Dressed in dapper wool through the streets of San Francisco

Oh my what did they do to that bicycle!

Posted By Colin on February 21, 2010

Last evening a few of us ventured to the Roxie to see a film about bicycles. Fine volunteers for the SFBC were on hand to valet our bicycles as we went into the theater. Before I continue let me first say that the Roxie is a fine establishment, and I don’t know who tricked them into letting this depraved film be shown. The film we went to see Bike Porn 3: Cycle Bound presented by the people of Bike Smut.

One would think any film with the word bike in the title would be innocent. But no the lot who crafted this moving picture are beyond immoral! I’ve never seen so many bicycles and bicyclists so tied up and violated! People ridden like bicycles and bicycles ridden like people!

My friends and I were so shocked by it all that we must have been overcome by paralysis—that is the only excuse I can offer why we did not run from such a debauched assault of our senses.

The film is playing one last time in the East Bay, 9pm tonight at the Roll Up Bike Shop in Oakland. The price is $8, and is of course a 21+ event. I urge all decent people to stay away for you may walk away never looking at a set of handlebars the same way again!

For those who doubt me what follows is the trailer for this movie. I warn you ladies and gentlemen, the trailer is nearly as explicit as the movie.


Upcoming Bay Area Bicycle Fun

Posted By Colin on July 28, 2009

Whether you wear tweed or not, there are a number of great bicycle-related events coming in the next couple weeks you should know about:

SFBC Bike-in Movie Night: Rad

July 29, 8:00 pm : Held in the parking lot across from the Good Hotel, 112 7th Street @ Mission St
Don’t miss the first of the SFBC’s free summer bike-in movie series with your fellow bike lovers! We’ll be kicking off the series with the beloved BMX cult classic Rad, featuring the amazing and infamous bike dance scene with a young Lori Loughlin (best known for her role as Aunt Becky on Full House). Help us transform an ordinary parking lot in to a fabulous movie theater under the stars, complete with complimentary bike valet!


Brainwash Bike-In/Walk-In Movie Festival

July 31 &  August 1, 9pm : 1960 Mandela @ 18th (American Steel building)
For more information check out the Brainwash Movie Program



California Academy of Sciences’ Nightlife Series,
with pedal-powered sound system!

Aug 6, 6–11pm : California Academy of Sciences

Next Thursday we’ll be pedal powering California Academy of Sciences’ Nightlife Series, including a 4-hour DJ set with Energy 92.7’s Jeff Stallings. He plays a style of danceable yet relaxed house music he calls “Chillhouse”. Should lend itself nicely to the creative, intelligent crowd and inspiring space.

Cal Academy has an awesome downstairs Aquarium Space with incredible creatures like Leafy Green Sea Dragon. Right by the 15′ tall aquarium is where we’ll have our second music stage, featuring Fossil Fool, the Bike Rapper, Mafiosa Felice, and Jared May.

Tweed Bicycle Ingenuity Contest

Posted By Colin on May 22, 2009

Epitome of Tweed Cyclery (photo by puck.ananta)

photo by puck.ananta

Nothing tickles me more than a man or woman with a flair for Do-It-Yourself ingenuity! Especially when this cleverness pertains to transforming the everyday bicycle into something extraordinary! This could be some as simple and practical as an umbrella attachment or more inventive…

Crafty Tweed Cyclery

On our last SF Tweed Ride, the dashing and talented Lanky Joe transformed his two wheeled steed into the epitome of Tweed Cycling by elegantly wrapping his bars and seat in tweed fabric. The tweed was crafted from an actual tweed jacket and in a jolt of creative genius he used the jacket pockets as miniature panniers. Then with the remaining he crafted matching fingerless gloves.

Obviously with this much fine workmanship Lanky Joe won hands down the contest for Most Stylish Pairing of Habiliment & Steed!

