A guest post, by Justin Balog:

I arrived in Ghent Belgium with my bike packed in its travel case, and grabbed a taxi at the train station. While making small talk with the driver, I learned that the local government recently voted to keep the interior of the town free of cars, making the historic cobbled streets of Ghent only accessible to pedestrians and bikes.

It is a town where commuting is a necessary way of life. After chatting with locals and talking to them about their bikes, I found it is not only necessary, but commuting is the preferred way of life.

Most Belgians have had their commuter bikes for years. Heck, Eddy (72) who I met over a beer, said he's been riding the same bike for 43 years.

Needless to say, then, I spent much of my time wandering the ancient streets of this historic city, documenting these fabled machines.