steelwing

 In the radiosilence of otherwise busy-busy, there has been a little thrift shopping here and there as I hinted earlier. Out of all the retrolicious flea finds that I'd like to share I'm most excited about my most recent one, it is every bit a dream come true!

It's a bicycle! A good old, sturdy pushpedal bike that has been on the wishlist for a while. I don't mean that I had been wanting this exact very one - I just wanted a nice old ladies' bike with the right age and look, in good working order, at a bargainous price.

Then this quirky beauty winked at me from the corner in a big basement of a junkshop and was a love at first sight - it ticked all the boxes and some more.

It is a Terässiipi, a Finnish brand, from the 1970s. Terässiipi literally means steelwing, which is kind of cool, no? My specimen has the wholesome look of an original, with all the trimmings. A sticker tells me that the frame was made by Joonas Ögland in Norway for the brand.

I love everything about it: the grey pleather seat with chunky white stitching, the chalky white handlegrips and pedals, the matt green frame, the electric blue chainguard. The tires were gray too, but alas the rubber was disintegrating and had to be changed. My steelwing comes with a beige basket at front, a built-in lock at the back wheel and a spot of brown rust here and there, which in my opinion only adds character. The bell has a fair bit of it, but despite its rusty looks it has a very clear, bright chime.

Most importantly, this bike glides like a dream - no wonder it is called steel wing.

 

I'm hoping for many adventures and pleasant pedaling - I will show you some more photos from our first little trip next week.