Summer Memories

Summer Memories, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

We were down by the harbour playing petanque with some friends and colleagues, after which we had a curry down the road.

Here, in the middle of a Nordic winter, images like these serve a noble cause. The shortest day of the year is behind us. There are three extra minutes of light each day in Copenhagen.

Summer is slowly, surely returning.

Copenhagen Boots

Copenhagen, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

The King's New Square one day.
Chatting on the mobile while circling the square on the bike lane.

Raleigh Meets Louboutin

Raleigh Meets Louboutin, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Match made in heaven, we say.

Uomo con bike

Uomo con bike, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Winter moods near the city hall square in Copenhagen.

Guest Photos: Copenhagen

DJ Nicoline, originally uploaded by metz79.

A wonderful photo from the Copenhagen nightlife, taken by fellow Copenhagen Flickrite Metz79 - a super cool photographer and all round groovy person. The photo is titled titled 'DJ Nicoline'.

The sticker on the bike says, "It's only love, give it away." We've seen them around before and love the slogan.

And here's another photo we found on Flickr, taken in our own 'hood.
'Girl on the bike' by Heroneya

Happy Christmas!

Guest Photos: London and Copenhagen

Firstly, a guest photo from our own 'hood, taken by Kit Hodge on a visit in 2005. She's the head of the cool Neighbors Project. That's Kit on the right.
"Love your blog. It's exactly what I've been saying to folks here in the U.S. for a while. I _loved_ biking in Copenhagen. Keep up the important work.
Best, Kit Hodge"

This is a great photo from London, which a reader found over at Bikereader.com. Weaving her way through the cabs and busses on Oxford Street.

Guest Photos: Amsterdam

We thought it best if we cleaned up our inbox before we head off for Christmas.
Thanks, firstly, to Danny Jansen, who sent us the above photo he snapped in Amsterdam. A cycling chic couple indeed.

And since we like a good theme, here's another chic couple in Amsterdam, this one taken by Tricia Royal from Bits and Bobbins.


"Love the blog. i'm a big advocate of bike riding, as is my husband and friends here in San Francisco, thankfully one of the more bike-friendly cities in the US. Cheers, Tricia"

Thanks to you both for thinking of us and sending your photos along. And Tricia, if you have any chic photos from San Fran, let's see them!

Moment of Clarity

Moment of Clarity, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

The light just changed. She has barely rolled five centimetres, but she is moving. Checking for cars before turning left.

Leaning

Leaning, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Which way you lean while stopped at a light on bike is a personal choice.

Left Right Bridge People

Left right, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Coasting down from the bridge over the harbour.

Café View

Café View, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

The coffee was hot, the traffic constant.
What is really nice about this photo is the beautiful handlebars of my new Velorbis bike in the foreground.

Bluebike Heels

Bluebike Heels, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Heading off to a Christmas party, one might assume.

The Slenderness of Danish Cycling Women

On a global scale, obesity now causes more deaths than famine, but Danish women are keeping slim.

A recent study showed that only 9.1% of Danish women are obese. Only Italy (7.9%) and Austria (8.6%) have a better statistic. In comparison, the UK can't be proud about the fact that 23% of British women are obese - the country is at the bottom among EU nations.

The Danish Cyclist's Union [DCF] isn't in doubt for a moment:

"In Denmark we have a well-developed bike culture, and that is one of the reason's for the high ranking on the list", says Jens Loft Rasmussen from the DCF.

The statistics are no reason to lean back and take it easy. It appears that other countries are merely getting fatter quicker than the Danes. But cycling helps, by all accounts.
Via: Ekstra Bladet among others.

Here are some stats about the allround percentage of countries populations that are overweight (not specifically obese):
1. Nauru 94.5%
2. Mikronesien 91.1%
3. Cook Islands 90.9%
4. Tonga 90.8%
5. Niue 81.7%
6. Samoa 80.4%
7. Palau 78.4%
8. Kuwait 74.2%
9. USA 74.1%
10. Kiribati 73.6%

28. UK 63.8%
43. Germany 60.1%

The three least overweight countries Europe:
108. Denmark 45.8%
111. Italy 45.5%
128. France 40.1%

Via: Politiken and pdf document.

White Heels and Pink

White Heels and Pink, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Yet another Copenhagen supermum. Frightfully stylish with white pumps and black stockings to match the white skirt.

