More Brompton Urban Challenge Stuff

For another view of the Challenge, check out this video or this blogpost.

Brompton Urban Challenge Toronto

I convinced my ladyfriend to enter the Brompton Urban Challenge in Toronto, which was held this past Saturday.  She did a fair bit of grousing as we drove into the city just to make sure I'd know just how much I owed her for this favour.  I'd arranged for a loaner Brompton for her from Curbside, the sponsor of the Challenge and where I'd bought my Brompton last year.

The Challenge is basically a scavenger hunt featuring you, your teammates, and Brompton bikes.  Every image fulfilling a challenge had to have at least one team member in it as well as at least one Brompton.  Teams averaged four members (it seemed); ours had three.  For our third member, I turned to the guy standing next to me for our first group picture, asked him if he had a team, and when he said "No," I asked him if he wanted to be on ours.  Easy peasy.

We had to complete at least 10 out of the 18 challenges (see image below).  If you completed more than 10, they'd drop your weakest image and replace it with a better one.

This was our first upload (via Twitter) to make sure the judges could see our images and associate a team name with us.  We were Straight Outta Brompton; not terribly original (as it was used for advertising, I believe, but I'd forgotten that at the time).  Our initial idea was 2 Dykes and the Engineer since our third member is an engineer for Mozilla.  I think the name made him a little uncomfortable.  So Straight Outta Brompton it was.

Here are the ones we did to fulfill our chosen challenges:

#CollegeTry

#DoubleDown (can you see me and the ladyfriend reflected here?)

#Monkey

#FountainOfYouth

#BromptonProud (got a thumbs-up from a dude sitting on the steps after we finished this one)

#GreenMachine

#SuchGreatHeights (see the CN Tower way in the distance?)

#VIPs (valet parking at Holt Renfrew)

#PublicGames

#RocketShip

At the finish line we had lunch, and there were some individual challenges like a folding & unfolding a Brompton blindfolded as well as a tire toss (ring the seat & seat post).  Everyone received Lucetta magnetic lights for participating, so everyone got a prize, but really, it was the big prize we were all after - Ortleib Mini O Bags.

Finally, it was time to announce the winners.  There were four places, and with 92 out of 100 points, our team won first!

But wait! There's more.  With our lights we got a 15% off coupon on not only Brompton accessories but actual bikes.  I thought I might like to see what kind of Bromptifications I could make (new clamps!), and the ladyfriend, buoyed by our success, the discount, the additional Brexit discount (10% for the falling pound!), and having had such a great time riding around Toronto on a Brompton, thought that perhaps she'd like to have her very own Brompton.

And after a few hours, this is what was in our trunk -

They even let her exchange her O bag for one that matched her Berry Crush bike.  I took the green one.


It was a great day, and we talked with our teammate about reconvening for next year's challenge.  His girlfriend has a Brompton as well, and I think we'd make a pretty awesome team of four!

But Wait! There's More!

Just found out that April is 30 Days of Biking.  I'm all over it!  Topaz came home from a tune-up yesterday, and I brought my Brompton home from London.  I'll be posting cycling images on Instagram.  Get on your bike and ride!

Clothes I Thought About Buying: Blackbird Studio Dress

Last night was really the first time I had to remind myself that I'm on a make/mend/thrift journey (I like the idea of journeys).  The ladyfriend and I were walking to Mesa for dinner (yum yum yum) and talking about my decision to take the Brompton off the London roads (where I use it to get to and from work during the school year) until the thaw.  This decision will save me close to $200 because I won't be buying studded tires for it (a little sad).  So as we came upon Blackbird Studios, I saw this dress in the window and without thinking said, "Well, I could buy this now."  A split second later, I said, "Oh yeah, I can't."  And that was that.

Days 5 & 6: Still Working It!

 So Day 5 was a simple turtleneck over the dress and some black leggings underneath.  I play hockey on Sundays, and while I frequently am wearing skirts or dresses, they're in what I call the "Sporty Spice" category.  No one said anything at hockey; that's probably because any dress is a weird thing to wear, and they're no longer surprised by my outfits.

Two details not seen (or barely glimpsed) above:  I'm wearing teal tights that match my sweater (which I knit), and the sweater itself has an open lacework back (there's an image somewhere on this blog...).  And that's my new Brompton, which is indeed worthy of doting upon.

Yes, I'm finding it challenging to come up with a different outfit everyday (which, frankly, was not a condition of the challenge but is my own issue), and it can be hard to make the outfit work for the various environments I find myself in.  Plus, I don't really like having to take a photo of myself everyday.