Today sees the official launch of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme in London. I’m not one of the people who registered for it, but I’m very keen to have a go when the casual scheme launches! Be great to see these bikes in action in London: it’s always fabulous to see more people cycling around the city. There has been talk of perhaps extending the scheme to allow Oyster PAYG customers to use their cards to pay for the hire – be interesting if that were an option, as I would certainly use it. As highlighted by Mark over on his wonderful i b i k e l o n […]

I love finding new things to wear to add to my Cycle-Chic wardrobe – and this T-shirt will be mine when it comes back into stock: This “Cycle-Cheek” comes from the very style focused Copenhagen Cycle Chic online shop. More designs can be found here and are certainly worth checking out. I’m sure this tee and the rest like it will turn some heads on the roads! 🙂

If you didn’t already know, the Barclays Cycle Superhighways are currently being rolled-out across London. I’ve had a ride along (bits of) the Highway from Cable Street onwards – and now its arrived in my part of East London: Work started on repainting the old Green Cycle Lane along this stretch of the A13 yesterday morning… …and by the afternoon, they’d moved along quite a bit. Slight battle between Cyclists and Pedestrians yesterday, as the only lane available was the walking path. Really, the fella on his bike should have dismounted as the sign asked – naughty! The original cycle-lane wasn’t in too poor a condition, but I don’t think […]

I adore this version of the song, and have done for some time. It takes on a whole new meaning when she sings it, which gets me. It’s also fantastic that the video is of Meghan looking beautiful while riding that wonderful red bike. Her style in this is simple elegance and it’s amazing. This always makes me want to throw on one of my Polkadot dresses, jump on Frankie just ride around, without a care in the world. Escapism on 2 wheels is a wonderful thing – something that I need to do a lot more of… if I can look this chic while doing it, that would be […]

I went on a “Cycle-Date” from East London to Richmond with the Boy and our friend Tyla on Saturday. I was pretty excited about this, as it would be my 1st ‘real’ riding experience in London (and beyond) on Frankie – something that was long overdue! The date-plan: meet Tyla at Richmond Station & then cycle along the River to Hampton Court Palace. The weather was kind enough to hold back on the rain that we’ve been having in London this week (huzzah!) – allowing me to wear my planned cycle-chic for the day 🙂 I raided my wardrobe and put this together: This was my 1st time cycling in […]

A few months ago, I did a cycle-interview with the rather cool Bianca for a project that she was working on… this project has now come to fruition in the form of the excellent Inside My Locker – a blogazine for women who like to mix style with sport. It’s always fabulous to see fashion & cycling together – especially when the message is being promoted to a wider audience & reminding girls that you can look good while on two wheels! It was lovey to be featured on their Bicyclette Edition in this interview. I totally recommend checking the site out – I know I’ll certainly be keeping my […]

A bit later than expected – but this was how Berlin on a Bike went… Berlin itself is a wonderful city – but the one thing that really blew me away about the place was the cycle culture. In all honestly that was the 1st thing I noticed when we were heading to our hotel in the car. Bleary-eyed and tired (we’d been up since 3am that morning), I was staring out the passenger window and every other person I spotted was either on a Bike, or parking one up somewhere… already I was impressed. The initial plan was to rent Bikes from our hotel when we got there, but […]

Quick update – I’m off to Berlin tomorrow for a 5 day break… and some cycling should be involved along the way… The hotel that me and The Boy are staying in have a Cycle-Rental scheme, so we should be getting our bike-on in Berlin – this pleases me. Of course there will be photos & now that I finally have a decent mini-camera (well, Boy has loaned me his Ricoh) I can easily take pics while cycling – as lugging the D80 wasn’t an option. Hopefully see you soon with some European Cycling Adventures 🙂

The Raleigh Twenty was delivered this evening – and the cheesy smile on my face tells you that I’m happy with it ! Electric Red, with a Chrome finish, Pannier, Ding-Dong Bell & a Brooks Saddle… nice. Took it for a spin around the block to see how it rides & I’m pleased, but I’m gonna get it serviced properly to make sure it’s alright. Probably bad that I’m already thinking of little ways to possibly ‘Pimp my Ride”… ooops. I’ll be taking it to Portsmouth in the next few weeks, so expect tales of cycling by the Seaside (at last). I feel a lot less ‘precious’ about the Raleigh… […]

The search for a 2nd set of Wheels has resulted in success… come next Tuesday, this Red Retro baby should be with me! It’s a vintage Raleigh Twenty & is exactly what I was hoping to find. It appears to be in fantastic condition from the further pictures on the listing for it, and has been well loved by the previous owner… Loving the colour scheme & the totally Retro vibes to it 🙂 I guess that I must have the ‘Cycling Bug’ bad, as I’ve not even had my Pashley for 6 months and already I’ve bought another set of wheels… Its permanent base will be in Portsmouth, so […]

