Straight-Talking, Straight-Sitting

Fred Mathes is 92. He also lives in America. These two facts don't stop him from riding his bicycle. A lot. Every day. This chap is Style Over Speed in a nutshell, and has been for decades before we starting calling it 'Style Over Speed' here at Copenhagen Cycle Chic. He still rides his 3-speed Schwinn, which is 56 years old and he doesn't feel he needs a newer bicycle.

“Did you hear about the centipede who fell in a ditch?” he asked. “He couldn’t get up. He was too exhausted trying to figure out what foot to put first. Same thing with a bike. Who needs 18 gears?”

He does not favour Lycra or cycling shoes. His riding clothes are whatever he happens to be wearing, usually a pair of trousers (he rolls up one pant leg), a long-sleeved western shirt and a stylish cotton hat from Italy.


It's interesting to remember that when Mr Mathes was born, bikes ruled the world, even in America. Bicycle Culture 1.0 was in full swing and millions rode around daily on simple 1 or 3 speeds, up and down hills, in all weather. Knowing that fact and seeing Mr Mathes doing his daily thing is fantastic inspiration.
Read the whole article on the Times Record News - Wichita Falls - website.

MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME TO SIT UP STRAIGHT
Mr Mathes, above, has it sussed, but then he has been riding long before the sports industry starting telling people they had to lean forward in awkward, uncomfortable and unnatural positions in order to 'cycle' - not to mention worrying about how much a bike 'weighs' or that you don't need chain guards or kickstands. And so on. My dear, darling mother had is sussed and I was always encouraged to sit up straight. Posture is an important part of body language.

If you like to ride fast and do so for training or racing, well... that's different, isn't it? You'll get a bike that suits that purpose, which is lovely. I used to race competively when young and enjoyed it thoroughly. But for the vast majority of people who ride daily or harbour secret thoughts about doing so, riding in comfort is the way to go. Style over speed. Elegance over exertion.

”In the late 19th century, large numbers of women were already using bicycles to get to work, women office workers and shop assistants wending their way each weekday morning from the suburbs to the town. They found the bicycle a convenient form of transport for distances up to, say, ten miles”.
Plucked from John Woodeforde's book ”The Story of the Bicycle”, 1970
And that was on machines that would seem monstrous to us now. Not to mention the fact that they were wearing frightfully heavy dresses and thick fabrics. If they could do it on those bikes, in those clothes, there are little excuses for not cycling chic today.

"One sits on it either straight-backed, as though you're at a festive dinner party, or hunched foward, as though you just failed an exam. All according to the situation, your inclination or your inborn characteristics."
Johannes Wulff's 'Paa cykle / On the Bike' 1930

One charming nickname for normal bikes is "sit up and beg" bikes. Indeed. Sit up and beg for fewer cars, bike lanes, a steady tailwind and lovely cyclists to ride with.

The World's Most Liveable City - Copenhagen

Always the bridesmaid... finally the bride. Copenhagen is ranked as the world's most liveable city by the bespoke magazine Monocle this year. Munich, last year's winner, was bumped down to number two. Monocle has been my favourite magazine for ages, now I love them just a little bit more.

Cyclist illuminated by Late Evening Light.
Apart from the traditional scientific and statistical parameters like cost of living, schools and health care, etc, the judges have taken quality of life aspects like lifestyle, design and culture into consideration.

Copenhagen is praised for its attention to environmental causes, it's rich design culture, a fantastic food culture, the swimmingly clean harbour, the city's many green areas, the Metro, the architecture and the use of bicycles. Then there are the many Michelin-starred restaurants and coffee bars and - according to Monocle - the many beautiful people who ride their bikes everywhere and recycle their garbage. See... it's NOT just us!

Two musicians ride along the harbour in the sunset.
Tyler Brûlé - the editor of Monocle and Wallpaper* is behind the Quality of Life Survey. He describes the Urban Manifesto for what makes a liveable city in an article on the International Herald Tribune's website. Here's the IHT's entry on Copenhagen last year, in light of our second place ranking.

Interior of Copenhagen Flat.
I'm going to take this opportunity to link to some of my photos that DON'T feature bicyles so you can take a little online promenade through Copenhagen:
Danish Architecture Photos
The Copenhagen Colour Street
Copenhagen People in Black and White
[Yes, I actually do take photos of other subject matter...]


Copenhageners at a beach bar - Halvandet - on the harbour.

The Top 20 for 2008 according to Monocle:
1. Copenhagen/København
2. Munich // 3. Tokyo // 4. Zürich // 5. Helsinki // 6. Vienna // 7. Stockholm // 8. Vancouver // 9. Melbourne // 10. Paris // 11.Sydney // 12. Honolulu // 13. Madrid // 14. Berlin // 15. Barcelona // 16. Montréal // 17. Fukuoka // 18. Amsterdam // 19. Minneapolis // 20. Kyoto





Via: DR & Politiken.dk

Sunday Classics

Classic, classy, Copenhagen. Billowy skirts and sunglasses and sunshine.

Age is no hindrance for cycling in Copenhagen.

Summertime is barefoot cycling time and 'take kids to beach' time.

Guest Photos and Guest Art

Another Sunday round of Guest Photos and even more guest art. Enjoy.

Baton Rouge, Lousiana, USA - Christopher looking dapper on his fine ride.

Laura in Chicago was inspired by one of our photos and produced the splendid artwork above - based on the photo below. Thanks for showing us, Laura! It's lovely.



California, USA - from Alan.

Munich/München.

This and That From Today and Yesterday

Right To Left

It's summertime. Heatwave time.

Riding along a sea wall north of Copenhagen, with a view across The Sound to Sweden.

