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)!

red gold and greeeeen!

(lyrics to what popular song from the 80's? Anyone? Adrienne?)

Red.


Gold.


Green.


Red and gold on green.


Close up on the striped cotton mary janes + green frame - too cute to pass up!


(Hope that juice was yummy!)

dress up your bike with love

Why ride your regular average every day bicycle when you could ride a fish bike? Snapped here (and on Meli's blog too) in front of Pier 23 on the Embarcadero.
Or if fish ain't your thang, then wrap your ride in yellow corduroy from handlebars to derailleur.
This reminds me a bit of Adrienne's ambition to crochet a bike. Perhaps this is what it would end up kinda looking like.

woh oh here she comes she's a man eater

Meli is stopping traffic as usual in a smoking hot yet comfortable to ride in ensemble featuring:
5733 Bike Girl T-shirt in gold
Nau Shroud of Purrin Skirt with a side slit and zipper which make for an easier and more modest mount and dismount.
Nau wool hooded jacket
Nau merino wool scarf
Super cute deco dot tights available at Sock Dreams
Fluevog ankle boots
Flashy gold glitter Nutcase helmet
Po Campo handle bar bag
Gorgeous Sycip cruiser bike

Photos by Richard Masoner/Cyclelicio.us

Brüno

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


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

Olivia Palermo in Jason Wu dress à vélo

Socialite Olivia Palermo shows us how to do it à vélo in this fantastic dress by Jason Wu.

Bonne Route!

When we last crossed paths with la belle Caroline, she had a different bike! Unfortunately someone stole her "boyfriend" as she lovingly referred to it.

I think this sleek blue and yellow ride is a nice improvement!

Caroline is leaving San Francisco to live and work in France, but has promised to send us photo updates on the scene in Paris! Bonne chance et bonne continuation, Caroline!

[illustration by the lovely and talented Caroline Ogez, photo by KT]

Parisien Children a velo

While in Paris last summer, I took these photos of people riding with their children.

This woman merits VV on her own.


These kids are a bit on the sporty side, but I loved seeing the whole family ride together. I think they're American expats. What do you think?

you can leave your hat on

Here's a cute boy in red cardigan giving me the eye as he walks his yellow bike past Dolores Park with his friends, hat in hand.

Yellow Dress

Not long ago, Michelle Obama went to work in simple sweater sets from mainstream clothing manufacturers. Earlier this week, her husband was sworn into office, and she wore a magnificent gold-yellow outfit by a Cuban-born designer. We loved it!

Likewise, this gorgeous woman rode down Valencia in a yellow dress with black jacket and knee-highs. I know what I'm shopping for this weekend.*

*At Mission thrift stores

Lilia Luvs Lugs

Every time I see pretty lugs on a bike, I think of Lilia. So when this pretty hand-painted bicycle parked in front of Macy's caught my eye, I was compelled to share such fabulousness with my partner in crime.


When all of a sudden its owner approached me and said, "I hope you're not trying to steal my bicycle." Take a look at how his brand new sneakers match his yellow lugs and handlebars. (We love cyclists who coordinate with their ride.)

Covet - not steal. I'm no bicycle thief! (Although I love the film.)

The owner of this gorgeous set of wheels is Matt, who also has the honor of running the lovely home boutique Given, located in the historic Castro storefront where Harvey Milk operated his famous camera store. You can read all about Harvey and the store's history on Given's website.

And if you haven't checked out Milk yet, do yourself a favor and run to the theater now!

A Libra

I was trying to slip discretely away from Carfree Happy Hour when this gorgeous yellow bike caught my eye just outside the door. I asked its owner about it and turns out he's been working on it, slaving over it, for months. He should be proud. I'm proud for him.

A few minutes into the conversation, he said, "I'm a Libra," which confused me because we were talking about bicycles not astrology.

I laughed.

purple shoes/pink purse

Another photo from earlier in the year. This woman either has a liberal sense of color (which I applaud) or this is some kind of hybrid outfit based on something else before/after her ride.

Davis Vogue

Occasionally, I am forced to leave my beloved San Francisco. Usually it's a family obligation. Davis has world-class biking facilities; so, it's not surprising that I saw this woman in long skirt, cowboy boots and yellow top waiting at a stop light as we left town.

Encore de cupcake (tdc part 2)

As KT already mentioned, the Tour de Cupcake was pretty much the greatest thing that ever happened to anyone. Biking brings out the kid in everyone, but with the addition of cupcakes, you do take the risk of it all just being too much. Here are some kids ready for the ride:

The Bike Kitchen expected about 100 riders. Instead more than 400 showed up. The line was around the block. The wait provided me the opportunity to capture perfectly San Francisco outfits like this yellow mini with arm warmers.

Here's KT in full awesomeness with stylish hat, poncho and her usual vintage town bike with our friend Jeff:

This woman did the ride in heels, knickers and lovely green jacket and purse.
Finally, a few riders were in costume. I walked up to this guy and said "you dressed that way because you didn't want anyone to notice you, right?" He agreed by posing for me. His friend in pink is also fabulous.

I have enough photos for at least one more post. So, sit tight.

Berkeley white vogue

les parisennes

Since I have already made my homage to Parisian men, it's only fair to give equal time to the beauty of les parisiennes.

An illustration by Kiraz of une parisienne à vélo in the garden at Musée Carnavalet:

Another sign that purple is the "it" color this season:

Her pink raincoat blends well with the grey vélib' (plus, I adore her high-heeled mules):

Pulling curbside to window shop in St. Germain:

Notice how this woman, wearing a yellow top paired with printed black and white mini-skirt and sandals, is bursting ahead of the Smart car on her vélo :

I was waiting for my friend near les Arènes de Lutèce when this striking cyclist in a grey ensemble casually strolled by:

the art of waiting at a red light

Zackaliciousness often writes about the art of waiting at a red light in Copenhagen. So does Léah from Paris.

So now, we offer you San Francisco's twist on this art. I often see cyclists balancing on their tippy toes, their bottoms resting gently on their saddles, arms casually leaning on handlebars, not in any big hurry, deep in thought, while watching the cars whiz by.

Sometimes they do the one-foot balancing act.


And sometimes they aren't waiting for a light to change at all, but a Muni train to pass by.
By the way, I'll be travelling in Europe until the 15th of this month, but you can track me on twitter (I'm ktieche).

color coordination

I love it when cyclists match their bikes. Like this girl in her mustard yellow short coat with three quarter length sleeves with red cuffs and purse to match her red ride.

And this guy's turquoise Adidas reminded me of the Pleasantville special effect, the way they popped out against the grey ensemble he paired with his silver chrome frame. Bike advocacy doesn't always have to be in high heels.

And away he goes on the runway!