Biking sure has its perks: Save cash, get in a little exercise and liberation from SEPTA’s inconsistent schedules.

How can you look cute while biking: wear dresses, manage accessories and keep your hair from looking like you went through an urban jungle?

Here’s the lady’s guide to look cute while biking.

The essential accessory: Helmet.

There’s no arguing this one – even if it dampers your hair.The only thing less attractive than not wearing a helmet is cracking your noggin’ on the  street. Wear a helmet. Always.

Avoiding Helmet Hair

Obviously, the helmet may intervene with your curls or amazing ‘do. I’ve found that a loose, low ponytail tends to preserve my hair looking decent.

Selecting a Dress

I find this is a balancing act. Wearing something too short and you leave possibility of a Lindsay Lohan paparazzi opportunity. Wearing a maxi dress can catch in your pedals and leave a tumble to the pavement.

The best choice? Wearing something knee-length or slightly shorter is best for biking, personally. I do sometimes select dresses based on commuting potential.

Other options? Wear opaque tights or bloomers.

Biking with Maxi Dresses:

You can tie your extra fabric in a knot to keep it from getting stuck in your bike’s moving parts.

Wearing a short dress/skirt without embarrassing yourself:

Ahh, the joys of being a woman. If you want to wear a short dress/skirt, keep these things in consideration:

• If your skirt is too tight, you may tear it while pedaling. (Confession: I did this. And had to get it fixed at the tailor, so my dress is now a few inches shorter…) Don’t make my mistake and stick with looser fabrics.
• The strategic seat method: When hopping on the seat, adjust your skirt by pulling the fabric underneath. This will avoid wind-flapping.

Leggings:

Good for underneath a dress OR with a cute top. I’m a huge fan of leggings + 3/4 length or longer shirts/borderline dresses.

Choosing Biking Shoes:

A nice, comfy flat like Toms can go nicely with a casual dress/leggings combo. In fact, I prefer flats while biking most days.

But if you need to wear heels, take the Bird Wheels advice and pedal with the front part of your foot. Hook your heels behind your pedal to avoid interference.

Carrying your Stuff.

There’s a few options for how to carry your possessions:

• For bags/purses, bring a longer satchel that can hang on your side.
• Support the local company United by Blue by getting a cute little bag like the Haversack.
• Backpacks are key, and there are tons of cute options. Stash a smaller clutch in your backpack for easy access to your essentials.

Carrying an emergency kit of bike commuter essentials will help you touch up once you get to your destination, as I shared with Be Well Philly last week.

Readers, what are your bike commuting secrets?

array(1) {
  [0]=>
  object(WP_Term)#8355 (10) {
    ["term_id"]=>
    int(1487)
    ["name"]=>
    string(6) "biking"
    ["slug"]=>
    string(6) "biking"
    ["term_group"]=>
    int(0)
    ["term_taxonomy_id"]=>
    int(1497)
    ["taxonomy"]=>
    string(8) "post_tag"
    ["description"]=>
    string(0) ""
    ["parent"]=>
    int(0)
    ["count"]=>
    int(40)
    ["filter"]=>
    string(3) "raw"
  }
}

Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher