Candy Cranks

The photo comp is now closed, thank you for all the super entries, winners will be announced and notified soon!

____________________________________________________________________
name: ♥Meligrosa

city: San Francisco

why: The Pacific Ocean or the Bay are within a couple of miles. Troublemaker and overly curious by nature, my bike the Frenchie takes me any time and everywhere I need to be. Coffee stops are obligatory. Looks like I’m picking my nose, but I was removing my shades, just spotted a friend we chatted for some time. OK, maybe picking my nose…
I love running into my friends in the bike lane all over the City.
Riding is awesome. The fog is awesome. San Francisco is awesome. Bikebikebike!!!

____________________________________________________________________

Name: Kristina
City: Austin, Tx
What I love about riding: Bombing a hill and ending with a long skid. Showing up to places all sweaty knowing I had way more fun getting there than everyone else. People telling me, “Nice bike”, and the pride I feel knowing I built her myself. People asking me about my polo bike and what my mallet is for in the bar afterwards. Finding new places and adventures that the masses will never find. It’s all great <3

____________________________________________________________________

Abby Christensen
I ride in Orem, Utah
My fiance introduced me to riding. I feel light and free whenever we go out to the river a few miles out and I feel like I can finally just let go of all the stress life brings and enjoy this beautiful world.

____________________________________________________________________

Name: Jean Chong
City where I cycle: Calgary, Alberta (last 2 months) & also Vancouver, British Columbia (past 8 yrs.).
What I love about riding: Keeps me alert, fit and open to exploring my world and boundaries. I returned to cycling @32 yrs. in 1992 when I lived in Toronto and since then have been on the bike saddle. I went on my first bike touring trip 1 year late and was sore after 500 kms. I still hadn’t learn how to use my bike gear shifters at the time. I qualify to be old enough that my bike shared with 3 other sisters, was a fixie at the time.

I’ve lived a car-free life for past ¼ century. So I breathe cycling during non-snowy months nearly daily. Whenever I move, I ostensibly look for a home near bike routes which so far I’ve been blessed to be lucky to be well-suitated to pursue my cycling lifestyle well. Here I am cycling in Copenhagen during our European trip this past summer, on my Dahon MXL Sportster folding bike –one of 4 bikes that I have. I own 2 hybrids and mountain bike beater.
So I will be a few years beyond half a century old, but still happy on the bike.

____________________________________________________________________

My name is Tiffany Cromwell,

I ride in many cities all around the world as cycling is my profession. The photo attached is me in my home town of Adelaide, Australia where I ride and train a lot during the Australian summer. I am also wearing my own brand of clothing from my signature collection as I have my own women’s cycling apparel fashion label, Tiffany Jane.

I love everything about riding, the freedom you have on the bike from weaving in and out of cars through the city traffic as the people inside have to sit and wait in the chaos to riding in the most amazing secluded areas such as over a mountain pass in Europe. I love it how you can create your own style on a bike from the clothing you wear down to the decked out bike you are riding. The wind through the hair and the smell of fresh air as you get fit at the same time and feel good about yourself. Finally I love the friendly bike culture as you ride along and can easily have a conversation with a complete stranger but share one this in common, a bicycle.

____________________________________________________________________

Sarah-Kate McAleer
Sydney
I love the feeling of the wind on my face when i ride.. and the fact that i can park where ever i want <3

____________________________________________________________________

Name: Fara A.K

City: Singapura

What I love about riding:

Cycling is awesome. It’s safe, green and you get excellent cardio workout at the same time.

Plus, I get to work on time!

Best description ‘The wind in my hair and the feeling without a care’.

Get on your bloody bike and power pedal ladies :)

____________________________________________________________________

WHO: Tash
WHERE: Adelaide, Australia
HUH?: That feeling when you’re bombing a hill. When you’re negotiating traffic at a ridiculous pace like an adrenaline junkie who has little time for reason or regret? Nothing else compares.

