Cycle Chic Postcard – Beijing

When I lived in Beijing (1994 to 99) there were masses of bicycles in the streets. Private cars were virtually non-existent. Not so today. The bikes are all but gone.

Instead hundreds of thousands of private vehicles flood the streets. While the – excellent – Metro sweeps up a large part of the remaining commuters (alas - no bikes allowed here).




It’s a pity because it was plain to see it coming. I remember discussing traffic planning with Beijing officials. They complained about having “too many bicycles”. My reply? “Just wait until you have too many cars…”.



The situation will not change any time soon. But there’s still hope. First, because nearly all Chinese still learn how to bike. Second, because the Chinese are actually pretty smart urban planners – they have noticed the surge in urban cycling elsewhere.



But most importantly, the City’s extensive bicycle infrastructure remains widely intact. I hope that the cyclists come back before cars are allowed to encroach on all that precious space.



Happy Cycling!

Sunset Boulevard

Sunset is the golden hour for pictures. And the timing can not be better for binning a few cycle chic scenes on the way home from work. Enjoy!




On the lookout for a lover?



Waiting at the crossing.



Relaxed homeward stride.



Happy Cycling!

Bike Shares Around the Republic, Part I

Barcelona's bicing

We did a tour for a wonderfully attentive and sharp group of visitors from Washington, D.C. earlier this week.  From the Summit Foundation's Sustainable Cities program they were researching and experiencing, well, sustainable cities.  Bike share systems of course play a role and got us thinking, what is it, in the simplest explanation, that makes bike share such A Good Thing.

Copenhagen's City Bike

Boiled down to one easy phrase, it redemocratises the bicycle.  It brings the bicycle back to the city's residents.  It boldly reintroduces the bicycle as urban transport. This is one of the key points in Mikael's keynote, "Four Goals for Promoting Urban Cycling," and features in much of our work at Copenhagenize.

Velib in Paris

Business men and women, Chic'sters, hipsters, going about their daily business with a little two-wheeled help.  No wonder we like it so much.

dublinbikes

Moving people and furniture.  One Montreal Bixi at a time.

Copenhagen Hats

Sometimes hipster, often elegant or dapper, occasionally sassy.  Whatever the mood, hats add a certain element of flair to any ensemble. 

Dublin Cycle Chic

Copenhagenize was recently in Dublin on business.  Between meetings there was plenty of time for seeing the streets and people of Dublin.

Pretty certain this girl is riding the same bicycle as the gentleman in the first image.  Coincidence? Funkalicious new leopard print bike share bikes?

Looks like baskets beat out front racks in Dublin.

This shot from an earlier trip to launch Dublin Cycle Chic. Here you can see a film from the fashion show.  Chances are you'll be seeing a few more photos like the one above as today kicks off Copenhagen Fashion Week.

Copenhagen Summertime

Some of you may have noticed that Mikael hasn't been the one posting the last few blog entries. Because the lucky dog is on holiday in Croatia.  So, while he's gone, we're taking advantage of Copenhagen's own little seaside escape. 

The beach is close, but not central to the city, so bicycles (and the metro) are the most popular way to get there.

Beachside bars with signs that read 'open when the sun is shining', vendors selling fresh green peas and ripe cherries, and gently rotating wind mills create a pretty warm landscape to complement the city's otherwise Nordic Cool attitude. Not bad Copenhagen, not bad at all.

Classic “T”

The classic white T-shirt is a winner every summer. Feels good – looks great. What’s not to like?




Goes with almost anything.



Slick and cool…



…and stylish simple



Happy Cycling!

Super Sized Cycles

New York is famous for being the city of super sizes. I'm sure the bikes over there are even larger than ours, but Copenhagen also has its share of over sized bikes.

The happy bar tender above is celebrating that Friday night is finally over - and now his party can begin! The cycle taxi below not only carries Copenhagen's largest cycling canopy it also has an array of gps, music and other gadgets to go.


Some shops have found out that cargo bikes work well in the city centre. Here an adapted cargo bike for a window repair shop.


Yep, four seats across this impressive cycle taxi. Must be the broadest bike in town.



Sometimes only the sky is the limit!


Happy Cycling!

Friday Night Lights

Vienna Cycle Chic

We're going out tonight. There is a 50% chance of clear skies, and a 100% chance that either way, we will be getting there by bicycle.

Vitoria Cycle Chic

Copenhagen summer night

Copenhagen summer night/morning, bridge jumping into the canal

Good Design

There is something relaxing, visually pleasing, satisfying even, about objects that are organised nicely and neatly.  Probably why we are fans of the photo blog, Things Organized Neatly.  So, we set out to find examples of bicycles organised neatly.  Something like this...

Photo shoot for Jopo Bikes.
or this...

Bamboo getting ready to be made into bicycles in Sao Paulo.
Occasionally the City of Copenhagen does a nice job cleaning up and organising the bikes for us.  Not least with their Bicycle Butlers.

One of the closest every day sights we found, was this arrangement at a Copenhagen train station.  Adequate, efficient, and typical Scandinavian minimalism.

More often than not, it's slightly more chaotic, bicycles ending up like a heap of stuffed animals.  Loved, well-used, lost, sometimes forgotten.

Do you have examples of good design? Design that encourages order and aesthetics and would organise all these bicycles neatly.  We'd love to see it.

Art and Elegance

Exquisite red light posture.



We've always thought of it as an urban dance, not least with our project, The Choreography of an Urban Intersection, but these guys gracefully set into motion an urban bicycle ballet.