redefining age + totally inspiring

photograph by Aaron P. Bernstein for The New York Times
Philippa Raschker age 65

photograph by Aaron P. Bernstein for The New York Times
Jeanne Daprano age 75 

Michael Appleton for The New York Times
Kathy Martin age 60

I loved this article about Kathy Martin and other 'master' athletes from yesterday's NYTimes Sports section. Kathy, who started running as an adult, broke more than a dozen American Running records in her 50's. Jeanne Daprano (top) began entering masters track meets in her late 40s and became the first woman to run a seven-minute mile (6:47.91) in her 70's! Such inspiring stories about strong women -- regardless of age.

On a more personal note, I feel fortunate to having grown up with a wonderful female role model: my mother. She has kept active her entire life, keeping her yoga practice an essential part of each day, and at 69 continues to join hikers half her age to climb the Adirondack Peaks. It is wonderfully refreshing to let go of preconceived notions of 'getting older'!

bike friendly knits via the Lower East Side

FTLOB reader Ileana Montalvo starting riding a bike in NYC last year (!) and has shared two great knitting projects for winter riding... an extra long cowl + calorimetry headbands. You can find the patterns and details about the yarns she used on her blog: www.loisaidanest.com 

Thanks for sharing, Ileana!

sparkle on: glitter and cycling unite

'Tis the season for... SPARKLES! I just adore the abundance of little lights and glitter during the holiday season and thought I'd share a few items which caught my eye:

Nutcase Street Helmet in Silver or Gold Sparkle via PUBLIC Bikes / Glitter Handlebar Grips from LightenUpBikes / Vintage Vinyl Glitter Bicycle Tool Bag on EBay /and my current obsession with glitter nail lacquer... chunky and micro glitter in one by OPI for SEPHORA

a minimal Bicycle Purse Rack

When it comes to women and biking in the city, it's difficult to escape the issue of what to do when carrying a purse. I recently wrote about this very topic on Oregon Manifest's blog... and was very excited to come across this super simple spring loaded rack to keep your bag safe and secure! The Bicycle Purse Rack is an exclusive product of CycleChic in the UK and their sister site The Bicycle Muse in the USofA. It attaches to your handlebar stem with just 2 screws and bolts and is chrome plated steel to prevent rust. Pretty simple.

Now I haven't tested it out myself but I wouldn't go overboard and throw on my largest/heaviest bag (after all the rack itself is W: 22cm, H: 21cm, D: 13cm) but a medium sized one with the necessities should do fine. Plus, carrying an extra little bungee cord would not hurt!

flyin'

While I don't sport much clothing that one may consider adventurous or daring... I do love dreaming. So when seeing this clog from Anthro (mighty reminiscent of Jeremy Scott's collaboration with Adidas last year) I couldn't help imagining cycling in them! They even have an ankle strap so they won't fly off. 

Thanks, Rosie ♥

Oregon Manifest + a female voice

Oregon Manifest - the bike design build challenge currently taking place - asked me to share a women's perspective on integrating bicycles into daily life on their blog... which you can read [here]   Thanks Michiyo for modeling and wearing such a cheerful dress!

SO BRIGHT - Cambridge Satchel Co.'s S/S 2011 Collection

bag images via Cambridge Satchel Company

Loving this florescent trend in fashion... and what do you know the Cambridge Satchel Company now makes their traditional British school satchels in BRIGHT 'Fluro' colours! How nice would one of these be in your bike basket - or on your back! And if you worried about converting pounds to dollars, JCrew is carrying a selection in their CREWCUT section.

Hasn't been this easy to shop to be this highly visible since the '80s!

via Refinery29

via SHEfinds

NON (overtly) GIRLY spandex for women by Twin Six

images via realcyclist.com

If your a women who's ever shopped for cycling apparel you know how difficult it is to find jerseys (and cycling shorts) that aren't outwardly feminine in pattern and colour scheme. And while I LOVE my floral patterns, as well pink, I'm always eying the men's selection which tends to be way more sporty, serious, and comes in way better colour schemes. So... was greatly relieved to see Minneapolis-based Twin Six's current selection for women.  I hadn't been on their site in at least a year and was happy to see they continue to do an awesome job at cranking out cool cycling clothes + gear with a twist of cute.

