BELLS BY THE SEA — tokyobike sussex

Did you know that 1 in 3 women in the UK are under 5'2"? And yet the choice when choosing a bicycle is shocking. Everyone who falls into this group can understand the frustration when looking for a bike. Do you teeter on tip toes on a full size ladies frame or settle for a childs bike complete with flames and streamers?

So we at Bells have taken it on as our mission to find beautiful, fun and practical bikes to be enjoyed by cyclists tall or small.

Studies suggest that taller people are more likely to partake in and be better at sports so more money is pumped into bicycle manufacturing for this group. Well, not only do we think this is unfair but we will proudly declare that Bells Bicycles isn't about sports. So let's consider all sizes equally. 

For those wanting a traditional ride the Bronx Epic is perfect. The upright positioning allows for upright posture while the 6 speed derallieur gears mean it is surprising good on hills. 

Plus it's gorgeous! It comes complete with wicker basket pannier rack and large ding dong bell all for £295 which we think is excellent!

It has a 16" frame which is slightly smaller than the smallest current ladies frame (17") The beauty of the Epic is how adjustable it is it due to the extra long seat post and a decent gap between the saddle and handlbars. It can fit anyone from 4'10" right up to 5'6"!

If your looking for something more light weight and speedy, the super cool TokyoBike Bisou is fabulous. Designed with Japanese people and narrow Tokyo streets in mind the frames come in slightly smaller sizes. So this 16" frame is perfect for anyone from 4,10" up to 5,4".

TokyoBike is a small independent company who own a beautiful shop in Shoreditch London. They have been kind enough to let us introduce Tokyo style to Sussex. See our ladies bike section for the amazing range of colours. These are two of our favourites.

So there we have it, any one with other suggestions for small cyclists would be much appreciated.

Bells By The Sea: over and out.

If the fashion world can forecaste trends for the coming season then we think the bike world should too, so we've cast our eyes and we're seeing a suprising amount of pink about!

Pink is not to be dismissed. Long gone is the notion that pink is exclusively for the girliest of girls. We at Bells have been big fans of pink for yonks, we think it's hot, cool and rather sexy.

Without getting too Guardian supplement on you, we think the best way to ride pink is to work contrast. The TokyoBike bisou (momo) comes out tops. Super bright pink paintwork with a sleek simple frame, very clever.

Bobbin have also embraced the pink craze by bringing out the ever popular Birdie in flamingo pink and the Brownie in pale rose.

Now this is what we call contrast. What does one wear with their pink Bobbin Birdie? Black leather gold studded cycling gloves of course! Bravo!