Shorts Suspended

A pink bike, a basket, and suspenders. Excellent.

The Corral: Gazelle Tour De France Mixte

"Come on, everybody's doin' it." said the voice in my head when The Hubby showed me this listing on Craigslist. I saw it an felt that I couldn't be the only blogger without a mixte. It just wouldn't be right not to buy it. So we did. Now I own a 1992? Gazelle Tour de France Mixte. It needs some work. And I have to admit that I strongly dislike the color scheme and paint job. It is quite manly to me. Marianne over at Lovely Bicycles and Betty Foy at Lets go ride a bike are so pretty. Do I keep her and paint her up pretty or do I leave her as she is and pass her on to someone who loves her the way she is. I just don't know. Unlike my other Gazelle Tour de France this one is totally rideable. I have only taken her for a short spin so far but she is fairly smooth and zippy. Quite fun.

The Corral: Gazelle Tour De France

This is my Gazelle Tour de France. I think it is a 1983. Unforunately it is in such terrible shape that I haven't been able to ride it at all. The brakes dont work the wheels need trued. Everything is dented and busted. She has such good lines under all that rust. I have not decided if this is really a project the hubby and I can manage, but I am considering it. I imagine her in a pretty new color some new fenders and wheels. She'd be quite lovely. I saw her on Craigslist cheap and had to have her since she is a Gazelle and I am currently crushing on the Toer Populaire.

Cowboy Cruisin'

This guy has it right. The choice way to spend a Sunday. Cowboy hat, cargo pants, and a cold beverage.

Blue? Check, check and check.

Blue bike, blue bag, and blue flip flops. This chica has a bit of a theme happening here as she was rolling through the Silverlake Farmers Market. Her knit romper was super adorable with her pigtails and giant sunnies as well.

Tandem Tuesday

Yes. It's true. People like to rent tandems at the beach. Everyone. Couples, Friends, Families. It doesn't matter because apparently tandems are cool.

Pretty Bikes in NYC

OK. so not LA in fact NYC is almost the opposite of LA but my friend from college has a lovely blog with photos of lovely bikes.

http://bikesofnyc.blogspot.com/

Show Me Some Skin

I love the beach.

A Little Bit Rock & Roll

Love the neon pink gloves.

Farmer Market iZip

Pretty cool dad if you ask me.

The Corral: The Japanese Import

So I decided to make today a Red Bike Day! This is my Japanese Import Bike. Not exactly sure who made it. There are tons of labels on it that appear to be different bike shops. It is in amazing condition and was delighted to find it on Craigslist. The basket is great and the handles are so cool. The light even works. Sadly it is not the most comfortable bike to ride. It is too small for me I think but maybe it can be better adjusted. It also feels heavy to ride. Out of all of the bikes in my corral this one is the hardest to pedal up the test hill on my block especially since it is a single speed. I am sure that there are adjustments that can be made to improve the ride though if I decide to keep this one. It is just so beautiful and cool.

The Corral: Raleigh & My First Bike Date

The Hubby and I took our Raleighs out for a ride and we took in a movie. They got a chance to bond while we were in the theatre. It was the longest ride I had taken her on and it was pretty fun. It felt really small and I felt a bit vulnerable on the roads but she was smooth and so pretty. With only three speeds it was a bit of a challenge on some of the hills but not terrible. I think that if we hadn't been late dropping off Miss S at the babysitters and we had been able to go more slowly it would have been easier. I love the details like the birds in the chain ring and she has an odometer. I also really love that the hubby and I can match when we ride them as corny as that may be.

Edit: My Raleigh is a 1970 and the Hubby's is a 1969. Thanks Doohickie for the tip on how to find the date.

Biking the Dog?

This is not walking the dog so I guess it is biking the dog. Anyway I thought the blog could use a solid dose of doggie cuteness. These two were stopped at a light waiting to cross when the guy got out his phone so spot there had to wait a bit.

