Flyer for Giro New Road launch event in Portland.

Seems like everywhere you turn these days there's news about bike fashion. Whether it's featured at the National Bike Summit or making major news headlines, bike brands and major fashion labels are falling over themselves to get a piece of the growing apparel pie.

Portland is an epicenter of stylish cycling so it's no surprise that we've got our share of fashion-focused events. Two of them have come on my radar recently...

This Friday River City Bicycles will host a launch event for Giro's "New Road" apparel line. Giro, a brand known to most people for their helmets, launched their new clothing line late last month and it's being called a potential "paradigm shift" by the bike media. A local rep for Giro explained the new line as, "Giro's take on a changing the traditional road clothing (lycra jerseys and such) to something a bit more understated but still performance based." New Road features merino jerseys that look more like business-casual t-shirts. (more...)

These helmet hats by Bandbox were a big hit.
(Photos © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Women entrepreneurs are riding the wave of two major American trends: a renaissance in urban bicycling and a surging demand for stylish riding apparel. At the National Women's Bicycling Forum on Monday, the League of American Bicyclists hosted a pop-up shop full of vendors who see functional and stylish clothing as just another front on the effort to make bicycling more appealing to women.

Helmets are decidedly unappealing when it comes to fashion and they present a quandary for women who put safety first. Not only are helmets notorious for messing up one's coiffure; but a big plastic dome can also ruin even the cutest outfit. Dr. Cheryl Allen-Munley of Bandbox Bicycle Helmets seems to have a solution. Her helmets look like hats that happen to come with a chin strap. The shells can be wrapped with all sorts of designs — from cowgirl hats to berets and everything in between. Women flocked to her booth all day snapping photos of each other and trying on the different styles. (more...)

Jeff Mandel, shoemaker.
(Photo © J. Maus/BikePortland)

Remember Jeff Mandel? He's a local leather artisan and master shoemaker based in southeast Portland who also loves to ride bikes. Back when he came onto the scene in 2008 we shared his handmade leather saddles and a pair of his bike shoes. Jeff is still going at it, refining his skills and making beautiful shoes that are purpose-built for pedaling.

I thought you'd appreciate his latest creation: A pair of SPD-compatible boots made for bicycle touring. (more...)

Portland-based Retro Image Apparel has launched "the Portland Collection."

The collection includes a men's and women's jersey and a shirt based on art by Portland artist Jimmy Cavalieri.

I got an interesting press release today from a company named Madame de Pe. They make "rain couture from Amsterdam, designed and tested on Dutch bicycles". With the amount of rain we get here in Portland and the wide affection for Dutch bicycles, I was curious what you all might think. At about $300 per jacket, they're not cheap (for comparison, a top-end Showers Pass is about $200).

Check out a few more images... (more...)

Teens are looking past cars these days.
(Photo © J. Maus)

An interesting article published on MSNBC.com today touched on a trend we've been hearing about for a while now — that today's teens aren't as excited about getting a car as their parents were. Here are the stats via MSNBC:

The percentage of new cars sold to 21- to 34-year-olds hit a high of nearly 38 percent in 1985 but stands at around 27 percent today... Just 31 percent of 16-year-olds had their license in 2008, down from about 42 percent in 1994.

(more...)

The Rack Tote bag from Po Campo.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Thanks to Twitter, I was able to connect with Maria Boustead from Chicago-based Po Campo bags while she was in Portland this past weekend.

Po Campo launched last summer with bags for women who want style and function that look good on and off the bike. The company has only been around for about a year but they've already gained a strong foothold in Chicago and several other cities where urban biking is on the rise. The bags are also sold in Japan, the Netherlands, Australia and the U.K..
(more...)

Tony Pereira and his new suit. (Photos © J. Maus)

Bikes and fashion have enjoyed a renewed romance in America in the last few years. From the Cycle Chic movement to the proliferation of bike fashion shows, there is a growing awareness of -- and market for -- clothes that are stylish and comfortable to bike in. Today I spent some time on yet another bike fashion front, custom-tailored (a.k.a. bespoke) cycling suits. (more...)

On the catwalk at the Urban
Bicycle Fashion Show.
(Photos © J. Maus)

Bike fashion in American is finally going way beyond spandex.

As biking takes off in big cities around the country, it's not surprising that people want to look good doing it. They also want clothes that can stand up to the rigors of daily riding. At the Pedal Nation Bike Show, happening all this weekend at the Oregon Convention Center, there were several companies looking to fill that demand. There was also a fashion show where models on bikes showed how to put it all together. (more...)

A reader has sent word that Portland has a new fashion start-up focusing solely on bike-able threads. According to their still-under-construction website, Gear offers "functional, fashionable bicycle clothing" that is designed and manufactured right here in Portland.

Here are a few photos from their website:

(more...)