Cycle Chicly!

The interplay of cycling, fashion, and gender has been a hot topic in the livable streets blogosphere this month, and in the Livable Streets Community too. We recently saw the launch of a bike culture-themed group blog called Amsterdamize, and on StreetsWiki we have a new article on Cycle Chic.

Santa Barbara Cycle Chic. Photo: Christa Clarke-Jones

In the wiki entry, San Diego-based member Christa Clarke-Jones offers this explanation of the Cycle Chic movement:

Cycle chic or bicycle chic is the culture of cycling in fashionable clothes. Cycle Chic is associated with the utility cycling practiced in cities such as Amsterdam, Berne and Copenhagen, among others, where citizens practice a high level of bicycle usage. In many European cities, as well as cities in China and Japan, cycling is an everyday transport choice and many cyclists choose to wear their regular clothes, as opposed to outfits generally associated with cycle sport, such as bicycle shorts, gloves and shoes. Cycle chic is a growing trend in cities that are now investing in bicycle friendly infrastructure and facilities.

So, what would you add to this StreetsWiki installment? Got something to say about staying chic in more inclement conditions? What about the benefits of Dutch-style fully enclosed chain guards? Add your two cents to the Cycle Chic entry.

Rounding out the week: TransAltMiddletown, in Middletown, CT, is looking for people who can bring a green transportation perpective to a new citizen’s commission on downtown parking; Walk Oakland Bike Oakland reports on the Bay Area’s Car-Free Challenge; and Dan Knaus weighs in on crime data credibility at Cream Citizen.