Relics of old Yugoslavia, Rog bikes are still all over the place in LJ (local slang for the Slovenian capital). You can hear varying degrees of metallic rattling emanating from these hunks of stainless steel, and of course the unmistakable trill of their antique – and more or less obligatory – bells. The point is, there are actually still loads of the older models trundling around Ljubljana’s cobbled back-streets and major thoroughfares, which, 18 years and counting since the factory closed, only confirms the communist engineering ethic: ‘build it like a tank’ – build it to last.
Perhaps Rog’s most cherished model, the Pony, with its dinky frame and comically undersized wheels, is definitely the cutest. You see everyone, from petite female students to lanky businessmen in three-piece suits to centenarian grandmothers, perched on their springy seats. You see these prancing Ponies in every colour, sometimes having been painted over numerous times.
from Ljubljana in your pocket guide.
ever since a friend told us about pony’s, i’ve been seeing them everywhere i look, obsessing about these cute little bikes. we searched bolha.com for days, until we found a couple of them in mint condition, and relatively cheap. (why are bicycles so ridiculously overpriced these days?)
anyway, it was practically love at first sight! mine is a more recent rog model, slightly bigger than the more typical ponys, but just as charming. i plan to put a lot of mileage in it :)
now we only need a couple of locks and a basket, and off we go!
