This morning I left home for Shinjuku an hour earlier than usual. I went to the bike shop I fell in love with and returned the mudguards I had purchased for my folding bike. The tires I have on it are bigger than standard so the guards don't fit. I don't really want to pay for another pair of tires just for the guards to fit so I guess that bike will be for non-rainy day rides.
Then I headed over to another very cool cycling shop which is full of even cooler stuff but not for hardcore bikers. It does have really technical clothing as the main fare. In fact they also sell cyclocommuter business suits which are made of special material for cycling and sweating, have hidden zippers for ventilation and reflective tape in foldaway places. And of course designed for the Japanese bodysize so not for me.
The reason I went back was because I decided on Saturday when I saw it that I really do want another helmet, one I can wear with jeans and a sweater as I toodle around the city. I'll stick to the lycra and colourful jerseys while riding with Max and sweating up a storm. But as for this city life... it's time for some more change and that includes what I wear when I ride. As I have been reinventing myself on all fronts over the past two years, inside and outside are equally important to redesign. So it is just natural that my cycling attire too would undergo a fundamental shift as well.
I introduce you to my new, fully functional and totally safe helmet, a design coming from the French Foreign Legion or something! I love it. And I love that I can change the outer design to about 30 other varieties whenever I feel like doing so.
I love you!
Cam
Look at you, City Guy! Fun take on safety and fashion mix, eh? So there are different covers you can use? Very cool - makes sense that you would use different gear for serious workouts/mountain biking versus basic transport through the city.
ReplyDeleteVery cool!
Thanks, Jaime. In my decades of cycling I have never before seen anything quite like these!
ReplyDeleteLooks good.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I love you!
ReplyDeleteBy the way what are you wearing in your picture?? It looks a bit like a Dracula cape?
ReplyDeleteI bought a brand new men's shawl. It's great for me. You know how hot I always am... well, wearing a coat to commute is just too much for me and I always have to take it off in the train station. So now... I can wrap this around my business shirt (and tie) and go like this to the station, put it in a bag, and enjoy the rest of the trip!
ReplyDeleteI had a good test with it last night; standing out in a short-sleeved shirt on the train platform at Kobuchizawa. The wind is always strong and cold there, and the temperature had dropped to 11C or 51F. It was good. It was good... I came back to Tokyo and it was about 71F, too hot for anything but a short-sleeved shirt for me. So, I took the wrap off and tucked it away.
ReplyDeleteThis was an issue for me last year going to Kobuchizawa. The weather out there required a winter jacket, and Tokyo had me carrying the jacket. And sweating.
So weird how people have to adapt for city temps because of how radically big man-made cities can alter the weather... glad you found options that are working for you though. Makes the commute (and the way you spend your day) a whole lot easier!
ReplyDeleteI have never lived in a metropolis before (never met Clark Kent, either) but maybe other megalopoli do the same thing to the weather? Tokyo eather seems so different from just outside the city.
ReplyDeleteI'm not much of a big city girl. Excessive urban landscaping makes me nervous after awhile, so I'm clueless on if Tokyo is different from typical bigger cities... I wonder how the "city weather" affects people's moods?
ReplyDeleteThey have an exhibit at the Mori Museum right now that shows Japanese artist's impressions of the seasons...
Ooh! I like the Mori Museum. Ill see if I can take it in. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteNo probs! There's another really cool exhibit going on now too, if you wanted to make a full day of it. Then again, the Mori usually has great exhibits from what I've seen *laughs Still - considering the conversation, I thought the current exhibit would be a great one to see. It's super interesting!
ReplyDeleteBesides, I LOVE hanging out under Charlotte at the entrance.
ReplyDeleteJust what you needed to complete your look.....
ReplyDeleteGoofball Extraordinaire. Yep. That's me.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jalopy!
I wear a shawl most of the time for this very reason, it can wrap around just your neck, or full upper body if your really cold. It it warms up you just throw it over a shoulder, or tie it to a purse (well in your case briefcase).
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a jockey`s cap.
ReplyDeleteSteve - They have jockey's cap versions in the Cambridge line. The Paris line have slightly larger peaks, and look a wee bit more square.
ReplyDeleteCam, you`re scaring me with your sartorial knowledge!
ReplyDelete