How to Bike in a Long Dress

Riding a bike and wearing a long dress or a long skirt doesn't have to be a disaster! Check out my simple method for turning any outfit into a biking outfit.

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One of the first bike fashion tricks that I was determined to master was how to bike in a long dress. Given my love of dramatic, yet casual, dresses, I was determined to make it work.

Handlebar bag, similar to our Half Circle Bamboo Bike Bag | Thrifted diagonal striped maxi dress, something in this spirit on Etsy.

For demonstration purposes, I put together this psychedelic colored ensemble. Wearing it while drifting through the gardens of Golden Gate Park, I imagined myself inside one of William Vollmann's The Rainbow Stories, set in San Francisco 20 years after the Summer of Love.

As this particular dress has a 1970s-by-way-of-the-Nineties thing going on, it feels particularly à propos to the idea of looking at an idealized era through a grungier lens.

That red cap is a Closca, the first helmet I ever carried in the shop. I don't sell it anymore. What I loved about it was that the cover came off and a different one went on, and I loved that idea enough that I eventually made my own: the Straw Hat Bike Helmet.

Incidentally, the collection of San Francisco short stories includes one about a character falling in lust with a very particular dress. It's a lot less twee than it sounds. (To be honest, parts of The Rainbow Stories gave me nightmares.)

To maximize the effectiveness of this trick, it is essential to wear cute sandals, with dazzling socks. It's a very important part of the look. Polka dots count as high-viz, right?

You know what else gives me nightmares? When I ruin a great vintage score by getting the skirt caught up in my bicycle. And since if I can't bike in it, I won't wear it, I developed this easy trick for biking in a long dress.

1. The Lean

Prop yourself up by sitting on your top-tube, like a tripod, so neither you nor your two-tired bike falls over.

2. The Modified Curtsy

(Because we're so polite around here.) Grab one end of the hem of your dress and bring it to hip level.

3. Knot It

Make a simple overhand knot. Keep it off-center, positioning it over one thigh rather than between your legs.

4. Ride On

Congratulations! You have successfully and temporarily reduced the length of your skirt and protected your hem from hungry brake calipers. You are now ready to ride in style.

One caveat: a knot holds your hem, not your modesty. On windy days I wear Bikie Girl Bloomers in pink polka dot underneath and stop thinking about it entirely. They are a suspiciously good match for these socks.

It works! Now that you know just how easy it is to bike in a long dress, don't be shy about digging out the vintage prom dress that has been gathering dust in the back of your closet. Just ask yourself what would Marla Singer wear to go for a bike ride?

Do you have any more bike fashion dilemmas? Leave them in a comment below, or come find me on Instagram or Facebook. I'm always happy to road test this stuff so that you don't have to.

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