New York has really seen a renaissance in cycle chic over the years as hip young things (mainly) discover the joys of zipping in and out of gridlocked traffic and not having to suffer the crowded subway. When the Wall Street Journal writes about cycle chic and city bikes and the Sartorialist snaps stylish city cyclists, you know a real trend is starting.

Hope you enjoy the post!

via the Sartorialist

Regular readers of the blog will know that I am a huge fan of cycling in London and it’s the place where I really found my feet (or wheels) as a commuter cyclist. I have many, many fond memories of taking my bike to visit grandiose buildings, tootling along the Thames and exploring the hidden nooks of the city.

To get you in the mood for some London cycle chic, here’s the video of The Bike Song by Mark Ronson which was used in the Transport for London cycle stories which I blogged about recently.

The music video features set-through bikes, bright vintage outfits, cute girls and the streets of London. Watch it and I dare you not to break out into a smile!

In London I chat with Guy Hills of Dashing Tweeds, one dapper gentleman who supplies us with the popular Disco-bright reflective legwarmers.

This week on CycleStyle’s blog, I’ll will be directing you to a series of guests posts I’ve written for awesome Australian design blog, The Design Files.

I was tres tres excited when Lucy invited me to write about my passion for cycling in style. I came up with the idea of a cycle chic world tour, where we’d go meet some of my suppliers from all around the world and check out the cycling scene in each of those cities.

So, the first stop today is close to home – Sydney. Sydney is blessed with gorgeous weather, great views, an amazing coastline and lots of villages to explore. The cycle chic scene is starting to grow in the Emerald City, as you’ll find out when I take a whistlestop tour of the city with Saskia from Sydney Cycle Chic.

]]> http://cyclestyle.com.au/cyclestyle-world-tour-sydney/feed/ 0 http://cyclestyle.com.au/kids-cycle-chic/ http://cyclestyle.com.au/kids-cycle-chic/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:00:28 +0000 CycleStyle http://cyclestyle.com.au/?p=3101 At the recent Ausbike Bike Expo 2010 in Melbourne, for the first time there was a Cycle Fashion show celebrating the best in cycle chic from the exhibitors at the event.

These photos show that cycling in style is not just for adults! How CUTE are these kids??

Treadly Helmet Hats and Strider Bikes

Nutcase helmets

Early Rider bikes

Genevieve, a member of the audience and clearly a fashionista in the making.

In September we’re Flexicar’s Member of the Month! No trophy, just glory.

VIA: Urban Outfitters

We think it would be hard to find anything more stunning than a giant magnolia tree. But oh boy, this girl is sure giving the magnolia tree a run for its money.

We love her crisp look – her white step-through bike, cute shorts and dare we say it, white socks with sandles.

Japanese fashion house Sally Scott styled their 2008-2009 Autumn and Winter collection featuring a red-headed Irish lass and her bike.

So bikes are the new fashion prop, what’s so exciting about that? Well, you can watch every photo in elegant motion, as it’s a video catalogue.

Here are some of our favourite images, though you should definitely visit Sally Scott’s site to watch them come alive.

(Thanks to Curitiba Cycle Chic for the tipoff).

Shipping over my bike was the best decision I made for my time overseas. I gained immense confidence as a commuter cyclist, I got to places quicker without the stress of public transport and I discovered new places which I otherwise would never have encountered. Owning a bike really opened up the city for me and gave me headspace not to become engulfed in the strains of living in a fast-paced city of 13 million people.

Transport for London is doing great work with encouraging cycling in London, and I think these videos of everyday people and celebs cycling the city highlight the joys and benefits of city cycling everywhere, not just in London.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

]]> http://cyclestyle.com.au/dwell/feed/ 0 http://cyclestyle.com.au/brangelina-barometers-cool/ http://cyclestyle.com.au/brangelina-barometers-cool/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:00:45 +0000 joyce http://cyclestyle.com.au/?p=697

via thecelebrityblog.com

This cork helmet from French designer Kévin Goupil caught our eye. It’s modeled after old French steel army helmets and and capped with a sustainably harvested cork shell for a bit of military-eco-chic. Plus think of all the things you could pin onto it for decoration!

The helmet is in the conceptual phase only and no doubt the helmet complies with EU standards but not Australian standards so it’s unsuitable for those of us Down Under….but it looks cool nonetheless.

