friday funky tights

I had to post this cuz a dude rode by me this morning and shouted back at me "cute tights!"

:-)

Leggings from Nooworks.

Happy Friday, yo!

bespoken bike commute

That moment you realize your commute to work is your favorite part of the day.



And a photo reflecting that I'm not alone.



BTW - I'm wearing my custom-made B. Spoke Tailor knickers and kitty cat knee socks!

KT's 2013 Bike Goals

HAPPY NEW YEAR!



I make yearly goals, not resolutions. I usually make tangible goals that I know I can achieve. This year, I'm making some bike-specific goals, because riding my bike makes me happy, and I want to be happier!

1. Ride my bike more.
Not that I don't ride my bike. I pretty much ride every day. But I ride mostly for point A to B-ism as Mikael puts it. I bought Seasbiscuit for a reason. I am in love with this bike. I want to spend more time with her. I'm thinking day-long rides when we can really get to know each other. I want to test the limits of our love. Ain't no mountain we cannot climb!

2. Ride Butterlap 6 times.
I always want to ride Butterlap. But I work until 6 pm and I have a dog. I have to go straight home after work and walk him, so I'm always jealous when I see that my friends have gathered to ride Butter. But there are plenty of Wednesdays when I work from home and can join the ride. I'm going to make the most of those days. Even if I have to meet the gang halfway through and ride a Butter-Light.

3. Go bike camping with friends at least once.
I never felt I had the right bicycle to go bike camping. Le Rouge et Noir was a pain in the ass, the Storm Trooper is too slow, The Monkey is, well, a monkey, and Le Beurre et Sucre is too light and fun to strap gear onto. Seabiscuit is just right for bike camping. And as of yesterday, I have one pannier. So 2013 is the year that The Horse takes me on a camping trip.

4. Gear up for riding in the rain.
I must admit, if the rain is coming down hard, I wimp out and take the bus. But I LOATHE the bus. I always wish I was on my bike when I am crammed against smelly, sick people who are having annoying conversations on public transportation. I wish I was experiencing the Zen feeling I have when I'm on my bike, connected to the road, my city, my surroundings, the other people transporting themselves, and Myself - my lungs, my blood, my heartbeat, my sweat, my breath, my nerves. When I was a kid and even a teenager, I loved getting caught in the rain. I want to get caught again. And possibly even look good in it.

5. Take my dog on my bike more!
I got my bike basket late in 2012 with the intention of bringing Rookie to work more often. Then I got laid off, and now I'm freelancing again. So I'll have to settle for taking Rookie on recreational rides rather than rush hour. With Spring around the corner, there will be plenty of opportunities! I must also devise a way to get Cloud rolling with me.

Wish me luck in 2013 and the same to you!

A Horse Named Seabiscuit

Introducing my nouveau vélo - Seabiscuit.



Even with four bikes, when a beauty like Seabiscuit presented herself to me, I couldn't resist. So I took all the money I had and bought a horse.



Seabiscuit moves like no other bike I've owned. She's fast and furious, but steady as she goes, with all the giddy-up-and-go when you need it most. She's everything I've ever wanted a bike to be, comfortable, smooth, fast and powerful. She has spontaneous energy and takes off with little effort. I feel like I want to gallop into the sunset with her and live happily ever after. But instead, she takes me to romantic destinations.



And she's not afraid to get a little dirty. I tried her out on some trails with loose gravel, and Seabiscuit proved to be a smooth operator.



It's simple - I found a bike that makes me very happy. Seabiscuit is a 2012 Robin Egg Blue Surly Cross Check that I purchased new from High Trails on Polk Street. Lev, Marcel and the guys gave me great service and swapped out many of the bike's components to make Seabiscuit the ride of my life!

Critical Mass 20th Birthday Panda

It has been an amazing weekend and I'm thrilled to report that the majority of it was spent on my bicycle! And as promised, here is my panda action shot from the Critical Mass 20th Birthday Ride! Massive amounts of cyclists showed up, and I will defer to Adrienne's very well written and well documented post about it on Change Your Life, Ride A Bike instead of attempting to write something less stellar and with mediocre photos. We had an incredible, fun, safe and friendly ride on Friday, and most people we passed in cars and on the street were happy to see us celebrating twenty years of one of the most successful and sustaining public protests in history!

Let's Get Critical!

I'm ready to get critical today - the 20th anniversary of the first Critical Mass in San Francisco, the demonstration that kicked off a worldwide movement to raise awareness and consciousness that cyclists are part of traffic.

Join me and thousands of other cyclists who strongly feel that we belong here on the streets, and come celebrate the strength of many as we ride on in solidarity!

Wish I could have taken a more active self-portrait, but Cloud doesn't know how to operate a camera... yet. I'll promise to take some more shots that pass the Bike Test once I'm out on the streets tonight and share them with you here.

the bike gals pose for a pic

Here we are at SFBC Winterfest, Adrienne, Melyssa and I re-enacting how we've managed to maintain these bike blogs over the years. We bike. We take pics. We have fun.

Got it?

Ride on!

;-)

what am I thankful for?

Last year at Thanksgiving, the Giants had won the World Series, it was a beautiful, sunny day, and I rode my mom's orange bicycle across the Golden Gate Bridge to celebrate the holiday with my family.

This year is different.



The Giants experienced a season that many of us would like to forget. It's raining and cold outside. I won't be riding over the bridge in my fall colors today.

And yet, I am still thankful for the same things:



that I am still here

that my body still functions quite well

that I can make a living in San Francisco

that the water I drink and the air I breathe is clean



that I have a lot of love in my life

that each new day is filled with infinite possibilities

that I live my life feeling connected and alive.



