Recycled 'green' product of the day: Retired Belts, made out of skidded-out Vittoria Randonneurs by Dylan Bigby.
"As you can imagine, the tires go much quicker when you must rely on them as brakes. So in an attempt to offset the guilt I felt for burning through tires twice a month, I started thinking of ways I could reuse them. I had seen tire phone holsters at bike shops. But I wanted to make something that could be worn by almost anyone that served a useful purpose and had style. The most obvious thing that came to mind, given the shape of tires, was a belt. Given the nature of using repurposed materials, I wanted to use as little virgin materials as possible. So, after a few prototypes and mistakes, I have found the right process. I hand make all the belts individually from tires ridden in San Francisco."
Check 'em out here.
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7 comments:
"So in an attempt to offset the guilt I felt for burning through tires twice a month, I started thinking of ways I could reuse them."
Nice greenwashing. A smart person would have thought a little further and would have chosen to stop producing that waste. No waste, no need to recycle.
How do you do that?
You install a front brake.
But uh? My style is much more important than this stupid environmentalism. I go for ego! Ego is best!
Agreed, seeing Rigby or whatever this guy's name is going through tires every two to two and half weeks... that initially seemed like a blatant exaggeration to me, but then I don't live in San Francisco with their insane hills.
Brakeless in general... I'm not sure I have a problem with. I reserve the right to have a problem with individual numbskulls riding brakeless.
maybe it's good to know that mr. ASB does not currently ride fixed on the street at all, but single speed instead... ;)
But yeah, I agree with the point about wasting tires like that etc.
I ride brakeless, use same Randonneurs and Helsinki has its share of hills too but I don't wear out my tires out like that.
Nope, ASB. Like I said in my post, and l like I have probably already said to you (you're likely the same guy: Torben Putkonen), I have chosen a style of riding I prefer. Not an ego thing. A style thing, yes. I enjoy skidding down hills. Compare it to powersliding, or carving. I understand it is more wasteful. But a front brake just doesn't do it for me. Sorry. What I have done is create a way to keep my tires out of the landfill. If you look at my post, that's really all I'm claiming to do. That I have done successfully. I also pull others' worn tires from dumpsters at my friends over at Box Dog, American and Pedal Rev. They will validate this for you if you feel so inclined. You can point the finger at large-scale greenwashing (i.e. Chevron, Ford, etc.) but why pick someone who lives a far cleaner greener lifestyle than yourself to criticize. I'm prepared for the criticism, but what's the point in arguing over something so petty. Why not use this frustration against something more substantial?
Are they comfy?
^ Yes, very comfy. Unlike leather, the rubber has more give (stretch), making it comfortable even with two U-locks. Everyone I know who has one talks about how surprisingly comfortable they are. I should create a testimonials section of the website.
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