Business website Bizoomi interviewed Joyce about CycleStyle and running a small business.
Archive for July, 2010
Bizoomi
Friday, July 30th, 2010Review of Cherry Straw Deluxe Shopper
Friday, July 30th, 2010One of the blogs on our blogroll recently road-tested the Cherry Straw Deluxe Shopper.
via Lovely Bicycle
Here’s what Lovely Bicycle thought – all true! I have the shopper in Lemon and use it regularly:
- ‘pannier has a classic, timeless look to it that will go nicely with any vintage or classic bicycle.’
- ‘The pannier material is water-resistant woven pine. The surface is tactile, yet smooth.’
- ‘Underneath the flap (which secures with velcro strips allowing for different degrees of fulness) is a zipper opening. The flap and zipper together pretty much ensure that the closure does not let in water.’
- ‘The fabric-lined inside contains an enormous void of a middle compartment, two side dividers, a medium-size zippered compartment, and a small compartment that will fit a wallet or phone.’
- ‘The pannier attaches to a bicycle rack with a system of 3 plastic hooks on metal spring hinges. They are quick and easy to attach and remove; the process takes just a few seconds.’
To read the full post, click here.
First Aid for Bikes – from a Vending Machine
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
I have to confess – I have no idea how to fix a flat tyre. Or even how to pump up my tyres. I basically suck at Bike First Aid.
So I was quite excited to hear about this great idea from Auckland Cycle Chic. Auckland bike shop Bike Central has starting rolling out BikeAid – a vending machine that dispenses bicycle repair equipment such as puncture repair kits, inner tubes, brake pads, lights, CO2 canisters, pumps and allen keys.
Of course I’d still have to learn how to repair a puncture, use a pump or an alley key. But I think the cycle gloves will come in handy for unexpectedly cold nights, the bike lights will be good when yours get nicked and you need to get home and who hasn’t forgotten their bike lock before?
Please please please, someone start doing this in Australia.
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010….is doing bicycle hats. These retro-styled hats are elasticised and have a short brim for keeping out the sun and drizzle.
Sadly in Australia our mandatory helmet wearing laws prevent us from legally wearing the checked country gentlemen version…but they’re nice to look at anyway.
Shout out to Fixed Gear Girl Taiwan
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010One of our favourite blog reads is Fixed Gear Girl Taiwan. What you get are super colourful, super cute photos of Taiwanese girls having fun with their fixies. Here’s just a typical sample of the kind of photos brightening up our RSS feed:
PHOTO BY 大大 via Fixed Gear Girl Taiwan
Stroke of Genius
Monday, July 26th, 2010
Quite often my ideas for CycleStyle come about when I’m cycling on my bike (while keeping my attention on the traffic, of course). In fact, the whole idea for opening CycleStyle came to me while I was riding on my bike.
I’m sure everyone has these sort of light-bulb moments, whether they’re riding or not. Now the National Stroke Foundation is holding an online competition inviting Australians to share their bright ideas called Stroke of Genius.
The ideas need not be ground-breaking or have the potential to change the world, but they all recognise the creative ability of the brain. The public will vote to determine Australia’s favourite Stroke of Genius idea and every vote made requires a $1 donation to support the National Stroke Foundation. There’s also a Judges Choice award and a weekly prize for the best Stroke of Genius idea for the week.
So far, my favourite bike-related Stroke of Genius is gyms linked the powergrid.
Gym equipment such as spin bikes and running machines could be hooked up to contribute energy to the electricity grid. A feed-in tariff is a premium rate paid for electricity fed back into the electricity grid from a electricity generation source such as a rooftop solar PV system or wind turbine – or gym equipment! Gyms and their clients could share profits while contributing to energy efficiency.
