Solange Knowles rolled up to her New Orleans nuptials in a striking ivory pantsuit and cape last year, demonstrating just what it means to ride in style.
The pre-wedding spin shows exactly what Molly Millar, style editor at Momentum Magazine, believes about bike riding – that you can wear whatever you want, in any circumstance, and still ride in style, safety, and comfort.
Forget the spandex, the futuristic shades, the aerodynamic helmet, the $5K feather-light bike. Forget it all, because you don’t need it, she says. In fact, all of those high-tech bike clothes can sometimes just be another barrier to entry for potential riders who believe they need a whole lot of gear to get going.
“You just don’t need anything special,” Millar insists. “All you need is what you are wearing normally [to] hop on your bike and go.”
That said, there are stylish options that are geared toward making a ride more comfortable without looking technical.
Millar mentions Levi’s Commuter denim line, which started as a men’s collection, designed for the urban cyclist to provide greater mobility. The jeans are cut for a slim fit, equipped with a reflective seam, reinforced crotch, and u-lock holder at waistband, and are meant to take cyclists from the street to their everyday lives seamlessly. Levi’s recently introduced a women’s style in the jean, which is water and dirt repellent and has a higher back for increased coverage. The Commuter collection also offers riding clothes that go beyond denim, including jackets and trousers.
Vancouver-based Dish Jeans also has a line of performance denim called DU/ER (pronounced “doer”), which is targeted for riders with an active lifestyle, who want to hop on their bike, take a spin to yoga, then go for dinner, all in the same pair of pants.
Ligne 8 is another brand making regular clothes, with a few technical additions, that Millar says is worth checking out.
Quality rain gear is a must for our wet part of the world, though there isn’t any one piece that will keep riders completely dry, Millar says. There are some good options, including riding capes from companies like Cleverhood and fashionable rainwear by Happy Rainy Days. The capes act as a tent, keeping the lower part of the body from getting hit with buckets of rain. They can be easily rolled up and tucked away in a basket or bag.
With the warmer weather comes flowing skirts – Millar recommends bike skirt garters to keep them from flying up in the wind. But she cautions against wearing tight skirts on a bike.
“You will be riding in your underwear,” Millar laughs, explaining the dangers of skin-hugging dresses.
Another local cycle style enthusiast, David Phu, has been capturing fashionable riders on film since he started the Vancouver version of the Copenhagen Cycle Chic blog in 2010.
“It’s like when you are people-watching, but when they are on wheels it’s more fun,” he says, describing his sartorial efforts, which include Cycle Chic Films, a series of short films chronicling everyday Vancouverites who love to ride in their own style.
Phu shares the same views as Millar, when it comes to cycling clothes, saying that much of what has been created in the last few years is the old story of companies coming up with solutions to problems that don’t exist.
He wants to see Vancouver follow the culture of Europe and Asia when it comes to cycling in everyday clothes, as a means to get around in style.
“In other cities, it’s something that you don’t even think about,” Phu says. “You just hop on no matter what you are wearing.”
