[Cheryl Brinkman] Nancy in Black and White

I was riding with my friend Nancy and didn't realize until we were on the Golden Gate Bridge in the sunshine what a perfect vision she was in winter white and black. Truly Velo Vogue. I Iove the black and white Basil bag and her white jacket and black trousers. She turned a Saturday morning ride into a fashion event.

more Sunday in the Park

The weather in SF is notoriously unpredictable. In summer we get thick pea soup fog interspersed with sunny days, and this winter has felt more like spring with unbelievable heat waves following brief stints of rain, which have had me reminiscing about those sunny Sundays picnicking or simply gallivanting in Golden Gate Park. So I dug up some pics from our Indian Summer to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside even if it's cold and wet outside... or not!

This woman is simply beautiful with her light red and black plaid jacket flowing in the tailwind.

And how about this cutie giving a coup d'oeil to the roller disco park, enjoying the sun with his mp3s streaming over his headphones?

And because I can't enough of doubling the phun, here are my pals Ohleev and Spud (a.k.a. the Twins Brothers) from Paris when they were here in October. Hopefully we'll have another heatwave for their next visit scheduled for February.

[busbozo] Glamorous

[busbozo] Copenhagen Eat Your Heart Out!

Just a little proof that not all who ride in the US are

1) encased in lycra
2) terrified of traffic
3) unwilling to let their children ridein the city.

This lovely woman had just picked her son up from school and off they went down Valencia street.

busbozo

rastaman

One of the huge advantages of riding a bike to go shopping in Union Square is that you can pull up in front of any store or street vendor without having to look for and pay for parking! Other advantages are that you are contributing to a better society and living a healthy lifestyle.

And if you have long sexy dreadlocks like this man in orange here, why not let them sway freely in the wind as you leave all those cars in gridlock in the dust?

summer look|winter boots

I was behind this cute chyck all the way down Market Street and then again all the way down Sansome Street a couple weeks ago. I couldn't believe the way she was dressed. Everyone else was freezing cold (I think I was bundled up with gloves, scarf and wool coat) and she was wearing rolled up jeans and a cute girly t-shirt. The guy behind her had a totally rad backpack.


She was pretty speedy, and had the awesome Nutcase helmet just for the purpose of zipping around the SF streets.

Finally at a red light I got a chance to check out her fuzzy brown leather winter boots, and those pretty striped socks peeking out from the top.

Otherwise, just looking at her bare arms was giving me the shivers. Hot or cold, she was by all means super-fab.

you got the silver

I get warm fuzzies every time I see friends riding together and chatting at stoplights. I get all happy when I see shiny things too, like this girl's silver backpack, that sparkled in the luminance of the front headlights of the car behind her.

Yellow Dress

Not long ago, Michelle Obama went to work in simple sweater sets from mainstream clothing manufacturers. Earlier this week, her husband was sworn into office, and she wore a magnificent gold-yellow outfit by a Cuban-born designer. We loved it!

Likewise, this gorgeous woman rode down Valencia in a yellow dress with black jacket and knee-highs. I know what I'm shopping for this weekend.*

*At Mission thrift stores

baseball season cometh

This guy's NY Mets cap and sporty look (and the warm springy weather we've recently experienced in SF) reminded me that spring training and baseball season is right around the corner.

Wheel Chair Wheel

A guy had this bike at Alioto Park in the Mission a while back. I asked him about it, and he told me it was a rare Italian model. He'd been working on it for months. The front wheel is a re-purposed wheel chair wheel -- he said he began this trend which is now all over the city. It's better because it doesn't go flat.

the waiting

Before the push off, there is the waiting. For instance, I have been waiting eight years for today.


Fashionable women seem to be in no great hurry at red lights. Why rush it? Give yourself the time to be noticed!


Let's all coo in unison over the gorgeousness of this woman's European bicycle.

We are all ready to push off into the future. We can only hope that the future will be brighter, more peaceful and more livable. So the waiting is finally over. Let's go celebrate!

