What to Wear When Commuting Around London in Style, on a Bike!

Over the last few years there has been a massive boom in fair-weather cyclists that use peddle power to get around their local amenities - of which I'm one of them. I live in Clapham which is one of those places in London that has everything you'll need in for everyday life and although it's in Zone 2 of the London Underground pay zone, it feels like it has it's own village feel to it - a perfect place to cycle around.

Centred around Clapham common you have a variety of different areas, such as 'The Nightingale Triangle' which is full of prams, coffee shops and a lot of happy estate agents. Then there is Northcote Road, the big sister to the aforementioned for young families with parents still craving a Friday night in the local bars, even if they have to be home by 9:45pm. Walk further on a little and you'll hit Clapham Junction, which is Clapham's answer to oxford street. You then have the 3 tube stations all along the Northern Line...a little greedy you might think, unless you try and get on at Clapham South, Clapham Common or Clapham North at 08:15 in the morning. Clapham North is the 'cool' part of Clapham because if you ask anyone who lives there, they will say that they live in Brixton but in reality its actually the start of Clapham High Street which is famed for Infernos! At the other end of the high-street is Clapham Common, get off the tube here for SW4 Festival or the busiest part of the common on a hot sunny day which is also the congregation area for the local homeless drunks. Clapham Old Town in my opinion is the nicest area, full of Mews, coffee shops and Clapham's best bars. Head out of the bar area and you get to Clapham South (where I live), which is the quieter part of Clapham, except on a Sunday night when Giggerlum Bar comes alive...I mean what do the people who go here do for work on a Monday morning....go there and you'll understand what I'm talking about! The final area of Clapham South is Abbeville Village, which is basically a road...I'm pretty sure by calling it a village is just a way for locals and estate agents to wack on an extra £100K to their house prices.

As a Clapham resident and someone who works from home, getting around the local area easily and quickly is best done on a bike. So recently I upgraded my rusty, old, poorly kept bike which I've had for about 10 years with a new pristine Mango Bike. I wanted a bike that I could specifically design to my own style, that would not cost a fortune and could be delivered as I don't have a car in London. At Mango Bikes, you can design your own bike from as little as £319 and you can also spread the cost in monthly payments with their finance options. Every single piece of the bike is customisable, frame, saddle, bars, rims, tyres, chain and pedals and in a variety of different colours. 

A normal day for me is having around 3-5 meetings which is really hard to dress for whilst looking respectable, yet cycling in-between these meetings. Well I've found the perfect commuting style from NEXT menswear, mixing formal and casual. In this look I'm wearing NEXT drawcord navy trousers which are tapered yet extremely comfortable due to their construction of 66% Cotton, 32% Nylon, 2% Elastane. I've mixed these formal trousers with a navy bomber jacket and simple plain t-shirt which can be untucked whilst cycling and tucked in for a more respectable style. My commuter bag of choice is my leather Made-in-Global rucksack as it is deceptively large and roomy. Finally I cycle in Rockport shoes, where style meets performance. They are all extremely lightweight and comfortable, almost trainer like. Most of the Rockport footwear style offers Vibram soles, Tru-Tech comfort technology and waterproof construction, so actually very well suited to my lifestyle. Finally I've finished off my London commuter style with an affordable fashion watch from Adexe with an interchangeable watch strap from black to tan to suit any outfit choice.

As always thank you for reading and if you like my style, you can shop it using the image links below. 

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Photography by Rebecca Spencer