Raleigh DL 1 - Posing for a Photo

I haven't shared any photos of my Raleigh DL 1 bicycle in ages. My PrettyBritty is well and fine! This is in response to that someone who wondered why there were no more new, current photos or any new adventures with my Raleigh bicycle. Well truth be told, I've been riding my beach cruiser exclusively all summer long and into the fall. So my Raleigh DL1 (PrettyBritty) along with my 1970's Motobecane Mixte (Belle) are in my storage garage down the street. Both are safe and well and waiting to be ridden! More adventures to come!

The Heron and The Heron

The Heron and The Heron....

( my 1970's vintage bicycle)

Until I can purchase a proper upright commuter bike like the very popular Batavus... (You know THE ‘must have’ bicycle as ridden by several of the cycle chic cognoscenti), well until then I ride my beloved 'PrettyBritty'. I've never seen another ladies 1960's Raleigh step through like mine around town. And by around town I mean Berkeley, San Francisco and now Santa Cruz my latest hometown. My bicycle is unique and a head turner, and so very recognizable. The artisanal helmet cover prototypes which I am always testing out always get heads turning as well!

I am a lollygag rider. I have no bike to work commute to speak of. I mainly work out of my home studio. Occasionally I work with a hi-tech start-up. Either way I have an indecently short bike to work commute.

So where do I go when I do ride my bike? I go for leisure rides to enjoy the beauty of the place I live in. I go downtown to partake in my favorite activity which is to frequent the excellent thrift stores in pursuit of recyclables for use in the making of my helmet covers. I also primarily dress from vintage and thrift store finds so I’m always on the hunt for a new vintage frock to wear! I go downtown to shop the art stores for supplies, downtown for café outings, downtown for Farmer’s Market, and so forth.

I am still in recovery from the ‘nervous nellies’ after several close encounters with near death while city bicycle riding some years back, PLUS caring for a friend after a head injury sustained from a bike accident with a car. So to cope, I began to seek out walk-able and bike friendly communities as a priority as to where I would be living ultimately. Now when planning all of my bicycle routes, what I do is to take the LONG way. I chose the quiet back roads. Here in Santa Cruz there are beautiful dedicated bicycle path ways. That’s what I am sharing with you in the pictures you’re seeing today. The bicycle path you see in the photo goes along the San Lorenzo River. It takes you downtown, though from the photo you'd never guess you were a just few short blocks away from the heart of downtown!

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Update: An anon reader over at Thom's Old Bike Blog suspected my bicycle was circa 1970's.

Anon...I bumbled back here and found your comment last night. Becoming OCD driven I researched and researched. Oh my gosh, you're right!

I purchased this bike off SFCraigslist. In the ad it was advertised & listed as circa 1968. I totally trusted the previous owner's word...he worked his entire life in bike shops and had a major collection of various bikes going back 30 plus years. He himself bought the bike from American Cyclery in SF in the early 90's, at least that's what he said anyway.

So What is the telltale identifier? It's the Raleigh lettering. Slanted (like what's on my bicycle) means it's from the 1970's and later and upright lettering means it's from the 1960's or earlier. So there you have it.

For about 2 hours I was really upset and thought about recontacting the person I bought it from. I decided against it. I like my bicycle, so that's that.

Thom... I guess if you want you can change the title of this post to reflect the correct age of this bicycle.

Bike to Work Day 2009

(thrifted Paolo Santini silk jacket, ribbed tank & skirt are old stuff I've had forever,
H&M leggings, wedgie shoes are DIY thrifted, RidingPretty helmet cover and my vintage 1960's Raleigh bicycle)

Here's what I was wearing today for Bike2Work Day. I admit I did spruce myself up a bit extra today since I knew I'd be encountering/meeting all sorts of people out and about enjoying all the events and fun that Bike2Work day brings with it. This picture is after the morning ride. Hey, I love helmet hair because in my case it flattens down my bangs in a way I actually like.

What a surprise, someone actually turned the tables on me and wanted to take my picture for a change... But wait!! I'm the one always going up to people asking for their photo! Well lets see if the mobile phone picture ever really gets emailed to me. In the meantime I coerced my BF into take this photo of me.

Hope everyone is having a really great Bike To Work Week!!!!!

My Sherlock Holmes Look

(As you might guess from the photo, I'm so ready for the the Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downing Jr.and directed by Madonna's ex Guy Richie to to come out.)

Sharing this photo snapped last Saturday. I wasn't going anywhere in particular, just out for a short ride before the rains soon descended upon us again (like within a hour or so). I was happy the BF was in a pretty jolly mood, so asking him to come along to snap a few pics was no big deal.

