What are you going to wear? Sometimes there’s an easy answer. Sometimes not. Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. The summer night pedal-driven pub crawl is one of the great joys in life. It’s an easy going way to spend an evening, but that doesn’t mean you need to default to a t-shirt and cargo shorts (or worse, lycra). Equal parts form and function, this outfit will get you around town feeling comfortable and looking solid. Strongly consider a helmet
The Polo: Original Penguin “The Earl” – $34.99 ($59). Black isn’t a very summery color, but let’s assume you’re starting out as the sun goes down and it’s not too blazing hot. Black actually works visually with other brighter colors like the turquoise of the shorts. Plus the white piping on The Earl is a nice throwback, and it ties the sneakers in a little. The pique fabric is washed and super soft, and the heritage-slim fit is a true slim fit. Chest pocket is perfect for your sunglasses after the sun sets.
The Watch: Seiko Chrono Compass – $192.90
The Belt: Gap Basic Leather Belt – $22.46 w/ GAP48. You can mix brown and black. Especially when you’re casual and it’s the summer. The watch is already doing it, just in a lighter shade.
The Bike: Felt Cafe 3 Men’s – $550ish. Not a big fat cruiser, not a road bike, not a mountain bike. Not a lot of things, yet plenty of others. Three speeds is plenty if you’re in shape and don’t have to climb too many hills, plus there’s no standard/dangling derailleur. Chain guard helps keep some of the grease off your legs and pants. Fenders keep splatters off your butt and back. The bike bell is small and barely noticeable. The Tan leather seat and hand grips look terrific. And it has a cup holder. Really.
The Bike Lock: Kryptonite Kryptoflex Combo Cable Lock – $12.52
The Card Case: Chester Mox Slim Card Case in Antique Saffron – $95.00. Spendy. But awfully handsome. Since you’ll be on your bike, leave the thick billfold at home. Consider making the switch permanent.
The Sunglasses: Sunpocket II in Dark Tortoise – $89.00. Not McQueen Persols, but not hundreds of dollars either. Available in a few shades as well. Recently spotted at CoolMaterial over here.
The Shorts: Merona Tailored Club Chino Shorts in Turqoise – $24.99. These have been getting a lot of play lately, and for good reason. The oxford-cloth like option is the best, but the rest of them are mighty fine too. Tailored but not tight, and hits above the knee. The light blue would absolutely work here too.
The Shoes: Pro-Keds Royal Low – $35
Please remember to check your local laws before heading out for drunk biking. In California (e.g.), biking under the influence is a crime. And it is enforced — especially in tourist destinations and near college campuses.
Good advice, also, a pub crawl doesn’t have to = setting out to get hammered. “drunk biking” ain’t a good idea. Walk it home if it catches up to you.
This is missing a BIKE HELMET. Seriously. buzzed biking is drunk biking. Wear a helmet people.
Sunglasses for a night ride? 😉
A helmet is a must, alcohol notwithstanding.
For those living in a larger city, the Kryptonite cable bike lock–while convenient and light– would be woefully inadequate to ensure a bike didn’t get stolen. It sucks, but the bulky ulocks you see most people use are bulky for a reason.
IIRC, here in Texas it’s a DWI to be drunk on a horse, but not on a bicycle. That would just be a PI.
Sun sets so much later in the summer my man. Foldable for storage once it goes down though…
I did a lot of searching for a decent looking helmet a couple of years ago. I ended up getting a Giro Surface helmet with a brown and white houndstooth pattern. The Bern Watts helmets also look pretty good.
“Strongly consider a helmet as well as a light for the ride home.”
Been meaning to upgrade to a Bern Watts forever (I’ve got a pretty standard Bell, flat grey one now). Got one on the way and I’m excited to give it a look once it arrives.
I’m just giving you a hard time. It’s Monday morning and i want everyone to share my pain. I like the foldability of them. 😉
$95 card case and biking? Why not just climb into the back of your Maybach and munch on some truffles while you pregame with some Dom P?
Or just go for one of these and your problem is solved (http://brewcycleportland.com/)
http://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/first-ballard-ride.png
But it’s in italics, Joe. Nobody reads anything in italics.
