Elliot Muthethe
Noordhoek, South Africa

“This bike belongs to my brother. He just lent it to me to go to the shop. I don’t have my own bike. I like riding bikes, but this bike is too small. My brother is a real shorty.”

Stan Engelbrecht and Nic Grobler are turning their investigation into South African bicycle commuter culture into a full-color photographic book. They are currently on a countrywide bicycle journey to meet fellow South African cyclists, to find out who they are and where they are going. They hope that this project will lead to the kind of infrastructure development that is designed with all people in mind, not just cars, but also wish to give people a glimpse into each other lives through a well known object of movement, practicality and joy—the bicycle. Looking at individuals through their sometimes unconscious involvement in bicycle culture, they will inadvertently touch on many charged issues like the implementation of public space, lack of infrastructure development and also social problems like class division and unequal wealth distribution, but also perhaps bring those unfamiliar to each other together in their love for a simple thing…

Go to www.bicycleportraits.co.za to see this constantly growing, frequently updated project and discover a true profile of contemporary South African bicycle commuter culture.

Crumpler