Finntastic Fotos From Portland

A mere 24 hours after annointing our first Foreign Correspondent - The Right Honourable Patrick Finn of Portland, Esq. - the boy plops THIS into our inbox.

In one fell swoop he proves his worth as well as raising the bar for himself. What a copenhagenesque photo, Patrick. Great capture.

Patrick's notes:
"Thank you so much for honoring me as your foriegn correspondent, I will not let you down! So long as there are fashionable girls riding bicycles, I will be compelled to photograph them.

I have been driving to work more often than not these winter months, which fills me with ennui and pent up energy, but today I was lucky enough to share the road with this lovely cyclista for a few blocks and I was able to line up this shot out my window.

You may note the baby blue helmet in her basket. I'd like to think that bicyling isn't so dangerous as to require a helmet, but this cyclist at least carried one with her, maybe to put on as she approached her home to be a good example or to avoid castigation.

Thanks again -Patrick"

Colour and Style

Colour and Style, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Funktastic combination. A splash of colour this morning.

Snow

Snow, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Dressed for the winter weather, she sped along happily towards the city centre.

My son and I cross our fingers every day for a big dump of now - preferably 50 cm - so that we can get out and go sledding. Unfortunately, snow is a rarer commodity these days, compared with the past:

Danes are quite obsessed with the snow due to the fact that so many are avid skiiers. My friends and I can quote the current snow depth at any given resort in France, Italy or Austria. Even the TV channels have a 'snow watch' page on their websites.
Although the page merely says, "No snow on the horizon for the coming days".

Waiting for the Right Moment

Waiting for the Right Moment, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Despite the abscence of a zebra crossing, many people heading for the hospital wait patiently here for a hole in the traffic.

People are like rivers. They always seek out the easiest course. Sometimes even the best designers and urban planners get it wrong. What looks nice on paper may not work in practice.

Think about parks, for example. There are so often trodden, worn paths across the grass because the pathways don't go where people want to go.

I've always thought that cities should have a department that track where people walk/ride and change the infrastructure accordingly. Like putting a zebra crossing at this point in the photo above.

Guest Photo: Tokyo

Tokyo nights XIII, originally uploaded by manganite.

One of my great inspirations on Flickr is a chap with the handle Manganite. I adore Tokyo and can't wait to return but Manganite's photos always tide me over until I land at Narita.

The title of the above photo is "Tokyo nights XIII". There are many fantastic things about Tokyo and one of them is that it is truly one of the world's great cycling capitals. Japanese cities in general have great urban bike cultures far more advanced that any North American city can muster, so there is a load of inspiration to be found.

What's more, Tokyoites are frightfully fashionable and chic. That, combined with bikes is - no surprise - something that tickles us pink.

Manganite grasps so many of Tokyo's moods in his shots and it's high time we include a photo appropriate to this blog.

Manganite's Flickr photostream.
Manganite's Blog.

The Lake Pepin 3-speed Touring Club

A while back we introduced our readers to the fine cyclo-sartorialists at Tweed.cc - a bespoke cycling club in the UK.

We are most pleased to plug a similar club in Minnesota, USA - The Lake Pepin 3-speed Tour. An all-English and lycra-free event!

This lot take the slogan "style over speed" extremely seriously. By and large it is an annual tour of Lake Pepin in the tradition of pre-war British cycle touring. Here's what they say on their website:

"The Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour is based on cycle touring in pre-war England. It was a gentlemanly time; few people owned a car and recreation based on automobiles was extremely limited. To get away for the weekend they would pack a few things, mount up and head to the country.

"...here is a list of some of the things we leave behind: derailleurs, lycra, target heart rates, SPD, SIS, STI, HRM, XTR, etc. There will be no sprinting, spinning, drafting nor will there be any carbon fiber, drillium or unobtanium. Please note we are not advocating being a retro-grouch or ridicule those with alloy handlebars but instead we are asking you to strip away all you know modern cycling to be and hop aboard your £5 Thrift Store Raleigh and come with.

"Leave your lycra and Johnny-Rebel competitive spirit at home and instead, bring your sense of adventure. Wear something appropriate for eagle watching or sitting in a café and bring an honest-to-goodness rain cape because, of course, it rains in England. Be prepared to make new friends and be swept away by the scenery. Be prepared to stop here and there to take a photo or complain about your hard saddle or make an entry in your Tourbook. Be prepared to keep in mind it's not the destination you'll remember but the journey."

