Functional Urban Cycling Fashion
Jun 07, 2008 · 08:00 AM · permalink
I came across this photo on Flickr that illustrates a simple and creative way to give basic slacks some cycling utility.
This cyclist has stitched a highly reflective triangle of 3M inside both pant legs. When the legs are rolled up to avoid chain grease, the reflective patch is revealed. This is a great solution for urban cyclists and commuters that want to increase visibility without sporting cycling specific fashions off their bikes.
What about you? Do you have any practical tips for maintaining visibility?
Uploaded by bilobicles bag | more from the Bike Hugger Photostream.
when the retina-scorching fluorescent yellow jacket is not necessary, i like to wear a red jacket. i feel like a complete dork in the yellow off the bike, but not in the red. the red is still pretty visible on the bike.
then again, i am a complete dork, so it might not be the jacket. -;D
I’ve got my commuter — bumble-bee yellow — Limar helmet.
Flamboyant personality, dorky folding bike, yetti sweater, and oh — Bell Metro helmet bright yellow.
Or… just put on a chain guard on your bike and other commuter requirements and wear your excellent threads. Keep it real. Keep it simple.
Sewing plastic in your pants? Complex and problematizing… not a life hack, a life burden. As with many things, the “U.S. American’s” will have to learn much of cities elsewhere on the planet that have made biking part of a viable non-car urban lifestyle.
We have so much to learn…
See? Keeping biking real can accompany your life; if people keep making “biking” complex looking and requiring “clever and unique things” aka complex bothers, then biking will not become the environmental transport norm that we want it to be, it’ll still be seen as encumbered in impractical.
Neotint,
See my crappy infographic here and yes the real growth in cycling is with the plains clothes. However, that’s a spiffy use of reflective material — I prefer Man-pris or using a cuff band. And take a look at these — we’ve got samples on the way.
those light weight cords look great thanks for the tip DL-B!
that info graphic is great too, i have no idea what it means (editorial direction is for 60% of hugga blog content to be about non-edge cases/fringe aka your typical smart and cool plain clothes bikers?)
also, yeah the man-pris are coming back, which i’ve noticed a bit here in nyc. the last time they were here in was in the late 90’s. very practical but with lots of style options. i guess i can start wearing mine again. would be cool to make cordarounds into man-pris, i could get my local dry-clean-tailor to swing that.
my favorite visibility techniques:
maintain a straight line of travel and use the travel lane, not the gutter.
use good, bright headlights and taillights.
wear normal clothes — light colors help, but i think normal clothes help most of all.
Swrve stitches some reflective material inside their jeans. Pretty cool company.
And see Laek House’s ELVS; posted here.
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