boneshaker magazine

I returned home to my first edition of Boneshaker magazine sitting on the door mat. which was an unexpected delight. Boneshaker is:

a celebration of cycling and the people who do it. Full of articles, personal stories and anecdotes about people and projects doing great things with bicycles around the globe.

It is our hope that the magazine will both inspire and entertain, raise awareness and bring a smile

to your face.

Appealing to both bike-heads and those who may not yet have experienced the true joy and freedom that can be found from our two-wheeled friends.

And for me it delivers just that, inspiring for those who want to spread the love for the bicycle and gently encouraging for those looking to be persuaded into cycling to work. I particularly liked the sentiment behind the piece by Doug Gordon entitled 'We don't need more cyclists. We need more people who ride bikes.' I couldn't agree more.

The magazine is full of like minded comment on cycling and how it can enrich your life, that and some great illustrations combined with fantastic design. You can buy a copy online here or if you're lucky enough to live anywhere near one of these great shops.

The little details

They say it's the little details that finish off a look, well I reckon this Brooks Leather trouser strap is pretty much the most stylish trouser clip/strap on the market, perfect for keeping those tailored trousers out of the chain. Available from Cycle Chic which is a great source for other stylish accessories and they have a pretty good blog too.

The Ebay gamble

Cycling is in main a sport dominated by men and a lot of these men will tell you that you need to spend lots of money on a bike with a high spec and low weight. Don't listen to these people. Bicycles haven't really changed much in terms of mechanics since the chain driven models were first introduced in 1885. Sure, there are some amazing bikes that I'm sure if you have a few grand to spare are worth every penny and will shave precious seconds off your Time trial time. However, if you're looking for a nice sturdy, reliable, easy to maintain, comfortable ride which won't cost the earth then Ebay may be the place to go.

This little beauty is going for £99 at the moment, a bargain if you ask me.

Now here's where these vintage cycles will divide opinion. They may well need a lot of work but so long as the frame is sound there isn't anything too complicated that can go wrong. There are also a lot of websites out there to help you out if you need it, like the Park Tools blog, Evans will even teach you how to do if for free. When you learn these skills they stay with you for ever and will help in the future if the wheels do fall off.

4. Axalko Wooden Frame

Here's one which you certainly won't find in Halfords or Evans, created by a Spanish firm who according to their website went through a long R&D process to bring cycle frame manufacturing back to its roots. Every frame is handcrafted to ensure perfect balance, strength, lightness and style.

Not sure how well it will hold up in the great British weather but you will win a lot of kudos for this lovely environmentally friendly ride.

If you're Spanish is better than mine you can find out more on their facebook page here..

Creme Vinyl Uno Fixed Gear

3. Creme Vinyl Uno 

Fixed gears aren't for everyone, depending on the terrain of your ride to work they make life a lot quicker or a lot slower if hills are involved. Super light and uncomplicated they represent cycling in it's purest form and are really easy to maintain due to the fact there are very few components to deal with. They are very popular with couriers, students and trendies from Shoreditch. I like the Uno above for it's nod back to traditional styling whilst remain very modern looking.

Pashley Guv'nor

2. Pashley Guv'nor

Pashley  are one of the finest British manufacturers of bicycles, every one is hand built in their factory in Stratford-upon-Avon, and they have lasted the test of time as mainly because they make beautiful bikes. The Guv'nor above is one of the best looking bikes on the market and has three speeds to ensure you can cruise to work in style and not work up too much of a sweat. A definite head turner with it's white tyres and distinctive handlebars this ones sure to keep you looking stylish for a long time.

Kristin Tieche caught this guy looking pretty cool in Downtown San Fransico showing the Guv'nor truly has global appeal. The shot lead me to a very cool, like minded site called Velo Vogue, definitely worth a look through.

via Flickr Kristin Tieche

5 Stylish bikes to get you going

So how about a few stylish bikes to get you going, these are some bikes I like but everyone has their own taste so would be keen to what you guys ride. I'll post about one each day for the next five days and try and find a picture of someone looking stylish on them. First up its the Dutchie Dapper.

1. Dutchie Dapper

The classic bike style, the Dutchie never fails to impress the passer's by. It comes with a long list of features including built in dynamo lights, pannier rack, security lock and chain guard to keep your suit trousers looking sharp. It also comes with free UK delivery and a 10 year guarantee, at £258 for a single speed that's a bargain allowing you to spend a bit more on a new suit.

No dapper gent unfortunately to show you but this lady is rocking a pretty cool look.

via CycleMAYnia Flickr

Sources of stylish cycling gear

Everybody has their own style and this is true of when you're cycling too, I favour a traditional look. Riding a Dutch style sit up and beg bike as seen in the banner of the blog and I usually wear a suit and tie to work. You may like the casual look of a jacket and jeans whilst riding a super light fixie bike like the guy below but both work.

Pas-Bays Cycle Chic

The point is this, if you already think you are stylish and wear stylish clothes day to day just wear them to cycle in too. Most clothes are brilliant at keeping us warm/cool, dry and comfortable which are the things you need when cycling, if its a cold day wear warm clothes if its hot well you get the idea.

The best source of stylish cycling gear is already in your wardrobe.

Stylish cycling

If you ask most people to describe cycling and specifically cycling to work I bet most of them won't use the word stylish in their answer. The majority of people in the UK and definitely in my home town of Birmingham see cycling as dangerous, sweaty, expensive or just too difficult. However, I believe cycling is a fantastic way to get to work, in the main its stress free, safe and enjoyable and more people should do it. In fact the more people who cycle the safer it gets.

On my cycle to work every day I pass many people riding to work in a wide range of outfits but the majority are wearing day glow colours on a hybrid or mountain bike with a few in the dreaded Lycra on their expensive road bikes. The emphasis seems to be placed on over the top safety gear and functionality and this is another issue that will scare a lot of people off. No one seems to think you can cycle to work and still be stylish but this isn't the case, just check out this flickr group. This blog isn't breaking new ground really, sites like Cycle Chic show how easy it is to look stylish and be practical but this message needs to be spread further.

The picture above was taken in a small city in Denmark called Aarhaus, literally bikes as far as the eye can see and there were plenty more bike racks like it in the city. We Brits have a great history of cycling and played a huge role in their development, now we need to take to our bikes once more. It's good for you, good for the environment and best of all fun, so get out there and make the roads safer for everyone.

Hopefully this blog will inspire you to get back on your bike or if you all ready do cycle just provide some nice things to look at for your bike. Hope you enjoy it.