TYK’s Alexis Finch on the group’s babes on bikes pin-up calendar
September 29, 2011 | TyK in the News
[A.V. Club] It’s not normally a natural leap from strong woman cyclist to pin-up babe on a bike, but Thought You Knew (TYK) has been trying to change that for a few years now. With its annual pin-up calendar, the women-centric cycling organization has been encouraging its members and friends to get smart about cycling so they can tell the world, “I’ve got all this, but I also know how to fix a flat.” The A.V. Club talked to TYK’s Alexis Finch about the calendar, as well as the group’s ongoing outreach effort to women cyclists across the world.
TyK:2012 Bicycle Pinup Calendar
September 19, 2011 | TyK in the News[Urban Velo] The Thought You Knew 2012 bicycle pinup calendar is underway, with startup funding for this year’s project handled through Kickstarter. In terms of this type of project, in [sic] my opinion the TyK calendars raise the bar each and every year, and are among the best of the genre in terms of photography and overall production.
Sequestered is as sequestered does.
September 19, 2011 | TyK in the News
[All Hail the Black Market] I have a full plate, and you all have the knife and fork with which to clean it off. Last year during Interbike time, I was enjoying an evening cocktail with my lady friend Demonika and my man friend JMac. I believe we were sitting somewhere on the grounds of Caesar's Palace, when a young woman ran into an expansive open plaza and began sprinting in wide arching circles, much like you would expect to see a young child or someone on a dose of mind altering something or other do.
This pinup's makeup bag: tire levers and tube patches included
September 15, 2011 | TyK in the News
[Chicago Reader] Thought You Knew (TyK) founder and producer Alexis Finch explains the 2008 origins of her grassroots movement as a "knee-jerk reaction to the lack of strong women as cycling role models in Chicago."
Chi-Town Chicks Sport Local Designers In This Super-Hot Pinup Calendar
September 13, 2011 | TyK in the News[Refinery29] Each year, Thought You Knew takes the fake out of most pinup calendars and fills its pages with real Chicago cyclist babes, all dolled up. Aside from being a truly awesome project that promotes personal empowerment and confidence, the calendar also features the work of local designers and local stores we love. The project isn't totally off the ground yet, though, and they need your help to make this babealicious calendar a reality.
Getting Girls On Bikes - Where Should We Draw the Sexy Vs. Sexist Line?
September 13, 2011 | TyK in the News[Treehugger] Does the world need more girls, women, elegant ladies, and feminist female fatales on bikes? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. John Pucher's latest look at U.S. biking data tells a sorry tale - men 18 - 64 are fueling the growth in commuter cycling, while women simply hold their numbers steady and the number of children (male and female) riding is dropping. Meanwhile, women are the 'indicator species' for a good bike infrastructure, which generally calms traffic, improves citizens' health, and reduces air pollution.
How Thought You Knew and Grid Chicago match up
September 8, 2011 | TyK in the News[Chicago Grid] I talked with founder Alexis Finch about how Grid Chicago and TyK might have similar aims. We compared the Grid Chicago mission statement to that of TyK and the results surprised me.
Bicycle Chick Pinup Calendar by Thought You Knew
September 8, 2011 | TyK in the News[Laughing Squid] The Bicycle Chick Pinup calendar is the fourth pinup calendar project from Alexis Finch of Thought You Knew. She recently began a fundraising campaign to cover the printing of the calendar and to benefit The Monthly Cycle, “a women’s outreach program welcoming ladies to their local cycle shops to meet the mechanics, learn all the parts on their bike that might squeak or grind, and master the art of the flat fix”.
'Thought You Knew' Calendar Features Pin-Up Ladies And Their Bikes
December 20, 2010 | TyK in the News[Huffington Post] "We decided a great way to give our fellow cyclists that dose of confidence they needed was to get the ladies posing as pinups, showing them how to embrace their own version of sexy, not for others, but for themselves," Finch said. "We can be smart and sexy, and that sexiness can take on a whole lot more forms than just lipstick and heels."
Five lesbianish calendars you'll want on your wall in 2011
December 13, 2010 | TyK in the News[AfterEllen.com] While not solely a lesbian calendar TYK is dedicated to showing real women cyclists, and what dyke doesn’t love a bike? Whether it’s a femme fatale or a naughty libraries they’re all paired with bikes as lovely as they are. 100% of TYK calendar sales go directly to The Chicago Women’s Health Center, which has provided affordable health care and education to women and trans people since 1975. My, but aren’t queers philanthropic?
TyK Gala-Gallery Launch Party: photos
November 23, 2010 | TyK in the News[TimeOut] Bikes lined the streets outside of COOP on Friday night, where the 2011 TyK calendar Gala-Gallery Launch Party was in full swing. Complimentary Revolution Brewery suds made for a long beer line at the event that features local sexy cyclists.
