Urban Cycling: The Revolution

An article by Frank    1 Comment

There’s a movement – it’s growing fast and will undoubtedly catch on here in Aotearoa (NZ) eventually, though our hilly landscape will probably see it take a little while – urban cycling.

Now you might say that it’s not new, that people have been on bikes in urban centers since the bicycle was first invented many moons ago and you would be right, but there are a whole bunch of forces aligning that make this movement of urban cycling unique, new and exciting – the ever changing urban eco-system, overcrowding, environmental awareness, increased costs of transport the desire to connect to the world around us and be active, individuality, the desire to disconnect from modes of travel that add a burden to our world and have been dictated to us for far too long and of course, fashion.

The movement is young and it’s fashionable, largely flowing out of Europe where a number of countries have embraced the promotion of cycling as the preferring mode of transport. This move has taken place over the last few decades with changes in infrastructure to better suit cyclists. People have adapted with it, bringing their own brand and style to the urban experience and practice of cycling.

People are always looking for ways to express themselves and as it becomes increasingly expensive to own and operate a car in urban centers and as people become more aware of the environmental impacts of fossil fuel powered vehicles, alternative modes of transport such as cycling are taking off. Coupled with that need for self expression, the cycle is becoming more than two wheels with a seat that gets us from A to B. There are whole subcultures developing within the cycling community that include passionate fixed gear enthusiasts, Those reclaiming feminism on the cycle, cruiser bike aficionados and even those who look to old school vintage and retro euro bikes for their sense of style.

Clothing fashion is responding. The urban cycling movement is somewhat utilitarian in nature – it’s about usefulness rather than ornamentation, thus as people look towards using their everyday clothing for cycling and adjusting their dress sense to suit the mode of transport (rather than changing clothes whenever the bike is not used), clothing necessarily transforms. Climate will then largely dictate clothing alongside what is necessary to comfortably ride. The movement of cyclists incorporating everyday fashion to create a sense of style is known as Urban Cycle Chic.

For instance, the urban cyclist cannot wear baggy jeans. shoes cannot have long laces that run the risk of getting caught in a chain, though some commuter cycles come equipped with a chain guard to allow for more free form styles of clothing such as dresses, dress pants etc. When looking at shoes, don’t fret, pretty much anything will do the trick as long as there are no long laces. Urban cycling also pushes for the need for different textiles to be integrated into everyday wear – taking fabrics that were once the realm of performance and sports enthusiasts and incorporating them into street wear.

When you think about it, cycling is a mode of transportation that is more holistic in its integration into the life of the cyclist if seen as more than a side hobby. Your fashion adjusts with it, your diet adjusts with it, your body will adjust with it and it gets you closer to the world around you. Urban cycling is the revolution our world needs. Our world should and will change to incorporate it more. As a commuter cyclist in a city, I’m convinced that the benefits of my own country going this way are enormous and I’m hooked on the space and peace that can be created when cycling in the chaos around me. There’s an amazing sense of freedom to it.

Macaframa SF Track Bike Promo from MACAFRAMA on Vimeo.

Disclaimer: I don’t fit the model of urban cycling fashion guy at all. I’m a committed commuter cyclist riding an entry level, fully geared mountain bike that doesn’t look at all unique and I purchased second-hand (it has 24 gears… I use about 7 of them). I wear clothes I’ve got my hands on specially for cycling as I sweat like a pig (cheap clothing at that) and I wear a budget pair of really old cross trainers for riding in (I tuck the laces inside the shoe once I’ve tied them up)… they’re falling apart.