recently...

Exciting (?) things coming up with a training I'm designing about application the identification and service of bearings and threads. The picture shoes the first bike hub to use ball bearings back in 1869. It's hard to not go full nerd on this subject!

Yes, I caved in.. Let to design my own titanium flat bar gravel/touring frame. It took me a while to finely balance the strength, stiffness, weight, looks and geometry, all while trying be patient with myself as a client. 🙄 After all that I'm super curious and a little nervous 😬 to ride the result and find out where this bike will take me.

Rehandling an abandoned hammer head with my student Georgie. Love the dedication she put in/on!

replaced my actual 90's atb with a new one. This frame was found in the trash (!) and looked like it was even my size too. So it had to be built. My students helped me install the new fork, build wheels, set up brakes and fine tune the fit. Tomorrow I'll ride the longest night, to test the ride and to fight some demons along the way.

exactly 9 years ago I had this crazy idea to organize an annual gravel event called 'Essays of Gravel'. Today I passed by one of the highlights of edition #4 (out of 5) from Nijmegen to Maastricht. From the first edition from Antwerp to Waterloo, using cross, mountainbikes and barely fit roadbikes, we told each other we should keep this low key and a little messy. Today is also the 2nd world championships Gravel so I guess some of it stuck.

Got a great assignment to design and source a one-of-a-kind titanium bike for a bike enthousiast with a CNC-machining background. We met at a training I gave about taking care of your bike while travelling. I guess he didnt fancy it much, since this bike would be as low maintanance as it gets. 😁

Serious haul by my buddy Leo at @devakantiefietser

Wheelbuilding masterclass with Ben. We planned some soundboard sessions to figure out what Ben was looking for and then went ahead and started buildig towards that goal. Making it look easy and fun to boot with the right tools and equal parts patience and preparation. With both wheels done in a matter of hours, we're well on our way to building his #veloheld path. #veloheldpath #wheelbuilding #masterclass #roundnessandtrueness

Sometimes, it takes a while for a project to come to fruition This #lesterbikes is a full size hand made gravel bike that fits in a suitcase. It's built for my friend and former colleague Heidi. We started off in 2019 when we sat together to work out the geometry and component spec on this very custom build. She'd traveled the world by bike but had been hindered by poor fitting bikes and found them to be both expensive and cumbersome to travel with. We tried to solve both issues with this de-coupled frame and bonded over all the nerdiness involved. The bike finally got finished in 2022, after many part shortages and maybe just life getting in the way. I'm still very proud of what came out. Thanks to Lester for his great craftsmanship and patience. All in all, a testimony to perseverance!

Just completed the 'Mean Green Klean Kanteen Machine' #foraging #gravelbike #kleankanteen #bike #cycling #offroad #travel #biketravel #travelbike #adventure #biking #lifestyle #antwerp #belgium #instabike #mountainbike #mntbike #salsabike

#essaysofgravel

#essaysofgravel As a lonesome cyclist organising an adventure endurance event is an awesome was to share some suffering with others! #adventurecycling #gravelcyclist #ultraendurance

An exercise in good looks as well as ultimate durability and balance is what makes wheel building so exciting! #roundnessandtrueness #sondynamo #rohloff #velocitychukker #wheelbuilding #panaracerpasela

#epicenduro #monstercross #kalmthoutseheide

We've build this stainless rim and vintage sturmey up proper with #nipplewashers #roundnessandtrueness #wheelbuilding #stainlessspokes