Used Bicycle Parts Become Way Cool Bicycle Furniture
Tucked away in a small warehouse just blocks from the shore of Lake Superior (not really sure why it’s better than the other lakes, but apparently it just is), lies the one of the biggest assortments of recycled bicycle parts I have ever seen.Having been in the bicycle business for over 25 years, this is saying a lot.Out of this incredible pile of tubes, rims, frames, spokes, handlebars, and chainrings, Andy Gregg makes furniture.Not just any furniture mind you, but for us bike aficionados’, some of the coolest looking furniture you can imagine.His natural feel for the circular shapes inherent in bicycle parts is reflected in the smooth lines and flowing circular seating areas in all his designs.
Andy is a soft-spoken and somewhat quirky gentleman with a true passion for what he does.Also a professional photographer, he has an eye for the sublime when it comes to designing furniture.He didn’t have much furniture to look at when we arrived, as he makes most of his pieces to order, and he had just shipped out most everything he had on hand, but we were very familiar with his designs having contacted him about selling his furniture on our website a few years ago.Andy gathers what used to be disposed of as scrap by most bike shops, and having probably disposed of tons of it over the years when I worked in bike shops, it is wonderful to see it not only being recycled, but turned into works of art.
We were only able to visit for a short time as we were headed to our next appointment, so we shot a few quick photos, gave him a tour of the Airstream and headed on down the road.We encourage you to visit his website (www.bikefurniture.com) and see for yourself what can be done with these bits of steel and rubber that have already given their best to provide carbon-free transportation to the masses.
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