We've been talking a lot about dealing with unruly skirts and dresses recently. I shared my experiences of tying my skirt and stapling my dress. To avoid such a faux pas in the future, I decided to wear my old Nike spandex shorts (no padding) under suspicious new dresses.
Such was the case with a dress I thrifted last week (ahem, new with Nordstrom tags, I gotta brag). The skirt was full and the fabric light, making the dress a candidate for floating-up-with-the-wind syndrome, so I threw my spandex ...
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This morning, I met up with my friend Elizabeth at Heritage Bikes for a quick breakfast before continuing on to work. Bikes and coffee and friends is a lovely way to start the day!
While there, I met Sarah, one of Elizabeth's high school friends visiting from Berkeley. She showed us her clever creation, a restrictive pencil skirt that she made bike-able by replacing the side seams with zippers and sewing in extra fabric.
The surprise pop of color is so fun!
At the office, you're ...
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The other day, I wore a full pleated skirt to work, one I had worn while bicycling many times in the past with no problem. I must have been riding Betty Foy and not Oma those previous times (like here), because this time the skirt kept ballooning up with wind and blowing back. While the slightly leaned-forward positioning of Betty Foy causes the wind to push skirts down more securely against my thighs, Oma's laid-back positioning can have the opposite effect.
For a while, I biked one-handed while using the...
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I dislike bicycling in pants. I was reminded of all the reasons why a couple of days ago. Pants rub uncomfortably against my thighs, bunch up around my saddle, and drop low on my waist when I lean forward even slightly. Plus, they force me to wear goofy ankle straps on both legs. (Chain cases don't help; the problematic part is the crank arm, which has ripped more than one cuff.) Not a good look and annoying to fiddle with!
The only pants I'm comfortable cycling in are jeggings, but since I can't wea...
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Fa la la la la, la la la la!
Every year around the holidays, I think about how cool it would be to go all out with Christmas lights on my bike. And every year I punk out by throwing on ribbon and a couple of ornaments.
Not so this year!
I finally bought a string of battery-operated lights, one that's colorful and blinks in fun patterns. Installing it on my bike was easy - I simply wrapped it around, starting from the handlebars, down along the top tube, and ending at the rack, where I tucked th...
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Reader David Pertuz thought LGRAB readers would be particularly interested in a post on the Detroit blog m-bike.org written by Todd Scott, called 1895: Don'ts for women riders. (Thanks, David!) That's right - 41 "don'ts" to be exact, from an 1895 article in New York World. The list is both hilarious and horrifying. We are lucky to be looking at this from 115 years in the future.
A few of my favorites:
Don’t be a fright.
Don’t faint on the road.
Don’t boast of your long rides.
Don’t refus...
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I can't stand it when other bicyclists pass me on the right. It's unsafe. Unfortunately, it happens often because there are so many bicyclists and cars in Chicago. I spend a lot of energy trying to ride outside of the door zone (not always successfully); the last thing I need is for a bicyclist to pop up next to me in that dangerous space and take me down with her.
Yesterday as a woman did this, I said, "please don't pass me on the right." She said, "sorry," and continued on. I have made the same statem...
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When I start to look like the Red Barron -
And I have to remove and carry around a bunch of layers and accessories -
Before I look like myself again.
Is everyone else pulling out their hats, ear muffs, gloves, scarves and coats? (Snow is in today's forecast!) Or are you smarter than me, living in a warm climate? 
Here's our advice on dressing for winter biking, if anyone needs it.
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The past two days, I have worn skirt and blouse outfits similar to what I wore in my last post, with a helmet, and drivers were pretty nice, but not as totally nice as before. Again, maybe it's in my head, but it's interesting to ponder.
For anyone who is "meh" about the Mary Poppins Effect talk because they don't experience it - Mr. Dottie is right there with you and he's perfectly content to ride a faster bike in construction-site work clothes, thankyouverymuch.
In an unrelated observation, the sk...
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Today is the first day of fall - my favorite season for bicycling.
Fall cycling is lovely and requires little-to-no preparation. Jumping on your bike in slacks or tights and a sweater will work most days. Nevertheless, I notice a steep decline in bicyclists once the dreadfully hot days of summer are over, so obviously some people need convincing to continue riding their bikes. In light of this, we put together a How To Dress for Fall Cycling guide a couple of years ago and a quick Refresher Course last year.
...
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