A new bike

My old bike got stolen a few weeks ago (even though it had the baby seat on it, harrumph!). It was a rusty Schwinn that I'd had for five years, and I figured it was now finally time to get a grown-up bike.

After researching online, I decided to get one of the PUBLIC bikes, which are incredible Dutch-inspired city bikes made in San Francisco. The best part is, they mail the bike right to your door, and you just have to put the final pieces together (they send you tools and easy instructions). I'm thrilled with the bike, which is cute, comfy and smooth to ride.

The models, above, look gorgeous, and here's me, below, during a recent date night with Alex. (We rode to Brooklyn for dinner.)
Riding in Manhattan...
Over the Brooklyn Bridge...
Fast...
But not as fast as Alex.

Do you have a bike? Which kind? I'd recommend a PUBLIC bike if you are in the market! They also have great bike gear. UPDATE! PUBLIC says they're happy to offer a 10% discount to Cup of Jo readers with the code CUPOFJO. Good until the end of August.

Summer Uniform: Pretty tomboy

My friend Elizabeth Antonia doesn't take herself too seriously, yet she still manages to look fresh and tomboyishly sexy. So, I'm excited to share her summer uniform (and get some red jeans!)...

Here's Elizabeth's take:

We were taking a family bike ride to Gjelina for lunch for my husband's birthday. My bike is a old Raleigh that I've had for ten years. It's been with me in Seattle, Brooklyn and now Los Angeles--my old clunker that I can't bear to leave behind! For my hair, I love, love, love John Master's Organics Sea Mist--it makes my hair a tousled mess just how I like it.

Here's how to get the look:
White tee: James Perse, $50, or Target, $5!
Red skinny jeans: J Brand, $176.
Tote: Anya Hindmarch, varied prices on eBay.
Natural sunscreen: Badger, $14.
Beach-blown hair: John Master's Organics Sea Mist, $14.50.

P.S. Two more gorgeous summer uniforms.

Riding bikes while wearing skirts

Did you hear this crazy story: In late May, a NYC cop allegedly pulled over a Dutch tourist, pictured below, and reprimanded her for riding a bike while wearing a skirt. He said she was distracting cars! At first, she thought he was kidding, but quickly realized he wasn't when he asked for her ID. How insane is that?! So, as a lighthearted protest, a bunch of girls (and a few guys) came together for a skirt bike ride yesterday evening. My friend Shannen took a few photos...
It was a great night!! Thanks to those who organized, and high five to all ladies who ride in skirts or otherwise! :) xoxo

(Photos by the fabulous Shannen Norman for Cup of Jo. And you might recognize my friend Caroline, above, from the hair tutorials:) And thanks to HUB Bikes and the New Amsterdam Bike Show for organizing.)

New York City traffic

A visual art student filmed a New York City intersection (Park Avenue and 28th Street), in an attempt to show "long-standing bad habits — such as pedestrians jaywalking, cyclists running red lights, and motorists plowing through crosswalks."

I've ridden my bike all over the city, but usually keep to the much quieter West Village. This video was jawdropping!
(Top photo of a Linus Bike)

Bicycle wedding

Pam and Joe are teachers in Brooklyn and didn't have a huge budget, but they put together the most gorgeous, heartfelt wedding. First they tied the knot at a neighborhood park, then rode bikes to a Brooklyn bar, where they'd had their first date. (Pam's biking secret? She wore denim cutoffs under her dress! Can you spot them, above?:)
Everyone drank beers and smashed a pinata...
...and they had whoopie pies instead of wedding cake.
Doesn't it look great? Sometimes the simplest weddings look the most relaxed and fun, don't you think? Congratulations, Pam and Joe! (See many more photos here.)

(Photos by Inbal Sivan, via Perfect Bound)

Nice rack.

We bike over to friends' houses quite a lot, but if we take a bottle of wine, it rattles around in the bike basket. This is a perfect solution!

(Via Swissmiss)

Bike tee

How rad is this T-shirt? Will you be riding bikes at all this summer?

Bicycle riding pants

How amazing are these Daily Riding Pants for bicyclists? Made locally in New York, they shed rain and dirt and resist wear and tear. (Also, they're super sexy.) Thumbs up. Update: Outlier sweetly told me that they'd like to offer Cup of Jo readers 11% off their order with the code LadiesBike2. Thanks, Outlier!

Also, have you guys heard of Ride the City? The rad navigation website gives you the choice of the fastest or safest bike route to your destination. I used it this morning, and it told me the best bike paths all the way to Brooklyn!

(Via Tomboy Style)

Bill Cunningham documentary

Bill Cunningham is the street-style photographer for the New York Times. He's a hilarious, eccentric guy who rides his Schwinn bike around New York City (rain or shine) and captures fabulous people with his camera. Well, a documentary just came out about him. Here's the trailer. I can't wait to see it!

P.S. Movie times around the country, if you'd like to see it on the big screen.

(Film still by Richard Press)

Rides a bike

Loving this new Tumblr about celebs riding bikes. What fun! Now I'm itching to shovel my bike out from under the snow and go for a winter ride.

P.S. How cute were Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman together?
P.P.S. I love how Ringo always looks like he's twelve.

(Via Design is Mine)

Toby rides a bike

Alex, Toby and I went on a walk last weekend, and we couldn't help posing Toby on a rad Bianchi road bike. We just wanted to plant the seed. :)

P.S. Note the hilarious disproportion of his upper body and lower body. I love babies!!!

Downtown from behind

Downtownfrombehind features creative types (artists, models, chefs, musicians) riding their bikes around downtown New York City. The goal is to highlight those who make downtown NYC what it is today. Very cool.

(I love the dude with the flowers! He's an event planner, naturally.)

(Via designlovefest)

Helmet style

We've talked about helmets (and lack of helmets) before, so I'm loving these photos of Milanese models in their Vespa helmets. Very cute!

(Photos by Hanneli Mustaparta)