That Bicycle Fit Diagram

Here's that diagram. I couldn't explain this speaking so I had to draw it. 
Saying something nice: Those freakin' chromoly tubes are amazing over bumps. If I do buy a bike in the future, I will not overlook the goodness of them. This bicycle is also very lightweight and even though the handlebars are wider than my Linus, it's easy to maneuver this light guy into the storage closet where it hangs out while I work.

Monday I rode the Nirve bike. I'm trying to feel better about it after my exhausting ride around Central Park last Sunday.

My coat is Jordache vintage. Gap jeans, dolce vita pax boots. Headband and gloves are from K-Mart. 

Bike Tip - Tight Rolled Jeans Can Save Your Life

Lately I've worn flare leg jeans and I brought back a tight roll on the fly to keep 'em out of the chain.
Tight rolls can literally save your life.


My big leg jeans didn't really get caught in the chain of my Schwinn, R.I.P, but the Linus tried to chew up my jeans as soon as we took off that day! Kate Middleton is hungry. 

Bike Style Tips for Cooler Temps

Just in case you didn't know me last winter - We are going to ride this bitch all 12 months.
We may not ride when the snow is falling, but we will ride when the temps get crazy low.

Last winter I could not believe myself when I discovered my threshold for cold. I basically don't have one. I have faux furs, scarves, gloves, clear glasses, etc.
I do draw the line for cold + wind or cold + condensation falling.

But as long as it's DRY I can ride because I'm prepared.

Let me give details because my winter bike accessories are pretty affordable.
Clear glasses from Vans and many others from Claire's Boutique. -Yes, the Claire's for 12 year old girls. And me.
My driving gloves are also from Claire's.

Biking the Brooklyn Bridge - I Loved It!

I biked the Brooklyn Bridge for the first time last night and it was awesome!
Here's a post from the first time I walked it a few years ago.

I got an alarming phone call yesterday from a friend letting me know she was in the hospital. I think she's going to be OK, but she was in for observation. I mapped the hospital and saw that it was near the Brooklyn Bridge. I'm slightly intimidated when it comes to biking in Brooklyn. I just don't know it very well. It requires a little map-studying, and that's what I did.

I prepared directions and used clothes pins to clip them to my basket.


This is my round-trip route.


It was raining a little and that cleared out some of the tourists, I'm sure. I had consulted friends on Twitter and I was advised to get in a tourist mindset and I was, so I was happy. It was also my first time biking over this bridge so I was really into the scenery. For a long time I've recommend walking over the Brooklyn Bridge at night my favorite NYC attraction because it's so beautiful and it's free. 


I got poured on in Brooklyn. Drenched and then some, but I was fine. I dried out on the way home.

This pic is blurrr-city but I was happy and a guy in a bike-tour group took it. They were on a paid bicycle tourism tour. I was happy to tell them about a cool, free ride  tonight (and every last Saturday of the month.) 



When my clip-on directions got me back to the Brooklyn side entrance handily, you have no idea the relief I felt. Getting on that bridge meant I could get myself home and at this point, I could forget the directions. My Brooklyn geography is very poor.


I was relieved to pull it off so easily, but I was prepared. At one point, I opened up my emergency parka but decided that I would rather be wet than wet and covered in plastic.

I loved this ride. I love that I biked about 20 miles and totally deserved to stop at Shake Shack and get a sweet Root Beer Float. I was also exhausted and slept very well. 

Oooh She Recognized Me!!!

Me and Emily went to another Amy Sedaris  Simple Times book event tonight and I'm going to tell all that I can remember.

OK- this is a little bit bicycle related. I'm pretty pissed that I rolled-up at the Time Warner Center (it's like a mall) at Columbus Circle and the bicycle rack situation was completely insufficient.

This is such a fancy place! Look at all that room! They could have some kick-ass-cool bicycle racks. Grrr...

Thank goodness when I went up to a sign-post next to a police cruiser where a nice vintage blue men's schwinn was, the owner rushed up to unlock it to leave. We had a brief discussion about how lame the bike parking was then he left. It was swell. He wasn't cute or anything but I realized that if you're single and you want a smooth way to speak to the opposite sex- ride a bicycle. And talk about it with your fellow man.


The seating area at Borders was quite small and I know a small angry mob hated me for saving a spot for Emily. Only about a third as large as the seating at the Union Square B&N where we saw her in early Nov.  I'd also like to say that this uptown crowd was not nearly as cute as the downtown Union Square crowd. The whole uptown/downtown thing is true.

