Last week saw the launch of Transport for London’s Barclays Cycle Hire scheme which allows members free use of the bikes for all journeys that take less than 30 minutes. It is, in principle, a great idea to get more people travelling in an eco-friendly way, fewer people clogging up public transport and perhaps one could argue, to get people fitter however, with most bike journeys lasting less than 20 minutes and considering we’ll all be cycling through the London smog, I’m not sure how valid an argument this is. Certainly, it does offer users a lot more freedom than public transport ever could and if the bike belongs to Barclays you won’t need to worry about its maintenance. You will, however, have to pay an annual fee of £45 for the privilege and considering you can pick up a second hand (notably, most likely stolen) bike from Brick Lane market for less than this, I wonder if this new scheme will appeal to all demographics of society. Also worth noting is the fact this scheme unleashes approximately 6,000 inexperienced cyclists onto the London roads, as a cyclist myself I have observed them moving tentatively through the lanes of London traffic; they are borderline dangerous and definitely slow things down.

At Help with Style however, we are less concerned with the success of the scheme or the cost to its users, what is far more interesting is Cyclist Chic! Obviously it goes without saying that safety is important. The roads are dangerous so the first essential accessory is a helmet and the second some high visibility bands round the ankles and arms and on any backpacks, especially at night. Aside from that, my only other rule would be to steer clear of Lycra!

One can have an incredibly romantic view of cycling. I imagine floaty summer dresses billowing in the wind, a couple riding side by side in the summer sun, baguette in the front basket, smiles on faces… After today’s rain though, I am less optimistic that anyone, regardless of the baguette and floaty dress, will be riding in the sun at all this summer. This can mean only one thing: rain coats! This needn’t heed the Cyclist Chic however; there is an array of coloured waterproof jackets out there to put shame to a rubix cube. Webtogs sell a wide variety at really reasonable prices, all of which will go perfectly with the bright colours in your summer wardrobe on the days the weather lets you down. The North Face also does a really cute black women’s jacket, tapered in at the waist for a very flattering shape. Perhaps not quite evening wear but as waterproof jackets go, definitely chic!

Waterproof Jackets from The North Face by fashioncrazed on Polyvore.com