Cycle Chic Chap: Bicycling in Bow Ties

Jacques Tati doing bicycle and bow tie with aplomb

Ok so not essential cycling wear, but I am thinking the bow tie & the bicycle rub along together rather nicely. Perfect if your cycling off to a fancy evening do on board a Pashley Guvnor or for a more casual look teamed with rain mac and trilby.. and pipe and child if you want to go the whole hog!

3 we like...

J Crew's Havana Madras Bow Ties £52 from Mr. Porter. Understated tartan, perfect for everyday jaunts.

Spice it for those summer garden parties with this Ecru Ditsy Floral Bow Tie £10 from Topman

Or this rather charming Guilia Spot Bow Tie from Hackett, £35 perfect for swanning around on summers evenings.

Designer bikes for hire at New York fashion week

New York fashion week is launching a cycle hire scheme with a difference for the forthcoming fashion showcase this September. Top designers have been asked to unleash their renowned style on classic vintage inspired bikes from NYC brand Bowery Lane. The bikes will then be available to rent for Fashionistas throughout the high profile fashion event. A rather stylish precursor to New York official Cycle hire scheme set to launch next year.

The Kitsch Kitchen Pannier Bag out on the road....

Check out the lovely Lady Velo's review of our scrumptiously summery Kitsch Kitchen Panniers. The bright yellow works a treat with her classic black Pashley, loving your work Miss Velo.
To celebrate the summer the Kitsch Kitchens are now on sale with a fabulous 20% off, whoopeee!

Cyclechic's tips for Shopping & Cycling

• Park your bike in one place and walk from shop to shop: If you are visiting a few different shops don't be tempted to take your bike from shop to shop, park it somewhere in the middle so you only have to lock and unlock once.
  
• Panniers, Panniers, Panniers: Using panniers will make your life so much easier, balancing Sainsbury's bags off your handlebars is neither safe nor a good look! Our Kitsch Kitchen pannier shoppers are ideal and are on sale this summer, now only £29.59! They hook on and off the bike in seconds so you can take them into the supermarket and load your groceries up straight from the till.
  
• Mount Lock to Frame: Finding space for your lock when you are loaded up with shopping can be a problem. So invest in a D Lock that comes with a Frame mount.
  
• Try a Waitrose Trailer: Selected Waitrose branches offer cycle specific trailers that you can attach to your bike to get your shopping back more easily.
  
• Order heavy stuff online: For those heavy or cumbersome items; cans, olive oil, kitchen roll, do an online shop to lighten the load.

Saddle up in Stripey Dresses this Summer

With a self confessed addiction to dresses and enough stripey tops in my wardrobe to send my family cross eyed, I was delighted to see two of my favourite trends come together this spring/summer... STRIPEY DRESSES.

Leading Designers paved the way in their S/S collections, moving away from the classic breton colours and striking out with thick bands of bright colours. My personal catwalk favourite the Marc Jacobs striped silk dress, the sublime combination of colours and unique balance of casual and formal make it the ideal dress to cycle and swish your way to summer tea parties in.

Bicycles and stripey dresses have come together in New York with stylish bicycle boutique Adeline Adeline  collaborating with Designer  Kate Spade, modeling her dresses on beautiful bright green signature Kate Spade bike


A few other stripey frocks standing in line this summer are...
This fun mini dress from ASOS with triple trend points boasting stripes, pastel shades and pleats

Or for a more classic look try J Crew's stripe blouson silk de chine dress from Net-a-porter. Casual yet elegant this dress is ideal for cycling to the office or out for early evening drinks.

And for a bargain buy go for H&M's Jersey dress with Prada-esque bright and bold stripes, in the sale at only £9.99

Sawako Furuno helmet on Something for the weekend....

How exciting! Our wonderfully stylish Sawako Furuno Helmet has just been featured on my favourite Sunday morning show, BBC2's Something for the weekend.
Sawako Furuno's Ribbon Helmet £68 was included in Tim and the gangs gadget round up. Along with the Knog Love and Hate gloves (on sale at the mo with a whopping 40% off) and our very loud and shiny Ding Dong bell!

And the Winner is...

Last month we launched a competition with Vintage Brighton to find a deserved vintage bike for one of our delightful vintage box bags.
The winner is the rather splendid Sir Walter Raleigh and his owner Raevennan Husbands. Here's their story...

