12 GIRL BIKES

Possible winner for most thrilling exploration ever...

Here's the story. Last week I had Martino & Mrtnski as honoured guests at my place. Two die hard explorers and darn good photographers from Holland. We were into an urbex all weekender. I checked some possible locations for us to visit, and I found this beautiful but oh so difficult place to enter: HH.

Some background info. This place, which classifies as a chateau, goes back to the 17th century. It became abandoned in the late eighties. Somewhere in 2004 squatters took over. They possess the building ever since. It's almost impossible for the police to get them out.

Time goes by and this place is gently turning from squatters heaven into junkies heaven.
It's advisable not to go there.

Reinforced by Telefunker & Stef, the Belgian crew quoi, we all meet up to check this place. The big front gate, which is locked by the squatters themselves, is just not doable to climb. We hit the parking lot of a surrounding building to climb over the wall. We're inside the gardens.

Plan A: the safe approach, knocking on the door. Just moments before, Mrtnski asks me if these squatters are ok. Junks... I guess not. Anything can happen. We knock. No answer. We go to another front door and knock again. Nothing. We shout. Silence. Heading towards the backgarden we see a huge amount of bicycles. Fifty something. That's a lot. I check the tires. They're ok. People are living here, right? We knock on the backdoor. Nothing. We check the servants entrance, knocking and shouting. Nothing.

Plan B: entering through an open window.

We find an open window at the back. It's doable to climb through. But we're hesitating. We all have this feeling the place is not empty. Who's going in first? I put my head inside this darkness and I can barely see anything. I take a deep breath, face my fears, and head in first. I find myself in the middle of this total squatters' chaos: litter, trash, empty weedbags, human faeces, Cara pils, tinfoil papers, candles, dirt, empty bottles, ... The smell is awfull. I take a brief moment to listen. Silence. I think it's ok.

Everyone's inside now. For some strange reason the doors to the main hall are locked. We find a servants stair in the back and go up. First floor: rooms of squatters. More dirt. More trash. We go up to the second floor and manage to go to the main part of the house. We're in this beautiful hallway.

And then... a door opens. Some strange dude with a hammer in his hand approaches us. He looks frightening. Adrenaline levels are way up now. "How the hell did you guys enter this building?", he asks. "Through an open window at the back", we reply. "That's not possible, I closed everything! How the hell did you guys enter?", he shouts". "Through an open window, seriously!". He doesn't want to believe us. We tell him we're photographers, interested in all that's abandoned. But he's certainly not happy with our little visit here. He demands us to go downstairs and wait. He returns to his room.

In a situation like this it only takes a split second to decide what's the best thing to do. We have no idea how many squatters are living here. And we certainly don't want our skull smashed in with a hammer. We decide to hit the road. In a flat 30 seconds we're all downstairs, out of the window, over the balcony, through the garden, over the wall. Talkin' about an exit strategy.

Just when we're out, the guy approaches us again. He tells us he wants to talk. He's a squatter but he's trying very hard to keep the junks outside. He seems cool and relaxed and we decide to give it a shot. He takes us in and he talks about the previous squatters who made such a mess here. He's sick and tired of them and he wants to restore the building in it's original glory. It seems awkward, but he shows us around and tells us how much he's been cleaning up. And he's got proof too: pictures dating back from the junkie days. He even shows us some rooms he hasn't been cleaning up. Believe me, you don't want to see this.

In the end this dude was supercool. He showed us around and we talked about the past, the present and the future of this beautiful building. Electricity was up again. A sheer 120 Volts added a very creepy atmosphere to the place. Little by little the grandeur of this place was returning. And he's putting so much effort in it. Quite surprising for a squatter. Respect!

This was one hell of an exploration. Thanks guys!

Vancouver, BC.

Meets the basic requirements of a good, free standing bicycle parking rack.

There are multiple points of contact in a horizontal plane that keep the bike stable. Bracing the front wheel to prevent the steering column to pivot and allow the bicycle to tilt or slide to the ground prevents damage to the bike and keeps the pedestrian realm clear of hazardous obstructions like a bike laying on the sidewalk.

Note also the position of the frame and rear wheel in concert with a length of the circle. A "U" or "D" lock can easily be used to secure the frame and rear wheel. Seucurity for the front wheel may require removal or use of the uniquitous cable lock as an accessory.

The anchoring system may be less robust than some, like inverted "U" or "staple" racks, but the short stem in relatively inaccessible anchoring system will resist vandalism or tampering with the rack.

The circle is a simple design that, in stainless steel, is clean, elegant and aesthetic. There are numbers of good bicycle rack designs, like the ring and post, and the New York circle (which includes a cross bracing element), that incorporate the circle into the design.

Better bicycle parking is never rocket science, but the multiplicity of racks, designs and placement schemes in evidence everywhere people ride is indicative of how challenging it can be to get it right. Always one of the best ways to determine what works and what doesn't will be by talking to the end user, the cyclist, to ensure the product delivers the promise.