Cycling to the Stars

In 2014 Danes broke two decades of cycling stats to reach 3.5 Billion Kilometers. That's easily enough to reach Uranus. Or ride 15 times to Mars. Or go over 8.000 times to the Moon. Its also almost 10% more than Danes biked last year.




Copenhagen is solidly in the lead after cycles have overtaken both cars and public transport as the preferred method of Copenhagen commuting. Over the last 25 years the number of Danes cycling into Copenhagen has doubled.



Dedicated Cycle infrastructure plays a big role in this. Some of the new Super Cycle Highways have been a huge success attracting over 50% more commuters every day.



Weather also makes a difference. 2014 was kind to Danish cyclists. Still the jump is noticible.



Happy Cycling!

Motivational Posters

Spring is here. The perfect time to present some (ironic) motivational cycling posters. Enjoy!













Happy Cycling!

Munich Cycle Chic

The City of Munich has being busy trying to promote urban cycling and the city as a Bicycle Capital. The city currently has about 20% of its population on bicycles but they want more.

One of their major projects over the summer has been Radlstar - or Bicycle Star. Inspired by a similar project in Toulouse called À vélo citoyens!, they sent a photographer out onto the streets to take photos of all kinds of cyclists from the city against a white backdrop. The photos went onto a website and visitors could vote for the true Radlstar. It's pop, a bit kitsch, but it's great for selling cycling positively. There were scores of photos so I just grabbed the ones that jumped out at me, appealing to my Cycle Chic aesthetics, and here they are:



Once they got down to 20 finalists, they did some video portraits of them. Here's Amelia.

And here's Sophie.


And here's the winner. Andy, aged 15. No doubt cascading to victory on the teenage girl vote. :-)

Pretty Girl on a Bicycle and Profiteering

Back in Bicycle Culture 1.0, at the turn of the last century, the sudden and massive societal shift that followed the invention of the bicycle was most profound because of the urban mobility that women enjoyed.

"Pretty girl on a bicycle" has been a cultural icon ever since, not least in Danish history and on this blog. Back then the visual delight that was overwhelming the streets of cities all over the world was used and exploited in many ways. Like the advert, above. It's for a barber and he's sucking in the reader with a headline that he knew would appeal. A fine example of the powerful symbol that is the Cycling Girl.


The bicycle craze of Bicycle Culture 1.0 caused many people to realise that they could make some money off of it. They tried to convince people that they needed special clothes for the simple act of riding a bicycle.

Above, it's 'bicycle wear' they're selling. You know what? It's just a corset. Virtually identical to all the corsets women already had in their closets. Like with all the modern 'cycling clothes' people are trying to sell you these days, in the midst of Bicycle Culture 2.0, the clothes in your closet are sufficent.

Anything you can walk in, you can ride a bicycle in, as we here at Cycle Chic show each and every day. Overcomplicating the issue with modern versions of this corset doesn't help mainstream cycling.

Seriously?... people are actually designing "urban cycling trousers". Oooh. they look like REGULAR jeans but they're for CYCLING. Get off my internet with this crap. How on earth have we cycled for 125 YEARS without products like these?! Pure profiteering - and overcomplication. Sending all the wrong messages.

All you need is a bicycle. All you've ever needed is a bicycle.

Now that we're returning the bicycle to its rightful place on the urban landscape and redemocratizing it for Citizen Cyclists, let's keep our eye on the ball and do it properly. Free of fear mongering and false products.


Just so we're clear on this... 'Cycle Chic' [as we coined the phrase] certainly means welcoming additions, developments and improvements on stuff people actually need. Gorgeous bike bells, for example. Things that make your bicycle lovely. Things that serve a practical design function for urban living in general. Thumbs up for all that.

Beauty and the Bike

This brilliant documentary called Beauty and the Bike wanted to answer one simple question: "Why do British girls stop cycling?"

The film follows two groups of girls, one in Darlington, UK and the other in Bremen, Germany, looking for the answer and the solution to the problem.

Above is an 8 minute version of the film. What an inspiration.

Cycle Chic Belgium

Our friends at Cycle Chic Belgium have had a successful campaign worth mentioning. Through their Met Belgerinkel naar de Winkel- campaign, or Ring your Bicycle Bell to the Shop they were encouraging people in Flanders to ride their bikes to the shops, instead of taking their cars.

The Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck had designed a pannier bag and the campaign, which ran from May 16 to June 20, 2009 managed to get 175,000 people to choose the bicycle to go to the shops. And part of the campaign was a discounted price on the pannier bags. A whopping 16,500 people ordered one.