The Corral: Biomega Amsterdam

So this is the bike that inspired me to start the blog. This is the Bike that The Hubby bought for me. It is the Biomega Amsterdam in silver with the shaft drive and 8 speeds. It is very modern looking and pretty sporty to my eye. It has a nice enough ride it is not hard to pedal but it does feel heavy. It is also a bit small to have the Bobike on it and to pedal normally. It is much easier to pedal her on the Townie. I also find that the angle of the handle bars is a bit wrong for me. I ride it and I get lots of complements and questions. I just don't love it. It is a nice bike to have in the corral though since it is very interesting. The Hubby has a Biomega Amsterdam in white.

The Corral: Electra Townie 3 speed

This is my first adult bike. Before this I hadn't had a bike since 7th grade. I am way beyond 7th grade now. The Hubby and I have matching townies, but his is black. I love it and think it is super pretty. It was really fun to ride when I was living on the Westside where it is much flatter than where I live now. The riding position is a too relaxed to climb the hills around here comfortably, but it is still great at the beach.

White Hot Sequence

Caught leaving the Santa Monica Pier. Seriously she is smokin' hot. She was waiting for the light and I just had to stop.

The Corral

These are the multitude of bikes the Hubby, the Child, and I currently own. The majority of them are for me to test out and see what I like however I really like them all and think they are super fun. I will be introducing you to mine and maybe a couple of the Hubby's in the upcoming days as they each had a photo shoot this evening. It is kinda crazy.

Cruiser Crossing

Caught on my way to the Santa Monica Pier. So very chill.

What Can Brown Do For You?

The woman here was leaving the Performance Bikes shop in Santa Monica and met her friends outside. There was another guy that I wasn't quick enough to capture. I only had my slow camera with me.

Vegan Saddle Tips

Well I had asked Michael over at Drunk and in Charge of a Bicycle about his vegan Lepper Saddle and he replied with a whole post about it. Michael is the owner of Slepinir the Vegan Velorbis.

Vegan Saddles at Drunk and in Charge of Bicycle

iBert Mama

A biking mom toting the kid in an iBert at the Santa Monica Pier. Not as chic as the Bobike mini in my humble opinion but it is very cool, and anyone who puts the kid up front has the right idea.

Batavus Fryslân Vs. The Gazelle

Well, you know that I had to compare the Batavus Fryslân to the Gazelle Toer Populaire since I am kind of in love with it. When I put them next to each other I was surprised how much alike they looked.For anyone interested in the Gazelle but not interested in the price the two are very similar and the Fryslân is a perfectly adequate substitute. Certainly there are differences in appearance and performance. I still prefer the Gazelles looks. Just look at the curve of the handle bar, the shaped grips, and the white on the rear fender, the shape and proportion of the lights, the lugged fork, the handy dandy double stand thing, the large bell.

The thing about them is honestly the rod brakes at the moment. I could get the gazelle and have a few more gears added and coaster brakes put on, but I would still not be able to put my bobike mini on the front. Although my daughter is too big to be in that much longer, I do intend for her to have a sibling at some point and I love riding with the kid up front with me.

There is also a difference in the ride. The Gazelle is like flying by magic but the Batavus was just under that, a bit. I am of the impression that changing out the saddle would be an enormous improvement on the Batavus. Also the hubby thinks that the tires on the Batavus might have been more inflated than the Gazelle and that might be a big part of the difference.

I also am not sure about the fit. I loved the gazelle but I am not sure if it is too tall for me but I sort of felt like the Batavus was too small. The larger sized bikes I definitely have to hop off at lights but I felt like pedaling was much easier.

I really wish that Flying Pigeon LA had had the Batavus Breukelen in for me to test. Also I need to find out who sells Lepper Saddles I think I might need a comfotech.

I Love Pink Bikes!

I love the Strand! It is the only sure fire bike catching spot I have found yet.