Want to explore this week’s art action by bike but lack the stamina for all that urban criss-crossing? Luckily help is at hand from the folks at Cowboy, who make connected e-bikes for urban riders. Their goal: improve metropolitan mobility by getting city dwellers from A to B sustainably, comfortably and efficiently. Since 2017 the company has been pushing e-bike boundaries with their smart, sleek-looking electric wheels that are all about safety, comfort, intuitive handling and peace of mind. The bike certainly has some cutting-edge software features: it alerts you if your bike is stolen, notifies emergency contacts in the event of a fall and plans routes using air quality data so you can always move through the cleanest parts of the city.

If you fancy a test ride and want to learn more, head to the Cowboy flagship store in Mitte which is decorated with Berlin’s renowned cobblestones. The two-hour rides are ideal for doing a bit of gallery hopping during Art Week: start out at Galerie Thomas Fischer before taking a quick coffee break at Sofi and cycling over to Sprüth Magers, where exhibitions by John Baldessari, Kaari Upson and other artists await. You can book a test ride online. 

Text: Alison Musch / Credit: Cowboy

Cowboy, Neue Schönhauser Str.3, 10178 Berlin–Mitte; map
Mon–Sat 11–19h

@cowboy_bikes

Superhero stories, Japanese manga and limited edition action figures stacked as high as the ceiling. In Michael Wießler’s bookshop Modern Graphics on Kreuzberg’s Oranienstraße, you’ll find no shortage of gems from the world of Marvel, DC, Tintin, Asterix and the like. It’s a beautiful chaos that has existed since 1991. If you can’t find the comic you’re looking for or want to browse at home before you buy, Modern Graphics also runs an online shop on eBay. It comes courtesy of eBay Kleine Shops, where you can shop locally online and discover diverse traders from the comfort of your sofa 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Whether you’re looking for that precious Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh! card you’ve been missing or have a nephew’s or cousin’s birthday coming up, you’ll find what you need here.

The physical shop has graphic novels in German and English plus merch from Japan’s Studio Ghibli. And then there’s the comics, which you could easily spend hours reading. There’s appeal for everyone, not just for collectors. In addition to his regular shop in the heart of Kreuzberg, owner Michael has opened two more branches in Berlin: one manga-filled shop at Europa Center on Ku’damm and another in 2016 in Prenzlauer Berg which is focused on French comics, graphic novels and children’s comics. And if you shop online with eBay, you can order special comics from the USA and see the entire range of the three Berlin shops at a glance. Let the deep dive begin!

Text: Alison Musch / Photos: Arundhati Shenoy

Modern Graphics Buchhandel Berlin, Oranienstr.22, 10999 Berlin–Kreuzberg; map
Mon–Sat 11–19h

Modern Graphics Buchhandel Berlin, Tauentzienstr.9-11, 10789 Berlin–Charlottenburg; map
Mon–Sat 10–20h

Modern Graphics Buchhandel Berlin, Kastanienallee 79, 10435 Berlin–Prenzlauer Berg; map
Mon–Sat 11–19h

@modern_graphics_xbrg
@ebay_de