There's always time for tea

via weheartit

Let's go riding!

via lecontainer

Its all in the details..

VELO - 2ND GEAR

Gestalten, publisher of the very well received VELO book has recently launched their second edition; aptly titled "Velo - 2nd Gear : Bicycle Culture and Style." We were thrilled when they approached us to be part of it and very appreciative for their extensive feature on Vanguard's works.

LUXE Motorcycle

Yes, it is another Japanese custom shop. But these guys are doing things a little bit different. Experimenting with tanks, pipes and paint jobs which are pretty distinctive. Definitely worth checking out their custom onslaught of SR400/500's and W650's.

Work In Progress

Hi Folks! Vanguard's website will be up and running soon...please be patient with us.

'oldies but goodies'

Ambitious

via mtbr forum

'avoir l'apprenti dans le soleil'

A 1914 sketch by Marcel Duchamp, titled 'to have an apprentice in the sun'. Read more about him and his other work; The Bicycle Wheel..

West 20th Street., New York

'can only be from The Sartorialist..'

'ride the line'

via gypsy by trade

Greenland Bicycle Culture

via Mikael Colville-Andersen's flickr set.

Street colours Osaka

[photo by Vanguard]

Highland Perthshire Cycling Festival

Each May cyclists congregate in Highland Perthshire for the Caledonia Etape closed road cycle event and Highland Perthshire Cycling Festival which includesa mountain bike enduro, kids races, guided road and off road rides, downhill mtb uplift evening, a film night and much more.

Aritsugu in Kyoto - 400 years of shokunin kishitsu

Master craftsmen for blades and knives, Aritsugu at Nishiki Ichiba in Kyoto has been operating for over four centuries and 18 generations. Once a designated maker of Samurai Swords for the Imperial House of Japan, they are exercising the same precision and dedication in the making of knives, blades and other kitchen utensils.



[photos by Vanguard]

'Who's up for a good cuppa?'

The sun beating down, the breeze off the sea, ice-cream and sandcastles. Yes, there’s loads of great things about the seaside, especially the Australian seaside where we’re calling at for a skinny latte and a double shot of design to get us pumped up for a bit of death-defying wave riding.
The coastline in question is Torquay Beach, the surf capital of the Victoria territory (not the English Riviera), and the venue is the purposefully weather-beaten Third Wave Kiosk by Tony Hobba Architects.

Shokunin - Kinfolk

Kusaka-san at the Kinfolk workshop in Nakameguro, Tokyo, painstakingly hand-building each bike.

[Photos by Jesse Carmody via Nowness]

Beer Run

The Bootlegger keg trike was featured at Urban Velo a while ago. According to the post, the custom trike by Zach Yendra of Yendra Built Cycles is “currently in use in Fort Collins for local keg deliveries from Equinox Brewing.” Pretty cool…it combines two of our favourite things!

What a toy!

Fahrradi Farfall FFX is a Ferrari FXX lookalike, world's most expensive bicycle costs a stunning £1.2 million with top speed of 10mph.

via automotto

Morning Run

Gulf

via bisikleta

beautiful outdoors, indoors

Showcased at the Urban Stories installation in Milan, architect Kengo Kuma's Stonescape was designed as an interpretation of a traditional Japanese Zen garden. Cascading stone strata formed a series of undulating curves around the room. Pools of water formed at some of the lowest levels, while others contained clusters of bamboo trees planted in gravel.

[Photo by Giovanni Desandre via Dezeen]

+++

via adopted-by-the-sea.

Safest bicycle parking facility

Bicycle thieves! Let’s see you break through this one! Located in Portland, the Spalding Building has, by the looks of it, the safest place to park a bicycle on earth. Previously, these vaults stored money, and a lot of it, given that they were at one part of their lives, bank vaults. Repurposed into bicycle parking spaces, these now turn into “high-security” bike parking spaces for the tenants of the 12 storey building, how about that!

[via core77]

A bike named Dolores

'So this is the story of a bike built in memory of a father who unfortunately didn't get to see his sons dream of owning a custom motorcycle...'

Silk Cycle PR-7

Seen at the Tokyo Handmade Bike Show..

Looking back: Vanguard's gallery in SIngapore

[photo by Khoo Guojie]

...in the company of nature

wonderful urban additions: these peleton bike stands/urban sculptures

'The MAD Peleton' bike parking by MAD arkitekter, in Bjørvika, Norway.
When a piece of utilitarian street furniture, such as the bike stand, is given a little delightful creative twist.

[Photos by Kurt Singstad via designboom]

Stealth Electric Bike

With each passing year people are becoming more eco-conscious, and brands are certainly taking notice particularly vehicle manufacturers. This awareness has birthed vehicles like the Stealth Bomber Electric Bike.

Originally only unveiled in a stealthy all black model, the brand has introduced several more colors to the lineup and the Camop Grey is by far our favourite. The bike comes in both a street legal and competition mode, both of which operate like a free ride bike complete with battery built into the frame, 9 speed gear box, and Fat Duro Razorback tyres. Expect to drop right under USD$10,000 for this bad boy.

Viks by Velonia

Viks is a new bike from Velonia Bicycles, a small Estonian company which specializes in carbon fiber frames and wheels. This bike is handmade without a seat tube and is very light in weight. This particular model is very special because the company’s founder, Indrek Narusk originally designed it for himself. Indrek needed a commuter bike and being a designer and engineer he decided to make one. First, he designed the frameset in SolidWorks, and then built it using 30mm stainless steel tubes. Since the Viks gained  immediate popularity online, Indrek built seven more bikes for his customers, and now it can be custom ordered through his site.

Community Bonding

via leaveonlytreadmarks

Here's riding to health!

via owenfinn16's flickr set

北海道へようこそ

With quiet, open roads and majestic scenery around every corner...this is cycling utopia and the new home for Vanguard.

[photo: 360niseko.com]

we can't get enough of the Thonet bike

Andy Martin Official Website
Thonet Chair Company

[via Notcot]

WE ARE IN JAPAN!

BIOMEGA OKO

Design studio KiBiSi was recently commissioned by manufacturer Biomega to bring us a latest bicycle model, the OKO Bicycle. Innovative carbon fiber components have been integrated into the frame allowing the bicycle’s seat, handlebars and bottom bracket to become adjustable; cyclists can choose from three different size settings. Emphasizing versatility, KiBiSi also puts forward aluminum bonding as well as front and back lights for this model. Beyond the functional aspects of the bike, sleek white and gunmetal colorways adorn this minimalistic ride. [kibisi.com]

PREVIEW! This way - Left turn, right ahead

 

The Future of MTB Design

from TREK's Waterloo HQ, via bikerumor

WANT!

via cycleexif

Wooden bike by Yojiro Oshima

Yojiro Oshima is a student in the Craft & Industrial Design Department at Musashino Art University in Tokyo. For his final project before graduation, he designed and made a wooden bike (complete with wooden wheels, handlebars, and saddle). His goal with the design was to incorporate the benefits of a beam frame and a standard frame, so the short cantilevered seat beam was designed to “reduce large impacts” while the “seat stay and the chain stay remain as usual to assure the stiffness.” In addition to the beautifully crafted frame, Yojiro sculpted a wooden handlebar with integrated armrests and created “baton wheels” with an arc between the spokes and rim to soften the ride.

Festka Track at NAHBS 2013

NAHBS 2013

VANGUARD X ISSEY MIYAKE SS13 Menswear