We didn't see Amy until after she got on their loudspeaker and made a funny announcement. She was wearing a navy blue dress cut in a similar style to other dresses - tank-top style with a large, circle skirt. The layers of ruffles on the skirt part were trimmed in flapper-dress fringe. Her hair was freshly blow-dried and a little wild looking in the back. She came in with a "tall" size hot beverage from Starbucks.

She seemed to have a strong southern accent tonight. It made me happy I've been using mine more lately. Driiiiiy, iiiiice, fiiiiire, tiiiiired. 

She pulled this adorable young main in plaid & overalls up to be the volunteer who does the banana candle demonstration. I'm pretty disappointed that Matt won't wear his overalls. Not even to the bar or to Home Depot. Lame!


She did a demonstration where she made a twist-tie out of gaffers tape & wire.
After the banana candle she opened the floor for questions.

Some people asked lame questions that I'm sure make her want to puke like "When will we see Jerry again?" And she gives them a taste, but you know... let's be fresh.

She said something about glitter crafts being the worst because they're so messy.

She made a FANTASTIC announcement that cracked me and Emily up- She announced that if anyone in the audience brought her a craft gift that the trash cans are located over here and that's where they're going after she breaks them down for parts she can use. Me and Emily busted-up because in the line at B&N to get our books signed, the girl in front of us busted out a fucking BRONZE SCULPTURE of a pair of legs. We were like OMG then and we laughed and laughed tonight after she said that and we knew exactly where those legs went.

She had to answer the question "Where did you get your shoes?" And she replied that they're from her favorite thrift shop, Cobblestones on 9th street and that she wears a size 5! Woah, tiny feet.

Speaking of tiny feet- her arms looked crazy-muscle-y tonight.

She used the scissors Martha Stewart gave her- Paper Scissors & Fabric Scissors. She used the scissors to cut wire and she referred to Martha as "he" "him" "...What would he think if he knew I was cutting wire with these..." 

When I was on Martha - at least one drawer had about 10 pairs of perfect scissors in a variety of sizes in it. Of course I'll never forget what I saw in those drawers but you know. I'll never forget that shit.

My FIRST question was something like "What criteria was she looking for in judging the Leonard Lupone craft competition" and she said something about "I already picked it- I picked it for the idea" Then she asked Why I asked and if I had entered and I said I did the Hobo Wreath and she said "Oh, no, it wasn't that, you'll see"

I think better than winning the glory of winning the craft competition was being recognized by her. Yes, absolutely.


And I don't remember if she recognized me on that question or my next question but she said (And I'm on the back row) "I've seen you before - you came to the thing at Barnes & Noble" indeed I did, but I've also seen her at Meredith college in Raleigh, NC, at least 2 Bust Craftaculars and surely another time. She's signed a bunch of junk for me - Some of it to give my PlayBrother.

Here's my face of happiness that she recognized me on my ride home.


My Play-Brother graduated from college and she signed a card for him at a Craftacular one time.

We didn't get books signed tonight. We just stayed for the talky part. That book is $30 damn dollars and me and Emily were both beat from work. Walking out, we realized we could have stolen the books and gotten them signed and gotten away with it. (Hardcore fans know that she defended her books price by saying "Poor people can steal it")

Me and Emily are going to see her THREE MORE TIMES this month.

My 2nd question was "Weren't you supposed to wear that one dress to all your stops on the book tour?" Then she was like "Who are you?!" Then "This is a whole thing and I'm going to explain it all since you said that" Then she explained that she's being filmed for a show on NY1- (which is a local NYC channel) and she said she is being filmed 3 times, so she felt like she needed to wear 3 diff. things and she broke down which dress she's wearing for each filming and she's wearing the white (book cover) dress on Saturday and we're going to that event, so we'll see her there and she'll probably recognize me and realize I'm a stalker and kick me out.

She said that NY1 really is her favorite channel.


Goodnight Time Warner Center and your crappy bicycle parking!

He Snagged Me

This tree grabbed my attention with his beauty.

It was warm enough on Friday for this light leather jacket. Knee-high boots are great because I rotate my pedals with my shins to get ready to go at stoplights. The boots protect my legs better. I wore these Levi jeggings twice this week.

