A dressmaker from Brixton, Alice Bygrave, filed a UK patent for “Improvements in Ladies’ Cycling Skirts” in 1895. Her system included a set of pulleys sewn into the front and rear seams of a skirt, which adjusted its length according to the wearer’s (societal) needs. This novelty became hugely popular in the UK and subsequently made its way to Canada, USA, Switzerland, and even Australia. Moxie Cycling recently launched an expanded line of women’s cycling apparel that includes an adjustable cycle skirt which can be adjusted between 7 and 24 inches, depending on how ris-kay you are feeling.

However, if you’re riding in a mid-length, flowy skirt, you need a way to gather in the excess material. Tie a Knot I have been wearing my cycling bloomers a lot but I really wanted a skirt to go on top of them. So, I found this lovely green linen at Materials Helsinki and decided to use it to make skirt, once again using the free patterns provided at Bikes & Bloomers. As you can perhaps imagine, the campaign for rational dress faced resistance and criticism from conservative elements of society who objected to the challenging of established gender norms – something we see echoes of today in discussions around women’s clothing choices and body autonomy. The ethical choice – Your bike in safe hands I came across this little number while perusing the internet a few days ago. Over the past couple of years I have seen the emergence of skirts in running and trekking ranges so it was only a matter of time before the bike industry followed suit. Next, wrap a rubber band around the fabric and coin, fastening it, and holding the material together. It should look a little like a button.Does your favourite dress or skirt not meet any of these criteria? All is not lost! The cycling shorts allows you to wear almost any type of skirt or dress. All of our upcoming public events and our St Pancras building tours are going ahead. Read our latest blog post about planned events for more information.

As such, they raise questions: what else don’t we know about? How can we look for other inventions hidden in plain sight? And if we learn more about a wider range of contributors to cycling’s past, might it change how we think about and inhabit the present? Delivery timescales are based on working days; Public Holidays, Saturday's and Sunday's are NOT classed as working days. You could also consider getting a skirt guard. These attach to the bike, usually covering the top part of the wheel and the chain. They can help prevent your dress getting caught up, or dirty. However, even if you’re using a skirt guard, I would advise gathering up some of the material as well. Cycling Dress Clips

A reasonably heavy office binder clip will work for this. Simply clip it onto the bottom hem of the dress to keep the skirt down as you ride. Mary and Sarah Pease, sisters from Yorkshire, submitted their patent for an “Improved Skirt, available also as a Cape for Lady Cyclists” in 1896 and it was exactly as described. This was one of the more radical designs of that time because the skirt came off the body completely and covered the woman’s body as a cape while pedalling. public Wi-Fi - this extends to the majority of our public spaces including the Reading Rooms, as well as our study desks and galleries at St Pancras (you won't require a login) Love the idea of the Poupoupidou – I’ve been rather less glamorous in tying my skirt between my legs with a hair band for years! I love playing the bagpipes when I cycle so this would help keep my kilt from blowing up and exposing my privates . . .