Copenhagen Rainy Day

The rain fell all day but the bikes rolled on. This stretch of bike lane is 'medium-sized' - it gets about 10,000 bikes a day - and is located about 4 km from the heart of the city.

Here's a previous post about Biking With Umbrellas.

Two of my biking with umbrellas photographs have been immortalised for all time as postcards available at our online boutique:

Cycle Chic Guide - The Bikes of Copenhagen #4 - Sweetly Swedish

Like most European countries, Sweden has a proud bicycle making history and many of the classic Swedish makes are seen regularly on the streets of Copenhagen. Sweden is, after all, only four kilometres away from Denmark at the narrowest stretch of sea. You could almost throw a bicycle from one nation to another, so it's not surprising that Swedish 'cyklar' are a part of our bike culture.

The hottest brand in the bespoke end of the market is the Skeppshult, seen in both the above photos. We'll save space here by merely saying that we have a write up about the cool brand over at Copenhagenize.com.
Skeppshult.se - in Swedish and English.

Kronan The Barbarian

You can't muscle your way past the Kronan if you're discussing Swedish bikes. This former Swedish Army tank on two wheels enjoys a revival these days. It's still heavy and looks laboriously clunky but it has a certain retro appeal and is updated for the modern market. Meaning it is much smoother to ride. The number plates on the back are, by the way, a retro design addition. Bikes aren't registered like cars. That would be a silly idea, as we discussed over at Copenhagenize.com.

Especially now that other colours are available like this pinktastic version. They're pretty reasonably priced compared to other brands, which we suspect is because they tend to appeal to the young studenty crowd. Kronan do a line of prams and strollers, as well. On their website the call it Kingdom of Kronan which we reckon is heavily borrowed from the Republic of Fritz Hansen marketing angle, in the hopes that a bit of golden design association will drift their way.

Kronan.com - in Swedish and English

CRESCENT


When in Sweden you notice many bikes from Crescent, one of the largest bike brands and one with a lot of history. In particular their old school chainguards are quite fetching.

They also have a long line of cool retro posters like the one above.
Crescent.se - In Swedish

Skirting the Issue

Springtime is chic cycling time in Copenhagen and our Copenhagen supermums are on the front lines of chic.

The bike is a Christiania Bike and, like so many Copenhageners, it is personalised in a cosy, personal way, no doubt by the kids who use it. Many people just paint the cargo box themselves, but one of the many cargo bike companies here - Bellabike - have taken graphics to a new level with their customised folie design. See their website for inspiration - it's in Danish but photos speak volumes.

This Copenhagener is waiting in the left turn lane on the segregated bike lane and hopped off to chat with her child in the cargo box. She is checking for traffic before hopping back up onto the seat. Note the bike traffic light for bikes turning left.


Springtime is also colourtime. Pink and green must be seen. I can't actually see what brand the bike is. It looks a bit worn so it might be an older model, probably one of the many generic brands. She has however, smashing Reelights on the wheels. A pleasant mix of old and new.

Relaxing Sunday Concerto Post

A random day of the week in Copenhagen. Copenhageners heading home in the afternoon along the busiest bike lane in the nation - Nørrebrogade [North Bridge Street]. Over 30,000 bikes use this stretch each day.
Have a relaxing Sunday wherever you are.
Hej hej!

Copenhagen Family Life

The Copenhagen Family.

Playful on the bike lanes on the way home from karate.

Felted Handlebar Bag

Felted Handlebar Bag, originally uploaded by ann14989.

Normally we're not big fans of 'Bicycle Accessories' - it usually involves people producing products of little use in the interest of profiting off of a trend.

But 'personalising' your bike is a major activity in Copenhagen and this fine, hand-made bicycle bag is a brilliant addition to the bike.

Read more about the bag and the designer on My Electric Ride.

Guest Photo Saturday

As always, thanks to everyone who sends guest photos in to Copenhagen Cycle Chic. It's wonderful to see images from around the world. We've had a bit of a backlog so we made a little montage du monde.

But first, above, a smashing image of Ottawa Cycle Chic, from Rachelle and her fiancé. Wonderful stuff!