Amazing DIY Bicycle Accessorizing

Bicycle for the Transient Gardener, crafted by FriendOfHumanity

Bicycle Garden Box, crafted by FriendOfHumanity

One of the most genius bicycle adaptions I have have laid my eyes on in ages is the Bicycle Window Box. What could be more refreshing then pedaling along with your very own green garden on your handlebars. Grow strawberries for a refreshing treat or grow fresh herbs to make every ride minty fresh. And it really is perfect for hosting your own a mobile garden party!

You can build your very own mobile garden by following the Bicycle Window Box guide on the Instructables site.

There are more numerous amazing guides to ingenious bicycle adaptions on the Bikes section of Instructables. From a turn signal cycling jacket to how to build a bamboo bicycle to building your own fancy flower pattern twisted spoke wheels.

All this brings me to an announcement for our first online contest…

The SF Tweed Bicycle Ingenuity Contest

In celebration of the upcoming Maker Faire, we are pleased to announce the first SF Tweed online contest. For this contest we implore all you clever tweed cyclists to create a either a crafty bicycle adornment or amazing bicycle accessory akin to the examples shown above.

The Rules:

  • Your creation must be specifically bicycle related
  • Your creation must be appropriately tweedy/vintage/dapper (for ideas see below)
  • Your creation must have been made by you
  • Your creation can be something made specifically for this contest or can be something made recently (however it must have been built no earlier than April of this year)
  • Contestant must submit photos of themselves with their Creation to dapper (at) sftweed (dot) com
  • Contestant must also create a How To Build guide. This How To can either appear on Instructables.com or as a video on Vimeo/YouTube/etc.
  • Contest is open to anyone in the world (however, international winners must pay for shipping & handling for any prizes won)
  • Entrees must be submitted no later than Thursday June 25th 11:59pm
  • Entrees will be judged on ingenuity, craftmanship, and the presentation of the how to guide.

Examples of Tweedy Ingenuity

Feel free to use any of the following ideas or run with your own bit of cleverness

  • Tweed Wheel Covers
  • Bicycle Bag made from a Tweed Jacket
  • Tea Cup & Saucer Bicycle Holder (and teapot holder?)
  • Portable Fancy Wooden Mini Bar (cabinets and fold out bar top?)
  • Traveling Seamstress Stand (for making knickers on the fly)
  • Side By Side Tandem Bike (way more proper then staring at your tandem partner’s behind)

The Grand Prize!

Minnehaha Canvas Shoulder Bag

Minnehaha Canvas Shoulder Bag

A fabulous Canvas Shoulder Bag donated graciously by the Minnehaha Bag Co..

A simple canvas shoulder bag for commuting, running errands or as a basic briefcase. Cotton fabric is breathable for better comfort than synthetic messenger bags. The bag holds 15 liters worth of belongings with two small hanging inner pockets and key clip. It is built sturdy with leather reinforcements, a buckle system, and a lightly padded back and bottom to give some support and comfort while keeping a soft overall structure that conforms to the body.

There will also be runners up prizes to be announced at a later date.

International winners must pay for shipping & handling.

Edmonton’s First Tweed Ride!

Posted By Colin on May 19, 2009

Royal Heraldry of Canada

Royal Heraldry of Canada

Our fine Canadian neighbors to the north are breaking out their dapper duds for their very own Edmonton Tweed Ride!

This is admittedly not the first Canadian Tweed Ride — that honor goes to the  First Daffodil Tweed Ride and Picnic in Vancouver, British Columbia; however, it is the first in Alberta. I can only hope this means the Tweed movement is spreading eastward and we shall soon see Tweed appearing in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, Labrador and Newfoundland! Then if the dapper is strong we can hope to see Tweed migrate north to the lovely expanses of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut!

Edmonton Tweed Ride

May 24th

Start 6:30pm at the University of Alberta in the “quad

This will be a social ride with a bit of style. The proper attire for this ride will of course be expected. We will be taking a leisurely ride through the city and will be stopping for mid-ride fortitude and cheer.

