Boulder based photographer Robert Jones has been capturing images of classic and modern cycling components for the better part of twenty years. Two of his main ongoing works are The Derailleur Project and The Crankset Project. Each series has been documenting the beauty and simplicity of these two key bike parts, and spans a time period from the 1950s in Europe up to current tech from North America and Asia. After the popularity of a calendar that he made last year, he has expanded for 2016 with calendars for each of these two series. Join us after the break for a closer look, and details…
On the Crankset Project side, the calendar goes from a Japanese Suntour Superbe with drillium rings to a finish with a 90s British Middleburn RS-3 mountain triple. Along the way there is a heavy dose of forged aluminum and more Campag again, together with cranksets from FSA, Mavic, Shimano, and Syncros. In just a dozen images you’ll find road cranks from the brutal gearing of old to modern compacts, as well as BMX and mountain varieties.
This year’s Derailleur Project calendar starts off with the all-steel plate Huret Svelto from 1963 and builds to the all-carbon 80th anniversary edition of the Campagnolo Super Record derailleur. In between there are several more Campagnolo mechs, as well as others from Rino, Shimano, SRAM, and Suntour. Looking at all of these derailleurs that clearly come from a broad collection, it’s nice to see that many have seen their time on the bike. While an artists look at components is very often a glimpse into a NOS collection, many of these look to have been put through years of actual riding.
The Derailleur Calendar is a square 8.5″ x 8.5″ format (8.5″ x 17″ open), and the Crankset Calendar 8.5″ x 11″ (8.5″ x 22″ open). Both highlight the components as an art object and include brief notes and descriptions of their historical significance. The 2016 calendars list US holidays and major bike race dates, and are printed in the US on premium glossy 100# paper. They sell for $20, with $5 USPS shipping in the continental US. No word on Jones has confirmed international availability, but Jones he also suggests to contact him for expedited shipping, so if interested just let him know.