The latest installment in the Copenhagen Cycle Chic Goes Global series. Nigel and his kids slapped a sticker on a lamppost near the Bishop's Palace in the City of Wells - England's smallest city. Thanks, Nigel!


A bevy of global cycle chic images, in one easy png file! Thanks to everyone!

And a bit of Eurofunkaliciousness from Milo in Vienna to wrap up the proceedings.

Cycle Chic Guide - The Bikes of Copenhagen #03 - Dutch Treat

Let's get one thing straight. This strange North American tendency to call the kind of bikes featured on this blog "Dutch bikes" is odd, to say the least.

A Made-in-Netherlands bike is a Dutch bike, silly.
It's like calling cars "American vehicles". Our fine friends, the Dutch, must be giggling at this branding of classic European bikes as "dutch bikes", just because some tourist at some point went to Amsterdam and went home to coin the phrase. Yes, we're bitter. :-)

This is a Dutch bike. Only because it's made in the Netherlands. The Old Dutch.
And it's happening again, this time in a more modern, marketing orientated way, with the advent of the Bakfiets cargo bike import wave to America. All of a sudden a normal "ladcykel" or cargo bike, of which there are hundreds of makes all over Europe, are called Bakfiets, just because they are the first kind people have seen.

It's kind of like the first white man to visit a remote tribe in the jungle somewhere tells the locals his name is Bob and then all white people are called Bobs from then on. :-)

The Dutch don't even call them Dutch bikes, for heavens sake. In the Netherlands and Denmark we just call them bikes. In Denmark these bikes are sometimes called "bedstemor cykler" or grandma bikes, just as in the Netherlands they're called 'Oma' and 'Opa' bikes. On many bike brand websites they are often called Classic or Retro. But by and large they are referred to as "damecykler" and "herrecykler" - lady and gentleman.

Another Old Dutch Dutch bike from the Netherlands.
I like the British term "sit up and beg bike", which is lovely and descriptive, as I'd rather sit up and beg than hunch forward in some strange, unnatural position. If I'm racing in a time trial on Day 15 of the Tour de France, I'll want some hunched over aerodynamic goodness, but the rest of the year, I prefer a humane, ergonomically correct position. My mother taught me to sit up straight.

But I digress. Bikes from Dutch bikemakers are often seen in Copenhagen. They don't dominate by any means, but they are aesthetically pleasing additions to our bike culture.

The Old Dutch bikes above, as well as the DIVA at the top are all from Batavus. If you fancy going Dutch, Batavus is a great place to start. They have an amazing catalogue.

A propos brands that are only avaible in certain countries in Europe, Batavus have several models unique to Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. They even have a Danish Collection - "Batavus has developed certain models especially for the Danish market. The Danish bikes are carefully aimed at the demands and specifications regarding design and quality that many Danish cyclists have."

Visit Batavus' international website and click on the different flags to see the difference in products from country to country.

Cycle Chic Guide - The Bikes of Copenhagen #02 - Danish Delight

In the first post about The Bikes of Copenhagen we started with Raleigh of China [formally Nottingham], which was a bit silly considering the dozens of Danish brands that dominate the market here.
We'll rectify that tout suite. Many of the Danish brands only have websites in Danish, which really shows that they are content to concentrate on the local market.
Nevertheless, it's interesting to see their bikes and I've provided links after each brand.

VELORBIS

There are big players on the market in Copenhagen and Denmark but the new kid on the block is Velorbis. The very idea of starting a new bike brand in this market is, on paper, rather silly. But Velorbis are enjoying great success, not only at home but abroad. Their bikes are being bought by Danish county councils and city councils who provide bikes for their civil servants and they are making a splash in the UK and North American market.

We have a post about Velorbis in our Bikes We Like feature over at Copenhagenize.com. Michael at Drunk and In Charge of a Bicycle out of NYC blogs about his new Velorbis Churchill.
Velorbis Website - In English.
Made in the EU.

KILDEMOES

Kildemoes is one of the brands you don't hear about elsewhere, and yet they produce 100,000 bikes each year. They are the largest brand on the Danish market but they're now owned by an Italian company.

