Crave Heavy Metal as You Pedal? Snag Yourself a Skirtweight!

These days it seems that everyone in the bicycle industry is trying to make the cycling experience lighter. Lightweight frames, components, bags, even jerseys and shorts. But one New York-based manufacturer is keen to point out that some parts of the cycling experience need to be made heavier.

In particular, the skirt hem. As those of us who cycle in skirts know, it feels fantastic, especially on hot, muggy days. The fresh air circulating where we need it most, the cooling breeze, the surprising ease of pedaling compared to slacks, the sheer freedom of it! Less fantastic, however, is the tendency of some skirt hems to fly up, transforming their wearers into rolling "Marilyns." Sure, when executed on top of a subway grate the pose can be charming, in a coy "it's not sexual exhibitionism, because it's a kitsch movie reference" sort of way. But in the midst of moving traffic, maybe not so much. I mean, what if the skirt flies all the way up to your face and impedes visibility? Oh the sleepless nights I'm sure you've spent contemplating this!

Happily, such worries can now cease - thanks to Skirtweights, a new product from Tandem New York. As the name suggests, this gadget is a weight, for your skirt. You clip it onto your hem, and the heft keeps it from flying up. It's a fairly straightforward concept.

The tactic is not new to the fashion world. Hem weights have been used in wedding dresses and formal attire for ages. But the Skirtweight is cycling-specific, in the sense that it's designed to stay put quite tenaciously when the wearer is active (you just need to be sure to clip it on correctly - inserting the fabric all the way into the clip). Also, the Skirtweight sports a lovely engraving of a bicycle wheel.

But the crucial question: Does the Skirtweight work? I put the metal to the pedal and clipped the thing on to my billowiest of frocks, including this crepe lilac number which has caused many a blush-making moment. Rolling along in a stiff sea breeze, I marveled at how well the Skirtweight delivered on its promise. It weighed my skirt down with impeccable weightiness, and faithfully kept it from flying or riding up. As I cycled along my daily commute in a variety of billow-prone outfits, the Skirtweight kept the local farmers safe from the unexpected flash of underpant.

The downside? Well... the Skirtweight is heavy. I mean, I get that this is the whole point, and that's what makes it work. But I cannot quite get used to the asymmetrical pull of it when I pedal. Is the Skirtweight's efficiency enough to overlook this? And will it negate all the weight savings of your new titanium Dutch bike's carbon wheels? You can decide all that for yourself.

Skirtweights can be purchased in North America here, as well as here in the UK. And for readers within the EU: You are welcome to my sample Skirtweight shown here - simply post a comment saying that you want it, and your contact info (the correct info, and please check your email in the next few days if you enter!) before Monday, the 28th of July and I will pick the recipient at random.

Watch that skirt, and enjoy your weekend!