Pavement Graffiti May be a Joy for Brompton Riders and Other Cyclists

Look what I found right in front of my door when I left  for a bicycle tour the other day:

Is she not saying:  "I love you all!"? 


A Brompton rider and any other cyclist have quite naturally their eyes directed to the pavement.  They have this leaning in common with pedestrians.  No wonder that bikers and pedestrians share  a very special kind of  artistic awareness:  They perceive pavement graffiti earlier and  more intensively  than anyone else.  Granted, the opinions on graffiti in public places are divided - and I agree with those of you who get angry when they see these senseless sprayings that are nothing more than vandalism.  
But quite different are these pavement graffiti by kids.

Here is one more, also by a kid of the Max-Born-Strasse in Bonn:

He seems to be saying:  "Look, I am a boy, and I  have already grown big!"
And a long time before he has really grown big, the rain will have washed his graffiti off, which is another reason why this kind of pavement drawing is so harmless and enjoyable.


But did you know that you can also use water in order to create a pavement graffiti that vanishes soon?  It is done on purpose with water, and with deep philosophical meaning.  Here is an example of  this kind of graffiti by a dedicated Chinese calligrapher: 

This text reads in Chinese Pinyin transcription:
  "nong mo piao xiang"
English translation:  Thick ink releases and spreads a pleasant smell

A teacher from the Helmholtz Gymnasium in Bonn saw it on her trip with students to China in April this year. So this picture was taken.


A variant of this kind of water graffiti practised in China was shown at this year`s design competition in Beijing: A tricycle is used as a calligraphy writing machine.  Click the following site and enjoy this unusual way of publishing poetry:  nicholas-hanna-water-calligraphy-device-at-beijing-design-week

German Weekly "Der Spiegel" reports on Brompton World Championship 2011

The German weekly "Der Spiegel" has published a report on this year`s Brompton World Championship which took place last weekend near Oxford.  The reporter of  "Der Spiegel", Carsten Volkery, was one of the 760 international participants in the race.


"The World`s Fastest Pencil Pushers Racing on their Folding Bikes"  -   Race originated in Spain
In his words, the world`s fastest pencil pushers, dressed in suit and necktie were racing on their folding bikes. He notes that the first championship of this sort was held in Barcelona, Spain, and that the number of participants there doubled each year.


A Bit like Carneval
He also highlights the fact that the participants in the race had much fun and interpreted the dress code quite creatively.  To Carsten Volkery it was a bit like carneval.


 Owning and Riding a Brompton has Reached Cult Status
As far as the success of the Brompton folding bike on international markets is concerned, he adds that its British mgeranufacturer, based in London,  has been expanding its production every year at amazing rates and that owning and riding a Brompton has reached cult status.


"Der Spiegel" on Brompton World Championship 2011

Comment
Several days after writing this summary of the  "Der Spiegel" article, some after thoughts have induced me to comment on Carsten Volkery`s  bias.  Looking at the multitude of participants in the Brompton race, I think it is not fair to lable them as "pencils pushers" as Volkery did.  Even worse is the German wording in the original text:  "Bürohengste".  Some of my readers who are knowledgable in German may wonder what this expression really means.  It is not used every day and probably it does not  belong to the vocabulary of many young people of our language community. The literal translation of this pejorative pair of words would be "office stallions".   The expression conveys some meaning of a boringly conservative office worker who enjoys a certain amount of masculine superiority but confined to a bureaucratic environment.
I don`t think that the English translation of "pencil pushers" has the same overtones.  Whatever, I think it is not fair to refer to the enthusiastic group of Brompton riders like that  - among them quiet a few from different  nations and certainly from many walks of life.
  
Among the large number of commuters using a folding  bike to get to work,  the majority are probably modern thinking people with creative minds and with visons that go  beyond the limits of a boring life and work style.