FOSCHL
MADE BY SLOW CRAFT
FOR A HAPPY BOTTY ON THE BICYCLE
What the heck is a Foschl?
"Foschl" is the abbreviation of "Für's Oascherl" ("for the botty" in Viennese German)
The Foschl is a hand-felted, stylish, dimensionally stable and temperature-compensating bicycle saddle cover made of 100% virgin wool.
For us, the Foschl is also a statement - cycling makes an important contribution to climate protection.
Our original Foschl makes you want to get on your bike and pedal.
In winter it's warm, in summer you don't sweat on the boring plastic seat.
Wool is water-repellent, but we recommend rain protection when weather-conditions get wet. Upon purchase of a Foschl you will also receive a rain cover. If necessary, you can use the cover to hide your Foschl.
You can buy this individual and cool package for you and your bike for € 85,-
New! You can now get our Foschl from the Stadtradler in Vienna!
Would you like to felt your Foschl by yourself?
Come over to our workshop on
Thursdays 08:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and
Fridays 5:00 p.m. to 08:30 p.m.
Registration at zudiensten@foschl.at
Costs: € 42,50 Material is included
ORDER A FOSCHL
We make your Foschl upon order. On request, we can also develop the design together with you.
We manufacture each model for four different saddle sizes. Here are the dimensions of the different saddles:
small - length 27,5 cm, width 14,5 cm
medium - length 27 cm, width 17 cm
wide - length 26 cm, width 19 cm
extra wide - length 26 cm, width 22cm
Felt is a flexible and adaptable material, it can be stretched by up to 2 cm if necessary. Can't find the right size? No problem, send us the measurements of the widest and longest line of your saddle - a picture is helpful.
Here's what it looks like. The following designs are currently available. Order your personal Foschl in the desired size and color for € 85,- excl. shipping. Each Foschl is handmade by us, so please note that the design will differ from the picture.
WE ARE...
… excited,
because our Foschl does not only warm up your botty and your root chakra. With it's unconventional function and striking design, everyday cycling becomes a personal concern. It will improve some "lousy" days with an inner smile.
… in love with and crazy about
wool, because it is soft, fluffy, temperature-regulating and beautiful. We felt the Foschl from wool, soap and water. Some sheep farmers give us their sheeps wool because processing is not profitable and they have to dispose of it. For us, it is a wonderful and precious gift.
… impressed,
by the fact that a Foschl is a "traceless" lifestyle product which is important in times of growing awareness of raw materials. When the Foschl has had its days after years of daily use, it breaks down into valuable compost and does not leave any horrible traces!
…. happy,
because we are allowed to devote ourselves to a unique, personal everyday object with great joy and creativity. In an extraordinary setting, we work on both high product quality and personal development and we learn new things every day.
… grateful,
because nothing in life can be taken for granted and everything is subject to a constant process of change. That is why we "jump" every day anew "we jump, from life to death" like the Löwenherz brothers in Astrid Lindgrens's novel of the same name. We are open to everything that the day brings us, except when we don't succeed to be open because of a lousy day.
… we are
Dalia, Vivien and Ruth (from left to right in the round pic above)
and we are curious about you,
and of everything you bring with you when WE make you happy with a Foschl or when YOU make yourself happy by felting your Foschl with us.
FOSCHL-STORIES
We presented the world-best Foschls at the Bikefestival in Vienna 2002! By the way - our Foschls are really the best and coolest bicycle saddle covers in the wold, cause - as far as we know - there are no similar bicycle saddle covers anywere in the world. Only a felting shoemaker could design such a bycicle saddle cover...
Apropos Bikefestival: Did you know that the ARGUS Bike Festival is the largest bike festival in Europe? Quiz question: when took the first bike festival in Vienna place? Answer: 1999! One century ago ;-)
WRITE US
At the Stadtradler in Vienna you can recently "spice up" your saddle with a Foschl! In the fine bike- boutique of Mikko Stout you will find stylish, shapely and durable Dutch bikes. Mikko - a native of the Netherlands - rides his bike himself in every season. Almost 10 years ago he fulfilled his childhood dream and opened his chic bike shop in Vienna's Karlsgasse (just behind the Karlskirche). But before that he was a manager at Nokia for many years. After the group slipped into a crisis, Mikko followed his passion and started his second career. We can understand that well, because we too obey our inner call. We therefore know that it takes a lot of courage to live your dream and we salute to Mikko.
