Pretty in Pink

Bright colours are in this spring. This is is great news for the stylish cyclist about town who wants to be seen... and seen to look good.
My top 3 cycle-friendly, bright pink coats from designer to high street are...

Chloe’s Bow-Front jacket from Net-a-Porter

Urban Outfitters Full Circle Trench Coat Urbanoutfitters.co.uk

Pink Parker from Topshop

Cycling Celebs

Its good to see that Chloe Sevigny, a woman known for her impeccable style, is also a cycling lady. I also love the fact that her bottle green vintage bike matches her wallpaper. Not too sure about cycling whilst on the phone but think we can let Chloe off for looking so dam cool!

Road Sense Sally - Have a lesson

Last weekend I embarked on a spot of cycle training and what a thoroughly enjoyable and fruitful experience it was. Liz, my local instructor, arranged to meet me at a park a stones throw from my house. She talked to me about my level of cycling and what I wanted to get out of the lesson and proceeded to tailor the 2 hour session to my needs. We started off with some bike control exercises (pictured above the Hi-5) and thanks to Liz, I finally understood how my gears work! (in the past I have been a bit of a girl and just moved them up and down hoping for the best)
As I cycled away after the lesson to meet a friend for coffee I felt noticeably empowered about my right as a cyclist and felt entitled to take more space on the road. It was both an eye opener and a confidence booster and the bill was kindly picked up by Hammersmith and Fulham, who fund all the cycle training in the borough.
I would recommend a cycling lesson to both those starting out and those who have cycled for a while but do still have a few questions. Contact Cycle Training UK for more details and to find out if you are eligible for funding.
More advice on road safety coming soon to cyclechic.co.uk

London Fashion week's Wheels and Heels

A wonderful night of beautiful bicycles, beautiful people and most importantly beautiful clothes and accessories. Designers included Dashing Tweeds, Swallows, Two and Fro, B:inc, Sarah Rose and Natalia Buck, Archies Gro Bags, Boulder Boutique, Smeer, H1 Designs and Glovedup

Top 3 stylish cycling helmets

If an unsightly cycling helmet is cramping your style, do not fear there are some alternatives

1. The Bern Muse (main picture above) is my current favourite. These are beautifully designed and a very different shape from traditional cycling or skate helmets with a rather stylish peak at the front. They are multi-purpose helmets so can be used for snowboarding or any other extreme sports you care to indulge in. Great colours and affordable price at £39.99. Email me at caz@cyclechic.co.uk for info on where to buy. Check out the Bern Website for full range.

2. The Cycle fashion range (pictured above right) is the brainchild of London based designer Sawako Furuno. They come in carefully chosen feminine colours and have hand painted designs cleverly positioned on the back and on the left hand side so drivers and pedestrians can admire you as you go. I caught up with Sawako and tried on the beige helmet with Hanabi print and was very reluctant to hand it back. The really do look good on. Price £60. Check out the for more products details. Cycle fashion website

3. Bell Faction is more of a boyish/skatey style but they come in a nice range of colours and you can buy online at Chain reaction for £17.99…Bargain!

If you know of any more stylish helmets out there, please do let me know. I think there is still room for improvement….

Tip 8: Pace yourself

If you are thinking about taking to 2 wheels this spring be sure to ease your way in. You are then much more likely to enjoy it and stick with it, rather than ending up red faced, achey and frustrated.

A few tips…

• Cycle at a leisurely pace rather the racing along with the Lycra clan. You will look far more graceful and will arrive at your destination fully composed with out any unsightly sweat patches.

• If you have not cycled for a while start off by doing a few laps of your local park then graduate to short routes that you know, to the shops or local café.

• If your journey to work seems a little daunting start off by cycling to you’re nearest tube or train station, ensuring you lock your bike up securely.

• When you feel ready to cycle all the way to work check your route on TFL’s Journey Planner Select the cycling option and type in your starting point and destination and it will recommend a route on quieter, more cycle friendly roads.

• Armed with your map choose a nice sunny day at the weekend, when you have no time restraints, to explore your route. Do not cycle to work for the first time on a Monday morning if you are not entirely sure where you’re going. It could result in you getting lost and turning up at work late and flustered.

• When you have mastered your route just cycle in twice a week to start with to get your fitness levels up. Never force yourself to cycle when you don’t feel like.

Do not feel you have to cycle when….

• You have the mother of all hangovers

• It’s a blowing a gale or chucking it down with rain or both

• You are wearing a pencil skirt and 6 inch heels and have just spent an hour on your hair for a big meeting or date.

• You are reading a particularly good book and quite fancy a bus journey.

More advice on getting started coming soon on cyclechic.co.uk

Tip 7: Colour co-ordinate

Dawn Porter, TV presenter on Channel 4’s How to Look Good Naked, looks rather fabulous fully clothed on her baby pink Brompton

I caught up with Dawn after a busy day zipping around Soho for various meetings, "I am addicted to my bike! I would never be able to fit so much into the day with such little stress with out it’

Dawn gave London Cycle Chic her top tip for looking stylish on your bike….
‘Pick a colour and go with it, for me, it is all about pink! Dawn has a Cyclodelic bespoke front pannier to match her bicycle along with bright pink leather gloves and rather fetching cream earmuffs for the nippy winter weather.

See Dawn on 'Dawn gets Naked', the first in her series of documentaries coming soon to BBC3.

The Sartorialist

More recognition of cycling’s style. The Sartorialist was selected as one of the Times Magazine’s top 100 design influencers. He takes to the streets everyday snapping stylish people and has penchant for people on bicycles. This is one of his all time favourite photos.