Cycling Art Jury – Dave Douglas from ebow

We have closed the Cycling Art Contest, but still need to let the contestants know more about the persons who selected their art. So we introduce the third member of the Cycling Art Jury: David Douglas.

David, or Dave, is owner of ebow: Dublin’s favourite digital marketing agency. Dave and his team have helped the likes of Hairy Baby, GAA, and bear bicycles (forgive us for being vain and placing our name in that sequence) find a face on the web.

Dave understands digital marketing requires the right mix of design, art, creativity, technology and copywriting. On top of that, Dave is one of the few digital marketers to recognize the importance of offline presence for online companies. From our own experience as an online company, we know it’s not enough to simply upload photos into a web shop. To actually sell stuff, online companies also need to find a voice in the real world.

And that’s where ebow comes in.

One of ebow’s innovative approaches to giving online companies and real world presence, is Gallery Number One; an urban space on Castle Street that each season serves up a new arty exhibition for an online business. With that same gallery, ebow unlocked our Dutch bikes from their cyber prisons, and placed them in a light space with large windows, perched on a top of a hill, right across the street from Christchurch.

There, hanging from ceilings, standing on crates, or test cycling the area, our bikes got the chance to show themselves to the many Dubliners and tourists passing by. It has helped in putting our small startup on the map. We quadrupled our facebook fan base, we got active on Twitter (thanks to the webtips from ebow’s Elva), and our company got noticed by the Irish press.

As a result, we actually started selling bikes. For example: we sold a delivery bike to Steven in Belfast, and a red ladies bike to a lady from Brittany. But – and this really make us proud – we’ve also sold a bike to Dave himself.

So now, on top of affinity to art, Dave also has affinity to cycling.

In his recent blog on the 12 years of ebow, he even called out ‘the fact I can wear a Stones tee to work and cycle right up to my desk on my bike’ as one of the reasons he loves his work.

It is only logical, then, that Dave is also on board as a Jury Member.

We’re grateful to have him.

Love Bikes, Love Pasta

If you love biking, you will love pasta.

It’s no coincidence professional cyclists eat spaghetti for breakfast, before they start their Tour de France etappe of the day.

If you love biking, you will also love lovepasta.

Lovepasta makes fresh pasta, each day – and tops it off with delicious sauces. They are located in the old Harcourt Station Building, and they are hard to miss, thanks to their sleek branded bear bike.

If you’re around, drop by for lunch (or breakfast). You will love it.

Bear bicycle central in Easter Rising

In Margaret Skinnider’s fight for a free Ireland her bicycle had a central role. RTE is now showing a series on Monday nights about the Eater Rising in 1916.

Yesterday we saw Margaret Skinnider on TV, cycling one of our bear bikes.

bear and GreenAer in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is seen as Europe’s home of cycling. Even though it rains more there than it does in Dublin. To fully experience it, we took Ollie and Lisa (our friends from GreenAer) to Amsterdam so they could see it with their own eyes.

We had dinner on a house boat in the Amsterdam canals, we did a tour through the red-light district, but most importantly: we saw Dutch bicycles. Loads, and loads of Dutch bicycles. Our friends from Het Zwartefietsenplan (‘the Black Bike plan’; a shop selling Dutch bikes in Amsterdam) had even set up a tour through their business for us.

That tour, to us, was what a Bordeaux chateau visits must be red wine lovers.

Since you, our readers, like Dutch bicycles as well, we’re sharing some of our holiday pictures here.

Cool Customer: Steven Patterson

Cycling Symphonies by bear bicycles and Dutch Embassy Dublin

‘Cycling Symphonies‘: classical music performed on classic Dutch bikes.

It’s what bear bicycles and the Dutch Embassy Dublin organised this summer. Together with Amsterdam Choir ‘De Stemming’, bear went on a hit and run concert tour with its Dutch bicycles, performing on all sorts of public locations.

This video give you a good impression of the cycling symphony day.

Classical Music on Classic Dutch Bikes: Cycling Symphonies

This video shows you one of the songs performed by the cycling symphony choir.

Cycling Symphony: Choir de Stemming sings at College Green

Bear Cycling Jury – Caroline Donohue

Caroline Donohue is tall, blonde and more eloquent than Oscar Wilde.

She visited our bike gallery because she loved the aesthetics of our Dutch bicycles, and when we had a little chat with her, we learned she works as an artist. On the spot, we asked her to be part of our Independent Jury.

It was only a few weeks later, when we sat down with Caroline for a cup coffee, we found out she actually does not cycle.