This was 5 days of bicycle commuting to work in a row, and that feels awesome! No interruptions from rain or *far-off social activities keeping me from riding. Riding through Central Park in the dark has been pretty fun, but I am still not satisfied with my bicycle light situation. Friday my clip-on headlight fell off at Broadway & 38th and cars ran over it and it exploded all over the street and people on the corner collectively "Awwwwed" on my behalf.

Before going home, I stopped at a bicycle shop and got a 2-pack of Knog clip-on lights and a front basket. This new basket is a style that a lot of girls have that hooks onto front handlebars. I wanted a front basket to carry my purse. I want it up there so my eyes are on it at all times and I can rifle through it to check my cell or camera when stopped of course.

Friday night Matt and I rode around Central Park to the Upper West Side to go to TJ Maxx & Michael's to get some craft supplies for a competition I'm entering.

We did not dress warmly enough and it was miserable! We saw the most beautiful skylines but I was way too cold to even think about stopping to take pictures. We also saw the fattest raccoon we've ever seen. We did stop to look at him. It's many degrees colder in Central Park than on the streets at night, and I need to learn to be better prepared for that.

S'Lazy Monday

#1. Today's Makeup.


#2. On My Face.

Bare Study Paint Pot, ProLash mascara, SHY GIRL lipstick, DERVISH lip liner, Enough Said Cheek Color, Retro Speck, Vanilla, NC20 Concealer. No foundation. Mineralize Powder Light.

#3. Riding to work. Construction + Marathon Dramas.


#4. Thinking about riding home from work in the dark.


#5. Riding in the dark- as long as it's dry outside!- is actually quite fun.



#6. Bonnie is helping me adjust* these ugly light clips with electrical tape. More darkness means more fierce lights.


#7. NYC - Central Park - Night Ride. Peaceful, Lovely. Let's watch Conan!

Re-Routed!

West Side Scenery.

The Marathon isn't til' Sunday but the Grand Stands are up and I got re-routed and rode almost a whole extra mile if you believe in the iMapMyRide App.





































I love this little stopping place. I set my camera up on a low, flat-topped wooden fence/barricade thing that separates the walking path from the street and self-timer it.


I got this wonderful 80's Jordache brand jacket at a thrift shop in Malvern, Arkansas.


See how my hair is all flat on top? That means I need to book a haircut.

THis is what's going on under that huge coat, glasses and helmet:

Target necklace and a cheap TJ Maxx Top with strips of studs on the shoulders. -Both purchased in Raleigh, NC recently.

Here's my Panda portrait on the way home. Don't hate on my non-matching, not even in an ironic way orange gloves. Gloves are a must right now and these were the most full-coverage ones I could find.

I love the leather spike patches on the shoulders of this jacket. I saw some plum leather driving gloves in a spread today but I don't know who makes them, but I need some! My bicycle temperature tolerance is fine in the high 30's so it looks like I'll be riding much of the winter (I hope) so I need ear coverage and super cute little gloves. Fingerless driving gloves are great, because I can still work my phone and camera. When I'm stopped of course!

Grocery Saturday!

Saturday we mounted-up on the bikes and took ourselves to DO THE ENTIRE EAST HARLEM SHOPPING COMPLEX of Love and Low-Price Satisfaction.
A to B map. Thank goodness for the East River Greenway thing. It makes doing this a breeze.


We got Bonnie this Martha Stewart for PetSmart collar I've been insisting she needs. I should have gotten it online way back when b/c the store (and now the website) was sold out of the leash that matches. I've been going on and on about her Gold Fall collar and now she doesn't have a matching set and she is pissed.


So PetSmart is at FDR level. Then we went all the way to the top- Marshall's. BUST! We got NOTHING.

Then at Old Navy I got 3 clearance tops for a grand total of $5.45 cents.

Then we just did some usual grocery business at Costco & Target. Yes, it sucks carrying it all around. That's something I try to explain to people about our existence in New York City with no cars. You can't go shopping then throw the stuff you bought in the car and then shop some more. You have to commit to carrying each and every item you purchase around.

We did Target first, and saved Costco for last. We use fabric/cloth grocery bags and we know that when our cloth bags are full, we have to GO HOME. Sacks Full = Stop Shopping!


Matt felt bad that my bicycle had to carry the bulk of the groceries. OK - I actually peer pressured him into getting a rear-rack so he could help out and prevent sweaty back for his daily life. He's a fellow who wears a shirt and tie every.single.day. to work.

He's got a big box of Greek Yogurt and Soy Milk on his rear-rack. He's got my Old Navy tops and our toiletries from Target in his back-pack.

