girls|tattoos pt. 1

Bike lock - the hot new fashion accessory!

Meet The Mittens

And The Mittens are:

Clemence

Photo: Paul Hackmann

Elvire

Photo: Paul Hackmann

Sylvie

Photo: Paul Hackmann

Vick

Photo: Paul Hackmann

Âge : 110 ans
Poids : 212 kg
Taille : 6m 72
Mensuration : 360 240 360
Q.I. : 480
Langues parlées : argot, portugais du ghetto et de la haute, espagnol, anglais, allemand (ein bischen), québécois, français…

La Rencontre :
à la fin d’un ride parisien, nous nous sommes retrouvées autour d’un verre. Frustrées d’avoir peu roulé, la conclusion était évidente : organisons nous!
De là notre première sortie, en peloton réduit : la vallée de Chevreuse… Yiiiihhhhhaaaaa!!!

Ce qui nous rassemble : nous chaussons toutes du 39.
Excepté cet important détail, notre souhait premier, sortir des sentiers battus!
Ne pas nous cantonner à nos trajets quotidiens, partir sillonner les régions alentour et plus si affinités.

Ce qui nous unit : le plaisir de l’effort, une vitesse commune (118km/h de moyenne en cote, le vent de face) et évidemment une indéfectible amitié!



Age : 110 years old
Weight : 212 kg
Height : 6m72
Measurements : 360 240 360
IQ : 480
Languages spoken : slang, ghetto and upper class portuguese, spanish, english, german (ein bischen…), french canadian, french…

How we met : After an urban ride around Paris, we met up for drinks. Frustrated after having ridden so little, only one idea seemed clear : LETS GET ORGANIZED !
From there came our first outing with a slimmed down peloton, in the Chevreuse Vally, yiiihaaaaahhhh !

What brings us together : we’re all a size 6,5 shoe
Apart from this important detail, what we want the most : get out on the open road !
Never be trapped by our daily routes through the city, but to go and discover other regions and more !

What unites us : the pleasure of pushing ourselves, the fact that we all ride at the same speed (118km/h average, uphill, with oncoming wind), and of course an unbeatable friendship!

Brilliant portraiture by Paul Hackmann

Words from The Mittens.

Thank You

So many photos, so many bicycles, so much style - but what motivates and inspires me most to continue this blog, is the growing number of amazing people I get to interact with from all over the globe.


New photos of people who love velo appear in our photo pool daily. It's like getting a postcard from another part of the world.

Lay-Luh, Portland


BigFish Folding Bike, London


Xander N'Dante, Toronto 416 Cycle Style

Sometimes I even get to meet these faces in person and be inspired time and time again.



So today I would like to give thanks to you - my readers, collaborators and friends - who keep the movement rolling forward at a steady and strong pace.

Thank you from the bottom of my innertube. :-)

a bizarre ride to the pharcyde

Where else but in SF can you take a bicitaxi to the dark side?

I can't get enough of meeting fun people when riding my bike around town.

fairy bikemother

If only I could click my heels three times, I would wish to see many more cool bike moms (and dads) out on SF's streets with their kids in tow (or riding the handlebars), let alone riding Critical Mass!

Oh - and hello... rockin' white boots, girlfriend!

sf cycle moment: bike shadows

Fall season leaves long shadows.


Bike shadows make our concrete jungle beautiful.

bicycle samba

At the end of December, I'm going to be taking off for a month to Brazil (yes, you can hate me now). This bicycle samba that I noticed on Curitiba Cycle Chic is helping me count down the days until Reveillon in Copacabana.

I heard there was a huge Tuesday night bike ride (bikers by the thousands) in Rio, so if anyone out there has any idea how and where to join in, let me know!

Bike Expo/Fashion Show

Have you noticed how well-dressed San Francisco bicyclists are? The bike lanes on Market Street are full of dapper cyclists showing that you can ride your bike for transportation and look stylish doing it. Who says you can't have it all?

Read on! (from article: by Deb Greco, Stylish bicyclists: layering, new fabrics key)

BikeStyle Fashion Show starts at 5 p.m. Sat. The Cow Palace, 2600 Geneva Ave., Daly City.


