Summer Issue

My bicycle is somewhere... on a truck... a moving truck... I hope! 
At any rate, we are in the Summer issue of Momentum Mag. My old Martha Stewart craft project necklace is also in there.

Andrew Hinderaker teamed up with me to do the photo shoot at Union Square in New York City.
I'm thrilled to get a full page and a mention for the necklaces.

These are my favorite photos from the shoot.

Yes! I rode home in these shoes. I went kinda slow, but I took this look all the way home.





And that's my trusty old dress from my original BikeNYC portrait by Dmitry Gudkov.


That dress is Billabong and it was about $40 a few summers ago. Good textile designs live on and on. 

Negligent Lipstick

Today I wore this glittery shrug from F21, puff sleeve chiffon blouse plucked from the American Apparel warehouse sale, J Brand skiiiinny leggin' jeans and H&M pumps with studs all over the heels. And vans sunglasses.


This lipstick is Revlon Super Lustrous in Temptress and it's from that bag of freebies I'm working my way through.
I like this shade and formula, because it's sheer and I can apply it in that negligent way busy ladies love - fast, not-really-looking, messy- it works. Since I'm not riding on pink tires right now, I feel like I need to compensate with pink lipstick and super-girly clothes. 

New Bikes, New Tricks

Saturday morning I left the house at 6am to grab coffee and vol. at PP. 

It was rainy and I had to wear a backpack because this bike doesn't have a rack situation...yet.
At the store, they tried to give me some fugly rack but I'd rather suffer than put ugly accessories on this bike. I'm also never trying to put a front basket because it's just too beautiful and tidy up there. 

Sunday I got wise and put this L.A.M.B. neon pink satchel with short handles on the short handlebars of this bike and it went much better than the sweaty-back-inducing backpack of Saturday.

I also put my lock on like this and I'm not in love with that placement.

Despite feeling lazy throughout this weekend, it was actually big and full. 

1. Volunteered at the Planned Parenthood. Pretty uneventful shift. That's a good thing!

2. Rode the new bike to scope out exactly where but I'm still not sure I'm going to hold my Bike Month Ladies event. Save the date coming soon! 

3. Gave Matt a haircut. 

4. Rode the Viva Bike to MoMa to meet Josh, the sweetheart who runs the best John Waters fansite.

5. Took in the magnificent Cindy Sherman exhibit and utilized the audio tour. 

6. Sewed a bunch of my old necklaces. The Martha Stewart ones. 

7. Rode the Viva Bike to meet Matt and friends for our anniversary dinner. 7 years! 

I'm so happy there's a giant Cindy Sherman banner that I get to see every evening on my ride home because I never ever make this red light. 

She's so fresh and bright, she sticks out. 

Sticking out at Astor Place Saturday in the foggiest fog. 

Bye, Bye, Green Bike

Our last morning commute together. I never got completely comfortable on this bike. I also had issues with the gears, as in, too-high and too-low issues. I turned in my first draft and I hope they let me review more bicycles and accessories in the future. It was fun having new responsibilities in my commuting. I was tasked with evaluating this guy, and I liked the process. It was fun to try out a new bike, even though I didn't fall in love like I was afraid I might.

Matt took this yesterday when we were off for President's Day. We aren't photography lighting experts, obviously.


I had ambitious gols for the holiday, but we mainly carried out our weekly tradition of The Bachelor watch party. A screen-shot I took of Courtney's strained, un-sympathetic face was used on I Hate Green Beans Bachelor re-cap blog. (!!!)

Tonight after I dropped the Nirve bike off at the shop that built him for me, I scurried over to the bus stop and waited patiently. I haven't used my metro card in so long I had no idea it was completely empty and I had to get off the bus. I ended up taking a cab, and that's just fine. We've been so lucky with this awesome winter. I know everyone must be sick of hearing about it, but this time last year I was doing good if the snow was clear enough for me to commute three days a week. I can barely remember the last time I wasn't able to bike to work. I am grateful for this warm winter. 

Semi-prepared for a rainy day

I swear up-close my tights didn't look this intense. 
I looked at the forecast and dressed in a way that would tolerate being rained on. Layers of light jackets and tights because they dry quickly. -No wet jeans. I have clear garbage bags in those panniers :)

Here's my tripod/glove for self-timer trickery.