Green Dress

If you do an internet search of "green dress" you realize that the two words mean so much more together than separately. There's Madonna's hairy green dress, Jennifer Aniston's, Kiera Knightly... I could go on. Someone even wrote a poem about a green dress.

John Singer Sargent did a water color called "green dress" that sold for almost half a million dollars in 1999.

John Waterhouse did a green dress painting too.

Finally (at least when I stopped reading), I learned it is a drug reference from the Dallas area popularized by party-crashing drag queens in the 1970s. Who knew a simple item could have so much meaning!

the push off

I suppose I feel like dedicating posts this week!

Every time I see a chic cyclist pushing off into flight, I think of Mikael, our pal across the pond, who inspired Vélo Vogue to take off into flight by documenting fashion on two wheels here in SF. So, once again, this post is dedicated to Zakkaliciousness, the mac-daddy of Cycle Chic.

And let me add that the more I'm out on my bicycle, the more I see cyclo-fashionistas making bold statements. I want to think that, just as Copenhagen Cycle Chic inspired us, we too are inspiring others!

Tourist Vogue

When people come to visit SF, I encourage them to visit the beach, the bridge and the Ferry Building. A rental bike is perfect for a spin in Golden Gate Park like these ladies have figured out. This visitor looks so chic in while peasant skirt with brown hoodie and leggings.

handle bars/brown

This lovely lady caught my eye as she rode along in short brown skirt, knee highs, blouse and shades.


I've been thinking about handle bars lately. Which style is most comfortable? Hers look good, but probably only for around town. I started riding a 10-speed in high school with standard drop bars. When mountain bikes came into style, I was thrilled to be upright. More recently, I started doing long (30-100+ miles) recreational rides with drop bars again, and I get a pinch between my shoulder blades that no amount of bike fitting seems to fix. I'd love to hear your suggestions.

Lilia Luvs Lugs

Every time I see pretty lugs on a bike, I think of Lilia. So when this pretty hand-painted bicycle parked in front of Macy's caught my eye, I was compelled to share such fabulousness with my partner in crime.


When all of a sudden its owner approached me and said, "I hope you're not trying to steal my bicycle." Take a look at how his brand new sneakers match his yellow lugs and handlebars. (We love cyclists who coordinate with their ride.)

Covet - not steal. I'm no bicycle thief! (Although I love the film.)

The owner of this gorgeous set of wheels is Matt, who also has the honor of running the lovely home boutique Given, located in the historic Castro storefront where Harvey Milk operated his famous camera store. You can read all about Harvey and the store's history on Given's website.

And if you haven't checked out Milk yet, do yourself a favor and run to the theater now!

Guest Photo: Raymond Barnes in Culver City

Ray's been commuting to his gig at the NFL network in Culver City via his
Nirve (hand made so-cal cruiser). Today he was sporting distressed jeans, a
black Banana republic T paired with an Italian made English tweed Cantarelli
sport jacket, Lambertson boots and "kickstand" shades by Von Zipper. Knock
'me dead, Ray!

Photo and words by Laureen Tieche

Repeat Impressor

Some people impress me every time I see them. According to Meligrosa, this is Jasmin, and I see her around the Mission all the time. Here she's biking in Noe Valley wearing a skirt and the same coat as the previous post.

my kind of girl!

This woman's accordion is a lot smaller (and probably about $650 cheaper) than mine, so she bungee cords it onto her bike rack so she can provide entertainment on any random street corner. We ran into her at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition's Winterfest. She also had a Charlie Brown Christmas tree attached to her bicycle. And if you didn't know already, the accordion is the official instrument of San Francisco. I do believe that this adorable woman represents the true spirit of our beloved city.

A Libra

I was trying to slip discretely away from Carfree Happy Hour when this gorgeous yellow bike caught my eye just outside the door. I asked its owner about it and turns out he's been working on it, slaving over it, for months. He should be proud. I'm proud for him.

A few minutes into the conversation, he said, "I'm a Libra," which confused me because we were talking about bicycles not astrology.

