"OFF THE WALL"
This is a very special bike for me as I was building it for my long time buddy Daniel, aka "Bauer's Jaust". Daniel and I met at the local Skatepark being somewhat 16 years old and became friends instantly and kept good contact ever since, even though for some time our lives went in different directions. Not really skating so much anymore, but we both independently discovered cycling for us as a new sport and source of inspiration. When Daniel knew that I was making custom bikes he was one of my first really early customers back in 2015 to buy a complete Chacha travel bike from me. The year after we took him out on his first brevet ride with Berlin crew and he was hooked immediately by this form of ambitious but fun long distance cycling. Finally in 2019 I build for him the successor bike just in time for Paris-Brest-Paris, a real light weight and modern randonneur machine which he successfully used on this first big event, completing the 1200km PBP Brevet in a stunningly good time. Boosted by his success Daniel kept on going riding more and more and harder Brevets the years after, until that horrible accident happened last year... Daniel rode the Flèche 380k Brevet ride together with his Munich friends and at some point late in the night, drafting behind his peers at high speed, he must have fallen asleep and loosing control of his bike. At that moment they were just under passing a narrowing railway bridge when Daniel hit the curb and crashed frontally into the concrete bridge wall with somewhat of 30+ km h. His helmet was totally destroyed and he suffered serious head and neck injuries, loosing his consciousness. When he finally woke up in hospital the doctors told him without a helmet he would have been most probably not alive anymore. Daniel send me a selfie that morning of his smashed face and I was shocked to see him like that. Despite being injured so badly his so much loved Fern bike was totally destroyed too. I immediately told me him not to worry and he should recover first and in the meantime I would make new bike for him as soon as possible...
And here it is, his brand new Brevet machine, the Fern "OFF THE WALL". Daniel came up with the topic for this bike for obvious reasons and also the theme includes a part of our past and friendship when we were skating together back then at younger age. Tine of Gramm Tourpacking jumped on that train as well and she created these amazing square checkered pattern bags, reminding us all on our beloved old Vans Skateshoes we used to wear. We are super happy that Daniel recovered so well and now his new bike is ready roll out for the new Brevet riding season! Drive safe my friend and always remember that whenever you feel not good or hungry or tired on such long rides, just take it easy mate, have a break, have little nap, get your self a coffee and only continue if you feel good again. It's all about to get to finish at all and not about the time in what you'll make it! Happy riding Daniel and stay off all walls in the future.... ;)
Photography: Florian Haeussler / FERN Bicycles.