Ralph Lauren Rugby Partners With Pashley Cycles To Produce the Limited Edition Tweed Run Bicycle
Founded in 2004 by Polo Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren Rugby is an American luxury brand dedicated to rugby/preppy inspired lifestyle enthusiasts. The focus is very collegiate yet they have recently introduced a line dedicated to the “Tweed Run” culture of vintage cycling and fashion, specifically traditional pre-WWI British cycling attire. The sort of apparel you would expect to see folks wearing at any Tweed Run (or “Ride”) that are held these days in most metropolitan areas. Richard Masoner from Cyclicious described Tweed Runs as a “critical mass of well dressed cyclists.”
2009 Bike Friendly Oak Cliff "'ullo Guvnor!" Tweed Ride group photo
Tweed Runs originated in London in 2009 and have since spread to hundreds of cities all over Europe and north America. Many if not most folks will not only dress in vintage style outfits for these rides but they will also ride vintage, or just older, bicycles. While any bike is welcome you won’t see many carbon fiber bikes at a tweed ride.
Bike Friendly Oak Cliff’s Tweed Rides may very well be the most attended and most enjoyable group rides in Dallas (click here for my photo gallery from their 2010 ride, and click here for a slideshow from their 2009 ride). Rumor has it that the 3rd annual Bike Friendly Oak Cliff Tweed Ride will happen Sunday, November 13th. This is truly a do-not-miss event.
So…Getting back to Ralph Lauren Rugby and their tweed ride collection…The men’s and women’s tweed ride apparel are spot on and range from affordable to outrageous. In their words,
“Eclectic layers of British-inspired tweed, Shetland and corduroy, along with limited edition accessories, capture the spirit of the Tweed Run cycling event.”
Most of the clothes that I’ve looked at on their site resemble something you’d find in a better vintage clothing store. They’ve done their homework.
Ralph Lauren Rugby Tweed Run Collection
They have a pair of cotton trousers that I would buy in a heart beat but they’re “coming soon”, oh well. And I’ll have a dual root canal before I spend $500 on a pair of tweed slippers. But enough of this talk, there’s a bike to discuss…
Ralph Lauren Rugby "The Tweed Run Bike"
In my book, or blog, the real prize is the Tweed Run bicycle and this represent yet one more fashion house to partnering with a bicycle manufacturer to produce a limited edition bicycle that most any cyclist would want to own. In this case Ralph Lauren has teamed with British bicycle manufacturer, Pashley Cycles, to produce 50 hand made bikes for their “Tweed Run” collection. The technical notes are scarce, so far all we know is what’s in the graphic above: “front brake, two speed coaster hub rear, cream tires, black gold-lined rims, Brooks B17, etc.”
It’s a good looking bike and because it’s a Pashley I imagine it’s no doubt well appointed but I’d like to see the more technical details. Weighing in with a suggested list price of $2,200 I don’t see myself owning one anytime soon, unless I win the lotto, otherwise I hope you’ll let me ride the one that you buy.
Cheerio,
- Chris – Yes you can now (finally) follow me on Twitter.
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Tags: bicycle fashion, pashley cycles, ralph lauren rugby, Tweed Ride, tweed run, tweed run bike
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