____________________________________________________________________

(From her Boyfriend Phil)

This is my girlfriend Sandra Garner, 22 from Hurst Texas. She is a awesome rider. She has been into fixed gears for a while now and helps me out with Backpedal Bags. She rides a 49cm v.2 Scrambler. She has been getting into tricks alot more lately, knows a ton about bikes, rides to her classes at college, and just loves bikes in general. She freaking rad and loves everything to do with bikes. She also loves your site.

49cm Scrambler
Eighth Inch BMX bars and stem
Messenger cranks
Charge Bucket saddle
All City grips
Pink Velocity Deep V’s
Tramp Straps

____________________________________________________________________

I´m miriam from berlin, normaly i ride my white single speed. but at the moment we got so much snow that i better  leave it in my backyard ;-((  the long winter here really sucks.
anyway here is my illuminated bike:-) i ride during the winter month.
i love to be in the riding flow through the city, it´s such a good feedling to be outside in the streets, to use the body to get from a to b. there´s  nothing worser than sitting in the metro starring out of the window!
berlin is the perfect city to ride the bike, besides the winter time. well, the true cyclists might say something different…. but jep;)

____________________________________________________________________

Entries on flickr

Name: Veronika Volok “Cheburashka” SFFixed.com Allias
Where: San Francisco Bay Area, California
Why: I enjoy the freedom of it all. Long rides and warm smiles! The boys can hardly catch up.

____________________________________________________________________

Greetings from freezing cold and snowy Finland.

Cheers
Erik & Johanna

____________________________________________________________________

My name is Violeta Beral. I ride in London and Madrid. What I love about riding is the freedom I get from it. Knowing I don´t depend on anything but my legs. I love the speed feeling, going through the cars in the city or through the trees in the forest. I love building my bikes to my needs and likes knowing they are unique.

____________________________________________________________________

Jarah Emerson, NYC

What i love most about riding my bike is the freedom it gives me to go wherever i want without having to pay for a cab or take a gross train. i love flying by all the cars in traffic knowing that i will get where i am going much faster than they will and im not putting off fumes that are bad for my environment. hopefully, other girls will see me riding by smiling even in the freezing cold and decide they should bike too. biking is my most favorite part of every day. headphone blaring, head bobbing, dancing with my bike, i keep moving!

photo by cycleangelo.cc

____________________________________________________________________

Name: Katrina Medina
City: Long Beach, CA
Why I ride: I ride because its gives me a chance to show everyone what i got, not many freestyle fixed girls, so i gotta show the boys up . i been thru alota bikes and so far this ones my favorite, isyar adour. I could ride my bike around for hours just the greatest feeling ever.

Name: Brooke Napier
City: Atlanta, GA (drrty drrty!)
Why I <3 riding: I love riding for different reasons. I love riding in the city because you get to see the character & architecture of the city first hand. I love riding at the Velodrome because it is very quiet & fast – and there’s something pleasing about being the only girl on the track & kicking ass.

(photo by: Grant Surratt, where: Dick Lane Velodrome, East Point, GA)

____________________________________________________________________
 

Name: Namrita O’Dea
City: Atlanta, GA
 
What I love about riding: Being able to see 100 miles of scenic roads, trails and waterfalls in a day; the sunrise from a bike after having ridden all night, and meeting people I would have never met otherwise (like my husband)!

____________________________________________________________________

I’m Jess Versus, and I live, work, and ride in Brooklyn, NY.

I’ve had several different bikes in the city (and in my lifetime), but
my Gran Royale Lurker is above and beyond my favorite. Riding started
for me out of convenience/commuting necessity, but has since developed
into a full-blown love affair. I love being able to take my bike to
different cities and explore new places, I love the community of
cyclists I’ve met who #BikeNYC, and I love the feel of perfect summer
sunsets in Brooklyn by the water like the day these photos were taken.

Photos by John Prolly

____________________________________________________________________

My name is Taecco from Tokyo Japan.

I love riding that can go anywhere and anytime with my boyfriend!!

