I’ve been after a commuter bike for a while now. Something that I will ride to work (on the days the dog stays home; sorry dog) and generally use to just get around New York. Maybe I’m just jealous of all the fun they are having in Copenhagen? I already have two bicycles at the moment, but I really think one should own as many bikes as one can effectively store at home. Seeing how my building has a bicycle room, I’m pretty much free to go as far as my wallet will take me. Tonight the better part of three hours was spent making this wish-list-of-sorts for a commuter bike. I should point out that this list is by no means recession friendly. Most of the rigs included (especially that super tasty Vanilla), are going to cost you both arm and leg. But that is why this post is titled Wants & Desires and not Needs & Requires.

Fast Boy Cycles

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In my world, there aren’t many things better than a military watch. The fantastic Hodinkee featured this vintage 1940′s pilots watch from German watch maker A. Lange & Söhne. I have a personal connection with Lange, since I helped with their PR at one of my previous jobs. Near the end of WWII the A. Lange & Söhne factory in Saxony was bombed and completely destroyed by the Allied war machine, forcing the closure of the company for nearly fifty years. The brand lay dormant until its revival in the early 1990′s by Switzerland’s Richemont Group. So this pilot’s watch is one of the last remaining time pieces from the old German factory and is something you won’t see five of your friends wearing, that’s for sure. More on the watch here.

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You see a lot of Individualized shirts in Japan. At my perennial favorite Beams+ and a million other stores in Tokyo. It is interesting because you don’t see the Individualized brand (which is American List endorsed) much in the U.S., the company opts to stay behind the scenes. Much has been said recently about Pennsylvania based Gitman Brothers (which is a division of the same company that owns Individualized) and their many brand partnerships — which I equate to their flexibility and ability to work in small quantities — but I wonder if Perth Amboy, NJ based Individualized will get into the same game here in the States. Why market one brand in the U.S. and one in Japan?

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A new addition to The American List is Vista, California’s Walz Caps. I learned about the company — as I do many good American companies — through the esteemed blog Archival Clothing. Bicycle caps can be tough to pull off, but the Walz caps do a terrific job of melding form and function. The ear flapped wool hats are the perfect cover for rebuffing the cold and are well priced. The cost is especially good when you consider the caps are made right here in the U.S. The entire Walz Caps offering can be seen here.

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Where would one ever realistically wear this coat? I’m sure there are some real world applications, but I would be content with simply owning it. Doesn’t really make much sense, but I like the concept and that’s all that matters. The coats pictured are from Japan (natch), but the Southern California based Vintage Trends has some good military deadstock should you want to take your coat ownership game to the next level.

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