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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.94

As 2015 draws to a close, we thought it a perfect moment to present this collection of the 10 most beautiful bikes of the year. We sure would love to add some of these to the RETREET stable!

10 MOST BEAUTIFUL BIKE OF 2015 (photo essay)

New bike day always brings a smile to the face. In Shaq's case, the man, the smile, and the bike are all huge. Check out this video of him riding around his new custom steed.

SHAQ GETS A NEW BIKE (video)

Native Americans used ropes to bend trees in strange ways, creating signs that denoted places of geographical importance, like shelter and water. Recently, a movement has begun to identify and preserve those that remain. Arborilogical archeology!

PRESERVING INDIAN MARKER TREES (article)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.80

In 1982, artist Agnes Denes proposed a monumental artistic planting in the wilderness of Finland. Tree Mountain was created by 11,000 people from all over the world each planting a single tree in a specifically designed pattern that evokes ancient artworks as well as mathematical precision found in many of the works of painting masters. Planting took place over four years, from 1992 to 1996, and resulted in the world's first virgin forest built by humans. Check out this amazing artwork, meant to last for hundreds of years.

TREE MOUNTAIN (photo essay)

Sometimes, a tree stands in the way of a proposed construction project. Too often, such trees are removed. The following photos show beautiful examples of architects who decided to not only save the trees, but also incorporate them beautifully into buildings. 

BUILDING AROUND TREES (photos)

Believe it or not, bikes are good for business. They take up less parking space, encourage riders to make purchases more often, and make finding that random specialty shop across town a lot more fun. Learn more about the advantages of cyclist consumers by clicking the link below. Some great reasons to install more cycling infrastructure!

BIKES ARE GOOD FOR BUSINESS (article)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.75

Did you know that, in 1900, Los Angeles had a bicycle highway and the US was a world leader in bike lanes? Or that Smithville, NJ, was home to a bicycle railroad that stretched two miles in 1892? This fascinating article takes a look at the history of bike lanes in America, and offers more than a few surprises.

HISTORY OF BIKE LANES (article)

New Zealander Barry Cox, who once aspired to be the Pope, spent 4 years building a church out of living trees. He just opened the structure and surrounding grounds to the public and made the location available for weddings. Each event involves 8 hours of primping, the results of which are glorious. Check out this architectural treasure!

THE TREE CHURCH (photos/video)

Detroit's Silverdome, once home to the Detroit Lions, Wrestlemania III, Supercross, and World Cup soccer games, was shut down for good a few years ago. Now, as the building slowly decays, a new kind of athlete is giving it a final farewell. BMX cyclist Tyler Fernengel made the abandoned structure his personal playground, to epic effect. 

A BMX FAREWELL TO THE SILVERDOME (photos/video)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.74

There are some truly monumental bicycle rides out there, among them The Swiss Epic. Watch this stunning short film about five teams from different backgrounds attempting to win "Europe's Toughest Mountain Bike Race," facing a whole host of incredible obstacles along the way.

THE SWISS EPIC: EUROPE'S TOUGHEST MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE (short film)

Electric bicycles are all the rage these days, but a legitimate question remains: how to generate all of the electricity required in a green fashion? Iranian inventor Mojtaba Raeisi has a smart answer. Behold his sleek concept, the Ele Solar Bicycle. Instead of spokes, its wheels have automatically adjusting solar panels that give it the juice it needs to go farther than the competition, in a more Earth-friendly way.

ELE SOLAR BIKE (video)

We love spending time amongst the trees, and revere the advice of our elders. Take a moment to enjoy the company of these trees, the ancient masters that have lasted for millennia. Surely, there is something to be learned.

OUR TREE ELDERS (photo essay)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.47

Have you ever seen a face in the bark of a tree? One artist took things a bit farther and created an entire gallery of amazing photos using just a few simple tricks. The results are portraits of fantastic, other-worldly creatures.

Take a look at Hovenring, the world's first suspended bicycle roundabout. Located in the Netherlands, it a true architectural beauty. We would love to see more of these pop up around the world.

Philippine officials held a tree planting yesterday that broke the world record for most seedlings sown in an hour. All told, 160,000 people planted 3.2 million trees at 6 different locations on Mindanao island. Guinness is currently verifying the new record, which previously stood at 1.9 million. That record was set in India in 2011.

FACES IN THE TREES (photos)

HOVENRING, THE SUSPENDED BICYCLE ROUNDABOUT (photo essay)

WORLD TREE-PLANTING RECORD BROKEN (article)

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.39

There's nothing like a nice place to sit at the end of a long day, especially one that involves an epic ride. The chairs below, comprised of LED lights and traditional wood, have no lack of visual appeal. We would love to see more of this work!

A traffic jam in Belgium slowed to a halt at the height of World War II. 70 years later, a forest has grown up around the rusted cars. Take a look at this moment frozen in time. It's enchanting.

Levav, an Israeli artist, makes life-size dog statues out of used bicycle parts. Her work deserves a look.

Enjoy the links!

LED FURNITURE

70-YEAR-OLD TRAFFIC JAM IN BELGIUM

DOG ART FROM BICYCLE PARTS

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SUNDAY SHOW & TELL
vol.5

First up, enjoy a video showing a different way to ride a Citi Bike on (and off) the streets of NYC, as Tyrone Williams jams out some urban BMX moves. Then, check out a community in New Guinea the builds truly epic tree houses.  We finish up Sunday Show & Tell this week with a plant that has some pretty advanced defense mechanisms.  The sandbox tree can shoot spikes 100 feet at 150mph.  Ouch!