2009 August » Let's Go Ride a Bike - life on two wheels: simple. stylish. fun.

Together Again

Posted by Dottie at 10:33 style, travel 10 Responses »

Aug 202009

This week I am in Nashville, vacationing at the Trisha Resort and Spa. Highly recommended, as it includes a pool, cats, bikes, alcohol and delicious home-cooked meals. Except for the ride from the airport on Tuesday, I’ve yet to get in a car. Here we are last night setting out for a Yazoo party in celebration of its new beer, Sue, a high-alc, cherry-wood smoked porter. Yumm.

To the beer party! Special thanks to photographer C

I must say a bit about the hills. And the humidity. Ugh. Very articulate, I know, but that pretty much sums it up. Trisha is a Southern warrior, I tell you!

Hand Signal Debate

Posted by Trisha at 08:45 basics, safety 96 Responses »

Aug 182009

“I thought holding your left arm at a right angle was the way to signal a right turn,” a friend said recently after going on a quick neighborhood ride with me.

Yes, I use the “alternate right turn” hand signal.

bike signals

I’ve decided to break from tradition on this for a couple of reasons.

Moi Je Joue

Posted by Dottie at 19:29 media, style No Responses »

Aug 172009

This French commercial is more Trisha’s area, but with Sophia Coppola directing, a song by Bridgette Bardot and bicycling chic – je t’aime!

And now I want to buy Miss Dior Cherie. B-a-a-a-a-a-a.

On the same topic of style and cycling, I continue to collect lovely bicycle pictures that I find on my favorite style and design blogs. I get special joy from finding bicycles on non-bicycle-related blogs. We’re going mainstream, baby. My first collection can be seen here. Below is what I’ve gathered since then. Enjoy!

Once Wed via English Muse

Stalked by a car

Posted by Dottie at 00:53 basics, random rides, safety 34 Responses »

Aug 172009

I recently asked about safety and security concerns while cycling through your neighborhood, and I mentioned that I feel very safe in my neighborhood. That answer stands, but after more than a year of daily riding, I had my first tense, non-traffic-related cycling safety incident.

Night Riding (note this is a pic from last week, I was on Betty not Oma)

Night Riding (old photo with Oma not Betty Foy)

I was riding home alone with Betty Foy at 9 p.m. on a residential one-way street that I take all the time – not deserted, but not a major thoroughfare. I didn’t hear any cars, but noticed through my rear view mirror the dark outline of a car behind me with its headlights off. The car did not pass me, but stayed creeping behind (I was going about 14 mph, I’d guess). Continue reading »

I Love the City and Free Events

Posted by Dottie at 14:22 random rides No Responses »

Aug 162009

Being job-free has forced me to seek out new types of cultural events with an emphasis on free, free, free and cheap. I love living in the city because there is so much to choose from and so much of it is free. Or cheap.

On Friday night we met up with Elizabeth of BikeCommuters for her friend’s show, musician Javier Mendoza. The show was free, although contributing to the tip jar and drinking a beer required a bit of money. Still a deal for a great night out.

A picture of Elizabeth taking a picture of Greg taking a picture of us

Saturday was jam-packed with freebies and I traveled from place-to-place on my bike, of course.

A Bike Ride in the Blazing Sun

Posted by Dottie at 20:53 random rides 14 Responses »

Aug 142009

The sun was blazing today with temperatures near 90 degrees. Although I grew up in North Carolina and should be used to it, I absolutely hate extremely hot weather. I’d much rather cycle in the snowy sun. Despite the heat, I couldn’t sit around all day, so I put on my breeziest summer dress and set out on Oma. This picture captures how hot the sun was, apparently burning through my clothes.

Blazing Sun

Nashville Cycle Chic

Posted by Trisha at 09:32 style No Responses »

Aug 142009

I’m excited to have a Friday cycle chic post this week. I caught a far-off glimpse of the rider of the Electra Amsterdam in action on a drizzly day last week, looking professional in city shorts, a teal blouse and sleek updo.

nashvillecyclechic

Maybe one day I’ll be close enough to say hi instead of just taking pictures like a creepy stalker. (Frequent cycle chic posters, I’d love to know how you overcome this feeling while taking random pictures of someone to post on the internet . . .)

Nashville Garden Party Ride

Posted by Trisha at 07:47 events No Responses »

Aug 142009

Just over a week away, Nashville. Don’t forget!
garden party
The BikeSkirt girls will be joining us as well, so don’t miss out! You can RSVP on Facebook, if you’re into that sort of thing. Dottie and I can’t wait to lead our first ride.

Life in the Slow Lane

Posted by Dottie at 17:13 random rides 23 Responses »

Aug 132009

My employment-free ride of the day was to the drug store to pick up a prescription and to the pet store to stock up on cat food. I know, I live such a glamorous life. But wait, it gets really exciting – I forgot my lock key in my garage. What a plot twist! So at the drug store I had to use the drive-through window and the pet store was nice enough to let me bring Oma inside. Whew, crisis averted! As you can see in the picture, I got a lot of cat food – both wet and dry. I am so rock ‘n roll with my bike and my cat food.

Catfood-mobile

Safety and Security Concerns

Posted by Dottie at 06:57 basics, safety 27 Responses »

Aug 132009

I’ve mentioned before that I live a couple of blocks from Elizabeth, a blogger at BikeCommuters.Com. We met by chance last winter on our way home from work in the dark and freezing cold. I was waiting at a light and when it turned green I told her to go ahead because she would be faster than me. I managed to stay with her about half way home and we chatted a bit before she dropped me and Oma

Elizabeth and Me

We met up last night for a beer (or two) in our neighborhood, and she had just attended a focus group discussion on women’s safety and security issues with bicycling and walking. I wanted to participate, but had a scheduling conflict. Elizabeth gave me her discussion guide print out and I thought I’d post some of the questions here to see what you all think. The focus group was women-specific, but I’m interested in hearing from everyone.

How safe do you feel in your residential neighborhood? Is it a comfort level that allows you to bicycle and walk at any time of day of if you chose to?

What are some of the things that influence your decision to bicycle or not to bicycle?

What do you see as major safety and security concerns?

My thoughts: I feel very safe in my residential neighborhood. Chicago is a big city and I’m sure lots of people don’t cycle for fear of crime, but I’m privileged enough to live in a fairly affluent neighborhood on the north side. Still, I don’t walk alone after dark. I feel much less vulnerable on my bike, so I will cycle alone after dark, but not later than midnight or so. I hate taking public transit alone at night – I don’t feel that the el trains have enough security. Overall, my major safety concerns deal a lot more with traffic (drunk drivers, dooring) than with crime.

How about you?