Laura Bellinger wishes she could bike around Atlanta more often. She'd even consider making the five-mile ride to work if she weren't "a little chicken" when it comes to braving the city's infamous rush-hour traffic without the protective shell of a car.

But she couldn't resist an opportunity to bike for her first "tweed ride," the dandy's answer to critical mass, in which cyclists don vintage-inspired attire for a leisurely ride. Often the subject of fashion magazine spreads out of New York and London, it was the first-ever such ride in Decatur. The Atlanta suburb was recognized this year as one of the newest cities to make the League of American Bicyclists' list of top bicycle-friendly communities for its network of bike paths and bicycle education programs in schools.

Bellinger dug up a pair of cropped riding pants, dark-patterned socks and a corduroy blazer, loaded her mother's old white Cannondale into the car and headed to downtown Decatur, where a sea of cyclists dressed in autumnal shades gathered in the square Sunday afternoon.

"Events like this get me comfortable with the idea of riding more often because I can learn from others," said Bellinger, a public relations specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "I totally love fashion and vintage, so dressing up just made it more fun."

Style-themed bike rides are just one way in which advocacy groups are hoping to shed bicycling of its strict association with competitive racing and make it more appealing to casual riders and potential commuters in the United States, especially in communities such as Decatur making bike-friendly strides.

Bike stores are also showing up within those communities that look more like trendy boutiques than repair shops, with the goal of redefining urban bike culture. The target customers are new and aspiring cyclists, and commuters who might be turned off by the functional atmosphere of traditional bike shops. What they'll find are upright and cruiser bikes in pink and green, helmets like equestrian caps, woven baskets, canvas and leather panniers and, literally, bells and whistles.

Even mass-market apparel brands such as Levi's and Lands' End Canvas are tapping into the niche with commuter-friendly lines of clothing and accessories that can be worn all day and athletic wear that emphasizes fashion as much as function.

It's part of a larger movement often referred to as "Cycle Chic," a phrase coined in the mid-2000s by Danish "bicycle ambassador" Mikael Colville-Andersen on his website, Copenhagenize.com, which highlights the Danish capital's bicycle culture. Since then, "Cycle Chic" has grown into a global network of websites espousing the motto "dress for your destination, not your journey," along with hundreds more online portals and periodicals focusing on fashion and lifestyle through the lens of the "slow bicycle movement."

"I really see fashion and style as key for bicycle advocacy," Melissa Balmer, program director of bicycle advocacy group Women on Bikes SoCal, which aims to normalize cycling through style rides, bicycle fashion shows and food and wine bike tours.

With bicycles becoming a style darling in lifestyle magazines, from Vogue to Glamour, it's the perfect time to spread the word on the benefits of biking, said Balmer, who has been car-free in Long Beach, California, for five years.

"I see the bike as a tool for urban optimism because nothing else deals so easily with two of our biggest challenges facing us as a nation: the down economy and the sedentary-disease pandemic."

That's where clothing, bicycles and accessories come into play to reflect the rider's personality, just like a car, she said.

"You look at the bikes in beautiful colors -- the baskets and panniers -- people having fun in the same way they did as a child, and it reminds you of the joy of bicycling."

Finding a comfortable upright bicycle helped Norma Palus return to a beloved childhood pastime. She ordered a teal Rivendell Bleriot from a supplier in California for both its "vintage throwback look and attitude toward riding," the Decatur resident said.

"It's just riding for pleasure instead of running the roads," Palus said as she prepared to join the ride. "It goes back to childhood, to riding for fun, to enjoy it. No spandex or cleats."

It's not just an idea that appeals to women. About half the participants in Decatur's Autumn Classic Ride were men who happily donned their finest Harris Tweed and argyle duds. Luckily, the mostly cloudy skies ensured it was never too warm for the army of riders in woolens and textured fabrics.

Chris Hunt chose an outfit of matching black vintage wool racing shorts and sweater emblazoned with the logo of Italian luxury brand Cinzano in a nod to the days "when cyclists smoke and drank and still won," the 51-year-old photographer said.

The four-mile tour, which included two stops along the way and lasted most of the afternoon, was a welcome reprieve for Hunt, a distance mountain biker.

"Cycling has gotten so serious and uncomfortable," he said as he sipped an iced coffee during the first stop. "It's inspiring to observe cycling as a nonhazardous sport, something that's fun that anyone can do."

To be sure, safety concerns -- not clothing -- are still the biggest barriers to getting more people to ride, said Atlanta Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Rebecca Serna, who attended the ride dressed in a white sweater and knee-length houndstooth skirt. She also brought along her 7-year-old son.