Sara Karnowski and Jefri Meintjes sitting in front of their bikesSara : ‘I just got my bike a few days ago, and I’m not really a big biker so I don’t know technical things about it, but I love it and it rides really nicely. It’s probably the nicest bike I’ve ever had! I’m used to strand cruisers, and this is kind of a mix between a mountain bike and a strand cruiser, for me, which is cool. It’s got gears and a basket and I’ve just been riding around running errands and stuff like that. I’m originally from Los Angeles and I came to South Africa in December of 2008. I actually went to university in Santa Barbara and there everybody rides their bikes everywhere - to class, to the store, it’s a big biking community. So I got used to riding around, and so after college I moved to Santa Monica and I would ride my bike to run errands there too, so it’s nice to kinda get back into that routine a bit. When I first came to South Africa I didn’t know how long I was staying for... I originally came for a vacation to visit my boyfriend Jefri - we’d met a few years before - and things just kinda picked up and I decided to stay. I ended up getting a job, and then a car, and then it became more like I should get a bike, but I was completely broke... and so my birthday is in a couple of days and this bike is my birthday present from Jefri! And it’s so nice now that they’re building all the bike paths by the stadium - they’re making it more biker friendly!’ Jefri : ‘Funny thing is, when I saw this bike the first time in the shop I immediately knew I should get this for her, and she’ll love it.’ Sara : ‘I get lots of compliments on it. I’ve got people looking at me with envy! “I love your bike!”, “Nice bike!”, somebody just said it to me, “I love, love, love your bike!”, and I was like, “You better not steal it from me!”’

This is what a persons bicycle can mean to them. This is an update about the Bicycle Portraits projects. There are now around 56 hours left for the project to qualify for funding! The Guys have 97% of the funds they need to make the project happen! So lets get behind these guys and donate some more money so that this fantastic book can be created.

The Bicycle Portraits project was initiated by Stan Engelbrecht, a photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa and Nic Grobler who is based in Johannesburg. They decided early in 2010 that whenever they can, together or separately, they are on the lookout for fellow commuters, and people who use bicycles as part of their everyday work. They decided to photograph these people and ask them about their bike.

Please visit - http://kck.st/c09uOF or click here - to get involved or find out more about the project.

E mail them dayone@me.com or follow them on twitter - www.twitter.com/bicycleportrait

Or read our earlier post for more details.