To say urban biking has arrived on the radar of the bike industry is a major understatement. The products, the bikes, the magazines — urban biking has all the trappings of a bona fide segment segment of the industry. Another major part of urban biking is fashion. In the past few years, the selection of stylish and functional clothes made for people that bike has skyrocketed. Also in the past few years, Momentum Magazine has made a name for themselves by organizing fashion shows (they brought one to Portland back in October of 2009).
The Ready to Ride fashion at Interbike this afternoon did not disappoint. Check out some of the fashions and the faces in the slideshow below:
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A hot, fit babe makes ANY clothing look good.
Beyond Nutcases, we need helmets that don’t look anything like helmets.
Sorry, but yuck. Hate the clothes, don’t like the bikes they’re associated with. Oh yeah, I’m female, I guess it’s mostly not aimed at me. Outlier does better. Too bad they’re so expensive, and so underinvested in women’s stuff.
Do any of these stick-leg girls ride bikes? Sorry… I’m trying to balance my desire for livable communities with my reluctance to accept hipsters.
[deep breath]
Hey, I’ll take hipster over redneck climate denier any day 🙂 More bike fashion please!!
Yeah maybe I’m reading too much this. I like how cycling goes against the norm but I DON’T like how “fashion” says we have to fit someone else’s idea of coolness to do it. Wear whatever is safe and comfy.
Those don’t look like Portland cyclists at all.
I doubt that I’ll see any of these people out there in November in the rain. I’ll stick with my unfashionable but functional spandex and not care what people think of me.
This is what I’ve come to expect from Bike Portland.
Fashion shows are just shows – good to see some new looks, even if I wouldn’t wear most of them. I’m thinking of getting out my old-school cross country skiing knickers and knee socks and using them for commuting.
For those looking for stylish helmets, try these: http://www.yakkay.com/
Ok, I admit that some of these “looks” were a bit silly, but most fashion shows are.
I think it’s been pretty definitively proved that you don’t have to wear functional spandex to bicycle through November. I, and a lot of other women wear what we would otherwise be wearing to walk or drive or ride the bus to work on our bikes. November, December, January. If there isn’t black ice out there, I’m riding to work.
Noel #10, I’ve been thinking the same thing. Wish I still had my wool ski knickers.
There is a need for clothing that’s both functional and fashionable, especially for cyclists. I’m happy to see this trend.
Some nice looking stuff but doubt it will fit someone of my size, b/c you know, only skinny people would ever want fashionable clothing. Sorry if I sound jaded, I am. I was really looking forward to buying some nice wool knickers this week and the Sheila Moon ones in the size of every other pant I own were ridiculously small.
Red Five: I have to agree. The best part about “bike fashion” is that it doesn’t have to be “bike” fashion! I think its great when I hop off my bike and no one would even think that I rode into work. Although, winter riding is another story.
Fashion show clothes are analogous to concept cars.. a testbed for new ideas. What we end up with usually only approximates the looks we see on runways 5 years previous.
Personally, I’ve finally succumbed to comfort and practicality, and adopted an all-lycra, all-the-time mode (sure, wool, when I can afford it).
Yet still, bike fashion is relevant to people to whom it’s relevant.
If you check out the Cycle Chic http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/ their attitude is – open your closet, there’s your bike clothes. Not too practical though if your riding 10 miles to work in the rain.
Agree with those who think the best bike clothes are those that are functional for cycling, but don’t look like “velodrome only” clothes. Commuters covered in logos look so ridiculous its hard not to break out laughing. It just screams “I dig myself in a way that few if any others do”.
Some of the stuff here looks pretty good though, and almost normal. Well OK, maybe not Mr. Bow Tie.
Some of the looks are both “snazzy”/functional, others just look like over the top fashion. However, I think this is a good indicator of the widening acceptance of bikes for mainstream transporation.
“Not too practical though if your riding 10 miles to work in the rain.”
Its also not practical for some pointAtoBism. For example, if you ride uphill you will eventually want skinnier low rolling resistance tires and a lighter/aggressive geometry.
Dutch bikes, high heels and skirts are just not practical.
Fixies, tight genes, and hoodies are also not practical.
these are just more expensive ‘special clothes’ you don’t really need to ride your bike, like lycra only in disguise.
I did go to the fashion show last year in Portland, and I liked what I saw at that show better than these items.
Yeah to me there is really no in between… the “bike clothes that look like street clothes” thing seems silly.
For me, either I’m going a short enough distance or at a slow enough pace that normal clothes are fine, or I’m going to be riding far enough and hard enough that I’ll be a sweaty hot mess without lycra.
However, I do like the art of it, and I enjoy seeing the results of people pushing the boundaries of fashion. I’ll just never spend $150 on a pair of “bike jeans” or a special cut “collared shirt” that still allows me to reach the drops. What’s the point? I’d rather spend the money on another pair of bibs and a fun jersey any ways. 🙂
Thanks for your fine coverage of the show Jonathan!
The reason Momentum originally began producing bike fashion shows was to show that people could wear everyday clothing on bikes (my motto was: People. Wearing clothes. On bikes). The purpose was not to dictate that there is a right way or a wrong way to dress for your ride, but simply to celebrate cycling and inspire people to imagine cycling and cyclists in many ways.
One of the biggest motivators for Momentum to bring these shows to Interbike is to promote everyday cycling within the bike industry. Cycling is often viewed (and marketed) as an athletic activity requiring special gear and we believe that by producing an event showcasing people wearing everyday clothes on bikes we expand the perception among North Americans that cycling for transportation can mesh easily with our lives – and our style.