The Leatherbug

On cycling in the rain and keeping muck off your bottom bracket..

Been out for a cruise again this afternoon after work, as is my custom. Was using my 1956 Triumph Butler. It was raining softly. Very softly, enough to feel the rain on your exposed face and arms, but soft enough for the drops to be dried by the wind before they can wet your T-shirt. Perfect cycling conditions.
I took the cycle path that winds through the mangroves, past the sporting grounds and Oyster Point, and eventually ends at the Ferry terminal on the bay.
Earlier the day it must have been raining harder, because everywhere there were larger puddles of water, some completely covering the cycle path, so you have to go right through them. Its for conditions like these that you really discover the worth of a good mud-flap. Not only does a mud-flap keeps your bottom bracket dry and grime free, but it also keeps the spray off your feet and cranks.
After experimenting a bit with shapes and designs, I settled on a specific design which I have tested for two seasons now and found to be very effective. Made from leather (off course!), you can attach these to any mudguard using pop-rivets or stainless steel screws. Installation only takes ten minutes. My price is only $12.00 Australian plus postage. A tiny investment for years and years of enjoyable wet weather cycling.
Please go to my website, www.theleatherbug.com for more info.
Keep cycling!

Just a reminder to all vintage bicycle enthusiasts that we are still continuing the tradition of handcrafted bicycle leather products into 2013.
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I have had a special interest in mechanical watches since I was a teenager. That was also when I bought my first watch with my pocket money. That fascination with watches has been kept alive all these years and today I have a reasonable collection of vintage watches.

Together with the noble bicycle, mechanical watches share the first place on my list of most amazing mechanical inventions of all times.

The right watch strap/band can greatly enhances the appearance of a watch. And that was why Reivilo Watch Straps were born. Often I had difficulties in obtaining a strap that I felt was the right one for a new old watch. So I started making my own. Here are some examples on three Soviet era Vostok watches, and two 1960s American Benrus watches.

Please go to my website, www.theleatherbug.com, for more examples and the story of Reivilo watch straps.