Pavel Vabishchevich (in common - Chupacabra) tell us a bit about the history of the red parts of his bicycle.
During journeys, we always acquire memories and emotions, but sometimes it's more than just that — we get something tangible and real. That's exactly what happened during my trip to Japan in 2014.
When I got home in Moscow, there was a Japanese number sticker on my frame, mostly used for preventing bicycles being stolen.
As I recall, it's obligatory to have this sticker in big cities. The ones in charge of sticking are the bike shop owners and they also have to register every number at some kind governmental organization. Although Nagano, where I was most of the time, is not quite as big, Keita, a local bike shop owner, decided to register my ride for the lulz. My guess is to see the long faces of the workers trying to read my surname, which is nonverbal in Japanese.
So, it was the first reason why I stylized the bike in that manner. Second, and I think the main reason, came from a totally different side. Recently, I got new PS Street meat fork v.2, which replaced the old and shabby first generation from the test series. The fork was good in every aspect, besides one — acid yellow color was out of the line on my bike. While my aesthetic sense had been raped, I decided to repaint it and took action using grinder and spray cans.
And as you might notice, I painted it in Japanese flags' colors. There was Japanese flag sticker on my frame for a long time as well — one more reason for all of this hassle.
Besides that, I thought that I should add red elements on my bicycle and did it as cheap as possible. I replaced old ragged grips with red Odyssey Cufflinks — I had them lying around for a year or so in my spares box. I replaced the seat with red-white Mutantbikes Gordo and attached some red insulating tape. Hitched red beer cap, because I love beer.
As a bonus, I got a special T-shirt, which was signed all over by my friends in Japan (thanks, fiction!), and it nicely complements the theme of the bike check.
I guess tech freaks won't get aroused by my ride, but it won't be a bike check without specs.
Frame
PS main frame 26Fork
PS street meat v.2Headset
ToybikeBottom bracket
ToybikeStem
Odyssey FlatwareBar
PS Profit “L” 106Grips
Odyssey Cufflink Flatware Terry AdamsCranks
PS AtlasPedals
Odyssey TrailmixSprocket
Dartmoor FetishChain
Odyssey Key chainSeatpost
ToybikeSeat
Mutantbikes GordoFront hub
Odyssey Vandero 2Rear hub
Federal Freecoaster v3Rims
Dartmoor raiderSpikes
DT ChampionTires
Tioga Factory FS100Text by
Pavel VabishchevichPhotos by
Ivan Andrianov
MENTIONS: @Ivanya