This morning, I took a train to Seattle to teach at a conference. It is one of the joys in life. I bike to the train station, work on a crossword as the scenery passes by, and then bike around Seattle which, by the way, seems to be made entirely out of hills.

Today, I entertained myself with a new distraction, the subtle art of the roll up. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a “roll up” is when a cyclist folds, or in some way “rolls” up, his or her pant leg to avoid it getting caught in the chain. Roll means fold. It’s so clear. A thoughtfully folded pant leg is a style I don’t often sport because my bakfiets has a chain guard. However, today I took a commuter bike on my trip to Seattle, and with 3 hours to kill on the train, I mastered some pretty awesome roll ups. Check them out. Let me know what you think.
 
TRADITIONAL: Nothing fancy. Textbook functionality for keeping the pant leg out of the chain assembly. The style most often used.











 
TRADITIONAL PLUS: A bit of a deviation in the sense that this roll up would get some looks as you rode by due to the excess exposure of your calf.













TALL CUFF: Looks good on the ladies. Gentlemen, don’t do it. Seriously. Don’t. You have been warned.













PIRATE RAWWWL UP: Keep your peg-leg-covering pants out of your buccaneering bike chain. Can I get a “Yar!”?












MARTHA STEWART: Anything you can do, Martha Stewart can do better and with more style. Accept it.












 
ORIGAMI: Not often seen due to the skill one must master before attempting this roll up. Great to look at.














THE STRIPPER: All skin, all the time.














SOCK-IT-TO-THEM: Technically not a “roll up” but serves the same purpose. A nice alternative to the all-too-often-seen roll up.











 
I-SHOULD-HAVE: An attempt to solve an already destroyed pair of pants by doing a roll up too late in the game. Fourth-quarter foul.











 
DOUBLE WHAMMY: Hey, the chain is only on one side, but why let that decide your fashion sense. What would happen if the chain suddenly shifted sides and grabbed on to the other pant leg? Better to be safe and do them both up.











MINIMALIST (or would that be a roll down?): Just enough fold to classify it as a roll in the world of competitive roll ups. However, this roll up would not survive more than a leisurely jaunt to the grocery store for a bottle of Shiraz.