These are so awesome.
Especially on a Monday. Guess not 🙂
Actually the sunglasses are absolutely essential, that low angle sun just before sunset is murder, sometimes literally.
I agree. Bulldog Mini is the way to go in any big city, and they fit nicely in a large back pocket or tucked inside your belt.
Yes, it’s in italics… where you going to make a point? See what I did there?
Those Bern helmets are fashionable right now but they have pretty poor ventilation. Nothing worse than a steamy sweat soaked helmet in the middle of summer.
Hi Misery, I heard you love company 🙂
On the subject of accessorizing leather colors, Brooks Saddles can be really nice to tie in with belt, watchband, etc. Also if you’re going to wear a helmet you might as well ahve fun with it. http://instagram.com/p/aHKcjWDDbU/
A $95 card case? Why not just roll up to the bars in your chauffeured Maserati?!
I put a similar cup holder on my bike. I would suggest drinking half of your coffee before actually riding with it in there.
I’m sure that Chester Mox slim card case is A LOT better then my crappy JCrew slim card case (no offense Joe- I saw your review from it last year). I’ve been looking for a replacement a month after I bought it, even though I only spent $20 (it was on sale and a discount) I still spent too much.
Brooks Saddles are really, really expensive.
Unclear why recommendations for helmets are getting down-votes.. Interesting. I would think that everyone around here would be smart enough to realize that a helmet should be as required as a seatbelt. No one has ever looked worse with a helmet on than they would with a TBI.
The Sunpockets look decent but the huge name of Sun Pocket on the arms just turns me off. If the name was a little more subtle I might bite on this but as it is I’m going to have to keep looking for a good foldable sunglass
No down-votes here. But there is a long-running debate in the cycling community on whether helmets actually save lives. Falling over from a stop…probably helps. Going headfirst into a wall from 20mph…probably not as effective. However, helmets tend to lull people into a false sense of security, which often makes it subconsciously easier to take greater risks as well. Keep in mind that cycling is much bigger in Europe, and much fewer people wear helmets.
Not necessarily. Sure compared to a cheap vinyl gel saddle, but not compared to most quality bike saddles. They start around $100, and up depending upon the model, and it’s one of the most important contact points between you and the bike, so getting something comfortable and durable is worth the expense. Even still, a good brooks is less expensive than the watch, not far from the cost of the card case or the sunglasses, and arguably a more important part of being comfortable on the ride than any or all of those items.
For perspective, compare the cost to a pair of good leather shoes. Sure you could get a pair of cheap leather shoes, but they will last you a year or so, and probably never be as comfortable as a quality shoe that could last decades with proper care. If you don’t ride a lot, it may not be worth it to you, but if you ride every day, it’s JUST like investing in good shoes.
Because it’s already written in the article?
rsq789 is correct, helmets are not universally loved in the cycling community. They tend to provide a false sense of security, and only protect you from a narrow range of injuries in the case of a collision. Worse, drivers tend to be more reckless against cyclists wearing helmets, as they assume you are more experienced – and we don’t need to give drivers any reason to be more reckless around cyclists than they already are.
why not throw in some actual cycling shoes for good measure? chrome and various other brands make some nice casual shoes that have cycling specific features
http://www.chromeindustries.com/footwear
As a cyclist, I am inclined to view this as an argument typically posed by hipster commuter bicyclists. I am not insinuating you are. However, when you look at the statistics of death rates, injury rates, etc. there are not very many compelling ones that argue that no helmets are safer…
http://www.iihs.org/research/fatality.aspx?topicName=Bicycles&year=2011
3rd table on the page. You might still die (probably will) if you get hit by a car at high speeds, but you might not from small falls to your head which can quite easily kill someone.
In Louisiana, you can get a DWI on a bike, skateboard, riding lawnmower, etc… you can get arrested for public intoxication if you try to walk home.
Just take a cab, or the unthinkable… learn to manage your vices.
