Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Momentum & Cycle Chic

I've got an adorable folding bike that I love to bits and I live in a city that's pretty progressive in providing bike lanes/routes (by North American standards).... so I've cycled here more than any other city I've lived in.

But the sporty style of bike accessories frustrated me. My cute bike and I deserved more! I'm not interested in going super fast and getting sweaty. I want to be relaxed and wear normal clothes and arrive at my destination relatively unsweaty. My desire for a more relaxed, stylish form of biking was fueled in a major way by this website - Copenhagen Cycle Chic, which documents the ease with which cycling fits into everyday life in Copenhagen. It's very inspiring - a glimpse into how things could be.



First, after much difficulty, I found a helmet that was in no way aerodynamic (I have no intentions of traveling at speeds where drag will be an issue, thank you), something with a bit of chic to it.






Then I made myself a few bike cuffs to keep my pants out of my chain while riding.










This month my humble little bike cuffs were featured in Momentum Magazine!

Momentum Magazine, a fabulous free magazine all about everyday person cycling (not sporty cycling), put out an issue all about the crafty DIY culture and how it intersects with bike culture. It's a fantastic magazine. If you can't find it in a bike store near you, request it. In the meantime, read it online here. And happy cycling!

(I've got ideas brewing for other bike accessories that could easily be more stylish (bike gloves!). If only I had more time. And magical sewing elves.)

5 comments:

paintingpam said...

Where do you live?? The cycle sounds real easy to use and handy.

Lisa said...

Hi Pam - I'm in Vancouver, BC which has a beautiful cycling path all along the waters edge, all the way around downtown + more. (I'm not keen on cycling with cars, so I love this separated path just for bikes!)

Kim Werker said...

Congratulations on the great press! Yay, cycling! Where'd you find the helmet? The new (hideous) one I got last season seems not to be fitting very well...

Lisa said...

Thanks Kim! Helmet is from MEC actually. It is heavier than a normal bike helmet and doesn't have air holes - but I don't go on long rides where I notice that.

Hawk and Weasel said...

That's exactly my biking style! Great to see. Those multicolored walnut-kind of helmets are killing me slowly. I don't get why sports gear have to look so...idiotic. This is really great!