Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Last minute stocking fillers under £10

If, like me, you have left your Christmas shopping to the last minute, don't panic... You still have 5 days to order with us and ensure delivery in time for Christmas, within the UK. (Orders can be taken until 2pm on Monday 21st Dec) Simply go to cyclechic.co.uk or phone us on 0207 613 7316. We will also be doing appointments on Mon 21st & Tues 22nd at our office in Old Street but please call us before hand to book a time! A few stocking filler ideas for under £10:

Reflective claqs £4 each

Frog Lights £8.50 each

Knog puncture repair kit £6.99

Bicycle clips £5 for a pair

Reflective safety wing £7

Top 10 products from 2009 No.1 Deluxe Shopper Pannier

This was our top seller this year! From Wimbledon to Wyoming you guys ordered the Deluxe shopper Panniers in abundance. These panniers look marvelously vintage, you can cram enough into them for a short break and they are easy peasy to clip on and off your bike... but most importantly they are excellent value for money at £40 a pop.

No.2 The YAKKAY helmet

The YAKKAY has caused quite a stir this year. A touch of the 'Marmite effect' about them (you either love them or you hate them) We love them so they have made it in at no.2 this year..

No. 3 Po Campo bags

The Po Campo bags wins our best newcomer award. These bags fresh, innovative and beautifully made. Our first customer to buy the rack bag liked it so much she bought the handlebar bag straight after and another rack bag for her sister! A true investment buy.

No.4 The Knog Beetle

Just as easy to attach as the frogs but with a larger/stronger bulb, the Beetles £13.99 are our favourite light this year!

No.5 Bern Muse

Revolutionising the cycling helmet, the Bern Muse £44.99, has been our top selling helmet this year. And its a sad far well to Gloss Cranberry as we have new colours coming in for next year. We still have a few Mediums left though so get in there quick...

No. 6 Dashing Tweeds Flat Caps and Legwarmers

Classic style with a contemporary twist. Dashing Tweeds designs have a reflective weave sown in, that by daylight is hidden but by night dazzles and shines. I adore the legwarmers £40 and am giving the flat cap £55 to all the cycling men in my life this Christmas.

No.7 The Fjallraven Kanken Classic

The Kanken classic was a new product this year and we love it's retro appeal. We selected a few of the colours we liked but would love your suggestions for colours to get in next year? Take a look at the extensive range on the fjallraven website and post comments with the colours you like?

No.8 The Rain Cape

The Rain Cape in red and navy, £35 has been a firm favourite with the all-weather cycling brigade.

No.9 'I love my bicycle bell'

We get them up in the morning to face the wind and the rain, we leave them on the street while we go to the pub for a drink... Isn't it about time you showed your bike some love!
The wonderfully Kitsch 'I love my bike' bell £5.99, as featured in the Metro gift guide, wins our best value for money award for 2009

Our top 10 products from 2009: No.10 The Dannebrog Bicycle

No. 10 The Velorbis Dannebrog £745. We have been testriding the beautiful Dannebrog and have been fighting off the admirers, now we know how Angelina feels, poor love. This bike truly has Film Star appeal. Its smooth as can be to ride, no clunky gear changes and the upright position is perfect for waving at your fans as you go by. It gets our vote as Bike of the year and gets extra brownie points for its festiveness!


the rest of the chart coming soon

Beauty and the Bike - A short film

Why don't teenage girls cycle? This is a discussion I have had many times since I started the blog. Its seems to be combination of safety fears and most importantly it just not being 'cool'. Despite cycling becoming fairly mainstream now for women in their 20's/30's, it seems teenage girls are a harder nut to crack. This film is a short version of a documentary made by Darlington Media workshop looking at this issue with local young women. There is also a book coming out and an exhibition of images. Hopefully it will help cycling get its way into that exclusive club... the club of the 'teenage girl'.