TAARNBY

Taarnby is another big player on the Danish market with a great selection of bikes to choose from.
Taarnby Cykler - In Danish.
Taarnby Retro/Shopping Bikes - In Danish. Click "Klik her for se alle retro/shopping bikes" to see their selection.

SÖGRENI

Upmarket brand with emphasis on design and style, as well as functionality. Very cool bikes to be seen on in Copenhagen. Read our BIKES WE LIKE POST about Sögreni.
SÖGRENI WEBSITE - In English.
SÖGRENI DISTRIBUTOR IN US - In English.

MBK

MBK Cykler are quite popular. They have a broad selection.
MBK Cykler - Ladies Bikes - In Danish.

EVERTON

Used to be an independant brand, now owned by an Italian company but still produced under their own name.
Everton Bikes - In Danish.

JUPITER

A large chain of bike shops with both their own brand and others.
Jupiter Website - In Danish.
Jupiter Ladies Bikes - In Danish.

JAGUAR

I don't know much about Jaguar bikes, just that I see them quite often. They might not even be Danish, shockhorror!
An online shop selling Jaguar. In Danish.

MUSTANG

Mustang bikes are mostly sold in large supermarkets. Usually quite inexpensive compared to other brands.
Mustang Cykler - In Danish.

ROCKY

Another brand sold in supermarkets.
Rocky Cykler - In Danish.

There are many other brands, but these are the Danish brands that you seen most often on the streets. We'll cover some of the foreign brands in upcoming posts.

If anyone knows of distributors or websites where these brands can be bought internationally, please let us know.

Cycle Chic Guide - The Bikes of Copenhagen #01

Wifealiciousness rummages through the basket on her Velorbis Victoria Classic for her keys.

We get alot of lovely emails and comments from readers about what bikes feature on the streets of Copenhagen, what bikes are cool and what bikes we can recommend. It's a tough subject. Mostly because the vast majority of bikes in Copenhagen aren't available abroad and are made by companies most of you have never heard of. Which is a shame, really. We're spoiled for choice in this bike-saturated market but in regions like North America only a few brands of European bikes are on the market.

Only a few Danish and Dutch brands are geared for export. The majority of the well-established companies are content with producing their bikes for the Northern European market. The brands that are exported to North America are generally very fine bikes and this is reflected in the price. They tend to market themselves for the upscale crowd. Fair enough, we say, but still a shame that so many cool bikes are inaccessible to bike culture lovers abroad.

We'll try to highlight some of the brands seen in Copenhagen in some upcoming posts, as well as cool brands from elsewhere in Europe.

GENERIC BIKE PLEASURE AND OLD SCHOOL RETRO-LOVING
There is a bike boom happening in Copenhagen, which seems to have started within the past five years. There are lot of new bikes on the bike lanes with new, bright colours and forms available after a century of black frames. We'll focus on bikes for ladies - the classic 'Bedstemor cykler', or 'Grandma bikes' as they're called in Danish.

By and large, however, most of the bikes are classic workhorses and many are of a rather generic nature.

I don't know what brand the bike above is but I see them, and others like them, all day long. They do the job. There are hundreds of bike shops in Copenhagen and many of them sell these basic "bedstemor cykler" - or Grandma bikes

Raleigh of China [formally of Nottingham] enjoy a strong prescence on the Copenhagen bike lanes. Vintage bike lovers will wet themselves standing on a busy street corner. Old Raleighs roll past in their scores and new Raleighs accompany them.

The bike above is a newish Raleigh. One of the travesties of the bike marketing world is that Raleigh produces classic models only for the Danish, German and Dutch market, leaving the rest of you out in the cold. You can see the contrast when looking at:
Raleigh's Danish website - elegant girl in heels on the front page - and then looking at
Raleigh's US website - agressive sports orientated image, or even
Raleigh's UK Website - outdoorsy weekend cyclists and loads of 'gear'.

On the Danish website there are 8 Ladies models under 'Shopping' and a classic retro model under Tourist De Luxe. On the US website there are four 'women's bikes', with only one resembling a normal everyday bike.

