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San Francisco!

At the end of March, I took a short trip to San Francisco with RZ for a little work, a couple days of much needed relaxation, and biking, of course. We rented Public bikes from Live Fit Gym in the Mission for $40/ day, a bit on the expensive side, but the bikes were in pretty greaet shape, and they came with sturdy locks. It was also the Easter weekend, yet they opened their doors for a short period to take back our returns on Easter Sunday. Thank you Live Fit Gym! These were the first Public bikes we've ever ridden. They were a pretty smooth ride, even despite the wear and tear due to being rentals. The one drawback I might see, if I were to purchase one, is the gear system. It's not internal, so it may require more attention and cleaning than my current Linus Mixte 8 which has an internal hub. Overall, they took us everywhere we wanted to go all over SF, and that was worth it.

We neglected to take photos of our bikes but these are the models that we rode:

My bike was pink, not really my flavour, but what can I say? I had a bike, so I was more than happy. Richard's was a simple white one with red cable housing:

On the first day, I popped into Huckleberry Bicycles to meet Brian, Jonas, and Zach. Riyoko has been available at Huckleberry for three and a half seasons now, but as I'm in Canada and they are in SF I had never met Brian, Jonas, or Zach, nor had the opportunity to see the store in person. I had seen the store online and corresponded with the trio via email and phone over the past seasons, and I was quite excited to be able to visit. The store is gorgeous: old cement, and hardwood flooring, wood fixtures, friendly and knowledgable staff (shout out to Erin and Isaac), and bikes, bikes, bikes, accessories and clothes. It is full of wonderful product from SWRVE, to Chrome, to PedaLED, and of course riyoko! It's soon to be under renovations for expansion, so I'm sure much more swag and bike candy will be available. I am so happy and honoured to be carried at such a beautiful shop - Thanks Brian, Jonas, and Zach!

(Oh, and p.s peeps - there is a fresh new batch of riyoko Three-Way Armwarmers available at Huck's, so get'em while they're hot!)

Next, we headed down to the House of Nanking, one of RZ's old haunts, for a bite. The sign is the best; the food was so-so.

That evening we attended the campaign closing party for 'The Spinster', "a psychological thriller that follows a cycle vixen in search of true love into the dark, shadowy depths of romance". The film is written, produced and directed by Kristin Tieche a.k.a Velo Vogue. It involves the San Francisco bike community on and behind the camera which is very inspiring, and I am told that riyoko lace Tights make a saucy appearance somewhere in the film too!

The party was held at the Nooworks boutique, a local avant-garde lifestyle brand of apparel and accessories that uses ethically sourced materials. Every season they work with different artists to creat their prints and styles. I got to reconnect with Gwen, one of the designers extraordinaire for Nooworks, who is also a co-founder of Pedal Savvy, the crew responsible for many of the great fashion shows put on at Interbike, the SF Bike Expo, and in the Mission District over the past few years. Itw was excellent to see Kristin and Gwen again and to see the inspiring work they are doing. They were some of the first women cyclists in the industry that I connected with when I started riyoko. They are two diversely talented women, and I look forward to seeing them again on my next visit. 

Oh! and btw, Kristin surpassed her kickstarter goal for the film's funding! Yeah! I can't wait to see the cut and editted version when it's ready! 

On Saturday, we biked down to the Ferry Terminal Farmers' Market to meet up with a couple of my closest friends from my days in Japan, Doug and Yukiko, and their two scrumptious rug rats, Maya and Japhy. Yukiko is an amazing textile and fabric designer, her label is called Chinpinch. Everything she makes is awe striking in detail, and full of love and craft. Doug is currently the Kitchen Manager forFarmhouse Culture Kraut locally sourced and organic sauerkraut in California. They have a booth at the market, so we got to sample a bit, and hands down, it is the best sauerkraut I have ever had. Since I am not a big fan of sauerkraut, this means something when I say it. It is even better than any of the sauerkraut I've sampled in Austria, which is pretty darn good ( and again, this is coming from someone who does not really fancy sauerkraut). We liked it so much I even brought a tub home. It leaked slightly in transport, and even after that, I can still say it is worth it.

Kraut barrels at the market:

Doug and Yukiko's guy, Japhy really digs the kraut. I kind of know how he feels because after the one tub we have is gone, that's it for us until we head back to California again.