Our little Black Book: Cycledelik

I know a lot of ladies are entirely competent with their own bike maintenance and I have a huge amount of respect for spanner wielding women. Unfortunately I am not one of them. I have tried, but repairing a puncture is about my limit before I start stamping my feet an calling my bike names.
If like me you are not the best bike mechanic (we can't all be good at everything) Cycledelik could help you out in these winter months. The main USP of the company is that THEY COME TO YOU (any where in London). They can come early in the morning before you leave for work and will repair your bike right there on the spot. It's fantastic, your bike is fixed and ready to go, all you have to do is open the door.
We like the company so much we have got a fabulous winter deal for all our readers. For the whole of December 2009 any customer who quotes the word 'Cyclechic' will get 10% off Cycledelik's repairs and servicing.

Riding jackets

Tweed is back in fashion. For me it never went out, whether its capes, trilbys or jackets, tweed garments have always been a stalwart in my wardrobe. I recently bought a Harris tweed hunting jacket at Hammersmith vintage fair and it is fabulous for Autumn/winter cycling. I fully recommend scouring the charity shops for a bargain tweed but here are some nice ones available online too. Above, tweedy traditional from Laura Ashley

Slouchy style from urban outfitters

Fabulously fitted from Joules

And I'm not alone as a tweed loving cyclist. The tweed runs have now become a global phenomenon. The London Ride back in January that saw 150 cyclist turn out in breeches and flat caps. Although there did seems rather disproportionate amount of men to women, we'll have to rally up some ladies for the next one.

The Americans it seems have also got the tweed bug, with rides happening in San Fracisco, New York and Washington DC. Spiffing video of the DC run on riding pretty.

If you are looking for a Tweedy Christmas pressie for your dapper chap this Christmas we have Dashing tweeds fabulous flat caps on sale for £55. The caps are beautifully traditional but have a reflective weave sown in.. clever eh!

Bern Knits and other winter warmers

Its well and truly winter wardrobe time. So while your digging your winter coat and boots out of the bottom of the wardrobe here a few suggestions for winter cycling accessories.
Our love affair with the Bern helmets continues and the new Winter helmets with plaid knits are to die for. The knits simply press stud into the helmet so you can be warm and snuggly in the winter but can be removed for summer cycling. What is also quite fabulous about Bern's winter helmets is that they can also be used for skiing/boarding . And from my experience, quite a lot of us cyclists enjoy swapping our bike for a board and launching ourselves down snowy mountains once a year.
My personal favourite is the Brighton with Hunter knit £74.99.
A few other winter warmers. Wonderful handlebar covers £65 from designer knitwear label Lowies - get these down on your Christmas list!

Wacky but wonderful reflective earwarmers from Two and Fro £19.99
Sheepskin effect Paws, cosy and cool £29.99.
Both have reflective arrows on to alert drivers to your presence as you turn left or right.
















And finally look after your boatrace and protect your skin from the cold. Drink lots of water and wear heaps of moisturizer. For some more detailed tips take a look at this article on Woman knows . Any other winter tips, please let us know??

Schmoozing in San Francisco

I had the pleasure meeting up with the lovely Shelly Shroeder of Riding pretty yesterday. She showed me around her favourite city haunts and took me for lunch in cycle-friendly area of Valencia. We chatted about the similarities and differences of our cycling cultures the rise of the Cycle Chic movement. I am a huge fan of Shelly's blog and regularly consult in for my fix of stateside Cycle Chic.
We also met, Meryl, along the way who had decided after a lunchtime glass of wine that her pink cycling helmet was the ultimate accessory both on and off the bike. We whole-heartedly agreed!

Cyclechic goes Stateside: Citizen Chain

Cyclechic is reporting from the rather splendid city of San Francisco this week. The cycling culture is very much alive and pedaling over here. Similarly to London, cycling in this city is on the increase despite the hills. More cycle lanes and cycle parking are being put in place to make cycling more accessible and there are some great bike shops. We stumbled across the charmingly named Citizen Chain with a fabulous range of retro bikes, they even had some Pashley's on display in the window.
Hoping to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge before the end of our trip...

Velotica Calender shoot - Friday 30th Oct

Its ladies night to night but not just any kind of ladies night. Get yourself down to Tabernacle, Powis sqaure in London Town from 6pm for Cycle Erotica...

