Wednesday, October 13, 2010

the mummy's chariot & beyond...

im gonna get a new bicycle! weeheeee!!! im so excited because i've always admired the pictures of gorgeous girls on bicycles in europe. i guess the difference is the cool weather. it makes it possible to ride anywhere without working up a sweat!!


i was thinking something classic like this...

{picture via cycle chic}


a basket is a must! to put my fluffy dog or some brown paper groceries!

{picture from the satorialist}


maybe a pop of colour.. (complete with a cute pup). look at the cute everyday clothes people wear while riding their bikes?

i also learnt that in japan, they call these bikes - mamachari, also fondly translated as mummy's charriots, but that didn't matter to me. the japanese ladies would strap a child to the front and another behind! pretty awesome!! so last weekend, we dedicated an entire day to bike-shopping. we hit up all the stores in town with specialized bicycles, even the stylish home stores like francfranc, loft and tokyu hands to check out my options.

then i realized that with the mamachari, i'd not be able to... (1) move it home in a few years' time and (2) carry it on trains and flights for cycling trips. and i was really keen to explore japan by bicycle, like pop into different towns for a short weekender and cruise around on my bicycle. that sounded like a neat plan but if i cant fit it onto a train, my cycling will only be limited to tokyo!!

so i started looking at foldable bikes..

the folding functions are real cool. but dude, you're cramping my style...


{picture from dahon girls}

the boy even pointed me to a dahon girl website, cute girls & their cutesy pink bikes.. still not feeling it. something about the proportions remind me of a kids' bike! even the pinkiness didn't make up for it.
then we sat down and listed our priorities. and came to the conclusion that it should be a road bike im after! it rides like a proper bike, has adult proportions, occasionally come in fun colours and you can remove the front wheel to carry it on a plane/train. ticks all boxes. so i did a little happy dance and the search continues! :)


 
something slick like this... (but this one doesn't have removable wheels. i need that little lever handle thingy next to the wheel..) don't you love it when i talk technical?




{picture from giant}

i particularly liked this giant one from tokyu hands. it was kinda neat and i could customize the colours a little!

we were gonna head back this weekend to talk about customizing and possibly put a wicker basket up front for me. and some mud guards for commuting to work in my suits.. maybe a cute bell & some blinky lights!!!

it was then i realized this entire bike search was a .... conspiracy!!! *gasp* giant road bikes have always been daniel's thing! he has been buying them since college.. how sneaky!! he slowly sweet-talked and gently coerced me into the world of road bikes. who knows if his next challenge is to sign zhing up for the hawaiian ironman!?! betta watch out!!!


 
for good measure, i'll throw in a really cute picture of my university friend, mel & her cutie road bike!! isn't she gorgeous?

she makes road bikes look stylish! :) 

xx

7 comments:

  1. I can never ride a bike by the road with the cars whizzing by. They scare me a bit. But these bikes look so cute! Isn't it a bit troublesome to dismantle the wheel when u get in the tube and fix it back again when u alight?!

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  2. Oh yeah! I so miss my mama cherie back in nihon! So much so that when I first came back to Singapore, I wasn't used to my mountain bike again and got into a major accident when I was thrown off my bike the first day I tried to ride it...haha oh gosh. I remember how to winters were soooo long sometimes it was impossible to ride to school!

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  3. love mel's bike!! pink and white really goes well together hor?!?!?!

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  4. oh.. i meant the train like the shinkansen, when we go to hokkaido/osaka! :) it would be quite a hassle to do it everyday for the tube!!
    yeah the singapore traffic is kinda scary. daniel rode to work everyday amidst the whizzing cars. but in tokyo you can ride on the sidewalk! :)

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  5. hopefully the winter in town is milder!! *fingers crossed*
    i have an address!! should i facebook msg you? :)

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  6. sure does! :)
    such a cute bike! (and girl!) *swoons*

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  7. Haha.. good on Daniel! Kenny rode to work in the past too, but the weather is just not friendly for riders so he decided to stop : )

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