Last Sunday, the Chicago Women-who-bike gathered for our monthly brunch at Revolution Brewing in Logan Square. This meant we got to enjoy their signature beermosa. :)
Overall, our group size was about 30 people, all at one long table. Special thanks to our excellent waitress, Jessica, for taking such good care of us.
Molly and her husband Piet joined us while visiting Chicago from Ann Arbor, Michigan. You may remember both of them from their Summer Games participation and especially Molly from her 20...
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I missed the past couple of Critical Lass rides, so I was happy to catch up with the group for May's ride. Coolest bicycling group in Chicago, for sure, including a couple of baby-bicyclists. We started in Roscoe Village and enjoyed a leisurely ride through Lakeview and Lincoln Park, ending at a Mexican restaurant for margaritas.
Many thanks to our fearless leader Ash, pictured first below.
We got rained on a little during the ride, but hail and lightening waited until we were safely...
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Last week, Trisha visited Chicago for her birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!). We were together again!
We biked down the lakefront and stopped by the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum.
Coco and Oma got to be together, too, outside of the garage for once.
While there, we enjoyed a high-quality exhibit, called Bikes! The Green Revolution, that happens to be at the Nature Museum until September 9.
There was a display of cool vintage bikes.
Art work with the theme "bike monsters."
Photo ops with ...
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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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Today was a beautiful day. One of the most beautiful of the year. The sunshine and blue skies and flowers and fresh air all made me remember how wonderful living in this world can be, on the right kind of day.
I rode my bike more than usual and I was thankful for the opportunity. In the morning I had to be far downtown for a seminar, so I took the Lakefront Trail for 45 refreshing minutes. A few hours later in the early afternoon, I got to enjoy the outdoors again as I biked from there to my office. Whil...
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Saturday morning, I met up with my friend Araidia for a brunch and thrift shop expedition. Of course, we biked, which was half the fun!
There are so many beautiful spring flowers in bloom, we each found one to match our helmets.
Araidia's a purple Bern...
...and mine a pink Nutcase.
We chatted freely along the way, either riding side-by-side or dropping back into single-file when a car approached. The route and area were new to me, so Araidia led the way. Since she took us along a very quite path, t...
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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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In a recent comment, LC of Naturally Cycling: Manchester made a great point, saying:
I have made a conscious decision of buying less but buying good quality and ethically made. So I would be happy to pay more for an item of clothing if I know (and it's certified) that it's made ethically, for example the workers are paid a fair living wage, the materials are of certified origins (i.e. organic cotton, fair trade etc).
If the price tag is high just because it's 'fashion', then no, I am not willing to shell out so m...
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On Sunday, the Chicago Women-Who-Bike gathered for our April brunch. Although we had to cancel a planned picnic at the last minute due to the weather (never trust a Chicago forecast), a great group of both regulars and first-timers gathered at the back-up location.
Beth (on the left below), a first-timer, is preparing for a charity century ride in June and learning how to use clipless pedals. My hat is off to her! Those are two bikey things that I have never tried before. I love how her Fuji manages to be ...
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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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