Speaking of a second career: Felting is our passion, but before we indulged ourselves in felting, Vivi - a trained master shoemaker - made shoes, Ruth worked for a publishing house and Dalia, as a fundraiser, raised funds for a better world. So - now it's out ...
Here you can see how Dalia is felting a Foschl. This Foschl consists of dyed mountain sheep's wool and curls of raw wool from Gotland sheep and is being made for our friend Ana, who likes the color combination green and pink.
Speaking of Gotland sheep: They actually come from Sweden and have beautiful, extremely soft, grey, curly fur. We only use the curls from sheared sheep. No animal has to die because of its beautiful wool, they are still alive and happily jumping around their pastures.
Here we give an answer to the most frequently asked question: "What do I do with the Foschl when it rains?" Our answer: "When you buy a Foschl, we give you a water-repellent rain cover made of up-cycle material. You can use it to protect the Foschl from rain or - if you haven't checked that it is going to rain - cover the wet Foschl with the rain cover and continue to ride with a dry botty. You can also use the rain cover to protect your had from rain, as Vivien is doing it on the left. Seriouslyr: nothing will happen to you Foschl when it get's wet. Just let it dry again and continue using it.
Speaking of wool: If wool had been invented yesterday, everyone would be overwhelmed with enthusiasm. The characteristics of wool are so extraordinary that no synthetic fiber can match them. Nature has also had a very, very long time to develop these fibers. Light drizzle is not a problem at all since the surface of wool is water-repellent. In addition, wool insulates well against COLD AND HEAT. One more reason to put the botty on a Foschl while cycling...
We gave a Foschl to the bicycle officer of the city of Vienna - his name is Martin Blum - and asked him to test it. We received a test report in which our Foschl received consistently good grades. The testers praised the warm, comfortable feeling and the high-quality workmanship, the adaptability to the saddle and the practicality of the rain cover. Applause! Thank you for testing. After the test was completed, the Foschl was raffled.
Speaking of the Foschl raffle: The quiz question was: what does the word "Foschl" stand for? One of the original answers was: " A Foschl is the special species of biker that does not give up cycling even during cold weather conditions!" We love that answer!
Resi lives in Munich and is currently studying and working on radishes. She is an art student and is illustrating a children's book on the subject of vegetables. And because that inspired us and she also needs a warm botty during winter biking, we sent her a Foschl in the shape of a radish.
Speaking of radishes: The color and shape of radishes does not tell you about their taste, because it depends on the method of their cultivation. When grown outdoors, radishes develop more hot flavor than their counterparts from the greenhouse. Since they grow more slowly in the field, more mustard oils can form, which in turn is responsible for the spiciness. In addition, free-range radishes are smaller and the concentration of mustard oils is therefore higher.
Our workshop was once a butcher's shop. In 1998, they had the best meat loaf in Währing. Meat loaf sandwiches are not available any more, but Foschls are around...
Speaking of meat loaf: Leberkäse (meat loaf) means originally in German "leftovers in the box" which aptly describes how the product is made.
It all started with Lisi's birthday in autumn 2019. Lisi is our best mountain biker; in 2017, she was wold champion in the 24-hour mountain biking race. Vivi had no present and was desperate BUT creative and spontaneous. The first Foschl was felted.
Speaking of 24-hour races: This type of competition was made famous in 1923 with the Le Mans 24-hour race. There are also 24-hour races for skiers, runners and even mountain bikers.
HOW TO REACH US
CALL US
Dalia:
Ruth:
Vivien:
+43 699 17 18 18 16
+43 699 11 369 444
+43 660 55 45 406
Do you want to tell us something?
Would you like to order a Foschl?
Send us an email!
PASS BY
Wednesday & Friday 12:00 - 18:00
Thursday 10:00 - 18:00
and by appointment!
SLOW CRAFT
Workshop & Shop
Währinger Straße 172
1180 Wien