I can't stand bicycling in a back-pack because I hate sweaty back. I refuse to get any more sweaty than I have to. I'd rather tie my cargo onto the rear.

Maximum Capacity! I had so much weight that I had to remain seated even on hills to prevent my stuff from bouncing. My basket was full and I put a bag on top of that. Yikes.

Dior turned into a GIANT Bag!

I saw the protective covering Dior put up for it's remodel. How cute!

I keep missing the turn up 6th Ave., so I've been riding up Madison Ave. a few times this week. It has an ample bus lane, but no official bicycle lane.

I got invited to join a new bicycle basket group on Flickr called Basket_Case. I'm loving all the bicycle style groups/blogs/cute people! This one is meant to showcase & share how & what you're carrying in your bicycle basket.


This Arkansas Thrifted canvas tote, could not be more hipster-style. I got it at a Cat/Feline Rescue thrift shop in Arkansas for fifty-cents. It was tied onto the rear rack opposite my basket.

I must say I've had great success tying any old shopping tote onto my rear rack. I mostly transport clothes & lunch containers anyway.

Today I locked my keys inside the apartment so I had no bike lock keys so I had to come straight home after work (because I couldn't un-lock or lock my lock to park it anywhere but work.) No field trippin' This was a great day to clean some shoes & stuff out of my desk. I keep my clothes that I change into to do fittings, samples I've been given and several pairs of shoes & snacks.

Too much stuff!

NYC Treasure Trash via Bicycle

I think the bicycle has been the #1 cheap transportation method this summer, but Bolt Bus is the other. Right now I'm riding a $17 bus down to Baltimore to see my cousins. It's fabtastic that this bus has WiFi and I've got my whole row to myself.

When I get out of the city and see the skyline, it's still unbelievable that we live/sleep/work in that jumble of buildings. It's very good for your soul to get out of the city sometimes. Central Park gives you a breather, but I understand how you would get very angry & mean if you could never get away from this.

I rode my bicycle all week! - 5 days of round-trip work commuting from the UES to Times Square/Garment Dist. Friday I was feeling the need for comfort.
Summer of cheap! $4.50 red fake keds and an Ezekiel (skater brand) dress that I got on super-clerance a while back.
Helmet in hand!

I didn't go anywhere special after work this week really. Pretty much straight home or just a tiny stop, but an awesome stop happened when I spied something PINK in the garbage on East 56th Street. Finding neat stuff in the garbage is strangely fulfilling.

The guys digging around in the garbage were very encouraging and offered to help me tie it on. I thanked them, and told them I wanted to figure it out for myself. My bungee cords are life savers. I got several packs at the Dollar Store in Arkansas. Little Short ones, I'd say about 10" & 12" long. That's all I need. -So far.


When I've been in a pinch previously, I used ribbon to tie things on to my bicycle. It's not the sturdiest method, but it's fine for 3 miles or so. I've also got a huge shopping bag on there. The straps are just tied around my rear rack.

This is what I call a pedi-cab traffic jam. These ladies were cute and scared for their life riding in this rickshaw. They were like nervously laughing as he was jamming through the cars.

I was slowly behind them with my heavy bag of sweater samples. I was a wide-load too!


I hope one of my friends with a tiny dog wants this animal carrier b/c my baby-girl is way too big.
I just couldn't leave it in the trash!

It's going to be perfect when it's cleaned up.

Long Way Home

I love to read Let's Go Ride a Bike and the main author recently spoke of weather being so nice and taking long and different routes home. I checked in with my bicycle map (because I'm pretty much 95% of the time on actual bike-lane streets) to make sure Central Park West has a bicycle lane.

It has a luxurious one!


And it was super-shady (in the non-shady way)  and there is virtually no entering traffic on the right and there were very few pedestrians crossing, so I barely had to stop at the lights.

Then I rode this big loop around the park and used that to get across town to get home. All this business only took me 10 extra minutes onto my normal commute.



Something funny happened. It was so peaceful & quiet, it was seriously the first time I've noticed or been able to hear the wind whistling through the air-holes in my helmet. (I still really want a tiny radio for my bicycle - I get bored and sing and quietly ding rhythms with my bell.)



I don't know if I haven't been paying attention to them, but lately I feel there are more skateboarders riding the streets of New York. Seems scary!


Bicycle strategy - Athletic shorts under my skirt/dress. The dress is longer than the shorts, but they're a confidence booster. Good back-up system!