SF Bike Expo/BikeStyle

american legends

Anyone who grew up in this country must have learned to COUNT with this muppetman. And look - he rides a sexy royal blue bike! (I kinda have a thing for vampires.)


The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has traded his horse for a bike!


Yabbadabbadoo! Fred rides too!

Mixed Pairs (or not)

his & his

his & hers

bike chic special $2.29 a lb

sometimes "pair" means "three"

VV Profile: Ramona Wheelright

Occupation: environmental consultant
Hometown: sad diego (so sad that such a beautiful place was designed for cars instead of people)
SF neighborhood: mission dolores
Helmet or no helmet: helmet (i'd prefer none, but this is san francisco where cars and people and bikes collide)
Type of bike: soma mixte- custom touring build by ramona
Describe what you like best about your bike: the juxtaposition of her efficiency and beauty. she looks like a 70's road bike but she's a 2009 urban/touring champ.

Describe your cycling experience in SF: I wouldn't exist in SF without a cycle. It's a symbiotic relationship between, me, my bike and the city.
Favorite time or place to ride: in SF at night
Favorite color: rouge

Artist most commonly played on iPod at the moment: itunes is always on shuffle, M.I.A. Mango Pickle Down River is currently playing.
Describe your personal style: modern vintage
Vélo Vogue tip of the day: going fast is fun, but you see more when you slow your roll


Miss Ramona is also the prolific author of a beautiful bike blog, Wheelright. So check her out!

my sunday bike date

Meet Carlos. He's got a few tricks up his sleeve.

We went on a bike date on Sunday morning down to Java Beach and back. It was all his idea.


I was so happy.


Sometimes when life gives you surprises, you just gotta roll with it.

hot halloween

Two great reasons why you should ride in Critical Mass.

Brüno

It's Brüno, the biggest Austrian celebrity since Hitler!


I hope that outfit proved to be a real [ahem] magnet for him!

my new boyfriend

Well, he could have been, if Adrienne and Mikael hadn't told me that I was carelessly riding down a path that had clearly been marked NO BICYCLES. What up with that? Clearly when there are hot dudes riding around, I heed no warning signs.

He told me before we parted our ways that he just moved to SF from Chicago. Welcome, newcomer! See you on the bike lanes... or off!

quicker than a ray of light

Style over Speed.

[Cameron Adams] Stylish Riding

Stylish Riding, originally uploaded by Cameron Adams.

Cameron Adams of street fashion blog The Chattanoogan shared this shot of cycle chic happening in his fun city.

Keeping warm in Chattanooga is a breeze in a coat that she acquired while visiting St. Petersburg.

So much has been said about style vs safety that this second photo is included to demonstrate that she takes precautions for both her arrival and departure.

pushbike style ride this Sunday

Last week on my way back from my accordion lesson, I saw the Pushbike storefront for the first time and was very curious... and now here's the perfect opportunity to get to know them up close and personal, avec beer.


Show your style this weekend! There is no theme. Wear what you like, dress to impress! Start at Pushbike. Check out new styles from Performance Couture. We will leisurely ride to the beach. Drinks and Prizes at the Riptide on Taraval. Warm up for next week’s Bike Style Fashion Show at SF Bike Expo.

Thanks to Meli for forwarding.

trouble in paradise

Although my friend Sarah sent me this link about the decline of Vélib', the ever-popular, transormative bike-share program of the City of Light, mon amie Audrey still seems to be fabulously enjoying the bikes.


Vive le Vélib'! Vive la République du Chic!

trix are for kids

Hey there, hottie, howz trix?


This one spectator is so impressed he's got to watch in salute, hand over his heart.


And no, I wasn't the ONLY blogger documenting these amazing maneuvers. Of course, we already know Adrienne was snapping away.


Even Mikael had to record a few for posterity. In his words, sometimes subculture can be cool.

Yeah, sometimes it can. ;-)


So Mikael went on to try to impress the ladies by busting out his Danish trickster moves. (And for his next trick, it looks like he's about to be beamed up by aliens.)


Though it seemed Mikey's skillz were limited to one.


Near... far... wherever you are... Le Chic will go on and on!