Showing posts with label vélib'. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vélib'. Show all posts

15 October 2009

Cobblestones

Paris Standing Room Only
A cobblestone series from the everchic streets of Paris last week. Stand and Deliver in style.
Paris Cobblestone
Trés parisien.
Paris Cool
Dappercool.

8 May 2009

Revisiting Paris Cycle Chic

Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
This time last year Wifealiciousness and I were in Paris and we used the brilliant Vélib bike share programme to get around the entire time. Here's a little 'Paris Cycle Chic Revisited' post. To read more about Paris Cycle Chic, read the original reportage here.

Prepare for Paris Cycle Chic
Paris' blossoming bicycle culture certainly gives Copenhagen a run for her money.


I made this little film about our trip to the city. Music is 'Bello Ciao' by my friend Jason McNiff.

Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris
Cycling in style.
Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
And cycling sociably.

See more photos in the set on Flickr.

24 July 2008

Paris Cycle Chic & Celebrity Cycle Chic

Courtesy of Bike in the City.com
How can we not blog about this wonderful French blog called 'Bike in the City - Ma vi(ll)e à vélo'. The tagline means "My life/city on a bike" and it's all about a character called Leah, who lives a cycling life in Paris, both on the Vélib' and her regular bike. It's nothing short of brilliant and we especially love it because it is frightfully chic and it portrays an urban cycling life in regular clothes.

The illustrations are by Didier Néel - or Le Did - and the concept is the brainchild of Patricia Gallot-Lavallée at Kenazart Strategy Interactive.

Courtesy of Bike in the City.com
The blog is a non-stop chic-fest featuring our protagonist living, loving and loving it as a 'Vélibiste' in Paris, with all the trials and tribulations that involves. Handsome men, silly motorists, rain and sun, flat tyres, you name it. All while portraying urban cycling just as we do here on the blog - as a normal, enjoyable, effortless transport option.

Brilliant stuff. I couldn't RSS the site fast enough.
Here's some links to our Vélib Week series from our visit to Paris back in May:
Prepare for Paris Cycle Chic
- La Semaine du Vélib' et du Vélocouture Parisienne
- Joie de Vivre Avec Vélo Libre
- Vélib' - Sociable and Sustainable
- Paris Cycle Chic pour hommes

CELEBRITY CYCLE CHIC
From the other side of the Atlantic a reader sent us some celebrity photos of Hollywood stars doing their cycling thang. I don't give a toss about the celebrities, but it sure is important that they are setting good examples for their fellow citizens. And looking good doing it.
Celebrity Cycle Chic

16 May 2008

Vélib - The Movie


What better way to wrap up Semaine du Vélib' here on Copenhagen Cycle Chic than with a little video tribute.

The music I used is courtesy a friend of mine, Jason McNiff. The song is called 'Bella Ciao' and it's from his latest album 'In My Time', which is available on Amazon.co.uk
He used one of my photos from New York for his album cover:
My First Album Cover
Which is lovely, of course. My son and I run around the house singing Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao Ciao Ciao! :-)

I love that it's an Englishman singing an Italian song in a Danish film about the French capital. Vive l'Europe... :-)

Cycle Chic pour hommes

We're getting ready to wrap up our love affair with Paris and Les Vélibs this week. There are a couple of things left, however. Firstly, some photos of les hommes doing their casual thang in the French capital.
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
Fly by.
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
Still going strong. And I just love his driving gloves.
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
Le shopping.
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
Any bike will do. Even if you have to borrow it. :-)
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
And then there's this chappie. Zipping along the Seine on his [what are they called?], casually smoking a cigarette. Tres cool. Trop cool.

15 May 2008

Vélib - Sociable and Sustainable

Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
One of the best things we noticed about cycling in Paris was that Parisians have understood how sociable cycling is. Cycling in couples is a common sight in Copenhagen and by all accounts Parisians have embraced this sociability as well.
Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
Couple contemplating directions.
Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
Pere et fils in the bike box at the traffic lights.
Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
Casual moment. He was pointing out various buildings to the girl as they rode.
Vélo Liberté - Parisian Bike Culture
A flock of Vélib's on the bridge.
Vélo Liberté - Parisian Bike Culture
Chic couple at an intersection.
Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
An interesting aspect of this bike life in Paris is that the Vélib is seen on the streets at all hours. The metro closes early, compared to other cities, but the Vélib is always there for you. Nightlife in Paris is made so much easier.
Vélo Liberté - Parisian Bike Culture

14 May 2008

Joie de Vivre Avec Vélo Libre

Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris
Riding Vélib bikes - shouldn't we just call it Vélib'ing? - around Paris is a breeze. I'm sure that to some the above photo, however, looks a trifle perilous.