The withdrawal symptoms I was suffering last weekend have gone: I’ve been cycling into work all week & loving it! It’s funny how much I missed it – especially when I was in Portsmouth last weekend where it felt like every chic being was on a bike… Anyway – back to this week: Weather has been fabulous for cycling in London (not too hot and not too cold), so it’s been early morning starts for a leisurely ride to the office. The boots have been replaced with Ballet Pumps… the stuffy & sweaty carraiges of the DLR in the evenings after work have been replaced with fresh air and views […]

I have been rather lacklustre on updating further adventures on Frankie. I’ve not been able to ride her over the past week due to things & events happening after work, which would not correspond well with me on a Pashley. Will be back on the saddle next week… I’ve been missing the feeling of how energised I get riding! In the meantime, it would appear that the Sun has decided to stick his hat on – meaning more people are out in force on two wheels – which is always lovely to see. I’m in Portsmouth at the moment (a long weekend which started on Thursday afternoon) and there are […]

“Thank you!” Spring for finally showing your sunny face today… “Thank you!” Easter Holidays for giving me clear & quiet roads this morning… After not getting to ride over Easter, a cycle on Frankie was just what I needed to start up the (short) week. Left home at 08:00 in the sunshine & took a leisurely pace… clear roads meant that I wasn’t freaked by cars – I even managed not to get spooked by any Buses behind or in front of me. Cycling back at 18:00 was really lovely: sun was still out and everything looked rather nice in my corner of East London from the Vélo view… I’ve […]

Back on the Saddle after a slight absence – I’ve finally started cycling into work 🙂 Last Friday I received my set of keys to the secure Cycle Shed for staff on Campus, meaning that I have a safe location to lock Frankie in. Saturday was the day: I was going into the office and with there being no DLR running, riding in was the perfect answer. Although I’ve done a practice-ride to the office, this was a bit of a big deal for me, as I was doing it without the guidance of The Boy: cycling alone on the road = huge. Left home at a reasonably early hour, […]

I got the news I was hoping for this morning: I have a bay in the secure Bike Shed at my workplace! Put in an application for one last week etc and its all been sorted… I’ll be given the key tomorrow morning, so I can finally start riding Frankie into work. Coming into the office on Saturday (which isn’t an ideal weekend, but work needs doing & I certainly won’t say no to the overtime…) and the DLR is down – how else to get in but in style on a Pashley, right? The path to work should be pretty quiet too as I’m planning on leaving home early. […]

The feelings of attachment to my Pashley are official: this weekend will be my first without Frankie and I’m going to miss her terribly! I’m heading to Portsmouth to see The Boy for the weekend, but will not be taking her with me. As I’m still not cycling to work yet (currently sorting out a personal Bay in the secure Bike Parking sheds for staff on the Campus), I can’t peddle her in on Friday & have her parked-up someplace secure. I’m also no where near the point of being brave enough to ride to Waterloo from East London… When the time does come for me to take Frankie to […]

After nearly a week of not riding I was back on Frankie* today. There was the plan of heading out for rides in the week but due to working late (boo) and meeting up with friends (yay!), it didn’t quite happen. It was great to get back on the Saddle today & continue finding my cycle legs. As it was just a casual ride to work out a cycle route, it called for casual cycle-chic – or my take on it at least… Hat: Missoni Track Top: Emilo Pucci for Adidas Scoop Neck Top: Topshop Jeans: Topshop Trainers: Adidas Bagwise – practical and the right size to fit in Frankie’s […]

I’m amazed at how a bicycle can have an influence on a persons wardrobe and style… Since making the decision that a Pashley Princess was the bike for me, a wardrobe revolution was put in motion & is gathering pace! Some of this style inspiration has come to me in many guises, including: the visual romance of the bicycle itself: a traditional loop-frame like this conjures up images of classic style & grace. Add to this the quintessential Britishness of a Princess, and you get the idea of the style direction it may point you towards international cycle-fashionistas, thanks to the excellent blogs/sites that I’ve come across. From those listed […]

I am now the proud owner of a Pashley Princess Classic! The day started off on a good note: no rain & bright sunshine – which is exactly what I’d hoped for… not to say that I’m going to be a fairweather rider, but I really didn’t want my 1st experience of riding through the city to be in the wind and rain. As the weather was nice but stil pretty cold, I went for the cycle-outfit that I thought would be practical for the weather, but still stylish (it was really too chilly for one of my new tea dresses): Coat: Warehouse Jeans: Topshop Vintage Saddle Bag: Absolute Vintage […]

So, lets get this started… Even at 20something, I’m nowhere near as accomplished as the bloggers I’ve listed as my inspiration here. I’m essentially a new girl to the world of Cycling – both as an adult & in this City. The last time I actually owned a bike was years ago: I’d been given my sister’s BMX, which had been lovingly restored by our older brother. It was simple (if not a little boyish), but I loved it. He taught me how to ride on it & used to take me to Gloucester Park on a weekend to go cycling & build up my confidence on 2 wheels. As […]