Pashley Princess with Mayor & Model

A reader sent me these images from a photoshoot promoting the Car-Free Day that will be happening on September 20th in London.

London's Mayor Boris Johnson is pictured on his own bike, and model Kelly Brook poses on a black Pashley Princess Classic.

Personally, I find the pictures of her on the Pashley somewhat unconvincing and I am not sure that choosing her was the best form of advertisement. Several news sources reported that she was having difficulties when trying to actually ride the bike, and now discussions have sprung up regarding whether her skirt and heels were appropriate for cycling.

A caption in the Daily Mail reads: "Maybe this isn't the right outfit! Kelly struggles to keep her modesty after wearing a dress and heels." I have nothing against beautiful models. But it may have been nice to find one who, like the Mayor himself, is actually comfortable riding a bike...

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Velo Transgressions

I saw this bicycle yesterday, chained to the railing of a restaurant in Harvard Square directly under a series of neon "No Bikes Please" signs.

The restaurant responded by taping this note to the saddle:

"This, actually, is a bike, of which yon sign speaks.
(Please don't park here this weekend)".

Plenty of businesses would have (gleefully) had the lock cut and disposed of the bicycle, but this restaurant was nice enough not to. I wonder what was going through the bike owner's mind when locking their green-tired pride and joy directly under a "No Bikes" sign. It seems like the kind of intentionally transgressive act that gives cyclists in Boston a bad reputation.

This made me think of an incident a couple of weeks ago, when I wanted to go into a place of business, but the bike racks outside were full. I peeked inside with my bike and asked whether I could leave it in the lobby since there was nowhere to park it outdoors. The person I addressed was immediately filled with rage, and said something to the effect of "Don't even think of coming in here with that! You people think you can do anything you want with those bikes!" In the area where I live, I have noticed that bikes are often associated with transgressive behaviour. Some cyclists encourage this; then other cyclists reap the consequences.

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The Provincetown School of Vehicular Cycling

We often take daytrips to the Cape in the summer, but avoid Provincetown, because it is both too far and much too crowded. However, last week we stopped by. For those unfamiliar with the area, Provincetown is a lively and quirky town at the very tip of Cape Cod, long associated with the arts and with freedom of sexual expression. The main street is lined with galleries, coffee houses, excellent restaurants, eccentric shops, theaters, piano lounges and dance clubs. Rainbow flags are aflutter. Tourists pose to have their pictures taken with drag queens. Ocean waves rise picturesquely in the background. Everything is relaxed and easy; everyone gets along.

We arrived with our vintage 3-speeds and found the town center absolutely packed. The photos don't capture this, but many parts of the long and narrow Commercial Street were filled shoulder to shoulder with pedestrians and bumper to bumper with cars. It did not look like we could walk through the center, let alone cycle. And yet, the place was full of cyclists. They were riding in both directions through the narrow street, blithely passing the slow cars and the meandering pedestrians with dogs and strollers. We got on our bicycles, and what an educational experience it was.

Imagine: Cars pay attention to bicycles and wait for them without getting angry about it. Drivers and passengers look before opening the doors of parked cars. Cyclists are non-belligerent. Phrases such as "Please, go right ahead!" and "Oh, sorry about that!" and "Thanks!" and "Hey, nice bike!" can be heard all around instead of what is normally shouted in Boston. Can this be Vehicular Cycling Heaven? Cycling in Provincetown - both through the center and through the wider roads with higher speed limits - has made me feel considerably more comfortable about sharing the road with cars.

We did not take many bike photos, but here are a few bicycles spotted in town. A colourful Electra Amsterdam with nice wicker panniers and a sunflower on the handlebars. I believe it belongs to a local painter.

And here is a Rivendell Rambouillet by the marina, complete with fenders, Brooks saddle, rack, lights, and handlebar bag. The owner was pleased and amused that I recognised his bike.

And finally, a solution to the "control issue" in tandem cycling: The Buddy Bike! Now both riders can feel like captains - though I assume this can only be done if the riders are roughly of the same weight.

For more about cycling in P-Town, read about Vee's bike date at Suburban Bike Mama.

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The World of Vehicular Cycling

I have been feeling pretty comfortable cycling with traffic. The Pashley Princess is so sturdy and reliable, that I feel more like a small car than a bicycle, which gives me the confidence to behave like a motorist. I have always been a nervous driver, but interestingly, I have not had the same anxiety while cycling.

As I began to cycle in the city, I quickly realised that many ideas about cycling I'd held since childhood were counterproductive. Reading up on the topic, including the iconic Effective Cycling by John Forester, has confirmed this. The biggest example, is the false belief that riding on the sidewalk and on the opposite side of the road (in order to "see the oncoming cars") are safe alternatives for beginners who do not feel brave enough to cycle with traffic. I wish there was a way to communicate to the public what an extremely bad idea it is to do these things. The sense of safety they give the beginner is a dangerous illusion, since there are far more opportunities to get hit by a car this way than by cycling with traffic and obeying motorist rules. If you are new to cycling, please have a look at this website for a to-the-point analysis of the kind of behaviour that leads to accidents.

Given the option of using perfectly designed segregated cycling facilities, I would gladly do so. But the reality in North America today, is that vehicular cycling is a de facto necessity, since no proper cycling infrastructure exists. For that reason, I think it is crucial for cyclists to learn the rules and do it properly. A pretty skirt, high heels and a basket will not save you from the dangerous situations that misinformation and lack of skill can create.

