Filed under: Cycle Chic | Tags: Healthy Community, Inspiration, Seen around town
I know that most of you out there thinking about Cycle Chic might assume that expensive bikes with expensive clothes makes Cycle Chic go round. But if you’ve been reading up, you know that this Cycle Chic-er loves all things that show a zest for life, so I had to include what you see below….
This picture was sent in to me by a reader, and let me tell you, I love it. It’s old school, new school and being-one-with-nature-school all in one. This is his ‘fishing bike’ and he and his 7-yr old daughter like to ride to the shore of the Wando river and try to catch anything they can.
Lowcountry Livin'
Ladies and Gents, you don’t have to buy a fancy basket to get things done. Get creative in the spur of the moment. Try a tomato box strapped to the back if you can’t hold on to all your organic farmer’s market supplies. Or rummage up an old Coke Bottle container like this gentleman did to hold your fresh caught dinner as you ride back home smiling with your kids and feel good about being alive.
Filed under: Community Organizations, Cycle Chic | Tags: Biking Lifestyle, Charleston, Cycle Chic, Healthy Community, News, Trends
This great google map was put together by our Cycle Chic cohorts at Bike by the Sea in Santa Barbara. Isn’t it neat to think that 10s of 1000s of us are Cycling Chic all over the world, and that our marvelous little town on the Atlantic is part of it?? Pretty amazing…
View Larger Map
Filed under: Cycle Chic, Events | Tags: Biking Lifestyle, CCC, Events, Healthy Community
Now that the Pecha Kucha location has been revealed (The Music Farm!) I can reveal our ride route and meetup location for our October 21st Ride to Pecha Kucha Night Charleston
Start: Marion Square @5:45PM
Meetup: Chai’s @ around 6:30PM
Pecha Kucha: 7:15 @ The Music Farm (we’ll be locking our bikes here before we go to Chai’s)
Yes it’s been several months since we had a fun Cycle Chic ride. The only good excuse was the heat. Pavement-melting, sweltering, Lowcountry heat. But it’s officially fall ya’ll and while those of you in Maine wouldn’t consider 80 degrees cool – for us, it is delightful.
So stay tuned for details about the next ride. All I can tell you now is that it will be after work on October 21st! So get your beautiful bikes polished up and ready to ride.
Filed under: Community Organizations, News | Tags: Bike-friendly, Bike-to-Work, Biking Lifestyle, Healthy Community, Trends
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.
Filed under: Cycle Chic | Tags: Bike-to-Work, Biking Lifestyle, Healthy Community, Trends
I just found this article on Treehugger.com talkin’ about all ya’ll Charleston Cycle Chic aficionados with a photo of our lovely Cara Kelly riding down the Battery. What do you say CCC ladies (and gents)? Are we going to live up to their vision of us? Our gorgeous fall is just around the corner and we can no longer use the excuse of ‘perspiration’. Let’s ride into the sunset, shall we??
By the way, if you haven’t seen Treehugger.com before, they have a superb collection of posts on all things ‘green’ and progressive – from Design and Architecture to Food and Fashion and everything in between. Check them out!
Article excerpt…
“Charleston Cycle Chic is making biking to work all the rage. Bonnie wrote about Cycle Chic in London last year and while it took a little longer to catch on here in South Carolina, the movement is gaining a foothold. In South Carolina and even in a more forward thinking Charleston, all too often you’ll see people hop in their cars to drive two feet and then have trouble finding a parking space which leads to them continually driving around the block…more
Filed under: Community Organizations, Cycle Chic | Tags: Biking Lifestyle, Chic, Events, Healthy Community, Slow Bicycle Movement
All ya’ll have to check out this great organization in New Zealand – Frocks on Bikes. They’ve got it going ON! They are fabulous, gorgeous and most importantly, they are pedaling for change. They’ve got events popping up all over the place – from workshops to Film Fests to Carnivals and everything in between.
