George Bliss, who owns Hudson Urban Bikes in a posh part of New York City says of women: “They are my best customers.”
Mr. Bliss explains, in today’s New York Times:
“They want more things – fenders and baskets and chains and bells and things to carry their kids and their dogs.”
The Times is late, as usual, since ladies with bikes have been de rigeur on street style blogs for a while. As I have mentioned before, I love riding my bike (sadly, the Hello Kitty one was stolen, I’ve got a cheap-ass Huffy now). I love sitting up high, feeling the wind in my hair, getting across town faster than walking. But suddenly it’s not enough to ride! I’ve got to look good!
One woman in the Times rides her bike in “a scarlet dress with a slinky 1920s feel.” Another wears kitten heels. So now the bike lane is a cocktail party? I should have known something was up when Vogue shilled a $5,900 bike in the “green” issue. It just seems like the pressure to have a fancy bike, decked out with all the right accessories — paired with the trend to look like, as Mr. Bliiss calls it, “a pedestrian on wheels,” is more exhausting than pedaling uphill. Women are never free from the expectation to look just so, even if they’re sweating and hustling and dodging car doors. Okay. Well. The bike lane is a place to be fancy, and a crappy Huffy doesn’t cut it. I need something like the bike pictured above. A Pashley! Too bad it retails for about $1,295. If I had that kind of money I’d take a cab.
Bicycle Chic Gains Speed [New York Times]
Earlier: Hey Ladies, Let’s Talk About Our Cycles