"An open invitation to all "Ladies Who Cycle" in Greater London to join our club and come down to our first gathering of like-minded ladies who ride.
We are making a calendar in celebration of the freedom the bicycle gave women in the early parts of last century. 1890's-1930's.
This Calendar is a celebration of those two gifts of life adjoined at the groin......A woman and her bicycle.
Backdrop will be Victorian. We will provide vintage ladies bikes. Costume need not be strict, more a recreation of those bygone times, a recycling of the ideals and the aesthetics. The feel is very much a romantic notion of life and the sexual freedom the bicycle gave women.
There will be a dressing up box, although best to bring your own outfit.
Hair and makeup will also be available.
The photo booth is private so you and your friends can have fun within it......The calendars will be printed up before Christmas through www.photobox.com
Please RSVP ladieswhocycle@gmail.com to let us know you are interested and we look forward to seeing you astride your bike!!
PS If you MUST bring a man, have him in appropriate attire.
May you ride Happily Ever After
Milena and Karta
www.TWOnFRO.com

Velorbis's Easyrider: The Studine Balloon

The Studine Balloon is a bike that will make you smile. It's the latest from Velorbis, the experts in elegant bicycles. What I love about this bike is the mix of old and new. It has the basic design of a classic Dutch bike but with a modern, edgy twist. If you find the regular Dutch bikes a touch twee and fancy something with a bit more macho, the Studine is your man .. or woman, the Studine Balloon comes in both a ladies and a gents version.
My partner, who has now come to accept my bike porn problem, barely bats an eyelid when I arrive home on a new bike. However when seeing the Studine Ballon parked outside the house he rushed in proclaiming it was the Harley Davidson of bicycles and whisked it off for a test ride before I could say... Harley Davidson. There is an undoubtable coolness about this bike, it attracts attention and gets eyed up like a girl in a short skirt.
What makes a Velorbis bike so special is the design. The combination of components have been extremely well thought, the aluminium grey frame, the cream Fat Frank tyres and the honey leather brooks saddle, compliment each other superbly. The Fat Frank tyres are my personal favourite feature, it is this contemporary twist that sets the Studine apart from other dutch bikes on the road, making it so easy on the eye and easy to ride.

The Studine has 3 gears (sturmey archer) which personally suits me down to the ground. This may not suit everyone but if, like me, you cycle day to day; to the shops, the office, school run and you don't have copious hills to contend with, 3 gear works just fine. It's simple and cuts out a whole lot of faffing.
And finally all Studines have the all important Kickstand, as this is a bike that deserves to be upright and on display!
This unique take on the Dutch bike also has a respectable price tag of £545. Order from us at cyclechic.co.uk or get in touch if you would like more information

Are you ready to Pedal it Pink?

Cycling for a good cause - what could be better? Charity Breast Cancer Campaign has announced its new cycling challenge for women, Pedal it Pink. The idea, backed by Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton pictured above, is to challenge ladies to cycle a full marathon (26.2 miles) or half-marathon (13.1 miles) and raise funds to help beat breast cancer.
Make it a family day out by encouraging the men and children in your life to complete the family 5K lap.
The event will take place this coming Saturday, October 25 at Nottingham's National Water Sports Centre, Holme Pierrepont. Come along with your bike and helmet ready to ride! Registration for the marathon is £15, the half marathon is £10 and the 5K family lap is £5 per person. Set up your fundraising page here and invite all your family and friends to sponsor you. Why not get into the pink spirit completely with one of these Bern Nina gloss pink helmets for little ones and this Bern Muse Hard Hat with Graphic for you.
As if cycling to beat breast cancer wasn't enough of an incentive, participants will also receive a fabulous goody bag containing one of these CycleChic saddle covers.

The Cycle Show 2009

It's that time of year again and Earls court is awash with all things bicycle from 8th-11th Oct. Lavinia and myself popped down to check out what's new in the world 2 wheels.
As we arrived the new Cycle Hire bikes were being unveiled and we were one of the first to hop on and have a go. They are an attractive navy blue colour, they feel sturdy and strong and very pleasant to ride. We suggest our Navy Blue Bern Baker as the perfect helmet to match them.