Oh, and a little rant on the abundance of reputable news sources publishing articles these days about the current and growing cycling culture which negatively use the description of "spandex-clad riders". It irks me every time.  As if every cyclist in spandex is racing and reckless as commonly portrayed -- it's a stereo type that saddens me. If your riding 30, 50, or 120 miles in a given day and have to cross through the city to get to the park or outer boroughs, you surely would favor spandex and padded cycling bibs. While you likely won't don your spandex for an urban commute - "spandex-clad riders" should be included in the family of urban cycling along with families with cargo bikes ♥

NYC Bike Girl - from streets to TV - casting call

Back in 2004 Jason Oliver Goodman took to the streets of NYC and photographed women on their bikes - mostly as he found them.  Within a few months he had taken close to 200 portraits that he compiled into a photography project called A Girl's Bike... which was since published by Partners & Spade. 

I mention this for two reasons, 1.) this is really a lovely collection of photographs and 2.) Jason has partnered up for an upcoming TV series casting "REAL GIRLS—not just actors" which is still in the in the process of casting. Therefore, if your a women in NYC who loves your bike(s) email {girlbikecasting@gmail.com} to get the scoop on dates, times and details. While I'm looking forward to the outcome of this project - it's my honest hope that they pick some awesome women in NYC who are helmet wearers and traffic obey-ers!

Oh, and another (cool yet random) thing about Jason Oliver Goodman... he created that nice animated intro for Mad Men.

Bikes + Skirts + NYC = Celebrating Freedom + Fashion

Ladies and gents... don't you forget the Skirts On Bikes is tomorrow evening, Thursday, June 30th. You've very likely already heard about Jasmijn Rijcken's story, but just in case, you can read A Long Explanation of Why the Biking-While-Sexy Story Is No Hoax

FYI, I'll be taking a little break from this lil' ol' blog for the next couple weeks but will return... in the meantime happy riding!

Bianchi's Celeste #227

 

Got a kick out of looking down the other day and realizing I was totally sporting Bianchi turquoise. Even better was coming across this ad from 1984 about the legendary Celeste #227...

Meet Your (bike) Match & Garden Party - TOMORROW BABY!!!

I just got back from the Hudson Urban Bicycle shop in the West Village which is packed to the brim with a fantastic selection of NEW and USED city bikes. Linus, ABICI, Biria, and Schwinn (to name just a few) in addition to cargo bikes and loads of used bikes including some real vintage finds!
(New bikes start at $419 and used bikes at $195.)

So... still don't have that city bike your dying to get? Hello! Memorial Day came and went and summer is ON... come by to the Meet Your (bike) Match & Garden Party {details below}. Some fabulous + friendly folks... the staff at The HUB (including Maggie and the pooch pictured above) along with Nona Varnado, the event organizer, and myself will be on hand to help you find you a match.

THIS Saturday, June 4, 2011 / 2-7 PM
Meet Your (bike) Match & Garden Party
@ Hudson Urban Bicycles (The HUB) presented by The Bird Wheel
163 Charles Street @ Washington in the West Village
{MAP}

Here's the official blurb...

Looking for a bike that’s adorable, easy to get along with and lots of fun? Bring all your girlfriends out to a unique speed dating event: check out an enormous range of new & used bikes. Test ride them around the lovely west village and if it seems like (gasp!) you might have found ‘the one’ take it next door to the garden party in The HUB’s *gorgeous* outdoor space.

We’ll have a lemonade stand & full photography set up for you to perfect your best bicycle chic look. If you’ve ever dreamed of dutch bikes and gracing The Sartorialist this is for you. Your Facebook profile will never be the same.

