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)!

coming and going

A woman stylishly gets off the train...


and goes on her merry way!

VTA Vogue

I commute for about a million years every day. So, it means a lot to me when the cyclists on the trains I ride make a little extra effort to look nice. I noticed this woman immediately in her blouse, slacks and strappy sandals waiting on the platform.

She looked absolutely nothing like the computer/bike nerds I usually ride with, who are very sweet and will look things up in their mobile wi-fi access laptops if you ask nicely. But they are usually just wearing t-shirts and jeans.

BART Vogue

Bike vogue on transit is definitely its own category. Statistically, this is probably the 24th Street Station, but it looks just like 16th Street.

This chyck caught my eye biking in leggings and short jean skirt which is really a perfect outfit to bike in if you think about it. Her elegant black fixie and ergonomic seat tell their own story.

I love the way this photo came out with the flash keeping some things still with others blurry from the long shutter speed to make up for low light.

Nerd Fetish

I have a nerd fetish for which I am widely teased. A cute guy who can fix my computer has an infinitely better chance of getting into my pants than one who can't. So, you can imagine that the Mountain View Caltrain station provides nearly enough fodder to give me a seizure. Computer guys... who ride the train with their bikes... Wow!

The problem, from a Velo Vogue standpoint, is that they usually wear jeans and a t-shirt to work. That doesn't give me much of an excuse to take their photos. I was impressed with this guy's office casual garb.

Lest you think the Caltrain isn't completely packed with bikers, and we don't really appreciate the increased bike capacity on the trains, below is a more typical view of the station shortly before a bullet train arrives. That girl's pretty cute too.

Caltrain bike shoes...

I used to be afraid to bike in good shoes. I thought they would get scuffed up. Now I realize that it's like Peter Pan and flying, you just have to believe... and occasionally shine your shoes.

Look! Everyone sitting in the bike car this day has cool shoes. Go figure.

The Rainbow I saw on BART

I couldn't zoom out far enough to capture this look on BART the other day. Orange skirt with hot pink tights? Right on, girlfriend.

It was only after I tried to capture her striped socks that I noticed the colored beads on her spokes.

More Caltrain Vogue

When I asked her if I could take her picture, she said "I look so dorky." Nothing could be less true! I loved her brown boots, blue skirt and pea coat. Maybe the outfit was incomplete, but I couldn't tell how. The vintage ladies frame didn't hurt either.

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.

4th and King/Fluttery red skirt

Leaving the Caltrain station at 4th and King in San Francisco one evening, I rode along with this woman in a fluttering red skirt. She had someplace to go in that awesome outfit; so, it was a little work trying to capture her likeness without seeming like a total weirdo. (I sometimes thank my stars we're girls keeping the blog.)

A gentleman riding along side me asked me what I was doing. (I might have been creeping him out.) I explained. He tried to run interference for me, but alas, this was the best photo I got of her with more than 20 shot.

another fine use for thighs

Lilia here. When I first got back from France last month, we were amid a heat wave that would put any European to shame. While Paris was cold and overcast, San Francisco (the-coldest-winter-you-ever-spent summer) was ablaze. So, shooting chycks in their summer dresses biking around became easy.

While I would love bike share at train stations, poor accomodation of bicycles on our transit systems irks me. This woman was forced to prop her bike between her thighs to keep it still during her BART ride. Yowza.

Here she is leaving the train:

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. 

train + vegetables

If this blog has a third subject after bikes and street fashion, it would be food. We talk a lot about groceries and local produce. I don't know what she's carrying--sporting a sparkly scarf, skirt and cute earrings, but it doesn't look like it came from a big box.

Cycle Chic Pali-style

KT and I were discussing VV chez moi the other day while surfing the net when I noticed the new Cycle Chic banner for the first time. It reminded me of this photo I recently snapped at the Palo Alto Caltrain station.
If you've read our blog before, you know that I am a bike/train commuter to the Valley. If you've done that before, you know that the Palo Alto Caltrain station has more bikes than anyone knows how to store. They have a bike station, racks and lockers and still there are bikes chained to every pole and tree in sight. Meanwhile, cyclists are also frequently getting bumped from the train because there isn't enough room for them all on the train. Is the solution just more of everything? A bike share program? What do you think?

Bow Tie en Train

This man is my new favorite person in the world. Not only is he wearing a bow tie while bike-train commuting, but look at that smile!

...Alas, I also see a ring on his hand.

(Muttera) Vogue from Davis

Went to Davis Ca today. Had some extra time waiting for my Amtrak train home. So took some photos at the station and at a near by street corner.

James Muttera
Walnut Creek Ca

White Sweater

I admired this woman from the Caltrain window in elegant fitted white sweater and long floral skirt. She rode a girls' style bike with basket that looked to be vintage, and the whole look was a bit a-room-with-a-view to me. Ah romantics!

scarf + BART access

I noticed this woman coming around the corner with her bright purple scarf. Then she headed down the escalator like nobody's business. If you don't live in the Bay Area, you might not know that taking your bike on the escalator is forbidden. This rule has never made sense to me. The 24th St. Station has no stair tracks for bike wheels, and the elevator smells like urine and takes about 25 years. (I've always wondered why that isn't an ADA violation.) So, if no one else is on the escalator, I think we cyclists should be allowed to use it.

Suit, Bike, Train

I love riding Caltrain. Sometimes I eat breakfast on the train, and other times, it makes me think of the delicious food I have eaten on it. The conductors sometimes limit the number of bikes onboard, but other times they're ok with it if riders hold their bikes and generally stay out of the way like this commuter.

Another Suit

This guy did not appear to have even bothered to tuck his pant leg before leaving the office. At least, he took off his jacket. Anyway, he sure looked swell waiting for the train in full business wear.