So Ladies…
…Let’s talk about fashion. Or not.
Because I’m not much of a fashionista. And never have been.
I have gotten a little better since then. But my life doesn’t revolve around clothes. I really enjoy looking looking like crap some days.
Or a bit dirty and grungy.
And some times I even dress up (and look like Lovely Bicycle on accident.)
However when I started biking I didn’t know what to do about clothes. Or bikes. Or anything. I just wanted to try it. I didn’t see anyone on a bike who looked like any version of me. As a newbie, this was all I really knew about cyclists:
You may have noted that neither of these figures appear to be women. And I knew I was not an athlete or a hipster. Or a man.
So when I came across a certain European street-style blog of stylishly dressed women riding bicycles I signed right up. I went and bought the Dutchiest bike I could find in Los Angeles (which was actually made in China) and a bunch of flouncy dresses from H&M and promptly started biking up and down Sunset Boulevard leaving a trail of bolts and washers behind me.
But as I got more confident about with bicycle commuting, I realized something bothered me about this bike sheek culture.
It was just another stereotype.
So I moved on. I agree about wearing ordinary clothes when I bike. But now I wear my ordinary clothes which don’t happen to be dresses or heels or terribly stylish most of the time– my biking does not revolve around fashion.
Ha! Your cartoon version of me resembles me better than photos manage to, awesome!
The “ordinary black lace panties” panel is just… I have no words. A classic. My favourite so far for sure.
Oh and you are too a fashionista, don’t front
Hahahaha, that final cartoon is pure genius! It is perfect!
Why does the guy taking pictures look like me?? I’ve only been to Boston once.
You are so funny and clever. I look forward to your posts all week. This one was so worth the wait!
Love your artwork. I loved marching band too, what did you play!
I pretended to play trumpet. But I was in it for the Varsity jacket. Yes, spend 3 yrs in marching band and you get one. The nerd in me thought that was really funny.
Oh no- making fun of Copenhagenize? Good. As much as I love Copenhagen and bike-friendlyness, the anti-helmet stuff is tedious. Especially to this real-world commuter who does indeed go down once in a while. My commuting route is not an endless paradise full of perfectly manicured grade-separated paths and friendly, understanding drivers.
I’ve recently discovered a bevy of bike blogs devoted to looking fashionable and chic on your bike (which always includes riding a dutch bike.) Since I live in Chicago, I don’t always get to wear my ordinary clothes (cute or nay) as often as I would like. I find myself going back and fourth from spandex and windbreakers, to boots and jeggings. In the end, they’re all my “ordinary” clothes.
If you haven’t already, you might want to check out Let’s Go Ride a Bike and the “Women Who Brunch” gang. They are in Chicago.
You should also definitely check out Bike Fancy, which is Chicago based. The (female) photographer has a great eye for portraiture, and they’re all posed photos instead of street shots. What is great about it is that everyone on that site has a distinctive personal style, but it’s not necessarily what’s “In” or “Fashionable”
Agreed 100%. Bike Fancy makes me feel good about commuting by bike. The Cycle Chic thing makes me feel invisible, because even though I ride a Dutch bike (made in the Netherlands, even), I’m not some waifish, ethereal beauty.
Another person who takes a different view of citizen cycling is Marc at Amsterdamize, who seems to take great care to show all kinds of people on bikes.
Love it! Clothing is a universal biking problem though since as a male non-athlete and pre-hipster era fellow we’re content to wear our regular clothing. The more we look ‘normal’ out there riding the sooner those folks in their driving clothes (no coats, hats or gloves and often in their pjs…) might accept bicyclists as being part of the roadway landscape. On the piece, your sister and my sister must have come from the same seed yikes! And hey! Did you play the clarinet in band?
Now I’m tempted to take a bike ride in my pj’s….