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Da Vinci Bicycle... Or Not

Forget the Fendi Bicycle. It has been proposed that the first Italian designer bike was invented by Leonardo Da Vinci. The wooden construction above is a model "Da Vinci Bicycle", from an exhibition of the artist's inventions.

A bicycle-like sketch was discovered in 1974 during the restoration of the Codex Atlanticus and attributed to Da Vinci. Conferences were held about this discovery; academic articles written... until 1997, when the sketch was proven to be a 20th century forgery.

Okay, so Leonardo Da Vinci did not really invent the bicycle. But it's a romantic idea.

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Anti-Theft Cozy

Spotted around Harvard Square, this road bike is sporting a green knitted U-lock cover!

Knitting a "cozy" for your U-Lock is a fabulous and pretty hilarious idea. But if I think about it, there might be more to it. The hand-knitted cover humanizes the owner of the bicycle. It calls attention to the deeply personal anxieties over the safety of our cherished belongings. If cruel acts are possible because the perpetrator depersonalises the victim, then perhaps this piece of knitted handywork will disrupt that process by evoking empathy.

Edited to add: After searching for "knitted U-Lock cover" on google, I've discovered this post from Bikes and the City. Bi-coastal trend?

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Naked Bike Ride in Vienna

Is it possible to be naked and stylish on a bicycle? I was hoping to find the answer to this question at the Bare as You Dare ride in Vienna.

But just as people were beginning to frolic joyously in their velo-nakedness, police officers came round and asked everyone to cover up. The cyclists cooperated and there were no clashes. But neither was there much nudity.

The behaviour of the police confused me. In Vienna, public nudity is not at all uncommon: you can see women sunbathing topless in city parks and men lying on the grass with their naked behinds visible to all. So why this objection to some lovely naked cyclists? Perhaps someone Austrian can enlighten me.

Still, under the circumstances, the cyclists came through with flying colours. Red was a particlarly popular choice for accessories: it works well both with nudity and with political messages.

The edge of the monument in the background reads "Freedom to the European People," in Russian...

This lovely couple juxtaposed delicate pink underthings with industrial-yellow safety wear.

With her turquoise helmet, leopard print tie, and strappy sandals, this beauty clearly knows how to accessorise black underpants.

A gentleman and his roadbike.

A Veniaitan shade of red, looking lovely with grass-green body paint.

The most striking participant of the ride was a lovely lady in nude undergarnments who rode a stacked bicycle. She chose not to have a close-up photo displayed on the web, but trust me -- she was stunning!

Is it possible to be naked and stylish on a bicycle? I think it is. A bicycle is extremely flattering to the human figure: It tenses all the right muscles, lengthens the body, and encourages beautiful posture. It would be interesting to see a true Naked Bike Ride without police censorship.

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Critical Mass Chic? -- Austria

I stopped by at the meeting point of the Critical Mass "Bare as You Dare" bike ride in Vienna today. There was a conference at work and I could not get away long enough to take part in the ride -- but I took some photos and said hello to people, then went back after the ride took off.

There was a very friendly, pleasant atmosphere at this event, which I had not been expecting after reading the negative comments about Critical Mass on several weblogs. There were also many lovely cyclists. I have so many photos, that I've decided to split this into a "clothed" post and a "naked" post. The naked will follow shortly : )

First we have our very own lovely Anna, from Cycling Is Good for you! We met briefly and I was charmed by her beautiful socks and sandals.

Here they are up close -- nice! If you don't know it already, Anna's blog is worth visiting.

This delightful woman on a unicycle stood out in her matching green outfit and pirate hat!

A ginger-haired beauty in a green satin dress with red bicycle...

Another lovely red-head, in a pink mini-dress with a vintage orange folding bike. Nice!

1920s film-star looks and a dreamy attitude...

The bicycle is integral in her lady-like, serene posture...

This dashing representative of criticalmass.at looked lovely in black, with contrasting cream lace-ups.

And this stylish young lady relaxed in her orange cargo bike sporting a matching bandana and a happy smile.

A leggy, ethereal beauty was kind enough to pose for me by the fountain...

Of course, some lovely gentlemen graced the event with their stylish presence as well.

Notice that this one is riding one of the Citibikes discussed here.

Of course, the prize for the loveliest bicycle goes to this golden beauty! I would love to see this in the streets of Vienna during the rest of the year.

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Life Imitates Art

I came across this scene in a local park and felt as if I had stepped into a Muntean & Rosenblum painting.

[image via Flickr]

Markus Muntean and Adi Rosenblum are a team of contemporary artists. Their illustration-style paintings depict lethargic youths arranged in bizarre postures. The paintings are captioned with nonsensical "deep thought" narrations, written comic book style ("They are not hungering for immortality. They will not have to prove anything by dying any more than they had to prove anything in living...").

Here is another snapshot, and another Muntean & Rosenblum painting ("We didn't make plans or talk about the future anymore..." ).

[image from re-title.com]

Muntean and Rosenblum are Austrian and Israeli, respectively, and I believe they live mostly in London. For more about their work, visit the Saatchi Gallery.

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Bike Check-ups from the Green Party

The Austrian Green Party offered free bike check-ups to cyclists outside of the Augarten in Vienna today.

"Grüne Radrettung / Check Your Bike!" The Green Party also hands out seeds for planting flowers in your garden. The EU Parliament elections in Austria are on the 7th of June.

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