Cycling Comes Into

16 railstotrails u winter.11 Fashion Dressed in vintage summertime style, cyclists gathered for a Seersucker Social in Washington, D.C., this past June.

Have you noticed? Bicycles are every- and smart accessories meeting the market where. Beyond rail-trails and bike paths, seems to refl ect the cycle chic movement cityscapes and rural back roads, bicycles capturing hearts and minds—mostly of have made it to your mailbox, where they the female variety—the world over. grace the glossy pages of fashion magazines Few fashion designers are more aware and clothing catalogs. Ridden by carefree of this surge than Lela Rose. Rose is beauties, these bikes are selling practical, widely known for her ready-to-wear and plus-size, even couture fashions. But look wedding collections; she is less known for more closely and they tell another story: being an avid Manhattan bicycle com- Bicycling is having a moment. And the muter and a board member of a citywide Hmoment is not being shared with spandex cycling advocacy group. She is passionate or sports bras or sweaty guys powering up about getting more New Yorkers traveling mountains and bombing down streets. It by bicycle. Preferably in style. “I’ve never is about hopping on your bike to reach worn spandex a day in my life,” she says. your destination yet still looking good and Of the bike-happy images her industry being comfortable. is pumping out right now, Rose says, “Do I wish they had a deeper political state- What Goes Around … ment? Yes. But bicycles are chic right now Th at fashion is having an infl uence on … if that’s what gets someone on a bike bicycling is a fi tting full-circle to the way and commuting, so be it. I’ll take that.” the modern bicycle revolutionized wom- en’s wardrobes in the late 1800s. Bicycle Chic Cycling riding fi rst became popular when it was Th e notion that cycling can be stylish unheard of for women to wear trousers. and effi cient may be just taking hold Daring female trendsetters looking for in this country, but it is hardly new. In less restrictive “wheel” riding adopted Amsterdam, 60 percent of all trips within the baggy pantaloons promoted several the city center are on a bicycle. And decades earlier by dress-reformer Amelia 550,000 Copenhageners (about 36 per- Jenks Bloomer. In the 1950s the bicycle cent of that city’s population) bike daily inspired another fashion fi rst: pedal push- to work and school. For comparison, ers. Th e cropped pant crested a wave of women’s sporting clothes made popular by teen idols and Hollywood icons. We’re wearing them still. Trends across the country point over- whelmingly to more American women suiting up for two wheels. During one two-month period this year, an aston-

PHOTOS BY MAX COOK MAX BY PHOTOS ishing 13,000 women and girls com- pleted an online bicycling survey for the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. Th ere has been a prolifera- tion of bicycle-themed fashion shows and social events, such as the Kansas City Tweed Ride and the Seersucker Socials By KARen sTeWART held this year in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. Th e Internet is teeming with blogs, like www.velovogue.com and www.lacyclechic.blogspot.com, writ- Cycling dandies in ten by and for women captivated by the Rock Creek Park on the way to D.C.’s iconic allure of the bicycle. Rampant Seersucker Social. press coverage of stylish cycling trends

