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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!

ww<3 ~ End of Summer Playlists

The summer season is cooling off a little here in Calgary and Natalia is going back to school - well actually, she never really stopped while working with riyoko, and she's really getting serious now, so she's taking leave from riyoko. Natalia, you've been and will be missed!

As the last collective post with Natalia, we thought we would wrap it up with our end of summer playlist tops, the tunes we got stuck on during the beautiful, hot days in YYC and beyond. Hope you enjoy them as much as we have!

Natalia:

This summer was my first attempt at going to school all year round and it's kept me really busy, and to be honest, a little stressed. This has directly influenced what I've been listening to and I've found myself gravitating to really mellow, folky and generally wind-down kind of music. I was lucky to get to go to the first night of Folk Fest to see one of my favourite bands,Beirut, who were pretty awesome live. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch the rest of the weekend and am most sad about missing The Tallest Man on Earth. Although, I think he's playing Mac Hall in September, so I have another shot at it!

Lastly, since I've been so busy, I've been using 8 Tracks to find new music. It's really easy to use and you can put it in any combination of genre or mood that your feeling to come up with a user-made playlist that best fits your description. 

Kristi:

This summer has mostly been about biking, dancing and work for me - lots of energy and focus with a bit of chilling going on, so I think the music I'e been listening to has been either high entery or a little dreamy. This is a sampling of some of the tracks and albums that I've had on repeat ~

Moths - Down

Alt J ∆ -- Fitzpleasure

Bear Mountain - Survive (Germany Germany)

Grimes - Genesis

Chrome Sparks - Marijuana

Shoutoutoutout - Never the Same Way Twice

Junior Boys - In the Morning

Radio Radio - Sunrise/ All Inclusive War Tour (feat. Poncho French)

DJ Shadow - Six Days (Soulwax remix)

RAC vs. Hype Machine -  2011 Blog Zeitgeist Mix

Dutchess Says -  everything I can get my hands on!

Happy rest of your summer days <3!

Outdoor Retailer Day 1: Pre-show meandering

We are exhibiting at Outdoor Retailer, a big tradeshow in Salt Lake City in the next few days, August 2-5 and today was touch down. After missioning in the studio for the last couple weeks, I finally passed out on the plane and woke up in Salt Lake City. 

I was so zonked I felt like I was moving through ether in the first few hours of desert heat. We are staying at a d.o.d.g.y hotel, The Days Inn in Millcreek. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but I am looking forward to the arrival of my roomie, my friend and colleague, Maria from PoCampo. Be prepared for the minimal customer service experience and hotel loveliness, Maria;) Actually, though the staff is really nice and the long ride back tonight was chill. 

Duct tape on the hotel door handle... hmmm... not to sure about that -- but don't worry, Mom, I've double locked the door.

The road home at the end of the day - I love the electricity poles.

I spent the day getting acquainted with the city and prepping for the show, and it's been a nice slow day of prep and discovery; unlike what tomorrow will be like, I'm sure. I'll be setting up the booth and expect a long day of work. However! I am stoked. Before the above photo was taken, I took the LRT, called "Traks" here - love it! It's kinda super slang. I digress, I took 'Traks' down to the Tradeshow venue and figured out how that route works and then walked over to Salt Lake Bicycle Co. to pick up my bike rental. People in this city are so kind and courteous, I've had such a good day of random conversations, a lot of them had on the way to the bike shop. After one such conversation, I looked up and saw this across the road.

next, I picked up my bike  from the good people at the Salt Lake City Bicycle Co.  a few doors down and across the street.

They updated and informed me about some of the roads here and the cycling vibe and also let me know where the Good Will Thrift store is here. I had wanted to go and get a table for the booth, something vintage and cheaper than $70 for an lacquered generic table that is provided from the services at the show. I certainly found a couple good ones - I'm pretty stoked... and I'll take photos tomorrow. I again, had a few really great and genuine interactions at the 'D.I', I can't remember the actual name of the store now, but that is what they call the Good Will here. Then it was time to get sustenance and head to home. The roads here a super wide, accommodating for bikes, even on the wide busy main roads, and many of the roads are marked for bikes. I was and am impressed and am looking forward to discovering more. I was also surprised at how unpopulated they seem in comparison to some other cities I've biked. Wide roads with, even when it's busy, few cars. On day one, my overall observation is it's pretty easy to navigate and bike on the road here. 

And this is the sky I saw on the way home. 

The clouds in this city are amazing. I've seen so many different sky moods in 12 hours. Stormy, Fluffy and a super amazing sunset.

Can't wait for more tomorrow... and all of you, stay tuned for booth prep photos tomorrow! <3! yeah!

and p.s - Thank you to the great peeps from ECO Bottle for the computer cables! I'm so glad I chatted it up with you today on many levels. One being that I wouldn't be typing this without your donation!;) ( I left my power cables in Calgary).

Cycle Chic Debate

There are many conversations that revolve around cycling these days with a lot of different facts and opinions that join and divide. In the end, we at riyoko really hope all of these conversations bring us together. Is this the Olympic fever speaking through riyoko? Not really, we just wanna get along:).

So, speaking of differences and balances, I came across two articles today over the debate of Cycle Chic:

One, " A Critique of Cycle Chic", by the formidable cycling advocate, Elly Blue, and the other in cartoon form, "So, Ladies..."by the clever and talented Bekka Wright, a.k.a Bikey Face.

