Portraits Of Cyclists In Paris

Jeremy climbed back up on his father’s vintage Peugeot bike, after giving it a new paint job. Photos by The Bikerist

Working as a graphic artist/typesetter, he is Jean-Francois Porchez’s assistant, lives in Paris and works 5kms south of the capital. He bikes a total of 110 minutes daily. Here is what he has to say:

“When I was 10 years old I had only 30% of my lung function compared to the average kid. I could barely run. Since that I have been under a heavy medical treatment daily. A year ago I asked myself if I could live without those meds that I had been taking for 13 years, if I could survive without them in the event of a world economic  collapse, or what would I do if extra-terrestrials kidnapped me! I stopped the meds and decided to compensate by taking up bicycling. The trip I took this past summer, whose itinerary is here, was sure to test to the extreme my limits.” 

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Jérémy a remonté le vélo vintage Peugeot de son père et refait sa peinture. Photos by The Bikerist.

Graphiste/Typographe, assistant de Jean-François Porchez, il vit à Paris et travaille à 5 km au sud de paris. Il fait 2x50 mn de vélo par jour. Voici ce qu’il me racontait :

“À dix ans j’avais quelque chose comme 30 % de capacité pulmonaire par rapport à la moyenne. Je pouvais à peine courir. Depuis j’étais sous un gros traitement quotidien. Je me suis demandé il y a un an si je pourrais vivre sans ces médicaments que je prenais tous les jours depuis 13 ans sans jamais les oublier, si je pourrais m’en passer en cas de crash de l’économie mondiale, enlèvement par des extra-terrestres ou quelque chose du genre. J’ai arrêté et décidé de compenser par le sport, le vélo. Mon trip de cet été dont voici l’itinéraire était là pour tester mes limites jusqu’à l’extrême.”

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Benjamine et son vélo hollandais vintage Old Dutch Classic, vélo qu’elle surnomme “l’hollandais”. Photos by The Bikerist

Benjamine est tombée sur The Bikerist en faisant des recherches de “pièces” pour l’assemblage de son nouveau vélo. Sportive et nageuse, elle aime la vitesse et la glisse, c’est donc naturellement qu’ elle choisit de se faire monter un nouveau vélo plus maniable et plus rapide. 

Elle ne se déplace la plupart du temps qu’en vélo dans Paris, se sentant plus libre qu’engoncée dans les transports en commun. A Paris depuis quelques années déjà, le vélo lui permet également de découvrir de nouvelles adresses. Mais son petit plaisir reste encore les grandes balades sur le front de mer de La Rochelle.

Designer textile, elle a sa propre marque d’accessoires (et une première collection de foulards et étoles) qui porte son nom : Benjamine Clémencin. (Voir les close-up sur un foulard de sa nouvelle collection en exclusivité sur The Bikerist).


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Translation FR > US

Benjamine and her vintage Old  Dutch Classic bike, a bike she calls “the Dutch” –for sale by the way! - 

Benjamine stumbled across The Bikerist while searching for parts for her new bike. Being athletic and a swimmer, she loves speed and sliding, and had to have another bike made with better handling and faster.

She only moves around Paris in bicycle, feeling freer than stuffed in public transport. Having settled in Paris a few years back, ther bike allows her to discover other city districts and interesting spots. However she still prefers strolling along the boardwalk in La Rochelle, facing the sea. 

As a textile designer she created her own brand of accessories (and her first collection of scarves and stoles) bearing her name: Benjamine Clémencin. (Refer to the close ups of one scarves of her new collection exclusively on The Bikerist).


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Constance and her vintage Mercier fixie. Photos by The Bikerist
She mounted her bike with the help of le Petit Boyauteur in Paris

Constance rides cool, not nervous, she likes to speak about her bikes,
she cycles since a long time and has 4 bicycles. Her other bicycles bear the name of original owners : Malek, Alfreda, Lucien, Théophile.

When we discussed to choose a bicycle, we hesitated not so long, and we chose the Mercier, her grand mother’s bike ! She cycles with it everyday, she’s proud of it and she wants to show a picture of her with the bike to her grand mother. Check the close-up on the head tube with the old registration plate of her grand mother, that still there.

Creative, Constance made her own singular pendant (cf the close-up) with a little blue piece of metal cut from the frame, (that originally carry the pump under the frame on this type of bike). She recycled the part and created a cool blue gloss necklace !

Also take a look at her peculiar wheels, these are kind of protoypes, unique color and less spokes because hubs didn’t have the good number of holes!

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Stéphane and his Fuji 2.0.  Photos by The Bikerist.

Like other cyclists who come to my studio, we take time to discuss and i take notes:

Stéphane mounted his bike himself, he likes to ride alone, he likes speed and get enough exercise, he also appreciates the performance aspect of riding with his bike. What really pleases him, is the fact that when you cycle, the bike disappears, you don’t feel it anymore.