There will be Contests for:

  • Most dapper chap
  • Most dashing dame
  • Award for most civilized behavior on the day

For more info visit A Lost Home’s Blog


Note: The herald shown above is borrowed from the excellent folks from the Royal Heraldry of Canada

Happy Bike to Work Day!

Posted By Colin on May 14, 2009

To all the fine people pedaling to work today, I salute you! And to any who missed out on this fine day for lack of a two wheeled steed, it’s not too late for every day is a fine day to ride a bike!

If you need any more convincing to buy a bike I suggest you watch the following charming animation…

Why only 4 shillings a week! I’m nearly tempted to buy a second bicycle for myself!


Hope to see some of you at the SFBC’s Bike to Work Day After Party and Fashion Show
6-10pm, Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell st (at Franklin).
Celebrate the day at SFBC’s Bike Away From Work Party and Fashion Show at Rickshaw stop and party down with fellow cyclists. Plus the parking’s a breeze!

East Bay Tweed Ride! June 4th

Posted By Colin on May 12, 2009

We are pleased to announce the first East Bay Tweed Ride — or eastTweed as the snappy eastTweeds are calling it! Our previous Tweed Rides had quite the showing of charming lads and lasses from the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, and we sincerely hope to meet more dapper eastTweeds!

East Bay Tweed Ride, June 4th (photo by Bryan Kiechle)

East Bay Tweed Ride, June 4th (photo by Bryan Kiechle)

East Bay Tweed Ride, June 4th

6:30 pm – Sally Forth from Mosswood Park in Oakland

7:00 pm – Meetup with SF Tweed at MacArthur BART

End Point – Trappist, Belgian & Specialty Beer Bar

It of course goes without saying that there will be the most dashing of cyclists. As in past rides, we have more fun and games up our sleeves which shall be announced as we get closer to the date. I am certain that it will be a grand old time!

Whether you live here or there, I sincerely hope you do join us as we explore the wonders of the East Bay — in Tweed!

East Tweed Contests!

  • Most Graceful Mount & Dismount
  • Most Heartly Man-to-Man Salutation — Elimination Challenge*
  • Most Charming Woman-to-Woman Greeting — Elimination Challenge*

* During the Greeting and Salutation contests two people will step forward and greet each other like they both now each other but haven’t seen one another for a while. For an example of this I recommend watching this Peter Cook and Dudley Moore sketch from Beyond the Fridge. Both the Greeting and Salutation contests are elimination challenges which means the lesser greeter gets kicked off and a new challenger steps forward.

    Prizes

    Tea Pot Bell

    B.Spoke TailorThe winner of the Most Graceful Mount & Dismount will receive a lovely Tea Pot Bell donated by Josie Pokiedot. The winners of the Salutation/Greeting contests will receive a special prize from  Nan Eastep, of B.Spoke Tailer.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The East Bay Tweed Ride is being organized by the lovely and talented eastTweeds: Morley Roarly, Josie Pokiedot, and Nan Eastep, of B.Spoke Tailer. We at SF Tweed are ever grateful that these fine lasses have stepped forward to help make the first East Bay Tweed Ride an adventure to remember!

    More Tweed in Chicago! Sept 12th

    Posted By Colin on May 8, 2009

    Winston's DMZV Tweed Ride, Sept 12th

    Winston's DMZV Tweed Ride, Sept 12th

    Due to the overwhelming success of the last Winston’s Tweed Ride, it seems our Windy City brethren are planning another outing! So if you find yourself in Chicago I highly encourage you to jacket up and ride along with this fine wheel-men and wheel-ladies.

    Winston’s DMZV Tweed Ride

    Chicago, IL. September 12th 2009

    Leaving from Bialystok Pub @1pm, we’ll make our way at a genteel, civilizing pace to the 89th Annual German-American Festival in Lincoln Square. And of course we’ll be stopping in some damn fine bars representing British allies during that unpleasantness in the 30s & 40s!