What a dreamy concept. We wish the good folk of 3-speed Touring the very best of luck and a hearty tailwind on the slight inclines!

Style Over Speed

Style Over Speed, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

After two weeks in the sun on the coast of the Red Sea during which i saw three bikes - two cargo bikes and one regular one - it is lovely to be home in Copenhagen.

Despite the chilly temperatures. It was windy and about 3 degrees when I took this shot.

An Unbelievable Sight

You won't believe this. There I was waiting for the light to change on the bike lane on the corner of Gothersgade and Nørre Farimagsgade in central Copenhagen, minding my own damn business during the snowstorm and suddenly this Copenhagener rolls up beside me on her shiny bike.

I quickly pulled out my little IXUS and snapped this shot of her... see the snowy background... I was lucky to get any focus at all in the low light... and then she sped off to her cocktail party.

I'm just pleased as punch I was quick enough to record the experience for you. It's all true. The whole story. Really. I just hope she didn't get too chilly, what with that stiff northerly roaring down from Norway. But then again she was wearing gloves, so she was prepared for any weather.

[thanks to a lovely lady in Sweden for forwarding this photo to us!]

Guest Photo: Portland and San Francisco

Generally, we just think it's cool to have a blog onto which we can chuck photos that we would have taken anyway. We love that we have many viewers. It's such a laugh and we love the regulars who we have gotten to know over the past seven or so months.

But what really tickles us pink is that we now have a Foreign Correspondant! Our good friend Patrick from Portland has taken up the gauntlet and endevours to do what he can to record cycle chic and bike culture in that faraway exotic place called Portland.

Here's his latest reportage.

"Hello Mikael, It's Patrick from Portland with a bit of winter cycling here. Capturing cycle chic in winter is tricky: I see so many folks bundled up in their safety yellow rain gear that I'm not ready when a good photo opportunity rolls by.

This is the best shot I've gotten in months so I thought I'd share it with you. The color combos are a bit garish, but sometimes this grey world can use a little Gaudi.

Here's to the warm months in our future! -Patrick"

Thanks, Patrick! Always a pleasure to feel the Portland pulse through your sure and steady trigger finger.

While we're at it, here's another quick guest photo from Kristin in San Francisco:

"I find your blog incredibly inspirational for us Americans who tend to be not-so-cycle-friendly. However, SF is a great city for cycling! I caught this girl biking in a vintage mini, tights and cowboy boots on Friday evening in San Francisco's Mission District, with her basket filled with groceries, riding home with her boyfriend, probably off to cook supper".
Thanks for thinking of us, Kirstin! We look forward to more photos from San Fran!

Copenhagen Cycle Chic FAQs

We often get questions about various aspects of the blog. We thought we may as well answer them all at once.

WHO ARE THE BLOGGERS?
Mikael started the blog back in 2007, along with Copenhagenize.com, coining the phrase Cycle Chic in the process, and quite by accident. Read more about how it all started right here.

We have some friends who blog for us as well. Mary, Andreas, Lars, for example. We also have many visitors who send us guest photos of cycle chic from around the world.

HOW DID THE BLOG START?
The photos came first. One photo in particular started it all off. Mikael has been involved in street photography for some time and one day he snapped a fellow cyclist in the morning rush hour. All at once a theme, a visual style and a subject was born.

The original concept remains in place. Recording the daily life of Copenhagen's bike culture by shooting street photography while on our bikes. We never ride around looking for subject matter, all of our photos are taken while we are in the midst of a commute to work, to the supermarket, to a party, what have you.

HOW DO YOU SUM UP THE GOAL OF THE BLOG?
We started out by calling it "Social Documentary in High Heels" - highlighting the stylish streetsmart of Copenhagen women. There was a lot of interest for the photos on various bike groups over at Flickr.com and, when we started the blog, we were surprised to see how many popped by to have a look. Most were bike-related visitors and we soon discovered that Copenhagen bike culture was something people were fascinated by.

It evolved organically into the "Bike Advocacy in High Heels" angle - interestingly enough because that was the angle the visitors gave us. We realised that making urban biking look effortless - which it is in Copenhagen - was an inspiration to people abroad who wished for the same thing where they live.

With that said, there is a streetstyle element inherent in the blog. What are Copenhageners wearing? Denmark has always been a design mecca and fashion is a major export, so we found that many visitors were looking at that. Which is cool.