(p.s on the kraut. Farmhouse is in the running for an entrepreneurial award, the Mamachia Entrepreneur of the Year award. If you want to vote you can do so here. I'm not sure who else is in the running, but like Japhy, all I can think about is the kraut.)

After the market, we walked our bikes with the D & Y clan down to Chinatown for dim sum. We took our time getting there, catching up, and I got to chat at length with Maya. It was the first time I got to hangout with the kids actually, as they were not born the last time I saw Doug and Yukiko. After dim sum we headed to City Lights Books and then reluctantly parted ways - to be continued next time. 

Sunday was our last day in the city and we took a nice long ride from downtown to the ocean. We almost got rained out, but we stopped along the way for some traditional American brunch at 'It's Tops'  while we waited out the downpour.

After the rain subsided we rode through the Haight,

over through the Golden Gate Park and straight to the ocean. I love Golden Gate Park. 

I love the ocean. 

Sigh. Next, we rode up to Delores Park to try to catch the Hunky Jesus competition, but missed it by a few minutes; so we returned our bikes, and started our trek home via BART and airplane back to Calgary. A bientot San Fran! See you again soon! and for a longer stay next time!

Sister Cyclist <3 Foon Yap

It's all about love, fortune, and the Sweater Love Dress and Tights this month! Who is this fabulous woman wearing the dress and tights in all the photos lately though, right?

Introducing Foon Yap better known as FOONYAP. She is an artist and musician from Calgary, AB. Every spring, she reserves a pair of heels for biking, but she rocks Riyoko's tights all year round. FOONYAP plays in bands such as FOONYAP and the Roar, and Woodpigeon. She is currently recording a solo album of Chinese-tinged trip hop. 

Foon is Riyoko's inaugural Sister Cyclist for 2013. 

Here's some wisdom that she shared with us for the year of the Snake:

What do you never leave home without?

My makeup and my agenda...you never know.

What's your favorite travel destination?

In late summer, my boyfriend and I take off to the Gulf Islands. We re-fall in love because we spend every moment together, and we still like each other.

What is your fav Riyoko piece, and what do you wear it with?

My leopard print Tights are my favorite Riyoko piece. All week, I dress conservatively, and then I bust the Tights out on Saturday. Inevitably, I pair them with more leopard print.

What are you up to these days?

I'm focusing on my spiritual growth. For most of my life, I've tried to be the best. Now, I just want to be a good person.

What is your philosophy?

The greatest gift you can give yourself is the ability to think for yourself.

FOONYAP is an extraordinarily talented woman to watch out for. You can follow her adventures at FOONYAP.com.

Sister Cyclist <3 Caitlin Mosher

This month's Sister Cyclist is Caitlin Mosher, riyoko's rad new Design Assistant! Cailtin joined forces with riyoko in August - yeah! So happy she is on board, here is a little bit about her:

Tell us about a little about yourself.

 I'm from Kingston, Ontario, but I've been in Calgary for  12 years now. I'm a student at the U of C ( University of Calgary) in my last year of Greek and Roman studies, and I plan to do my masters in Classical Archaeology, I'm also a volunteer at CJSW! (University radio station)

What do you like best about travelling in your city?

I like how once you get out of the 'burbs, a.k.a, the boonies, there are bike paths on the roads, so you don't feel like you have to get on the sidewalk. I guess I'm a newish cyclist and I still get nervous on the roads. I think this is changing though.

What is your fav riyoko piece?

I love the no.1 blazer. Hands down.

What do you never leave home without?

My iPod and hair elastics... which I sometimes forget.

Tell us a little about your bikes <3.

I have two bikes, one of which is pretty much out of commission. I got it from Canadian Tire a few years ago before I really got into bicycling and thought cruisers were neat. It's falling apart, but it looks nice! My other bike is a tiny road bike that I bought from my friend Ellie. It's an orange Apollo, and it's the best bike I've ever had.

What are you up to these days?

Preparing for school and working. This is my last year of school and I want to blow all my classes out of the water. I'm pretty excited - I'm taking a research seminar on Roman empresses, pretty cool, huh?

(Kristi: uh, yeaahh!)

What is your philosophy?

Everything happens for a reason.

Super stoked to have you working with riyoko, Caitlin! Woot! <3!

