Have you seen this? A call to action by The Holstee Manifesto, originally a side project selling shirts, that’s since turned into a “message” (can you become a message? I reckon you can) that’s been viewed over 60 million times online. I like this:

When they quit their jobs to form Holstee, the three founders – Mike, Fabian and Dave – wrote down exactly what was on their minds and the tips of their tongues. It wasn’t about shirts. It was about what they wanted from life, and how to create a company that breathes that passion into the world everyday. It was a reminder of what we live for, and the result became known as the Holstee Manifesto.

I like this clip, even if the obviousness of the little mantras make me feel a little awkward. But I guess it’s the obviousness that works – what we need to remind ourselves of is so stupidly, cringe-ely simple and when we have it delivered to us in an everyday way it grips the heart. No?

Do what you love. Do what you love. Do what you love.

I have this thing at the moment…

Every time I feel the “uggghhhs”  – you know that feeling that takes over from the inside out, a bit like a shiver, a bit like a gut clench, when you’re doing something that grates against your being -  I stop and question whether I really need to do it. Do I love it? Does it nourish me? Can I learn to view it as something I love, and not resent?

The latter, by the way, is a good challenge. A switch in view can often see something “uggghhhy” reposition as something really quite lovely. And sometimes we just have to do this, to get something that has to be done, done.

If the answer, however, is still no, I abort. My life, my well being is worth more. Since I started doing this I’ve become aware of just how much doesn’t have to done, followed up, completed. I trap myself into thinking that because I’ve been asked for something, or offered something, or because it’s on my to do list, or because “it’s the way I’ve always done it”…I have to do it.

But if I feel the uggghhhs, I pull back now. Do I really have to see that person, go out tonight, respond to that email? Do YOU really have to?

Another generous Friday giveaway…and what a cracker it is this week. Yes, we’re giving away a

Papillionaire old-school treadlie. Just in time for summer!

Not only is she very pretty, this Papillionaire bike is:

• a fully customised Sommer bicycle valued at almost $700
•  powered with a 3- speed internal hub (yes, gears!)
• an upgraded model with CRMO frame, Shimano grip shifter & more
• resplendent with chrome-capped, smooth leather washer grips
• decked out with a crafted leather saddle, copper rivets and chrome spring mount rails
• fitted with laces and frame for adjustable width and tension
• sporting a wicker basket up front

To be in the running, you will need to do two things:

• Sign up for my weekly newsletter (the highlights from the week’s blog…no spam EVER!) before Monday 12th December 5pm AEST (of course, if you’ve already done so, sign up a friend!)
• AND ‘like’ the Papillionaire facebook page. We’ll announce the winner on the Papillionaire FB page. We’ll send the bike off to you before Christmas!

To be honest, being safe on a bike is mostly about being visible. I ride to be seen. Which is to say, I ride obviously. I ride so cars know I’m there. I take off at traffic lights from up front, I ride on the road (not on footpaths where reversing cars can’t see me) and I ride brightly. And so it is that I just love this little creation from Melbourne label Culture Cycle:

Crocheted. Glow-in-the-dark. Bike fashion.

Culture Cycle is a seriously kooky range of handmade crocheted bits and pieces, intertwined with reflective yarns that light up at night.

Cool, light and safe.

Angelina is the chick behind the brand and is a keen rider who runs cycle tours in Sydney and Melbourne where, at the end, you sit down and…very cute…crochet. Crochet and cycling and coffee. Seriously.

She tells me she uses yarns that she sews into her products, for high visibility day and night.  One is as thin as the cotton that you use in a sewing machine and its made from glass beads. It’s highly reflective and when it’s crocheted into products it’s difficult to see in daylight.  The other is a double sided flat ribbon which is equally as reflective and is quite visible in daylight so it offers great opportunities to make textured products.

I have a set of lime green cuffs and this wrap vest (below), which is fine enough to scrunch up in my bag, pretty enough to wear over my t-back singlet or a dress and versatile enough to wear as a scarf, a vest or a wrap.

But check out these wrist cuffs

I recently shared my fixation of finding the perfect bike satchel so that I can ride light and free. To be honest, I think you guys provided some infinitesimally good suggestions. Here they are, if you’re still in the market.

And  many cheered triumphantly about a Crumpler bag being the perfect solution…

Some other ideas for stylish satchels or bags:

Gala Darling says: I loooove C.S.C. but zatchels have some great options also!

