London based Bobbin Bicycles and angelic Florence Welch have crossed paths this spring. Bobbin has customized a 5sp black step through, complete with a wooden crate to house Welch’s song lyrics. In this Bobbin photo shoot, Florence glided through bricked lane ways in a sophisticated paisley. Hello spring.

I don’t know if there is much more to say about this one.  The picture below better captures the pale blush/apricot colour of her shirt and how nicely it works with the cream coat.  Like I said… Lovely.

If you’re in New York this weekend, come check out the city bicycle festivities! Starts today at 10, 275 Hudson st.

See you there!!!

It’s in the little details.  The texture of the cardigan. The great frames. The perfect length, colour and cuff of what could have been ordinary jean shorts (“jorts” if you prefer). A genuine smile. The colour of that bicycle (!!!). The candy-striped keds.  Like I said, it’s in the little details.

This gentleman has one lesson for us all and one lesson only: Stay classy, Toronto.

Oh yeah, and your favourite clothes can come along for the ride.

So, two lessons.

Another post from the blustery annals of recent history!  This dapper gentleman already had a pristine look before adding to it the waxed canvas glory of this Brooks messenger bag.

I love the surprise of learning his smart shoes are actually boots.

Remember winter?  It’s when these photos were taken.  Weather rules the bike industry and when warm winds blow, posting photos somehow gets pushed to the back of the To Do list behind riding and working one’s butt off.

This is the lovely Hannah, and my most sincere apologies go to her for the graininess/crappiness of these pictures. I’ll definitely get more the next time I see her, since she is a consistently stylish woman who rarely leaves her bicycle at home, regardless of the weather’s whims.

Tweed, wood, leather, wool… some of my favourite winter textures are coming together here.  Plus that bag!  Delightful.

Fred Perry has just introduced their 2012 cycling shirts and they look rather slick. A suave silhouette compared to last years collection, this season capitalizes on the classic cycling Championship Stripes, these pique cotton jerseys can take you everywhere from le Tour to le bar.

Bicycle cameos in the Maison Kitsune Fall 2012 look book. The house started with cycling luxury as their inspiration, and the result is versatile clothes that are young, sharp and the perfect compliment to a two wheeled ride.

Mad love for the brown shirt jacket and that Parisian cap. Classic/cool.

Portland’s Tanner Goods have joined forces with the Ned Ludd restaurant and frame builder Ira Ryan to build this gorgeous market bike. Head chef, Jason French, wanted a bicycle that he could use to pick up supplies and the local forces of Portland executed with class and style.

This is just one of the beautiful vintage photos of Australian cycling culture care of the Library of New South Wales. From the early 20th to mid century.

Tandems and Club Rides and ladies in pants! It was a golden age, no?

Thanks brain pickings, for finding these! Click the link to see the full set.

Well… Christin did it months ago… and i meant to follow suit, but it took me ages to get around to it! So finally, here is my introduction:

I’m Mikey and I take photos/write for theCommonElite because of a long standing interest in/love for clothing (like clothing in its physical form, but also the act of clothing: as in “clothing oneself”). I can’t help but see the way we dress as a public dialogue with our own personal ideas of self. I work in the bicycle industry at Fourth Floor Distribution, where I distilled my love for the two wheeled ride and this blog is a mixture of these two loves.

The photos that I post are either taken by me or my wonderful friend Christopher, and are generally from the streets of Toronto. I hope one day to find and archive every stylish/amazing cyclist this city has to offer!

I also hope that this archive of cycling design and style can serve to glorify the bicycle and its lovers. If you want to hear more about why we started this blog head here.

These photos showcase my two current material obessions: my new jacket (Oliver Spencer) and my new Rucksack (Makr, from Lost and Found).