I found the solution in buying clothes from skate- surf- and outdoorstores, which these days have plenty of ‘normal’ wear looks, fanciness, prints and silhouettes but use technical textiles and a more flexible cutting: more space at shoulders, elbows, knees and hips. Most often it is called their ‘urban wear’ selection.
When I try on non-sports trousers, I alway check if I can bike with it (lift my legs up high).
Plus I love to wear my Pearl Izumi rainwear: tight trousers with zippers all the way along the legs accompanied with a light but water- and windresistant bomber complete with a hoodie that doesn’t restrict my view. Or my Vaude Yale winter coat. Beautiful, comfortable, functional and fashionable.
For shoes I’ve stopped buying the ones with no or a slippery profile: that hurts too much when I slip from the pedal. And this week I saw a mother with too high heels: she couldn’t manage to go up the bridge with her heavy bike with child. So there too some common sense is preferable to always look like an Italian model. Which we, Dutch women, certainly are not.
this was so good! the last panel made me laugh, it reminded me of a cover of “Momentum”, I don’t know any female cyclist that rides looking like that. It depends on where and what type of riding I’m doing as to what I wear. If it’s a long training ride I’m wearing full on spandex. If I’m just puttering around town my regular clothes are just fine. Exceptions, reflective gear when it’s dark and wet. I always wear a helmet.
Ha! Creeper in the bushes…that made me laugh.
Can’t wait for warm weather so I can try and look cute while riding! With all this winter gear, no one can tell who’s male and who’s female.
Not that I can cop to worrying about looking pretty, really, ever, but I kind of hate how it’s not good enough for women to be confident and strong on our bikes; we are supposed to be stylish and pretty too. I’m all for people wearing what they’re comfortable in on the bike, and if people want to do their hair and makeup before a ride, then go for it, but I wish “hot girls on bikes” weren’t quite such a fetish item.
I really like girls who are serious about riding bikes no matter what they wear! By serious I mean people who ride their bike once a week.
Better than that shit show Transportation Bill.
And thanks for unveiling Mikael’s previously metaphorical turgid baguette.
The bread and apples were a very nice touch.
Bikeyface I love you! (I played sax in the marching band and I like to bike.)
I ride bikes a lot in my regular clothes which often involve some sort of spandexy shorts underneath — or not, if I’m going to some function right after work. (80′s night dancing in 3/4 length padded wool knickers — ugh yuk!)
My regular clothes mostly include something stretchy in the fabric for both tops and bottoms. Currently I like wool tights, skirt and boots with a waffle sole that doesn’t slip off the pedal or on the pavement when I step down. I put some reflective tape on my stretchy raincoat and shoulder bag, and some clip-on blinky lights for to stay visible on rainy, wet nights. ( No death-wish here) My practical, inner-geek, adds a kayak hat with a big brim and neck drape under my helmet to keep those pesky raindrops out of my collar and off of my glasses.
Works for me.
Hah, I usually bike when I go dancing at an 80′s night too, and the nightclub get so hot that my usual outfit of choice is a miniskirt and a tank top or t-shirt. Which gets complicated when it’s cold/raining outside…I end up putting on many layers under/over my dancing outfit, and then getting there and taking it all off! Thankfully my friends and I usually take over a table/set of chairs on the side, where I can pile all my stuff. Including the helmet.
Of course, then there’s the issue of biking home after dancing all night! Sweaty and cold. :^(
Like you, I’m conflicted about the ‘Cycle Chic” thing, although I find that the vast majority of pictures on CCC are not overly objectifying- they just look like street photos of people riding bikes. I don’t check it very often, so maybe I’m missing the “ordinary black lace panty” shots. And I know that there are lots of soft-core porn plus bikes sites, but I choose to ignore them, just as I ignore all other porn sites.
It feels like we need a term other than “cycle chic” for the many blogs that show women going about their business on bikes in clothes that reflect their personal style.
I have nothing smart to say, but you make me laugh every time. Love the cartoon style too!
Love it. I dread the day I must make my biking fashion decisions on top of already scary pedestrian (maybe in both senses of the word!) fashion decisions!