Heading home after a busy but rewarding day at work and after picking up her daughter from kindergarten.

While we're at it, this is a classic Copenhagen bike lane. Separated from the street by a kerb and the pavement by another.

Backlightacious Gorgeousness

Backlightacious Gorgeousness, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Steady and yet casual pedalling past the university.

Tweed, Not Speed

Once in awhile, shards of brilliance appear on the cycling radar.
Jack Thurston, from www.thebikeshow.net dropped us a line and brought our attention to a wonderful cycling club. Tweed.cc.

A British club that places style over speed and elegance over exertion. Not unlike the cyclists on the bike lanes in Copenhagen. Although Tweed.cc take it one spoke further. Here's what they say about their goals:

"For today's cyclist, skin tight lycra may promise a reduction in wind resistance but also in decorum. A reflective yellow vest guarantees high visibility, but who would wish to be seen in such a garment? Certainly not the members of the Tweed Cycling Club. The Club's wheelmen and ladymembers wish for a return to the honest virtues of lugged steel, dynamo lighting and canvas saddlebags."

"Why spend a king's ransom on the latest titanium confection when any weight advantage will be rendered irrelevant by a cheese-and-pickle sandwich and thermos of soup?"

Indeed. These cyclo-sartorialists speak our language. In a way they are the cycling version of the Slow Food movement. We wish them well on their slow-paced, 'let's-stop-for-a-shandy-and-a-ciggie-shall-we' journey through the cycling landscape.

Have a gander at their website.

Copenhagen Cycle Chic in the Press

October 2008 - Article in the China Times Weekly about Cycle Chic and The Long John cargo bike.

October 2008 - GQ Magazine's Taiwan edition features Danish and Scandinavian design, with photos from Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

03 October 2008 - Write up in Minnpost.com from Minnesota.

September 30, 2008 - Guest blogger in The Los Angeles Times about Danish Cargo Bike Culture.

19 September 2008 - Article in Canadian newspaper National Post entitle Stilettos on Wheels - cycling goes mainstream.

04 September 2008 - Mention in The Guardian's Life and Style article - Cycle Chic.

28 August 2008 - Article and interview in the national newspaper Politiken:


28 August 2008 - Large article and interview in the Irish Times.

12 August 2008 - Interview in City Avisen, Copenhagen.

12 August 2008 - Interview in The Copenhagen Post.

08 August 2008 - Interview in the Danish national daily Berlingske Tidende:


08 August 2008 - Guest blogger in The Los Angeles Times.

26 July 2008 - Heartwarming mention in the Star Tribune out of Minneapolis, USA.

23 July 2008 - Write up on the French Weelz blog.

21 July 2008 - Article and interview on Cycloculture Blog.

10 July 2008 - Write up on the French Vocivelo blog.

13 July 2008 - Cracking mention in the Covisi - Living in the New Century website.

26 June 2008 - The Guardian features Copenhagen Cycle Chic and Copenhagenize.com in an article by Carlton Reid in the G2 Ethical Living section and online.
"Colville-Andersen is The Sartorialist on two wheels" is a personal favourite.

June 2008 - ELLE Magazine - Russian Edition - features a number of photos of Copenhagen in their June 2008 issue, including one damn chic bicycle.


June 2008 - Croatian 'Biker' Magazine features a splash of lovely Copenhagen Cycle Chic over a four page spread in their June issue.


June 23, 2008 - The Gazette, a newspaper in Essex, UK, highlights Copenhagen Cycle Chic and the city of Copenhagen as an example of where they want to go with bike culture.

June 18, 2008 - Copenhagen Cycle Chic is blogged about at the coolicious NYLON mag.

April 22, 2008 - Copenhagen Cycle Chic is listed as a reference in the new book by David Bach called "Go Green, Live Rich - 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth".

April 17,2008 - Copenhagen Cycle Chic is selected as the Blog of Note by blogger.com for this day. Welcome to all the new readers.

March 2008 - Interview with KommunicationsCast, a weekly Danish podcast on communication and media in Denmark.

March 2008 - The blog has a piece in Cooler.mag, out of the UK.

