I used to be a fair-weather biker. I had this beautiful red vintage Appollo that I would ride around the city on. I'd wear a sundress, sandals and a bathing suit and bike to the beach with stops at sandwich places or coffee shops. It was lovely and stylish and I got huge hipster props for it all.
Then I realized that my beautiful bike was too small, making hills much harder than they needed to be. I finished school and got a job which meant some money and a commute which is only 20 minutes by bike and 40 on the bus. I bought a functional road bike and rode it to work all summer. Then the rain came. The first day it rained I spent the entire day at work with soaking wet feet and thighs. I was miserable. Rain hit me in the face and head, it blinded me by flying into my eyes. My fingers froze. Every crazy item I had ever seen at MEC instantly made sense.
Here is what I've become:
Then I realized that my beautiful bike was too small, making hills much harder than they needed to be. I finished school and got a job which meant some money and a commute which is only 20 minutes by bike and 40 on the bus. I bought a functional road bike and rode it to work all summer. Then the rain came. The first day it rained I spent the entire day at work with soaking wet feet and thighs. I was miserable. Rain hit me in the face and head, it blinded me by flying into my eyes. My fingers froze. Every crazy item I had ever seen at MEC instantly made sense.
Here is what I've become:
A breakdown:
Now I change at work and fully embrace how dorky I am during my commute. Maybe I'm getting old and I'm giving up on fashion or it's just too cold to care at any age. I know I'm still cool on the inside, right?
- Helmet cover - this is probably the most embarassing item. When standing in the store, I asked my partner "which colour?" to which he replied "Does it matter?" He was right, I went with orange to embrace how ugly this thing was.
- Yellow lens sunglasss - No more blindness and tearing in the morning. The yellow is good for contrast at night. These glasses have interchangeable lenses so you can always be ready for anything. We used to buy these every year for my dad and I would internally cringe when he wore them. I guess we do become our parents.
- Rain jacket
- Waterproof gloves - my fingers are now only kind of frozen when I get to work.
- Rain pants - these are women's pants but are clearly cut for a man. These were the only pair I could get over my butt at the store. I call them my cop pants.
- Blundstones - I was so upset when I realized my most expensive pair of shoes were ugly manly work boots. They have quite the following, people constantly comment on them and then start raving. It's like a work boot cult. To be fair, everyone has a point - they are the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. My feet are warm and dry all day and they have survived some really gross situations at work.
- Leggings - now this post is relevant to sewing.
Now I change at work and fully embrace how dorky I am during my commute. Maybe I'm getting old and I'm giving up on fashion or it's just too cold to care at any age. I know I'm still cool on the inside, right?