Riding a bike in a sari that is not equipped with a skirt and chain guard requires some careful tying as the cloth will billow into the spokes or get caught in the chain. Our first attempts proved far too elegant for sporty riding in traffic on our normal road bikes. We reviewed Chantal's book for inspiration and ended up fusing a dhoti type bottom with a kappulu type top. I wrapped the pallu twice around my body, leaving a short pallu that is brought around under the front torso drape and tucked into the petticoat or choli to secure it. No flapping.

Riding in a sari might feel a little bit ridiculous, but it's actually quite common in rural and small town India. They usually ride with their pleat bundles tucked high up or donning a local drape that has less pleats flying around to get caught in the wheels.

Lucia started with a simple single wrap bottom tied high but eventually this proved to be a bit too revealing as the riding went on. These drapes are in still in development and I hope to share any cool things that come out of these future research activities. The perfect bike sari drape remains for now as elusive as is the perfect sari bike which I will probably have to have custom made. I once owned a Jorg & Olif Dutch City bike but the beast weighed around 50 lbs and was reluctant to come up the hills with me.

If you look closely at this picture you'll see that there is a clothespin holding the sides of the legs together for the ride. Never go out on your bikes without some of these! In fact, when riding in a nivi drape you can clothespin the pleats to the top tube to keep them from flying up over your legs.

With no chain guard and a men's frame I settled with a modified dhoti style bottom with the legs tied on the legs tightly. The legs are made secure by pulling the cloth flat around the hips and tucking it around the waist in small even pleats.

We ambled through the sun dappled streets of this lovely summery Portland Day. Portland Oregon is one of this great country's most bikeable cities, with many miles of bike lanes and trails and even groovy motorists who don't mind sharing the road.

Nancy our own action photographer rode with us, camera in one hand, handlebar and brake, we hope, in the other and captured well the feeling of flight wearing a sari evokes. Riding through the park we decided to stop and adjust our loose ends. A warm wind was blowing across the field and as I undid the top knot the cloth started billowing out and in seconds the sari was airborn.

Attempted flying in a sari

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