Alison: Another satchel I was tempted with was from the Canadian company Roots – they have some really classic designs

This has become a fixation with me – finding THE satchel that I can carry my laptop (and wallet, keys, glasses etc) in, which also works on a bike. If you ride, you’ll know that  not all satchels are created equal. So I’ve been exploring…

via copenhagencyclechic.com

via downtown from behind tumblr

The sling over the shoulder deal is great…but I’ve been finding it mucks with my left shoulder over time. And it does a swingy-forward thing if I’m not careful. Worse, to avoid this swingy-forward thing, especially when going up hills,  I find my body tensing – including my right hip – to stop it doing so. Which leads to lots of niggly pains. Ooooh, I have many!

My philosophy is this: when more people ride bikes in cities, the safer that city is for cyclists. Actually, it’s not my philosophy. It’s a fact. And the raison d’etre of my Campaign To Ride a Bike.

via meetup.com

But I know many of you get stuck on how to start out riding – how and where to buy a bike. So let’s get back to basics. If you build bikes in your area, or if you know a great mob who sell bikes and look after green kids to the scene, please add to the list in the comments below…

1. Always test-ride. Bike shops will always let you do this. If you live in a hilly area and are planning to buy a single-speed, test-ride up a hill.

2. Try a three-speed. The retro look is rad. But if you’re new to riding, having no gears can be tough. Think about a hybrid – retro in look, geared in functionality. I’ve written about this here.

(apologies for the blip at the end of the video…)

3.  Learn how to carry a bike up stairs. I’ve given some tips in this funny little video we did outside Bondi Bikes, above.

4. Switch to slick tyres if you have a mountain bike. It’ll make your bike faster, and cleaner if you’re keeping it indoors. Again, above.

5. Get a bike lock that you can sling over your shoulder. You can then stick the key in your pocket or down your bra (with an ATM card or $20) and the lock over your shoulder and off you go. No bag. No clutter.

6. Don’t be a complete cheapskate, says 7PM Project’s Charlie Pickering. “You don’t have to spend thousands on a space-age carbon fibre uberbike, but if you buy the cheapest thing you can find it will be

Last week I met with Lord Mayor Clover Moore and some of her team to chat bikes.

via chicksandbikes

I have to hand it to Cr Moore. She simply wanted to get feedback from me (bikes lanes? Has to be done; the world will adjust and get over their issues with them), and pick my brain on what more they can be doing to get people on bikes (they’re doing some pretty cool stuff already…but my suggestion is to keep making it cool, accessible; not daggy). She listened and took notes.

If you have ideas, and want them heard, you might like this:

$10,000 grant for a great bike idea:

City of Sydney is giving out Matching Grants to folk with great community ideas (bikes and beyond). They are designed to support neighbourhood based groups with the purchase of materials or supplies that will assist them to facilitate small and simple projects that bring the community together.

Bikes are rad. Here are some more rad bike things…

via pinterest.com

I recently found this Brooklyn wedding on ‘A Cup of Jo’. The happy couple didn’t have a huge budget – so they got married in a park and then rode bikes to a bar for their reception (Pam wore cute denim shorts under her wedding dress so that she could hitch up her dress and ride).

Personally, my bike comes with me everywhere. It travelled with me into the Apple store in Sydney the other day. The security beef looked after it for me. I bath it. What more can I say…

I’m often asked where I keep my bike at home. Most places I’ve lived, inside. Mostly for security. And rust. I found these lovely shots of bikes-as-interior-accessories the other day. Why not work them into your decor? You got any clever ideas? Send them in…

I’m constantly asked for tips for buying bikes. If you’re buying your first since you sported spokey dokes on your Repco, it can be daunting. For this sponsored review I asked Jenny Fay from Australia’s first women’s bike shop at Clarence St Cyclery in Sydney to share her advice.

And can I just say, it is actually a very cool thing that there’s a chick-specific store out there…I get freaked dealing with blokes in Lycra in bike shops who don’t really understand I have longer legs than men and boobs that get in the way, that I need to carry loads of stuff wherever I go and, quite frankly, want to put style before a fancy derailer sometimes. I don’t want to explain all this (and cop attitude); I want it assumed! Over to you Jenny…

Q: I want a… how can I put it…purely pretty bike! I’m a bit of a princessy type, but I want to start riding to work. I don’t know how to put this, but I don’t want one of those lean-forward, fast styles; I want to sit upright and ride in my frocks’n'heels. Oh, and to be able to touch the ground at traffic lights! And I want to be able to carry my bits and pieces in a pretty basket. Does this make sense? - Rachel