Biker Chic WSJ-style!

(Bryan Derballa, for The Wall Street Journal)

The journalist, Christina Binkley, wrote an article called "The Season of Biker Chic," and she doesn't pretend to be a serious bike commuter. She tries it once, one way, for the sake of the article. Even so, I enjoy the fact that she wrote it, and that the WSJ printed it. While I am a fair-weather bike commuter — meaning only on warm days without thunderstorms, and my ride is under 5 miles one way, in Boston (and not Los Angeles) — I do think she had a few things wrong.

1) Give up trying to bike in your work clothes. Sure, you will look stylish — for maybe 15 minutes. And then the sweating starts. And well, good luck when you get to the office and sweat is running down your back into the waistband of your pants/skirt and you're in the company kitchen, lining up for coffee, trying to act cool!

2) Ignore the weight of your bike at your peril. The Dutch do not care about the weight of their bikes because Holland is flat. I've ridden there. It is wonderful. And most of my commute back and forth to work is relatively flat. But once I get there, I carry my bike up a few steps to get to the elevator. And even a light bike is made heavier when you add in the weight of your bike lock(s).

3) Ditto on the peril of ignoring padded bike shorts. This is a caution that applies to any regular commuter, biking more than two weeks in a row. A padded bike seat can't prevent chafing. And chafing is not a pretty picture. I could go on, because I learned this the hard way, but I will save us both from the details.

4) Raised handlebars on city bikes are not new. My beloved Maruishi has them. I believe hybrid bikes, by definition, combine the raised handlebars of mountain bikes with the skinnier tires of racing bikes.

(from theoldbicycleshowroom.co.uk)

The one thing that Christina Binkley did get right, the most exciting aspect of the "resurgence" of biking (for me, anyway), is the promise of stylish and practical accessories. I for one have not seen anything worth replacing my sturdy yet ugly nylon panniers, and I include the outrageously expensive Gilles Berthoud French panniers (about $335) in one of the WSJ article photos. The GB 799 Special Small Pannier may be made of the finest heavy cotton blend and leather trim, and it may be lovingly hand-crafted, but its size alone is inadequate for toting my groceries.

New York magazine's fashion blog, the Cut, posted a great slideshow of nine cute bike accessories. Again, none of which I will run out and buy, except for maybe that reflective pin, but that red snake bike lock is definitely cute.

(from pocampo.com)

(from pylones-usa.com)

Daily Candy included a great-looking bike basket for the front handle bars, which can carry nothing heavier than "a six-pack," and so wouldn't be useful to me. The Bent Basket: a tray made of molded plywood with adjustable nylon straps. If the designer decides to make something for the rear of the bike, I'll be interested.

(from bentbasket.com)

Nutcase Bike Helmets

Bike helmets are not just for kids! Thanks to Daily Candy, I realized that there are a lot of cool helmets out there. Too bad I already have one. But if I ever have to replace it, I might go with the Swirl. Or the Dots. Or the Candy Swirl, which I actually saw on the Southwest Corridor bike path. Or there's the fierce Shark Attack!

Nutcase Swirl, $50

Nutcase Dots, S-M SOLD OUT! $50

Nutcase Candy Swirl, S-M SOLD OUT! $50

Nutcase Shark Attack, $75

Nutcase Daisy Stripe, $50

Nutcase Watermelon, SOLD OUT! $75

Nutcase X Ray Brain, $75

Nutcase Rose Hibiscus, $50

Your Shopping Personality

(from fashionlvr.com)

It seems like my bargain sensibilities are firmly in sync with the new retail world, at least according to a study about who shops: How America Shops 2010 MegaTrends Study, by WSL Strategic Retail, a retail and marketing strategy firm.

As reported by WWD EyeScoop, the study narrows down 5 shopping personalities. The personality closest to mine is the first (see below), although I have a few modifications. She should be named "Smart-shopping Sue." And while I agree that she is "OK with less," it's not that she's "given up her aspirations on big name brands." It's that she never believed they were worth their full-price value. Ever. And finally, she would substitute "Marshalls" for "Wal-Mart or even dollar stores."

• Shop-a-Lot Sue. She loves to shop, and although she has limited means — a household income of $60,000 — this is “not a deal breaker,” the survey found. “Sue knows she doesn’t have much to spend, so she shops smart, which lets her buy more.” She often opts for online options or chooses mass merchants such as Wal-Mart or even dollar stores. “She’s given up her aspirations for big-name brands and is OK with less.”

The other four shopping personalities are:

• Miserable Mona, who also has a household income of around $60,000. She is “so jaded by her financial situation that she finds no pleasure in shopping. Making ends meet is a constant struggle.” Although she, too, shops at discount or dollar stores, she doesn’t use online tools to help her.

• I’ll Pass Patty, who is apathetic about shopping and views it as a necessity. She has an above-average household income of $90,000 but lives within her means. She often opts for online shopping to avoid having to go to stores. “To her, smart shopping is no shopping,” the survey said. “Low price is important, but not if it means having to shop around.”

• Bubble Barbie, who spent the recession living in a bubble, ignoring everything and continuing to shop. Her household income averages $72,000, and she visits stores often although her debt level is high. “Bubble Barbie is the best reason to keep doing attractive displays of new products that stop her in the aisle and add more to her basket,” the survey said. “Sales and discounts are good, but not necessary for her to buy.”

— Bubble Barbie (or Bobbie, per diagram) worries me. She's the only one with debt issues. She needs help! And not from marketers.

• Chic Chic Charlotte, who has a high household income, around $101,000, and loves to shop. But even she was impacted by the recession and will buy less than she had in the past. “The more affluent have developed a case of retail guilt. She is not as spendthrift as she was in the Nineties. Reassure her that you are offering her value.”