Hello!
We're back from Belgium and still buzzing!
We had a blast at Velofollies this year! Twotone was honored to be supporting both Classified & PRO at the show. Read more about that below. : ) Not only did we pound the pavement at the expo lliasing with editors, industry partners and new contacts but also managed to get a ride in as well! (Ricky did almost get arrested for doing a bunny hop but that's a story for another issue!)
This week is about following up on 4 proposals sent the past week, gearing up for Shift Cycling Culture's Environmental Impact Cycling Barcamp here in Amsterdam on Friday and maybe a (train) ride down to Roubaix for Vera Cycling's new store opening.
Next week is a long overdue tattoo from former Twotone colleague Frank vd Sman on Monday, the next episode of The Mechanics of Joy on Thursday & heading to Murcia, Spain for a week with the Gravel Collective on Friday!
Wishing you a great week ahead and, as always, thank you for reading & sharing this newsletter,
Jon
―
- 🤝 Pass this issue on via a tweet, a a Linkedin post, or a share on FB.
- ✨ Enjoy this newsletter? You can support it here.
- ☕ Or say thanks for this issue by buying me a coffee.
- 📷 Featured image courtesy Kike Molares at PRO's Feather Unveiling
Cycling
The Flower Bike Man Amsterdam West Tour
The FlowerPower West tour is a cheerful route along special flower bicycles in Amsterdam West. These beautiful bikes are made by Warren Gregory, better known as The Flowerbikeman. This is his first exhibition.
The route starts in De Hallen, then Kinkerstraat, Bilderdijkstraat, De Clercqstraat, Jan Evertsenstraat, and Mercatorplein. Read more at flowerpowerwest.nl
Twotone Velofollies 2023 Recap
We had a awesome time at Velofollies! It was an honor to help document the excitement & energy at the Classified Booth. It was also a joy to share the 2 Quirks & 2 Feathers built for PRO at the show!
More highlights from our days in Kortrijk on our story highlights & posts here.
Thank you to the teams at Classified & PRO for your trust in Twotone and for giving us the opportunity to lend a hand!
p.s. check out the latest version of our zine we prepared for the show!
Fox “Active Valve” suspension predicts terrain w/ wireless sensors & radar!
"Every motorsport bans “active” suspension management in competition [and] mountain biking is the only sport where it’s (currently) allowed, and both Fox and Rockshox (and maybe SR Suntour) have products available to their top racers, with (most of) those systems also available commercially for recreational riders."
Pretty wild report about it on The Lunch Ride!
Ideas
The Year in Cheer | 183 ways the world got better in 2022
So many great morsels in this one! Here are some local ones (to me!) to share:
- If everyone in the world rode bicycles as much as the Dutch do, annual global emissions would fall by nearly 700 million metric tons.
- In the Netherlands, where any woman who needs one can legally have a safe abortion until 24 weeks after conception, just eight out of 1,000 pregnancies are terminated — one of the lowest rates in the world.
- A 50-kilometers stretch of the Netherlands’ Meuse River is part of a radical rewilding project.
6 Newsletter Ideas to Keep Subscribers Happy
Haha! Clearly, I'm onto a few of these since ages! Evening sharing it is quite meta :
And it came from a reader, to boot! Thanks, Tyler! : )
Spoiler alert:
- Industry news your audience cares about ✅
- Interview or spotlight an individual ✅
- Share a list of online resources ✅
- Share quick tips ✅
- Q&A or other interaction with readers ✅
- Letter from the editor ✅
Nick Cave on the Antidote to Our Existential Helplessness
"Even our smallest actions have potential for great change, positively or negatively, and the way in which we all conduct ourselves within the world means something."
Something to keep in mind!
Friends
Joachim Baan & the "New Combination"
My friend Joachim Baan was interviewed by the Blamo! Podcast, a weekly podcast hosted by Jeremy Kirkland that discusses the way fashion plays a part in our society. Joachim is the creative director for Atelier Munro, a partner in the legendary denim store Tenue de Nimes, the founder of Another Something, a designer & all around great guy!
Joachim and Jeremy discuss building a brand, his design philosophy, why you shouldn’t focus on the data, the collaboration effect with brands, Atelier Munro, and working for passion vs. the paycheck.
Links:
Worth a listen!
Christopher Lanaway Photography
Christopher is taking commissions all over Europe and the UK so if you have any projects or events where you need some help with photos or short videos, give him a shout!
PROPS Road Fools 1 Turned 25!
I saw my friend Sandy Carson share in his newsletter recently. The issue was more about his band Skloss, DP reel (you'll have to contact him to watch) & his production company Family Band, but the final section was about that Road Fools, in which Sandy has a part, has turned 25! (Click the image to watch)
Radness
Dox Under The Tracks | February 10, 2023
Dox Amsterdam an Amsterdam-based music company & Workspace Six are teaming up for a night of jazz featuring Willem 't Hart in our office. Rad!
Dox has championed an artist-first approach since their founding in 1997 & we're honored to be working with them on the first edition of Dox Under The Tracks! February 10, 2023!
Willem 't Hart is a Rotterdam-based artist. As an in-demand pianist, he has collaborated with the likes of Naaz and Gregory Porter. His solo project fuses creative influences from Willem's background as a high fashion model with jazz, electronica and neo-soul.
Streaming link (latest EP): orcd.co/homeep
Video link: youtu.be/htyWCPkpaM4
RSVP HERE
Hope to see you there!