I Want to Ride My Bicycle

I'm not a particularly active person. But you know this by now. To me, spending time outside means sitting by the pool at my apartment complex. But recently I have found myself wanting... a bicycle.

Yes, you read correctly. I, Lindsay Michele (Scalera)Scouras, want a bicycle.

Okay, yes, I have not ridden a bike since I was fourteen. I'm sure my purple imitation Huffy is still hanging out in the basement somewhere at my parent's house.

But I'm an adult now, and a stylish one at that. So I don't want just any bike, I want a fabulous bike.

Have I actually tried any of these? Sat on them in person? Rode them around the store for a bit? No, not exactly. But every plan needs a solid inspiration board.

So I took to the Internet to find my perfect ride. Of course, most of the models I found cost more than my monthly car payment, but as I am well aware, style doesn't always come cheap.

pottery barn teen nirve bike $499

target schwinn lulu rigid $180

lilly pulitzer printed cruiser $450

velorbis rosa royale price unknown

I'm guessing Target is going to be where it's at. That last one is actually my favorite, but if I've learned anything from hanging out in the fancy end of the Natick Collection, it's that if there's no price listed, it costs more than you could make selling your first born on the black market. Not that I've looked into that. Also it's from like Denmark or something. It's sold in two cities in the U.S. and the closer is Denver. So, yeah, not happening.

What does one wear to fabulously ride a bike? Since I'm in the market for a retro looking bike, I always pictured myself in a 50's style skirt and possibly a scarf tied around my head, but even I wonder about the practicality of maintaining such a look. But in all the vintage photos I scoured, all of the women are wearing skirts on bikes, so it can't be that hard, right?

Just for research's sake, I decided to take to Google for the answer. Upon searching "What to Wear When Riding a Bike," I was brought to the Bicycling.com website, in which it prompts you to enter the temperature, wind conditions, and how you want to feel when riding said bike. This was of no help to me, as "stylish" was not one of the options listed of how I wanted to feel, instead there were boring choices like "cool" or "warm" or the uber-descriptive "in between."

I entered in some faux conditions and let them determine my ideal bike wear. Okay, so maybe a tea length skirt isn't appropriate anymore, since you know, we're allowed to wear pants now, but I was thinking maybe it would suggest a crisp white button down knotted at the waist and a cute pair of printed capris.

Instead, I got this:

ew.

Seriously- the shorts are the "foundation" for a riding ensemble?! Those shorts invented the camel toe. And I'm sorry, I don't wear fingerless gloves under any other premise than rocking a Madonna costume at an 80's party.

Needless to say, I was in desperate need of a little bike style sass. So as always, I turned to Hollywood for the ultimate cycle inspiration:

i'm hot. literally, riding this bike makes me sweaty. 

Whoops, just kidding. How did that sneak in there?

I meant something more like this:

can you say perfection? 

And of course, on a daily basis, you have to ask yourself: WWBWD? (What Would Blair Waldorf Do?)

see? riding a bike in a skirt is totally practical.

If you're looking for your own two-wheeled inspiration, check out Hollywood Rides A Bike by Steven Rea. He even keeps a Tumblr of celebrities riding bikes- I'm serious, this  is an actual thing. And you better believe I looked through fourteen pages of posts while "researching" this very crucial topic. 

~L

Disclaimer: I am fully aware that none of the pictures I chose feature any sort of helmet or protective gear. I get it. Helmets are necessary always. I won't even mention the shame of helmet hair or the fact that I am specifically looking for a cruiser bicycle and will never go more than five miles an hour. Still, I get it, and I'm going to also search for the cutest (and safest!) helmet possible. 

Why hasn't anyone invented a helmet headband by now?!