From their website…
Their Facebook Group
And the weirdest thing – I clicked one of their links about “6 Reasons The World Needs More Girls on Bikes“ which led me to Treehugger.com, the article written by a woman in Sweden and what do ya know – a picture of my red patent leather heels on my lime green bike came up. Flickr/Social Media blows my mind!! But really, after you marvel, read read read because what they have to say, has to do with you!
Best Quote of the Day – “Women…might find riding in high heels is easier than walking in them.” Amen sistah!
Filed under: Cycle Chic | Tags: Bike-to-Work, Biking Lifestyle, Chic, Fashion, Healthy Community, Seen around town
As I go about my daily business, biking, walking or just cafe-sitting, I always have my trusty IPhone camera ready to whip out a moment’s notice because you never know when a beautiful woman on a great bike is going to roll by. Here are a few recent examples of Charleston Cycle Chic in action. Note the bikes, note the outfits, note the lifestyle and the happy glow of a woman who knows she’s having fun.
Here's a mystery woman catching some rays and literature at Colonial Lake. I am diggin' her all-white bike, and the crispness of the green grass against her blue blanket. What more do you need on a sunny Southern day?
Kristy on her way to brunch with the in-laws (aren't they lucky?). Love the bright white and the cute wedge shoes. And of course, a great straw bike basket with an easy-to-access cup/water bottle holder. Nice.
Susan is the epitome of the Charleston Lifestyle. I caught her on the way back from an outdoor concert at CofC, happy to be outside on the move while her friends were still dealing with parking. Susan rides to work at MUSC on this little red and white cruiser. So proud!
Filed under: Cycle Chic, Events | Tags: Charleston, Chic, Events, Healthy Community, Slow Bicycle Movement
While it was storming all around us, somehow the sun managed to shine down on the Charleston Peninsula and illuminate 50 beautiful women on their fabulous bikes (and a few stylin’ guys). We had hats and heels and skirts galore and even a couple of tandem bikes. Shiny pink fenders, white leather seats, and all the colors of the rainbow were out in force. Thanks to my friends Dustin Ryan and Jim Wallace (with their newly formed video company – Pedicab Productions) for all the fantastic photos and upcoming video. Check out the ladies! There are multiple links to multiple slideshows so you can get your fill of the gorgeousness. If anyone has others – send the links to chscyclechic@gmail.com.
Thanks to everyone for coming out to ride in support of CharlestonMoves and to show this town we love the biking lifestyle – It’s chic to ride!
Stay tuned….we think there will be more….:)
Ridin' Pretty down King St
Here’s the Cycle Chic Flickr PhotoStream
City Paper Pics (courtesy of Angela Hanyak)
Here’s what the gurus of Wikipedia say…
“Cycle chic or bicycle chic is the culture of cycling in fashionable clothes. It is now associated with the utility cycling practised in cities such as Amsterdam, Basel, Berlin,Berne, Copenhagen, among others, where citizens practice a high level of bicycle usage. In many European cities, as well as cities in China and Japan, cycling is an everyday transport choice and many cyclists choose to wear their regular clothes, as opposed to outfits generally associated with cycle sport, such as bicycle shorts, gloves and shoes.
Cycle chic is a growing trend in cities that are now investing in bicycle friendly infrastructure and facilities. With the growing popularity of community bicycle programs such as Velib in Paris and Bicing in Barcelona, citizens are discovering the ease with which they can ride around their city or town, including riding in their normal clothes instead of sports cycling gear. As fashionable celebrities such as Agyness Deyn are shown cycling in this way by the media, this induces others to follow their example.
The phrase “cycle chic” in relation to bicycle fashion was coined by the filmmaker and photographer Mikael Colville-Andersen inCopenhagen in 2006. Called “The Sartorialist on two wheels” by The Guardian newspaper, Colville-Andersen advocates normalising urban cycling and increasing the number of trips made by bicycle in urban centers.”
And by the way, Mikael has also started the Slow Bicycle Movement – taking back the bike culture with “Style over Speed”. Join the fun!