Everyday Cycling PinUps
October 28, 2010 | TyK in the News[Momentum magazine] These cyclists from Chicago aren't your average PinUp girls. They're racers, commuters and recreational riders whose striking images will be laid bare in the Thought You Knew (TyK) 2011 calendar, the third in the series.
Superheroes: Refined by Hand
February 4, 2010 | TyK in the News[Columbia Cycling Cooperative] Yesterday I wrote about feeling conflicted over enjoying female bicycle "pin-ups" while recognizing the complete absence of substance within such images. Last night, however, I discovered something that has left my conflicted mind at peace: a cycling pin-up calendar which actually serves a purpose (other than raising the seat post).
Gala-Gallery Launch Party: Photo gallery
November 23, 2009 | TyK in the News[The TOC Blog from TimeOut Chicago] The streets were empty of hipster bike riders last night, because all of them were attending Mars Gallery’s launch party for the 2010 Thought You Knew wall calendars featuring local sexy cyclists. This is the second year for the women’s calendar—shot by photographer Michelle Nolan—and the first year for the men’s —shot by Chris Dilts. The women’s calendar features a mix of women dressed in their typical bike riding garb along with pin-up girl style photos that aim to prove bike girls don’t have to be sweaty and unfeminine. The Thought You Knew pin-up catchphrase is “You can be sexy and know how to change a tire.”
TyK 2010 Calendar release party at Mars Gallery in Chicago
November 20, 2009 | TyK in the News[ALARM Press] TyK [Thought You Knew] launches their 2010 Ladies and Men’s Calendars at Chicago’s Mars Gallery at 1139 W Fulton Market, featuring work of ALARM contributor and TyK Ladies Calendar photographer Michelle Nolan.
Second Annual TyK Calendar: Ladies PinUps and Mens SuperHeroes
November 4, 2009 | TyK in the News[Active Transportation Alliance] TyK [Thought You Knew] Project has returned for 2010, this year with two calendars worth of Ladies PinUps and Men’s SuperHeroes, all doing their best for the Chicago Women’s Health Center [CWHC]. The proceeds from the sales of both Calendars go directly to CWHC, the only collectively run women’s health center in the country. CWHC has been a provider of affordable health care and health education to women for over 30 years.
2010 TyK Calendars Raise Money For Women’s Health
November 2, 2009 | TyK in the News[Momentum Magazine] The ladies behind the 2010 TyK (Thought You Knew) calendar are about to take the streets of Chicago by storm. Created to challenge stereotypes about women and bicycling, the TyK Project is comprised of everyday female commuter cyclists who have created a 13 month calendar of sizzling hot bicycle chick pinups to raise money for the Chicago Women’s Health Center – the only collectively run women’s health center in the United States.
Sexy People on Sexy Bikes
October 26, 2009 | TyK in the News[Gapers Block] Looking forward to January? No? Maybe this will help-- the new year means new calendars. New calendars means a new Thought You Knew (TyK) calendar. What? You don't know about TyK calendars? Let me tell you.
Interview with Michelle Nolan
February 12, 2009 | TyK in the News[TimeOut Chicago] When pressed to think of sultry, sexy ladies, “bike messenger” does not always come quickly to mind. Alexis Finch hopes to change that perception. She’s the ball of energy behind the Thought You Knew (TyK) Pin-Up calendar, a first-time project with 100 percent of its proceeds going to the Chicago Women’s Health Center. Finch called on her cycling sisters to fill the pages of the group’s 13-month calendar, set to be unveiled at the Chicago Bike Winter Art Show Friday 13. The project, carried out by photographer Michelle Nolan (whose photos have been seen in TOC), hopes to break down the preconceptions about die-hard cyclists. We chatted with Nolan about the process of having these women “get in touch with and celebrate their femininity.”
TyK: PinUp Calendar to Release Valentine’s 2009
February 4, 2009 | TyK in the News[Manhattan Portage] If you thought you knew the women who zip past you on bikes during your daily commute, or perhaps made some assumptions about that lady locking up her bike to go grocery shopping, this year’s TyK [Thought you Knew] Pinup Calendar may rattle you a bit.
Staff Bikes: Elise R. (aka "Miss July")
January 21, 2009 | TyK in the News[Chicago Bike Blog] Not what you thought bike shop employees look like? We didn't either. Especially since we see Elise every day hunched over the receiving desk, or waving mislabeled warranty parts in front of our noses. But here she is, gracing the July page of the TyK Pinup Calendar* featuring Chicago's women cyclists in their Technicolor brightest.