I think the argument against helmets is one that would not be based on injury/death rates of people who have been in accidents, but rather the accident rate of the total ridership of each respective population (helmets/no helmets). The reasoning being that people with helmets are more likely to survive a collision, but people without helmets are more likely to not be in a collision in the first place. Of course, this would be a difficult statistic to estimate. But I think everyone can agree, if you’re planning on definitely getting hit by a car, you stand a better chance if you’re wearing a helmet.
No go on that Gap belt. Friends don’t let friends buy genuine leather belts. Orion Leather Company or on Etsy, you can find full grain belts for around $30. Five bucks more than the Gap belt but buy it nice or buy it twice, right?
I’ve had that exact same belt, in black and brown, for five years. At least. But thank you for the suggestion about Orion Leather. Heard of em’, but haven’t personally needed to buy a casual leather belt for a good long while.
Btw, side note: That Gilt.com 30% coupon for BR works on blazers. I just went to my local BR and bought the tailored fit linen wool blazer.
Probably belongs in the Threads, but I can’t post there.
As a non-hipster, somewhat ex-cyclist, I feel naked without a helmet, and personally wouldn’t go out without one. But I’ve also been riding for many years, so it just feels natural to me (and unnatural to go without).
But just some food for thought…
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/sunday-review/to-encourage-biking-cities-forget-about-helmets.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Fascinating stuff. I feel weird without a helmet on myself, but there’s a lot of good points in that piece.
Nope. Especially not when the dial of said watch is black as well. Plus, it’s pretty casual. Not wearing brown shoes with a black suit or anything.
I know – I’ve been looking for them in size 10 for a while. Been able to find the other colors but not white. I knew I shoulda grabbed a pair when I first started looking at them months ago! I may go the Superga or Tretorn route. Love the Converse JPs and Chucks but kinda played out…
I found them in a 10 D but can’t remember where. Try searching in Google with the color and size. I’m going to go with these instead: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000DN7XUY/ref=aw_d_var_2nd_sporting-goods_img?vs=1
…and no love for Joe’s beer selection? I had the pleasure of drinking this fresh from the tap in Boulder a few weeks ago.
New Belgium makes good stuff, but I really can’t figure out why they’re suddenly taking the country by storm. Fat Tire is everwhere but IMO isn’t at all exceptional. I grew up in West Michigan with Bells, Founders, Arcadia, New Holland and a few other really good options, so maybe I’m just spoiled.
I’ll take my vintage Schwinn LeTour over that bike. It has 12 speeds, looks cooler, and only cost me $100 in the mid ’90s when I bought it used. It was 10 years old then, now it’s a classic, but still great to ride.
I’m not enamored with New Belgium (more of a Lagunitas or Grand Teton guy myself) but I do like em’. And “shift” really is a terrific lighter in alcohol, but still has some good flavor summer beer. Nice hop balance for that one.
They’re a good brewery, no doubt. I just can’t figure out why they’re taking off faster than a bunch of other good breweries. Savvy marketing I guess. But, the gears on the can do make it appropriate for a bike-related post.
Bells Oberon is probably still my favorite Summer beer. Their Two-hearted ale is nice too, but I actually don’t drink it very often.
Not a big beer drinker by any means (usually a simply whiskey/rocks kinda guy – with the occasional cocktail – like a Manhattan, a Red Hook, an Old Fashioned, etc – thrown in as a caloric *treat*), but I tend to go for Sam Adams and their various seasonal offerings, as uncool as that may or may not be to beer-heads.
Michigander here, too, and I must admit I had no idea Fat Tire was so big elsewhere, presently *or* prior. I actually just recently tried some myself, and enjoyed quite a little bit.
Like I just said a little earlier in this thread, I’d say Bells Oberon is my favorite Summer beer – other than that I either go with Sam Adams various options, or just a simple Miller Lite (simple sometimes win the pick – plus my dad often drinks that one, and I always strive to be like his dad – even in quaint ways such as that).
Bells has been selling beer since 1985 and bottling beer since at least the late 1980s (I know, I was drinking Bells from bottles back then). They’re older than New Belgium, which was founded in 1991. Arcadia, New Holland and Founders are only a few years younger than New Belgium. I wouldn’t go so far as to say West Michigan is the epicenter of micro-brewing, but the beer scene there is top notch.