Rocket Fuel - vintage cycling style

The little one in your life can now be as stylish and as warm as they possibly can be in one of our new winter caps for babies.
With a soft rib that covers the ears and back of neck it's style and warm all in one cute little package.

Am very excited to be adding a new product to Rocket Fuel today and these are some of the cutest pieces yet.

Cycling capes for children and now available on our babies and children's shopping page. Made from vintage wools with printed vintage cottons as lining they are sure to keep your little one snug and stylish all winter long on and off the bike.

The organisers of the Canberra Tweed Ride asked me to help spread the word on their ride coming up this weekend.

Sunshine glorious sunshine! After such a long time planning and organising the one thing we had no control over was the weather. To awake to a clear but chilly day was like icing on the cake. Riding through Darlinghurst to meet with friends at Taylor’s Square before heading down to Town Hall we were already drawing looks and comments from cars and passers-by. It’s an odd feeling to be the one drawing the comments in Darlinghurst. But dressed in our Tweed we were more of a novelty than the drag queens, partygoers and all night revellers.

Down Oxford Street and towards Town Hall we start spying more riders and bikes waiting for us. The crew from Canberra had increased from one participant last year up to a handful this year displaying some lovely vintage speedwells.

As it drew closer to 9pm the crowd was swelling, I was losing track of the sign on sheets but knew we were well above last years numbers as I’d already run out of spoke cards. A photographer from Getty images was on hand to capture all the styles of the day including G who despite the cold turned up wearing nothing but a pair of fluoro pink budgie smugglers and a helmet!

A quick hello and thanks to the crowd which included a blunder in my talking calling the ride a race instead of a ride, which was quickly pointed out to me and the good natured crowd took it in their stride.

9am and we’re riding. Through the city streets we rode at a genteel pace, waving and ringing bells to people on the street. Stopping under the bridge to get the obligatory group photo with the Opera House behind you could really see the size of the ride.

Back on the bikes through the city, up Oxford st to Taylor’s Square (where a few riders were asking which building was the planned ‘bicycle hub’) and down to Crown st, Ward Park, across Cleveland and down to Buckland st for a much needed cup of tea provided by SYDBMA, bike polo by Le Pista Resistance, professional portrait photos by Sydney BFF and Terence Chin.

 It was a great sight to see with blankets, bikes and people across the park having picnics and catching up. I was busy talking to sponsors and organising prizes but I’m assured that Paul’s scones were a great hit and cause for much talking point of his secret ingredient to make them light and fluffy.

Thank you and prize giving time with prizes by Bicycle recycle, Raleigh twenty and Rocket Fuel ensured that quite a few people went home with their winnings.

From a ride last year this year had really evolved into an event that lasted almost a day and brought together a large number of riders from all across Sydney, Wollongong, Canberra and even some from Perth. The cups of tea, bike polo, photo portraits and picnic made for a great ending to the ride. Thank you to all who came along and had a fun day out.

 

Some stats

Over 130 signed on riders – more than that in the ride as some didn’t sign on

Youngest participant was 7 months as a passenger cargo bike

Youngest rider who rode the entire ride on their own 4 years old

Best Dressed Gentleman – Garry W

Best Dressed Lady – the lady in the maroon velvet cape

Most Retro – the gentleman on the Pedersen bike

Best Duo – the couple on the blue tandem

 

Thanks to

Double Oh Two for the amazing poster design

Sydney BFF for portrait photos of all the riders and a fantastic Knog pannier prize

SYDBMA for cups of tea, coffee and biscuits

Le Pista Resistance for bike polo

Raleightwentywebs.com for prizes for best small wheel bicycles and for lucky door prizes

Bicycle Recycle for the trophies and fabulous retro lucky door prizes

Seventy8 for the spoke cards

Yogi for all his fantastic work helping organising, marshalling, figuring out the route and possibly a million other things which I can’t think of right now

Madam Bike/Leigh for being our fabulous ride leader

All the Red Lanterns who helped to keep the ride moving

Sydneycyclist.com for having the group and providing the conversation

Nick, Naomi, Angela, Yogi for being fabulous models for the SMH photo shoot

And absolutely everyone who turned up had a good time and helped in anyway thank you all.

 

Photos at

http://www.rocketfuel.net.au/sydney-tweed-ride-2010.html

http://www.flickr.com/groups/sydney_tweed_ride_2010/

 

That's right even more new caps! with winter coming on strong in the south and summer burning up in the north not to mention the all important Tour De France in only a few weeks, now is the time to get yourself kitted out in a cycling cap...or dare I say even more than one cycling cap?

I mean you have to have one to match every out fit right?

Stumbled across this photoshoot She's wearing a Rocket Fuel cap made for Sugar Spokes in Melbourne.

Fantastic new posters to help tell people about Sydney's new cycleways.

Today the Sydney Tweed Ride received a write up in the Sydney Morning Herald. Was quite good article, you can read it in full here

This was the accompanying photo of us dressed up in front of Hyde Park Fountain in the city. We spent nearly 2 hours getting our photos taken and doing the interview. Can only hope the weather on the day will be as nice as that day.

The article and photo took up over 1/3 of a broadhseet page of the paper, which is huge for cycling coverage in the SMH. Normally their articles tend more towards the 'why cyclists don't belong on the roads""cyclists should pay registration" etc etc and get hundreds of angry comments from ill informed members of the public. So is really nice to be part of a cycling article that highlights sometimes you can just ride for fun.

(oh and that's me in the grey check cape, plus fours and tweed covered bike basket).

Even more new caps on the website!

We've been hard at work and have added even more caps to the site. No matter if your celebrating the sun of summer in a cotton cap or the cold of winter in a wool with rib bands Rocket Fuel has got your head covered!

Fantastic article in the Sydney Morning Herald on how to wear a cape, they forget to mention how amazing the are for cycling, why not pick up a Rocket Fuel cape to liven up your wardrobe this winter.
Shop now for capes and capelets.