A cracking result. Well done, Cycle Chic Belgium! Promoting cycling positively and a role model for bicycle advocates everywhere.

Motion Picture Bicycles

Headlights - TV

Here's another music video featuring the bicycle and a healthy portion of Cycle Chic. A group called Headlights with their single 'TV' from their debut album 'Kill Them With Kindness'. Really quite lovely. Cool bike, cool and casual people. Thanks to Colin for the heads up.


And while this is not a music video, it certainly is Brasil Cycle Chic. It's an advert for an auto insurance company who are promoting the bicycle. Nice irony. Makes me long for Brasil and Rio. Beautiful cinematography.


Here's a fun t-shirt design now available in our online boutique. These signs used to be standard in Denmark, featuring a dapper cyclist on a normal bike and complete with a brimmed hat. Let them all know that a stylish cyclist is on the way. There is a gentleman's t-shirt [pictured] and a couple of ladies styles.

Calmly, Stripey and Gorgeously Advertised

No jockeying for position, not muscling their way ahead of other cyclists, no trackstand on the edge of the zebra crossing. Just two cyclists waiting calmly for a red light to change to green.

A spot of stripes in the autumn sun.


Over at Copenhagenize.com we've been discussing http://www.copenhagenize.com/2008/10/what-if-we-marketed-cycling-like-we.html.

Above is a recent advert for the French tyre company Hutchinson which is quite brilliant. Just two cyclists - one messengery type and one Cycle Chic Hero riding through New York City. Cool cool cool. This is the way to go to start branding cycling as effortless, enjoyable and liberating, not to mention a feasible and acceptable form of transport.

There is one flaw in the film, though. Hundreds of thousands of chic female cyclists in Europe know that when cycling in high heels you don't use the heel to pedal, for gods sake. You use the sole of the foot like with any other shoe. Sheesh.

But... because we're cheeky... we made a quick and dirty Copenhagen Cycle Chic Remix of the above advert wherein we feature just the Cycle Chic and sans sub-culture.

Hutchinson Tires Urban Video - Copenhagen Cycle Chic Remix from Colville Andersen on Vimeo.

Copenhagen Goodness

Last Friday I was heading out to a friend's place for a bit of red wine and FIFA on the Xbox when I happened upon this charming, lovely couple in the twilight near the bridge over the harbour. I stopped them and asked if I could film them for a promotional cycling video I've been asked to make. They obliged. They are everything that is cool about cycling in Copenhagen. Relaxed, smiling, sweet and just plain cool.


Two Cyclists Surveying The Boulevard


The first photo is of one of our famous Weather Girls - Vejrpigerne - who stand atop the Richshuset Building on the City Hall Square. I was up there filming for the promotional cycling video and the Cycling Girl is just gorgeous even after over 75 years. We have an earlier post about her here. The other photo is a modern version of the Cycling Girl surveying the same Boulevard from street level. Cool, casual, Copenhagenesque.

Promoting Cycling Positively

This photo of morning rush hour reminds up of a quote from the novel Gudrun, by Johannes V. Jensen in 1936:

"And like a large home Copenhagen begins the day's work. Already down on the streets is one at home, with loose hair, long sitting rooms through which one travels socialbly on a bike. In offices, in workshops, in boutiques you are at home, in your own home, one large family that has divided the city among itself and runs it in an orderly fashion, like a large house. So that everyone has a role and everyone gets what they need. Copenhagen is like a large, simple house."

Over at Copenhagenize.com we've been having a series of posts about how or how not to promote cycling positively and showing different examples. We here at Copenhagen Cycle Chic are proud to live in a city with such fantastic safety statistics. The majority of Copenhageners, when polled, say that they feel secure and safe in the traffic. We know we certainly do. We are also proud to lead the way in showing how cycling in Copenhagen is safe, effortless and healthy. Promoting cycling as it should be promoted.

We have a good mention in today's Irish Times, which is readable online here. Doing our bit for the cause.

Our Cycling Legends

Copenhagen Cycle Chic will be present at the world's largest bike industry fair in Germany - Eurobike - in partnership with Velorbis. We'll have a massive wall-size banner at the Velorbis stand and we whipped up these flyers for the sports geek crowd. "Our cycling legends dress differently than your cycling legends". A tribute to the everyday dress code of Copenhagen cyclists and a nod to the iconic and historical figure of the Danish cycling girl. There is nothing quite so opposite to spandex than heels.