Satorialist-Style Bike Fashion (New York Times)I spend a lot of time thinking about bikes and clothes and clothes on bikes and the different postures we assume while riding our bikes. I have a hybrid (part road bike part mountain bike) that my family so generously pitched in to buy for me for completing my undergraduate degree. It's great, because the large wheels are suitable for city riding, and the frame/wide tires allow me to go off-road if I need to. The hybrid has never been a fashionable bike, because it's not great at one thing, it just has the potential to do everything at a mediocre level. This bike has always worked for me, first of all, because I think about how sweet my family is to have pooled their money together to buy it for me. Secondly, I don't care if I look cool on my bike. My concern, though, is that I now live in Chicago. Chicago, unlike other cities I have called home (Virginia Beach, Philadelphia, Tucson) doesn't have nearby trails that I would need the mountain bike part for -- and my back starts to hurt from being hunched over all the time. As you may have guessed already -- I want a Dutch bike. I want to sit upright; I don't want to worry about getting chain grease on my clothes; I want to wear a skirt without having to either tie it in a knot so it doesn't get caught in the chain, or have to wear pants underneath because I'm hunched over. I like to ride slowly through the city. There are too many chances to hit the door of a parked vehicle or to hit a pedestrian, so I take my time. The extreme hunched position of road bikes and track bikes (fixed gear) give the impression that the rider is a predatory cat, a puma. They balance on their wheels at stop lights, ready to pounce. These bikes are great for getting around the city quickly, and this is why bike messengers ride them. But people look so classy and relaxed on a Dutch bike. They are made for utility, not speed, and we are encouraged to wear our regular clothes on them (remember just jumping on your bike as a kid, without the spandex or special shoes?). The New York Times published an article about Dutch bikes (my friend Ben Raines alerted me to this), as the new status symbol of the recession. Seriously -- add up the cost of car insurance, parking, repairs, and gas, and the $1,500 price tag of a Dutch utility bike looks very appealing.
Very nice blog.
ReplyDeleteI like it.
Wow! Thanks! I thoughy my dad was the only person who reads this :-)
ReplyDeleteI like this post. I've been meaning to write a similar post for a couple months now, but mine would focus on why I have three bikes, instead of just one bike that can do the work of three.
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