The Brooks Lady B18 Saddle

If you’re a cyclist, you know Brooks:

They are the epitome of quality, class and sophistication.

I am such a fan of the English, don’t ask me why, I can’t really explain it. Perhaps because London is the birthplace of Punk? I am quite the punk at heart :) Regardless, I have drooled and dreamed of having anything with the Brooks name and logo on it. Sandra Dee was not the bike to accessorize with Brooks(as cute as she was and as much as I miss her), but Hermie? He is my dapper man and is definitely the bike to have a bit of “B” on him! This Christmas, I was lucky enough to open up this amazingly beautiful saddle;

Not bad for the last saddle you'd ever need right? This is one lovely lady! I literally stared at her for hours and hours in awe of her detail..she’s a beauty! She is part of Brooks’ Unique Collection, each saddle in this collection have over a centuries history, the people of Brooks have preserved their construction hence making these particular saddles unique. The Lady’s design dates back to 1920! The lovely vine and flower design adds a bit of girliness to my dapper-man of a bicycle :) I’ve put under 200 miles on The Lady, but from the first time my cheeks touched that leather, I knew this was the seat for me and possibly every woman out there! The leather is already forming to my body, making it truly mine!

I get asked all the time from potential female riders; “Which seat is the most comfortable?” “How do ride long distances on a seat? I always end up being uncomfortable.”. Comfort is the number 2 reason more women don’t ride. Number 1 is safety concerns, but that’s for another post! I have been through 4 seats in two years, I have tried almost all the inexpensive “comfort cruiser” extra-padded type seats, and looking back I cannot believe I didn’t invest sooner!

My butt is happy! for $200 it better be *insert slight grumble*

Yes it’s a tad expensive when you see the price tag, but think of the big picture, this saddle is guaranteed for life. No exaggeration, I’m going to be 56 and still have this seat! I met a man downtown with a Brooks racing seat he’s had since the 80’s..I was born in the 80’s! That’s bananas y’all. That seat of his was worn in beautifully, I wish I got a picture! I’m sure I’ll go through a few bikes before the seat needs retiring!

I highly recommend The Lady for the commuting cyclist, the city and touring cyclist, and the fat-bottomed cyclist ;) Can’t wait for their show @Bicycle Habitat in June!Check out all Brooks can offer you for a smoother, classier ride!

Happy Riding!

K xo

Bike Month Round-up

 

A new bike, new territories, and new things on the horizon this Summer all started this month!

For Mothers Day, we welcomed a new bike to our family; Hermie!

This whole month its been me and The Herm, rolling through the familiar and the strange, getting to know each other. Its been pretty great! I showed him off around the neighborhood, riding the routes I’m oh-so-familiar with, to see how he differs from Sandra Dee.

..and let me say, the difference is just…WOW. Alas, that is for a different post!

1st weekend in May was a ride to the City College for a play followed by riding along Riverside Drive and the Upper West Side,

Just the Bee’s and the bikes on this journey

The 2nd weekend of Bike month, was a trip through Queens, my home-borough :)

1st time on the 7 train

Its been a long time, Corona.

We did the whole 2-3mile route, wrapping around the Hall of Science, The Farm and petting zoo, and of course the Unisphere

 

 

He’s this badass in real life..in case you’re wondering.

After spending the night in Queens with my friends, this day in Queens moved over a Borough to Brooklyn.

I can’t even remember the last time I picked Regg up from work…he had his bike, I had mine..so why the hell not? Awake for 24 hrs, running on basically fumes(and coconut rum shots), may not sound like the best time to cross the Brooklyn Bridge..but we did!

Oh to be young and live in New York City<3

On the 3rd week; it was the 8th Annual Bicycle Fetish Day Festival down in Willysburg. 8th?? Where was I for the other 7?!

There were bikey-related things everywhere and familiar bikey people such as Bitchcakes and Kimmy! Not only was it great having my Bee there, but meeting great bikey gals such as Laura and Shelma, two of the raddest peeps part of the WE bike and Local Spokes movements! Thanks to them, there will be plenty of bike posts this summer :)

Great music was playing, contests and races were ensuing, cupcakes were being eaten, and of course plenty of photo-ops..

BikeNYC photogs such as Jim Kiernan and Dmitry were there and snapped some great friggin shots! Check out Jims Flickr here, and Dmitrys here.

After the rad festivities(and before the rain came pouring down) our little bike clan crossed a new bridge to us all; The Williamsburg

The (wet)faces of accomplishment.

Last, and very far from least, the last weekend of bike month is the biggest of all..I got invited on my 1st social ride, first LocalSpokes meeting, and rode my 2nd tour, the Tour de Brooklyn!

BOOTD for the Garden Party and Social ride includes a dress that you can wear as a skirt(Route 66 $15)!

The garden party was cute fun and informative. Attendees scored some cool freebies too; like bike bells, maps, and water bottles.

