This week we’re headed to Cycling for Libraries and of course, the first thing we did to prepare for the ride was to find the cutest cycling clothes and accessories around. Here are some of our favorites. April’s Picks (aka Not being a sporty girl, but wanting to look like Sporty Spice…)
Shopping for padded drawers is new for me. I was hoping that they would add a little junk in the trunk and I’d look like JLo. Turns out they made my butt look even flatter (which I seriously didn’t think could happen). Plus, as an added bonus, it feels like you are wearing a diaper. Knowing that I would really appreciate that padding after 12 days of 35 miles each, how was I going to make these cute?
Leave it to a fashionable, professional triathlete to figure out how to make it work – she added an adorable skirt! Check out Skirt Sports. I laughed when I read that this skirt would get you whistles, but I did get my first cycling cat call while wearing it the first time.
Bling out your bike with LED wheel valve lights. Check out the pink. I need to do some serious night riding now!
First off, how can you go wrong with that name like We Flashy, second these are really cute designs for guys and gals. It’s “reflective clothing for modern times” and they work the reflective material right into the pattern of the adorable clothes. I’m in love with this polka dot pullover.
Being a big fan of the handbag, I couldn’t just get any bag for my bike. Po Campo combines style and function. The ladies from Chicago know how to make a cute versatile bag. It can be used on the bike, to carry your yoga bag, or even as a diaper bag. The clutch is perfect, it goes from the handlebars to the bars seamlessly.
Po Campo is offering a 15% discount to our readers – just enter PoCampo15 when checking out at pocampo.com
Another accessory that is must, but is usually not very attractive is your helmet. Yakkay is making helmets into hats. Pick the color of your helmet and then pick the cover you want. Then, you can change the look by changing the cover. My favorite is the Tokyo Flower and Karen is a fan of the Tokyo Blue Stripe. We both want to check out the 60s shaped hat, you know the one that looks like a horse riding helmet. These could be perfect or so wrong.
Karen’s Picks:
From bells to bags, I love accessories! Since we started training for Cycling for Libraries, I’ve been doing lots of research to find the cutest accessories around, and here are some of my favorites.
With all of the things you need to buy for your bike, who doesn’t love getting a good deal? Chain Love offers primo pieces of cycling gear on their site for ridiculously low prices. Sign up for Instant Alerts so that you always know what the deal is.
I find the most adorable and unique things at museum shops, and these all weather bike lights from Stockholm’s Moderna Museet are no exception. Functional and adorable, they come in 4 cute color ways.
These horns, also from the Moderna Museet, are a blast. Cute and retro, they are sure to help you make any pedestrian or cyclist aware of your presence.
Electra makes some of my favorite bicycle bells. They have some really fun abstract designs and I love the simplicity and the pink color of this I Heart My Bike bell.
Helmet design has come a long way in the last 5 years and there are some great designs out there for women. I’ve become a big fan of the Bern helmet and I love their color combos.
(Who doesn’t look great turquoise!)
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the cute helmets for kids. I just got this adorable Nutcase helmet for my daughter. She hates hats, but she loves her cute helmet and refuses to take it off. Nutcase also makes some fun helmets for adults. The best part is that on the back it says “I love my brain.” I can’t think of anything more fitting.
April already mentioned these, but I just wanted to say that Po Campo bike bags are the best! Seriously, if there is one accessory you buy (apart from a helmet and lights), get one of these bags. They fit easily onto your bike rack, so you don’t have to worry about what to do with your bag, and when you’re done with your ride, you have a cute bag to carry around. I just picked up this cute satchel at Rocket Electrics in Austin. (They have last year’s styles if you’re looking for Po Campo vintage.) Also, you can use our discount code if you buy at PoCampo.com. Enter the code PoCampo15 to get 15% off.
Me, my Bianchi, and my Po Campo bag.
Interested in seeing more great cycling clothes and accessories? Check out these sites!
By April Kessler and Karen Holt. April and Karen are librarians at The University of Texas at Austin and they departing tomorrow for Cycling for Libraries in the Baltics. They tweet @bizologie and @karenholt respectively, and you can follow their biking adventures on Librarian Lifestyle and bizologie.
