Outlier's classy new wool caps
(Photos © Elly Blue)

At Interbike, a lot of the best stuff never makes it to the main floor. One of the highlights of the week for me was heading up to an 11th floor hotel suite for a trunk show with a few small, independent companies.

There I met Matt and Muriel of Swrve, a small, hip cycling apparel company; there were also a handful of enticing retro-inspired t-shirts from two young companies. But I was there mainly to check out Outlier, a year-old New York company run by two men who make high end, tailored clothing that's engineered for urban riding.

Abe Burmeister walked me through their clothing line. He and co-founder Tyler Clemens met when they were both regulars at two different locations of a New York coffeeshop, and both happened to talk to the same barista about their grand schemes of creating beautiful, tailored clothes which they could wear to
ride in all weather to professional meetings. She introduced them and Outlier was born. (more...)

Stylish clothes demand stylish bikes. This woman's new Raleigh rig complemented her outfit nicely.
(Photos © Elly Blue)

For the second year in a row, Momentum Magazine produced their Urban Legend Fashion Show at Interbike. (more...)

B. Spoke knickers in action
(Photo by B. Spoke Tailor)

Even with more sunny weather ahead of us in the forecast, it's impossible to escape the impending reality of the rainy season. Cool, rainy mornings last week had us delving into the backs of our closets for pants, long sleeve shirts, even jackets. And of course, wool.

Last winter we sang the praises of wool as a winter riding fabric, for the chic utility rider as well as for the performance minded sporty cyclist.

It seems that the bike industry is starting to catch on. (more...)

Jonathan's camera quick-draw:
a common sight around Portland.
(Photo © Elly Blue)

The front basket used to be a necessary part of any city bike setup, but it seems to have been forgotten over time with the rise of mountain and road bikes.

But baskets are coming back -- and in a wider array than ever, from the fancy to the utilitarian. An environmental blog recently did a comprehensive review of a variety of front-mounting baskets currently available (including two locals, Ahearne Cycles and Cetma Cargo).
(more...)

Patrick Barber on his every day bike.
"It's a lot like driving a car."
(Photo © Elly Blue)

[This is the second in a series of "My City Bike" interviews with Portlanders who ride bikes intended for urban transportation. This interview is with local graphic designer and bike fashion blogger Patrick Barber. This spring we posted a guest article by Patrick on how to identify a city bike.

BikePortland: What type of rider are you?

Patrick Barber: I'm a transportational cyclist. Well, I should say, I'm not a cyclist -- I just ride my bike. (more...)

The suit is a collaboration between Rapha and famous London tailor Timothy Everest.
(Photo: Rapha)

(more...)