railstotrails u winter.11 17 6.4 percent of bike-centric Portland, Ore., commutes by two wheels, and that is far above the national average of less than 2 percent. Plus, three-quarters No spandex required in the “bike chic” of the Portland commuters are male, to movement—unfortunately, neither Copenhagen’s nearly 50-50 split. are helmets yet, but fashion trends are So it’s not surprising that the still- catching up with safety. new cycle chic movement hails from Copenhagen. When Danish photojournal- appealing to those concerned with style and Francisco. This past spring the curtain ist Mikael Colville-Andersen posted photos comfort. In other words: women. went up on The Bicycle Muse (www. online documenting his city’s healthy If women’s cycling has an American thebicyclemuse.com). The site carries bicycle culture in 2007, he sparked a world- godmother, she is Georgena Terry, fashion-forward items such as reflective wide explosion of interest and joyous copy- mechanical engineer and founder of tweed ankle spats, retro modern panniers catting. Today, www.copenhagencyclechic. Terry Precision Bicycles for Women. A and whimsical purse bags, but the top com is a trademarked site with 7,000 few decades ago, women’s bicycles were sellers are the funky and feminine hel- subscribers. And here in America, many mostly shrunken versions of those made mets. “Helmets sell well because there has cities now feature a blog devoted to looking for men. Frustrated by the limited selec- been a gap in the market,” says Nicklin. fabulous while bicycling, including Atlanta; tion, Terry built her own bicycle and, in “What’s standard is masculine, boring … Birmingham, Ala.; Boston; Charleston, 1985, founded the Burlington, Vt., com- but many women want head protection.” S.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; pany. Today her hand-built aluminum That is good news for the folks at Santa Barbara, Calif.; San Francisco; and and steel frames are designed specifically Bern Unlimited (www.bernunlimited. Tucson, Ariz. Topics swing from bike main- for feminine proportions, and her mail- com) in Duxbury, Mass. They launched tenance to managing unruly skirts, with the order company (www.terrybicycles.com) in 2004 to serve the snow sports industry latter inspiring debates about which style of shows sales, says Terry, “steadily increas- and quickly discovered huge crossover skirt is best on a bike, and provoking a lita- ing despite the economy.” ny of remedies that range from elastic bands Caz Nicklin’s bicycle-accessory busi- and safety pin tricks to wearing a confident ness stems from a similar rebellion against “Sure they will save smile and cute underwear. the male domination of cycling. “I had money, lose weight, see this romantic vision of cycling and What Women Want became very frustrated by the mainstream health benefits … but The National Sporting Goods Association image of bicycling as masculine and we all get sucked in to reported overall sales of bicycles and bicycle sweaty, like you had to have a thick layer parts were down from $6 billion in 2008 to of Lycra in order to just get on a bike,” wanting to look nice.” $5.6 billion in 2009, a decline attributed to she says. Convinced there was room to the economic recession. For manufacturers shift public perception, Nicklin started a demand from urban bicyclists and skate- of frames and apparel specializing in the London-based blog about her daily two- boarders who wanted the comfort and female form, however, business is strong. wheel commute. That blossomed into cool urban look of their lids. “The stan- Traditional bicycle makers are madly pro- an online store, and when she saw how dards of the helmet industry have been ducing low-tech, high-flair bikes—fenders, many American customers were shelling in a time warp,” says Marketing Manager wide leather saddles, skirt guards, rubber out for international shipping and han- Josh Walker. Until recently the main dif- chains (no grease!)—and new items are dling, she opened a sister company in San ference between his and hers was size and a few pretty graphics. Bern tailors its hel- mets to the sexes, giving women’s molds Helmet Sense softer lines, more accurate proportions Rails to Trails has always promoted the highest standards of bicycle education and a roll in the back for a ponytail. and safety, including wearing a helmet at all times while riding. The bicycle fash- The women’s division has grown from ion industry has not yet caught up with these safety guidelines. So to illustrate 10 percent of Bern’s business to 30 per- trends reported in this story, we have used images of cyclists without helmets. In cent, says Walker, and sales are strong in no way do we support or encourage cycling without head protection. Safety should “Chicago, Minnesota and Oregon, where be the first concern. We do, however, consider it good news that helmets are lots of women are commuting on their increasingly being considered as part of a fashionable bicycling ensemble. Such bikes and they care about how they look.” a development can only increase helmet use. Then there are Pedal Panties, underpants

BERN UNLIMITED with a thin liner to take the bite out of

18 railstotrails u winter.11 casual biking. The new brand has an online gallery (www.pedalpanties.com) where Thank You! ardent, if diverse, customers post photos of themselves wearing the (concealed) under- garments. Pictures are snapped on the way Each day, all year, our 150,000 members and to band practice (Erin), a triathlon (Megan) supporters help RTC create a nationwide network of and the circus (Franny, in full clown appar- rail trails. Our special thanks go to: el). Debbi poses with her bicycle and the - cab of her big rig. All who participated in the 2010 Greenway Raising the Bar The bicycle is hot, and there is no telling Sojourn, including our sponsors… when or if advertisers will cool to using it as a sales tool. Madison Avenue certainly trumps advocacy groups that focus their outreach almost exclusively on hard- core cyclists. “The ad world is a whole lot further ahead of the bike world in selling cycling as a lifestyle choice,” says Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. “We are being out- marketed by clothing catalogs.” Everyone whose dedication helped us That may be. But it is commonly understood that more people will use win $200,000 in funding from the bicycles when streets feel safer for them. Members Project© by American Express and Fifty to 60 percent of Americans— Take Part, especially our friends at…. women the majority—are unwilling to ride until bicycling is safer. Clarke cites the dramatic transformation of New York City streets—200 miles of separated cycle paths in the past three years—with the recent rise of “normal-looking people doing everyday things” on bikes there. Retailer Caz Nicklin acknowledges that changing infrastructure is essential to changing attitudes and cycling habits. But casting an elegant light on bicycling, The Coca Cola Foundation for the she notes, goes a long way in attracting - women who might otherwise dismiss it. Metropolitan Grants Program and their “Looking nice is a great way for getting continued support of our with urban pathways. people interested. Sure they will save money, lose weight, see health benefits … but we all get sucked in to wanting to look nice. It is a powerful tool.” The current “bike chic” trend is one that might change bicycling in America forever. Reflective tweed ankle spats and spandex shorts optional. Together, we’re building healthier places for healthier people! Freelance writer and editor Karen Stewart lives in New Hampshire. She is the founding editor of Rails to Trails magazine, and she loves bicycling, even in spandex.

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