Cape2Kili incoming: Cally Silberbauer is about to embark on a trip of a lifetime. She will be cycling from Cape Town to Kilimanjaro, passing through Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania. When she reaches Kilimanjaro, she will ascend on my bicycle and acclimatise before attempting to set the female fastest known time (FKT) on my bike.
Cally is riding for all women in South Africa, to raise awareness about gender-based violence and funding for the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children while inspiring fellow female adventurers to live out their dreams
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The Saartjie Baartman Centre provides a safe haven for women and children that have been abused. There is 24/7 security at the gate for peace of mind. It is a place for survivors to finally have a chance at finding independence and ultimately, freedom. Survivors are welcome to stay anything between 4 – 10 months. During this time, the women are offered a bunch of accredited courses and the opportunity to upskill and find a job
Bicycle Film Festival has been celebrating bicycles through art, film, and music over the last 22 years. BFF spanned the world in over 90 cities worldwide to an audience of over one million people. On March 10 and 11 we are bringing BFF to Cape Town for a screening at the Labia Theater (BUY TICKETS) and an outdoor screening at Maker’s Landing (BUY TICKETS).
DAY 1: SELECT SHORTS
BFF is coming to Cape Town with an international selection of the most important films from the BFF collection curated in two programs: Select Shorts & Urban Bike Shorts. Select Shorts features diverse filmmaking styles – narratives, documentaries, animations, award-winning directors, and emerging talents – all sharing equal billing. See an authentic and raw glimpse into:
The story of a road cycling legend and overall wonderful soul, Connie Carpenter
The story of Marshall Major Taylor
The struggle of a young woman and her bike in Iran
Cycle sport as relief from genocide
Kailey Kornhauser and fellow “fat cyclist” Marley Blonsky are on a mission to change the idea that people with larger bodies can’t ride bikes
Two women bring a town together around mountain biking and their pizza shop
A charismatic Ghanaian immigrant in Amsterdam who teaches refugee adult women to ride bikes
Four elite gravel cyclists from East Africa have been chosen to come to the US to race and develop new pathways for future athletes
BFF Cape Town Day 1: Select Short Date & time: March 10, 7PM (screening time +/- 100 minutes) Venue:The Labia Theatre Tickets (SAR 75,- + service fee) are availablehere
DAY 2: URBAN SHORTS (OUTDOOR SCREENING)
Urban Bike Shorts capture the spirit of the street, youth, fixed gear, BMX, and messenger cultures from passionate cyclists in cities around the world. Spotlighting stories about:
The first BMX crew in Nigeria
A rural migrant worker in China uses the bicycle to buy and collect styrofoam boxes (score by Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
A group of youth cyclists are misidentified and policed as if they were a gang
A love letter to the splendor of winter through the eyes of a female bicycle courier in the midst of a Canadian deep-freeze
Wandile Msomi moves through the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa with adept skill on his fixed gearThe story of Julian Molina, the beloved, full-throttle one-legged cyclist
A bird’s-eye view of a BLM bicycle protest ride from New York to Washington, DC
New York City through the lens of female bike messengers
The story of Leo Rogers
….And more!
BFF Cape Town Day 2: Urban Shorts Date & time: March 10, 8 PM (screening time +/- 90 minutes) with food & drinks, Alley Cat Race, Graffiti competition, and more from 5 PM onwards. Venue: Maker’s Landing Tickets (SAR 75,- + service fee) are availablehere
ABOUT BICYCLE FILM FESTIVAL
Founded in New YorkBFFhas been celebrating bicycles through art, film, and music for the last 20 years. The physical BFF spanned the world in up to 100 cities to an audience of over one million people. The festival has an incredible history of working with the most important artists, filmmakers, venues, and institutions around the world. The international locales included Paris, London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Moscow, Mexico City, Capetown and Istanbul, and more at some of the most important venues such as Sydney Opera House and the Barbican or an old factory in Zurich. The Subcultures of cycling have shared equal billing with the most exciting innovators in music, art, design, and film.
The Killat Collective is keen on supporting innovative ideas. The Marineterrein in Amsterdam recently opened the world’s first completely sustainable bicycle wash. In this collaboration between pop-up cycling café Het Verzetje and design studio La Bolleur, everyone can combine bicycle maintenance with some fun, a snack and a drink.
Giving cycling culture a new destination is the idea of Thomas Spronk of Het Verzetje. He travels around Amsterdam’s terraces with his pop-up cycling café, giving enthusiasts the opportunity to watch their favorite sport together in the open air. ‘Because why are we all sitting at home on the couch in the middle of summer watching cycling?,” he wonders aloud. “Isn’t it much more fun to talk about the race together and have a beer?”
