Belfast Cycle Chic

It has admittedly been a while since I cycled regularly, but when I did, there was one issue used to annoy me about the whole process, namely never knowing what to wear. Now at the risk of coming across as extremely girly, let me explain that this was more a question of finding something suitable rather than worrying if my bum looked big in this or that. For example could I get away with a skirt, could I wear sandals or flip flops without my feet slipping on the pedals, what trousers will catch and scuff, will my jacket restrict me? If I was cycling to work the headache would be double - what should I do in order to stay safe and dry (always a consideration in Belfast), yet at the same time smart and professional? More often than not I opted to take a change of clothes with me, which meant stuffing them into an awkward to carry bag, and leaving me running late and crumpled on more than one occasion.

I doubt I'm alone in this, so if this something that frustrates you as a cyclist (or even puts you off the idea of cycling all together), and you live in the Belfast area, then I suggest you check out Cycle Chic tomorrow night, for Cycle Fashion & Beauty 101.

In association with BikeDock Belles and part of Bike Fortnight, this free event at Taps 2 (see below for address details) runs from 6-8pm and will feature cycle fashion for those who refuse to sacrifice style for the sake of function (lets face it, why should we?) with clothes and accessories from Bike Dock and expert styling by Belfast hair and beauty salon Bellaire.  There will also be a range of looks from a number of Northern Ireland fashion and vintage stores, including Spiral Threads, Bean Boutique and the Rusty Zip, aimed at making the transition from cycling from day to night, as easy and chic as possible.

The event will also include highlights from cycle documentary Beauty and the Bike, the Darlington Media project that explores the differing attitudes to cycling held by UK women, in comparison to our counterparts in Europe and around the world.

Cycle Chic is funded by Travelwise NI, NICI and CTC, and takes place at Taps 2, Cotton Court (click here for Google Map), Thursday 24th June, from 6pm. I'll be heading down myself, and will hopefully pick up some much needed tips, to report back for those of you who either live out of area of can't make it down.