Citizen Cyclist

We know a lot of great guys that love cycling as well as our sister cyclists, so every once in a while, we'd like to feature them along with our sisters <3. For the first 'Citizen Cyclist' post we talked to two awesome cyclists (and humans in general) that we know in our local YYC community, Keely and Colin. 

Tell us a little about yourselves (specifically, all the rad bike stuff you two are into).

K: Over the past few years, I've started getting active in the bike scene in Calgary. I went to Burning Man 2009 and fell in love with the cycling culture there. I really wanted to find space for it in my everyday life, but, when I returned home, at first I found it intimidating to ride on the busy roads of Calgary. Through a small group of friends who also cycled, I gained confidence by riding in packs.

Since then, our small group of friends has turned into a playful, potluck-loving, bike gang known as the 'Bush Porn Babes'that meets every Tuesday and goes for rides. I have joined forces with the The Bike Root, a community bicycle shop based out of the University of Calgary. Officially, I am the Events Coordinator, but everyone involved with The Bike Root works hard to keep it going. I also had the privilege to join the Cyclepalooza committee and help support the success of the second year of that wonderful festival. Overall, it's been really great to see and encourage the growth of Calgary's cycling community

C: I'm a Calgary-raised fellow who enjoys the outdoors, tea, movies, candy, exploring, music, computers and, of course, riding my bicycle. I was working for a software start-up for about four years until I recently decided to leave and head off on a 3-ish month adventure riding the Great Divide Trail. (Note: Colin is on this very trip now!)

This summer I jumped into the Cyclepalooza Steering Commitiee, among others, and helped make the ten day DIY festival happen. It was a blast, and I learned many a thing. I continue to help out The Bike Root as a volunteer when I can and look forward to working with Open Streets more in the the future. It's been amazing to be part of the bike community in the past year.

K &C: As mentioned by Keely, we both organize a weekly potluck and bikeride with the Bush Porn Babes, which has grown from a few friends to a rotating group of over a hundred folks who stop by on different weeks to share food and enjoy a bike adventure. We've recently celebrated our one-year anniversary ( 52 consecutive potlucks!) and the potluck and ride shows no signs of slowing down!

This August, we brought Lucas Brunelle's new film 'Line of Sight' to the local indie cinema, The Plaza, so everyone could enjoy the flick on the big screen.

What do you like best about traveling in your city? What was the hook in cycling for you?

K: I've been biking in the city for a few years now and I'm still suprised by the large amounts of uncovered adventure that lays out there. It seems like I'll never tire of getting on my bike and finding new routes to get around town. The pathway system and share roads are ever-growing and it's nice to see the city working towards a more cycling-friendly community.

The hook for me is helping create a more open, friendly, and adventurous community. You're able to get places faster and have experiences on a biek that you'll never get by driving somewhere. You really can't see what's going on in your city when you're stuck in traffic.

C: I'm head-over-heels in love with the parks and extensive path system in Calgary. Despite the depressing nature of out far flung and spread-out city, I love that I can hop on my bike downtown and be in a beautiful area like Edworthy Park, Nose Hill Park, Fish Creek Park, The Beaverdam Flats, The Glenmore Resevoir or Bowmont Park in under an hour ( in some cases in only 10 minutes). It's magical.

I grew up in south Calgary, mountain biking all over the place with my friends. When I finished college, I moved down toSunnyside (the inner-city area) and picked up my first road bike ever. I was blown away by how much of the city was left to explore and how easy it was to find cool things.

(Note again: Colin is on a solo mission down to New Mexico right now, here is a link to his blog and here is: 

a photo of a beautiful lake he camped beside about a week ago 

and another... *Sigh!)

Colin, what riyoko piece would you buy (for a girl) and why?

C: Hot pants because...hot pants. 

Keely, what is your fav riyoko piece?

The gold snake/ leopard print Tights! I own because they are hip and comfortable! They are also pretty aerodynamic which helps me cycle faster!

What do you never leave home without?

K: My bike and a toque

C: A book ( a comic or my Kindle).

What is your philosophy?

C: Be nice to people and keep information accessible. I try to keep life simple and enjoy myself.

K: Anything that takes up time takes up your life. Make sure you're spending it on what's important.

Thanks for being so rad you two. Calgary is lucky to have you <3!