Not to worry, though. Busses in Paris have frequent stops so you can usually stay
ahead of them. If you find yourself next to one at a light, they provide ample room for cyclists and, most importantly, they know the cyclists are there. Wifealiciousness and I were overtaken by busses a few times, but they drove slowly and gave us a wide berth.

Taxis in Paris use the bus/bike lanes, too, but even on speedier stretches along the Seine or Rue du Rivoli, taxis slow when overtaking bikes. Brilliant.
Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris
There is a sincere sense of 'joie de vivre' present in Paris these days, thanks to the bicycles. The system itself is so easy to use and the massive number of bike racks means that you're always within spitting distance of a Vélib. As the map below shows, Vélibs are widely available :-)
Vélib Paris Rental Locations
One thing that we noticed was that with the Vélib you get to see parts of Paris you would normally zip past on a Metro deep underground.
Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris
One evening we rode up to Sacre Coeur. It's a long climb up the mountain, especially the last stretch, with all the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix combined with a Haute Categorie climb in the Pyranees. The Vélib bikes have three gears, like most normal bikes in European cities, and while getting up the mountain required a bit of muscle, it was no problem. The real hell was all the tourists up at Sacre Coeur, but we were the only ones on Vélibs, which was quite cool.
Paris Bike Culture - Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes to Paris
We didn't fancy running the gauntlet of tourists to get back down so we merely followed the road that cars take, down the backside of the mountain. We realised that neither of us had ever been on the other side. Who has? Millions of tourists climb up the front and back down again, like so many camera-toting Dukes of York. We discovered a hidden corner of Paris that we would never have visited without the Vélib.
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
The whole time we rode down streets we've never seen before, discovered cool shops previously unknown to us and generally experienced a whole new Paris.

Joie de vivre, indeed.

13 May 2008

La Semaine du Vélib' et du Vélocouture Parisienne

PART ONE
We've heard much about the Vélib' Revolution in Paris. Marie was down there for a visit a while back and now it was my turn, together with Wifealiciousness. I was looking forward to seeing how the bike share programme worked and how it fit into the urban landscape of the French capital.

In short, I was astounded. It's hardly been a year since the Vélib' was thrust upon Parisians and yet the Vélib' has already become an iconic addition to a city hardly lacking icons.
Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris
This first photo doesn't even feature a Vélib' bicycle and that is on purpose. The Vélib' Revolution has spawned bike culture. Vélib bikes are everywhere, of course. There are 20,000 of them in the city. But what amazed me was seeing so many normal bikes. I've read that bike sales have increased since the beginning of 2008. Parisians have tried the Vélib and now many are investing in their own bikes.
Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris
Ah... there's a Vélib'. Wifealiciousness and I were in Paris for three days - sans enfants. Friday was spent visiting old haunts and certain shops we love. All the while we regarded the flow of bicycles in the streets. Who was riding them? Was it easy or hectic?

What is fantastic is that there is no one demographic group cycling on the streets. It's men and women, young and old. Couples, families, you name it. The key to any successful bike culture is to get women onto bikes. They are the group that is most likely to ride and yet least likely to actually do it, especially in urban settings. But the Parisiennes are out in force. Vélib' is short for Vélo Libre and Vélo Liberté - Free bike and bike freedom. The perfect name.
Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
Wifealiciousness and I hopped on our first Vélibs on Saturday and never looked back. It takes three minutes on the machine at any bike rack to set up a subscription. One day, seven days or one year. All you need is a credit card with a chip in it, but when even the Chinese have chips in their credit cards, that's hardly an issue anymore. We took the one day subscription and were issued a card with a number. Each time we wanted to take a bike we went to a machine, typed in the number and selected a bike. In under a minute we were cycling away.

It's even easier with an annual subscription. You get a permanent card and you just wave it in front of the card reader next to each bike and the bike is unlocked.
Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris
Once again, it is segregated bike infrastructure that makes bike culture possible. You cycle, by and large, along existing bus lanes, although there are many dedicated and segregated bike lanes around the city.

The most fascinating thing is that motorists have already figured out how to deal with all the bikes. The cars watch for bikes and the cyclists take it easy [Style Over Speed... :-) ] and watch for vehicles. This karmic co-existence is remarkable, especially so soon after the introduction of the Vélib'.

