I’ve often felt the pull between wanting to ride my bike somewhere and also wanting to wear a cute dress/shoes.  As Russell @ KEMPT points out “since the bicycle was invented, bike clothes have been uniformly embarrassing.”

And more than that, wearing clothes that are practical for biking (but maybe not made for biking) also aren’t that stylish.  So what’s one to do when they want to support their health and the environment and also look snazzy?

Well it seems that a Brooklyn based company named Outlier is trying to provide a solution and make real bike clothes that are also fashionable. Like Russell, I’m not sure they succeed but their pants are definitely an improvement - although I have to point out that they seem to be without semi-fashionable choices for bike riding ladies.

If you’re a guy or a pant wearing lady, takepart and check out Outlier and if you’re a lady like me who typically only wants to wear dresses, try public transportation - it may not be as fun as bike riding, but you can wear your heels and support the environment!

by Jon Moran

Bicycles are going to be one of the defining agents of change in the 21st century. Cyclists are often hip, funky, and carry an attitude that comes from the constant rage incidents from drivers on the road. They know they are doing their part to combat climate change, and laugh at you in your car. They burn calories while you get fat. They adventure while you seep in a pool of stress behind the wheel. They have decided on a lifestyle that is noble, and they are beginning to mobilize and come together to make real impacts in Washington.

Give three hip hip hoorays for the 2008 Brita Climate Ride cyclists.

The riders were each required to raise a minimum of $2250 to participate in the ride. The 120 riders rode 300 miles from New York to Washington DC. Along the route the riders stop and rally people in towns along the way for expert speakers who follow the pack. It is both a fundraiser and a climate change conference on wheels. To find out how you can takepart visit the Climate Ride

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For an update on the disgusting story of the NYPD officer that body-checked a cyclist that I wrote about last week, head on over to Gothamist, where they discuss how city council members are urging a much needed investigation into the recent harassment of cyclists by the police.

Here’s an excerpt from the letter that the council members wrote:

There has been a history of police harassment of cyclists, especially during the monthly Manhattan Critical Mass group bicycle ride. Most often, these attacks are unprovoked and aggressive, and the behavior of police towards cyclists is anything but the courtesy, professionalism, and respect on which NYPD prides itself. The recent incident involving Mr. Long is a particularly disturbing example of the NYPD’s attitude towards cyclists, one that happened to be caught on video tape.

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There’s an awful, yet important video, making it’s way around the internet right now that features a NYPD officer body-slamming a cyclist off of their bike during the last Critical Mass. The cop is claiming that that the rider, 29 year old Christopher Long, rode into him - the video would seem to suggest otherwise:

What do you think? In a surprising turn of events, action is actually being taken against the cop and he was stripped of his gun and badge pending an investigation. Although it is quite disturbing that Long was bruised, arrested for attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct and spent 26 hours in jail.

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So in the last week I’ve been learning the wonders of cycling in the city of cities, NYC. And while I am super excited, I have to admit that it’s a little daunting to head out on a bicycle not knowing what lies ahead in terms of the terrain, wondering if there will be a bike lane or not. Not to mention that as a non-NYC bicycler for 3 years now, I spend a lot of my travel time underground on the subway and actually don’t know the streets that well. Plus, I don’t have health insurance and the possibility of an accident is always in the back of my mind…

But, biking is a really good thing, not only for the environment but also for people (keeps up strong!), so I’ve decided to figure it out and have spent the last week getting started. Luckily for me, I found an awesome website called RIDE THE CITY that actually maps out the safest route one can take on their trip. They factor in bike lanes and mark all the bike shops that come up on your ride.

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I don’t know about the rest of the country, but summer sit NYC like a ton of bricks this past weekend. With temperatures in the mid 90’s many of us were thrown off guard. But that’s OK, it just means time for new activities - like going to the beach and riding bikes. Here’s a video I made about a year ago in Mentor OH in and around Lake Erie (to one of my favorite songs, Antony and the Johnsons Bird Gerhl) that deals with both and is I think, a good welcome mat for summer:

On a serious note though, bikes are a great travel alternative that help the environment and also yourself (get in shape!)

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About a year ago New York City’s Critical Mass, a group that supports riding bicycles as an alternate mode of transportation in our gas guzzling society and once a month gathers for group rides across the country, met up to ride not only in support of the environment but in protest of a New York City law that says more than 50 people cannot gather without a permit. I went with my camera and my pals went with their bicycles and what we experienced was awful and intense. Many people were arrested and given summons that they did not deserve.

The Glass Bead Collective has made a collection of videos from lot’s of folks footage (mine included!) about the event and about the police’s role in the situation: