Early Winter Light

Bundled up and still looking good as she rides her bike in Boston in February. The light is getting warmer though!

Pink Headscarf, Head Tube

It's as if she looked to her bike for fashion inspiration this morning!

Blue Pinstriped Bike

This blue singlespeed with the enormous basket and matching rack was cute enough to get me to cross the street to check it out, but it was the blue pinstripe on the fenders that really won my heart. Small detail with a big impact.

Sparkles!

It's hard to see in this 'on the fly' photo, but this pretty lady has both sparkles in her coat and in the streamers on her bike. Add her cool boots and helmet, and I was smiling as I followed her over the Mass Ave bridge.

Have fun and be seen out there!

Heeled Boots and Cargo

This chic cyclist, spotted in Cambridge, isn't letting February get her down. It was a beautiful crisp morning for a ride.

A Symbol

In the five days I just spent in Washington DC, this was the only bicycle that appeared to have moved anywhere in the snow. The experience of snow in DC was a terrible disappointment, and I will try to move the bitterness of my wasted time aside and just say that I think there should be some sort of metric that measures the number of bikes out in adverse conditions and awards power and responsibility to the people with the resourcefulness and initiative to use it.


Anyway, this is clearly a well-loved bike in the Jeep-aesthetic that I noticed last year in DC. The mountain bike is king there, despite very few big hills. This one is playful with the yellow polka dots and yellow fenders. I'm not sure what the water bottle is used for, but I'm 99% sure no person is drinking from it.

I wish I had more DC bikes to share this year.

Chic Geek

There are many details to love on this bike. It's clear that someone put a lot of thought into a personal and custom build and you all know that one of a kind's my favorite kind of bike.


I admit to being charmed by the light mounted flush to the level of the rims, creating the appearance of an unbroken circle. The effect is more remarkable in the total bike photo, but here's how it was done.


While I was reeled in by the light, my husband was admiring the segmented fork, an aesthetic nod to Fat City Cycles.


I took this photo for the pretty headbadge, but this bike is so shiny that if you look closely you can see me and my husband reflected in the headset (twice!).


Perfect for Boston, this bike has both internal gearing and internal braking. A bike-crush worthy bike!

Bikes and Flowers at Anthropologie

Vintage bikes and a garden of recycled plastic flowers have transformed the windows at the Anthropologie on Boyleston Street. Anthropologie's look is less sleek than that used by Jacob, or Club Monaco, in keeping with their fuzzy, crocheted, new-vintage vibe.












I admit the bikes and the bright flowers did cheer me up!

Winter Blues, Good News

You can tell by the lack of posts here that I've got the winter blues. I've been riding, I just haven't had anything fun to share.

We got news today that my employer will be providing tax-free reimbursement of certain bicycle commuting expenses to the full $20/month IRS limit. Yippeee! That's $240 a year of work-sponsored bike upgrades!!! There's nothing like finding money to put some spring back in your step/pedal stroke.

UPDATE:
When I first heard about this benefit, it was ill defined but part of the bailout (3 October 2008). Now it's defined and law! Hurray!

More links are here, listed in decreasing technical detail:
IRS Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefits
League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Commuter Tax Provision: FAQ
About.com Summary Article