Pashley Princess Sovereign
Recommended & Ridden by Girls and Bicycles
Recommended & Ridden by LovelyBicycle
Update: Pashley direct link
Jorg & Olif the Scout
(the only model still being offered)
Velorbis
available via The Dutch Bicycle Company (Velobris is currently being phased out, limited stock)
update: Copenhagen Cyclery in Chicago is the new US dealer
Recommended & Ridden by Drunk and In Charge of a Bicycle
ABICI Women's
available through pedlars
Bakfiets
(I like the cargo pick up model)
Breezer UpTown 8
Calfe Ghana
(the greenest, eco conscious bike on the planet, supports Ghana village bike builders)
Henry Work Cycles- City Bikes
Elecktra Amsterdam
Ridden by Super Model Agyness Deyn
Flying Pigeon
Recommended & Ridden by Righteous Metal Broad
Azor
available through CleverCycles
Azor Oma -Recommended & Ridden by ChangeYourLife.RideABike
update: also available through Dutch Bike Chicago
Retrovelo
available through CleverCycles
Comptoir des Cotonniers
picture & info via Harper's Bazarre Editorial (very hard to find bicycle)
DiamondBack Kalamar Women's Hybrid
(I'm not so excited anymore, but the price is outstanding!)
Atala Città - Women's
(my most recent discovery)
Batavus
Recommended & Ridden by ChangeYourLife.RideABike
Recommended & Ridden by LetsGoRideABike
Recommended & Ridden by Stylocycle
Gazelle
Dutchie
Biria
Violet Crown Cycles
(can you custom order a ladies, step through frame?)
UpDate: You can indeed order the step through frame, the Ma Ferguson!
Bobbin Bicycle
(my fave is the Bronx Vintage)
Kronan
Simple City
Giant
A.N.T. Bikes
(the Boston Roadster via reader suggestion!)
Rivendell
(the Betty Foy via reader suggestion!)
Recommended & Ridden by LetsGoRideABike
Recommended & Ridden by Gentleman's Bike
** This list is alive and open for revisions and additional notes and comments!
***** As a final note:
Try buying local first. Buying local supports your local economy and your Local Bike Shop will appreciate your business! Also that way you can personally test ride a bicycle first. If you know for a fact the bike you want is not stocked locally and can not be ordered through your LBS, then you will have to go through a distributor and/or purchase online. I have no personal experience buying a bicycle this way. I would feel far more certain about making the right bicycle decision by test riding the bicycle first! More about this later.
********* If you know of anyone who rides any of the bicycles off this list and who is willing to recommend their bicycle, then I'd love to include that info and link back to the happy owner.
Too much info, too fast, don't know where to start? You may find this post 'Tips - Buying a Fashionable and Stylish Bicycle' relevant and helpful.
Update Aug 25th: A New Post you may find helpful - The Top Chic, Most Stylish Bicycles from Designers & Retailers.
27 COMMENTARIES::
Nice list! As far as buying local though... I bought mine online from a company that uses off-brand frames and saved about 200-300 dollars on my bike compared to a similarly equipped model. Though I didn't get a city bike, I got a road bike (more gears are handy when you commute 12 miles each way). It's a pretty white color, but I have it wrapped in some inner tubes to protect the paint and make it less attractive to steal...
Hi There, Copenhagen Cyclery in Chicago is the new US dealer of Velorbis. Check it out at www.copenhagenbike.com
ohh i have been looking at Pashleys for ages but way too expensive at this time~but i will continue to look~no harm in looking!
Great list! I'd add the ANT Boston Roadster, but then it's not my list :) I'm lusting after that new Pashley Poppy - in pink!
Thanks to All...
If you're checking back in you will find I've already incorporated & revised the info you've been sending in. More revisions & updates on the way!
I want way too many!
There needs to be a better way of learning about these bicycles... where one can see photos along with the brand name.
Christa...float your mouse over to and just hit the bicycle name you're interested in which is colored and hyperlinked in that lovely lilac shade. Same with backtracking to some actual owners, just float your mouse over the owner's blog link.
Checkout the beautiful handbuilt (in Stratford upon Avon, England) Pashley bikes at http://www.pashley.co.uk/lists/classic-bicycles.html
what about a rivendell (rivbike.com); they're not very far from you in walnut creek.
Anon & Anon...
Duly noted and added on. Thanks for the fine suggestions!
I am obsessed with the Breezer Uptown 8! A new acquaintance of mine updated her's with wooden fenders and a leather saddle and Dutch style handbars, both from Brooks. It couldn't be a more stylish bike and so lady-like.
So Much info here... thank you, RidingPretty!