Caroline prefers walking. She calls herself a ‘pavement pounder’, and tells us she goes about things the long way round. Moving at walking speed allows her to taken in her surroundings, and gives her inspiration for her artwork.

Caroline is a Fine art Printmaker and is a member at the Graphic Studio Dublin — a place where time has stood still. Caroline uses needles to grave her art work into copper plates. With gloves and protective masks, she then submerges the plates in acid baths, before rolling the plates and paper through large, heavy, manual presses that predate the Easter Rebellion.

When we were talking over coffee, Caroline was unhurriedly getting ready to go on summer leave: a slow trip, from Cork, to Kerry, and Galway. She planned to go walking a lot, to enjoy Irish Nature.

But, in preparation for electing the winner of the Bike Competition, we also got her to agree that she would go for a cycle on the Aran Islands.

(all artwork in this blogpost (c) Caroline Donohue)

Bear Cycling Jury — Adriaan Waiboer

Today, we introduce the first member of Bear’s Independent Jury for Cycling Art: Adriaan Waiboer.

Adriaan is curator for the National Gallery Ireland. He holds a PhD from New York University; he has received research fellowships from The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and from the National Gallery of Art in Washington; and he has been awarded various distinctions for his work. In short: he is well equipped to assess art.

The fact that he’s Dutch, also makes him well equipped to asses cycling.

However, living abroad has made Adriaan lose some Dutch traits. Even though he still cycles to work like a Dutchman, Adriaan admits there is nothing Dutch about his attire. Adriaan calls himself a MAMAL; a Middle Aged MAn in Lycra. Where a Dutchman would cycle in his everyday clothes, Adriaan wears a sleek and shiny spandex suit. In his defence: he does cycle a racing bike, and the commute from his home in Bray to the National Gallery is a trip of 20 km.

Adriaan has also unlearned his Dutch habit of planning everything months ahead. Recently, when dealing with some Dutch colleagues, Adriaan discovered he did not share his fellow countrymen’s devotion to setting up meetings, spreadsheets, PowerPoint’s. Yes, Adriaan likes to plan ahead, but his time in Ireland has also taught him too much planning kills originality and produces inflexible organizations. While Adriaan at first had great difficulty with Irish inability to plan ahead, he now realises this approach can also produce nimble problem solvers.

Adriaan hasn’t lost all his Dutchness, though.

When our talk was over, we informed Adriaan that Bear’s Independent Jury for Cycling Art would be meeting in September (i.e. two months after the interview) to elect a winner.

Adriaan said he was happy to attend.

He also pressed us to send on the exact date, because his calendar for September was quickly filling up.

Adriaan Waiboer (© Photographer: Roy Hewson)

Cycling Sweet Spot – bear bicycles at Gallery Number One

We have set up a Cycling Sweet Spot in Gallery Number One. On April 1st, we opened our ‘Embrace the Spring’ bicycle exhibition there. For the past two months, we have been showing our Dutch bicycles, proudly alongside art by Matthew Knight.

The exhibition was initially set to take place for April and May only. But because of the great reactions and success, we have decided to stay on for the entire summer (many thanks go to the lovely people at Ebow - who are kind enough to continue hosting us).

We look forward to seeing you in the Gallery — for a test ride, a look at the art, or for a chat.

Visit bear bicycles in Gallery Number One, from Wednesday through Saturday, from 11.00 – 17.00.

See this map for more information on how to get there (we’re located across Christchurch, Dublin 2).

Cycling in Saint-Briac-sur-Mer, Brittany

Saint-Briac-sur-Mer is a small village on Brittany’s coast. Because it’s located on the Gulf Stream, its climate is significantly better than in surrounding areas. The town owes its name to Saint Briac, an Irish monk who landed there around 548, together with Saint Tugdual.

Saint Tugdual went on to become Bishop, and today is considered to be one of the Seven Founder Saints of Brittany.

Saint Briac was less ambitious and stayed in the same warm spot he initially landed.

Today, citizens of Saint Briac sur Mer still quietly thank the Irish monk for staying. The town has grown out to be a lovely place; it has boulevards lined with palm trees, it has seven beaches, it has a mini golf course and a real golf course, and – since recently – it also has a matte red Dutch bicycle by bear.

Our customer Patrick ordered that bicycle as a surprise for his wife’s birthday. Yesterday, he contacted us to let us know the bicycle arrived in good order, and that his wife is enjoying her cycles through their warm coastal town. To prove it, he sent along these pictures.