Rick Evans had rounded up a group of eight bicyclists on Platte Street. They sipped ice-cold beer or water from Mason jars as they waited for Evans, co-owner of the month-old bike shop The Bespoke Pedaler, to lead them on a one-hour tour of downtown Denver bike paths.
Despite the athletic activity that awaited them and the 90-degree temperature, several of the cyclists wore business-casual attire. Evans rocked a green polo and slim-fit gray canvas shorts. Emily Hogle, the store’s other owner, wore a sleeveless blue dress that seemed better suited for a dinner date than a bike ride, while another rider wore a pink skirt and a black blouse.
Evans led the tour to introduce people to urban trails, show them how to get around in downtown Denver (the store also gives out a card with a suggested tour) and raise awareness of cycling culture and how stores such as theirs fit into that realm.
The Bespoke Pedaler sells urban bike apparel — everyday, casual clothing that performs like athletic wear but stays away from the flashy, logo-strewn spandex jerseys often worn by cyclists.
The shop is part of a small but growing fashion niche that caters to people who commute by bicycle and integrate biking into their daily lives.
These clothes have details to make them better for riding, “but they’re also designed so you can hop off your bike, go to work, go to a cafe and live your life,” Evans said.
Dresses and skirts are made of moisture-wicking and water-repellent material, and a pencil skirt has a back zipper that unzips to reveal 12 extra inches of fabric for maneuverability. Strips of reflective material are subtly incorporated into the designs.
“I think people are appreciating better-designed clothing, and the same thing has happened in cycling apparel,” said customer Aaron Rosenbluth, 33.
Rosenbluth, who once worked as a bike messenger, says Bespoke is spreading the “beauty and aesthetic” of cycling.
The store’s opening comes at a time when more people are commuting by bike in Denver. Emily Snyder, bicycle and pedestrian project manager for Denver Public Works, said there has been a 100 percent overall increase in everyday biking commuters from 2008 to 2012, from 1.6 percent of the population to 2.9 percent. Some neighborhoods have more than 10 percent of their population commuting by bike.
Statewide, about 38,000 Coloradans commute every day by bike according to 2012 data. That’s up 127 percent since 2000, said Dan Grunig, executive director of Bicycle Colorado, a nonprofit that supports bicycling.
Companies have hired representatives from Bicycle Colorado to give their employees bicycle-commuting classes to promote healthier, more active employees, Grunig said.
For Denver, Snyder attributes the increase in commuters to the new bike lanes that were built under the 2011 Denver Moves plan. They range from “sharrows” (where cars and bikes share a road) to separate, protected bike lanes.
During Evans’ bike tour, he led the group through the protected bike lanes on 15th Street. The lanes are flanked by vertical posts to help define the boundaries. Since the lanes were finished a year ago, Snyder said, bike traffic on sidewalks has decreased by more than 60 percent.
“(The lanes) are very attractive to a user group that aren’t expert bikers — those people who are interested in making that choice to get on a bike and ride to work or the grocery store,” Snyder said.
Denver Public Works plans to build more bike lanes, including a 14th Street protected bike lane, and to bridge the gaps in current bike lanes, Snyder said.
But sometimes, even advanced athletic apparel and formal bike lanes aren’t enough to prevent a commuter from arriving to work drenched in sweat. That’s where electric bikes can come into the equation.
Although electric bikes vary in frame styles, most look like a bike with a small motor in the back that can be turned off so the rider can bike manually.
You can still get exercise with an electric bike, and they require no special license as a motorcycle does, said Jim Turner, founder and owner of Optibike, a Boulder-based electric bike manufacturer. But if your commute to work has hills or is a longer distance, the user can flip on the motor and cruise effortlessly to work.
“An electric bike is a bike that causes no sweat and you get to work without needing a shower,” said Ed Benjamin, chairman of the Light Electric Vehicle Association.
Little by little, electric bikes are becoming more popular in the U.S., Benjamin said. An estimated 173,886 electric bikes were sold in 2013, according to research done by eCycleElectric and Electric Bicycles World Wide Reports , he said.
Sometimes city regulations hamper the growth of electric bikes, said Turner.
But Denver’s regulations aren’t too strict.
Electric bikes are allowed on the bike lanes in the street, but they must not exceed 20 mph or have an engine larger than 750 watts, said Heather Burke, spokesperson for Denver Public Works.
However, electric bikes cannot be used on trails in Denver parks, said Angela Casias, public information officer for Denver Parks and Recreation.
