This fixie created by Frenchman Nicolas Yvars could be the ultimate retro ride. It's handmade, using vintage parts and high quality leather.
Nico says it combines his three passions – "leathercraft, street fashion and luxury" – and has been designed as a 'porteur', a type of cargo bike originally used by newspaper sellers in Paris.
It took him more than a year to track down the parts, and he made the whole thing himself, outsourcing only the frame painting and wheelbuilding.
Called the Leather X Porteur, neat touches include the hip flask attachment under the saddle and hand-stitched detailing on the leather tube covers. Nico claims it has the "agility and reactivity of a track frame" with added comfort from the big tyres.
For those about to reach for their wallet, sorry – Nico says it's a "personal artwork" that he rides every day and has no plans to sell. It's just a way to promote his marketing company, Ateliers d'Embellie. Having said that, he is working on a matching travel bag for his front rack.
For more details about the project, see www.ateliersembellie.com/COG&BITS.html.
