The Cycling Gentleman

Copyright John Spooner

Here’s how the 2008 Brompton World Championship turned out:

On a Penny Farthing no less! Stuart Kettell, a.k.a. “The Mad Fool” is apparently seven days into his attempt to ride from one end of the United Kingdom to the other to raise money for cancer research. As of this writing, the map on his site shows him north of Tarporley and south of Northwich. The press photos of him on the high wheel show him in a very handsome get-up, but another photo on the site indicates that he will not be traversing the distance in period attire. Ah well…

First blogged by Da’ Square Wheelman at Bicycle Diaries.

Ho-ly crap, people, why has it taken us this long to figure this out!? From the website of San Francisco-based Cordarounds:

Bike pants make for silly work pants, and vice versa. So we set out to design a product for commuters that functioned equally well at both. Using fabrics like Illuminite Teflon and 3M Scotchlite we’ve bought reflectivity to regular trousers. They line the inner pantcuffs and rear pockets, allowing you to deploy added protection and reflection as you pedal off. The pant cuffs and mudflap pockets can be worn in 4 known ways. There are likely more, and we invite you to invent them.

Via EcoVelo, who scooped The Cycling Gentleman on this one! Does anyone own a pair of these wonders? I’d love to hear some reviews or see some photos of these things in the wild.

Styria is a state in the southeast of Austria (the second largest, in fact), with a traditional regional costume that seems perfectly suited for cycling: short pants, warm socks, and layers. I particularly like the vest and the socks, but the entire package is wonderful. I also like the blanket tied to the saddle.

This turn of the century image comes from Flickr user radlmax’s photostream.

This guy is truly in the happy-bike-sunny-morning zone. It’s a good zone. Check the socks. Another one spotted and submitted by Charlotte.

You know, even with a chain guard, I think I’d roll those babies up. Spotted in New York City by bicyclesonly, who meticulously chronicles New York’s everyday cyclists in a Flickr photostream. Photo used with permission.

I especially like the tool kit, a must-have for the cycling gentleman abroad.

Found at Simplex Forum.

The Third Annual Brompton folding bicycle world championship race is coming up on September 28. Rule Number 5 of the race is as follows:

All participants, both male and female, must wear a suit jacket, collared shirt and tie. Shorts and three-quarter length trousers may be worn if preferred, though sports attire (e.g. Lycra shorts/leggings, tracksuit pants, etc.) is not permitted. There are no restrictions on shoe-wear. For health and safety reasons, it is an absolute condition of participation that a helmet is to be worn.

Thanks to disgruntled for the tip, and search Flickr for photos of past races.

Well, I guess that’s not really a “breaking news” kind of headline, but two recent television commercials have highlighted bicycling as transportation, and feature stylish gentleman (and ladies) riding bikes. Target’s “A Brand New Day” commercial features a well-dressed gentleman riding a cheap department store bike ($59.99 at Target, big surprise) rather poorly, but happily.  

The other is from Kaiser Permanente, that bastion of corporate healthcare, and features a blue bike cycling (get it?) through a bunch of different riders, including some pretty sharp-looking gentlemen. Someone at EcoVelo pointed out that some of the riders are riding the wrong way, and there’s some sidewalk riding, too.

My feelings are pretty mixed. On the one hand, I’m glad to see bikes being normalized as transportation, and I’m happy to see people in everyday clothes riding bikes, but I doubt the sincerity of either Target or KP to actually advocate anything meaningful in the way of bicycle infrastructure, for example. I’ve never been to either a Target or KP facility that was located in a bicycle-friendly area, or had bicycle parking. But, I must say that it’s a far cry better than the typical anti-bike dreck we usually see in commercials (this link goes to a Streetsblog post about a State Farm commercial that has now apparently been taken off YouTube).

…or is it just me in my wool suit and fedora? Spotted in The Past (1920s?) by Flickr user Tobyotter.