*LS’s plan is to get protected bike lanes all over the LES(including Chinatown) for a smoother and safer environment for all commuters*

There is a great community of Lady Bikers here in NYC :D

After snacks, business card exchanges and a bike raffle—Its time to ride :D

While unlocking our bikes, I grab this hot pic of some of NYC’s ladyBikers..including @Bike Peace NYC!

a small and lovely bike group. but what made it better is one lovely rider(Faye) is the owner of a Wayfarer..the Male frame! As a matter of fact, there was three Schwinns on this ride :)

SD’s Brother!

Managed to only snap one pic throughout the whole ride..and here it is;

W34th street near Penn Station

My new awesome Bikey pal Raquel schedules weekly rides through Meetup.com or The Social ride FB page! THANKS FOR THE AWESOME INITIATIVE RACH!

At the risk of making this post drag on, I’ll be blogging about the Tour de Brooklyn(and it being on my one year cycle and blogiversairy!) in a later post, as well as blogging my outfit over on my Skorch blog.

Best. Bike Month. Ever.

June’s shaping up to be just as fantastic. Stay tuned.

 

CC x

Hermie; A simpler bike.

 

Not sure there’s many women who have gotten two bikes the past two Mothers days…not sure there’s many who’ve even asked! I am the kind of woman to want a bike instead of brunch. Go for a ride instead of going to a movie or play.

I like to think I’m one-of-a-kind :)

This is Hermie, My new Single Speed Schwinn Coffee

He’s a big boy y’all. 28” wheels, longer frame(it’s the L/XL model for heights 5’10”- 6 feet) and that seat…I’m up SO high! I tower all those I pass! I was veryvery reluctant about his size, which is why we stood in the bike shop for over 2 hours, and if I were going to be able to ride him successfully.

We adjusted the handlebars a few times, as well as the seat, sat on it, got off it and repeated the whole process about 7 times(maybe I have slight OCD? I’ve toyed with that notion for years). After discussing, testing, adjusting, and asking, The Hubb convinces me that this bike should be mine..as always, I rarely fight with him when he seems so sure. We ring him up, add a water bottle cage, had the bike shop guys inspect it for any loose ends, and just like that…HERMIE IS MINE!

Walkin’ Herm home :D

Mad with happiness apparently.

I have already answered some questions(since I asked myself the very same upon purchasing Hermie) that anybody may want to ask me about the newest member to our bikey o’hana <3

Q: ONE-SPEED?!

A: Yep.. a One-speed. In New York City. Right off of Castle HILL Avenue.

Can’t lie, I was doubtful and intimidated at first. Would I be able to pedal a 1 speed? What about hills? What if you can’t keep up with other cyclists? Keep reading to find out how, in retrospect, that these doubts were just plain silly

Q: Uh…isn’t that a Mens frame?

A: Yep..sure is. Never seen a chick ride a guys bike before?

Q: Where’s Sandra Dee?

A: She’s in the backyard! I could never get ride of her! Truth be told, SD needs a complete overhaul…and I needed a break from all the dings on my legs from constantly getting hurt by her. But that’s for another blog post.

After I repair/revamp her, she will be my grocery bike, my main tour bike, and my photo shoot bike. I will use Hermie for mainly longer rides, meetups, shows, and tavel.

Q: How is he different than SD?

He is way bigger than SD, so it took(and is taking) some time to get used to having to dismount at red lights. His handlebars are more like those of a classic cruiser bicycle, so they are wider, but still swooped back enough that I’m comfy with them.

I have a lot more leg clearance! I hate to admit it, but SD is a bit small for me. DARN THESE LONG LIMBS OF MINE!!

Q: What are your accessory plans for Hermie?

Minimal. I love him clean and sleek, just how he came. I have always wanted a Basil pannier, but the one I want wouldn’t have looked good on SD, it will with Herms lovely Espresso color! Until that lovely bag comes into my possession, I thought(and bought) a Pink bell and Pink grips would look good. If they look great, I’ll get some pink Fyxation pedals.

Q: Hows the ride?

Smooth like Velvet! I mean…DUDE. I couldn’t stop saying that with every bump I took, every bend we came up on , seamless. SD was never  this smooth. Not even right-off the floor.

His maiden voyage was a trip to City College, followed by an epic ride with the B thru the Upper West side

They were on a date :)

Somewhere on Riverside Drive

We like posing in front of signs.

first lock-up..W72nd

On the 6

If I hadn’t lost my bike computer, I could have given you actual mileage of the whole day, but here’s our ride in Riverside:

Upon further research, I learn that Herm is:

• A Schwinn Signature Series bike, and only bike shops sell it.
• He is last years model.
• There is not one bad review on him, and frankly, there shouldn’t be because he really is an amazingly simple bike.
• A commuter bike.
• Covered by the bike shop(if he gets stolen) and was priced wayyyyyyy under the listed price. PLUS, he gets lifetime adjustments for free!#supportsmallbusiness!

After such a successful maiden voyage, I’m looking forward to a long happy life with him. I must admit, I love my Schwinns!

xoxo

CC