This week we bring you a profile of two companies who have joined forces in an effort to help people cycle in style: Goodordering and The Cycling Store.
I met with Naomi, of Hackney St Cloud, and Jacqui of Goodordering at their lovely pop-up shop in Hackney. The current shop is open for the rest of August, but new pop-ups will, er, pop-up in the near future as this one has been very popular. Everything available in store is also available on their lovely websites so you will still be able to get things after the end of August.
Who are they?
Goodordering was started by Jacqui 4 years ago and is East London born and bred. She has been a designer for over a decade, but decided to turn her hand to bike bags in an attempt to create something that looks good but does everything you need it to do, both on and off the bike.
The Cycling Store is a natural expansion/rebrand of Hackney St. Cloud, brain child of Naomi to collect lovely items which work for you on a bike but allow you to look chic off it. The intention is to provide items that appeal to women who would normally be put off peddling around town for fear of lycra and helmet hair. This is a worthy ambition, especially given the improvements in infrastructure and access going on in London right now.
The aim behind the collaboration is to source and stock items which work whilst cycling but allow you to stay stylish. Both Naomi and Jacqui used to work in fashionable avenues and so are good at picking functional but stylish items. Their main aim is to remove aesthetics as a barrier to people, women particularly, getting into urban cycling. Naomi and Jacqui believe that you can have form and function combined, you don’t have to pick one or the other. The products stocked represent this ethos. We agree that you should wear what you want to ride a bike.
Many of the brands stocked in store and online are exclusive to The Cycling Store. The pop-up currently has a great stock of on bike accessories, clothing and lifestyle things to keep even the most demanding two-wheeled trend setter happy. As these are smaller brands, I thought I would pick out a few of my favourites. This is but a small selection……
Thousand Helmets
Even the nicest helmets can look a little silly. Maybe I just have an odd head/face. Thousand was created to try to fix this, and it does well, even if not perfect. It is a stylish looking helmet – a slimmed down Bern really- with nice faux leather straps. It has a plug in the side which you can remove and then insert your lock it you want to leave it with your bike.
The helmet is matt in blue and charcoal or shiny gold and they all have a white trim. They are very chic looking.
Wao bikestands
Simple but effective, the Wao stands are coated metal stands for storing your bike securely in a flat or hallway. The thin metal and wood bar looks good and they fit most bikes on either the front or back wheel. They are very light so easy to move around, but look a lot nicer than the standard single bike floor stand. As a bonus, you could coordinate the colour of the stand to your bike.
I found they functioned better over something like a Pro Bike Display stand which holds the axle as you can have disc breaks and locking skewers and still have a secure hold.
Bike Nicks
Pretty pants that perform, Bike Nicks are lightly padded pants that look like fancy pants. The pad is small and protects your delicate lady parts rather than the sit bones. This may seem counterintuitive but for many women this is the area that needs some TLC while riding around urban environments. The pad is small enough that it does not add any unnecessary bulk to your clothing. This is particularly good if you want to wear lightweight clothing or very tight clothing.
Goodordering bags
These bags are a pretty common sight in London and for good reason. The Goodordering Market Shopper is a great pannier and can be carried on your shoulders very comfortably when off the bike too. It has lots of outside pockets which are great for finding your keys easily when you get home, or grabbing your phone. We will be reviewing one in depth soon.
They also have some more unusual bags, like a cool handlebar bag. Ever since I got a front basket, I have realised that I prefer carrying weight on the front of my bike. The Handlebar bag is easy to put on and off, comfortable to carry off the bike and carries enough for a quick jaunt out or a light long day.
Moving forward
Once the current pop-up closes everything will still be available online. There will be seasonable additions to the current offerings. I am particularly looking forward to the arrival of DZR shoes – regular looking hightop trainers with an spd mount.
The collection is lovely and perfect for those who want to peddle in style. We shall be trying out some DZR shoes in the near future and a Goodordering bag. We will also let you all know when the next pop-up pops. The Hackney store is open for another few weeks and the website is always open: thecyclingstore.cc
Do you have a Goodordering bag or pair of Bike Nicks that you love? Let everyone know!
Why not check out our other ‘London Bike Company Profiles’:
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