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). Â 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. Â 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. Â 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. Â 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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For summer rainstorms, a quick-drying outfit is more important than a good raincoat. Who wants to wear a coat when it's so hot outside? The sweat and humidity is worse than the rain. Ick.
I was wearing this outfit below last week when unexpected rain hit just as I left work. Five minutes into my ride, the rain stopped and the sun came out. I was pretty wet, not quite soaked, but by the time I got home 20 minutes later, I was completely dry. Very impressive quick-drying performance from my Patagonia skirt and...
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One of my favorite features on the Abici (commonly known as Kermit Allegra) is the coaster brake. It makes bike riding feel even more carefree and effortless. That said, they took a bit of getting used to. At first I would slow using the coaster brake, and then use the handbrake to make sure I could stop with the pedals in the correct position to start up again.
Now, I almost never use the handbrake unless I need additional stopping power. Instead, when coming to a stop I nearly always brake by shifting most of my...
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As winter glides along, I continue to enjoy the beauty of the snow and the invigorating freshness of the cold air. Â One thing that begins to feel oppressive about the season, however, is the heft of my usual winter wear. Â As I wrap the same wool scarf around my neck, pull the same clomping snow boots on, and zip the same puffy vest up for the hundredth time, I heave a bitter sigh. Â That's when I know it's time to get creative.
If you're getting tired of all the bulky accessories that go with winter ...
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Do you want to be as happy this winter as Mr. Snowman? Â Ride your bike! Â There's nothing like spending time outside engaged in physical activity every day, enjoying the crisp air and scenery while everyone else hibernates.
We won't claim that winter cycling is always a big party, but it's certainly not the nightmare scenario that most seem to imagine. Â As with any activity, knowledge is power: the more you understand about biking in the winter, the more comfortable you'll be and the more you'll enjoy yourse...
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Since I took public transportation instead of riding my bike during the two-day windstorm, I bring this story from my intrepid reporter/friend E A. Â If there's ever a day when I don't ride due to weather conditions, I can be 95% sure that E A rode anyway.
With the gusty weather predictions for the Midwest and Chicago on Tuesday, I debated the safety of venturing out on two wheels for my morning commute. A high wind advisory and tornado watches had been alerting me all Monday evening and Tue...
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This is not a full how-to video. Â I just made a quick little overview of me leaving for work yesterday while it was raining. Â Read our full rain how-to here.
How do you ride in the rain?
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This weekend I took my first official bike camping trip. I've camped plenty of times and taken my bike before, but I'd never biked to the campsite or carried my camping gear on my bike. Rivendell has termed this kind of small adventure the S24O, for sub 24-hour overnight trip.
The basics:
Packed a change of clothes, essential toiletries and some food and dishes into panniers. Zip tied sleeping bags to racks.
Biked to Union Station in downtown Chicago.
Took Metra train one hour out of the city.Â...
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