Wind Chill -5

Wind Chill -5, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

No problem for a Copenhagen cyclist. The drizzle started to intensify so she just enabled her hood mechanism while waiting for the light., after which she tugged down on her skirt, ready to cycle off home.

Guest Photo: Durham, USA

Thanks to Eunice Chang, one of our fine friends from Durham, USA, who sent us this wonderful guest photo of herself on the streets of her city.

Looking sharp, looking chic. Well done! In her own words:

"The forces of weather and camera finally converged and as promised, pictures of me with my bike and boots. i hadn't realized i color-coordinated them, but it works. :) my take on copenhagen chic, if you will".

See more of Eunice's photos on her Flickr photostream.

Cargo Bike Mum

Classic Copenhagen supermum on a classic Danish cargo bike. [although my wife is the superest of supermums...] - The Triobike. Three in one. You can ride as seen above, you can detach the bike and push it like a stroller or you can pop a front wheel on the bike part and use it as a regular bike.

Just be sure that you're looking frightfully stylish while you ride.

I've heard the Dutch have started making cargo bikes lately. Which is nice, of course. The more the merrier. [yes, we're teasing you Henry!]

Because we horribly biased towards Danish brands, we're always keen to point out that Denmark is the spiritual home of the cargo bike. Over 70 years ago the Long John was being used to transport goods around the cities.

The number of brands and makes has only increased through the years. The Short John, the Christiania Bike, the Sorte Jernhest, the Nihola, the Trio, the Kangaroo and so on.

The cargo bike is enjoying a massive revival these days as opt for one to transport their kids around town and to carry the groceries home.

Over at our sister blog - The Copenhagen Bike Culture Blog - we have numerous posts about cargo bikes.
- You can check out our blog posts with the Cargo Bike label.
- Read a consumer test of five cargo bike brands.
- Read about the award-winning Nihola cargo bike.
- Read about other Danish cargo bikes.

Bikes are Vogue

Yet another little post wherein we highlight the fact that it's not just us.

Not just us who are fascinated by cycle chic in all its manifestations. We just happen to live in a city that excels at it.

Here's something from an issue of Vogue from back in '06 where they show how bikes have been used in their photoshoots for decades.

Retro Feel

Retro Feel, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Style over speed.
End of discussion.

Fashion Accessories for Bikes, or Bikes as Fashion Accessories?

A quiet moment at a red light. Made all the better by the prescence of a red bike. And she had red gloves to match her bike, too.

The temperature was hovering around 0 C but that's no excuse for not looking fashionable. Style over speed. Style over freeze.

We had an email from a student in London asking for thoughts about bicycles and fashion and whether bikes are fashion accessories. An interesting question. Made me think.

In countries that only have emerging bicycle culture, bikes are sometimes seen as fashion accessories. Recent articles about celebrities on bikes attests to that.

However, in places that have established bike culture like in Copenhagen and Amsterdam, bikes are transport. Period. They get you from A to B and back again. If your bike gets stolen, you are paralysed and you don't rest until you get a hold of a new one.

For many years, the bikes in Amsterdam and Copenhagen were, by and large, cheap, old or both. Mainly because the risk of theft was/is high. Why invest in a flash bike when you might end up getting it stolen?

In the States and Britain, most cyclists on the streets are hardcore hobby cyclists with fancy gear. This is changing, we know, but generally the perception is that cycling is a sport, not a transport option.

We wrote a blogpost about this teapot bike bell:

and when someone asked where they could get one we found them on kid's bike websites in Canada and the US. In Copenhagen it's an adult accessory. A fashionable style choice aimed at personalising the bike that you sit on day in, day out.

Sights like this:

are also a clear indication that bike accessories are also fashion accessories.

