Ok, here’s something a little different….. like we don’t give you enough of that.

“Ateliers d’Embellie is dedicate to gather my passions : leather craft, bags and denim, drawing and illustrations, bike and ride.

The idea starts with a dating between Fixies and Leather, presented and detailed in the “COG&BITS” section.”

Got that?

Right, so what does this mean?

Well, you take a bike and hit it up leather styleee. What you end up with is something very different and sort of classy in an interesting sort of way. Granted, you won’t be doing any epic on it and the idea of dropping sweat on the wrap seem like a right PIA, but for those gentle lopes down to the local cafe or deli, it seems like it might be just the thing if you are so inclined.

There is just so much cool /odd/weird/wonderful stuff going on out there in the land of bikes these days.

[see more here]

The Deus Ex Machina machine has been steam rolling through Sydney for a few years now, hard not to when you consider one of the guys at the helm is Dare Jennings, one of the Mambo originals. But it’s hard to figure out if Deus is the real deal or just a quasi, two wheel based ‘trend factory’. Certainly as a brand a Deus T-shirt seems to be the domain of the 30 something that feels silly wearing the surf brand he did in his 20′s.

Still there is a cool factor to what the guys at Deus are doing, because they do it with two wheels.

Most would associate Deus with Japanese-esque custom and restored motos, and kudos to them; what they are doing in this area is pretty damn unique. What many don’t know, at least if you’re not in Sydney, is that Deus is also one of the instigators of the whole SS/Fixie urban trend. Not the core set, like the SSSS or the SYDBMA, but those guys you see in skinny pants trying to push that fresh looking SS/Fixie through traffic up a slight incline, usually looking like a tool doing it.

As a side note, while I am a bit of a Nazi when it comes to this sort of thing, I don’t like fads and those that lap them up, I do wish what’s happening in this area would happen a bit more in the MTB world, which seems to have become so big box ‘oatmeal’ here in Oz….

Anyway, Deus does some pretty neat restorations and conversions and their site is showing some of them off; if the prices are any indication, I would say regardless of the ‘neatness’ of the bikes, they seem to be aimed squarely at the fad chasers.

If you’re so inclined, check it out [here].

As you might have guessed, we do not harp on about the latest and greatest bit of kit available to the world of mountain biking, or biking in general. Mostly because last year’s shifter is as good as this year’s. Actually, a shifter from four years ago is probably as good, considering the level the vast majority of riders out there ride at (or take care of their kit).

This though does not mean we are not going to share interesting things with you when they crop up.

Hive is one such find. A small ’boutique’ company out of California, the Hive is making some interesting components with a difference. Pictured abaove is the ‘Chub’, which in the words of the Hive is:

“Designed to match the unique style of the Chub Single Rear, the Single Front QR Chub not only provides a platform for a better disc wheel.  The oversized disc side flange minimizes spoke stress under braking while the hollow carbon shell keeps grams to a minimum.”

All solid principles. With a few key items right now, hubs and a rather nice set of cranks, the Hive kit on the surface seems to be a solid and somewhat alternative take on components that have become a bit humdrum. Reading the about us section of the site, the crew behind the Hive are well qualified to be doing what they do, a far cry from the anodised glory days, when every guy with a CNC machine was banging out parts.

Maybe the Hive will take off (their prices are very reasonable), maybe they won’t. Regardless, it’s always great to see the re-immergence of the boutique design and production components company.

Check out their offerings here: bythehive.com