The newest cycling trend has nothing to do with technology, nor anything new. To the contrary, tweed rides invite wheelmen and wheelwomen to dust off their beloved steel lugged frames, ditch all semblance of lycra and sally forth in rational dress. In the words of the official Tweed Cycling Club:
Style not speed. Elegance not exertion.
Tweed cycle rides originated on London's Saville Row a couple of years ago and are now popping up in all major cities in the US. Even Memphis and Buffalo have rides scheduled in 2010, for heaven's sake. A recent East Bay Tweed Ride included a riding band, prizes for graceful mounts/dismounts and a visit to Berkeley's oldest pub. Rides are first and foremost, social, heavily attended, well-behaved and definitely theatrical.
Not unlike a 2-wheeled costume party, tweeding presents a delightful opportunity for riders to get creative in their attire and accoutrements. Or gay, as the naysayers contend. The movement reminds me of vintage auto events/clubs like the Le Mans Classic and the Goodwood Revival. The latter recreates the golden era (50's - 60's) of motorsport in a 3-day festival complete with period clothing, historic Grand Prix cars and drivers. These gatherings have been in existence for decades but definitely have their roots in a single racing/driving event. It would be wonderful to imagine actual cycling festivals of this magnitude in the years to come.
Implications for Terry.
Not sure this trend is worth developing product for, but it certainly speaks to the cycling lifestyle. Our urban catalog presentations have tipped their hat to this movement for the past couple of years. Whether Dutch biking the streets of Chicago in woolen tunics or dressing to ride on fixed gear beauties, our photographer's presentation of the fashionable urban commuter draws inspiration from the British tweed-iness, but with more contemporary art direction than a Merchant Ivory film. Looking ahead, it presents all kinds of possibilities for classic romanticism, natural fibers, lovely tailoring, fussy accessories.
And then there are the bikes.
This weekend while stuck at O'Hare, I had a lovely cycling conversation with a stylish young gent from Munich, now living in Cincinnati. While not necessarily a tweeding candidate, he did make me think about the need for classic, european-styled city bikes that allow for easy shopping by bike (and that would nicely do on a tweed run). He was lamenting the lack of choices in this category: either ridiculously heavy dutch-style bikes or cheap and crappy hybrids. He had settled on shipping his city bike in from Germany. I'm not certain that tweed runs are a harbinger of bikes yet to come, but the high-minded words of the Tweed Club definitely underscore a different philosophy of need: the roadster.
Discerning cyclists recognise that bicycle technology reached its pinnacle in the early 1970s and everything since is just marketing. Millions are spent every year on hoodwinking the public with obscure materials which are all very well if you are constructing a craft to convey astronauts to the Moon, but quite out of place on an English country lane. Lugged steel, by contrast, is durable, comfortable and offers an opportunity for the skilled framebuilder to practice his craft. Why spend a king's ransom on the latest titanium confection when any weight advantage will be rendered irrelevant by a cheese-and-pickle sandwich and a thermos of soup?Obviously the purist would resurrect something vintage, but for those of us new to the sport or incapable of a restoration effort, a new steel beauty – mixte included – could definitely be on the shopping list. The classic British light roadster was a 3-speed bicycle built with swept-back handlebars, durability and minimal maintenance in mind for the urban working class. Many of the builders at the Handmade Bicycle Show offer things in this direction, though there aren't many mixtes for women. The Boston Lady Roadster from A.N.T. is a true custom beauty with a curved top tube, 8 speed, coaster brakes, fenders, etc., and about 10 lbs lighter than a Pashley. Lovely review here: lovelybike.blogspot
Since it always comes back to the clothing for me, here are some great resources. Riding Pretty captures it best and certainly was on the forefront of this trend. Dashing Tweeds is a tweed-based textile company that's actually adding technology into the mix, and B. Spoke Tailor is a great resource as well.
Photo credits:
1) sftweed.com
2) montage, courtesy of the Sunday Times of London
3) tweedled gary fisher, courtesy of Momentum
4) big apple tweed ride promo poster
5-7) Goodwood Revival
8) Steven Meisel for Vogue
9) glam gloves, tauntontweedcyclechic.com
10-11) lumatwill cape & cycle suit, Dashing Tweeds
12) triumph badge, tauntontweedcyclechic.com
13) Boston lady roadster, A.N.T.
