Red Winter Coats on Bicycles in Copenhagen

I found myself taking some photos of red winter coats recently. I figured I'd make a little theme out of them. There's something quite splendid about a red coat moving across the urban landscape on a bicycle. A slow, flirting rush of intense colour which, in the dull winter light, is remarkable to behold, day or night.

These first two photos show how elusive and dreamlike a red coat can be on a Friday night in the Copenhagen winter.

At the very least I figured this post would be a brilliant inspiration for whomever wins the Cycle Chic & Velorbis Climate Conference Gorgeousness Competition. A red coat will complement the red Velorbis Studine bicycle wonderfully.

Here's a red coat at rest at the red light. A graceful Copenhagener acting like a beacon of colour in the traffic.


Who can forget Lars' classic shot from not that long ago?


After deciding upon the theme I looked through my archives and was not a little surprised to find that I had a great number of photographs of timeless red coats on bicycles. A very great number. These four, above, are my personal favourites from the batch.

And below you can see splashes of red coats on bicycles against the black background of the blog.



You can, of course, save yourself some clicks by viewing the Cycle Chic "Red Winter Coats in Copenhagen on Bicycles" set as a slideshow right here.

Cycle Chic and Friends in San Francisco

I've blogged a bit about my recent visit to San Francisco and declared my bike love for my friends 'over there'. Adrienne, Kristin and Meli.

I also blogged photos from the Halloween Critical Mass here, here, here and here.

The little film above is about a bike ride we went on the day after Critical Mass. Just riding around the city and hanging out and having a good time. Like the lyrics suggest, I'm a lucky man.

Win a Bicycle with Cycle Chic and Velorbis in Copenhagen!

Cycle Chic is pleased to announce that we've teamed up with Danish bicycle brand Velorbis for a Climate Conference Gorgeousness Competition.

We figured that since the whole world is in our fine city at the moment, we'd offer our guests the chance to win an iconic, Danish Design, upright bicycle. What better way to remember our cycling city than by winning a red Velorbis Studine bicycle and taking it home with you.


The competition starts today, December 9th, 2009 and entries will be accepted until midnight on Monday, December 14th, 2009. The winner will be announced at 09:00 CET on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009.

It's open to guests to Copenhagen who are in town at the moment for the UN Climate Conference. Participants must answer a question and the best answer will win the bicycle.

In 25 words or less, please answer this question:

"How will you personally commit to a better environment IN STYLE, with this bicycle if you win it?"

Entries are submitted to this blog post in the comments section - see farther down. All entries must include at least a first name and a hometown. If you don't want to write more than that when entering, fine, but if you win we'll want your name and photo on the blog!

We like original, funny, ironic, witty, by the way, but we're wide open to everything else.


Here's what you can win:


It's a red Velorbis 'Studine' [the Danish word for female student], fresh from the factory in Germany. You only win the bicycle, not the Danish Bicycle Ambassador and Cycle Chic chap in the photo. Fortunately for you. Seriously. He's high-maintenence. Be pleased you just get the damned bicycle.

For more information about the Velorbis Studine, check out Velorbis' website right here.

The Velorbis Studine has a retail price in Denmark of 4699 kroner and in the USA of $1295. So THAT'S cool.


In addition, and as a nod of respect to that other cycling nation, the Netherlands, you'll get Basil pannier bags - Blossom Twig style. They'll match your red Studine perfectly.


- The competition is aimed at foreign guests who are currently in Copenhagen for the Climate Conference. If you're not in Copenhagen and/or if you don't know what the climate conference is, you probably shouldn't enter.
- Cycle Chic decides the winner of the competition. The answer that best appeals to us and that best includes the cycle chic lifestyle will win. Total and utter personal taste on our part.
- The bicycle you'll win is the exact one in the photo with Mikael, above. As is, baby.
- The winner will be announced on Tuesday, 15 December 2009. It is up to the participants to check the blog to see if they won and to contact Cycle Chic using the information that will be provided on the day here on the blog.
- Cycle Chic will arrange with the winner a time - during the day between December 15th and December 17th - to pick up the bicycle, take photos and all that.
- Once Cycle Chic hands over the bicycle, what the winner does with it is up to them. Shipping it home or taking it on the plane/train as baggage? That's up to you how and where and when and how much. As soon as you get the bike, it's your bike. Period. No, Cycle Chic or Velorbis we won't help you pay for getting it home.
- Entries that are not 25 words or less will be disqualified.
- Who knows... we may add stuff here if we think it up.

