Bike to Work Week - Fashion Recap

I took last week off to decompress and hike in the Grand Canyon with my friend Marc, visiting from Louisville. Now I'm back with a brief recap of Bike to Work Week fashion.

From the Bike Swap on Heritage Square:

From outside Absolute Bicycles this lovely lady was unloading some vintage wheel, undoubtedly acquired at the Bike Swap to have the chain replaced.
From the Spring Tweed Ride:

From my driveway:
And If You Do Find Yourself in the Grand Canyon . . .
Check out Bright Angel Bicycle Rentals, the new full service bicycle rental facility now open at the South Rim Village. Moving around the Grand Canyon Village is best done by shuttle, foot, and now by bicycle. Bright Angel Bicycle Rentals also offers guided tours of the Grand Canyon. They have a fleet of 75 Haro Heartland Comfort Cruisers, which seemed to be getting a lot of use while we were there. Marc and I were at the Canyon strictly for hiking but I'm looking forward to returning and checking out the new greenway with the Planner Guy.

Flagstaff Tweed Report Part II

I'm still stunned at the reception received by the Spring Tweed this past Monday night. I'm most impressed with the fact that although many of the riders were complete strangers to one another a strong sense of camaraderie prevailed the evening. Just half a block from Mia's cyclist in a spiffy jacket and tie greeted Bob and I at the stop light with a cheerful "Hello Tweeders! You two look great." We returned the compliment and that was pretty much how it went for the rest of the evening.

Was it the bikes? Was it the knickers? The vintage biking caps? The ice cream truck that came out of nowhere? Hmmm. . . .people warmly acknowledging one another and connecting with one another in the spirit of fun. . . .I've said it before, but we wouldn't have had this experience in a car!And this is why I ride.

Flagstaff Tweed Report Part I

Who says the little mountain town doesn't care about style?!

Over 45 riders participated in Flagstaff's very first Tweed Ride on May 17. Mia's Tavern was the place to be at 6 p.m. last night when the most fashionable among Flagstaff pedaling set displayed their own unique take on retro English biking chic. Tweed vests met Teva water sandals and natty biking caps combined with frilly lace necklines.

Oh, the fashions!

So debonair!
The camera loves Maggie and Will.

Ladies of Tweed. Notice the sunglasses tucked on the head. You can never be caught without sunglasses in Arizona. Or your identification but I didn't ask.

Flagstaff prides itself on diversity, which of course extends to choice of bikes. Mountain bikes dominated, of course but road bikes, modern cruisers, vintage townie bikes, fixte gear, and even a tandem all gave bragging rights to someone.

Ray (above, right), who organized this first Flagstaff ride, took us on a route through downtown up to Thorpe Park where we were happily met by the ice cream man! What could be better than bicycles and an unplanned meet up with the ice cream truck? I wondered if the driver had the inside scoop (yes, that was a pun). It just seemed a little too coincidental. Oh, well. As long as I can get an ice cream sandwich, who cares?

A group shot of Flagstaff's inaugural Tweed Ride.

Pedaling back downtown. Happy and ready for dinner and drinks.

At dusk from the patio of the newly opened Lumberyard.

Full bike racks at Lumberyard. Finally, Flagstaff Tweed riders were more than happy to support the local economy.

The Most Wonderful Week of the World!

Well, I wouldn't say I live for Bike to Work Week but I do enjoy it a hell of a lot, beginning with the Bike Swap on Heritage Square downtown and the accompanying parade. Wheeling and dealing of all things bikes - vintage Schwinns, townie cruisers, trailers for hauling kids, puppies and just your general stuff, and of course bike components of every sort.

For bicycling enthusiasts the Bike Swap and parade is the place to be on the Sunday morning ushering in Bike to Work Week. For many the parade is an excuse for silly dressing up to rival that of your 4-year-old daughter who still posses the confidence to mix strips, florals and animal prints (and what girl doesn't long to return to those days?). Dads are known to get into the act, too.

For others, mostly men, the parade is the perfect opportunity for displaying one's inner goof ball engineer. Give these guys any combination of bike components, a garage, tools and buddies with beer and they'll come up a hot rod bike for sure. I have to admire their industry.


On the other hand, some people just enjoy the chance to put on a gorilla suit and pedal a unicycle. To each his own.

Flagstaff Tweed Art

The Flagstaff Spring Tweed Ride, the very first Tweed in Northern Arizona, arrives on Monday, May 17, 5:30 beginning at Mia's Tavern, 26 S. San Francisco. Wear your finest; ride your best. Join us. Visit www.flagstafftweed.com for more details.

As Seen at the Target Bike Rack: Art Meets Bike

She stepped stepped off her cruiser, locking it to a bright red post. Her eyes met mine. I tried not to stare. Her look spoke the proud defiance of an artist who cannot be contained. "Yeah, I wrapped my bike in neon tape! So, what!"

Well, I went to art school, too! Is it just me or are the diagonal shadows kind of cool?

Date Night: Romance Meets Bike Safety!

Regular readers of SRAB might recall that the Planner Guy and I have a special somthin'-somethin' going on with Sushi Fuji, now all rolled up like a yummy maki roll with Teppan Fuji. Lately, the Friday night ritual consists of the veggie special roll, yakisoba noodles, the albacore special, and (Bob's favorite!)the saki bomber/saporo. Despite heavier than usual traffic associated with university graduation we decided to take to streets on our bikes and enjoy the evening stars on the way home.

Every week I tell myself that I must remember to photograph what we ordered. Really, everything they bring to the table is so artfully created. And delicious. Friday night was no different. I was half way through my lovely maki roll before I realized that once again, I had failed to take a picture of our meal. I did, however, get a few shots of our sushi chefs since we ate at the bar.

We left Teppan Fuji well after dark and we came prepared for it. Headights, red blinky things, reflective tape, and bright colors. That's how you get noticed, all right! Bob has been getting a lot of wear out of his school bus yellow AdventureWear jacket. As you can see, the color is pretty hard to miss, which is exactly why I purchased it for him.