Morning Traffic

Heading out of the city last Friday, on my way to Swedish Summer House, it was lovely to see the morning traffic. A smooth, aesthetic flow of human powered goodness.

Guest Photos Early August 2008

Another batch of fantastic guest photos and thanks very much for thinking of us. At the bottom in the middle is Alexandra in Washington, D.C. and she is the focal point of this article in the Washington Post. As they say in that neck of the global woods, "You GO, girl!" Great article.

All in all, looking back over the past year of Copenhagen Cycle Chic, it is quite amazing to see how things have snowballed. It was as lonely as a Finnish winter until other sites started cropping up, followed by Flickr groups and then, late in 2007, we started seeing coverage in newspapers in the UK and the US. It's increased in intensity here over the summer in the US as the media has realised the people are taking back the bike culture. Here's an article from Canada, another from Australia, and this one from Washington, DC.

It's an amazing development to behold. Funny, too, considering the fact that this cycling chic thang is hardly a newfangled thang here in Europe, but it's great to watch it develop. All I did was coin a phrase - Cycle Chic - and start photographing a theme - it's all of you who make it grow and spread the Style Over Speed word - especially with wonderful guest photos like all of them we've published on the blog.

Let's keep it snowballing, shall we? A good, stylish tailwind to you all.

They Can't Be Stopped

You cannot stop them. The weather is hot and Copenhageners head for the beach or the harbour at every opportunity. Every day of the week.




All along the harbour Copenhageners hang out, swim, sun themselves, drink beer, flirt and enjoy the heat. Ten years ago, the harbour was filled with commercial shipping and not at all fit for swimming. Now it is a refreshing focal point in the urban landscape of the city.





Me, I'm off to summer house in Sweden for a day or so. Marie is travelling around Europe researching bicycle culture. She was just in Amsterdam where she hooked up with our kindrid spirit Marc, from Amsterdamize.com. He blogged about her visit and their bike ride here and, being a Dane, she promptly drank him under the table.

Twosomes and Ice Cube

A couple chatting as they ride down the bike lanes.


A couple accelerating off the light in true Copenhagen style.


That potted plant isn't going to walk home by itself, now is it?

The American rapper Ice Cube performed recently in Denmark and was interviewed for a radio programme. You can hear the snippet of his interview wherein he praises the Danish Cycling Girls. Go here first. Then find the box below and click the text highlighted with red. A popup player - no adverts since its our public service broadcaster Danish Broadcasting - will come up and you can hear 35 seconds of The Man talking about Copenhagen and 'cykelpigerne' or cycling girls.

Motion Picture

Summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime.

Beach Culture and 'Tryghed'

It always amazes me how, when the weather is hot, you see so many people on weekday afternoons with blankets or towels on their bikes - having popped down to the beach for a swim or having relaxed in a park.

You're never far from the beach in The Copenhagen Summer.


And you're never far from the ice cream shop, either. We're loving the new Long John and we've a habit of riding down to the local Paradis ice cream shop - me on the pedals and la famiglia down below.

Two tired kids after a trip to said ice cream shop and three hours at the local outdoor wading pool. It's so lovely to ride like this in the evening. It's wonderful how everyone smiles at us as we pass by. Most Danes have an inherent appreciation of a good old fashioned bike ride and, like our family, most Copenhageners and Danes feel secure when riding on the bike lanes.

Wifealiciousness and I discussed the Danish word "tryg" relating to bicycling today. Every two years the City of Copenhagen publishes a Bicycle Account and one of the questions they ask is "Do you feel 'tryg' on your bike in the city?"

'Tryg' means 'safe' but also 'comfortable' in a peace-of-mind kind of way. We agreed that we feel safe when riding in our city, as do most people we know - and a majority of Copenhageners answer 'yes' when asked. There is still a group of people who feel 'utryg' or 'insecure/unsafe' and they are an important group. We have to find out how to make them feel less insecure. Some of these insecure cyclists find that a bike helmet offers them a bit of security - and that is their personal choice, which is great. Unfortunately, many of these insecure cyclists wrongly believe that a helmet will actually protect them from death or brain damage, which is a dangerous societal development.

This is part of the reason why the concept of 'tryg' is a bit of a buzzword. Consultants are being hired to try and get to the bottom of what it actually means to an individual and to a society. How do you define it? I feel safe and secure on my bike anywhere in Denmark, like most Danes - but that doesn't mean I close my eyes and happily whistle show tunes while riding through intersections. I just ride carefully, trusting in my own abilities.

Getting to the bottom of the concept of 'tryg' will help us help the little group of insecure cyclists so that they will take to their bikes more often. The World Health Organisation, the European Cyclists' Federation and the EU are all vocal about how we have to improve cycling and pedestrian conditions in Europe WITHOUT promoting or legislating bike helmets. There is a lot of good energy and good publications from a lot of heavy hitters, which encourages Marie and I and others who are working towards strengthening Danish bicycle culture.

