Pretty Gloves

Oh yes. Mine are actually white. I bought them to celebrate getting my work contract extended and because I only have fingerless and winter weight gloves. I wanted something which covered my entire hand but allowed me to feel through the material and not get too warm. There were no black pairs there and I didn't even realize that Fox offered black. I am not sure which I would prefer. I usually wear more black but the white will not get as warm in the bright Ottawa sun, although it will show more dirt. I have a white helmet right now too, so I match. At least until I get a Bern.

I got them at Fosters, as usual. 15% of for students with an ISIC. The province of Ontario does not charge taxes on many bike accessories. I am not sure if clothing counts. I need to find where I put my receipt!

Oops

It is hard to motivate myself to update when I would rather be out riding in the spring weather. The change in temperature is also leading me to cover prettier cycling accessories. If I were a full-time functionary instead of a part-time functionnaire (we are bilingual here) and full-time grad student, I would purchase the following things:

- Pretty new bike from Ottawa's Tall Trees Cycles. I would get the "city" Kona Africa instead of the "womens" because then I would get specs rather than a heartwarming story, not to mention better grammar.

- Chic Bern Muse helmet. I am linking to the London Cycle Chic blog's shop because I love their blog and because Foster's

- Riding Pretty's helmet covers, although that would be better for winter as well as covering up my current, less attractive helmet. The Bern Muse would look fine on its own.

Covet.

Pretty Helmet Cover

I'm a day late to call this Wordless Wednesday. How about Thesis Thursday? As in, I need to frantically make things up rather than talk about cycling.

All I really have to say is that now that the weather is nice enough to ride in a skirt and now I have a beautiful ladies bike with a skirt guard and step-through frame that I coveted for so long. This has left me coveting something new, namely a helmet cover for maximum prettiness while riding.

I have been eying this one on one of my favourite women's cycling sites.

Turn Signals

Drivers, cyclists, everybody: please use your turn signals. I live in an area of Ottawa with lots of old, winding roads that are not on a grid system. There are a lot of confusing two-way and four-way stops, and the streets alternate randomly between one and two-way lanes. It's confusing and hard to tell who has the right of way. When I got from my place to the Canal, I pass by Rideau Street, a major road and then a serious of small streets. They go four-way stop, two-way stop, two-way stop one-way, four-way stop, one-way four-way stop, and then the road ends and I have to turn. Two of the roads have bike lanes, but most don't.

One thing that would make this and any driving or cycling experience much easier would be if people would use their turn signals. This even affects me as a pedestrians. Going to cross with the light and having to jump away when a motorist 1) thinks the pedestrian advance is outweighed by their right turn needs and 2) has not even signaled that right turn. I realise that this is something that cyclists are as guilty of. In fact, sometimes I seems like I am the only cyclist I see who uses turn signals. I also wonder how many motorists understand them. I have also been almost clipped so many times, or alternately waited unnecessarily many times when it turns out someone is turning but has not signaled.

Please, please. Whether with your hand or lights, use your turn signals!