Street Scene: Ponce de Leon Avenue

The sweater and bag were her mother's. Of her time in Toulouse, France, she remembers, "It's a very good bicycle city for community and infrastructure." VélÔToulouse bike sharing introduced her to commuting on two wheels.

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Roll Model: Marty Mannering

Mannering and Irish Rover at the Iron Column by Phil Proctor on the Eastside Trail

Schmidt and Mannering at the Saint Patrick's Day Parade

Paul Mannering and his father in Piedmont Park
A Sturmey-Archer internal gear hub nut that went missing between Shannon and Hartsfield-Jackson Airports became the link from High Nelly Irish Vintage Bicycles to Houndstooth Road. Limerick entrepreneur Marty Mannering and his son Paul were en route to meet with investors in Atlanta. In their luggage were two Irish Rovers, one a vintage bike they had restored as a prototype and the other a first in production model based upon it. Their web search for a spare led them to Decatur where they found a kindred spirit in Jae Schmidt, whose inventory of European city bikes supplied the small but all important part.

One senses that Marty Mannering never met a stranger. This veteran of RTÉ Dragons’ Den also negotiated the lease for a pioneering segment of the Great Southern Trail and leads e-bike tours of the Irish countryside. Now he was the guest, riding with Schmidt and others from the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition in our Saint Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday. Tuesday he and Paul joined the Decatur group of Georgia Rides to the Capitol. Their return itinerary became an impromptu tour of Sweet Auburn, the Eastside BeltLine Trail and Piedmont Park led by another Roll Model, Amber Raley.

Back home, Mannering looks forward to the May 30 release of Jimmy’s Hall, a film set in the 1930’s for which his restoration business provided a fleet of HighNelly bicycles. Such traditional Irish bikes were a mainstay of daily life then. As the sole bicycle manufacturer in Ireland today, he draws from a proud heritage while looking to a future of renewable resources.

Street Scene: Auburn Avenue

She coordinated the necklace, gloves and bicycle. That the stairs would match somehow seems inevitable.
another view on Atlanta Street Fashion

Save The Date: Farmers' Markets This Saturday

March 1st welcomes not only the seasonal return of the popular Piedmont Park Green Market but the debut of Freedom Farmers' Market at the Carter Presidential Library. See you there!

A Video From The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition

This is what advocacy can do.
www.atlantabike.org

Roll Model: Grace Molteni

I'm a Midwest born and raised designer and illustrator currently living south of the Mason Dixon line. When I'm not slinging pastries at the best bakery in Atlanta (Little Tart, represent!) you're sure to find me posted up at a coffee shop doing work, at the bar with a book, or exploring somewhere new around the city by bike. When I first moved to here last July I was living in Inman Park but working on the west side- as you can imagine the Belt Line quickly became my best friend. That, and the view of the skyline as you fly up Freedom Parkway Trail are by far some of my favorite rides. Coming from biking Milwaukee and working in Chicago, the transportation infrastructure, or perhaps lack thereof, took some adjusting to. Aside from the need for more bike lanes/safety zones, I was most surprised by the hostility of motorists towards cyclists in Atlanta. Many drivers here (though not all) tend to make it their job to let you know they don't want you on the road. The upside to that is zooming past a rude driver at the next lights while they are jammed in a gridlock. Karma, karma, karma.

I recently picked up a vintage Japanese 1980's MIYATA touring bike and can't wait to soup that up and hit the pavement this spring, but my current ride is a TREK Hybrid that I bought back in high school and (shamefully) neglected in college. As far as my bike goes I definitely go for utility- anything added has been a necessity. After being taken out by car and a trip to Grady for stitches and a few x-rays (thank you Atlanta traffic) my brother gifted me a new set of back lights- The Laser Shark. Essentially the Laser Shark shoots two laser lights out alongside my back tires, creating a lit bike lane that reminds cars to give a bit of space. Really cool product. My favorite accessory though is my helmet. I am, admittedly, one of those people who has a hard time wearing a helmet if they think it looks silly; when I saw this awesome Dia-De-Los Muertos-esque BELL helmet at Outback Bikes, I knew it was the perfect way to protect my head and still look like myself. Skulls for my skull!

My bike is quite literally my ride- this undeniably affects my wardrobe. Because biker's butt looks good on no one, in bad weather especially I often do like the fellow cycling enthusiasts the Danes do and don on black on black on black. Growing up in Wisconsin and going to college in Northern Minnesota taught me that when it comes to weather, it pays to be sensible. I rarely buy shoes I can't ride in, I live in tights and leggings (blame 14 + years as a dancer), and swear by my Herschel Supply Co. and Duluth Pack Co. scout packs to tote around anything from my laptop and sketchbooks, to spare clothes, to my weekly Dekalb Market grocery haul. As far as style goes I rely on thrift store dresses, vintage earrings, and a handful of scarves I picked up traveling abroad to build an outfit. Throw on a Marmot jacket and waterproof mascara and I'm good to go.

Grace Molteni