March 2008 - Urban Outfitters give the thumbs up.
"Copenhagen Cycle Chic is a fresh take on the typical street style blogs. Shooting mostly from the bike lane, you see a variety of women cruising in quite stylish looks, which fit perfectly with the tagline of the blog - ‘Bike Advocacy in High Heels.’ I await the day he photographs the Chanel bicycle in action!"

November 2007 - Vogue Brasil.
"A dica vem de Nana Caetano, editora da Vogue Brasil: andar de bicicleta está na moda! O assunto é tema de uma matéria da Vogue americana de dezembro, que acaba de chegar às bancas. A revista elegeu o meio de transporte como “o acessório mais quente do momento” e, de quebra, mostrou as opções disponíveis no mercado e os looks perfeitos para um passeio em duas rodas.

De olho nisso, Nana nos enviou uma sugestão de blog especializado no mesmo tema. Em “Copenhagen Girls on Bikes”, há cliques e mais cliques de meninas fashionistas e suas bicicletas."


November 2007 - Cover photo and interview with photos in Momentum Bike Magazine out of Vancouver, Canada. Issue #30.


November 2007 - Interview in French newspaper L'Express' online fashion section - Café Mode.

September 2007 - Write up on legendary bike builder Dave Moulton's bike blog - Womankind, You Can Save Mankind.

August 2007 - Short review of the blog on BlogMagasinet- a podcast about the Danish blogosphere.

August 2007 - Interview with German "Fashion & Art" Blog.

May 2007 - Photo included in a reportage on Copenhagen in "Modern Elegance - Design For Life", a bespoke lifestyle supplement to the Sunday Times of Malta.


January 2007 - Photospread in KBH Magasin - Copenhagen's monthly design, lifestyle and architecture magazine.

Slice of Copenhagen Bikelife

Slice of Copenhagen Bikelife, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Life on the bike lanes.
Another summer shot from the Cycle Chic archives.
December 22nd is the winter solstice... which means that the days start getting longer on the 23rd.
Which means summer is just around the corner!

Guest Photos: Amsterdam

We thought we'd chuck a few wonderful guest photos onto the blog from our second-favourite cycle city - Amsterdam. A lovely photo above from Smudo, of an Amsterdamer riding either to or from field hockey practice.

And this classy lady deserves a place on Cycle Chic for keeping it cool, sassy and stylish on the Dam Square from the Flickr photographer Barbara.

Here's a classic doubling shot - could be Copenhagen or Amsterdam - a wonderful mood captured by Stosh26.

Flashy

Flashy, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

My flash went off by mistake, which actually turned out cool. Nobody noticed, not even me, as it was daylight.

On the left is a busstop, the blue is a bike lane and there is a turning lane for cars on the right. All separated and yet living in blissful coexistence.

Guest Photo: Seattle, USA

Another wonderful photo from the hand of Derek Pearson in Olympia, Washington State. The title is 'Sisters'.
Thanks again for thinking of us, Derek. Groovy winter bike wear worthy of Copenhagen bike lanes.

Check out Derek's bicycle site Bike Rubbish here. And be sure to check out his professional photographer site here.

Styliciousness avec velo

Styliciousness avec velo, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

On the City Hall Square, she was heading home in the afternoon. Looking fabulous, but with a change of clothes, ready for the long weekend.

The Cycle Girl Statue

The Weather Girls - Vejrpigerne - have been somewhat of a landmark in Copenhagen since the 1930's. They sit atop the Richshuset building on the City Hall Square. Stretching below them is a long, neon thermometer - also from the 1930's - which still works today.

The Cycle Girl, however, is no longer active. There are two versions of the girl; one [as seen above] of a girl in a skirt and one with a girl in a jacket and holding an umbrella with her dog next to her [the brolley is just visible on the right].

The girls are on a rotating disc and provided a weather forecast for Copenhageners. If fair weather was expected, the girl on the bike would rotate out to the edge. Rain? The other girl would rotate out.

Hardly scientific and really rather vague, but an excellent example of how girls on bikes are an integral part of the Danish mentality.

Thanks to jesign24 on Flickr for the lovely photos.

Vélocouture - Fashion, on a bicycle

We've long been a big fan - and contributor - to the very excellent Flickr group called Vélocouture.

The group guidelines make it clear what separates this group from so many other bike groups on Flickr.

