
It’s been a while since my last post! A lot has been going on recently and I have not had the time to squeeze in an article or two. I have a lot of ideas, but often times, the ideas escape me. I should probably invest in a designated blog notebook so that I do not forget.
Anyway…
I cycled to work today and I find that I enjoyed it. I had to be at work earlier because I had a 10:30 deadline on a project, so I wanted to make sure I had at least an hour of work to allot. I decided to hop on my beautiful bike which I lovingly nicknamed, “The Countess” or “La Contessa.” It was a nice ride this morning – very relaxed as I rode against the breeze. I did not break a sweat, which is a common concern for me when I cycle as I sweat too much and too easily.
I figured since I found an outfit that works on a bike that I would start recording these outfits and blogging about them. This is a reminder that perhaps I should not give up on commuter cycling, and that it is possible to be both utilitarian, safe (I wear a helmet, thankyouverymuch) and chic on two wheels. I have a bit of a love and hate relationship with cycling, but we will get to that in a second, for now, I will talk about the first of the Commuter Cycling Outfits series.
The Outfit
- t-shirt: H&M – my new go-to place for t-shirts because for some odd reason, my ridiculously large BLAAAARB does not look as large in them. And the cotton feels nice, light and soft too. I only wear dark coloured t-shirts for the simple reason that I have the muffin top from Hell.
- capris: Joe Fresh Style. Most of the time, their stuff doesn’t really fit me and it often saddens me because their stuff is very inexpensive (sometimes questionable quality though). However, these jeans fit me like a dream – probably because of the spandex content. It’s actually mid/natural rise: approximately 9-10 inches and that falls just below my belly button. As much as possible, I make sure that the jeans/pants that I wear for cycling are a little higher in the rise so that I don’t scare people with my asscrack. I want to be chic, not hoochie.
- flats: Nine West. These are more go-to basic pair of flats. As usual, I added a Foot Petal in the insole. My only gripe about these shoes is that when I cycle, the sides of the shoes rub into my foot. Not so fun afterwards.
So this is pretty much a very basic t-shirt and jeans outfit that can be easily accessorized with anything. If I had not left my purple flowery scarf at work, I would’ve worn that. The red polka dot vintage scarf works as well. If I can only find skinny jeans that actually do not give me a muffin top, I would probably own more pairs of those, as well as more dark-coloured t-shirts and tank tops. I just love the versatility of this!
Shoes and cycling
As you probably may have noticed, I live in my wedges and flats. I barely wear heels for the main reason that I live in Downtown Toronto and I’m either traveling by foot or by bike. When I cycle, I mainly wear flats or flip-flops (because I grew up wearing them). Occasionally, I would cycle in wedges. Are they more difficult to cycle with? Not noticeably, but I have to make sure that the outer sole is not made of a slippery material. I’ve cycled in heels before, but again, I make sure that they do not have slippery soles. So really, shoes aren’t a huge issue for me when I cycle. It’s really all about the comfort level. Besides, to me, I want to be able to wear my heels whenever I want and cycling in them is far more comfortable than walking all day in them – but that’s just me.
My love and hate relationship with cycling
I’ve never identified myself as one of Toronto’s commuter cyclists.. This so-called Bike culture is so popular here that it’s almost trendy to ride a bike everywhere. I have never really been influenced by these avid cyclists to begin with, because my reasons for cycling is almost too ridiculous I even laugh at them.
First, I like finding ways to “reduce” the time I need to go to the gym. Sure, I can always walk from point A to point B at a brisk pace during my daily commute, but there is always the TTC to rely on when I’m getting particularly lazy. With cycling, there are no excuses. You bring your bike to work or wherever… you absolutely have to bring it back home with you – unless of course, you really don’t care about leaving your bike anywhere at the risk of it getting stolen (La Contessa is a $700 bike – NO WAY IN HECK am I leaving her just anywhere). But yes… I am a lazy person deep down and sometimes am unmotivated to go out for a run or to go to the gym or some sort of yoga or dance class. At least with cycling, I’m sneaking some exercise in.
Secondly, cycling takes me back to my childhood. I used to cycle everyday and go wherever I pleased. Cycling was my own symbol of freedom as I depended on myself and nobody else to take me around. It is really a beautiful memory for me, and despite my occasional hatred for Toronto cycling, I still feel so nice and free when I am on my bike.
Now why love and hate? Well first off, I love the health benefits of cycling. I love the feeling of propelling a mechanical device and knowing that I am getting a sort of health reward while doing it. Just the overall feeling of cycling is nice – but then again, I am an Aries and I thrive on being in constant motion. I love the independence cycling offers. I love how I do not have to rely on public transit or taxis to get me around. I can just ride my way to and from various places without problems. I also love how my bike is almost an extension of myself. I chose the Trek 7.2 FX because I like the option of being able to ride faster and more aggressively and yet still have a good looking utilitarian bike (which seems to be what I am all about: good looking and utilitarian!). Extra bonus that my bike is a shocking electric blue with white “pixelated” flowers – it totally suits me.
.. and why do I hate cycling as well? The preparation. I have to ensure that I have my helmet and all my lights with me before I zip out of the house. I have to stash my purse into my pannier messenger bag (which is absolutely cute, by the way). I have adult ADD and I don’t always remember all these preparations, which almost frustrate me to no end. And in addition to wearing a helmet, my cute pixie coif would be a lot messier and somewhat annoying to fix (I am lazy). Also, I dislike how sometimes my clothing is limited. No mini-skirts on a bike unless you’re really comfortable flashing your goods out there. I can’t wear pencil skirts. And I HATE HATE HATE getting sweaty. I swear, I sweat too much for a woman that sometimes I question whether I really am one. And you know that sweat on cute clothes doesn’t exactly look very classy. I hated how I always looked like a mess in a bike. I always envied those beautiful Toronto cyclist girls who always look so put-together… but then again most of them don’t have helmets on.
Now the part I dislike about cycling the most? Toronto streets are UNSAFE for cycling – at least in my opinion it is. You never know what driver will clip you next, and often times, I find that the drivers are inconsiderate and often see cyclists as a nuisance. And when an accident happens, guess who gets the blame? And what about the space on the road for cyclists? That’s quite a small area to work with. What, 1 meter or 2 meters long? And not to mention having to deal with parked cars near the sidewalk and having to watch out for doors knocking you over! I am particularly cautious of this because I was sent to the emergency room once already because I got doored by a strange man named Draco! Oh and I forgot to mention streetcar tracks. Have you had your wheels caught in between those buggers before? I banged both my knees on a streetcar track accident once and it was sore for a month. NOT fun at all.
If you don’t like wearing helmets so much, why do you wear them?
… because it DOES save your life! If I were to choose between my vanity and how cute I look on a bike versus wearing a dorky helmet for my safety, I would choose the helmet. Why? I will tell you a story:
A good friend of mine was going probably 50+ km/h down a steep incline. On her way down, she crashed and hit her head. She passed out and suffered a mild concussion. She had a helmet on. Had she not worn a helmet during this crash, she would’ve died.
So there. This is why I wear that dorky helmet. Because it could save my life and allow me to have my hopes and dreams accomplished. I guess you can say that will be the only compromise I would ever make while riding a bike. I could wish, hope, and dream that this city would be like Copenhagen where everyone’s chic on a bike. But because we’re not seeing that anytime soon, I think a helmet would be a fair compromise…. for now…