This cinelli BMX and I maybe same years old !
Bike spec:
Cinelli BMX
Frame:Cinelli MX-1 BMX
Wheel:unknown / one-off aluminum Billet Wheel?
Crank:old Campagnolo BMX crank

____________________________________________________________________

Alex from the UK

So, years ago I came across the 70s photo with the gold bike and absolutely adored it. I kept the picture forever and always talked about redoing it. Finally when I finished my current bike (frame: Leader 722TS) the time was right for the photo. It’s taken by my best friend and flatmate, Khalid El-Awad (KhalidPhotographicATgmailDOTcom) and I love it, it’s like a modernized version of the original.
I think my favorite thing is the heels, although I have ridden in heels it makes very little sense to do so and just provides to many limitations to riding style. But I love this fine line that I always seem to reach between being feminine and still being dressed practical enough to be able to go out and ride faster and harder than some of the boys.

That’s it, I’m out of words cos I’m gagging to go for a ride!

____________________________________________________________________

My name: Hyedie Hashimoto

My city: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

What I love about riding: I’ve been riding for 6 years in Toronto but it wasn’t until my boyfriend built a fixie for me, 2 years ago, that I started to truly enjoy the freedom and joy that cycling brought to me. Thanks to bikes, I’ve started a Cupcake Ride in Toronto where we start and end a ride through the city eating cupcakes! I had seen other cupcake rides being posted in other cycling blogs and wanted to do something similar that would also encourage more girls to ride bikes in the city. I even got some press about my monthly ride:  http://www.thestar.com/living/food/article/818524–cake-loving-cyclist-starts-a-cupcake-tour-of-toronto

Over the course of 9 rides this year, I have met so many amazing women – from veteran urban riders to novice cyclists, the Cupcake Ride doesn’t discriminate the type of girls that it attracts. The Cupcake Ride is on hiatus for the winter, but I can’t wait to start it up again in the spring next year and hang out with seasoned Cupcake Riders and also meet more amazing ladies.

____________________________________________________________________

My name is Epiphany Couch and I live and ride in Tacoma Washington!

These pictures were taken by my brother in law, Josh Ferdaszewski of Atelier Pictures in Portland Oregon (http://atelierpictures.com/) at my graduation from College. I chose to have my bike in my graduation pictures because I don’t believe I could have survived the four years of my college career without it. I have worked as a mechanic for 6 years now at Spoke and Sprocket Bicycle shop (spokeandsprocket.com) and find that the bike can be a very personal thing. I have gone on many adventures with my Blacked-Out Felt XCity. We have gone to school, to work, met interesting people on dates and enjoyed the sounds that 25 riders can produce together! We have survived flats and broken fenders and summer downpours. Together we have transported everything from blenders for paper making to panniers of library books, dirty laundry or groceries!

Josh did a wonderful job with these photos capturing my relationship with cycling and with my bicycle. They have an element of humor that cannot be denied yet are rich with story and color. I love riding because it allows me to see the world without a filter. I love riding because I can so easily feel my surroundings and the distance I have traveled….both literally and figuratively.

____________________________________________________________________

My name is Connie Hwong, and I live (and ride!) in San Francisco. Despite (or perhaps because of) the SF’s hills, riding a fixie is one of the best and most enjoyable ways to get around the city. I bike-commute to work every day, and try to make it on a weekly “Burger Lap” – a group ride to a new, fun, and far-away food destination every week.

My frame is a Sparton, which I bought from King Kog (Brooklyn) and carried back to San Francisco. I’ve only seen a few others in the city – they’re hand-lugged in Santiago, Chile, which gives my bicycle a ludicrously large carbon footprint.

About the photo: a couple years ago, a friend who freelances for Glamour Magazine asked me to partake in a “beauty dare,” which she would chronicle. She told me I had to wear a dress/skirt every day for 30 days. Obviously, this was a little tricky on a bicycle, but with clever use of leggings, booty shorts, and a couple strategic underwear purchases, I’m proud to announce that all went well. Even Barack Obama is proud of my progress!

