Peter Ducommun has loved bicycles of all kinds for a long time, and heB次元官网网址檚 sharing a huge collection of what Pulitzer Prize winner William Saroyan once called humankindB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渘oblest inventionB次元官网网址�.
Qualicum BeachB次元官网网址檚 new Pop Cult Museum is hosting a vintage bicycle exhibit with approximately 100 bicycles accumulated over the years by Ducommun, also known as PD.
It covers eras from the 1930s right up to the 2000s and is housed in PDB次元官网网址檚 Hot Shop/Skate Vancouver Island.
Ducommun credited the collection to B次元官网网址渄ecades of sort of maniacal obsession.B次元官网网址�
Visitors will find everything from 1940s/1950s B次元官网网址減aperboy bikesB次元官网网址� to muscle bikes of the 1960s and 1970s and a 1981 Powerlite Cruiser.
That last one holds a special significance because Ducommun built it 42 years ago and has held onto it ever since, but he could never pick a true favourite.
B次元官网网址淚 ride all of them. I donB次元官网网址檛 ride the little ones as much obviously because being an adult theyB次元官网网址檙e not as comfortable,B次元官网网址� Ducommun said. B次元官网网址淎lthough banana seat bikes are surprisingly rideable for a full-size rider because youB次元官网网址檙e back behind the the cranks instead of directly over them.B次元官网网址�
Another standout is a 1936 Monark Silver King, a good example of the solid materials bicycles were made of back in the day, right down to the bells.
B次元官网网址淭hese have got some good sustain on B次元官网网址檈m. They just sort of hang in the air,B次元官网网址� Ducommun said, as he rang the ancient bell. B次元官网网址淢y buddies who are musicians are like, B次元官网网址榳ow thatB次元官网网址檚 incredibleB次元官网网址�.B次元官网网址�
Ducommun opened his new skateboard shop location last year after relocating from Vancouver, where he remains the owner of the famed PDB次元官网网址檚 Hot Shop in Kitsilano. ThereB次元官网网址檚 even a PDB次元官网网址檚 Hot Shop in Gifu, Japan.
He is also the owner of the world-renowned Skull Skates brand B次元官网网址� CanadaB次元官网网址檚 oldest skateboard company, established in 1978.
Ducommun has skateboarded since the early B次元官网网址�70s and also has a long-standing appreciation for bicycles B次元官网网址� and the reactions of people when they spot a familiar sight from years gone by.
B次元官网网址淭he stuff I think is neat, but itB次元官网网址檚 really more the feelings around the stuff thatB次元官网网址檚 holding importance to people,B次元官网网址� he said.
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For Ducommun, the balloon tire bikes have always evoked an image of a child in the 1940s or 1950s tossing papers onto door steps while they cruise down the street. They also remind him of how much things have changed over the decades and how adult the childrenB次元官网网址檚 bikes of those times now appear.
B次元官网网址淭hese were not adult bikes, thatB次元官网网址檚 the other thing. Now they seem like they are compared to what came after, but these were kids bikes,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淣owadays adults like myself collect them and are nostalgic about them and like to fix em up, but in the day this would have been, yeah, a kid delivering your paper.B次元官网网址�
The exhibit also has a way of firing up the imaginations of children, who are blown away by bike fads from the past, such as 1970s full suspension motocross rides B次元官网网址� complete with faux gas tanks.
ThereB次元官网网址檚 plenty of surprising facts to learn, like how the origin of mountain bikes stems from old balloon tire frames modified with BMX and motorcycle parts during the B次元官网网址渒lunkerB次元官网网址� trail riding movement.
Four of the bikes were part of a exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver. Ducommun started an online museum years ago, which precipitated the invitation from the museum.
HeB次元官网网址檚 planned an upcoming art exhibit inspired by the pop cultures of skateboarding, surfing, hip hop and punk rock.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 really like the term, but B次元官网网址榣ow brow artB次元官网网址� seems to be the catch all that basically says somehow itB次元官网网址檚 not fine art,B次元官网网址� he said.
Ducommun has also started bike cruises where the group gathers in front of the shop with their bikes to nerd out a bit before a slow cruise around town that usually winds up at the BMX track.
B次元官网网址淗opefully somebody doesnB次元官网网址檛 get gurney-ed off because theyB次元官网网址檙e riding the BMX track on a 1930s bicycle,B次元官网网址� he said with a laugh. B次元官网网址淏ut anyway so far so good. Knock on wood.B次元官网网址�
The cruises feature unique bikes, but everyone with a bike of any kind is welcome to join.
The next bike cruise is set for 4 p.m. on Sept. 10. PDB次元官网网址檚 Hot Shop/Skate Vancouver Island is located at 164 2nd Ave West in Qualicum Beach.
The bicycle exhibition ends Oct. 21. The art exhibit will begin in November and may include a few pieces for sale.
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