Guest Photo: James Muttera - Lady in Pink

I took this photo of a smiling woman on a Brompton folding bike wearing a pink sundress and white sandals. Taken 02 Aug 2010 on the Iron horse trail in Walnut Creek, CA.

le train + le vélo = l'amour

I went to a wedding in Davis a few weekends ago. It was lovely, and just about as lovely as the ceremony was the ease of getting to and from Davis from San Francisco by Amtrak. I biked to the Ferry Terminal to pick up the bus that took me to Emeryville to catch the Capitol Corridor.

I brought my folding bike because I thought it would be practical, but it turns out you can really bring any kind of bike on Amtrak and hang it on these designated bike racks.


I hate wearing heels period, so I changed from my Chucks to my dress-up shoes once I got to Davis.


My hotel was 2 blocks from the train station. I stayed at the Hallmark Inn in downtown Davis. Again, I thought bringing my own bike to Davis was so practical, but it turns out that the Hallmark has a whole fleet of Globe bikes for their guests to cruise around bike-friendly Davis.


I fit everything I needed for the weekend getaway in my Basil panniers.


The Latte likes being a tourist!


And if you haven't had enough video of KT riding around in SF, here ya go (sans vuvuzela)!

VV Profile: .nobi

Name: .nobi

Occupation: filmmaker/photographer

Hometown: London

Current city/Neighborhood: NYC

Favorite city to ride a bike in in the world: Paris

Helmet or no helmet: ride it raw!

Type of bike: Dahon Eco

Describe what you like best about your bike: Ease to fold and get on train

Describe your urban cycling experience: The big difference between Paris and NYC is that in Paris pedestrians and cars (somewhat) respect the cyclist...in NYC they sometimes go out of their way to knock you over and pedestrians use the bike path as an extension of the sidewalk and give you the stink eye (and don't move) if you dare ring your bell

Favorite time and/or place to ride: Paris - Alongside the Seine at any time . NYC - 8th ave

Artist most commonly played on iPod at the moment: Mixed Arabic artists compilation gotten on Egypt trip

Tell us a mysterious and intriguing story that happened to you on your bike: Well just like in the movies...was biking down 8th and this woman flings open her car door, if not for my good brakes i almost went over the hood... weirdest part is that she just stared at me like i inconvenienced her by daring to be on the same road without any horsepower under my butt! (which could segway to another story but i digress)

Describe your personal style: Urban Cowboy meets Nerd Jock

Vélo Vogue tip of the day: Your brakes are your friend. Love them.

KT, Meli, Tut & The Golden Age of Cycle Chic

Though I've been known to parody my friends' self-portraits lately, this one just happened to be a happy accident.

The Golden Age et moi.


And now, Meli y Tut.

Great minds do think alike.

Be golden.
Be chic.
And bike.

Marin For a Day

I was staying at my mom's house in Mill Valley for the past week. Sunday was a gorgeous sunny day, so I decided to go for a Bike Ride (yes, Mikael, remember that?).

This is for the Bike Wardrobe Remix.


Long bicycle t-shirt: My DLR in Chicago
Velo Love necklace: gifted from a wonderful Sao Paolo cyclist
Jeans: DKNY SOHO


Folding Bike: KHS Latte


Beautiful white cat: Oakland SPCA
Plus, it's Cloud's Birthday today! Please wish her a meowy birthday filled with brushing, snuggling and bonito flakes!

new boots, new bike, new color

It's the Latte, a pretty folding bike with phat tires and phenders that I won at the SF Bike Coalition's Winterfest Auction!

KHS Latte Single Speed Folding Bike (Fun!)
Raincoat: Soia & Kyo
Patent Leather Boots: Paolo
Leggings: Loehmann's
Black mini-dress: Loehmann's

Here, I was about to meet the bike blog gals at Rye in the Tenderloin for une Bicyclette Jaune.

Ou deux. Ou trois...


Quatre Bicyclettes Jaunes plus tard, The Latte carries me home.

bike shops of the north pt. 2

Say hi to Bardia!

Bardia and his brother Ary have opened Bazooka, a bike shop on Robson Street in downtown Vancouver where they rent and sell these incredibly fun and original orange and blue folding cruisers.

Next time you're going to cruise the Seawall, why not pick up one of these sexy cruisers? (They might even let you borrow a Village People style hard hat!)

Because cruising the Seawall is a must-do when in Vancouver!

coming and going

A woman stylishly gets off the train...


and goes on her merry way!

on taxi rides and snogging

Friday nights in the Mission: a great time and place to have a few drinks, feel good and hook up (if you're lucky), which is exactly what I think I observed happening in this situation. This woman was with a guy who didn't have his bike (shame on him!) and they were trying to go home together so they quickly hailed a cab and she proceeded to fold her bike into a little compartment to stick in the trunk.

I hope they had some good snogging in the back of the cab, although catching a kiss at every stop sign on the way home, in my humble opinion, is far more romantic.

So is riding double (though I might not attempt that on a folding bike). ;-)

Pacific Cycles Folding bicycle wins iF Product Design GOLD Award

They sent us a press release... which isn't a guarantee of getting coverage. But, after watching the video, this bike is so elegant I wanted to tell you about it.

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!

folding bike/business man

I saw this guy in full suit and tie snoozing on BART earlier in the year. He struck me as the perfect businessman/commuter. He didn't even loosen his tie before beginning his nap.

folding bike vogue

I saw this woman at the corner of Valencia and 20th with her folding bike. I liked her shoes, anorak and general poise.


Speaking of folding bikes, I wanted to get one after my vacation to Alaska on the Alaska Marine Highway (awesome!), but I have never thought of getting one so much as after being bumped from Caltrain 2 days in row recently.

those who love vélo take the train

The closest I got to Amsterdam on my recent European trip was the town of Leuven, in Flanders (the Flemish speaking part of Belgium). It is immediately noticeable upon arrival in a Flemish town that you are no longer in Wallonie (the French speaking part of Belgium), with the Dutch cultural influence and the noticeable difference in the number of people on their bicycles. I don't understand why the Wallons are not as keen on cycling for transportation as the Flemish. (Maybe some of our European readers can explain here?)

This was the only photo I managed to grab while I was in Leuven. She was unfolding her bike when she exited the train, on her way to work or home, or somewhere else entirely. Either way, she looks formidable in that pleated olive green skirt and scarf. 

a little LA inspiration

When one thinks of Los Angeles, the city usually conjures the usual images of 6-lane freeways locked in gridlock, smoggy skies and shopping malls. Yet the adjacent havens of Venice Beach and Santa Monica are LA's bicycle Promised Land. Over the next few days, I'll be posting images of vogueurs and voguettes from my recent trip down there, and the existing inspirational infrastructure that these cities offer cyclists.

Abbott Kinney Boulevard in Venice Beach is one hotspot to witness a very vibrant bicycle culture and community. Everyone was out on their bikes the morning I went for brunch there.

Ride up and check out the German-inspired menu at Three Square Bakery.


Or share a casual coffee with a friend on the side of the road.


Or pedal off to yoga class!


Cycling around Venice is so popular, people even simulate it in gym class!


If you don't have a bike, you can test ride this gorgeous red Strida folding bike from A+R store!


By all means, in a place like Venice Beach, get out on your bike and celebrate the sunny weather!


More photos on my Venice Beach Flickr Photostream. Ride on!