With that said I have noticed, however, that more and more cool bikes are on the market. It's as though a century of black bikes is over and colours are splashing out onto the streets.
Sights like this: [click to see them larger at Flickr]

are more and more commonplace. Fashion accesories and clothing are being chosen to match the bike. It's cheaper to buy a scarf or gloves or blouse to match your bike that to buy a new bike to match your clothes...:-)

Colours are not necessarily the only fashion matching issue. There is, of course, the question of whether the bike matches your personality. And what your bike says about who you are, fashion-wise.

Do you prefer a beat-up old Raleigh or a stylish new Velorbis or Batavus Diva? It's a pressing question for any Copenhagener.

These are good examples of how a style of bike is reflected in the style of the cyclist: [click to see them larger at Flickr]


A trend is underway in Copenhagen, after more than a century of bike culture. We welcome it. More fashion consciousness on the bike lanes.

Style over speed.

Red Bikealiciousness

Had a request for shots of folding bikes from a chap with this site: www.bikesthatfold.com
So we dug into the archives and found one taken on the King's New Square [Kongens Nytorv]. We're not experts but we're hoping this is a folding bike.

Bike Path Red

Bike Path Red, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Sunshine illuminating redness on a gloriously wide Copenhagen bike path.

This is how bike lanes should be everywhere. Wide and smooth and, if you look up ahead of the cyclist, the lane splits. One lane for continuing straight on, another for turning right. Not to mention dedicated traffic lights for bikes.

Oh, and lovely cyclists in red should be a prerequisite on any bike lane, too.

The bike lane in this shot is wider than the Copenhagen average. Looks to be over three metres. The average width in Copenhagen is 2.2 metres [increasing to 2.5 metres by 2010].

It's wider because this is one of the main arteries into Copenhagen. Over 20,000 cyclists will use this stretch each day. That creates the need for bike lanes with dedicated traffic lights and turning lanes.

Pause

Pause, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Splashes of pink and blue and green are a sure sign of spring.
Yes, we're optimists.

If you're a new visitor to this blog perhaps you'd like to read a bit more about the idea behind it. Momentum bike magazine out of Vancouver did an interview with us a while back. You can read it here. Thanks for stopping by!

Posting

Posting, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

She was posting a letter or document into the City Hall's post box.

The placement of this box makes it tricky to do a classic Copenhagen move. Namely staying on your bike while posting letters, withdrawing money from cashpoint machines, ordering coffee to go, etc. Just wheeling up and either leaning against the wall with your leg and shoulder, or just supporting yourself with one hand.

We'll keep a lookout for a shot like that.

Patience

Patience, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

While many cyclists jockey for a front position off the line when the light changes, there are some more sophisticated creatures who are content with their position at the back of the pack.

There is something inherently lovely about bikes and umbrellas. And biking with umbrellas is not as rare a sight in Copenhagen as one may think. I have a number of other shots over at Flickr.

Or just click here to see them all.

Copenhagen Chuck Chic

One can debate whether or not Converse shoes are 'chic' but it's hard to deny their funk value... can't get around that. Even though Chucks have lost a great deal of their historic rebel yell since the company went bust a few years back, [bought by Nike and the shoes are now made in Asia] Chuckies are still quite groovy on the right person. And the right bike lane.

Guest Photo: San Francisco, USA

What a lovely shot from one of our readers, David in San Francisco.

"I live in San Francisco, a very bike-friendly city (by US standards, at least), but seeing these shots makes me yearn for Amsterdam or Copenhagen.
Here is a shot I took at the New Belgium Brewing "Tour de Fat" in Golden Gate Park last July."

Thanks so much for sending it in to us, David. It's such a cool shot - a happy marriage of totally retro style and modern attitude.

Do you [or anyone else out there] know what brand the bike is? We can't make out the logo on the frame.

What a Drag

What a Drag, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Her kickstand was dragging and, in best Copenhagen style, she just flicked it back into place with her heeled shoes before continuing on.

Pedestrian Pause

Pedestrian Pause, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

In the heart of the city a cyclist - after having paused for pedestrians crossing to and from the metro station at Nørreport - waits for the crowd of bikes ahead of her to start moving.