A chance meeting with a very stylish SRAB reader

Oh, sure, it was over 100 degrees today in Phoenix but I'm not there yet and 89 felt like a scorcher in Flagstaff.  On my bike I climbed though.  I had to run down to Bike Shop Hub to pick up perhaps the weirdest product ever (that's for a later post) to review on Commute by Bike and then on to Avis to get a rental car in order to drive Daisy out to Second Chance to have her spayed.

Cori, Flagstaff bike commuter and SRAB reader.

Moments after I left BSH, what did I see but a vision of bikey fashionableness (yes, I think that is a made up word) on a striking, powder blue commuter.  Under normal conditions, I never would have caught up with her - I will not stoop to frightening other cyclists by pursuing them like a rabid paparazzi - but as I turned north on San Francisco I discovered the BNSF train was just beginning it's crossing.  The guard rail would be down for a few minutes; just enough time to introduce myself and take a couple of pictures.

Turns out Cori reads SRAB and recognized me, which was a little funny because I could not have looked less like a bicycle fashionista today!  I had on the bare minimum of makeup and under my helmet my hair still unwashed.   I was perspiring in the uncommonly hot June heat, and was dressed for comfort only, something I usually can't bring myself to do!  Cori, on the other hand, looked stunning, cool and comfortable! 


A rack and mesh basket adds utility to a stylish city bike.


And as you can see, her cute  outfit coordinated perfectly with her bicycle, a Felt Café 3!  I hadn't seen one of Felt's Café series before so this was a real treat.  You can just barely see the coffee cup holder on the handlebar in this photo.  Cori also added rear rack, mesh basket, a double pronged kickstand, and lighting for a truly working commuter bike.  Couldn't ask for much more than that but the robin's egg blue frame is just the icing on top.  I couldn't have been more flattered when she said that she loved reading SRAB.  Cori told me that she knew about my blog since her husband, Robert, works for Bike Shop Hub.  Cori works at Northern Arizona University and is a graduate student in Sustainable Communities.  By bike commuting she's certainly walking the walk and living proof that you don't have to give up style to be committing to green.