Pilsen ‘cycling enthusiast’ Jan Lüftner tries to promote cycling at every step. He is even the main person of a unique campaign and repairs people’s bikes right in the streets of Pilsen. “I’m mainly a city cyclist. I also like public transport, but of course you can’t always get where you want to go with it. And driving around the city makes no sense to me,” he says.
How did you get into bike repair?
I always enjoyed assembling, I graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. I got into bicycles thanks to my interest in urban mobility. I find it amazing that a person is able to build something that he can use to transport himself very efficiently. It fascinates me how the process of repairing a bicycle can be extremely simple, despite the remarkable concepts behind it, which took considerable effort to create. I was particularly interested in the history of the development of mountain bikes, which experienced a huge boom in the 90s, but also a large number of dead ends. I buy bikes from those years, and then you hear different stories about it. In my opinion, the first mountain bike in the Czech Republic was the ATB model from the nineties by the Czech bike manufacturer Velamos. Which might be called a mountain bike, but it was absolutely insane.
Pilsen lacks bikesharing and connecting cycle paths, says a cycling promoter
And those dead ends?They are different suspension systems. With these bikes, one looks at various interesting solutions for shock absorbers or sprung stems, when instead of a sprung fork, the component that holds the handlebars is sprung.
Where do you learn new things?
Basically the look and see method. When I don’t know what to do, I use the internet. Then I know a lot of experienced mechanics from Pilsen who are willing to give me advice, for which I am very happy.
How many bikes do you own?
I don’t even know exactly. If we were talking about compound bikes, then something around thirty. If we were to deal with the frames as well, then we are at forty. I’m trying to reduce it, but it’s hard. Then I just come across an ad with some super machine or component and I can’t resist.
What are you riding now?
A lot of people don’t want to go out without expensive gear. But I do not hold this opinion. I have a jigsaw puzzle for driving around town. I also went on a two-day trip with her, and drove 140 km on the route from Pilsen to Cheb. Then I also traveled on it from Cheb to Žatec, and that was another 150 km. I ride fifty to seventy kilometers a day, when I cycle to work from Pilsen.
Construction was complicated by a beaver, but the new bike path is ready
Bicycles are also popular targets for thieves. Have you lost any too?Recently, the number has already increased to four. My first bike was stolen from the garden of the house, which is not visible. I thought this was an anomaly until another one was taken from my garden. Fortunately, I met the thief riding my stolen bike. I explained to him that the bike was mine and took it back. The bike was destroyed, so I made a transport bike out of it, which I now have back in the garden. My third bike was stolen not far from my house, it was also returned to me. And the fourth one was stolen from me a week ago at the Main Station. I would appreciate it if the city would finally put into operation the cycloboxes on the Hamburg Deck, which have been closed for two years since its opening. Or at least if they installed cameras around the station.
You cooperate with the association Plzeň na kole and the bike sharing company Kolemplzně. What are their goals?
The Pilsen on bike association supports the bicycle as an equal means of individual transport in the city and advocates for better conditions for urban cycling. Part of the association’s activities are the so-called cycling workshops, which we organize several times during the year. Just sit down at the Družba cafe in Riegrov Street, where I will fix your bike or give you the necessary advice. There is a bike sharing company around Pilsen where I help with bike maintenance. Among other things, you can now rent a cargo bike, which can be found freely on the street.
What bothers you about bicycle transport in Pilsen?
Very small steps forward. We’ll reconstruct the street, but only for cars, we’ll ditch the bikes.
The Hamburg deck has been operating for over two years. But the cycloboxes are still closed
Where should the city start, what should it improve?Pilsen has a so-called cyclogenerel developed, which looks good, and it was planned by people who know what they are talking about. And on top of that, they let him remind users, which I think is totally cool. It shows where the paths should lead in the future. The cyclogeneral describes how to build cycle paths. A separate red raised cycle lane is ideal. But there are many more of those things, I recommend everyone to look at it, it is available for download on the Internet. However, there are still places in Pilsen where it is absolutely crazy to ride a bike. For example, the connection of Slovan and Bor. Samaritan Street is suicide. But I can’t go elsewhere if I don’t want to make a long detour.
Are you planning a cycling trip this year?
My friend and I have now decided to take a three-day trip. Originally, we wanted to ride on vintage bikes from the nineties, but a friend’s pedal cracked, which is not easy to find in the Czech Republic, so we decided to ride on so-called cargo fork bikes, which are smaller bikes with a cargo fork that can also fit into the train. But I don’t have it, so I have to make it in three days. We will drive 200 km. We drive from Pilsen via Říp and Milešovka to Teplice.
2023-09-01 15:05:46
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