Fran's Friday Five

This week I have been liking...

1. Test riding the shop's new Moulton New Series Double Pylon
Sublime ride and breathtaking looks.

2. Pashley coasters
Handmade for Pashley by Brooks England from the same leather they use for their saddles. Available in the classics black, brown and honey as well as a range of more funky colours, my favourite is the aged brown. They smell great and I’m trying to resist the temptation to Frisbee them all at Blake the next time he comes down from the Pashley factory.

3. Watching Abstract: The Art of Design on Netflix
If you like seeing how designers work then you’ll love this. From Architecture to photography to typography, eight designers share their stories and inspirations in this docuseries (apparently, that is a real word). In a previous life, I was a graphic designer and a Design & Technology teacher so I’ve watched a lot of documentaries about design and designers and having so far watched the episodes about Illustrator Christoph Niemann, Nike designer Tinker Hadfield and photographer Platon Antoniou I can say that they are fast-paced, fascinating and very entertaining. I’m trying to watch an episode each night this week, it’s a Netflix binge that will won’t leave you feeling guilty.

4. Reading Boneshaker magazine
If you like to gently caress and sniff a new magazine (or is that just me?) then you’ll love Boneshaker. Perfect bound on quality stock with a very strong design aesthetic and very beautiful. When it arrives in the shop I sneak a copy home and spend the evening reading it cover to cover. In their own words: “From all corners of the planet we gather personal stories, beautiful photographs and carefully commissioned illustrations exploring the wonderful things that happen when people and bikes come together. No training tips, race diets or adverts. It’s not how much your bike weighs that matters, but where it takes you. It’s not how fast you got there, but what you saw along the way.” Perfect.

5. Listening to B.H.S. by Sleaford Mods
Funny.