The pics above are a mix of happy customers with their new restored vintage bikes and a very cool Swiss Army bike from the Forties, also, we had a surprise visit from Rene and Sayaka from Giragira Chariya or Tracksupermarket.com based in Osaka Japan, it was great to meet them, some of the other piccies are of the most excellent staff here at the shed (Nick and Nico). So just in case you are new to this blog, we at Mottainai Cycles restore, repair and sell vintage bikes in Fitzroy Melbourne. We also service all bikes in our workshop. Come in and have a chat with us about your bike needs. Cheers 0448884051 41 Kerr Street Fitzroy, just off Brunswick St, look for our signs. We have both Men’s bikes and Women’s step-through bikes available and we are open every day from 10.30 until 6.30, sometimes a little later depending on the weather. Ok catch yah later!
We are in a new cycle, Mottainai Cycles is pumped about this new year of bike love. Fitzroy Bike.
Found this amazing blog. Dogs Art and Bicycle parts.
This combines 3 of my favorite things; dogs, art and bicycles…..! Great sculptures of dogs made from recycled bicycle parts, very cool stuff, perhaps you may have to cut and paste the blog info below to see. Don’t forget to bring your bikes in to get them serviced at Mottainai Cycles in Fitzroy 41 Kerr Street 0448884051 Enjoy! http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/nirit-levav-packer-how-wow
End of the world ride ……. Might as well look groovy on a flash vintage bike! Bikes for sale and service in Fitzroy.
Another year is nearly over, they just keep rolling by like good quality wheels on a bike. We invite all our readers to pop in to our shop to check out what we have been up to. Emile, one of our key members and long time Mottainai mechanic is getting married this weekend, the day after the end of the world in-fact. So, congrats Emile.
On another note: please turn your minds away from horrible MADE in CHINA bikes that are littering our streets and becoming landfill after a short time, stop fueling the fires of a foreign government that has extremely negative human rights records and that is now beginning to flex it’s muscles in the Asian region, a region we belong to. Recycle, there are so many cool bikes out there already that just need a new lease on life and some love. Peace, love and fresh Mung beans!!! Cheerio
41 Kerr Street Fitzroy 0448884051
We adore old bikes, Mottainai Cycles ‘restore, recycle, rebuild, repair’. Melbourne Fitzroy.
The whizzing freewheels zipping past, the swooshing sensation almost flying — a sense of freedom from the bodies limits, accessing the child, no thoughts, just a kaleidoscope of colours and smells passing by, every moment born anew. Each time I swing over my bike I trigger the same wonder; what keeps me from doing this most of my time like when I was a kid, just cruising around, perfectly content with the movement of my ride?
Anyway, as explained in the heading, we really do love old bikes and are more than happy to take care of yours and bring it back to health or if your in the market for a new bike not made in China, a bike that has been recycled and has a story to tell and which holds a magnificently beautiful aesthetic ……. ummm then come in an check out our seriously cool vintage bikes. 41 Kerr St Fitzroy, just off Brunswick St. 0448884051
recycled vintage bikes, Mottainai Cycles Melbourne. Fitzroy bike shop.
More and more bikes seem to be emerging out of the woodwork, dotting the warming, slightly sticky tar streets. Have you ever noticed the difference between the look on a riders face compared to a person driving a car. Many bike riders have almost joyous, benign expressions naturally adorning their faces whilst car drivers usually encapsulate an intensity, a detached but slightly agitated format. Riders are engaged with their surroundings and delight in the wonderment that is constantly pulsating around us. We have the fast riders and we also have the slow riders, I reckon I’m a slow to medium (medium rare tofu). Anyways ….. just rambling today, must be the warm winds. Come in to see us for a service or if your looking for a new/old bike that is totally rad! We do customs builds as well, so don’t be shy, come and suss out our wheels 41 Kerr St Fitzroy 0448884051 open most days unless it’s really horrible weather 
Mottainai (もったいない, 勿体無い) (pronounced moht-tai-nai) is a Japanese term meaning “a sense of regret concerning waste when the intrinsic value of an object or resource is not properly utilized.”[1] The expression “Mottainai!” can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted, meaning roughly “Oh, what a waste!”
Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai visited Japan at the request of the Mainichi Shimbun for an event related to the Kyoto Protocol in 2005.[4] At this time, she learned this word while discussing ecological issues with the Mainichi Shinbun’s editor-in-chief. She was impressed by the depth of similarity between the Japanese meaning of the word and equivalent concepts in English and Swahili concerning people’s responsibility to respect the earth through frugality and conservation. At the Kyoto Protocols, she wore a shirt with the word “MOTTAINAI” written on it in all capital rōmaji, and asked the audience to use the word in their everyday lives. She became a widely recognized celebrity in Japan for discovering and promoting what is referred to as a “MOTTAINAI” movement. Maathai told Japanese TV that she tried to find equivalent words to mottainai in other languages, so as to spread the concept all over the world, but in vain.
She promoted the concept of mottainai as a term that is roughly equivalent to the English phrase “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” or the proverbial phrase “Waste not, want not”. The term is more closely equivalent to the English phrase “What a waste”. Therefore, she promoted the use of the word mottainai as an international expression.
Sneezing in the Sunshine, springtime jet propulsion. Mottainai vintage bikes Melbourne Fitzroy.
Mottainai cycles is brimming over with funkafied, beatific, classic vintage bikes, many have been restored already and are ready to find new adoring owners. Drop by for a service (we look after all types of bikes) or peruse our amazing shed full of pre 90′s vintage bicycles. We are open most days, barring horrendous weather. We open around 10am and close around 6.30 and can be found in Fitzroy just off Brunswick St (41 Kerr Street Fitzroy) just down the laneway. Slow riders inc.
Shy Summer’s embrace, melbourne vintage classic bike bicycle Fitzroy.
Mottainai Vintage bikes, we have been building some ripper bikes of late and enjoying Melbourne’s slow crawl into summers embrace. We have a large selection of restored bikes for both Men and Women and also lots of bikes to build into custom project for you. We love what we do and welcome anyone who digs old bikes to come in for a chat and check out our eccentric shop in Fitzroy. 41 Kerr St 3063 0448884051 Cheers all!
