Pedal to the metal - Irish Times

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/magazine/2009/0314/1224242567441.html

Come on now, admit it. Did you look longingly at the happy, if unconventional, trio of Scarlett, Penélope and Javier careering through the Catalan countryside on their pushbikes in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and think, “must have one of those” (bikes, that is)? Or did you admire Kate Winslet’s blue dress flapping in her wake as she cycled with The Reader ?<

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There’s certainly something alluring about bikes with an old-fashioned look, and handlebars that curve around to meet you

so you sit up straighter. If retro chic is your thing, you could try this Granturismo (right), which will be on sale in BT2 at Grafton Street and Dundrum from the end of March until the end of April. Made in Italy by Abici, it has a chainguard, a hand-finished leather saddle and a back-pedal brake (which takes a bit of getting used to), and is available in men’s and women’s styles in a range of colours. However, while the absence of gears highlights its clean lines (no straggly cables), that factor, and its iron frame, make the Granturismo hard work. The Government’s introduction of tax incentives for commuting cyclists (if your employer participates, you pay only half of the cost of a new bike) should help with the €690 price tag.

For a bit more technology, the Kellys Harmony bicycle (€415 at ThinkBike in Rathmines, Dublin 6) is a modern take on a classic style, and it feels like cycling in an armchair. It has gears – only three, mind – but you didn’t see the film-stars slogging it home uphill, red-faced, gasping and swearing, did you? Joyce Hickey

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times