Amy Fleuriot of Cyclodelic on bikes, bling and women riding
About this page
Amy Fleuriot is the founder and designer of London label Cyclodelic, whose unique 'bicycle bling for geared up girls' puts a chic fashion twist on functional riding attire. Amy spoke to women's website editor Fiona Negrin during her visit to Melbourne in summer 2009
On riding a bike
While I was studying for my fashion degree in 2004, I got fed up with using public transport in London. So I started walking to college instead, which was about a 5 mile (8 km) walk, and I started noticing people riding bikes. I thought, ‘that looks like a better idea than walking, I’ll try it’. So my dad fixed up my mum’s old bike for me and showed me how to repair punctures. And that was it, I became addicted. I just loved it. My friends thought I was crazy!
At the time, it was an event to see another woman on a bike during my commute. It was just so rare to see other women on bikes. But I convinced my best friend to start riding and we began cycling everywhere.
The origins of Cyclodelic
When I started riding, I felt like a complete scruff when I turned up to college. I also had this idea that to be a rider you needed to wear trainers, you had to wear fleuro yellow, and dress in lycra. I thought, ‘there must be an alternative’ and I dedicated the rest of my degree to finding that solution. I started to make accessories and sold them through London bike shops to test the market.
The Topshop connection
After I’d started Cyclodelic, I was going past the Topshop flagship shop on Oxford St and noticed bikes in the window and thought, ‘oh no, they’re going to do bikes!’. But through a friend, I spoke to the concessions manager at the store and arranged to have a three month concession over summer (June–August 2009). The Cyclodelic concession sold bike accessories, including reflective cuffs and a lined saddle bag that converts to a purse or handbag.
It was a huge success, publicity-wise. But I was hand-making products for the mass market, and it was simply unsustainable, so after three months I decided not to continue. I also noticed that consumers really wanted clothing, and at that stage I was just making accessories. So I decided to take the business online, and launched the website cyclodelic.co.uk. It’s been going great. Now we sell through the website, through She Active, and through some bike shops in London like Tokyo Fixed Gear. I’m hoping to get Cyclodelic into some shops here in Australia too. Ed. The Cyclodelic range is now availiable in Australia exclusively through Kronan Cycles call the store on 0415304117
Cycling as a lifestyle choice
Cycling as a lifestyle choice isn’t just a trend – I hope that the way it’s taking off encourages more people to cycle. I hope more and more women will get into riding. That’s what the London Cycling Campaign is working towards. I hope that people on the cusp of thinking about it will try it out. A lot more women are thinking about getting into it competitively, and I hope that continues.
Barriers to women riding
People build excuses in their heads. Safety is a huge issue. But it’s an excuse. Cycling isn’t actually unsafe. It’s such a nice, relaxing journey, and you know exactly how long it will take. If it’s raining and you don’t want to ride, get on the train – nobody’s saying if you ride, you have to ride every single day!
What to wear is an issue for women. There’s a perception you can’t ride in heels, or that you’ll get hot and sweaty commuting in your suit. But for a fit person, a 30-minute commute won’t tire you out. And unless you’re sprinting, you won’t get sweaty.
Then there’s this double attitude about bike riding: ‘bikes are really expensive, they’re only for rich people who shave their legs and ride their bikes on weekends’. Or ‘they’re only for poor people’. They drag a bike out of their back shed and it’s rusty, the brakes don’t work, and then they wonder why they don’t enjoy riding.
Women are attracted to good design. It doesn’t have to be gold and sparkly, it just needs to be well-designed. It’s no different to cars. Most people can afford to have a really nice bike, and they’ll earn the money back immediately through savings on public transport or petrol. It keeps you fit, and you save money on gym membership.
Design has a big part in shifting perceptions, especially among young people, and particularly those who grow up in a car culture. They might think that cycling is only for hippies or eco-warriors. But show them interesting design in bikes, art and design and they love it.
Riding in London
London roads are some of the safest to ride on because cars are so aware that you’re there. In Birmingham or the Midlands for example, cars don’t know what you [a bike rider] are doing on the road! They’re so confused – ‘why are they riding bikes?’, they want you off the road.
I hope the idea of cycling as a normal thing to do spreads outside of London to the entire UK. Regional councils are taking some of London’s initiatives and spreading them out.
The Cyclodelic market
On one level I design fashionable stuff but its roots are in riding and it needs to be functional. Our market is women in their 30s and 40s who are quite serious about riding: they like to go for long rides on weekends, and they commute a couple of times a week at least. They want to wear clothes that are fashionable and flattering, but also performance-based. They want to look normal off the bike as well as on, not to feel like a complete twit when they get off the bike to walk into a country pub.
On Melbourne
Cycling culture is good in Melbourne. People seem to care about what they look like. It will be interesting to see what retailers say about the Cyclodelic range, about whether there’s a market here for it.
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Amy Fleuriot poses beside a statue of Melbourne founder John Batman. Amy is wearing a Cycledelic waterproof riding jacket, cashmere scarf/hood with reflective stripe, and convertable saddle bag/handbag..jpg)