Yesterday’s I Love My Bike Book Ride was a smashing success- the Square was packed with kind folk and their beloved bikes and Finkle led everyone around on a scenic tour/photoshoot of the Somerville/Cambridge/Boston area. Thanks to all who came out and hung out. FYI’s: we’ve got a good stock of the Chris Piascik- designed tees, printed on American Apparel, in stock now at OPEN.
I was asked to review some Arnhem Suede Shoes by Chrome, but they do not make them in my size. So I gave them to my Co-Habitant, the gentleman pictured below. He has been wearing the Chrome Arnhems for a month now and is surprised by how much he likes them. He wears them without clips, and the soles grip the pedals firmly in all but the worst weather conditions. They are also comfortable to walk in: He has spent 12-hour work shifts on his feet in these!
But the really interesting thing, is that the suede is fairly water resistant, as well as road-salt resistant. I though for sure the shoes would get ruined if he wore them in the snow and slush, but they are fine in the winter.
Open carries the Chrome Arnhem Suede Shoes in men’s sizes 7-14. If you are female, I believe that a size 7 translates to a ladies’ size 9. I wish Chrome made these in my size, because they sound like great cycling shoes.
We take product selection and testing very seriously here at OPEN. After looking into the various gloves marketed by cycling apparel manufacturers, we decided that every offering had some flaws- not weather-proof enough, too much padding, or simply too expensive. We started looking elsewhere- surely there was someone making gloves that would keep your hands dry and toasty throughout the climate-change ravaged Northeast winters? The solution, we found, was in workwear. A few of us had been very happy with our Ironclad mechanics gloves, and we decided to investigate their other models.
Ironclad has been making technical gloves for industrial, construction, and military use since 2005, utilizing cutting-edge fabrics and rugged design. Their gloves are ergonomically fitted, well priced, extremely durable, and (we think) stylish. We brought in two models, the Tac-Ops (Teflon-impregnated, stealthy black, thin and flexible; perfect for cool weather riding or covert spy missions) and the Cold Condition Waterproof (seriously dunk-your-hands-in-a-bucket waterproof, insulated, and featuring good knuckle protection; these are the gloves oil rig workers in Alaska use, and probably too warm for any day above 40 degrees), $26 and $40 respectively. We feel like that’s a lot of glove for short money, but we decided to put these gloves to the test. Jeremy offered to check the Tac-Ops purported fire and oil resistance:
The gloves stood up to JT’s pyromania, and also passed the immediately-following dunk test. We’re proud to offer these quality gloves, lacking in bike-chic brand labels (and associated price tags) as the ideal solution for your frozen fingers. All sizes now in stock, here at OPEN.
The friendly FedEx guy just dropped off our first Loki shipment- a box full of Morf zip-up hoodies. Jeremy offered to model:
The Morf offers the same integrated mitts and face shield that the popular Loki jackets have. We originally set up an account with Loki to bring in the venerable Myth softshell, but it seems that the jacket has undergone a material change for this year- it’s no longer a waterproof outerlayer. Instead, we sourced these nice lined hoodies- perfect for layering. $79 here at OPEN.
As the frosts approach, we here at Open are looking to bring in new seasonal product to keep your fingers warm and tires on the ground… which means making some room in our little shop. We’ve got a nice assortment of Chrome product, from the all-new (and toasty warm) shoes, with in-sole stiffeners and ballistic Cordura uppers and laces, to a lineup of the SF brand’s bags and hip packs. Bags in stock are 15% off and shoes in stock are 20% off until the end of the month!
Dave from Seed Sewn dropped off some fresh winter caps the other day:
Dave has been honing his skills on the sewing machine all year, all the while putting his signature upcycled-material caps on fashion-forward heads all around town and taking care of an awesome and growing family. The new winter caps feature New England-appropriate wools and flannels with cotton liners. Each cap is individual, and can be custom tailored for your head. Earflaps and other features are possible custom options, as well. The caps start at $30 and are only available here at Open.
In the book, The Creative Habit, written by Twyla Tharp, there is an entire chapter on Where’s Your “Pencil”? The question refers to our American Express, Don’t Leave Home Without It, tools that fuel our creativity. In our everyday lives, there exists a metaphorical pencil, which is the necessary puzzle piece that drives our creative hustles.
Every time I visit OPEN, Joshua’s hands are perpetually covered in bike grease. When I see him, we dance through our customary social greeting which habitually begins with him saying, “Sorry man, my hands are dirty…” — followed by a hand slap that tightens into a tug-of-war style embrace, which leads into a shoulder-to-shoulder connect for the finish.
The fact that Joshua’s hands are always grimy is comforting to me. His greasy hands are symbolic of Joshua’s creative passion for what he and Zack, both, hope to bring to the familial and collaborative space they have created with OPEN.
For Joshua’s hands, gloved in filth, hardened and sometimes scarred from a day spent repairing and building bikes, the grease represents his pencil and is the one tool that feeds [your] creativity and is so essential that without it [you] feel naked and unprepared (Tharp, The Creative Habit).
What is the pencil for your creative habit? For me, quite literally, it is a pencil. True to my hustle, it is called the perfect pencil. As a writer, my pencil helps capture the world around me through finished narratives, or by sharing the fractured elements of stories without a voice.
Where’s your pencil? What creative spark to your habit will it bring to keep your fire burning? I suspect that once you discover the tool, the only thing left to pursue is your passion. Like Joshua, with his hands perpetually covered in bike grease, this is one habit you will never have a need to apologize.
