch; The Navy and Gold Argyle; The Mottram Two Tone Tan Rolls; Sam Fisher's Japanese Family Crest (featured earlier, but I visited Sam in London so thought I would re post); Nghi's Reverse Japanese Family Crest (on the green Specialised Langster Seattle); and finally Boris' Skull and Cross Bone Black Concor Super Corsa.

Now that bunch keep me busy for a week or two, I also managed to make Sir Paul Smith's bunny saddle the day before I left.

I have a few more almost complete, full of inspiration from the UK trip. They'll be posted soon. And I'm thinking of making a nice new red number especially for the Melburn Roobaix.