+ more photos from this afternoon, and only had my phone on hand...

 Hope to see you there.

POSTPONED: Meet Your (bike) Match & Garden Party

This Event is happening Saturday, June 4th, 2-7pm due to spring time thunderstorms. Stay dry & come out on the 4th!

image by: Spin Spin

 

 

A Garden & Bicycle party is no fun in the middle of a thunderstorm, so with a 90% chance of that we're calling a rain date!

- NEW Time, SAME Place -

Meet Your (bike) Match & Garden Party 
now on Saturday, June 4, 2011


@ Hudson Urban Bicycles (The HUB)
163 Charles Street @ Washington in the West Village

This gives you more time to spread the word  ♥ ♥ ♥

for the LOVE of bikes' FLOWER POWER @ MODEL CITIZENS NYC

 

Oh, New York Design Week - one of my most favorite times of the year! I'm pleased to be launching for the LOVE of bike's

FLOWER POWER: REFLECTIVE AND MAGNETIC accessories @ one hot NY Design Week event >>> MODEL CITIZENS NYC taking place as I type. More about both...

FLOWER POWER: REFLECTIVE AND MAGNETIC are accessories for riding your bike night or day / place on your bag or bike basket / wear as a brooch. These reflectors attach to anything made of steel due to a mighty strong magnet embedded inside. They even attach to a simple metal hair pin!

 

The third annual MODEL CITIZENS NYC is a 3 day exhibition, open to the public, showcasing the work by 90+ designers international and American independent designers and design studios including the Dutch collective Duran/Vanderpoort. Work displayed includes furniture, products, ceramics, jewelry, glass, textiles, home décor and art objects. FLOWER POWER accessories are being sold in the event's Pop-Up Shop!

Chelsea Art Museum 556 West 22nd Street / at 11th Avenue, Manhattan {map}

Friday, May 13 - Sunday, May 15, 2011

Event Cocktail Party: Saturday, May 14th  / 4 - 8PM

{Free Shuttle to and from ICFF (Jacob Javits Center) and the Chelsea Art Museum will be provided every half-hour from on Saturday, May 14th 2:30 - 6:30PM}

happy mother's day

Finnula in her iBert seat ♥ which her mother likes since they can talk to each other while riding ♥

I love that you are inspiring a whole new generation of cyclists... RIDE ON!

Took this photo on a beautiful day last summer while picnicking with friends on Governors Island - the car free NYC mecca. Speaking of... it's soon time to grab your bike and head to the ferry since the island re-opens for the season Friday, May 27, 2011!!!

in heels + (vintage) print

A beautiful vintage poster from France c. 1946. Can't help but love the depiction of a woman in heels with her Peugeot!

Radley bags + Pashley bikes

Bright + cheerful British fashion accessory company, Radley, launch their S/S 2010 collection with the ever popular bicycle-as-marketing tool... this season's photoshoot (above) and a customized Pashley bike give away (sadly only open to UK residents)...
However, Radely has crossed the pond with a recently launched website for those living in the USofA.

lycra clad on the runway

While the cycle chic movement renounces it, the runway embraces it... Comme des Garçons' Spring 2010 collection - accompanying Louis Vuitton's bike-short-centric campaign post last month. Ohh, Rei ♥

LV goes Cycle Chic

The cycle chic blog Riding Pretty did a great post yesterday on the trendy-ness of spandex cycling apparel (the bike short being key) this coming season... from the pages of TeenVogue to Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2010 campaign (above).

Amazing to think that LV was formed in 1854 making custom trunks for traveling (before luggage was even something people owned - really before travel was something most people could imagine/consider doing) and grew into one of the most counterfeited brands in fashion.

a hint of vintage

Crafted out of vintage upholstery & vinyl material, Denver-based Beatrice Holiday - Wheel Cute Couture makes these handlebar bags, basket liners and seat covers! Available through their Esty Shop. via Design*Sponge

Reminded me of this bike I photographed in Maine last summer...