Mode Matters
“In matters of principle, stand like
a rock; in matters of style, swim with the current.”
– Thomas Jefferson
As we were putting this issue together we talked about why we were publishing a style issue. Tania, our Associate Publisher, said, “When I started biking to work, my first thought was to pull out all my old clothes.” Mia, our Marketing Director added, “I thought I had to go out and buy a bunch of special spandex gear.” This is the story for many of us. We started bike commuting for practical or environmental reasons and we girded ourselves for the physical activity. Over time, and learning from more worldly and experienced riders, we saw that we could wear our street clothes, our dresses, even our good shoes while riding. When we realized we didn’t have to wear special gear on our bikes – that we could look like ourselves and wear what we liked, we felt excited, liberated.
Style and fashion are not the same thing. Fashion can be bought. Having style is finding your own uniqueness, your own voice, and letting it shine. Our style speaks loudly about us though we don’t say a word. So this style issue is dedicated to inspiring you to express yourself while you ride your bike. No one can tell you the right type of clothing to wear, or the right bike for you. One piece of advice we will give: it’s much more glamorous to end the ride with all the body parts you started out with – so make sure your fabulous outfit won’t catch in your wheels or brake pads, get a bike with a chain guard if you like wearing flowing pants. Invest some time and effort in putting together the ultimate outfit that not only looks awesome, but works well on a bike. And yes, wearing a helmet IS sexy.
Bicycling is suddenly in vogue and in the news. Stories about commuting by bike are reaching even the big, mainstream media outlets (CBS Sunday Morning carried a great story called “Pedal Power” in July). Part of this recent surge of mass market bike love is due to high gas prices, and part is from what bicycles represent: a simpler and more pleasurable way of life with a small environmental impact. Bicycles have always been stylish – it’s not just being appropriate that makes them attractive. As our founding editor Carmen used to say, “I’ve never seen an ugly
person on a bicycle.”
Wonderful things can happen when great ideas hit the mainstream. Our collective consciousness gets fired up, we get creative, and change can happen quickly and decisively. I’m especially looking forward to the great biking outfits we’ll see in the next couple years, as clothing designers ride their bikes and discover ways to adapt materials and patterns to accommodate life on the saddle. There is still a definite need for more stylish raingear! If you find it – please let us know.
Also in this issue we take you to Austin, Texas and Ottawa, Ontario for a look at bike culture in those cities; we address the importance of bike fitting, and ask women what they look for in a bike; we review some bike-ish books and learn something about internally geared hubs. And out of respect for eating seasonally and locally, we offer tips on food preserving. We hope you enjoy this issue of Momentum, and encourage you to get in touch if you’d like to contribute to the next one in which we’ll look at architecture for a cycling lifestyle.
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