Just because you ride your bike to work every morning doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice stylish clothes for workout wear. These four great items will help you look fly as you navigate the busy streets to the office. You might even inspire your colleagues to start commuting, too.
Big Shot Bikes Single Speed/Fixie Make
There’s no better way to navigate the urban jungle than on a single speed or fixie. Channel your inner bike messenger with a custom flip hub bike that you design online. It’s an art project: gives you hundreds of color combinations to choose from. With a series of clicks, you pick frame, tire, saddle, tape, logo and pedal color. Add the handlebar of your choice, and then you’ll probably start again to see what another version might look like.
When you’ve finally settled on your look, click Buy Now, and about two weeks later, your dream bike will be on your doorstep. Big Shot bikes are steel and minimalist: simple, reliable and classy. They’re fun to build and fun to ride. Bikes arrive nearly assembled, but—unless you’re handy with a wrench, and vaguely bike-tech savvy, take your Big Shot to your local shop for a brake adjust brakes and once over to make sure it’s ready to roll. Then hit the streets on your custom machine and revel in the joys of pedaling a bike you designed. Be prepared to meet people: most color combos are guaranteed to get you questions.
Available now, $429
Bulletprufe Skate Denim
In the mid-90’s, founder and avid surfer, kitesurfer, longboarder and mountain biker Will Fischer reinforced the cuffs of his jeans with duct tape to keep them intact. Now, he’s turned denim into performance wear built for extreme athletes without the duct tape reinforcements. “In the concrete-based action sports world, performance has taken a distant backseat to fashion,” said Fisher. “We’re trying to change that. You wouldn’t keep buying wheels that constantly chunked or carabiners that break after a few sessions.”
Fischer’s quest has been to develop denim specifically made to withstand the abuse of action sports. After 20 different iterations of its jeans in the past thirty months, tweaking fabric blends, stitching and manufacturing methods, Fischer and his team settled on a proprietary blend of ballistic nylon with a dash of PET for strength, a healthy dose of super soft cotton for comfort and topped off with spandex to make it super stretchy. The result: Pants that look and feel like any pair of premium jeans. But take a spill bombing a hill on your longboard or scrape up against a rock face all day climbing, and you’ll see the difference. And there’s nothing that speaks to a top quality product that makes big claims better than satisfaction guaranteed. If you’re not satisfied, send ’em back for a full refund.
Oliberté Krabu Bag
Oliberté, maker of fine leather shoes and bags, was founded in 2009 to build premium, product by African craftsmen as a way to create jobs and build sustainable communities by paying fair wages. It opened its own ethically responsible factory in August 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Now, Oliberte has 57 African workers who handle all aspects of the business from administration to pattern making, building an industry in a part of the world that desperately needs it. Leather for the shoes and bags use minimal water for processing, and it comes from free range cows, sheep and goats.
And once you’re done with your Olibertés, if you can’t donate or reuse them, we will take back the shoes and recycle them. has adjustable leather straps, a carry handle, and it clips shut with two buckles. The brushed leather has a delicious waxed finish. And it’s .
Icebreaker Men’s Drifter Hood
Made from merino waffle jersey cut long in the back to keep you covered, the will be a wardrobe upgrade. It’s better than that cotton hoody you’ve been wearing since college because not only will it need washing less frequently thanks to wool’s natural odor controlling properties, but you can wear it for hanging out, as well as when you need to look presentable.