Cycling paradise In the summer of 2020, Het Verzetje was based at Clubhouse during the Tour de France in order to do just that. At the request of fellow cycling enthusiast Bram Burger from La Bolleur, the lunchroom was transformed into a paradise for cycling enthusiasts. Bram: “In the morning we organised a ride from the Marineterrein and then when we came back, the big screen was ready at Clubhouse for that day’s stage. Getting to know new people, chatting about the race with a well-deserved beer, in short: a wonderful cycling day for all.”
Bikes are being cleaned
Easy bike maintenance But while Mont Ventoux was looming on the screen, the bicycles of the amateur riders in the bike rack were dirty from the earlier ride. That got Bram and Thomas thinking. ‘Cycle maintenance is a necessary evil for many city dwellers,’ says Thomas. ‘Carry the bike to the third floor and then clean your rims on your balcony with a sponge. Moreover, many people do not have the right equipment for repairs. We wanted to come up with a solution for that and combine it with the cosiness of Het Verzetje.’
And this is how the idea for the bicycle wash was born. Bram started drawing and welding in the workshop of La Bolleur, and the end result is that now anyone can do the necessary maintenance on the bicycle next to the terrace of Clubhouse using professional equipment. And all of that is completely sustainable.
Green bicycle workshop “Sustainability was the starting point of our plan,” says Bram. “Because the car wash is outside, the cleaning agents run straight into the ground. So we use biodegradable products from Dynamic instead of the chemical agents that are more usually used. To rinse the bicycle, we use rainwater stored in large tanks on the roof of building 027. So no drinking water is wasted. There is currently no other permanent place to work on your bicycle, and certainly not one that’s completely ‘green’, so this is the first sustainable bicycle wash in the world.”
More prospective cycle mechanics So Thomas gets his wish to start a new cycling culture place organised at the Marine Land. But, he says. it doesn’t stop there. “We also want to spread cycling culture to people who might otherwise not come into contact with it. That is why we are aiming to involve young people from the neighbourhood in this project and teach them the intricacies of making and maintaining bicycles under the guidance of professionals. In exchange for some pocket money, they can then carry out repairs on a bicycle while the owner is sitting on the terrace of Clubhouse. And hopefully we will also enthuse them about cycling itself, because the more people there are on bikes, the better.”
How does it work?
The bicycle wash is still in the test phase and can therefore be used free of charge. After the test phase, the cleaning supplies will be available at the Clubhouse bar during opening hours for a small fee. Also a range of tools can be borrowed for free. From spring 2022 onwards Clubhouse and Het Verzetje will again be organising and hosting rides with Clubhouse acting as the start and end point. Keep an eye on the social media ofHet VerzetjeandClubhousefor dates and registration.
The world’s first sustainable bike-wash is an initiative by Het Verzetje and La Bolleur, build with support by Killat Collective,DynamicandBBB Cycling.
Our latest build is a colorful ode to the material we love the most.
Author: Dane Zijlstra
I was surprised to see this frame after painting. Luminous pink and teal are not colours one often sees on bikes. It took me a moment to appreciate the design. Once I allowed myself to imagine building it I felt the connection. The paintwork is not super technical, a simple crossfade of Pink over the teal powdercoat base. The pink is spectacularly bright which is balanced by the teal and exposed carbon. Splash of pink and teal on the tips of the fork. The design throws me back to a few SA built vintage bicycles I had come across over time. Bold but simple. The paint almost follows the classic lines provided by the equally classic steel tubing.
The tubing is mostly Columbus Zona along with the Futura gravel fork. The fork matched the concept behind the geometry and style of the bike perfectly. As Columbus says:
“Hybridization of road race and outdoor worlds”
This bicycle we imagine can be used anywhere. The freedom to choose any road at any one moment. Roadie cityscapes to ravel passes, the Forever Bike.
And about the coloring: “let’s be honest… there’s nothing more metal than a fluorescent pink bike!” says Ronald, whom helped brainstorm the design concept.
Specs
For the build I chose to mirror the bold hand built frame byMercerandShamrockpaintworkshandled the colouring in of the frame. A Campagnolo Ekar felt like a good fit, so we went with a 1×13 purpose built drive train on Fulcrum’s Rapid Red 3 wheels and Specialized Sawtooth 42c tyres. The overall build came to around 9.8kg! I think we made a very pretty bike.