(It’s taken a while to live down that article, however)

____________________________________________________________________

Lovelisa Dizon
Jersey City, NJ and New York, NY

What I love about riding is when I make boys cry while I’m whippin’ work on my 2008 Bianchi Pista Concept on the hills of 9W, or seeing others react when I squeeze through traffic mashing through the streets of NY. I put in work, and I’m all about the thrills.

____________________________________________________________________

Christina DeJonge. I ride in Pensacola FL.
I love the freedom of weaving in and out of traffic and having so much control. The best feeling is beating the drivers to my destination. My bike is my main means of travel. I go to school, work, grocery shopping, and everything in between. My fiance’ and I collectively own five bikes, consisting of road and track to commuter, and we do everything from playing polo to riding trails, rain or shine. Working on my bike has helped me a great deal in understanding how it works, and even helping other cyclists when they are stranded on the side of the road.

____________________________________________________________________

Name: Malena Andrade
Location: Toronto, ON Canada

I like everything about riding my bike, from stretching my legs and feeling the burn of cycling to the cool air sliding past my cheeks and hair. Whether I am thinking to myself, gazing at surrounding objects, yelling at a cab driver for cutting me off or resting after a long bike route, it’s how I get around the city and I love it!

____________________________________________________________________

My name is Jillian Chien and I’m from Diamond Bar, CA.
I started to get into cycling when my friends all got bikes and I am absolutely glad that they convinced me to get one too because once I started riding, I just can’t get enough.  I ride as a way to meet new people and to pedal through the roads of freedom.  Whether it be a steep uphill battle or a downward road journey, I just love cycling, because it enables me to be stronger and gives me the greatest feeling ever.

____________________________________________________________________

My name is Lorena Cupcake (yes, legally!) and I live in Chicago. I’m in love with riding because it’s a delicious cocktail of sweat, swerving, bike boys (swoon), gutsy girls, community camaraderie, zen solitude, bike lane high fives, bar rides, exploration and adventure.

____________________________________________________________________

I’m Roz Patterson, from Boston MA.

This photo is from this summer by my friend at http://developandreturn.com
The frame is a Livery Super Track.  All the parts are hand selected by myself, and I put the whole bike together, even built the wheels.  The build is in spired by my dog Heidi, who is gray and has a purple collar and purple leash.

I LOVE BIKES MORE THAN ANYTHING! Over the summer I participated in the “I love my bike book”: http://www.ilovemybikebook.com/, and organized a bike race in Boston known as Race to Candyland, which had 47 racers participate, over 12 sponsers, and raised over $800 for the American Diabetes Association (I am a type 1 Diabetic). I am currently working in a Bike Shop, Community Bicycle Supply and I am learning to build frames with frame builder Armando Quiros at: http://quiroscustomframes.com/Quiros_Custom_Frames/Home.html. In the summer I will be in NYC working with Brooklyn Machine Works.  One day I want to own my own bike parts and components company.

____________________________________________________________________

My name ist Steffi, I’m from Germany. I ride a singlespeed bike and I love it. My bike is a little wonder. I bought it for 20 Euro and turned it into that beauty you can see on the picture. I also did this lettering on it “chicks on speed”.

Here you can see me on our helloween ride. We’re a bunch of people, that enjoy to ride and hanging out.

____________________________________________________________________

Hello I’m Eirlie and you can currently find me peddling around the streets of Sydney.
Alongside the freedom, the excitement, the strength and the ultimate power you feel when riding, I truely love the amazing spectrum of unique and wonderful friends that I’ve made because of cycling. Often our bikes are the only thing that we even have in common, and I think that’s a pretty cool thing. xx

____________________________________________________________________
 

Lea Vanlue, USA

____________________________________________________________________

Hello,
My name is Amanda Plante and I live (and ride) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Whether commuting to work (snow, rain or shine) on my 17 year old Rocky Mountain bike, touring by tandem to see the country, hauling two young children to their activities all aboard the ‘bike train’ or just playing about at the local skate park…bikes have been and will always be an integral part of my life.   Riding is good for the environment, good for the community, good for our health, good for adventure, good for fun times together with the family and good for your heart and spirit.  For these reasons plus many more, I love being car-free and riding!

