Hit that Perfect Beat!

Music lovers and audiophiles are everywhere in the streets. I like to listen to audio books myself and I almost always have a title playing on my way to and from work.



Some people carry the equivalent of a full-sized surround sound system with them…


…and engulf themselves into the world of music…


...while others seem to wear their head gear as a fashion statement.



Happy Cycling!

Tall Mike Bike

So now I've tried a tall bike. Although not in Copenhagen's North-west neighbourhood or in Portland, as one would assume. But in a distant suburb of Sao Paulo, Brazil and quite by coincedence, while working on our Escolas de Bicicletas / Bicycle Schools Programme. To read how we are putting bicycle course into schools in Brazil, there's an article about it on Copenhagenize.com.


While visiting one particular school in Sao Paulo, the team went for a ride in the community, to check out the safe route the kids will be riding to school on. Then this wonderful kid came rolling up on the bike with a For Sale sign on the front. I asked him if I could give it a try.

He showed me how to hop up onto it and I was off. Bicycles bringing people together. Nice.

Infrastructure

Catwalk. Bike Lane. Sidewalk.

Cargo Bike Newlyweds

Cycle Chic sends it's warmest public wishes to our friend Sammy - owner of the Danish cargo bike brand Triobike - who got married last Saturday here in Copenhagen.

Not surprisingly, the newlyweds let a Triobike handle their transportation needs on the day, in true Copenhagen style.

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Team Love

Last weekend the annual Svajerløb - Danish Cargo Bike Championship was hosted at the old Carlsberg Brewery.  Along with the usual suspects, we had a few surprise guests.  Birte, the lovely bride-to-be, and her girlfriends were heading out, via cargo bike, for her bachelorette party.  The Svajerløb, traditionally a race for bragging rights among the city's most daring bicycle messengers, seemed like an obvious stop for them.

While Birte and her girlfriends didn't take home any medals for their speed, they took first place for Love.  And the lovely bride-to-be did the honors of presenting the medals - Tour de France style.
Congratulations Birte!

More on the history of Copenhagen's bike messengers from Copenhagenize.com

Cambridge Bags and Baskets

Wicker baskets and lovely bicycle bags abound in Cambridge, where we were not long ago for the CycleLogistics meeting.

The Citizen Cyclists of Cambridge.

Wicker baskets on all corners, including the corner of this unintentional photo...

Nora & One Left - Bicycle - the album

What a way to start the week!

Fresh out of the postbox, a copy of a new album by Washington, DC band Nora and One Left.

It's called, quite simply, Bicycle. The whole album is a musical ode to the beauty of the bicycle.

Forgive us for being biased, but here at our offices we're rather fond of track #2 - Cycle Chic immortalised in melody and lyrics. Sigh.


Or hear Cycle Chic - The Song over at Soundcloud.

Pre-production of the album has been underway for a while now so it's brilliant to finally have a hardcopy of it. We collaborated with the songwriter a while back, Rick Rowland, about the Cycle Chic song and the cities/countries that are in the Cycle Chic Republic and he has composed a fine light-hearted song.


Nora's finely elegant and soulful voice carries all the songs to the next level. The perfect voice to celebrate such a beautiful and poetic mode of transport. There is a bit of Vanessa Paradis in there and a touch of Nina Persson from The Cardigans.


The bicycle has been celebrated in music, literature and poetry for more than a century. Simple, soulful songs and texts have always been the rule. They seem to suit the bicycle better than overcomplicated compositions.

Nora and One Left's "Bicycle" is, all at once, an ode, a celebration and a declaration of love to the two-wheeled invention that has served us so well for the past 125 years. It is a timely release and a most welcome one.

Website: Nora and One Left
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NoraandOneLeft

Stay tuned here to Cycle Chic. We'll be giving away some albums together with copies of Cycle Chic - The Book in the near future!

Lake Side

Copenhagen has four small artificial lakes that cut through the city. The oldest – Peblinge Lake – is almost 1,000 years old. Today they are a haven for Copenhageners and thousands of cyclists bike along the lakes every day.




Only recently all four lakes were officially opened for bicyclists. However, people had already been biking along the lakes for decades.



The most trafficked bike street in Copenhagen is one of the bridge crossings (Dronning Louises Bro).



But there are also lots of places to just bask in the sun.



Happy Cycling!

It’s a Dog’s Life

People love their dogs and so it’s no surprise that they get taken every bit as well care of as children. Including a chauffeur ride on the family bike.




Of course Tin Tin’s famous dog gets to ride his own private cycle box.



Sometimes I wonder who’s really in charge; master or dog. Except like here where the answer is cut in stone!



And finally – as the saying goes – like owner, like dog.



Happy Cycling!

Scarosso Cycle Chic

We're loving the new photo shoot from the always cool Italian shoe brand Scarosso, shot in Berlin. With bicycles, of course.

BikersRemix at Copenhagen Fashion Week

The first of 50 in the gold bicycle series.

It's not too often we get really worked up about bikes.  After all, its' about YOU on the bike.  But last weekend just outside the Royal Danish Theatre, overlooking Copenhagen's harbor, stood a gorgeous collection of Danish designed bicycles, iconically Scandinavian with their sleek minimalistic designs.  The owners, BikersRemix, have a strong appreciation for the bicycles, the culture, and the design that in part defines Copenhagen.  No wonder we couldn't help ourselves.

The Georg Jensen Bike.

After discovering the newspaper holders in Ferrara, which were blogged about over at Copenhagenize, our love and fascination of them has never disappeared.  Which is why we were so pleased to see this black leather Danish version.

Copenhagen Fashion Week - on the Street

Chic'sters in motion heading to the next show.  Most on bicycles.  The easiest way to get from event to event.

Literally, fashion week on the street, as the streets of the Grønnegade neighbourhood in central Copenhagen were closed.  Roads covered with red carpet.  Cars replaced with models.  

This wonderworld had to be created somehow.  We found out it was partly via bike, like the Velorbis Long John cargo bike above helping to organise and advertise the show. 

Copenhagen Fashion Week

The models...

And a few of the people who went out to see the models...