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

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

Kathleen from Brisbane has a snazzy fold up Brompton which fits under her desk.

She says “I haven’t figured out the clothes thing. I can keep my top cool, but am I the only one who ends up with a sweaty bum?” Um, nope.

Kathleen, please email us at info@sarahwilson.com.au with your contact details, and one of Cyclestyle‘s gorgeous bike baskets will be on it’s merry way to you shortly!

Enjoy x

I wrote a post recently on what I wear on my bike…how to dress to ride…sans lyrca. I write these blogs to inspire you to ride a bike. My motivations are pure!

Here, a few extra pics and some that you lot sent in (thank you!). Also, our friend  Joyce from Cyclestyle has VERY kindly offered to giveaway an oval wicker bike basket (see below). As an aside, Joyce just gave birth four days ago, 10 days late!  The criteria will be…hmmmm…someone who’s just embraced bike funesss…a new recruit! Send in a pic via the comments of your new wheels (and a cute outfit) if you can.

I found these pics of Baba – an Australian stylist living in Paris who I interviewed years ago when I was a feature writer at Sunday Magazine. Gala Darling posted them on her blog recently and did a wonderful write up on Baba. A gorgeous read.

Baba uses black leggings creatively. Have black leggings. Will travel (even in f*ck off stillettos in the snow).

I’ve introduced you to Joyce from online store CycleStyle before. She is kooky as all get-up and is one of my favourite bike kids. AND, her baby is due this week! Blessings to her. I’ve asked her to share a few of her favourite bike accessories with you…

Go for it Joyce:

My bike is my primary mode of transport – I go to work on it, to the markets, to meet friends, to the movies and to restaurants. I love riding my bike every day because it’s the quickest and most convenient way for me to get from A to B – and it makes me feel happy and healthy.

In the course of doing research for CycleStyle’s range, I’ve come across a myriad of pretty bike accessories. These items are for the kind of cyclist like me – people who want to look stylish riding their bikes.

1. The Basil Beauty Shopper

Every cute bike deserves a wicker basket. I like the gentle pot-bellied shape of Basil’s Beauty Shopper and the lid is handy for keeping your shopping in check. When you’re off your bike you can remove the shopper and take it straight into the farmers’ market with you.

OK, I’m back on the Campaign to Ride a Bike, a loose gee-up I’m waging on my blog – and beyond – to get more people riding. You can catch up on some of my rants here and also here.

But a big barrier for a lot of people is the goddamn helmet. How to preserve one’s vanity and the planet?

(PS. The cat in a melon hat was sourced by my new (!) assistant Jo Foster who has an incredible knack for finding obscure factoids, cricket trivia and pictures for this blog. She also likes threatening me with Dance-off Tuesdays and Sing-a-long Wednesdays in my office. Performance terrifies me. Jo finds this funny…ANYWAY…)

I personally struggle. I promote riding unencumbered by style restraints. But helmets just ruin the whole flow, especially for a chick. Plus. Um. Confession: I don’t always wear a helmet.  Like when I scoot down the road for dinner, or to the beach in the morning. Illegal I know. And irresponsible. But I must come clean. I sometimes debate the protective worth of them (the Sydney Morning Herald ran a story recently on whether bike helmets do any good if you’re interested). And I rationalise things in my own head thus: I’ve been riding for 32 years (and have never pranged); if I have an accident, I want my brain to go along with my body; and riding sans headwear makes for some very defensive riding.

That said, if I’m going far, or cross-country, or racing, I wear one.

And I’ve recently found some styles that are getting me a little more excited about wearing them more regularly. I’ll share a few: