The Diva’s Guide to Biking, Riding a Bike in Skirts and Heels

[mimitabby]

glad you dug this up. Fun article!

[xeney]

I found that article linked elsewhere a couple of months ago and it inspired me to re-attempt commuting in a skirt. I have a very short commute (too short to need to change when I get there), and my commute bike is a mixte specifically so I could wear a skirt on the ride, but I still feel pretty exposed when I do it. Mostly I have an irrational fear that I am going to fall and get really bad road rash ... the reason that is irrational is that it's not like my usual summer workwear of lightweight capri pants is going to offer much more protection than a skirt.

I have a slightly less irrational fear that I will pass my boss in the alley and he will see my underwear. Again.

[Bad JuJu]

and he will see my underwear. Again.

I'm not even gonna ask.

[xeney]

The first time I rode to work in a skirt, I stupidly chose a denim skirt that buttoned up the front. One of the buttons came undone on the ride, so I was sort of flashing the whole neighborhood, but I was sort of blase about it ... until I pulled into the alley at work, and there was my boss driving in from the other direction.

Hi, boss!

I am thinking, based on that article, that I can probably learn to ride a bike in these shoes, which I bought last year and never wore because, while they are super comfortable for standing, they are not very comfortable for walking.

[chickwhorips]

those are such cute shoes! must get a pair! i love my dansko shoes that i have now. don't know if i can replace them yet.

[run it, ride it]

That article was hardly comprehensive. I ride to school in a skirt nearly every day, just because I like skirts. No tights, no shorts, no fancy socks. Here are some REAL tips:

When wearing a long flowy skirt that might get caught in your chain or rear wheel, bunch it up at one side about knee-length and secure with a hair elastic. The weight of the skirt will keep it from blowing up.

When wearing a short skirt, safety-pin it together at the hem between your legs. No fly-up. For a short -tight- skirt (i.e. can't sit down with your legs even a little apart), just don't sit in the saddle at all.

To mount a bicycle with a horizontal top bar in a skirt, either make sure you're flashing a wall, or tilt the bicycle down far enough to get your bent knee over the bar, straighten your leg and tilt the bicycle back up.

They got the heels pretty well-documented.

If Mary Kingsley could travel South Africa in the nineteenth century wearing petticoats, I can ride my bicycle in a skirt and heels.

[MomOnBike]

CycleChic -

I've yet to ride to a concert in complete concert blacks, but I have ridden to rehearsal with DH. My viola rides very securely on the under-seat rack on my recumbent, and DH's horn comes along in the Burley trailer.

Of the two, I think my viola has the better deal, I can reach down and touch it - OK, the case - at any time. Sadly, I'm less likely to bomb down hills when the viola's along.

The horn, while child sized, is not child shaped, but it rides well enough.

As for going to the concert, um, we just wimp out. <shrug> I like the idea of gathering the skirt with a hair tie, though, I'm going to experiment with that. My black skirt is pretty full, I wonder how many ties it would need.... <emoticon with steam coming out ears>

I've yet to figure out how to combine my bass and the bike, that's a bit more of a challange. FWIW, on of my buddies in college was driving along with two string basses in the back of his truck and got rear-ended. Cars aren't all that safe for instruments, either.