Blah blah blah... Get writing! May the best 25 words or less win!

That's Me in the Spot.... Light

Cyclists in Copenhagen in motion past stationary automobiles.

Gotta love it.

Lines

A flash of red gliding past Nørreport metro station after dark.

Vintage Copenhagen Cycle Chic

Photo courtesy of and © Copenhagen City Museum / Københavns Bymuseum.

I'm loving this vintage postcard from the late 1950's Copenhagen. As well as all of these classic rush hour photos from my city. Frightfully stylish, the lot of them.


Photo courtesy of and © Copenhagen City Museum / Københavns Bymuseum.

Read more about the Copenhagen by Bike exhibition at the Copenhagen City Museum over at Copenhagenize.com. Even our bike messengers used to be well-dressed chaps.

Photo courtesy of and © Copenhagen City Museum / Københavns Bymuseum.

A Sense of Flight

I'm not the first to compare bicycles with flight. But I'm the first person EVER to capture a photograph of a blurry pigeon in flight with a cycling Copenhagener with white headphones and one glove on. Ha.

Girlfriends con biciclette

Friday evening. Two girlfriends wait to cross.

Smiles and laughter. A good sign that the evening will be a blast.

Friday Night Dreamtime

Friday evening in the big city.

Night Out

A great night is coming to an end, and decisions had to be made: Another bar or grab a Shawarma. Hmm, why don´t we have late night/early morning bars with great food? Anyway I went for the Shawarma.

Copenhagen's Life-Sized Nordic Cool

Here's a piece I wrote for The Guardian a couple of years ago. Appropriate, perhaps, now the the world is descending on our fair city.

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.

What the city lacks in Eiffel Towers and Big Bens it makes up for with its curious mix of historic buildings and ultra-modern design. In the summer months, flocks of bewildered tourists from the armada of cruise ships (Copenhagen is the third-busiest cruise destination in the world) can be seen wandering about wondering what it is they should be looking at.

At least they can wander without worry, as much of the city centre is designated as pedestrian areas with "Strøget" being the crown in the work. The street stretches from the Town Hall Square to Nyhavn on the harbour. Wandering about a city has rarely been easier or more desirable.

With the strength of other European currencies the city is hardly as expensive as it once was. Shopping for designer items is a treat and done while taking in striking modern architecture like the new opera house or the Black Diamond building, both on the harbour. Design is often regarded as Denmark's greatest cultural export so they put a bit of elbow grease into it. The best way to get around is on a bike. The city boasts one of the world's most developed network of bike infrastructure and you won’t be alone: 37% of Copenhageners cycle to work or school every day and 55% of all trips in the city are by bicycle.

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.

Historical Cycle Chic

This is a cartoon from 1899 featuring The Cycling Girl that had [still has - just look at this blog] such a massive impact on society. The text reads:

"The Holy Antonius' Last and Greatest Temptation". A cycling girl offering him a ride on a new-fangled tandem bicycle. The man was sold.


Vintage Danish Tuborg beer advert featuring, yet again, the iconic cycling girl.
"A Tuborg tastes lovely on a bicycle ride!"

This latter advert features in a new exhibition at the Copenhagen City Museum called Copenhagen by Bike. All about the history of the bicycle in Copenhagen. I was involved in the exhibition and have a number of photos in it. You can read more about it here on Copenhagenize.com, including how to get there if you're in Copenhagen. It runs until June 2010.