Cooper Green Design | The Blog

I’ve come across some pretty cool and well-designed bike products recently. My commute is now a 15 ft walk across the hallway, but I’m a recovering Philadelphia bike commuter. People often ask me how did I do it? Did you bike in the rain? What about the snow? Did you need to change your clothes?  I did bike in all kinds of weather, and I did it with minimal special gear. I looked ridiculous on my ride each morning,  then I’d completed a magical transformation into work attire in a cramped office restroom. (Plus I had quite a collection of heels to choose from under my desk). I would not have been featured on This Is Cycle Chic.

PUBLIC Bikes - mmm, juicy

I suspect that many people don’t bike to work because it doesn’t “look” cool. Enter PUBLIC Bikes. They are releasing a new line of European style urban-cool bikes. I haven’t been able to try one out yet, but they do look juicy… as in a sweet drippy tangerine or kiwi.

If you are in San Francisco, you can test ride one at their shop. Bikes can be pre-ordered, and the line will be available online this month and at Tretorn in Soho. By the way, if you will be in New York for Metropolis’s ICFF 2010 (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) May 15-18, join PUBLIC on their Design Ride Manhattan celebration on Sunday. The ride travels from the ICFF to the Tretorn Store.

Yakkay Bicycle Helmet & Cover

Keeping your pretty little heads protected is a must, and now there are a few options for doing so in style. Yakkay has been getting lots of press for their Danish designed helmet covers. Very cute, but they come at quite a price. If you are one of those people that can handle  riding in a suite, it makes for a perfect accessory. A DIY option that is actually quite easy is to personalize a Bern bike helmet (Bern helmets are shaped like french motorcycle helmets) with paint or decals. See an example here. Bern’s Watts helmet is pretty sleek on its own.