In the streets, he likes to say hello to others riders that he meets by chance, and bus drivers who recognize and salute him on the daily ride to go to his showroom.

As a fashion consultant and brand representative, he works with cool brands from UK, USA or Denmark like a brand dedicated to the fixed gear universe named Rascals’. I like the blue top and the red bicycle logotype he wears during the shoot.

He told me about the new bicycle path which crossing Times Square in New York and the weird feeling that he felt about it, when he took it for the first time. He also told me about his affection for the NY city.

A few years ago, he had a serious knees injurie after 15 years of US Football, and obviously it was an obligation for him to find a new way to get back on shape: he decided to spend all his energy in fixie riding.

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Claudia rides a vintage red fixed gear called “the pin-up bike“ 

SWISS LEGS STRIKES AGAIN !
The evening after the photo shoot, she won the first place 
for the Women Goldsprint at the Paris messengers event “Le noël des coursiers”. She likes to ride with SURPLACE team too.

She works as a therapist for autistic children and came to Paris to study fashion design and modeling. She graduated Esmod School.


Her power and her energy come from the fact that she used to move with her racing bike in the Swiss mountains, where she comes from. She rode a vintage rare Swiss frame, a bike she had before she arrived in Paris and was stolen from her here. Now she straps a bicycle chain lock from her Brooks’s saddle to the frame. (cf close-up)

Having travelled a lot in Asia, she experienced bicycling in Saigon 6 months for work and she said that cycling there was crazy, with bad roads, crazy scooters, no rules, pollution: it was a big challenge!  So a student she met there gave her a lucky charm to protect her (cf close-up)

Photos by The Bikerist

Houssine and his Fuji.

He cycles like 100 km average per day, as a bike messenger for Urban Cycle . In history, the first bike messenger company in Paris.

Lucky charm card for racer in Japan, old improvised spoke card piece of an alleycat in Switzerland, stickers from Germany, Houssine is second of the Europeen championship sprint in Berlin, in 2009.

Every year, he organises an alleycat in Paris and travels the world as a competitor to challenge other messengers in races, alleycats or main races.
He also rides for Cyclope Bikes & Re Cycle Paris

He arrived in my studio just after a delivery, and we discussed :

he talks with a different point of view, transcends the questions of styles, fixie or not fixie positions. His talk is more humanist, he tells how the bicycle has offered him the chance to meet people, making friends and travelling around the world. That’s why he speaks about a “bicycle familly”.

Photos by The Bikerist

Julien and his Cinelli Mash Histogram (assembled at l‘Atelier des Vélos)

Just arrived in my Studio after a SURPLACE ’s sunday ride, he usually rides 15 km everyday and the week end, cycle a 50-100 km ride with SURPLACE, ROCK’N’ROLLIN or other teams. No more metro or taxis, he is a fixie addict, made 3 bicycles. Like he says, he doesn’t cycling, he’s doing an “urban sliding sport” with a fixie.

Photos by The Bikerist

Pauline and her grey vintage B.Carré fixie.

She lives in Paris, and participate to SURPLACE’s Rides or Alleycats. She’s part of a girl fixie crew and likes to ride not even bicycles, but snowboards as a seasonal worker in french mountains.

Photos by The Bikerist

Charlotte and her Romet vintage fixie.

Freshly arrived in Paris, Charlotte told me that Romet bicycles were very popular in Poland, and most of fixie riders are ridin’ that classical brand. She prefers to ride in Paris rather than in Warsaw because there are a lot of bicycle paths. Also, she noticed that in Paris few people are brakeless by comparison with Warsaw. After, I asked her to make something that she used to do with her bike. So she made a track stand. She has her own fashion brand with an original and personal name : 160 cm

Photos by The Bikerist

Konfüzed (Terry) and his Leader Bike 725. 

Terry entered my Studio all dressed in black with his totally black impressive bike, like a ghost rider. During the shoot, I asked him to turn around and to put his hoodie. I discovered a giant question mark printed on the back of his hoodie, that made him really mysterious.

This photo shoot made it to the Leader Bike USA !

Photos by The Bikerist

Eva and her vintage Gazelle bicycle. Photos by The Bikerist

This Gazelle bike is a good reflection of Eva Peel.

This parisian girl is not only a Dj with a taste for old sounds, but she also owns a blog dedicated to Vintage shops and personalities who are fond of retro fashion in general. Check her link : EvaPeelVintage

Eva is the creative director of Apero Vintage de Bordeaux, and prepares playlists and book artists for this yearly wine tasting operation which takes place in Paris trendiest bars and cafés. Last but not least, Eva is also a singer and plays Keyboard. Along with musician partner Jan Richard, they have an electronic duet called Theremynt. Their debut album is due to come out in 2012 on Neopren record label.

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Beatrice and her fixie, Pinarello vintage frame.

Photos by The Bikerist