The cape I am really fond of. It's vintage, 1940's I think. It was quite long, so I decided to shorten it, which gave me enough fabric to make the matching helmet cover. The helmet cover along with the cape, turned out so 'Sherlock Holmes' looking.

It's definitely time to formally introduce you to my 1960's Raleigh bicycle. I've posted pictures of her before, but never bothered to tell you her name. Please meet my 'Pretty Britty'.

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Paris Fashion Week starts today!

My Trapper Hat for Winter

I ended up wearing the trapper hat (or as my boyfriend calls it the Paul Bunyan/Elmer Fudd hat) a lot lately. When the boyfriend starting seeing this style (minus a bicycle helmet underneath) being worn by lots of hipster types on the streets he hushed up. It's not easy sporting new styles!

This look is posted on lookbook.nu More details and fashiony tidbits about this look there.

Very limited time offer!!! I have a very few invites available to the first handful of people...
Looking to join LookBook.nu and couldn't get or find an invitation? Just email me.
Hurry!

***update: This Trapper Hat look was featured over at Urban Velo!

Stormy Weather at Last

Stormy weather to the rescue today...

and I couldn't be happier about it. I dread the drought, too many sunny days this year in California. So maybe my little feverish rain dance has helped. At least I'd like to think so.

this look of mine is now on LookBook.nu

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amended; I will be regularly posting looks here and correspondingly on Lookbook which will give you an item by item break down of what each item is, where it was purchased and how much was paid for it. I do a lot of thrifting, so you'll be amazed at how stylish you can look without spending a lot. I also will gladly include couture if any couture houses would like to send me stylish bicycle attire...uhh... ha-ha. That's a joke everyone. Anyway it will be mix of high and low.
This is (amoung other bike advocacy topics) a bicycle style/chic blog... so DEF time for an infusion of a lot more chic to inspire, inspire and did I say INSPIRE. I plan on having fun with this!

Vintage Bicycles, Oh My!

I’m starting to get very alerted to the growing love of vintage bicycles as a first choice in a bicycle for those who want to ride a bicycle (again.) The obvious reason… beat the high price of gas AND for the other myriad reasons…reduce carbon, go green, get exercise ect.

Yes, and all the while looking incredibly chic and cool doing so!

But here’s what I’ve gleaned so far from my fellow bicycle bloggers. It’s a kind of round up of loosely related tidbits from here and there…

‘bicycle commuting’ is growing;

‘The term "Bicycle Commuting" took a major spike at the beginning of the second quarter of this year, almost directly coinciding with gas hitting $4 per gallon in the U.S’.

Okay, so bicycle sales are up as people want to bicycle commute. Here's where the next tidbit comes in....

Next Sweet Georgia Brown notes she was OUTBID! The vintage Raleigh Sprite she was promised was sold out from under her, and instead it was acquired by a vintage bicycle restorer with plans to turn around and resell it, and of course for much more money.

Now this is in keeping with my own observations. I troll Craigslist for vintage bicycles...I posted a while back and urged everyone to use Craigslist in 'Bicycle for Cheap'.

Times change. Just from my own little tracking I see the prices are going up and up, the resellers are trolling Craigslist with a lot of diligence. The cheap and reasonable bicycles are disappearing in a heart beat! Especially true, say for instance a Raleigh Superb, or just about any Schwinns from the 70’s, 60’s, 50’s. All kinds of vintage cruisers go fast too. This is especially and particularity true with the ladies bicycles category…hardly much interest in vintage ladies bicycles in days past…Fixie/Mixte Diamond frames ruled, step through frames got passed on. Well what this means… girls are riding(pretty) and they like cool vintage bicycles. Duh!

Another tidbit, this time from UrbanCycleChic who blogged/noted the NY Times article;

‘Jalopy Bikes with Techie Tyres’. The full NY Times article here. Basically it’s a heads up on buying brand new hi-tech tyres for your cruiser/jalopy vintage bicycle…

Over at Bikes in the City you can find just the cutest (vintage, if not vintage looking) blue bicycle ever… getting to be the huge, megawatt star in a TV spot. Read and see the whole video here.

All adding up to convince me that vintage bicycles are hot, so hot!

Oh, and this just in as I was writing this post. Please review or enroll in bicycle riding education/ etiquette class...I blogged about just such here. Anyway according to the NY Times bicyclists are ‘Moving Targets’. Read full NY Times article here.

Due to the big upsurge in bicyclist sharing the streets in Manhattan and elsewhere across the country there is an adjustment going on. Cars (drivers), pedestrians can get hostile.