"This photo was taken on the day I found my beloved bike in a skip behind my house. The back wheel had a rusted lock on it – it took quite a battle with the pliers to get that off…
But he’s doing well now. I showed it some TLC – replaced gears and brakes and saddle and a loud ding-dong bell – and sprayed it with clear lacquer to preserve the shabby-chic look.
I discovered what was an original Brookes saddle when I took the strange tartan thing off, but unfortunately it got damaged at uni and I had to find a cheap replacement.
Looking for similar models on the web, I found that the Tourist model cost £24 which would have been two months wages in 1957 – when mine was made.
I’ve named my trusty stead Sir Walter Shabby Raleigh and hope to keep him for as long as we both shall live. He even has his own Facebook page – Shabby’n'Chic Husbandes."

Raleigh & Red or Dead Join forces

Red or Dead Photoshoot 2011 from Joe Coales on Vimeo.

I am pleased to see a flurry of cool, interesting  bikes making an appearance this spring. The first that have grabbed my attention are a partnership between Red or Dead and Raleigh. Classic Raleigh bike with iconic Red or Dead graphics on the frame and saddle. Here's a sneaky peek of the fashion shoot. I am loving the guy who's sunglasses match his bike... nice touch.

Our Bicycle Helmets on BBC's One show

Sawako Furuno Leopard Skin helmet

Very excited as we have just sent off a selection of our bike helmets to take a staring role on BBC's the One Show. They are running a feature on bike helmets and wanted some stylish options so we have packed off a few of the uber-cool Yakkay Helmets and the marvelous Sawako Furuno Leopard Skin Helmet that has been causing quite a stir this spring . Please give it a watch tomorrow Mon 16th May at 7pm.

Yakkay New Jazz Helmet

Feeling the Flower Power with new range of Kitsch Kitchen Panniers

Spring has sprung and we've just got in our new selection of the ever popular Kitsch Kitchen Panniers.


 


The bright florals are perfect for the spring/summer and will work wonderfully with this season's trend of 70's style summer dress and sandals. I am particularly loving the aptly named Poppy Bicycle Dress from urban outfitters for £60.

We have some wonderful new patterns... few of my faves are the Pink Mariposas (above) the Green Rosario and the White Rosedal all £36.99

As well as looking fabulous these bags are so practical for day to day cycling. My colleague and I both use them to commute the the office loading them up with laptops, shopping etc. and highly recommend them, reasons why the Kitchen Kitchen bags rock:

• They will brighten up any bike, if your bike is feeling a little sorry for itself a KK bag will give it a boost!
• They clip on and off the bike as easy as pie with two metal hooks so you can use it as your everyday bag and no one need ever know it's a pannier  (there is a zip up flap that hides the clips when you are using the bag off the bike to prevent the hooks from catching on your legs)
• Made from oilcloth so not only waterproof but can be wiped down if it gets a little mucky
• 2 handy pockets for keys, wallet etc and a zip up pocket inside.

Cyclechic Offer
We will be running an offer on the Kitchen Kitchen bags over the Easter weekend, so from Thurs 21st April to Tues 26th April, we will be giving you 20% off any Kitchen Kitchen Pannier. Simply enter the the discount code weloveflorals when buying online or call us on 0207 613 7316 and quote the code over the phone.

Calling all Bike Shops
Want to sell the Kitchen Kitchen Panniers to your lovely customers, get in touch we can sell then wholesale too! sales@cyclechic.co.uk

Get Dashing for the Tweed Run this weekend

If your pedaling on down to the tweed ride this weekend you might see these dapper chaps along the way. Dashing Tweeds have collaborated with Italian Bicycle company ABICI to launch there ready to wear Cycling jacket and showcase ABICI lovely 50's inspired bicycles

"The collaboration between ABICI and Dashing Tweeds sees the ‘Dashing Tweeders’ photographed in Primrose Hill on a pair of one-off ABICI Granturismo Uomo Dashing Tweed bicycles and an ABICI Velocino. All three riders and bikes will be participating in this week’s Tweed Run in London on Saturday 9th April.

Sporting a range of bespoke garments from Dashing Tweeds and showcasing their forthcoming ready to wear bicycle jacket in Green Sergeant tweed, complete with reflective stretch panels and vents, the shoot also features a tank top in reflective LumatwillTM and a cycle suit, waistcoat and plus 5s in McDougal check."

