the best bits so far...

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// online

Peddle over to the demonstration website here
(it's running a little slow at the mo, but the wait is worth it!)

Velorution

thanks to Velorution again for the bikes. the company have almost exactly the same view of where cycling should be going in london.

the project will move forwards after the hand in and after the show, with the help of my tech guy nick. the plan is to get the fully working website up and running for all to use in the next 6 months or so. it will be interesting to see if velorution might play a part in Freewheel's future...

brick lane / vintagy shoot results!

just about dodged the rain again, but it was freezing so had to do it a bit sharpish!

models are my sister jenny & her friend anna.

web layout

CALL FOR HINTS & TIPS!

one section of my site will have hints & tips on cycling in london as written by the users.

as i have no users, it would be great if the cyclists among you (i know there's at least couple!) could help me out with some cycling pearl's of wisdom!

thanks,

chris

ITC Avant Garde Gothic Book!

trying to find a free copy of this font if anyone has it please let me know!!

thanks!

vintagish bikes

i seem to be turing my flat into a bike shed! anyway here are the bikes we'll use on monday - or maybe tuesday depending on the weather. fingers crossed...

// refering to more fashion vintage than penny farthings etc

vintage shoot

ok so i'm doing another shoot on monday, to show another side / style of cycling in london. going for a vintage / brick lane kinda look. my sister works in a little boutique / shop called Siren in kingly court, so shoud be able to use clothes from there - pretty funky stuff. sister & her friend anna will be modelling.

getting hold of these bikes might be a problem - have bid for one on ebay (blue one in shot) & going on a search for them sat morning. sat afternoon will be spotting exact locations so the shoot will be swift & painless.

now i'm going to make the website, i'm thinking quite a clean style / layouts so as not to go too crazy with colours from the logo, images & maps - more of a platform for these elements. maybe not. we'll see eh.

logo, nearly there...

ok well developed this as the logo, but i think it still needs tweaking & maybe simplifying.
what does anyone else think??




^ main logo


^ usage on image


^ overlapping letters v non-overlapping letters


^ playing with treatments

cart*graphy

taking quick break from logo to do trace some maps. exciting stuff.

typ*graphy

okay... for this website to work really well it needs a funky identity, with the logo and choice of typeface setting the whole feel of the project. this is partly why i've spent so long on it, (you don't know how many times i've written out bloody freewheel) and partly because i havnet done it before!

for the logo i'm going to use the whole idea of lines of routes, but also maybe handlebar tape, & other bike related lines, to create an organic and 'fashiony' yet structured and clean style.





i have to say this project will be a steep learning curve - first proper logotype/face, first proper website and first proper flash project. all in about 2 weeks!

this one's going down to the wire

photoshoot results

here's a few of the photos from saturday's shoot. urban summer was the kind of concept behind the shots, and seem to have worked rather well! we were damn lucky with the weather, all clear apart from a bit of rain near the end. we'd got enough and everyone was getting tired so called it a day. thanks to liam & lindsay modelling, maia carrying stuff & our photographer in residence Val for taking some superb photos!

'Poser' shoot for sat 12th

sorted out some very laid back bikes for the shoot on saturday. this one and a silver one.

resident photographer val will be photographer. got one male model, just need a girl model now.

will head to neal's st near covent garden and then king's road, going for a chilled out lifestyle kinda look.

biggest problem will be the possiblity of rain so i really need a backup plan in just!

more reference to follow.

Routes.

the website will be let people make their own routes, but to start the whole thing off i will devise around 5/6 chilled out ways around london to help the launch.

they will be easy, and very relaxed - no motorways here!

so far:

1. The Poser - king's road, kensington, knightsbridge
or neal's yard, covent garden - maybe head east?

2. Bus-Buster - a whole route with free from buses (teresa thats for you!)

3. The One With The Medical Benefits - not sure about this one. couple of people have (jokingly) mentioned about ladies cycling on bumpy cobbled streets for 'medical benefits!' think it was a Victorian idea, would be great to put that in, but if anyone knows anything about it er please let me know ?


other routes might include a pavement only route, a really easy route around hyde park including duck feeding, ice creams & lunch spots, a shopping route, etc.

each route will have photos and will have a blog-type comments section for users to discuss it & upload their own photos.

each route i am devising will include a photoshoot (also for any advertising). details to follow.

if anyone else has any ideas for a bike route that would suit them to a T please let me know!

beginnings of identity

identity i am working on at the moment. still needs a fair amount of tweaking!

map reference

ok so here are some funkeh maps, not as detailed as mine will be but give an idea of the direction i will take. i'll most likely use a simplified version of an OS map without any colour, other than markings for the project.

Graphic inspiration

first draft of project description

Cycling in London is like riding a gauntlet of crazy cabbies and on-another-planet bus drivers; TfL even give us a journey planner telling us the fastest routes on the busiest and most inhospitable roads.

Freewheel is dedicated to taking it slow - enjoy the ride!

SORTED.

ok i think i have the basic rationale behind the project, its taken a while but i think this could work pretty nicely.

the idea is to stick with routes and stuff, but aim the entire thing at people who want to go slowly, chill out, stop for an ice-cream, have a haircut, go for a bite to eat, and so on.

the project would not aim to say that cycling is great for all these reasons, but to try to get people who don't necessarily want to ride the quickest and most dangerous roads.

the message will be more like 'take it slow' rather than 'get to the destination the fastest way possible'.

there are a lot of people out there who want to ride around london, but are too scared of maniac bus drivers and crazy taxis.

to sum up: Freewheel is an online resource for people who want to ride around london slowly and in a very relaxed fashion!

Today is the day

well its being very slow at the moment.

need to get the whole concept for the project sorted today.

at the moment i'm thinking along the lines of a dating agency where people meet online, then go on a bike ride - they might have nothing in common at all other than cycling.

could be a bit cheeky - banners on other sites saying 'find single-speeds in your area!' (bikes with one gear), and 'i just wanna take it slow...' etc.

i'm not sure if the dating thing is the right solution, but its the right kind of line - bit more interesting than just routes.

Now i'm going up to Velorution near oxford st. they sell loads of things like big dutch bikes & aren't really aimed at racers or anything - hoping to get some inspiration!

printout map

one aspect that i will be keeping is the print-out map - printed on a4 by the user and can be folded into a pocket sized map:

mould-breaking

random reference to get away from tfl style graphics!