"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. And for a beautiful brain, fasten your helmet."
Style: A quality of imagination and individuality expressed in one’s actions and tastes.
How does one cycle in style? If you follow any of the variety of cycle chic blogs that have popped up around the internet, it seems a pretty pressing question. And it is important. When cyclists look stylish, cool or just plain comfortable, non-cyclists are able to see themselves on a bike. Abolishing a cycling uniform is key to breaking down the barriers between “cyclist” and “non-cyclist,” and broadening the bicycling movement. So yeah, style is more than just clothes.
If you were to divide cyclists into camps, the lycra-clad racers would be on one side and cycle chic fashionistas on the other, with everyone else falling somewhere in the middle. The division is rooted in the amount of “bike-specific” clothing one wears when cycling, or rather, the degree to which an outfit screams “CYCLIST!” to the casual observer. An outfit made up of a racing jersey, bike shorts and a sleek helmet matches the common image of a bicyclist, and also creates a barrier to entry for the first time rider. Someone wearing street clothes while biking presents cycling as simple and hassle-free. On the road in Seattle I see a lot of commuters mixing bike-specific clothing with street clothes, like a brightly-colored raincoat and jeans or bike shorts and a T-shirt. Customize your outfit to what feels comfortable to you.
Who is your cycling style icon?
So what’s the golden mean between the two camps? First, the intensity and kind of riding affect what clothing is appropriate. For example, a century is probably much more comfortable with bike shorts, while a chamois is overkill for a short trip to the grocery store (if you need bike shorts for shopping, consult your doctor or change your saddle). Location, topography, weather and personal preference also influence clothing choice. For bike commuting, take these factors, along with your personal sense of style, into account when choosing an outfit.
The key to cycling in style is to just be yourself, but on a bike. There is no style guide to cycling, and I’m certainly not qualified to write one. Style is personal. You know what makes you feel comfortable and look good.
I get inspiration from people I see biking everyday. If I see someone wearing something I like, I ask them about it. They’re usually flattered.
A few years ago I got rid of all of my “poly” clothes and switched to wool. 100% wool slacks from Goodwill make great bike pants. Wool is just a great fabric for the bike. A wool undershirt keeps me warm in the winter and cool in the summer. A lightweight Filson wool jacket is many times more comfortable than the poly equivalent. Since my commute across I-90 is measured in under an hour the weight difference isn’t much of a factor compared to the comfort it provides. It also dries out during my 9 hour day and doesn’t smell like pure evil after one wearing.
The wool pants, jersey/undershirt and jacket also provide me with a wardrobe I can wear comfortably off the bike. I also happen to think the “normal” clothes look nicer.
So my “style” is in the non-lycra camp, but mostly because I think natural fabrics provide a superior solution for commuting and non-competitive rides, rain or shine.
Regarding visibility, I use Plant Bike flashers that will burn your retina if you get too close to them. I prefer to let the blinking front and rear lights attract driver’s attention rather than a yellow shirt or jacket. In my experience the color of my jacket does little to help drivers see me. Flashing lights on the other hand make a very noticeable difference.
If my commute ever reduces to 3-4 miles of nearly level country lane, I’ll go for the tweedy look. Yeah, it’s only 7 miles one way right now, but that runs from 30+ mph downhills to 7 mph slogs uphill to the next light. Lycra works for me, and I just change into street clothes when I get to work. And although I run bright flashers day or night, I figure a bright jersey or jacket can’t hurt. In winter, the Headwind pants I wear are obviously “bike specific,” but a little less extreme than the lycra shorts. Not too out-of-place at a casual destination. Biek shorts do look odd on someone whose out of sight of their bike. One of these days I may find time to look for nice bike wool-wear that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, but for now, I guess I’m stuck with lycra and poly-knit.
If you ride on city streets, I don’t care if you wear wool, lycra or a cotton Tshirt, you need something that is majorly reflective. You want to know what screams stupid? that’s dead. So get a type III construction worker reflective vest and wear it on top of that hipster cool wool outfit. So what if it says you are a cyclists, that is the point. DON’T HIT ME! It screams..
As for lights, those Planet Blinky’s are ok if it’s really dark, but for real retina burning get Dinotte lights. You can be seen over a mile away even in the daylight. (tested on the I-90 bridge where I could see someone 1.5 miles away at the other end of the bridge as I was getting on it.)
http://www.dinottelighting.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPzmzBu9Y0o
For wool, go
http://www.ibex.com
or
http://www.vintagevelos.com
I notice right away that the comfortable, cool-looking woman in the photo wasn’t wearing a helmet. How weird is it to use this image with a caption that includes “And for a beautiful brain, fasten your helmet”? I don’t wear much in the way of special gear, but I do wear a yellow jacket and a helmet — both for safety. By the time those are on, I’m afraid I don’t look much like the lady in the photo.