Michael
Thanks to biking every single article of clothing I have (including dress shirts) have either grease or rubber cement from patch kits on them to the point where some of my plain old tight fit jeans are now somewhat chic. I should carry extra pants arund with m so when the hipsters look at me while sipping their expensive unpronouncable coffee shop drinks or their pbr and want to buy them I just get changed. And yes that’s happened more often than id like
A gal after my own heart. [Love that Lance Armstrong drawing! Had to look.]
I love this post.
I’m conflicted on the bicycle chic thing myself. I do love showing people that you can ride a bicycle in (a slightly modified version of) your everyday clothes, whether they’re fashionable or not. And most days I wear boring clothes, but there are times I pull out all the stops and dress up, heels and all, and I bike in that too. (It sure is easier for me to bicycle in heels than to walk in them.)
But nobody should feel obligated to dress up to get on a bicycle–whether “dress up” means padded shorts and a jersey or a stylish dress and heels.
And depending on where I’m going and the weather, I’ve been known to wear a nice dress and my ugly rain jacket, just like I’ve been known to wear hole-y jeans and my favorite swishy coat.
I dunno. I guess my ideal is for people to stop worrying about it in any direction and just wear what they want!
But I do LOVE the last comic. Best satire of him I’ve seen so far.
I really dislike the comments I get when people hear that I ride a bicycle. They assume it’s a beach cruiser. No, it isn’t. Then they guess that it’s a “fixie”. Wrong again. I have a road bike. I don’t have a basket that I carry flowers in for show. I don’t ride in skirts nor do I ride in heeled shoes, ever. I commute, and I don’t ride for attention. I wear what’s comfortable for me and whatever is appropriate for the weather. If women want to be glamorous on a bicycle, that’s their choice. Regardless, I hope many of us can change how people see women on bikes.
What, no stockings and garters under that dress? So un-chic!
Cycle Chic captures beautiful outfits and beautiful moments, all with the fashion angle. Fashion and people are the subject. It’s about fashion. Sartorialist.com is on foot specifically shooting fashionable pedestrians to spotlight personal style, but no one is complaining that he should shoot more plain clothes people. Also, yes, the majority of these outfits are, in fact, normal in Denmark and in most of Europe. I spent half a year photographing bikers in France, Spain, Germany, UK and I was amazed that 4 in 5 people had such great style. No effort, it’s just what’s in their closet. It was a different world of normal than in North America. I dare you to go tell the thousands of women wearing heels and men wearing suits in Denmark that they aren’t normal! No one from CC wil tell you how to dress–you may have just mistakenly got inspired by a European way of biking that doesn’t match the type of cycling available in your city. You’ll see that the Canadian or American or South American CC sites have fashion differences from the European ones, but they showcase the same idea: great, personal style.
We are just celebrating cycling normalcy (ie, not sport biking) and couture in whichever city we are in–and every city is different. It’s just a photography blog about fashion and bikes–chill. I don’t let Sartorialist make me feel bad about not having a Prada suit–I just like the pictures. There are plenty of blogs that showcase regular folks. Plenty of blogs for everyone.
David’s last comment here is really bang on. The photographers at CCC do not have to work so hard to get the photos they do. It really is an accurate representation of what people wear there. No one is out there preening for the cameras. And photographers are not lurking in bushes like some creep. I realize there is some satire involved here but maybe there is something else going on…envy perhaps…no one pointing a camera your way? Anyway, if you don’t like cycle chic then why are you looking? Because I can guarantee you that those who like it and advocate it are not spending a minute on any road warrior websites. Just sayin!
It’s worth pointing out to all the CCC apologists that CCC was originally known as “Copenhagen Girls on Bikes”. Hundreds of leg pictures, no faces. Just sayin…
To Anonymous: that may be; I didn’t know that. But, still, it has clearly taken a better direction since then, hasn’t it? Today. the site has a great selection of photos of both sexes of all ages. Today, the site has inspired a huge network of people featuring both sexes of all ages in many cities.
