Veninder

This is a pretty common sight. Two girlfriends (veninder in Danish) enjoying a Sunday stroll along the lakes; on their way to brunch maybe. There's plenty of reasons why the girl on the left doesn't have her bike with her. It could be at the workshop, or she could have left it last night's party, or she might just have preferred to take a walk instead.

Caped composure

P1090002, originally uploaded by Aaron78.

Walking along Copenhagen's walking street, Stroget. Biking is not permitted here so she's being a good law-abiding citizen. Plenty of people do though, especially once the bars and cafes close on a cold winter's night.

Winter Is No Excuse for Not Riding

I thought this photo from last winter appropriate, seeing as how I'm currently soaking up the sun on the Red Sea in Egypt for two weeks.

Snow is no reason to stop the bikes. We have funky little snowploughs designed exclusively for our bike lanes and they are frightfully effective.

And we are good to our vegetation. I'm sure this is a feature in other cities, too, but at the onset of winter all trees and bushes in the city that line streets or bike lanes are shielded from slush and salt. They're removed again in the spring. Note the black shield on the right. In other places they use woven bamboo or sticks.

Winter? Bring it on.

The beach on the Red Sea? I'm on it.

Pink Push

Pink Push, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Another capture of that magical moment when the bike is propelled forward.

Not a helmet fan myself, but that is a good example of the next generation of helmets on the market over here. Stylish, fashionable, modern. None of that racing gear look.

Wouldn't dream of telling anyone to wear a helmet. It's a personal choice and hearing pro-helmet advocates yapping on about it is like listening to right-wing fundamentalists yapping on about whatever it is they yap on about.

Wear one or don't. It's your choice. Nobody should have an opinion about what you do.

But if your helmet is lovely, I'll tell you so.

Galoshes, b'gosh!

The whole point of this blog is to show how cycling and bike culture can be effortless. Just wear your regular clothes and slow down if you start to sweat.

If it snows and the slush on the bike lanes is a tad too harsh on our lovely [pricey] shoes, we opt for a pair of Swims. A modern twist on a pair of tradtional galoshes, Swims protect our bespoke footwear with style.

They come in a variety of groovy colours so it won't be a tiring task to find a pair to match your wardrobe or, more importantly, your bike.

Prices start at £60 for the models pictured and £80 for the Mobster, a model providing more ankle protection if you're particularly fond of your stockings or trouser legs.

All this and more on their website: SWIMS

Danish Colours

We see a theme here. Two cyclists, two locations, both with a red coat and white hat. The colours of the Danish flag, of course [cue boring info: the oldest national flag in the world] but we doubt that was the fashion motivation. Perhaps it was just a desire to splash some warm colour on the wintry streets of the capital.

Green Flyer

Green, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Nothing like a spot of speed, a sense of motion, on the bike lanes.

Going, going, gone!

Going . . .

. . . going

. . . gone!

Life's a blur

P1080867, originally uploaded by Aaron78.

I was out for a walk Saturday morning and saw her out of the corner of my eye. I was a bit hungover (and a bit slow as a result) but luckily she wasn't in any hurry. She just glided across the street and then continued on her way at a gentle pace.

Guest Photos: Miami, Mexico, Amsterdam

Miami, USA.
Untitled - by miami fever.


Mexico
Untitled - by anahita


Amsterdam
by Alio

Winter Morning

Winter Morning, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Backlightaciousness on the bike lanes of Copenhagen as locals commute to work.

In Copenhagen you live with the rain in the winter, and the occasional snow. But after the rain comes the sun. Invariably so.

And sometimes the rising sun is just a tad bit lovelier than you ever remembered.

The bike lane here is wider than average. It merges with a turning lane for cars but still provides cyclists with ample space.

A good thing, too, as this stretch features over 25,000 cyclists each day.

Another Great Moment in Cycling

Girl Executing Right Turn, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

After our previous post featuring a great moment in cycling we figured we'd feature another great one.

Like most great moments in Copenhagen it involves simplicity. This time a cyclist causually raises her right hand, glances non-chalantly to the right and begins a right turn towards the pavement, when she hopped off her bike with an effortless and graceful movement.

Red as a Porsche

Red as a Porsche, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

She rummaged through her bag, constantly checking the light. At the last moment she flipped the straps back onto the handlebars of her old, reliable Raleigh and was off in a flash.

Right to Left

Right to Left, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

The pedestrian streets in the centre city still feature bikes, of course.

Great Moments in Cycling

Left Turn Soon, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

For some, elsewhere on the planet, a great moment in cycling is breaking several personal bests on the commute to work: fastest time, number of fuck fingers given to those morons in cars, liters of sweat produced, curbs hopped, and so on.

Here in Copenhagen it is a cyclist on a quiet, drizzly day about to navigate a gentle left turn.