Into the sun, past the ice cream shop.

Ditto.

Queen. Victoria.

This is my Queen. She rides a Victoria.


I like. My bike.

Style over Speed. Every day of the week.

An Extension of Yourself

Waiting for a friend - with a bike
The funny thing about the beauty of Copenhagen's bike culture is that it's not just about the act of riding your bike. I'm often struck by how our bikes here are extensions of ourselves. We are inseperable mates and they are with us in virtually every situation imaginable.
Waiting for a friend - with a bike
The irony is that most of us don't love our bikes or elevate them to the status that pets enjoy by keeping them indoors, oiling them lovingly, collecting them, keeping them clean. They are reduced to mere objects. Mechanical contraptions that are only kept near us because they can transport us, somewhat magically, from A to C via B with the greatest of ease. And yet we can't live without them. Like above, they are a bench on which to rest while waiting for a friend on a city square. I'm quite sure the girl in the photo didn't think, "Wonderful! My faithful bike can be used to sit on while I wait!"

She just sat on it, like a reflex. A given.

Waiting for a friend - with a bike
Even though your bike will offer you the sensation of flying and freedom of movement through a bustling capital city and even though you may feel a pang of particular thrill on sunny spring mornings or icy winter afternoons after a day indoors, you rarely attribute it to the anonymous vechicle beneath you. It just is.


Walking through the city - with a bike
On occasion you have to dismount and walk your bike. Across zebra crossings or down pedestrian streets. Checking text messages or smoking a cigarette or carrying a coffee is done while pushing the bike along. You ignore it, basically. It doesn't exist. And yet it is a fifth limb. An extension of yourself. You are one with it.

Waiting for a friend - with a bike
I've heard about this fixed gear fad in other countries and I often hear the same praise about these bikes. That you are in total control of the machine and it is an aesthetic experience to ride them. Fair enough. But all that sounds a bit like a macho wild west cowboy thrilled at breaking a feisty mare. Fine for some.

In a bike culture, however, I don't believe that the bike is considered a creature to be tamed. It is not a creature at all. It is a thing. An object. It can be an objet d'art, gorgeously designed, but it is still an objet. In many ways, the way we regard our bikes is similar to the very basic concepts of the famous Danish design tradition: Simplicity, functionality, informal elegance and a respect for materials and resources.

Using a bike as a wardrobe or a walk-in closet
Don't get me wrong. I love bikes. I just prefer seeing how people use them and seeing people using them instead of looking at the bike. I'm no militant environmentalist but the sight of 100+ bikes waiting for the bike traffic lights to change in rush hour makes me giddy. Or just the sight of someone leaning on a bike to eat a sausage on their way home:

Or eating lunch with their bike next to them:



Posting a letter - with a bike

Shopping at a flea market - with a bike
It is, in some way, the 'culture' in bike culture that thrills me. The bike is a tool of liberation from automotive traffic just as it was a tool of liberation for women and the working classes in Bicycle Culture 1.0 over a century ago. It is a functional and viable transport form in urban centres over a century later in Bicycle Culture 2.0. It's an extension of ourselves and a symbol of environmental change. It's all that and more.

But it is just a bike. I prefer to admire and regard the people who use that bike. They make the difference.

This Could Be You

In the US, according to the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey:
- 25 percent of all trips are made within a one and a half kilometre [1 mile] of the home.
- 40 percent of all trips are within 3 km [2 miles] of the home.
- 50 percent of the working population commutes 8 km [5 miles] or less to work.

Yet more than 82 percent of trips 8 km [5 miles] or less are made by personal motor vehicle.

The figures are not far off the European averages. Basically, as we've been waffling on about for ages, distances aren't an issue. They are quite accessible. Which is a fantastic point of departure for encouraging people to get onto bikes. Sure, we often hear people say "I live much farther than that from work... so I can't ride my bike..."

Surely there must be ways to divide up the trip. Put a bike rack on your car, find a secure place to park it within cycle striking distance of your work and ride the last leg. Or ride to a train station nearby and take the train part of the way. Get a beat up old bike that nobody wants to steal, in case you're worried about theft.

Suits are no hindrance, even in 28 degree heat, if the distances are as reasonable as stated above. It's Style Over Speed, after all.

Bring a bottle of juice along for the ride.

Another Copenhagen Supermum in action.

And here's a stat that's interesting from the same study at the top:
60 percent of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively. Since "cold starts" create high levels of emissions, shorter car trips are more polluting on a per-mile basis than longer trips.

New York Times & The Guardian
Just a little addendum. We were sent this link to T-Magazine, a supplement of the New York Times about Copenhagen. A shocking lack of bikes, but still cool.

Then there is The Guardian's 'I've Been There' feature - great for collecting readers' tips about traveling to various cities. Here's the Copenhagen intro.

Copenhagen is an aesthetic capital that is content with its laid-back, cool attitude and rather unimpressed with the delusions of grandeur suffered by other European cities. The city centre is a charming labyrinth of cosy streets peppered with trendy cafes and boutiques. The surrounding neighbourhoods are relaxed areas where the Copenhagener can be seen in its natural environment.
[...]
If "big is better" is your thing, then Copenhagen will disappoint. Upon seeing the Little Mermaid statue on her rock on the harbour generations of puzzled tourists have uttered the same remark: "But she’s so SMALL!" Upon hearing this a Copenhagener will merely shrug and remark, "She’s life-size". All with a crooked smile and a twinkle in the eye,

Which would be an ideal motto for Copenhagen. Life-size. An ego to match any other capital but an ego which is wrapped up in a Nordic coolness that makes any visit to the city a calming, groovy and aesthetically appealing experience.