Although this celebrity Stroke of Genius from radio personalities Ant and Becks made me laugh:
Australia, no longer can we mock our muffin topped cousins from the US, we are getting fatter faster than you can say ‘drive through’ and we think we’ve got a solution! It’s not WHAT we are eating that’s the problem – it’s the exercise we’re not doing. Let’s face it, a thousand years ago it didn’t matter what you ate because straight after lunch you were back hunting down dinner. And we think we’ve got the solution…. Our new Pedal Powered Vending Machines (patent pending) will force the hungrier of the species to sweat for their Snickers! Australia, ditch the drive through and cycle your way to guilt free, waist-line neutral snacks today!
Both of them get my vote!
The winner of the Popular Choice award will receive a 7 night holiday for 2 staying at the Indigo Pearl resort in Phuket (drool), the Judges Choice winner wins an Apple Macbook Pro and weekly winners receive a Nintendo DSi Console and the game ‘Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training’.
Winners will be announced 1 August, so get your thinking caps on!
Kind Boutique
Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Melbourne Design Market Virtual Tour
Friday, July 23rd, 2010If you couldn’t make it to the Melbourne Design Market a few Sundays ago, here’s your chance to do a little virtual tour of our fabulously colourful stall along with our friends Jellybean Bikes.
Our colourful Po Campo handlebar bags.
Lesson learnt – ALWAYS have a bowl of jelly beans at a market stall. Popular with everyone!
Kitsch Kitchen everywhere! Messenger bags and Polkadot panniers.
Kath and Ben from Jellybean Bikes.
The Jenny Reflective Cycling Cape.
More Jellybean colour.
Do you love your bike?
So cute! This little tyke was fascinated by Ben’s bike mechanics.
One of our bestsellers, the spacious rectangular wicker basket.
An easy and beautiful way to carry your shopping and picnic goods – the Wicker Picnic Basket attaches and detaches from your back rack easily.
Bikes, bikes, everywhere!
Daydream Lily
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010One of our favourite blogs Daydream Lily posted up pictures from the CycleStyle photo shoot (blogger Liss is also the sister of Jono Winnel – talented family!)
Inner brilliance – Cordarounds Bike to Work pants
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010San Francisco company Cordarounds have come up with the perfect bike-to-boardroom (although probably more like coffee, a movie, a picnic) clothing option.
The Cordarounds Bike to Work pants are khakis with little hidden reflective parts – the insides of the pockets and pant cuffs.
Good for our dark, wintery nights now.
Bike to Work Pants from Cordarounds on Vimeo.
Mark Cavendish out of lycra
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
We like to think that even lycra-clad sporty cyclists can get into a bit of cycle chic.
In June’s edition of British GQ, Tour de France competitor Mark Cavendish gets out of his lycra and into some vintage Dolce & Gabbana, riding a beautiful 1940s Taurea. Just lovely.
See you at Cycle Chic Friday – this Friday!
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010Melbourne gets its own Cycle Chic day-of-the-week with its first Cycle Chic Friday!
From 5pm this Friday 23 July, Melbourne’s centre of Danish culture, commerce and cuisine, Denmark House (428 Little Bourke Street), will be hosting a free cycle chic gathering presided by the Danish filmmaker, photographer and urban mobility expert Mikael Colville-Andersen, who’s in town at the invitation of State of Design, Victoria’s annual design festival.
Many of you will know Mikael through the bicycle blogs Cycle Chic and Copenhagenize and at Denmark House he will be discussing how other cities can be inspired by the Copenhagen bicycling experience, by re-establishing the bicycle as an accepted and respected mode of every day transport.
So come to Denmark House on your bicycle, dressed in your finest cycle chic attire, and meet other like-minded folks. Make sure you bring your camera too, as there will be lots of opportunities to get inspired and to submit your images to Denmark House via email, Twitter or Facebook.
Naturally, we’ll be there with our camera and our finest cycling style. We’re also hoping to have a few of our most popular items on display at Denmark House that night, so please come and say hi and ask us any questions about the products that you may have.
Reservations are encouraged for Cycle Chic Friday – phone 03 9600 4477 or email office@denmarkhouse.com.au.