WHY DO YOU TAKE SO MANY PHOTOS FROM THE BACK?
The original photo was taken like this and the visual concept stuck for while.
There are a couple of reasons for this.

As mentioned we are, by and large, on our bikes while we shoot. Waiting for the light to change, flying along the bike lanes. It's a practical issue, really. It's a tad difficult to take photos backwards while riding a bike.

Besides, we like the aesthetic value of the shots from behind. We are inspired by two specific artistic angles:

One is 'Rückenfigur' - German for 'back figure'. It's a concept often related to romantic painters such as Caspar David Friedrich and aims to make visible what the person featured is looking at.

The other one originates with the Chinese poet Zhu Ziqing and his poem 'Seeing Father From The Back' from 1925. There is a term in Chinese called 'Backsight', meaning basically the same thing as 'rückenfigur'.

With all that said, we now take photos from all angles, looking for shots that sum up the essence of "Cycle Chic".


WHAT IS THE GENRE OF THIS BLOG?
Good question. What started out as a social documentary of the chic inhabitants of Copenhagen's bike lanes has developed into a kind of streetstyle blog as well as a bike advocacy blog.

We choose to focus on the chic female cyclists of the city - although we do feature many men - because, well, we like chic female cyclists. They embody the freedom of a bike culture. Cycling in high heels to work or a party, skirts a'flowing, hair a'waving. It is the complete opposite of bike 'culture' in other countries.

We like this quote:
"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammelled womanhood." - Susan B. Anthony, American Suffragist, 1896.

We aim to highlight that bike culture is an effortless pursuit. No lycra needed. No fancy gear. Just get out and ride. Style over Speed. Man or Woman.

It is worth mentioning that we're not alone. We're not the only ones attracted to the sight of women on bikes. It's ingrained in Danish culture.

We have been interviewed a couple of times and you're welcome to read this interview for Fine Art Fashion Blog [you'll have to scroll down or page search for 'copenhagen'].

The same interview is translated into French on the Café Mode blog on L'Express' website.

Then there is a cool interview with Momentum Magazine out of Vancouver which can be read online here.

Stand and Glide

Stand and Glide, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Off the bike lane, up onto the pavement, leg over, glide to a slow enough pace to hop gracefully off.

I'm back after two weeks in the sun on the Red Sea. Aaron is living it up in Dubai - albeit quite possibly without any internet access thanks to one clumsy ship.

Guest Photo: Vélib' bike in Paris

This photo wraps up our guest photo backlog for today. Bruno, from Valencia, thought of us when in the French capital:
"I was in Paris last week-end and enjoyed seeing so many people riding bikes with the new rent-system called Vélib'.
The weather was just great for the season and I just couldn't resist to send you this picture I took Saturday night, near Saint-Germain-des-Prés, one of the most interesting areas in Paris.
And let us enjoy some more nice pictures from Copenhagen, a paradise of bikes for us living in Spain!"
Thanks, Bruno! We're working on more photos from Copenhagen. Stay tuned!

Guest Photo: Tianjin, China

We reported on the demise of Chinese Bike Culture over at The Copenhagen Bike Culture Blog, but we're pleased that Charley chose to share his insight into bike culture in Tianjin. Here's what he has to say:
"Enjoy your biking blogs - Copenhagen looks great. I live in Tianjin, China, where bicycling is still the primary form of transport, although automobiles are just now starting to take a more visible part in the city landscape. It’s a city of over 10 million people, and the home of China’s first mass produced bike, the Flying Pidgeon, so it is a strong bastion of bicycling culture- literally millions of bikes on the road every day in town. Bikes are everywhere- every student college student, working age, old grannies and grandpas all pedal to do their daily activities."
Thanks, Charley! Two great shots. Especially love the drive in for bikes. Here in Copenhagen people often roll up to bank machines to withdraw money without getting off their bikes.

Guest Photo: Brugge/Bruges

Next is a classic low countries shot from Luke over at CrazyAboutBelgium.
A cyclist forcing a bridge over a canal in Bruges/Brugge - depending on which end of the country you hail from.
Thanks for thinking of us, Luke!

Guest Photo: Torino, Italy

Here we go... a little flurry of international cycle chic from our good friends and readers.
First up this lovely traffic shot by Paolo in Torino, Italy.
"My girlfriend - the prettiest biker in Torino - waiting at the traffic lights
between Corso Vittorio and Corso Re Umberto this morning."
Great shot, Paolo! Grazie mille. Molto cycle chic.