After work, I parked my bike at the Ace Hotel, which I knew had nice bicycle parking from that Levi's event over the summer. I went to get a sandwich at No.7Sub but I had no idea they have no seats. It's a grab & go spot. So I walked over to a church and sat on the steps and ate my delicious sandwich. I had the Filet o' Fish. Loved it. 

Then I went to the offices of TA, where I attended a meeting on the planning and social networking needs of NYC Bike Month, which happens in May. They showed us this very cute new website. I think it's safe to say that everyone at the meeting does Bike Month all the months, but May is a great time to introduce new people to the loveliness of the bicycle life. I'm happy I got to see a bunch of my Bike NYC friends. I couldn't hang out afterward because I had to get home to walk Bonnie-dog. 

My slightly rainy, night ride home tonight was very pleasant. I'm really happy I have use of the East Side Esplanade again. It was closed for construction for a while. I'm talking East 60th - 78th Streets.

Here's a pretty montage.


I didn't even have to put on a garbage bag!

Valentine's Day Pussy Bow

I looked like a little old lady of the 1960's today in my heart-printed pussy bow and glasses.  Advanced Style is rubbing off on me.


I love this blue blouse - Those are hearts, not polka dots. I of course found it at a thrift store in Arkansas. It has those wonderful Made in U.S.A. tags you don't see much anymore.

I got the new TOMS ballet flats in pink suede and they are really sturdy and fantastic bicycle riding shoes. They have a really serious sole for ballet flats. Non-skid supreme. 

Yes, I had to ride my girlfriend, Kate the Bicycle, for Valentine's Day. The pink tires had to be out for the holiday!

Tonight we ate a heart shaped pizza and Matt passed out super-early. We stayed out late last night at out weekly The Bachelor watch party. Yes! We totally hate Courtney and we're disenchanted with Ben, but we can't stop watching. Can. Not. Stop!

Nirve Mixte Review Diary

I took the Nirve Wilshire Mixte on probably the biggest single ride we will go on before my review is due to Momentum. I've been doing my daily work commute, which is about 8mi. round-trip.

Today was 29º and very windy and I took it around the big loop in Central Park - about 6miles, plus getting over there and coming back. 


Doing the big loop was a lot more work than I expected on this bike. I'm just not sure about the gears on this bike. I feel like 1 and 2 are really high gears and 3 is quite low.



I don't want to be all, like, "On my single-speed, blah, blah, blah-" So I won't.

I made a video immediately, to collect my thoughts and because I was exhausted for some reason, but there was a lot of wind so watch it if you like, but I'll re-cap below.


Riding this over to Central Park and doing The Big Loop felt like a lot of work.
This bike has 3 gears. 1 and 2 feel higher than I would like, and 3rd gear seems really low.

It is fun to put the bike down in the 3rd gear on flat, straights and get crazy speed.

However, I am not a fan of speed because I envision however fast I'm going correlates to how fast my delicate, precious skin could be skidding on asphalt, so I do prefer to keep it slow.

I have a geometry issue with this bike. I'm going to have to make a diagram to explain it.
I've struggled to get the seat-height right and I need to show you a diagram to justify my conclusion.

I think these fancy tubes are why it handles bumps so gracefully. This also shows you the glittering green paint.


A portrait.


I got a bell added. I feel less-lawless and this is the most polite-sounding bell ever. I need to find out exactly what it is. It's not as blaring as you sometimes need among the noise in the city, but it's a really pleasant sound. If you're shy about being rude ringing your bell, this is your bell.


I put my basil brand wire basket-pannier on the rear rack and secured it with a bungee.


That's it for today. Please let me know if you have any questions because I've never reviewed a bicycle before. My first draft is due in about a week and I should have a few more commuter-rides on it 'til then.

Guest Post on BikeMinded

I have a guest post on BikeMinded today!

I tucked away some bike outfits so they would have fresh material for the post.

Check it out here. It's about bike style since it's fashion week... again.

I did this highly visible casual Friday look for the post.

RED coat - Forever 21, white bern helmet, clear glasses from Claire's, Citizens of Humanity jeans, F21 fake converse with gold toe.

My Kate Middleton Bicycle is so pretty... She needs to be healthy and strong. 

I'm Going to be Fair and Maybe Organized

I'm reviewing a bicycle and I'm reviewing what I wore today.