How about you?

I'm just a busy gal

That I haven't been posting a lot of my own street fashion photography lately doesn't mean that I've given up on that hobby.


It just means that I'm a busy gal with places to go and people to meet.


KT is back on the street [I never left].

new hire

I've been going on job interviews.

This is how I do it.


How you like me now?


So, do I get the job?

holiday bisous

Blowing holiday kisses and best wishes your way for 2011!

I'm just happy to be here

I am thankful that I was born in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.


I am thankful that our Novembers are so crisp and clear.


I am thankful that my parents live just across the Golden Gate Bridge, giving me an excuse to regularly ride over one of the world's most iconic landmarks.


I am thankful that I grew up riding these roads with these views.


I am thankful that I grew up at the foot of this mountain.


I am thankful that the nature that surrounds my city is pristine.


I am thankful for my feet that carry me where I want to go.


I am thankful for my hands that steer me in the right direction.


I am thankful for the wind that carries the air that fills my lungs.


I am thankful for my heartbeat that lets me experience life.

fly like an eagle

Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I'm free
Fly through the revolution

- Steve Miller

let them wear berets!

Photo originally published in the SF Bay Guardian by Matt Reamer

Once again, I'm hearing the helmet/no helmet debate being argued with equal vitriol from both sides because of Steven Jones' Op/Ed piece in the SFBG's Streets Issue that just came out during Bike To Work Week.

Undoubtedly there are great benefits to wearing a helmet. And with pretty|funky|cute|sleek designs from companies such as Nutcase, Bern and Yakkay, the fashion-conscious can now see head protection as a beautiful accessory, and not dork material.



The only two-cents worth that I can offer - the voice of one urban cyclist - is that this seems to largely be an American debate. I only wonder why I rarely hear Europeans discussing whether or not a cyclist is reckless because he/she doesn't wear a helmet.

Coincidentally, I found this charming video last week in the blogosphere - the subject quite à apropos to our current debate. A classic French solution to headgear! À Vélo Citoyens!

Ride Béret Baguette - SNTRCK Edit from SoundTrack on Vimeo.

Vélo Vogue Photo Contest: Bike to Bar

Chrome and Vélo Vogue are teaming up for the first ever Vélo Vogue Photo Contest! Chrome's products are functional and durable and designed to look good on a bike or at the bar. Hence our theme, Bike to Bar. Just take a picture of yourself, your bike, and the watering hole of your choice to win the prize package consisting of the 3 items below:

Windbreaker

Water repellent, windproof jacket tucks away for when you need it, but has tons of useful details which will make it your everyday favorite.

Available in men's or women's sizes

Hip Pouch Utility Bag

The hip pouch is made for the rider who needs easy access to a u-lock and daily essentials on the fly.

Dimensions: 6" x 9" x 3"

Wool Socks

100% Merino wool no-show sock.

Enter to win the Chrome package by submitting a photo of you, your bike and the bar. Here's the rules:

1) Upload a head-to-toe photo of yourself with your bike in front of a drinking establishment to our Bike Wardrobe Remix Photo Pool between June 1 and June 30, 2010 (or email it to velovogue[at]gmail[dot]com.)
2) Tag your photo "Vélo Vogue Photo Contest" and "Chrome."
3) Write a description of your outfit, your bike, and where you & your bike were going for a libation.
4) Multiple entries may be submitted.

Here are two Bike to Bar examples from Ramona and KT to get you inspired:

Ramona Wheelright:

For the Vélo Vogue Photo Contest & Bike Wardrobe Remix:

black cotton dress, gap - thrifted
green cotton/cashmere cardigan, banana republic - thrifted
ballet slippers, palladium
sparkly gold brain case - remixed
Riding snoball (soma mixte) to meet KT for mimosas at Café du Soleil to talk about the rules and commitments for the VV photo contest.

KT:

The streets are beckoning KT to stop for a cocktail...

For the Vélo Vogue Photo Contest & Bike Wardrobe Remix:
Going to a friend's birthday dinner at Le Colonial - cosmo chic!
Grey silk blend sweater dress: Goodwill Boutique
Red belt: Shop on Commercial Drive, Vancouver
Purple alpaca-silk fingerless gloves: Breaux Company
Purple tights: Shop on Haight Street, SF
Red boots: Miz Mooz
Le rouge et noir mixte delivers once again!

Bike to Bar, take photo, win prizes - GO!

The Jolly Green Bike Lane!

Happy Bike to Work Day! Now is your chance to try out Market Street's new GREEN bike lanes!


Music: Many Moons by Janelle Monáe

And DON'T MISS the Bike Away From Work Party & Fashion Show tonight at the Rickshaw Stop!

Yours truly will be modeling some of Gwen's rad hand-picked outfits!

bling a ding ding

My bicycle proposed to me... and I said, "Yes!"

It's the happiest day of my life!

Ofertório - A Vélo Vogue Film

So if other bloggers get to write about their kids and spouses, I think it's fair game for me to write about my break-ups, and how a bike ride helped me deal with the latest.

This was filmed entirely with my Panasonic DMC-LX2 on the day that I broke up with my ex-boyfriend. I rode my bike to the Labyrinth at Land's End to make an offering and decided to film the whole thing.

The music is Ofertório by Brazilian artist Milton Nascimento. The title means "Offertory." I love the music, but don't understand the lyrics. When I first heard it, I knew it matched the visuals of this film.

no one knows where this is...

... except me.

Can you name this Castro restaurant?

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.