And the winner is...

We ran a competition with the London Paper last month to kit out a lucky lady in full CycleChic attire. The prize up for grabs was a fabulous Velorbis Danneborg bicycle, a Yakkay helmet, satchel pannier & frog lights. Helen Fox, pictured above was our winner and she carries it off rather nicely I think.
We are delighted that winning the competition has got Helen back in the saddle after of number of years, following a nasty cycling accident. Helen had been umming and ahhing whether to give cycling another go so winning this beautiful bike made up her mind well and truly.
Hear from the girl herself on her blog Beautiful Brainy Music

Ding day - hurray!

Fancy showing some cycling solidarity? On Wednesday September 9 London will celebrate ‘Ding Day’, to build up a sense of community among the capital’s cyclists.
On the day, cyclists are asked to greet each other with a ‘ding ding’ of the bell, turning the city into a veritable symphony of bicycle bells. If you are greeted, you must ‘ding’ back.
Ding Day is now in its second year and its organisers hope the idea will help celebrate cycling in the city and create a fun experience for cyclists and residents.
The day has backing from the London Cycling Campaign, Olympic cyclist Chris Hoy and the Mayor of London. Organisers are also hoping to sign up cycling companies to get them involved and persuade them to donate prizes.
We think it’s a great idea and a fantastic way to celebrate cycling in the city. We also love the idea of greeting fellow cyclists in a polite and ladylike fashion and bringing some old-fashioned manners to the roads.
Most importantly there is a real opportunity to build a feeling of camaraderie and community among cyclists in London.
Although bells come in all shapes, sizes and pitches, we love a big, vintage bicycle bell like this ding dong bell and this is a great way to show yours off.

Cyclechic Convoy at The London Skyride

This years London Skyride (formerly called the Freewheel)takes place on Sunday 20th September. The roads around central London will be closed off to cars and thousands of cyclists will take over the city streets

This year we thought we would bring some cycling style to this wonderful event in the form of a Cyclechic Convoy. So if you fancy showing off your Cycle Chic finery and sharing a G & T with like minded folk, come and join the Cyclechic Elite.. THE RULES:

1. Register for free through the Skyrides official website.

2. Start planning your outfit - items of clothing we would like to see of the day.
Ladies: Vintage dresses, Floral frocks, swishy skirts, wicker baskets & pretty panniers.
Gents: Tweed, blazers, boaters, breeches, brogues & Bern Helmets

3. Join the Cycle Chic facebook group and we will be in touch with more details nearer the time, meeting point etc. or email us at caz@cyclechic.co.uk

Let's hear it for Cycle Fridays

Studies have shown a lack of confidence on the roads is one of the main barriers stopping women from cycling. So let's hear it for the lovely people at Transport for London and the London Cycling Campaign who have come up with Cycle Fridays.
Experienced cycling marshals will shepherd cyclists into town every Friday morning between now and October. There are six routes to choose from, all heading into central London, and the idea is to encourage more people to cycle to work.
Meeting points include Brixton, Finsbury Park, Mile End, Ravenscourt Park, Swiss Cottage and Greenwich. Each ride will depart at 8am and take around an hour.
Cycling to work isn't just fun and quicker than public transport - it's great for your figure, your pocket and the environment.
For our top tips on how to arrive at work fresh as a daisy, not pouring with sweat, click here.

Dashing Tweeds Summer Cycling Suit

And very Dashing it is too. Dashing Tweeds are the experts in debonair cycling wear. We love their Summer cycling suit. The military style jacket is made of jacquared woven cotton and has a reversible reflective belt and a reflective fabric under the collar. I particularly love the Breeches, why don't more chaps wear breeches? a fabulous garment in my view.

A girls' day out?

As if further proof were needed that women on wheels are spearheading a growing movement, this year's Cycle Show, to be held in London in October, will have a distinctly girly theme.
Organisers have cottoned on to the increase in female cyclists and the day will see leading fashion brands and celebrity experts offering help and advice on cycling chic.
A series of women's sessions will be held through the day and leading industry experts will discuss the issues facing women who cycle.
Show director Andrew Brabazon says: 'We've known for years that female cyclists are just as passionate about cycling as their male counterparts, but it is encouraging to see that so many new cyclists are women.'
And so say all of us!
Our friends at Cyclodelic will present the Girls Guide to Cycling which will cover nutrition, fashion and make-up, training kits and much more.
A series of women-only maintenance sessions will also be held throughout the day.
Its likely there will be much more for the girls by the time the show rolls round so keep checking cyclechic.co.uk for updates.

Your bum looks damp in that...here let us help

We will be distributing Cyclechic saddle covers to bikes we like in around London over the next month. We know how these pesky summer showers can leave you with a soggy saddle, resulting in a damp derriere. We hope our saddle covers will help you avoid the damp patch and enjoy your summertime cycling. We will be working our way around various parts of town but if you need our protection, suggestions for bike parking areas, stations etc. are welcome.