Thank You, Everyone!

Thanks to everyone who came out on Sunday. We had about 45 people riding and about 15 more who met us at the Roundhouse. Nearly 20 more than last year! It was quite a sunny day, if a little brisk!

I stole the pictures on this page from Kellie McCaffery (above), Kara Tierney, and Sarah Vigoren. Thanks, guys!

Riding through Mt. Hope Cemetery.


This gentleman went so far as to tweed his helmet! Nicely done, sir!


His and hers.


Tweeded folks.


Did you get your 2011 Tweed Ride pin?


And now...the 2011 Rochester Tweed Ride Winners!!!
(I don't have everyone's name, but if you see this please let us know who you are in the comments.)


Most Stylish Steed!
Winner of the Walnut leather pannier. Thanks so much to Walnut Bicycle Accessories!


Most Snappy Sue!
Winner of a tweed Rothera Cycling cap! Thanks so much to Gary Rothera!


Most Dapper Dan: Brandon Colaprete
Winner of a tweed Rothera Cycling cap! Thanks so much to Gary Rothera!


Most Marvelous Mustache!
Winner of the coveted Avon mustache mug!


Sophisticated tea cup bike races. Slow and fast!


Refined race winner with his green plastic spoils.


A huge thank you to the Windsor Folk Family for the amazing music and lively atmosphere! nothing like rolling into the park while being serenaded.

We'd also like to thank our placeholders/bakers Carey Backman and her sister for getting up at the crack of dawn and chasing all the usurpers away, Joe Phillipson for riding and taking pictures, Java's for providing much needed hot tea and cookies the size of your face, and Roc Brewing Co. for the beer!

Thank you to all who participated and we hope to see you again next year!

Critical Mass / Zombie Tweed Ride

Folks, here is a great way to get more use out of those tweed outfits you've been working on so diligently.

This Friday, October 28th (tomorrow!!) is Critical Mass (a bike ride in downtown Rochester held on the last Friday of every month). We thought it would be a perfect opportunity to drum up some interest in the Tweed Ride!

So, here is what you do:

Get out the Tweed Garb.

Paint yourself up like the undead.

Meet at 6:00 pm at the Liberty Pole.

Ride in style!

Fabulous Prize(s) 6

Tweed riding hats by Rothera Cycling!

Surprise! They are reversible!

We own several of these hats and let me tell you, they are quality.

Check out their link above or to the right for a huge selection of styles and fabrics. These hats will be given to the best male and female costumes, so don your best Tweed garb and come on out to win!

Fabulous Prize 5

Hand made pillowcase!

Fabulous Prize 4

Vintage bike pins! So funky! Come on out and win them!

Pins!

The only place to get the pin is at the ride, so come on out!

Make Your Own Knickers Tutorial

Hello folks! In case you feel like living on the edge and making your own knickers for the ride, here is a simple (I hope!) tutorial on how to do it. You will only need basic sewing skills. I used a sewing machine on part, but you could do it all by hand if you wanted to. Also, bear with me, I've never written a sewing tutorial in my life and probably don't even know the real names for most things.

Find a pair of tweed pants that fit you well from the knee up. If they are too long, no worries. We're cutting these babies down!

Step 1:
Put the pants on and measure. You'll want them to come just below your knee. Cut them at least one inch longer than you want them to be. Save the portion that you cut off, you'll need them later.


Step 2:
If your pants have a lining you may choose to remove it from the bottom (cut off) portion. It makes it a bit harder to sew later on. I took it out of mine.


Step 3:
Turn the top portion of the pants/knickers inside out and pin the edges of each leg for a hem as shown in the picture. Do not pin the leg holes clothes. That's not going to work. You'll need to put your legs through them when you are done sewing. :) As you can see, I pushed my lining up, so as not to sew it into the seam we are making because it's a royal pain in the butt if your material has as much stretch as mine did.

Here is a close up.

Step 4:
Sew around each leg hole with a sewing machine or by hand. (keeping the pants inside out) Take the pins out as you go.


Step 5:
Flip the pants back right side out. Put them on. Gather the sides of each leg so that they are tight to your leg and pin. I take the front crease and wrap it around to the side, like the first step of French Rolling your jeans. ;) Be careful not to stick yourself! After you are finished pinning take off the pants, very carefully.




Step 6:
Sew the pinned area straight up and down, either by hand or on a sewing machine. Take out the pins as you go.

Step 6A:
If you use a sewing machine for step 6 like I did, there is a little tab-like bit since you can't sew exactly on the edge of the seam. I sewed this down because it bothered me. If you aren't quite as anal retentive, feel free to skip this step.



Step 7:
Go back to the bottom part of the pants that you cut off. Keep everything right side out and tuck them into the knickers so that just the bottom hem is sticking out and pin. (I don't know why I took this picture on top of another pair of tweed pants. As if this tutorial isn't confusing enough!)


Step 8:
Sew by hand or on a machine taking the pins out as you go. You can then turn them inside out and cut off the extra material from the leg of the pants.

Step 9: Add buttons to the outside of the knickers by the "French Roll" fold if you like.

If you have any questions (I mean, how could you, this was so simple and technical!) please feel free to leave them in the comments.

Fabulous Prize 3

May I present:

Mr. Mustache Mug. Come out and win this dapper fellow's noggin from which you can sip tea or gulp beer!

Buy Local

Here is a gorgeous Etsy treasury to help you get equipped for the ride.
Most of these vendors are from Rochester, so don't be shy!

See it on Etsy.

Fabulous Prize 2

Come out and win!

More fashion inspiration! For dames:

Examples from last year's ride:

For dandies:

Examples:

Photos by our official tweed photographer Joe Philipson and Gerry Szymanski.

Fabulous Prize!

Here is a gorgeous prize donated to our ride by Walnut Studio. It's a leather and wood pocket pannier. Please take a moment to visit their etsy store and look at the other drool worthy bike accessories they have. Hand stitched leather! Wine bottle belts and six pack carries for your ride! Please go here.

Inspiration 2

Mickey Mouse and Nick Belle. Two dapper chaps.

2011 Tweed Ride Details

Sunday, October 30, 2011.
Rain or shine!

10:30 am - Meet up at the High Falls walking bridge
11:00 am - Ride leaves.
12:00 (ish) Ride ends at Genesee Valley Park.

Contests! Prizes! Refreshments! Live Music!

Inspiration

Tweed:

a coarse wool cloth in a variety of weaves and colors, either hand-spun and handwoven in Scotland or reproduced, often by machine, elsewhere.

Here's some inspiration for the upcoming Rochester Tweed Ride. A few pictures from the event last year:

Question: Where on earth do I find tweed clothing?

Answer: A thrift store. Any thrift store. Ever. Seriously. There are tons of tweed items out there to be had. For ladies, for men, for kids, even! Or if you have more green in your pockets and are itching for a place to spend it, might I suggest Etsy?

Tip: If you are a wiry lad and cannot find tweed pants in your size try heading to the ladies section. There are tons of tweed ladies pants and so what if the zipper opens from the opposite side? Nobody is going to know and you'll come away with a pair of pants that actually fit you!

Also, please take a moment to browse the links that you will find to the right under "Friends of the Tweed Ride". These are awesome people, local and other businesses who will be participating in the event in some fashion.

Happy tweed hunting!