    More info on Bicycle Diaries

    As this Tweed Ride coincides with the German-American Festival I assume there will be plenty of fine beer and food. Also it goes without saying as proper gentlemen and ladies all should abide by DMZV — Don’t Mention Zee Var!!!

    Winston's Tweed Ride, photo by Da' Square Wheelman

    Winston's Tweed Ride, photo by Da' Square Wheelman

    Vélo Vogue Bike to Work Photo Contest

    Posted By Colin on May 8, 2009

    Those snazzy cycling fashionistas at Vélo Vogue have announced a Bike to Work Photo contest! While we at SF Tweed have a certain bias towards a particular fashion style, Vélo Vogue is more open: they have no shame in casting an eye — or two — on any stylish cyclist.

    We at Vélo Vogue are very curious to see what our readers are wearing as they get on their bikes and head to the office, school, wherever you’re going. Each week, we’ll post our favorites. At the end of the month, we’ll ask our readers to take a poll to vote for their favorite cycle fashionista (American Idol style). Our winner will be treated to a défilé down Valencia to a taqueria of his/her choice, where s/he will treated to burrito and beer. Because cycling en vogue is global, this challenge is no way limited to San Franciscans! It simply means that if you’re our winner, you’ll have to travel for that burrito. ;-)

    Sound enticing? Then don’t hesitate! Get dressed, hop on your bike and send us your pics at velovogue[at]gmail[dot]com or post them to our Vélo Vogue flickr group!

    Hazzah! San Francisco Feels the Tweed!

    Posted By Colin on May 1, 2009

    The second SF Tweed Ride was a rip roaring success!

    I am still overwhelmed by how warm and wonderous the entire evening was. Dashing cyclists waving cheerio to all passersby as we rolled down Market and along the Embarcadero.

    SF Tweed Riders roll, photo by Audrey Penven

    SF Tweed Riders roll, spin, and twhirl photo by Audrey Penven

    And nothing can compare to the magical feeling of seeing Corpus Callosum play at the end of the Maritime Park Pier as dusk settled around us and the San Francisco skyline began light up.

    Corpus Callosum play on the Maritime Pier, video by Colin Fahrion

    Once again, we ended our ride at the lovely Tosca Cafe, who warmed us up with their delicious hot choco and brandy.

    Lanky Joe and Nifer high on Tweed, photo by Audrey Penven

    Lanky Joe and Nifer high on Tweed, photo by Audrey Penven

    Sheila Moon, photo by neiltron

    Sheila Moon, photo by neiltron

    The chaps were dapper and the lasses snappy, with the most dashing awarded by the gracious and talented Sheila Moon, who donated several chic — and amazingly comfywool cycling caps.

    Thanks Sheila for sponsoring the SF Tweed contest! I must say it was a pleasure to have you along for the ride, and I’m more than happy to promote your made in San Francisco quality cycle fashion — truly any cyclist would be doing themselves a favor by casting an eye on SheilaMoon.com!

    What’s next?

    We already have plans ruminating for our next tweed outings: an East Bay Tweed Ride, a Sunday Tweed Picnic (most dapper kidlet contest!), and more! So sign up for the Jaunty Mailer and follow @sftweed on twitter

    Also keep an eye on the SF Tweed website for more tweed highlights. Over the next coming days, we will be showcasing some of the amazing tweed cyclists, photographers, artists, and more. We also have an eye out for guest writers, so if you have any tweed and/or cycling expertise you’d like to share please contact us.

    Cheerio!

    Sydney Tweed Ride – Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend

    Posted By Rubin on April 26, 2009

    From the other side of the grand Pacific, we’ve gotten word of a ride being formulated down under. Overheard on Rocket Fuel vintage cycling style haberdashery

    Sydney Tweed Ride

    Sydney Tweed Ride

    Following the fine style of London, San Francisco, Auckland and soon Chicago. Sydney is having it’s very own Tweed Ride.

    So gather your most dapper or ladylike apparel and join us for a spin around the city and a fine cup of tea!

    Charm over the orignal post or the Sydney Cyclist Events for more details!