I laughed.

freestyle girl

This freestyle girl stopped doing tricks to pose for a pic on this sunny afternoon in the Panhandle.

I've been having dreams about cute little bikes like hers. Maybe I should adopt one.

mysterious gentleman

KT and I were grabbing a drink with a few friends in the Upper Haight when this dapper gentleman rode up and locked his bike just outside the window.

"Quick," she said. "Where's your camera?"

Now, I have 2 cameras. A newish SLR and a point-and-shoot I bought 5 years ago. My point-and-shoot, which I keep in my purse for emergencies, has a few quirks including that sometimes the lens doesn't open all the way... like it did that night. The good news? I think the resulting look lends a sort of mysterious curtain to the shot that goes well with his black garb and hat.

crazy tights

Why settle on boring black or dull grey when you can go wild with stripes of all colors? Dress up that little black dress with some pizazz! What a truly fabulous SF winter look!

And why stop at tights? If you gotta roll up that pant leg, show off your personal flair with some crazy socks!

VV Profile: Kristina Sherwood

Occupation: Actor (working/aspiring) and Business English Teacher
Hometown: Lake Crystal, Minnesota
Neighborhood: Paris 10th Arrondissement - Canal Saint Martin
Helmet or no helmet: Doh! no helmet. stupid, stupid girl.
Describe your bike: VELIB! - heavy, sturdy frame, three speeds, lights, basket and a bell all courtesy of the city of Paris
Favorite color: earthy colors...blues, greens, browns...
Describe your personal style: depends on the day...I'd say classic with tones of hippie-chic, punky-brewster, professional Parisian, or Girl Next Door...i love knee high boots, leggings, skirts, hats, scarves...
Describe your cycling experience: nervous. haha. If I have a wide open road or a clearly defined bike line, I'm lovin' it. If I'm weaving between traffic, I'm a hate hate hatin' it.
Favorite artist: no music on the bike...gotta be alert! but when I'm not on my bike... Radiohead, Feist, Devendra Banhart, Beirut, and this week Kings of Convenience, Matt Elliott, and Jose Gonzalez...

Ride SFO Bike Expo

Lilia and I attended the inaugural Bike Expo hosted by Ride SFO recently. I picked up a few accessories and the Twins shopped for fixies. We all test rode a few wheels, but didn't take any home.

We were all impressed by the dudes doing jumps in the freestyle zone.

And by how cute patience can be.

Some of the vendors were selling some hot styles, notably, B. Spoke Tailor. The owner makes custom knickers for men and women in a variety of fabrics, as well as raincoats and vest packs.

We were all mesmerized by these lights for your spokes made by Monkey Lectric, which reminded me a bit of Burning Man.

more pandhandle vogue... 2

Switching your handle bars on a regular bike for children's clown-style bars has become a style. People enjoy sitting upright when that's hard to come by here, and it looks cool and eccentric. This woman was pleasantly color-coordinated above her custom-cool-ized bike.

Hi Mom!

This pretty blonde lady actually said, "Hi Mom!" to me while I took her photo as she cruised along the Page Street bike lane on her cute hot pink folding bicycle. She's got a classic look with her Audrey Hepburn style sunglasses, knee-length skirt and cardigan sweater, long hair flowing freely in the breeze. Ah! To ride sans stockings, scarf and puffy coat again!

cute commuter

Picture this:
dress shirt and tie
slacks
jogging shoes (??)
10-speed with rack
messenger bag
helmet

No wait, you don't have to. Because here's a picture:

OK, fine, it's another cute boy on a bike. So, sue me. No, wait, don't.

Thanks.

engaging

Here's a pretty girl with a classic casual California look: red miniskirt with flip flops and a cute girl-tee, casually engaging the kickstand on her blue 10-speed as she settles in to hang with her pals for an afternoon party in the Panhandle. (NB: Enjoy a 40 oz. at your own discretion.)

purple shoes/pink purse

Another photo from earlier in the year. This woman either has a liberal sense of color (which I applaud) or this is some kind of hybrid outfit based on something else before/after her ride.