You are not stuck in traffic. You are traffic

Filed under Sisters in the saddle

Never a truer word said….

(iL) Soigneur: n, for cycling and life

Filed under Sisters in the saddle

Nice new things for us, the cycling massive…

(iL) Soigneur is a rather lovely Bristol based company produces musettes - originally for racing cyclist musettes are cotton bags filled with food and drink which can be easily grabbed by a racing demon and snacked upon at great speed. How fitting therefore that they are sold in my favourite hang-out ‘look mum no hands’.

Bicycle Storage Solution?

Filed under Sisters in the saddle

We now have 3 bikes in my flat and no space.

Its a common theme, in London particularly where bikes are essential and space is a premium. The conundrum of how i’m going to store / hang / rest my bikes keeps me awake at night and to be honest I still haven’t quite concluded on what the solution is.

A few options so far:

Cycloc

I’ve used one of these in a previous flat and although good in that location its a bit too much for my narrow hallway

Pulleys

I thought this was the ideal scenario but alas my ceilings aren’t high enough and I don’t think my 6ft 3 flatmate would really appreciate bike in his face every morning.

The Delta Leonardo Wall Mount Rack …

looks to be relatively unobtrusive when your bicycle isn’t mounted in it and a pretty nice way of getting your bike up and out of the way when it is. Its my current favoured option although I still can’t figure out exactly where it / they are going to go…

If I lived in Lambeth I’d be Ok. They have just launched a new scheme whereby you can rent a space in a secure ‘bike box’ for £5 per month. Being a north London girl I am not normally envious of my southern friends but for once the tables have turned. Jealous? Yes, just a little bit.

Bicycle Film Festival: London: Women by Women

Filed under Sisters in the saddle

If you live anywhere near London the Bicycle Film Festival BFF is a must. The timetable is rammed with clever, innovative and inspiring films looking and bike and cycling from every angle you can think of.

2pm Sunday is the ‘women about women’ programme featuring films about and by female cyclists.

Fabric Bike Dir. Laura Mensinga & Kirsten White

Canadian all-girl midnight bike gang, The Deadly Nightshades, comes together to create a bicycle that combines their love of fashion, art, and cycling. These women document this 3-month process step by step.

CHICK FLICK Dir. Natalie Wade

Chick Flick is the first all-female BMX film. This short features a weekend in the life of female BMX rider Natalie Wade in Texas.

Emerald City Spin Dir. Kristy Lee & Eirlie Chisholm

Summer daze, bikes and babes, riding round, wearing shades. Feel the breeze, catch a wave, looking hot, like grenades.

Byke Shop

Dir. Chrissy Durcak

Profile of a local bike shop and community space.

Canada 2009 Dir. Chrissy Durcak HD 4 min.

Labour of Love Dir. Virginia Hastings

Follow Canadian ultra-cyclist, Caroline van den Bulk, as she attempts to complete what is known as the hardest endurance race in the world: RAAM (Race Across America). Caroline, an amateur rider and kindergarten teacher follows her dreams, passions, and obsessions in this gruelling race which requires cycling with little to no sleep for days at a time. Very few people finish within the allotted time of 12 days to earn the distinction of RAAM Finisher.

Canada 2010 Dir. Virginia Hastings HD 65 min.

In addition to some amazing films there are parties and events, there is a messenger race today at 4pm and on Sunday you can see some bicycle polo (see recent blog) in action. If you still have energy left there is a closing party at my favourite hang out, ‘look mum no hands’ - last year this party was epic and gave me a special kind of headache normally only reserved for the day after weddings and Christmas. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

Video: Bike Polo

Filed under Sisters in the saddle, blog

Wow Wow Wow - we love this bike polo video from the super cool/super traditional Brooks Saddles.

Its worth taking a look at some of their other videos too - we also love the Picnic Run - I want to go out on my bike now!

More info: www.brookssaddles.com

Levi’s Commuter Range: Too good to be true?

Filed under Sisters in the saddle

As winter starts to loom its head and I still haven’t quite got the heart to get mud guards on either of my bikes the wet bum issue becomes something of a daily occurance. So, expensive though they may be I am extremely tempted by the new ‘commuter range’ by Levi’s.

Key features are:

• U-Lock band
• High rise back
• Nano-Sphere fabric coating devloped by 3M that repels water and stains (important for the British weather)
• Clariant coating that gives the fabric a clean odour resistant coating.
• Reflective coating on turn-ups

They don’t do a women’s range as yet but I’m not normally a fan of girls jeans anyway. Reflective and waterproof while still looking good is tempting but are they too much? Will they make you look like a try hard or will they actually just take the much needed role of a hardwearing pair of jeans that wont need patching every five minutes due to saddle wear and tear? I’m holding off on final judgement until I’ve seen them in the flesh. Will hunt out and report back!