Here we are on our morning commute. 

Part A. What I wore.
Basic Denim button-up shirt; I feel sloppy in this, so I dress it up with suspenders

And a silk necklace I made.


My faux fur was benched for a while because it smelled so nasty from exhaust. Bastard trucks! 
It was a gray day, so I went with my bright white bern helmet. J Brand jeans, Gap booties, Kate Spade bag has to be worn because I forgot to bring a basket for this bicycle. 


Part B. The Bicycle.
For every negative thought I write here about this bicycle, I'm going to write a positive.
I want to keep everyone in suspense until my official review comes out in Momentum Magazine.

First, the bad news: This front logo thingie is peeling off.


Great news that will be repeated again and again and again because I can't get over it- This guy takes bumps like a freakin' cadillac. I don't really understand why, but when I go over bumps, like that nasty patch in Times Square, this bike feels very comfy and doesn't jar. I have to stand up a little and brace myself on my Linus those bumps are so bad.

This guy is smooth. Yes, I think this bicycle is a guy. A young man, not just a boy.

I also loved putting it in the low gear going around Central Park and passing the heck out of some other bikes.

But I need a basket. The handlebars are too light to carry even this small handbag without being a little loosey goosey.  But it's silly and dangerous to carry your handbag on your handlebars anyway.


Some people have real problems and I'm glad I'm not one of them.

I'm a dirty two-timer

Notice a new friend in this photo?

I feel like I'm caught in a scandal and cheating on my lady. I mounted an unfamiliar frame this evening and it felt a little dirty. I'm going to have this Nirve Wilshire Mixte bicycle for a few weeks, and I'm going to write a review for Momentum Magazine.

I feel like I'm going to get busted by my bicycle, Kate the Linus.

The only thing I can tell you about this green bicycle so far is that it does not have a bell, so I felt even more scandalous when I realized I was being a law-breaking hooligan with no bicycle bell. 

Ok, I can also tell you it's delightfully lightweight and has a sturdy kickstand to keep it erect for a quick photo shoot in the dark.

I rode home along the newly re-opened East River Esplanade next to some gorgeous full-moon light.


I am very excited to be doing this review for Momentum. I'm excited to participate and write a review based on my opinions as a Lady Bicycle Rider.

Good night and good luck! 

Bike Visibility Tactic: Wear a Flag

I like the idea of having a FLAG on my bike. I love bike visibility tactics.
Instead of finding a bike flag and attaching it I just wore one today. 

I swear to you, if you take vitamins you can have bike-bruise-free ultra-white legs like mine. 

These big sleeves created exciting billowing in the wind and some wind resistance. 

I've adopted the grand plan to buy red/red-orange clothes this fall for bike visibility.
And because red/coral is trending hardcore. 

Bike Tricks - Biking in a Short Skirt

The shorts gave me one less thing to worry about. I even wore them around the office because they weren't bothering anyone. No one could see them!

But they did peek out on the ride. Just a little.

I've worn this dress before. It's a $20 piece from Charlotte Russe. I couldn't believe it was cool enough to start out with a little cardigan this morning. I took it off before I went on my way and by the time I was at 51st Street at 7th Ave - I was sweating in some places.


Vans cat eye sunglasses - L.A.M.B. hobo in the basket
Cardigan with sequins - sample from work
Leopard dress from Charlotte Russe
Belt - Thrifted vintage snakeskin - found in Arkansas
H&M conservative faux suede pumps with studs on the heels
Bicycle by Linus
Pink tires by Fyxation

Shoo Bird!

Yesterday when I got dressed-up like this:
I had no idea that soon after I would be honked at and shooed like a pigeon by one angry, nasty cab driver (Medallion E121)

If you recognize my amazing rendition of the giant button statue, you will know this happened on the very wide 7th Ave. There was plenty room for both of us. Whatever. There are cool bike ladies out there who are stealing my heart. Like this girl.

So lucky! I want to be on the cover of a Bicycle Etiquette book - These people have safety covered.

Today/Tuesday I was a mess-pot of trends: Neon pink tank, polka dot skirt, floral shoes.

I put on Rhinestones to dress-up the tank.

I'm full of good strategies. These rhinestones distracted people all day!

In my Etiquette Book I will write someday, #1 will be "Do not shoo at any young ladies like they are literally birds/pigeons."