Meanwhile, back at the cargo bike...

The great thing about a cargo bike is that you can actually use it as a work table while building a cargo box!

A cool post from our mate Marc at Amsterdamize, about Normalcy in Cycling. Marie is in Amsterdam today and is going to meet with Marc and drink him under the table.

What Things Look Like in The Summer in Copenhagen

It's summer. It's beach weather. It's sticky hot all day and all night. In Copenhagen we're spoiled for beaches and, like anywhere else, we flock to them whenever we can.

What checking a text message at a red light heading home from the beach looks like in The Copenhagen Summer.

What a red light looks like in in The Copenhagen Summer.

What waiting for the elevator at the Metro at the beach looks like in The Copenhagen Summer.

What heading home from the beach looks like in The Copenhagen Summer.

What parking at the beach looks like in The Copenhagen Summer. [At this beach there are 5000 bike rack spaces - and about 10,000 bikes]

What beach parking overflow looks like in The Copenhagen Summer.

Galla Bella

A summer weekend. Late afternoon. Ahead of me a Copenhagener in a fantastic red, satin dress, complete with heels. Dressed to the nines. Cycling down the bike lanes, heading off to a lovely summer party under a Nordic sky that never quites gets dark before the sun rises once again.

Saturday Bricolage

It was as though her blouse acted as a stylish, effective sail in the gusty winds.


Bella Copenhagener on a Bellabike.com cargo bike - Photo courtesy of Bellabike.com.


The Art of Entering Traffic - from a side street onto the wide, lovely bike lanes of Copenhagen.


One of the two owners of Velorbis test driving my new Long John cargo bike outside their Copenhagen showroom. Style over speed, indeed.


Wifealiciousness' Velorbis Victoria got slapped with Style Over Speed stickers from our little online boutique, too.

Oooozing

So many days of the year, Copenhagen is covered in clouds, rain or even snow. When the sun decides to pop by, everyone goes out of their way to get out. Frequently accompagnied by the faithful 'garden gate' or 'havelåge', as the bike is called teasingly in Danish.

Thor's Day and a Tag

It's Thor's Day, which is Thursday in English and that means absolutely nothing at all. Above is a Copenhagner doing a classic 'around the rack' [as opposed to around the block] looking for parking on Amager Square in the heart of the city. The City of Copenhagen is starting to make rackless bike parking areas, since real bikes have kickstands anyway.

Afternoon rush hour with cyclists either turning or accelerating off the light.

Canadians and Aussies will know the scientist and environmentalist David Suzuki, above. We hosted him and a crew from the CBC last week. He's shooting a doc on sustainability in Europe with his daughter Sarika, also above. It was lovely. Copenhagen's bike culture was the subject, of course, and we rode around for two days talking about it. Read more over at Copenhagenize.

TAG!
So it appears that we've been Tagged - some sort of viral buddy thing for bicycle bloggers. As urban blog legend will have it, some blogger called The Fat Cyclist started it and Erik at K-WALL

tagged us. Uh... thanks. I think. But I'll play along. It means we have to answer some fun questions so here goes:If you could have any one — and only one — bike in the world, what would it be?
No idea. It's not about the bike. Maybe a black one. All shiny like.

Do you already have that coveted dream bike? If so, is it everything you hoped it would be? If not, are you working toward getting it? If you’re not working toward getting it, why not?
No idea. I don't covet bikes. I don't covet busses or other forms of transportation. I do like my Scrap Deluxe from Velorbis. It's cool. But as beautiful as it is, it's just a way to get around.

If you had to choose one — and only one — bike route to do every day for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?
I would start in Lynn Valley, North Vancouver and ride downhill to West Van where the route would morph into a bike lane along the Seine in Paris for a couple of kilometres or so before morphing into the Shibuya Crossing intersection in Tokyo where I'd wait for the lights and pedestrians. Then, on the other side of the intersection the route would morph into the Tiergarten before ending on Frederiksberg Allé from where I would roll on into the heart of Copenhagen.

What kind of sick person would force another person to ride one and only one bike ride to do for the rest of her / his life?
Probably a helmet advocate.

Do you ride both road and mountain bikes? If both, which do you prefer and why? If only one or the other, why are you so narrowminded?
What the fuck is a 'road' bike? I know mountain bikes, they were popular for 42 minutes in the mid-nineties. What a lot of silly terminology. I just ride a bike on the bike lanes.

Have you ever ridden a recumbent? If so, why? If not, describe the circumstances under which you would ride a recumbent.
No. Alcohol would be required.

Have you ever raced a triathlon? If so, have you also ever tried strangling yourself with dental floss?
Nope. Nope.

Suppose you were forced to either give up ice cream or bicycles for the rest of your life. Which would you give up, and why?
Ice Cream. I can't ride ice cream to the supermarket or to work.

