vintage Peugeot bike | White Cabana

I’m thrilled to participate in a blog link-up today which was organized by Erica over at Luv in the Bubble. It’s been a while since I’ve taken part in a link-up, and this one has come at an ideal time! I’ve been on the look-out for new-to-me blogs this month, and many of these are just that.

Erica took a page out of Victoria and Meg’s link-up ideas, and invited bloggers to talk about our “best purchase of 2016.”

I have two – two very different – purchases to share today.

1. My Princess Bed

I declared 2016 as The Year of My Bed. I was tired (finally) of sleeping on a double mattress from my grad school days, and I needed a full upgrade on my sleep situation. I had my heart set on a French style bed with curved footboard. While I wasn’t particular about the colour or finish (anything can be painted), I absolutely wanted – had to have – a curved footboard.

I scoured online retailers and second-hand sites for months (and months and months and months), and I was about to settle for a newly produced bed (which would set me back thousands of dollars and would still need a paint job), when I put a tweet out into the world (aka Oprah’s vision board approach) asking for the world to send me the French bed of my dreams.

Can you guess what happened about a week or so after that tweet?

The world sent me the French bed of my dreams! Curved headboard. White-ish in colour. Gorgeous wood carvings. Oh man. It’s dreamy! After an evening of stressful bidding via online auction, the bed was mind. Credit card was charged. Shipping was arranged. The. Bed. Was. Mine.

This bed is pure magic. It’s unique and interesting and French and lovely.

The bed purchase led to a new mattress purchase which led to the purchase of a pair of vintage night tables which led to new lamps and artwork and styling. I wanted 2016 to be the year of the bed, and it was!

2. My Vintage Peugeot Bicycle

A rusty barely-functional white 1975 Peugeot came into my life via a Kijiji ad. I was hesitant that the bike could become shiny and functional, but my friends at Berlin Bicycle Cafe worked their magic, and the bike was restored.

My vintage Peugeot is glorious! Before I bought it, I had absolutely no idea what fun it would bring me. I had a mountain bike, but it was heavy and clunky. My Peugeot is light, French, and comfortable.

In the spring and summer, this bike takes me places (#WhiteCabanaBikes), and I feel so grateful that it has encouraged me to discover new-to-me trails in my city, meet cycle enthusiasts, and learn about products to improve the function (and style) of my bike. My Brooks seat and grips are extremely comfortable, and the gold Basil bell brings bling to my bike. Mostly, I’m happy to leave my car at home while I ride my Peugeot around town to do errands and see friends. It has certainly improved my quality of life!

Before you carry on with your day, have a poke around these other blogs to read other bloggers’ stories.

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Thanks again to Erica for organizing this link-up!

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Oh, readers, I love my Peugeot. I have been riding my new-to-me, restored, vintage, white Peugeot bike for a few weeks now, and things are going very well. The bike rides smoothly, the cork grips are soft, and the Brooks seat is very comfortable. I look back at the before photos, and the new silver brake handles and white cables also improve the bike’s sleek design. I’m still impressed by how a bike can be made over (see the Peugeot makeover post). The restoration wasn’t cheap, but over the long-term, it’ll even out, and my bike is pretty darn unique (and how can you really put a price on unique, right?)

After I got my bike back from the Berlin Bicycle Café bike repair shop, I knew I needed to protect my investment. Locking up a bike is really a necessity when doing errands around town. Friends-in-the-know – as well as some online reviews – recommended the ABUS Bordo 6000. ABUS locks are an investment, but they appear to be well worth the cost as they’re tough, tough, tough! ABUS bike locks come in a variety of designs with varied security levels.

The five types of bike locks and their features are:

u-locks: heavy steel bars, extreme solid, strongest resistance
chain locks: very solid, flexible
folding locks: extreme solid, flexible, easy to transport
frame locks: basic protection, as “immobilizers”
cable locks: basic protection, flexible

I read up on each of the lock types on the ABUS website (which was very informative, I must say), and settled on the ABUS Bordo 6000 as per (mostly) the word-of-mouth recommendations. This bike lock configurator quiz was also helpful.

Thanks to the fine folks at ABUS, I’ve been able to securely lock up my bike (and seat for that matter) with the Bordo 6000. Here’s what my ABUS Bordo 6000 looks like in action: White-Cabana-Abus-bike-lock-2 White-Cabana-Abus-bike-lock-1

Here’s the Bordo 6000 up-close. It reminds me of these rulers which I loved playing with as a kid. White-Cabana-Abus-bike-lock-9 White-Cabana-Abus-bike-lock-8 White-Cabana-Abus-bike-lock-5 White-Cabana-Abus-bike-lock-7 White-Cabana-Abus-bike-lock-6 White-Cabana-Abus-bike-lock-10 White-Cabana-Abus-bike-lock-11

I attached the lock to the top bar for the photo, but I’ve generally carried it in my backpack, put it in my bike basket (which I have now installed), or attached it to the back rack. The velcro strap is convenient for easy installation and removal.

White-Cabana-Abus-Bordo-6000-lock

In the photo above, you can see that I used the Bordo to lock up my seat, helmet, and bike when I was doing errands around the city. I was so pleased when I discovered that this was possible!

A couple of weeks with my lock, and I couldn’t be more pleased. It does the trick, and it does it using advanced technology and super strength materials. I guess it’s good to trust a German security company for these types of things, eh?

Many thanks to ABUS for sponsoring this post. I’d also like to thank Greg H. All opinions are my own.

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White Cabana

Blog Link-Up: Best Purchase of 2016

Marketplace: The ABUS Bordo Bike Lock