I dropped into Melbourne Now last week to hear Mick Peel of Busyman Bicycles talking about his fine crafty ways with leather. Mick is responsible for the recovered saddle on my bike, along with the grips and matching mud flaps.
Watching the parade of creative work on his blog is always inspiring so I was looking forward to hearing him speak about what he does. 
We’ve had him as a guest on the Yarra BUG Radio Show in the past and I’ve featured his work in Treadlie Magazine. Mick iss a great speaker and I’ve always enjoyed whenever I’ve had the opportunity to listen to him in the past.
Mick asked me to bring in my Madison mixte, he was bringing in several saddles and handlebars he’d worked on along with his own bike but thought it might be nice to have a second bike on display.
As an added bonus, besides getting lots of attention lavished on my favourite bicycle, Mick also took the opportunity to replace my leather grips which were starting to look a little ratty. It gave him something to work on and chat about with visitors to the workshop, and gave me spanking new grips!
And here she is up on stage with Mick and Deborah Ratliff, Melbourne Now curator at the NGV. You’ll have to excuse the photos, they’re awful, even for quick snaps on the phone. But fitting I thought, proof positive that the bicycle Commuter Cycles built for me, really is a work of art!
postcards from the north 