Christmas is the Festival of Hearts

There's an addage in Denmark at this time of year.

"Christmas is the festival of hearts." Indeed it is and indeed it should be.

It's Christmas today. So here are some heart photos to accompany Cycle Chic's warmest wishes to you all for a yuletime with focus on the heart. We hope your day, wherever you are, is filled with warmth and joy.

We ❤ you all.

Caracas Cycle Chic & Bicimamis

Yo (BICI) Caracas from YoBiciCCS on Vimeo.

Our friends from Caracas Cycle Chic shared this lovely little video with us from the Venezuelan capital.

It's by a group of female cyclists called Bicimamis.

We love it.

Red Light Posture Addendum

A while back we wrote about the 10 ways that Copenhageners wait for red lights in our Red Light Posture Series.

The example, above, is quite clearly Posture #2.

Although it is Posture #2 with an interesting added detail. Balancing on tip-toes but gently resting the side of the foot against the pedal for extra stability. Most people performing Posture #2 choose to just place the tip-toes farther off to the side but on rare occasions you get to see this elegant variation.

See the whole Red Light Posture Series here.

Winter Wonderland

Continuing the theme of winter cycling, here are some more shots of Copenhageners just getting on with it.

Thaw

The thaw is setting in and the snow is slowly melting. But winter ain't over yet.

Blizzard!

This season's first snow storm hit Denmark yesterday. The snow was everywhere; Up, down and around! Quite a few used sun glasses to avoid having snow in their eyes all the time.




There were also lots of cargo bikes out with happy children going sledging and parents trying to stay warm.



Pink Alert! The snow fell all day and we should see more Monday morning...



...so I'm planning with 10 extra minutes commute today.



Happy Cycling!

Pandora's Box

Boxes are the fashionable twin of the traditional basket. Especially cycle maker Velorbis has spearheaded the trend.




Here a high tech version for a high tech bike.



And a D.I.Y. model.



Most men would never even consider a basket - but a box is OK.



Happy Cycling!

The Day Job

Sure, Cycle Chic has been around for six years now and we love every moment of the ride, but we do have day jobs, all of us who contribute to the blog. Franz-Michael, of course, is the former Danish ambassador to Afghanistan and Japan and he is currently stationed at the Foreign Ministry here in Copenhagen.

Mary and Mikael work at Copenhagenize Consulting, advising cities around the world in how to be more bicycle-friendly. Cycle Chic is an important part of that, which is why so many of the cities we work with wish to use our principles.

Above is my latest TEDx talk, this time from Zurich, about how we should choose designing cities instead of engineering them and why working for shining hearts is a more noble goal than merely accepting a life as characters in The Matrix.

For the full written text of my script, check out the article on Copenhagenize.com.

Drapped in Capes

Capes have had a distinct come back in Copenhagen the last years. No wonder since its elegant, flexible and very bikable.



Airy if warm, and practical if wet.


Fit even for winter.


When I was a postman I had a magnificent red woolen cape. Alas - it was lost a few years ago.


Happy Cycling!

Firenze / Florence Cycle Chic

Our friend and photographer Zoe Ferguson sent us a fine little photo series of a cycling life in Firenze/Florance. From Kamloops to Florence is quite the culture shift. Her keen eye caught some of the cycling goodness in the city. Thanks, Zoe, for taking us on the ride with you.

www.zoefergusonphotography.ca


Cycling is timeless.

The Italians just get on with it.

Three-wheeler and two-wheeler.

Rolling through the urban theatre.

Calm, cool and casual.

Practical.

Relaxed.

Flip flops abound in mainstream bicycle cultures... in the summer.

Riding with friends.

Cycle Chic is whatever you want it to be.

Planting the seeds of a cycling life early.

Vintage, Dapper Bicycle Style

Those were the days, indeed. Bicycle messengers in Copenhagen were always dressed splendidly back in the day. A far cry from their modern brakeless, gearless and perhaps reckless counterparts.

Uniforms for bike messengers in official service, like the telegraph companies, were de rigeur for decades. For more wonderful photos of Copenhagen's cargo bike and bike messenger history, pop over to Copenhagenize.com.


And the style parade doesn't stop there. Here's a wonderful shot from Winnipeg on May 4, 1918, on the occasion of a bicycle parade. Thanks to Dustin in Winnipeg for this one!

Butterflies on Bikes

A small flurry of butterflies on bikes. Above a butterfly blouse. And below a butterfly bag.



Butterfly hair grip.


Butterfly hair band


Classic butterfly bow tie.



Happy Cycling!