I've driven in Paris many a time and it used to be a witches cauldron of automotive chaos. You get used to it, but it was always a nervy experience. Second only to Roma in my experience for stress. Riding through the city on a Vélib, however, is no great feat. It is liberating, glorious and it is easy.
Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris

If chaotic Paris can adapt to the sudden appearance of 20,000 Vélib bikes and thousands of normal bikes, then it should be no problem for other cities. Bike share programmes, segregated bike lanes, ease-of-use. Off you go.

The mentality of Parisians and the French in general is a big plus, but Paris is now the yardstick that all other cities itching for bike culture have to measure themselves by.

I'll post photos and commentary all this week - La Semaine du Vélib' here on Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

JOIE DE VIVRE AVEC VÉLO LIBRE - PART TWO

Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris
Riding Vélib bikes - shouldn't we just call it Vélib'ing? - around Paris is a breeze. I'm sure that to some the above photo, however, looks a trifle perilous.

Not to worry, though. Busses in Paris have frequent stops so you can usually stay
ahead of them. If you find yourself next to one at a light, they provide ample room for cyclists and, most importantly, they know the cyclists are there. Wifealiciousness and I were overtaken by busses a few times, but they drove slowly and gave us a wide berth.

Taxis in Paris use the bus/bike lanes, too, but even on speedier stretches along the Seine or Rue du Rivoli, taxis slow when overtaking bikes. Brilliant.
Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris
There is a sincere sense of 'joie de vivre' present in Paris these days, thanks to the bicycles. The system itself is so easy to use and the massive number of bike racks means that you're always within spitting distance of a Vélib. As the map below shows, Vélibs are widely available :-)
Vélib Paris Rental Locations
One thing that we noticed was that with the Vélib you get to see parts of Paris you would normally zip past on a Metro deep underground.
Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes To Paris
One evening we rode up to Sacre Coeur. It's a long climb up the mountain, especially the last stretch, with all the cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix combined with a Haute Categorie climb in the Pyranees. The Vélib bikes have three gears, like most normal bikes in European cities, and while getting up the mountain required a bit of muscle, it was no problem. The real hell was all the tourists up at Sacre Coeur, but we were the only ones on Vélibs, which was quite cool.
Paris Bike Culture - Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes to Paris
We didn't fancy running the gauntlet of tourists to get back down so we merely followed the road that cars take, down the backside of the mountain. We realised that neither of us had ever been on the other side. Who has? Millions of tourists climb up the front and back down again, like so many camera-toting Dukes of York. We discovered a hidden corner of Paris that we would never have visited without the Vélib.
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
The whole time we rode down streets we've never seen before, discovered cool shops previously unknown to us and generally experienced a whole new Paris.

Joie de vivre, indeed.

VÉLIB - SOCIABLE AND SUSTAINABLE - PART THREE
Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
One of the best things we noticed about cycling in Paris was that Parisians have understood how sociable cycling is. Cycling in couples is a common sight in Copenhagen and by all accounts Parisians have embraced this sociability as well.
Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
Couple contemplating directions.
Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
Pere et fils in the bike box at the traffic lights.
Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
Casual moment. He was pointing out various buildings to the girl as they rode.
Vélo Liberté - Parisian Bike Culture
A flock of Vélib's on the bridge.
Vélo Liberté - Parisian Bike Culture
Chic couple at an intersection.
Paris Bike Culture - Cycling Sociably
An interesting aspect of this bike life in Paris is that the Vélib is seen on the streets at all hours. The metro closes early, compared to other cities, but the Vélib is always there for you. Nightlife in Paris is made so much easier.
Vélo Liberté - Parisian Bike Culture

VÉLO LIBRE POUR HOMMES - PART FOUR
We're getting ready to wrap up our love affair with Paris and Les Vélibs this week. There are a couple of things left, however. Firstly, some photos of les hommes doing their casual thang in the French capital.
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
Fly by.
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
Still going strong. And I just love his driving gloves.
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
Le shopping.
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
Any bike will do. Even if you have to borrow it. :-)
Vélo Hommes - Cycling Chaps in Paris
And then there's this chappie. Zipping along the Seine on his [what are they called?], casually smoking a cigarette. Tres cool. Trop cool.

VÉLIB - THE MOVIE - PART FIVE
What better way to wrap up Semaine du Vélib' here on Copenhagen Cycle Chic than with a little video tribute.

The music I used is courtesy a friend of mine, Jason McNiff. The song is called 'Bella Ciao' and it's from his latest album 'In My Time', which is available on Amazon.co.uk
He used one of my photos from New York for his album cover:
My First Album Cover
Which is lovely, of course. My son and I run around the house singing Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao Ciao Ciao! :-)

I love that it's an Englishman singing an Italian song in a Danish film about the French capital. Vive l'Europe... :-)