London winter cycle chic

For just a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon the sun came out in London and for a few brief fleeting moments it almost felt as though spring was in the air.  The grey, dull clouds parted and the sun shone through, and it seemed that everyone was taking the opportunity to get out on their bikes.  Of course, we all know that winter isn't really over and that it will probably come back to bite us on the bum, but after the days of hideous head winds we've been having it was just good to get out there and get the wheels turning again...

Friends were out together, chewing the fat and catching up...

...and it was even warm enough to grab a bite to eat outdoors (trees make great bike rests, you know)

Someone asked me recently what the point of 'cycle chic' photos are.  "Are they chosen selectively?" they asked, "Why do you only show attractive people on bikes in their normal clothes?", "Where are the people in lycra, and helmets, and cycling gear?"  My answer was simple.. firstly, have you seen a car advert recently?  Do you think that it shows the reality of the situation on our streets?  And secondly, if we want to make cycling appealing to the masses the last thing we need is to show cycling as something which needs special clothes, or special kit, just in order to get from A to B.  As the aim of this blog has always been to rehabilitate the bicycle and show everyday and ordinary cycling, cycle chic is right up our street.

This is a duplicate post from London Cycle Chic's sister blog, i b i k e l o n d o n, where you'll find plenty more about getting about on two wheels.