Hahaha.
Dirty and grungy is/are hawt. But I think you know that.
Well done.
Oh, yes! What to wear while biking and female (and Black with natural hair)? This is a question with an evolving spread of answers in my life. I learned quickly how not to wear skirts while biking (in all the wrong ways), and now I’m learning just how much fleece-lined spandex I can bear wearing at one time (not much). Throughout, I’ve kept a healthy collection of legwarmers -worn by me in all seasons.
Thanks for bringing this up for conversation -and awesome cartoons. My favorite is the “I dare you not to stare” caption.
” I dare you not to stare” hillarious!
You are very unfair to Mr. Colville-Andersson in implying that he photographs attractive young women on bicycles without their consent (much). You ignore the risks that he runs every day in the service of the worldwide cycling community ; because I can assure you that most Danish women can throw quite a punch if they take exception to what you’re doing. In those latitudes they’ve been into gender equality ever since Viking times.
I don’t think though that even if CCC is sometimes slightly noncey (look it up) there’s anything wrong in itself with trying to promote cycling as a means of transport perfectly compatible with looking OK – or at least not looking (as someone recently put it) “like a day-glo orange condom stuffed with horse chestnuts”. Some of it is a bit fanciful (sorry ladies, but in the real world floral print frocks don’t float airily, they either blow up over your waist or hang sullenly like a damp teacloth). But most of the examples it shows seem to be taken from real life rather than posed; and there are also quite a lot of shots of people doggedly toiling along in snowstorms. I’ve lived in Holland, and the photos do reflect the daily street reality pretty well even if they select the most eye-catching examples.
What I’d like to see is more pictures of old people on bicycles. One of the features of the Dutch cycling landscape is the number of straight-backed, smartly dressed 80-year olds pedalling about on their daily errands.
PS. Loved the drawings. Do you do it for a living?
What a wonderful blog! I stumbled across bikeyface today after doing my Craigslist and Ebay searches for the “holy grail” bike I’m dying to find out there. I am an art gallery manager and bicycle commuter in Texas who doesn’t fit into any established genre of cyclist.
I enjoy your flowing, humorous illustrations and blog content. It made my day brighter when I found this blog!
Cycle Geek mocking Cycle Chic! We love it! Nevermind these facts:
- most of the over 150 cycle chic blogs around the world are run by women
- 57% of the members of the Cycle Chic facebook group are women
- most of the cycle chic fashion shows we do around the world are focused on the female demographic.
- high heels are worn by the majority of women in cities from Stockholm to Seville, from Tokyo to Buenos Aires. Indeed, 75% of Danish women say they wear high heels on a regular basis.
But who cares about facts! Let’s just mock something we don’t understand! Let’s mock other cultures and manipulate the truth with cartoons!
It’s rather interesting – and amusing – that this is just another classic example of history repeating itself. In the early days of Bicycle Culture 1.0 in the 1880s through to the early 1900s cycle geeks mocked those citizens who had embraced the bicycle and chose to ride them in their finest clothes.
Cycling subcultures are still overly protective of their “club” and are keen to pee on fire hydrants in order to mark out their territory. But you what? Lesson #1 learned from History Repeating Itself: Mainstream cycling won the day and continued it’s reign through the 1950s. We’re returning to that again. So mock away! While you can.
It would be awesome to see bikeyface pee on a fire hydrant. A theme for a future post I hope!
Hmmmm, apparently Mikael does not like his trademarked brand to be criticized…
Hey Mikael, how many replies did your last blog post get?
So funny! I wrote this more serious (rant) a few wks. ago:
http://thirdwavecyclingblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/cycling-chic-not-for-me-i-cant-afford-it/
I love your stuff!
This is the first bikeyface post I’ve ever read and it was quite amusing! Can’t wait to read more. Thanks!