Until now there hasn’t been much in the way of jeans cut specifically for the female cyclist. Chandel Bodner, long-time rider and bike polo player, decided it was time. She founded the Toronto-based RYB Jeans company with a jean designed to meet our needs.
The RYB jeans are made of US milled fabric — a durable cotton with Continue reading New at the shop: Women’s Cycling Jeans
There are seven days left in our campaign to bring our riding coat design to reality. If you’ve already pledged, thank you so much for your vote of confidence. If you’ve been meaning to, now is a great time. But if you’re wondering why you should pledge, consider this:
This coat could get more people riding bikes.
There’s nothing else out there quite like this coat design (we looked hard!). Aside from all its bike-friendly features, however, this coat does something else: It wordlessly communicates that biking in the city isn’t just for the athletic few, but for anyone who wants to use a bike to reach their destination.
Imagine you are wearing this coat as you ride downtown. You pass someone who is interested but wary about riding a bicycle. Instead of thinking, “That’s not me. I couldn’t do that,” perhaps he suddenly envisions himself on two wheels, comfortably riding to work in a look that aligns with all his daily activities. Now think of all the people you pass on each day that you ride. By simply modeling a more accessible look, could you be sparking new ideas for people everywhere you go?
This is the core of what Hub and Bespoke is all about, and what we’ve been working to communicate for the last 5 years. The way we look on our bikes can either invite or exclude, encourage or discourage, increase our numbers or keep us limited to the brave few.
It’s our dream to live in a city where bicycles are so numerous that they’ve altered the landscape into a quieter, more social space. It’s our mission to provide product solutions that invite and encourage others to join the fun. We believe this men’s coat is one of those solutions.
Thank you for all the support so far. If you feel the same way we do about the importance of getting more people to ride, I hope you’ll consider pledging, or simply sharing this campaign with others.
Here are a few frequently asked questions we’ve received over the past few weeks:
Q. Why did you go with a double-breasted coat design?
A. Aside from referencing the classic look of a pea coat, the double-breasted cut affords a highly functional benefit on the bike: Continue reading Final week to fund a coat that says, “Anyone can ride a bike.”
We are very excited to announce our newest product: The Men’s Riding Coat. As mentioned a few weeks ago, we’ve launched a crowd-funding campaign to produce this coat, which is the latest product under our own label and the men’s version of the women’s coat we introduced last year. You can see our campaign video below and read about the kickoff party we’re hosting next week.
As with the women’s version, the Men’s Riding Coat is designed for the bike commute and styled for the city. Several features make it a functional outerwear piece for urban rides: Continue reading Our Men’s Riding Coat: Crowdfunding Now. Kickoff Party Next Week.
We’re late to the party with this one since the contest is already over, but we’re sharing anyway in case you missed it because it’s pretty cool. And because Seattle won! Continue reading Seattle wins design contest for urban bike
We’re excited to give you an important heads up about Hub and Bespoke:
The Women’s Riding Coat we launched last year was very well received (yay and thanks!), and it wasn’t long before we started hearing, “When’s the men’s version coming out?” Well, here it is! Continue reading This September: We’re crowd-funding for our new Men’s Riding Coat
If you’ve ever visited the shop looking for panniers, you’ve probably heard us talk about the Philosophy Bag Co. brand. We’ve stocked their panniers and backpacks for the last four years and have sold several to bicyclists looking for beautiful, functional cargo management. This is a quick post about what sets these bags apart. Continue reading Why we love Philosophy bags
I think, finally, a good answer to the cyclist conundrum – a lock sturdy enough to deter most bike thieves that doesn’t weigh you down. 
The PubLock is a heavy-duty, public-use bicycle locking station. It is designed to retrofit to existing bicycle racks and can be accessed by riders with RFID cards.
If the city installed these and charged for the personal RFID cards, maybe it could even self-fund installation? Having had a bike stolen from the downtown public library, I am in!
What is it about concept bikes that catches our eyes and piques our interest? Maybe it’s the way they challenge our ideas of what a bike can/should look like or how it should operate. …Or maybe they just look cool. Continue reading Clever Concepts
If you’ve ever been to the shop on Mondays, you’ve probably met Katharine, founder and owner of Telaio Clothing in Ballard. Katharine has been making beautiful wool cycling trousers, dresses, and other apparel by hand for Hub and Bespoke customers since 2010.
Katharine and Telaio were recently the subject of a beautiful feature on Drift Journal, a photography driven blog that highlights thoughtfully crafted goods and the talented people behind them. We were thrilled that Katharine received this well-deserved spotlight!
You can see the feature here. I think the photos, taken by Seattle’s Sparkfly Photography, are terrific. Here’s a sample:
People often send us links to bike-related products, companies, or Kickstarter campaigns that catch their eye. Sometimes we’ll get the same referral from many people, creating a natural filter for the most noteworthy innovations.
Below are the creations that were forwarded to us most often this year. Some hit the scene earlier than 2013 (like this one), but it seemed like this year was when they really landed in people’s consciousness. Or at least their inboxes.
Click any photo below to learn more.
Hub and Bespoke Blog 