When Spring weather hit Sugar HQ last week I was more than stoked. Ever since, I've been going on outdoor runs and evening bike rides, and hitting the park with friends. While I'll miss heading up to the mountains for snowboarding fun, sunny weather opens up the door to all types of new activities, many that are best played with friends. Before Spring is over, make sure you do everything on my list at least once — your heart, muscles, and friends will love you for it.
When passing someone in a bike or multi-use path it's important to yell out "on your left" and slow down. I always make a point to do this but sometimes my voice doesn't carry very well. A simple solution to my problem was investing in this cool bike bell.
When I was little I had a bike bell but I thought it was just a cool accessory — now it's a major piece of safety equipment. The bell's classic ringing sound is loud enough to warn oncomers but isn't obnoxious. It was also incredibly easy to mount on my bike. (If you're not into a bell look for a bike horn instead.)
Since using a bell I've noticed that most people respond kinder to me than when I yell out, perhaps because it comes off as being less aggressive. To play it safe though I use a combination of both if it seems the bell isn't enough.
Liz Claiborne is intent to revive their menswear line, Claiborne. First they hired John Bartlett to take helm of design and today they're opening a West Village pop-up store.
Sophia Kokosalaki has been hired for a lead design role at Diesel Black Gold.
Contemporary stores, such as Intermix and Shopbop, are selling a lot of casual denim and tailored jersey pieces this summer.
In celebration of New York's new and improved bike lanes, Topshop is renting out bicycles this weekend.
Net-a-Porter's off-price e-commerce venture, The Outnet, launched this morning. ..
Rachel Roy has designed a diffusion line for Macy's, called Rachel Rachel Roy, poised to debut this fall.
Uniqlo has announced that it will launch an online store in China with the help of China's e-commerce giant Taobao.
The New York Times asserts that the next must-have lifestyle item is an expensive dutch bicycle.
If you enjoy touring the town on a bicycle, there's no reason why your little dog should be excluded from your sunshine-y fun. Products like this Buddy Bicycle Basket ($65) let a pooch come with, no problem. I've got a few recommendations when considering a carrier for your furry friend:
See two more suggestions when you read more
Fall is the perfect time to explore the great outdoors with your wee one. Whether pedaling to school or heading off for a venture to the local park, a trip on two thin wheels can offer much more adventure than the usual back seat of a car.
Keep your tot in view with a front bike seat or shield them with your body as they cruise behind you. Any way you do it, your tot is sure to enjoy the ride. Check out the selection of children's bike seats in this slideshow!
I lived without a car for years. I biked to work. I biked to parties. I biked to the grocery store. I biked everywhere. After almost getting door-ed (when the person in the driver’s seat of a parked car opens his/her door just as a biker is coming to pass) repeatedly I became a very defensive biker.
The best way to protect myself was to be super aware of my surrounding as I rode the busy city streets. I used my voice a lot, even screamed so drivers would notice me. I took bike routes whenever possible and avoided traffic heavy streets whenever possible, which I found relatively easy to do. I thought the public service announcements that read “Start Seeing Bicycles” were great and I still love them. Drivers need to deal with the fact that cyclist are around and share the road, use their turn signals, hang up their phones, pay attention to the road and look for bikers before opening their car doors. I definitely got a little hot under the helmet when cars didn’t give me the right of way at four way stops…hello driver you will get to wherever you are going faster than I will reach my destination since I am just pedaling and you are merely pressing the gas pedal.
Now, I own a car but live in a bike friendly town, with lot of “Bicycle Boulevards.” Streets full of pretty purple signs guide cyclists through the town on different routes. These signs are cheerful reminders for drivers to share the road. The streets are painted with an image of a biker (wearing a helmet of course) just to remind those in cars to share the road. These dedicated streets are plentiful. Yet, I still see cyclists on streets with heavy traffic, biking at night, in dark clothes with no light, on a street without a bike lane, when a street with a bike lane, a more quiet street is one block away. I want to yell at them SAFETY is one block away!!! Wear a helmet? Where’s your light?
My driver self knows I need to share the road, and stay calm and keep my crazy mother voice to myself. But the cyclist in me wants these bikers to share the road too, to bike defensively, to use the roads dedicated for biking. I think cars and bikes can get along. We all just need to stay aware of one another. We all need to share the road.
Bikes!!! Bikes!!! and More BIKES!!! Here are some recent Fit Finds. Summer means biking, be it on a mountain or by the beach. If you are on the market for a new bike, here are a few you should check out.
| Sugar user SU3 found this XYZ Woman's "Vanilla" color beach cruiser bicycle. I can imagine riding it around wearing a lovely sundress. I love a bike that can accommodate a flowing skirt. |
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| lvdiva wants you all to know that "Ellsworth is one of the high end mountain bike makers and now they have taken the next step in supporting a great cause. . . . Breast Cancer." I love the color of the bike and supporting the cause. Looking tough climbing mountains on a pink bike sounds great. |
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| Hoollywoodjess found this greatDream Cruiser on BeachBikes.net, a great site for all your biking needs. Plus this bike is just super cute. |
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Check out what other Sugar users are bookmarking as Fit Finds. Chances are high you will find something to satisfy the happy, healthy you. If you want to lean more about bookmarking in the Sugar pages, read my buddy geeksugar's excellent tutorial.
If you find anything out there on the web that helps you stay happy and healthy, do bookmark it and share it with us.