I used to be a “serious cyclist” and did the STP every year. Back then I didn’t commute, so my clothing was all cycling jerseys and lycra and clipless pedals. 3 years ago my job moved and I began cycling to work, about 10 miles round trip. I replaced my clipless pedals with standard pedals and now I just wear my dockers and sports shirts and a reflective vest, and carry goretex pants and a cycling jacket in a good pannier. I sweat when I ride uphills, but it’s not too bad and I don’t have to shower when I get to work. (Maybe since I’m an IT guy people expect me to smell a little anyway.) Wearing normal work clothing and normal shoes makes cycling more of a normal activity to me.
I agree with the cyclists above about being visible. As a cyclists we can see much better than drivers, and it’s easy to think that we’re visible to them when we’re not. I drove my bike commute one day and it was disturbing how poorly I saw the cyclists that I’d normally see so well when I was riding. Wear something BRIGHT and have a good front and rear light and you’ll be a lot safer. If you commute during the darker months or times, invest in better lights like Dinotte or Niterider or something with over 100 lumens.
I did wear my wool work pants at one point but a fall on black ice that ripped them over the pocket with my work keys. A bit expensive! I now have some dedicated knickers and summer shorts that layer over regular bike shorts or the “diaper undies” that are sold for bikers depending on the temperature. Bike sandals are now my preferred year round footwear and because of the velcro straps they can be layered too – the beauty is that, unlike shoes, they are dry by the end of the day and an extra pair of socks solves any super soaking. Regular sandals would be good but when I am riding fixed I prefer the more solid connection to the pedal. I think I have worn Hawaiian and seersucker shirts only a few times but I could imagine this as a daily thing in AZ or TX.
Ditto as above on helmets! Why to they sell black helmets, anyone?
Also, I usually have doubles on my lights, front and rear, esp. for winter riding. If I forget to check batteries, I have a grace period.
I have a long rural/urban commute from Vashon Island via Fauntleroy. As much as I like wool, it will NOT dry out during a work day when soaked. I prefer the synthetics. My work place has a spin dryer in the locker room. If I rinse and spin out my clothing at the start of the day, it is dry and ready to go by the time I go home (I also installed a pull out rack under my desk). Shoe covers are a must as that is the body part most exposed to water. They can also be spun dry. I know of some cyclists who keep a shoe dryer at work.
I agree with the above comments about lights. I just looked up Dinotte and they are very sexy… and pricey. I have a 300 lumen (I think) Cygolite Li-Ion Dual Cross (~ $180) on the front which is adequate for speeding downhill on steep unlit rural roads at night. 400 lumen would be better. My light has a rapid strobe pattern that gets me through the urban portion during winter. Drivers see me! Reflective clothing, as well as reflective tape on fenders, forks, and seat stays likely help. The Planet Bike blinky’s are pretty good for the money.
One more note on lights.
That Dinotte red rear light is like $200, and I often wondered if I had bought 4 planet Blinky’s would it be the same, have better reliability etc. And then one day I was riding across Mercer Island and I spotted a guy with just that rig! And it sucked. He had 2 on his helmet, on on the fender, one under the seat. You could see him in the shadows but once he hit regular light, all the lights were invisible.
On customer service, I had my dinotte rear switch fail. I called them, they said, open it up test it and call us back, maybe it has some dirt in it. I did that, it wasn’t dirt it still didn’t work. I sent it to them via USPS on Monday and on Friday I got a fully functioning light back. No charge.
Vs NiteRider, I owned the smart battery 15W halogen front light, I paid for two $30 service charges for first the charger, and then the battery failure. The customer service on the phone was terrible and the turn around time was a month each time. I’ll never buy another light from them again.
Reflective tape does help. But that vest, it’s the thing drivers see.
On Wet Wool
I have hung a piece of PVC pipe in my cube in the corner (diagonally) using a couple of bent coat hangers to hook the pipe and the cube wall. I’ve got 4 regular coat hangers and I just hang it all there and it dries out during the day.
I do have the showers Pass cycle rain jacket and pvc coated pants for real rain though. It mostly keeps the warm water close.
@Rita: That’s style maven Audrey Hepburn in the photo. And that’s her quote as well, save the last line, which is what I imagine –with hope!– she might say today while sporting a fashionable helmet to match her personal style.
I don’t wear specialty clothing either, lately preferring to ride in my street clothes. Many of my colleagues wear the Showers Pass Portland Jacket, which is made for biking, has reflective material AND looks sneakingly similar to the jacket Audrey is wearing: http://www.showerspass.com/catalog/women/womens-jackets/womens-portland-jacket
By the way, we were on KING5 yesterday talking about safety and style: http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Bike-safety-tips–122586279.html
Re: Portland jacket,
REI has an alternative that also might work. No pit zips but way less money.
http://www.rei.com/product/808373/rei-madrona-jacket-womens
I’m inspired: http://momentumplanet.com/events/momentum-mag-best-dressed-photo-booth