Via Ecouterre

Yes, that’s right. Since my first post about saving up for a pram bike, I’m actually in the situation where I will be needing a pram bike in the near future! Not only for a baby, but because my own bike has handlebars which are at an in-between angle of a situp bike and a road bike, which means as my tummy gets bigger I will probably need to switch to a more upright bike if I want to keep cycling through my pregnancy.

At Ausbike I was quite excited to discover Taga, a stroller/bike made in the Netherlands. It looks quite similar to the Zigo except that it doesn’t convert into a stand-alone bike. But with both of them I like how the baby seat/carriage sits right under the handlebars. I’ve pretty much ruled out any form of trailer because I’d like to be able to see the child in front of me.

On blog readers’ recommendations I also test rode the Gazelle Cabby and to be honest I felt quite uncomfortable and unsteady with its length given it’s on two wheels. I know that many people really love the Gazelle Cabby but it wasn’t for me -  I felt like I was steering a ship compared with the Taga which felt like a neat little wheelbarrow.

I had a go at converting the Taga from a bike to a stroller and it was relatively easy with lots of quick release mechanisms much like a folding bike (which I used to own so I’m familiar with the process). The video shows that it should only take 20 seconds, but I think a bit of practice is needed.

I also liked that Taga is narrow enough to fit through a standard doorway and has a handbrake so you can manoeuvre all the parts (and your baby) without having to chock it from rolling away. With a couple of twists and turns it can fit into a sedan, but obviously not as easily as a standard pram – I don’t think I’ll be trying to manage the Taga, the baby, groceries and baby gear without a hand. But that’s ok, as I intend to cycle as much as possible!

As you’d expect, the Taga doesn’t come cheap. The standard model (with the child seat) is $2295. I’d like to think that it still presents value for money as I will get a lot of use out of it and I can save money by minimising the amount of time I have to rely on a car or public transport to get around. Plus I actually feel safer cycling than I do driving these days!

As for the accessories, they are really cute and functional. The ones that caught my eye were:

• the Eco shopping basket so that I can ride the bike when pregnant and not look silly with an empty child seat. The Eco shopping basket converts the bike into a shopping trolley at your destination.
• the car seat adaptor so that I can use the Taga with a newborn, as they recommend that the child seat is only used from 8 months when the baby is able to sit upright without support. It does mean that I’m restricted to buying a car seat and settings by Maxi-Cosi (apparently available in Australia from October) as the adaptor only fits Maxi-Cosi models CabrioFix with EasyBase and EasyFix attachments.
• …and the second child seat maybe in the future ($333). The main seat can take weight up to 25kgs or approx 6 years and the 2nd seat can take weight up to 15kgs or approx 4 years.

Here’s the Taga official promotional video – it’s pretty slick!

You can join Taga Australia’s Facebook page here.

Instead, Lush are helping more sartorially-minded cyclists to repair themselves after a ride. This cute limited edition kit only costs 9.95 and it includes a mini-Wiccy massage soap bar, a chunk of Aromaco deodorant and sample tins of Handy Gurugu hand cream, lubricating Ultrabalm, King of the Mods hair gel and Ultralight moisturiser (SPF10). Everything is contained in a box made from Lush’s recycled black pot.

Sadly, the kits are only available at Lush UK and not Lush Australia. Great gift idea for your cycling friends and family living in the UK.

Trent was displaying his Cycle Signs, reflective discs made from old reflective road signs salvaged from scrap metal yards which could be attached to spokes or the front shaft for extra visibility. He uses a water jet cutting method to fashion circles from the old road signs and the strap is made from old rubber bike tubes, making Cycle Signs a truly upcycled product.

We bought a couple for ourselves and liked them so much that we thought they would be great in our shop – so now CycleStyle is one of only a handful of retailers in Sydney and Melbourne where you can get your hands on a Cycle Sign spoke clamp or Cycle Sign strap.

Each one is unique and come in a variety of colours – and we’ll ship to anywhere in Australia for free!

]]> http://cyclestyle.com.au/trent-jansens-cycle-signs/feed/ 0 http://cyclestyle.com.au/elle-shoots-street-cycle-chic/ http://cyclestyle.com.au/elle-shoots-street-cycle-chic/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:00:05 +0000 CycleStyle http://cyclestyle.com.au/?p=2169 US Elle Magazine took the streets of New York to snap shots of stylish cyclists, from curators to designers to students.

Here are some of our favourite shots.

To see the whole photo gallery, click here. Photographs by Mr Newton.