Wednesday, 2 February 2011

Jane's Bike

It's not about the bike... yeah, right. Cyclists may tell you that, but it is. And I must admit I have rarely come across a machine more beautiful than a racing bike. the sleek line, the aero dynamics, the weight - or lack of it, the speed and the grace. Altogether an amazing way to travel. And an even better way to travel at speed.




In a previous lifetime, I used to race bikes around the County of Dublin, but that was a long time ago and this is Jane's bike, and she loves it! Jane is a triathlete, and along with her husband, Patrick, they take part in events all over the world. Impressive. I only have admiration for that. To be successful in such events, the bike has to become part of you; you have to feel it and be it. Riding becomes second nature. It is no wonder that cyclists treat their bikes like part of the family; polished and cleaned, like another child.





I am shooting a series on Jane and Patrick over the next few months as they go about their triathlete type lives. And close up shots of the bikes are part of it. Enjoy.

For the cognoscenti, the bike is a carbon fibre Colnago, with Campagnolo appointments. I lit the bike to one side with a softbox and the other side with with a strobe head fired through a white transparent(ish) backdrop.

And when they tell you it's not about the bike.... just smile and nod.
Posted by Unknown
Labels: , ,

6 comments:

  1. David Kelly03 February, 2011

    Hi Noel,
    Much as I can appreciate the beauty & craft of such a bike, the £2000+ (well by my reckoning) of this work of art is quite a bit over what I would pay. But somebody obviously loves their bikes a lot!

    My friend Moses is a bit of a bike nut too as well. I can't claim to remember the brands that he had, but he had several bikes costing somewhere between £1-2k (this is going back about 6 years). He used to revel in showing us how he could lift it one of them up easily with just his little finger.

    And it's not just about the bike, it's about having a good saddle too for those long journeys :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown03 February, 2011

    Hi David,
    As a cyclist way back in the days, I can only agree with you about the saddle...

    I guess its like us and cour cameras...

    Thanks for commenting,
    Noel

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kelley Simpson04 February, 2011

    Noel,
    Beautiful images, very intimate and quiet. Lovely.
    I wholeheartedly agree with the saddle comments. I will share your entry with my husband as he is in a love affair with a couple of bikes. He is preparing for his annual ride from Sacramento to Santa Ana about 628.14 kilometres (390.31 miles). Talk about saddle issues...

    Well done, I can't wait to see the next images!
    Kelley

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown05 February, 2011

    Hi Kelley,
    Thanks for stopping by, with all these athletes around me I am getting depressed now! 390 miles! Fantastic, as for the saddle issues, there is a story that says that one of e champions of the Tour de France got so saddle sore, he went into a butchers and got a piece of steak and shoved it down his shorts. No more saddle sore. I can just imagine the relief!

    Tae care,
    Noel

    ReplyDelete
  5. Steve05 February, 2011

    Hi Noel:

    I'm Kelley's husband Steve. I love this post about Jane's Colnago. I have a couple of single and just married friends that both have them and they sure are nice. But I have to say the rider is still by far the most important part of the system ;) When Kelley showed me the second photo, I said "Hey, I have those tires!" LOL. Anyway, very nice and since you mentioned speed I thought you might get a kick out of this YouTube. It's one of my favorites from various Tour footage. Take care :)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kZSzB4kEE8

    ReplyDelete
  6. David Kelly10 February, 2011

    @Steve - scary speeds on two thin wheels in that video. I certainly wouldn't want to come off the bike at that stage of the Tour.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)