We met Anthony from I Bike London with his rather fabulously colourful collection of, I bike London, T-shirts. A simple but very effective concept that celebrates the vibrant, dynamic cycling culture and community in London. We liked them so much we hope to be selling some of our fave colours very soon so watch this space.

We also got very excited by Knog's forthcoming Bicycle lock. At last a cool bike lock and a keyless one at that... Pic courtesy of Urban velo. And all their wonderful lights were flashing, Check out this season's favourites the Beetle and the Skink.

Our friends Two and fro were unloading their vintage ambulance with all their wonderful products as we arrived bringing further cool to the event. Check out their Reflective spats, claqs and cream cycling hat for this Autumns cycling must haves.

So all in all a good event. But perhaps a slight overload of brand new, brightly coloured, expensive looking bikes. Riding home I spotted a bike that to me was every bit as Cyclechic. A Raleigh shopper Piazza, this vintage gem was the perfect antidote to a busy day of shiny and new.

Autumn days

It's the time of year to wrap up warm before getting on your bike. Autumn is full of frosty sunshine and brisk showers, but the chic cyclist is always prepared. Here are our top tips for autumn cycling.

1. Stash our waterproof cape in your bag or pannier in case of an unexpected downpour - it is 100 per cent waterproof and will keep you dry as a bone should the heavens suddenly open.
2. Choose light but warm layers that will keep the chilly air off your skin, but not overheat you. We like the range of knitwear in Topshop at the moment. This oversized jumper, £40, will look gorgeous and is loose-fitting, making it ideal for cycling in colder weather.

3. Merino wool has numerous benefits for cyclists, as it wicks moisture away from the skin and keeps you cooler in summer and warmer in winter! If you are feeling particularly extravagant, consider splashing out on these merino socks, £15, from roadwear specialists Rapha, to keep your feet toasty-warm. Uniqlo, the high-street chain with a great line in basics, also stocks numerous merino wool long and short-sleeved jumpers and cardigans, and this rather gorgeous v-neck dress, £19.99.

4. Thank god they are still in style - leggings are ideal for autumn cycling as they keep the cold air off your legs but won't get caught up in your chain as you pedal. Wear them with shorts, skirts, or on their own with an oversized jumper (although for the sake of your modesty and everyone else on the road please check your leggings are not see-through before you step out in them!).
5. Visibility is crucial as the nights draw in. These wonderful ankle spats will keep you visible at pedal-level which is where most car headlamps will focus on you.

Revamping the rucksack

The rucksack has a bad rep! Why is this? Similarly to cycling there are preconceptions associated with wearing a rucksack; treehugging, geeky etc. I personally have always had a soft spot for a good rucksack, they are good for your back, comfortable and practical to cycle with and have a gung ho, retro charm about them. I am therefore on a mission to bring back the backpack and revamp the rucksack!

I have been on a rucksack hunt and have found these wonderfully retro rucksacks from Fjallraven. Fjallraven translates as Arctic fox, they are a Swedish company that have been making hard-wearing hiking and camping gear for 60 years. The Kanken classic is re-issue of one of there original rucksacks hence the fabulous classic feel.
Style gurus are starting to blog about them and I have a seen a few on backs of trendy East London types of late so I get the feeling they are going to become rather popular We also have Kanken Laptop, the Kanken mini and the vintage rucksack which is made from waxed cotton with beautiful leather straps. So please get involved, check out our rucksack range and help me on my quest to bring back the backpack...
If you are a true backpack believer join my facebook group Revamp the rucksack

London Fashion Week SS 10

A fantastic London Fashion week as ever. We've picked out a few of our favourite Cycle-friendly looks for Spring/Summer 2010. See the full collections at London Fashion Weeks website

I am eyeing up this Vivienne Westwood outfit for Spring cycling on my pastel blue Pashely Poppy.
Keep the London smog at bay... Vivienne Westwood Red Label
Paul Smith. Wonderful yellow brogues, hunting jacket and tapered trousers.
Fabulous Trench from Margaret Howell
Betty Jackson. Floral always look fabulous for summer cycling