I keep wondering how bloggers can help sell local bikes.
Electra, I think, is my local bike retailer. I LOVE Electra bikes! :D
I've test-ridden Gazelle and very much recommend it as well. It was extremely difficult to decide between Gazelle and Pashley!
She Rides A Bike... Thanks for the letting everyone know about your friend's bicycle upgrades to her Breezer Uptown 8. Sounds like a real beauty!! Any photos of this stylish bicycle? Wondering if your friend would like to check in and give a recommendation for her Breezer Uptown 8?
Christa...You are so welcome for the info.
Electra seems to be fairly common at lots of LBS (local bike shops). It definitely is a way to buy local and test ride before you buy.
If you're wanting a steel frame and/or more handcrafted bicycle it will be a harder search and not so easy to test ride and/or buy locally.
Steel frames and/or the more handcrafted bicycle do not come cheaply. However, as with many finely made things, you may often times find that the price differential is worth it in the end. Longer years of service and just more beautiful detail and refinement in the making of it are two common reasons people give for going this route when choosing a bicycle.
Finally hey that's quite an idea...OMG!! LBSs would be thrilled to know their own local cycle chic blogger was interested in bike sales locally. You could always go in to the various LBSs and go for test rides and do reviews as several bloggers have already done. The LBS will love you IF YOU WRITE A GLOWING REVIEW.
You could also potentially influence the future bicycles they decide to stock.
Filigree...What a difficult decision to make! So did you decide on the Gazelle?
It's RIVENDELL not Rivendale. And it's by far the best bike on the list compared to the heavy heaps of steel you've got there!
Ed...it's lovely you're so passionate about the bicycle you ride, otherwise why ride it! You must love your Rivendell!
This growing list is so much fun! I never heard of Bobbins before this list. Cool.
You can add me as riding and recommending the Azor Oma, which can be purchased also at Dutch Bike Chicago. The Oma is my favorite bike (shh, don't tell Betty), heavy heaps of steel and all :)
> Filigree...So did you decide
> on the Gazelle?
In the end I ordered the Pashley Princess, mostly because the proportions of the 51-size frame fit my body just a tad better than the Gazelle 51-size frame (the Pashley was a bit roomier). But I think that this is a very subjective factor, and it underscores the importance of trying out a bicycle before buying. My husband ordered a Pashley as well (the beautiful Roadster; see here and here), so we'll be riding matching bicycles!
Dottie...Thanks for your update, duly noted and added on to the list!
Bobbin is fantastic, so glad I helped you discover them.
Filigree...Oh, thanks for your comments regarding how/why you made your hard choice (btwn Gazelle & Pashley) because I so agree with you about the 'subjective factor'!!!Love hearing that you are apart of a pair of matching Pashleys.
I just saw that you had linked Violet Crown Cycles with these other fine bikes. Thanks a bunch and I wanted to let you know you can indeed order the step through frame, the Ma Ferguson. I have a picture of an all lavender (including rims!) Ma Ferguson now on the site under the "Bicycles" section.
Also, we've added more build options with a 3 and 7 speed in addition to the 8 speed and are offering $300 off any order booked by June 30.
Great blog and thanks again!
I own an Electra Amsterdam, and in general I love it. The biggest thing I would recommend if you get one, is to have your local bike shop build you new wheels for it. The cheap steel rims and spokes that come with it (and most likely machine built) won't hold up to daily use carrying groceries and such. I've replaced some of the other components like the light and the tire generator, but those aren't as critical. Overall though, it's been a fantastic bike and I make about 95% of all my trips anywhere on it.
I also just recently got a 1952 Raleigh Sport, which has been really fun to ride and provides a very different experience from the Electra. It's an incredibly solid, well-made bike, and I'm really excited to own it.
Oh, I might also recommend Vanilla Cycles, handbuilt in Portland, OR (frame and all).
http://vanillabicycles.com/
Montante bicycles from Italy...
http://www.montantecicli.it/
Pure elegance!
How did you manage to replicate my dream bicycle list!?!?!? I wonder when the US is going to catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to bicycles?
I love my Riv to pieces. It is exactly what a good bike should be (and I've ridden a lot of bikes, including frames of my own construction, and wrenched on thousands). Nonetheless I can't completely agree with Ed (your response was great, by the way).
I wish I could get another just like mine to set up as a pure townie, only heavier.
Note that the Betty Foy now comes in a "men's" version. It's the same damned bike but with a more masculine name and ostensibly more masculine paint job (although I note that yesterday's "Racer Red" was "Barn Burner Baby Blue". Look at some pictures of pre-war racing cars, or bicycles for that matter).
Post a Comment