____________________________________________________________________

My name is Alex Borgen.

This photo is on the beach near Cole Cole, Chiloe, Chile.
I lived on the island of Chiloe, Chile for a short time while hitchhiking the coast of Chile doing a street art and theatre project.
While there, I road a beautiful sparkly green road bike, and did a long weekend bike trip from Castro on the east coast to Cucao and Cole Cole on the west coast of the island.

I love this photo, it is a beautiful memory and represents everything that biking is for me… freedom, power of the human spirit and ingenuity, timelessness, beautiful!, closeness with nature and people, environmentalism, fast, fun… I ride because i love the wind in my face, the powerful knowledge that my beautiful legs will get me from here to there, the closeness with the elements and nature, the ability to socialize and participate while riding. i am connected and free on a bicycle.

Currently I live in Minnesota, commuting the wintry streets of Rochester, and trying to spread the amazing spirit of bicycling to all the people here who haven’t caught on, yet.
BIKES WIN!!!

____________________________________________________________________

My name is Enikő Magda, I live in Budapest, Hungary.
We play bikepolo with our friends. Fortunately not me the only girl who plays. I ride a fixed bike. I really like it, I feels my leg belongs to the road, without brake, this give me the real freedom.

It started when I got some knee problems, and I didn’t ride a bike since two years, but one of my friend give me a fixi for a bit, and I loved it. One month later I’ve got my own one, what you can see at the picture. For bike polo, sometimes a put a brake on, but usually I don’t use it. I don’t know the boys like my hobby, to ride a fixi, but I don’t care about it, this is my life, this is my lifestyle

____________________________________________________________________

Sonja Gjokaj
Providence, Ri

I’m originally from Europe (Germany), so a love for riding comes naturally to me.

____________________________________________________________________

Mathilda from Perth

Strictly speaking this isn’t my bicycle as it really belongs to my Mummy – Lilly.  It might as well be mine though as I wont let her go anywhere without me in my seat on the back.  We come from Melbourne but are living in Perth at the moment.  My favourite ride is to the local pond to feed the ducks and I get to hold the bag with the bread.  My bike is a Gary Fisher Simple City 3 Speed!!

____________________________________________________________________

Jennifer Reed from Bear, Delaware
“I am passionate about riding because there is no other feeling in the world like riding a bike. Riding is freeing and I really don’t know where or who I’d be with out my bike!”

____________________________________________________________________

Name:  Kimberly Korzym
City: Columbia, SC
Love Biking: I love biking for the sense of freedom, accomplishment, and confidence that it gives. I didn’t start biking until October of 2009… just months later I spent my summer biking over 4,300 miles across the country.  I’m addicted for life.

Here I am biking into Twin Lakes, Colorado on the way to Independence Pass, which tops out at over 12,000 feet in elevation. It’s one of the most beautiful places in America.

____________________________________________________________________

My name is Julie Hunter. I’m a 23-year-old student from Richmond, Virginia. I’m an avid casual and competitive cyclist on and off the road. Track, road, mountain, cyclocross… if it has two wheels, I’m on it! Riding is not only great physical exercise, but it is a great stress reliever and social activity as well. I strive to build the female cycling community of Richmond by hosting WOW (Women Only Wednesday) rides every week that encourage riders of all experience levels to get out and ride and have fun at the same time in an unintimidating setting!

Cycling has given me a sense of self and has definitely made me a stronger and more independent woman. It has allowed me to set goals for myself and reach them. This past Fall, I competed in my very first mountain and cyclocross races (photo attached). I won my first 4 races among experienced racers and received upgrades in both disciplines. The sense of accomplishment that I felt was far more than anything I had ever felt before. I won’t lie, it was scary as hell and at times I wanted to quit, but the encouragement and genuine friendliness of the other female riders was truly inspiring. I hope to encourage more women to join the sport of cycling…. or just ride their cruisers through the city!

Bikes for life!