Unfortanately I am away in the States so will miss the tweed run this year but have fun to all those taking part!

Pedal in Pleats

I am loving this seasons trend for pretty ballerina style pleats. Soft, light-weight fabrics with lots of movement are not only cool and comfortable to cycle in but make you feel wonderfully feminine. I have my eye on all 3 of these dreamy pieces for spring cycling on my pastel blue Pashley Poppy...

Asos colour block pleated dress £35

Topshop pleated collar blouse £38

Asos pleated peg leg jumpsuit £60

The Vintage Box Bags... these babies are back!

We are proud to present The Vintage Box bags, the first product in our new brand of bicycle accessories, The Bicycle Muse. The Vintage box bags are based on a wonderfully retro design that used to accompany the  Raleigh shoppers and Moulton bikes of the 60's and 70's.

When I first started cyclechic.co.uk 3 years ago I managed to source some old stock of these iconic bags and they soon became firm favourite with customers as well as being featured in Fasion magazines from Vogue to The Times Style. However the stock soon ran out so to save disappointment we decided to bring these baby's back to life ourselves...

The Bicycle Muse brand will provide the fashion-conscious cyclist with classic, stylish, functional cycling accessories combining vintage charm with modern day practicality.

We have improved the design of the box bags making them much more durable and weatherproof and the design now enables them to flat pack so you can store them away easily when they are not on bike.


We have also added a touch of class by using real leather for the straps and the lovely bags are as green as cycling itself by being made here in England.

 These bags have so much character we couldn't help but name them...

FLORENCE

HENRY

CLARA

They look fabulous on Pashley's,  traditional or Dutch  bikes but look equally lovely on more modern bikes.
They can be left on the bike, if your bike is locked somewhere safe, or can be easily unattached by the buckles. They are the perfect size for your lock, handbag and waterproof or a few groceries. And have the advantage over a basket that the lid fastens down securely so people can't swipe your belongings as you cycle by.

All in all the ideal spring/summer bike accessory. Available from cyclechic.co.uk for £44.99.

Press for The Box Bags...

Vogue

The Times Style

The Telegraph

Romantic Riding

Though I have to admit to letting Valentine's Day pass me by this year, the same can not be said Bells Bicycle Shop in Hastings where romance was definitely in the air. The owners decorated the shop with a tasteful Valentine's theme. I am loving the wall of vintage wedding photos, the perfect backdrop for the elegant bicycles.. Well done ladies for celebrating our love affair with cycling....

Here come the Boys!

Loving this pic from Liberty's Spring/Summer catalogue.. The carefree 80's style outfit contrasts nicely with the stark, steamline bike. Is this the year of the Cycle Chic Chap?

Big Bern Helmet Sale for 1 week only!

For all you lucky duckies going out to the mountains this year we have a fabulous sale on ALL our Bern Winter Helmets. The helmets can be worn for snowboarding, skiing and cycling. The fluffy winter knit is perfect for keep your neck and ears warm in the snowy weather but can be detached in the warmer months.  Get in there quick and Bern Baby Bern...

Big up for Boneshaker Magazine

What a delightful addition to the somewhat uninspiring, existing selection of cycling magazines. Boneshaker is beautifully designed with some really intesring artwork- I adore this picture from last months edition. It has some really great articles about cycling and cycling culture. It seems more about the human stories associated with cycling than technical bike info which makes for a really entertaining read.

We are liking...

...this  upcycled laptop bag from Re-Collect. The bags are made from recycled truck, car and bike tyres and innertubes so not only are they wonderfully eco but are highly durable and will keep your precious laptop safe and dry whilst you cycle.

If its good enough for them...

Ginger Rodgers...look no hands!

Fabulous new blog Rides a bike has unearthed a plethora of photos of the super stylish elite on bicycles from back in the day. I have picked a few of my faves but had real difficulty choosing as there are so many wonderful photographs be sure to check out the full selection...

Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart

Charles Boyer and Katharine Hepburn ride bikes.

Jacques Tati and Alain Bécourt

Happy New Year Sale!

To celebrate the New Year we have a smashing sale to keep you Cycling and Chic in 2011. From Bern helmets with winter knits to the fabulous Po Campo and Kate Sheridan bags... bargains are a plenty.