Red Riding Hood Rain Cape from Cyclette!

Cyclette are a bicycle fashion house based in Sydney and they have crafted a rain cape.

We tested out their Pursuit Poncho in Melbourne’s Spring rains, here’s what we discovered on the ride.

THE GOOD
1. Cool Colour – A red cape is perfect for staying bright on a cloudy day and it looks hot!

2. Medium Weight Fabric – Cyclette’s Poncho uses a mid-weight waterproof fabric which makes it a little bulky when folded and heavier than the Cleverhood cape.

A rain cape, for the rare occassions you get caught in a shower, is a bicycle-babe wardrobe essential!

But finding the perfect rain cape is harder than avoiding rain storms!

In all my years of the bicycle life I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been caught in a down pour.

It just so happens that one of those rare occassions was last week while testing out the US-made rain cape – Cleverhood

I had high hopes for a cape named Cleverhood and it lived up to all of them,

Three tips for looking hot whilst keeping your bicycle cool by a UK Australian bicycle babe Clare Powell.

Born in the UK and spending most of my childhood in Ballarat, it’s fair to say my tolerance for Melbourne’s scorching summers is, well, non existent.  In fact, one of the things that put me off riding a bike was the fear of arriving at my destination a tomato-faced sweaty betty.

Luckily I’ve learnt a thing, or two over, the last few summers.  Here are my top tips!

1. Speed

This one’s a no brainer for seasoned bicycle babes but hearing this tip for the first time was an epiphany for me: SLOW DOWN!  

If you’re going to get caught out in the rain, at least arrive on a hot set of wheels.

Being a bicycle babe requires taking a reality check in the rain department: water neither stains nor maims and has the brilliant physical property of evaporation!

That’s the first piece of the puzzle on how to keep dry when it rains, you don’t!  Instead, you get a little wet and it evaporates as soon as you’re no longer in the rain, easy!

There is a little more to it than that, in fact there are a million blogs out there all giving you the top ten tips for riding in the wet,

The modern Capri pant is the ultimate combination of functionality and femininity, and they have to be one of my favourite bicycle trouser styles.

It’s a style that enhances the female figure with proper hips and a waist for a truly classic look, while the tapered leg that ends just above the ankle, or just below the knee, make for the ultimate action pant: no flare to tangle in bicycle chains, dangle in puddles or catch on stiletto heels.

The style works so well that the Capri has been around since the beginning of women wearing trousers,

You know it’s the silly season when a man bicycles past wearing a suit and a very large paier-mache possum hat.

That’s one of the best things about bikes: you actually get to sport –to wear, display, carry,  especially with ostentation, show off –  your finest outfits.

Travel by car and only the front office staff notice your new shoes. Travel by bike and the whole world gets to share in the fun of your sartorial splendor, be that a possum hat or a pair of Jimmy Choo’s.

Frankly, what is fashion for other than to flaunt,