Old Raleighs are, in many ways, much lovelier. A bit of rust adds so much character. Many young women choose these trashed bikes as an image statement. They are coolest with heels and elegant clothes, for some reason. We have spotted a tendency to wear shoes by Louboutin while riding an old Raleigh.


It's not just old Raleighs, there are so many old brands that still do service on the bike lanes. In most cases, it's not about the bike, it's about the person riding it.

A fancy, expensive and wonderfully designed bike is cool, but you don't want people noticing the bike when they should be noticing you.

Tyr's Day

A little modern irony on Tyr's Day. Tyr, or Tiw, was the Norse god of war and it is for him that we call today Tuesday - Tiws Day. So why not chuck up a photo so far removed from warfaring and agression. A floral summer's dress, smart, elegant white heels and a classic Danish bike. Chatting on the mobile, planning pleasant rendevouz' with pleasant friends, all while riding along the peaceful, segregated bike lane.

On another note, when your shopping and your flowers have to get home, it requires a bit of logistics to get it all onto your bike. The Bobike seats for kids are invaluable for transport when the rugrats aren't in them. A big bag of groceries fits perfectly in the seat and can be secured with the seatbelt straps.

And if you can't do all of this in heels, high or low, you're not in Copenhagen.


We'll wrap up Tyr's Day with a submission from Jillian, who was kind enough to send this photo in.

"Hello, I am a huge fan of your blog. It is, in fact, one of the main reasons for my decision to change my life and the life of my family. Thank you for just doing what you do[...] and keep up the beautiful work"

Jillian has a blog called Button McSweet wherein she is documenting her attempt to travel almost exclusively by bicycle and many other life changes her family is making.

Thank YOU Jillian for letting us know about your quest and for sending us this lovely guest photo.

With Child - Cycling Whilst Pregnant

I've posted the above photo before, of Wifealiciousness, my son and our daughter, in the womb. Here it is again, together with other photos of women cycling with child.

As one might expect, there are few things that stop you riding your bike in Copenhagen. A normal pregnancy certainly isn't any reason to stop. You still have to get around town - to work or on errands - and exercise is important when pregnant.

We live across the street from a midwives office - almost all births in Denmark are done by midwives - and you see pregnant women cycling to and fro on a daily basis.

Doctors virtually prescribe cycling whilst pregnant in Denmark. Regarding cycling as a transport form for the majority of cyclists, I found this text on the Netdoktor website about cycling and pregnancy. It is highly recommended by doctors in Denmark to ride while pregnant, right up to the end if you can. But this text says it all about how cycling is regarded in Denmark:

"Cykling er ikke kun en transportform, men i lige så høj grad en motionsform"

In English: "Cycling isn't only a form of transport, but also a great way to excercise."

I love that. Reminding Danes that cycling is good exercise, too. 









A Danish book entitled Pregnancy and Exercise featuring, not surprisingly, a woman on a bicycle.

Sunday Cruise

These cruisers are all the rage in Copenhagen, in the 15-25, female demographic group.

This and That from Here and There

Another brilliant painting by Janet Karam, inspired by one of my photos. Art imitates art once again. This one was inspired by this photo:

Janet's Blog.
Janet's website - Funkytown Art.

Taking a literary angle, Inge in Antwerpen has a Dutch literature blog called Plankje Ongeregeld and she interviewed me for a new feature on her blog - Bloggers Read and Tell. Now I'm looking forward to photos/reportage about her and her new black Oma bike. :-)

Michael in Brooklyn has a cool blog started up. Drunk and In Charge of a Bicycle. Michael and his roommates have been discussing getting cool 'normal' bikes and they are all casting themselves into the fray. Michael had a poll on his blog about what bike his should buy. Either an Azor Opa [some Dutch contraption] or a Velorbis Churchill [bespoke Danish elegance and exquisite design]. Needless to say, the Velorbis won the Euro-challenge.

Michael will be posting about his new bike and his travels in NYC as they happen. He is also compiling a list of dealers/distributors for various European-style bikes in the States, which should come in handy for those of you who are in the market for one.


We have a backlog of guest photos itching to get online so we'll start with another photo from Patrick in Portland. Pure Copenhagen.

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:

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... :-)