Elly and Bekka both feel that cycling in ordinary clothing is important, but they don't subscribe to Mikael Coville Andersen's, founder of Cycle Chic's, vision and manifesto. 

And regarding Cycle Chic or not, this is riyoko's response by me (Kristi), as written in the comments to Elly's article, to all of the above:

"hmmm... I guess I would say that there is a balance. Wear what is comfortable for you and what is functional for you on a bicycle. Wear what makes you safe as well. If that includes lycra or a tweed blazer, heels or sneakers then wear it - wear what suits YOU.

As a designer, I think some things look better than others in clothing, but I also think some music, food and art is better than others. It can come down to technical details, like lines, contours, shapes and colours, but in the above convo, it's clearly not about that. On the surface, it's more about taste ( and it's clear lots of us have different views on that), but deeper down it's seems to me that it's about how we choose to express our freedom in cycling through our garb. Our costumes are our armour - helmets, heels or not.

Overall, though, the thing we all share, is the love of cycling, the independence that it provides us, and, possibly, the symbology it holds for a better, more interactive, cleaner living future.

I know that I'm a maker of cycling and travel specific clothing so it may be seem, to some, contradictory to say most of the above, but really it's not because what I design is meant to fit into existing wardrobes to make the cycling and travelling garb more functional and/ or stylish, whatever that means to YOU. That is the bottom line, every person has a different idea of style, so go with it, whether it's the flannel grunge t-shirt, the hipster version of it, or a highly reflective vest. Wear it as long as reflects ( no pun intended) YOU.

...and  I do see where Ms. Wright, and  Ms. Blue are coming from - that the stereotype of women is being propagated through a mandated visual representation in fashion. It's a hard subject to control though. What I can hope, and see happening all the time, is that once other sisters get on the bike, that they make informed decisions as to what they choose to wear, equally, if not more importantly based on functionality and safety than on style. If the two mesh, then that is even better from my designer opinion and eye;). We all have something to appreciate in our individual styles -- without them, there would be no such thing to call style."

To the collective journey on two wheels ~ <3

Sister Cyclist, Belinda Heyward

We are thrilled to bring you the incredibly inspiring Belinda Heyward as our Sister Cyclist for July. Belinda is an adventure seeker from Australia who has circled the globe participating in cycling tours. On one of her tours, Belinda was introduced to riyoko by another participant, Suzanne. Read on as Belinda recounts her cycling journeys and find out more about the tale of the intercontinental Riding Blazer.

Belinda with a well-earned beer and her touring bike in Peru, South America- May 2011 (Suzanne is half hidden on the bench behind as well)

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Some years ago I trained and worked as a psychologist and family therapist. However, since 2008 I have redirected my energies into travelling, hiking and cycling adventures! My re-entry to cycling began in 2007, and apart from cycling everywhere as a kid, I have done quite a bit: cycling solo around the Archipelago in Finland, around Corsica, in Provence and the Dordogne in France. I have done several supported rides in New Zealand and in Japan around Hokkaido, Kyushu, the Noto Peninsula and Honshu. In 2011, I took part in a supported tour through Peru. This was followed by an unsupported two month tour through Peru, Bolivia and Argentina with another to celebrate turning 70. Later in 2012, I did two more unsupported, unaccompanied tours: the Great Ocean Road, Victoria and up the East/Northeast coast of Tasmania, Australia. 

2. What is the story of the intercontinental riyoko Riding Blazer?

When I first saw the riyoko Riding Blazer, it beckoned. Suzanne, another tour participant was wearing it and we were in Peru. Generally on cycle tours involving many kilometres, practical, non-chic gear is worn. So, to meet the very chic blazer worn by Suzanne on an extended cycle tour in Peru was quite unexpected! Immediately I had to know where she got it. At the end of the ride, she returned to England and I to Australia from where I ordered a blazer- it was a must have!

3. What do you like best about travelling in your city? 

Currently I ride between 100-200k per week, and as it is winter here in Australia, it's often quite cold and rainy. I live in Melbourne, in the Southeast of Australia. It is a very accessible city with heaps of beautiful cycle paths. It is possible to ride 50k out of the city, into bush land or country in any direction and either ride back, or take the train. There are not that many hills, although you can find them, lots of wide boulevards, and mostly, reasonable weather. I love the freedom and speed which cycling brings. It invites you to be very present to the world around you and enables you to meet people easily. 

4. What is your favorite riyoko piece?

I love the blazer unreservedly and it attracts compliments whenever I wear it, even from non-cyclists! When I go on extended rides overseas, I like to take a couple of riyoko Shirtbands. They make Lycra bike leggings and shorts "respectable," covering the chamois area!!! I bought several when Kristi said she could make them in my chosen colours- how good is that! I also like to wear them over fancy leggings and my Outlier Riding Pants (which I purchased here).

5. What do you never leave home without?

Money, id, credit card, helmet, sunnies and something chic! Usually a scarf, colourful wrap skirt, earrings, necklace an/or a variety of bracelets...

6. What is your philosophy?

To practice smiling as much as possible, to be open to discovery and new experiences, to ride or exercise every day, to greet someone I've never met before, to be compassionate and generous. Hopefully I up to some of these aspirations!

<3 riyoko