What is a question you think this questionnaire should have asked, but has not? Also, answer it.
Am I really sitting here answering these questions at 22:06 on a Thursday evening?
Yes. Apparently I am. I'm cream-crackered and off to bed.

Now, tag three biking bloggers. List them below.
Drunk and in charge of a bicycle
Montréal Cykler
Bike in the City

Paris Cycle Chic & Celebrity Cycle Chic

How can we not blog about this wonderful French blog called 'Bike in the City - Ma vi(ll)e à vélo'. The tagline means "My life/city on a bike" and it's all about a character called Leah, who lives a cycling life in Paris, both on the Vélib' and her regular bike. It's nothing short of brilliant and we especially love it because it is frightfully chic and it portrays an urban cycling life in regular clothes.

The illustrations are by Didier Néel - or Le Did - and the concept is the brainchild of Patricia Gallot-Lavallée at Kenazart Strategy Interactive.


The blog is a non-stop chic-fest featuring our protagonist living, loving and loving it as a 'Vélibiste' in Paris, with all the trials and tribulations that involves. Handsome men, silly motorists, rain and sun, flat tyres, you name it. All while portraying urban cycling just as we do here on the blog - as a normal, enjoyable, effortless transport option.

Brilliant stuff. I couldn't RSS the site fast enough.
Here's some links to our Vélib Week series from our visit to Paris back in May:

- La Semaine du Vélib' et du Vélocouture Parisienne
- Joie de Vivre Avec Vélo Libre
- Vélib' - Sociable and Sustainable
- Paris Cycle Chic pour hommes

CELEBRITY CYCLE CHIC
From the other side of the Atlantic a reader sent us some celebrity photos of Hollywood stars doing their cycling thang. I don't give a toss about the celebrities, but it sure is important that they are setting good examples for their fellow citizens. And looking good doing it.

Calling All Copenhageners

Red light adjustments. A mobile, an ipod, lipstick... we'll never know. What is certain is that she certainly isn't in a hurry. Style over speed indeed.

CALLING ALL COPENHAGENERS!
I've been asked to make a video about Copenhagen bike culture - a kind of promotional music video. I'm starting shooting soon and will continue through August. Many of the shots will be in the style of the blog - just motion pictures instead of stills. However, I would like to round up various Copenhageners for a kind of casual casting.

I need all sorts. Chic cyclists, of course, but also older cyclists, families with kids in the cargo bay, men in suits, quirky bikes, funky people, you name it. If selected, all we do is go for a bike ride and I'll film. It'll be fun. No money in it, though. :-)

If you're interested, drop me a line. I'll tell you more about it on mail. Og på dansk, hvis du vil. Please write 'Cycle Chic Film' in the subject line. Thanks!

L.A. Bike Block Party

BFF Block Party LA 2008 from rossangeles on Vimeo.
Ross sent us this cool film he made from a recent event in L.A.. It's def a cool video with cool people doing cool things on bikes.

A Hub of Cyclists

A school of fish, a memory of elephants, a murder of crows - why not a Hub of Chic Copenhagen Cyclists? There. We just coined the phrase.

Stripes, tights and heels. All hail the Copenhagen Cycle Summer.

Cycling is Copenhagen is a mixture of ease, grace, beauty and a casual, relaxed attitude.

More Long John shots. The kids had so much fun that I had to try it myself. Here's Jeppe doing the hard work with me in the cargo box. And another shot of the kids.


My friends at Momemtum Magazine in Vancouver sent me this link of a recent bicycle fashion show they put on. It's great to see. Just think... a year ago, when we started this blog, there were hardly any Cycle Chic sites or blogs out there. Now the net is swimming in them. Yes, we're responsible. Yes, we're pleased. :-) Seriously, it is really great to see people taking back the bike culture.

We've had a couple of write ups on cool French bicycle blogs this past week. Vocivelo and Weelz.

Moody Weather

The weather has been moody and indecisive for a week or so. Cooler than normal, cloudy/sunny/showers. It just can't make up it's mind. This might be considered a nightmare from a cycle chic point of view, but Copenhageners seem to adapt well. A stylish rain coat does the trick and if your toes are prone to getting chilly, stockings in boots.

This is a classic example of Ready For Anything Cycle Chic. Elegant up top, water resistant pants for the drizzle and toasty warm boots. Who's to say that some stylish shoes aren't hidden in her basket for when she arrives at her destination.

With all that said, we're so very pleased that summer is returning tomorrow and we're looking forward to the beach.

Here's yours truly trying out my new Long John from Velorbis - the grandaddy of all cargo bikes in a shiny new version. My boy on the back and two friends on a cushion in the cargo rack. What a lovely ride. I'm heading out today to buy wood so I can build a box for my kids to sit in and lean against. I'll let you know how it goes.