What bicycling has meant to women…since 1895
Posted: August 29, 2009 Filed under: Cycle Chic | Tags: Bike-friendly, Biking Lifestyle, History 3 Comments »Ok – obviously much has changed for women in 114 years, but this excerpt about Women and Bicycling from Statemaster.com gives us some historical perspective. Bicycles emancipated women – in style, in transportation options, in the ability to explore life on their own. Pretty neat, huh?
“The diamond-frame safety bicycle gave women unprecedented mobility, contributing to their emancipation in Western nations. As bicycles became safer and cheaper, more women had access to the personal freedom they embodied, and so the bicycle came to symbolize the New Woman of the late nineteenth century, especially in Britain and the United States.
The bicycle was recognized by nineteenth-century feminists and suffragists as a “freedom machine” for women. American Susan B. Anthony said in a New York World interview on February 2,1896: “Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.” In 1895 Frances Willard, the tightly-laced president of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, wrote a book called How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle, in which she praised the bicycle she learned to ride late in life, and which she named “Gladys”, for its “gladdening effect” on her health and political optimism. Willard used a cycling metaphor to urge other suffragists to action, proclaiming, “I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum….”
Bicycle Advertisement from 1895
Listen to the words…
Posted: August 27, 2009 Filed under: About | Tags: Biking Lifestyle, Slow Bicycle Movement, Tips, Video Leave a comment »I love this video – found it today on Twitter. While the images are beautiful – it is the words that are important. Listen. Know why you do what you do. Isn’t that the zest of life?
Mmmm…Bikes are like Dessert
Posted: August 26, 2009 Filed under: Cycle Chic | Tags: Chic, Fashion, Photos, Seen around town Leave a comment »Everytime I see a fabulous bike, I actually start salivating. I feel a yearning inside of me coupled with an “I want to have it all” kind of feeling. (Can anyone relate to this or am I just weird?)
It reminds me of how I feel about dessert. Oh glorious dessert.
So here is a small selection of bikes that caused my salivary glands to spring into action. I love them all for different reasons – but mostly because they are reminiscent of some of my favorite things.
This first one is a bit hard to see, but if you look closely it’s worth it. Check out the liquid chocolate color and the beautiful green. This bike made me think of a Creme de Menthe Brownie.
Creme de Menthe
This next one screams summer time fun to me and makes me want to have an Orange Creamsicle. She’s available to be had at the Charleston Bicycle Company on East Bay St. Say Hi to Jana!
Orange Creamsicle
This next little angel is just so pure. I’ve always been attracted to the all-white bike – it seems so sophisticated and of course, it goes with everything. Yes – my first thoughts when I saw her were Marshmallow Fluff, or even a light and fluffy Meringue. Delightful.
Marshmallow Fluff
So does your bike remind you of dessert? Send a picture in! I know someone out there has a Dulce de Leche or a Raspberry Sorbet….
I know it’s a bit early for this but…what should the Cycle Chic Holiday Parade theme be?
Posted: August 20, 2009 Filed under: Events | Tags: Biking Lifestyle, Events 2 Comments »….it’s fun to think about now so I am going to ask! Charleston Cycle Chic is going to be submitting an application in the next few weeks for us to participate in Charleston’s King Street Holiday Parade on December 6th, 2009. We thought it would be oh-so-fun and festive to have Cycle Chic ride our beautiful bikes and ring ring ring our jingle bells to welcome the holiday season.
But. We need a theme. Something with elegance, class, fun, and movement….
Submit your ideas here and I’ll post them for the world to see.
2008 Parade on King
P.S. Yes, Cycle Chic has taken a Hot Weather Hiatus in this steamy month of August – but get your bikes shined up for the next ride at the end of September!
Boston’s Mayor Rides – Does Charleston’s Mayor Riley too?
Posted: August 10, 2009 Filed under: Community Organizations, News | Tags: Bike-friendly, Bike-to-Work, Biking Lifestyle, Healthy Community, Trends 1 Comment »Ok so this post isn’t exactly about Cycle Chic in the ‘chic’ sense, but it IS about something near and dear to my heart (and the underlying motivation of Charleston Cycle Chic) – making a city more bike-friendly. This past weekend, the NY Times wrote an excellent article on how Boston, long known as a ‘cyclists’ minefield’, is turning itself around and implementing measures to become more bike-friendly. Now Boston was established much the same time Charleston was. It has historic buildings, narrow streets and is surrounded by water and bridges. It also has a history of moving a bit slowly to get things done. But not anymore. In fact, Bicycling Magazine recently cited it on it’s Five for the Future list.
What does it take to make a city bike-friendly? As I experienced so clearly on my recent trip to Boulder, CO – it’s about creating bike lanes that go from Important Point A to Important Point B. It’s about having bike racks everywhere (here’s a link to ours). It’s about businesses encouraging bike parking (like Charleston’s Downtown TacoBoy!), and educating drivers about what it means to share the roads.
But it’s also about having leadership that loves to ride. Boston’s Mayor Menino recently discovered the biking lifestyle and realized just how important it is to a city’s sustainability and enjoyment and so quickly got to work. He even started Hub on Wheels, a Citywide Ride and Festival.
So I get it. As much grassroots moving as we can do, it still has to come from the top. So Mayor Riley – here’s what I propose to you. Come ride with me around our beautiful city. If you don’t have a bicycle, I’ll buy one for you. That’s my commitment to you, to this city, and to this lifestyle. Try it! It just might change your life.
