Looking wheel good
Like the weather, bicycling has gotten hot. You'd like to join in, but you don't want to encase yourself in spandex like some Tour de France wannabe. Fear not. It is possible to be stylish and travel on two wheels. Just ask these local cyclists. - DANIELLE DREILINGER
JOHN "DILLWEED" DILL, 30, Charlestown
Professions: Techie and photographer
Style: "Neuromancer" on two wheels: sleeveless athletic shirt, rolled-up pants, goggles, crewcut.
Bike model: He owns about five, including a sleek titanium single-speed fixie with a red metallic skull and laminated cards in the spokes.
How long have you been riding around Boston? Five years.
Where do you ride? "Anywhere during the day except [the Pike] and 93."
How to stay clean? Three-quarter-length pants keep chain grease on ankles, not fabric. (Dillweed has a bike tattoo positioned to show when he rolls his pants up.) And tighter clothes mean less fabric to get caught. Besides, he says, "the more you ride a bike the sexier you look. So you want to wear something tight."
Must-have accessories? Messenger bag with a car seatbelt buckle; u-lock in his back pocket; keys on a carabiner.
Alter ego: Saturday nights he swarms with the Subversive Choppers Urban League, a semi-secret DIY modified-bike crew. At those events, anything goes. "I've worn dresses," he says.
NINA GARFINKLE, 46, South End
Profession: Graphic designer
Style: Chic and polished: long shorts, tank top, black-framed glasses, Prada mini-backpack.
Bike model: Strida folding bike that fits in her closet, a cab, or the ferry. "It has - I have to tell you - changed my life," she says.
How long have you been riding around Boston? About three years.
Any places in the city you avoid while on a bike? Streets with bad paving, fast drivers, and lots of traffic - like the Boston side of Mass. Ave.
Secrets to biking in a dress? Due to her bike's unconventional frame, Garfinkle can't: A skirt "would be totally hiked up," she says.
How to keep clean? The Strida has neon-green fenders and a rubber flywheel instead of a chain: which means no grease. Her Chinese rain poncho is cut to cover handlebars but stay out of the wheels.
Must-have accessories: Garfinkle wraps her helmet in a makeshift cover that bristles with soft spikes.
MORGAN FIRST, 24, Kenmore
Profession: MAP Boston guidebook entrepreneur
Style: Fun and flirty: denim halter dress, brown leather belt, flat boots.
Bike model: Yellow-green Dutch Gazelle JollyBike with hand-painted flowers.
How long have you been riding around Boston? Two and a half years.
Where she rides: To brunch in the South End or at the Other Side Café, to sell her guidebook at the South End Open Market.
Any places in the city you avoid while on a bike? "Lots," First says simply. She rides through parks or along the Esplanade whenever possible.
Secrets to biking in a dress? She's been known to hold down her skirt with one hand.
How to stay clean? Fenders, an enclosed chain, and a coat guard. "I've never gotten messy," she says.
Must-have accessories? A built-in lock. She's waiting for a blue coat guard and wants "a fun-looking bell."
BOB WILLIAMSON, 62, Brookline
Profession: Senior project manager for Partners HealthCare real estate and facilities
Style: Businessman-professor: light wool slacks, button-down shirt, leather shoes, wire-rims.
Bike model: Functional and unobtrusive: a single-speed Trek road bike with metal fenders and lots of lights.
How long have you been riding around Boston? Has commuted on a bike for the lion's share of 30 years.
Where do you ride? Brookline to downtown, North Station, Arboretum.
Any places in the city you avoid while on a bike? High-speed roads. "I saw a cyclist on Storrow in the left lane yesterday and nearly fainted," Williamson says.
How to stay clean? Fenders and a chain guard mean you don't need to roll your pants up, he says. "For the most part I just let my cuffs fly."
Must-have accessories? Williamson straps his briefcase to a back rack.
Alter ego: He rides along country roads with the UK-based Veteran-Cycle Club, wearing britches, over-the-knee socks, and a wool shirt. "Not a stitch of Lycra required," he says. 