Art Wheeler

 

CLOCKWISE TOP LEFT: FLOATING SUBWAY MAP, FRANCOISE SCHEIN, 1985; CYCLING UP LAFAYETTE ST; METRONOME UNION SQUARE, KRISTIN JONES & ANDREW GINZEL, 1999; THE WALL, FORREST MYERS, 1973

 
While urban bike sharing programs are great for commuting and tooling around town, they are also the ideal sightseeing vehicle for both tourists and locals alike. Allowing you to go slow enough to take in the monuments, landmarks, and vistas of a city, and fast enough to cover some ground, you can get your exercise in along the way too. Plus with docking stations located all over the city, you never have to worry about locking your bike.

A few weeks ago, on a balmy summer’s eve, your STYLE of SPORT editor was invited by Rapha on a cycling art tour of Manhattan. Rapha is the posh English cycling apparel and accessory brand we happen to love and feature regularly for its blend of sophisticated style and performance. With a recently opened shop in Manhattans’s Soho called the Rapha Cycle Club, the store serves as a hub for the city’s cyclists and starting point for group road bike rides. On this evening, however, it would be an 8-mile city bike — or Citibike — ride through Soho, Chelsea, and a bit of midtown too.
 

IMG_0807 (1)RAPHA CYCLE CLUB, NYC

 
The Rapha Transmission Tour, as they call it, was lead by Derrick Lewis, Rapha Communications Manager for North America. Its mission was to show us New York from a new perspective. As a lifelong New Yorker myself, I always welcome this opportunity. This would be a tour of New York City public art — those architectural structures, installations, sculptures, and paintings we see everyday, perhaps never really notice, and often know nothing about.
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The SOS Gift Guides: For The Cyclist

 

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The week by week, sport by sport,  STYLE OF SPORT Holiday Gift Guides continue this week with great ideas for that cyclist in your life. Whether they ride for transportation, fitness, fun, or just like cool stuff, we’ve got the gear every rider will be asking for this holiday season.

ROW 1: SIDI WIRE CYCLING SHOES $499. Top of the line, the new Wire is the choice of WorldTour athletes and pros everywhere. The Tecno 3 closure system provides even pressure across the entire foot for ultimate comfort and pedaling efficiency. Micro-ratcheting buckles allow easy one-click adjustment in either direction, for simple fine-tuning on the go. BUDNITZ NO.1 DISASSEMBLED PRINT $100. From one of our favorite bike companies, Budnitz, makers of some of the most uniquely beautiful bikes, comes this high-quality Giclée archival print of their No.1 Titanium bicycle disassembled.

ROW 2: RAPHA MERINO BRETON $170 From the sophisticated cyclist’s favorite brand Rapha, comes their Merino interpretation of the iconic Breton sweater. BROOKS VICTORIA SADDLE HANDBAG 160€. Originally conceived as a stylish saddle cover with incorporated saddle bag, the Victoria is also a whimsical handbag in the iconic saddle shape. CRANK BROTHERS STERLING SG PUMP $44.99. This sleek alloy mini pump is big on function as well as style. It features a high pressure air switch and gauge, and is compatible with both schrader and presta valves. MOVADO PARLEE CHRONOGRAPH $7500. Inspired by their ultra racing bikes, this 46mm automatic chronograph watch incorporates 250 layers of unidirectional carbon fiber, the super-lightweight bike frame material refined by Parlee Cycles. The edition is limited to 250 individually numbered pieces with a choice of 4 dial accent colors: blue, white, green or orange.

ROW 3: LAZER STREET DLX URBAN LUXURY HELMET $59. Heads will turn in this wood finished bike helmet! It features leather straps and metal strap dividers to complete the unique look, along with 16 vents will keep you cool while riding with such style. GIRO XEN GLOVES $40. Lightweight but durable this all-day mountain bike glove is engineered for fit, comfort and protection, and features touchscreen technology in the fingertips. Crash pads wrap around the palm onto the lateral edge of the hand for added cushioning in the event of a fall. SONY POV ACTION CAM $349. While we all know the GoPro, this palm size Sony POV camcorder is a cool competitor, and boasts a host of features inside its tough waterproof exterior. For cycling or any action sport, SteadyShot™ image stabilization conquers bumps and blur, and up to 5 cameras can be controlled with Live-View Remote via your phone. With 5 video modes including 1080/60p and 2x slow motion, it also captures amazing high quality 11.9MP still images in photo mode. Read More

 

The Urban(e) Cyclist

 

 

ROW 1: RAPHA & RAEBURN LIMITED EDITION MENS WIND JACKET; RETROVELO PAULA 7/8 SPEED; BROOKS PICKWICK DAYPACK; ROW 2: JACK SPADE FOUNDATION CANVAS ATLAS CASE; GIRO REVERB HELMET; LEZYNE PUMP; ROW 3: DAHON BOARDWALK D8 FOLDING BIKE; RAPHA WOMENS CLASSIC JERSEY; CHROME KURSK URBAN BIKE SNEAKERS
 

As commuter cycling has grown increasingly popular in major metropolitan cities, it has borne a distinct urban cycling style. As this is not cycling for recreation, but for transportation, the look is one that needs to transition easily from sport into workplace attire… albeit casual.

Europeans have been using bicycles as a form of transportation for a long time now and the cycling tradition is rich in history. The design of the bicycles and apparel we see on US city streets is inspired by cities like London, Amsterdam and Paris, but with its own uniquely American style. It is rugged but refined, elegant but tough.

Urban commuter bikes and their riders are built to take the beating of city streets but this breed handles it with style. Ones bike is a fashion statement and there are so many beautiful ones on the market, in addition to accessories likes helmets, shoes, saddles and and even bells. Above and below are a few of our favorites to keep you looking stylish while riding around town. So get out there, be safe, have fun and get to work on time!
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