Helsinki Bike

Simo, 27, Researcher, Helsinki

On Monday 2nd of August at 1.45am the Länsiväylä Group hosted an event called 'Pyöräilykaista', which roughly translates to 'Cycle Lane'.

In connection with the URB Festival the Länsiväylä Group created 'Pyöräilykaista' as a new piece of environmental art. In the work, a cycle lane was painted with fluorescent paint on the Hämeentie (the longest street in Helsinki) and then city cyclists and enthusiasts were asked to form a parade, cycling up and down the newly created cycle lane re-appropriated from the road.

A friend of mine, Simo, whom I met in New York City back in 2009 was there for the event and was kind enough to let me know all about it. Simo is a keen cyclist, urban enthusiast, art lover, traveller and all in all great guy so I thought he would make the perfect addition to Boys On Bikes. His friend Jana photographed him for the blog a top of his retro orange/red low ride bike outside his office in Helsinki.

Please take some time to look at photographs from Pyöräilykaista here...

With thanks; photographs of Simo by Jana Slaby

easa010 Bike

Miles, 21, Student and easa010 Organiser, Manchester

This weekend, fellow B-O-B (Boy On Bike) Dele and I visited Manchester to take part in the European Architecture Students Assembly (EASA). EASA is an annual event established by students and tutors of Liverpool University in 1981 as a means of bringing talented students together to discuss the issues facing both the profession and urban environments.

Every summer since, around 400 of the brightest students from every part of Europe have come together in the name of exchange of ideas, culture and experience, to take part in two intense weeks of workshops, lectures, exhibitions and events.

Over the years, EASA has been held in many ambitious and inspirational settings, such as a train travelling across Scandinavia, a renovated WWII destroyer moored in the centre of Budapest, and even on the Eastern side of the Berlin Wall in 1988. On the 31st of July 2010, 450 Students of Architecture from more than 40 countries around Europe and beyond arrived in Manchester to take part in two weeks of architecture fun at easa010.

Whilst at easa010, Dele and I met lots of incredibly interesting boys (and girls)... sadly not many on bikes. However, we did come across easa010 organiser Miles on the Saturday evening as we were leaving Downtex (the large abandoned Cotton Mill being used as base camp for the event) and somewhat drunkenly (hence the wonky shots) photographed him and his personally tailored white riding bike. Miles was using his fresh white ride to chaotically bike back and forth to all the easa010 venues throughout the city... beats using the rather ugly tram system.

For more information on easa010 in Manchester please visit, www.easauk.net or follow easa010 on Twitter.