"Vélocouture is not bicycle fashion. Vélocouture is fashion, on a bicycle. Smart, stylish, functional outfits worn by transportational bicyclists.

Celebrate the creative re-purposing of "normal" clothes for use as a transportational cyclist. Help popularize the innovative, functional and fashionable garments that are (finally!) being created by pedal-powered fashion-forward folks around the world.

This isn't about wearing costumes or bizarre outfits while on a bike. Plenty of places for that. This is about stylishly carrying oneself through the everyday -- on a bicycle.

Also, please note that this group is about fashionable cyclists, not fashionable bicycles. No bike-only shots. Again, plenty of groups exist for photos of your bike."


The group features photos of both women and men and, in our opinion, it's one of the beacons of hope for normalising urban cycling and removing the bane of lycra from the streets of cool cities around the world.

Vive la vélocouture!

Red Light Tension

She is in the process of turning left. Cyclists are allowed to turn left, but only if they proceed to the far side and wait. If there is no traffic in either direction, they can cross. It is one of the few situations where bikes aren't completely equal with cars. One of the very few. Bikes otherwise enjoy equal status in the traffic.

The Copenhagener above is eyeing the red light, waiting for that moment when it turns to yellow, shortly followed by green. Any moment now. Wait for it. And then she's off.

night bike

night bike, originally uploaded by Aaron78.

late night, early morning... just me and her on the bike lane, amidst the neon soup.

Guest Photo: Brooklyn, USA

wed12sept07, originally uploaded by a-pic-a-day....

We spotted this excellent photo in the Bike2Life photo pool over at Flickr.

Brilliant composition and sense of the freedom of the ride. It is the work of a Dutch woman living in Brooklyn, USA - Marielle .

She takes one photo a day of her daily life and this is her photo from Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Great to see some cool cycle chic riding shots from the States.

Anybody who makes urban cycling look easy and, most importantly, stylish is a super cycling hero[ine] in our eyes.

Guest Photo: Portland, USA

We were well chuffed when Tanya's email showed up on the cyber radar. Yet another Portland view of their blossoming bike culture, this time through Tanya's eyes.

I love your blog. I used to live in Copenhagen and I really miss it there as I
miss a lot of the practical and humane ways of living in Northern Europe as a whole. Still, someone has to help spread the dream here in the USA. I am now the CEO for a corporate wellness company - RecessWellness.com. I just think that going to gym to "workout" or donning a bunch of crazy cycle gear is just silliness. I even own a Christiania trike that I use for hauling gear.

I have been trying to get regular people in Portland offices to just get on their bikes and stop making such a big deal of everything. People just about have a coronary when they find out I bike around in a suit and heels in the rain!

Happy biking (in heels)!

Tanya

What a wonderful and inspiring email to recieve. Thanks for thinking of us, Tanya! We wish you an eternal tailwind and best of luck with your quest. What a cool, blue bike you have, too.
Go Portland!

Guest Photos: Cycle Chictastic

A splendid splash of red on this fashionable photo from our good friends over at Velorution in London. And that cape is just wonderful. It's a swinging cycling cape christened "Yellow Raver" because of its reflective qualities - fine wool worsted with light reflective yarn patented as LumaTwill. It's the creation of Guy Hills of Dashing Tweeds.

You can see the cape at Velorution's shop in Great Titchfield Street in London. It retails at £485 and, Velorution's blog tells us, Guy Hills can design a bespoke cape for men, too. Smashing idea.


On the other side of the planet, our mate Radzi of the groovy Australian blog Fahrradsozialismus has some wicked cool cyclofashion photos on his Flickr photostream.

Do be sure to check out the photos on Flickr by clicking on them and reading his informative texts about the images.

Bikescaltor - longing for summer

Bikescaltor, originally uploaded by [Zakkaliciousness].

Another post in which we remember summers past and summers future.

Sometimes, especially after a long day at the beach, you just can't be bothered taking the lift in the Copenhagen metro station and the escaltor is the quickest way up to the street.

Bike basket filled with towels and beach gear. Quiet conversation about what plans they have for the summer night.

Classic

Blue bike, originally uploaded by Aaron78.

Classic bike in a lovely blue, and a classic Copenhagen winter look . . . ankle boots, warm tights, stylish mac, layered with a warm hoodie and scarf. Her belongings stored safely in her front basket.