Hello Yello and a Coffee Cup

The Yellows of the Copenhagen Autumn.



Fallen leaves are lining the streets.

Saw this bike bell in one of the bike sheds at our flat. What a lovely little thing.

Autumn Light, Luggage and Bespoke Accessories

Copenhagen Supermum relaxes in the autumn sunshine in her Christiania cargo bike at the playground, watching the kids play.

A bit of street motion. Two girlfriends chatting away in the dreamy autumn light.

He's either just arrived home or he's leaving someone.


Bicycle Light by Søren Sögreni.

Bicycle Rack by Søren Sögreni.

Bicycle Bell by Søren Sögreni.
Our aversion to bike 'gear' does not extend to bespoke bicycle accessories in the proud tradition of Danish Design. Over at Copenhagenize.com we have a post about the design wizardry of the legendary Søren Sögreni, wherein we place focus on his beautiful bicycle accessories, like the ones above.

Back Rack Culture

We've posted about how the bike basket is an integral part of our bike culture and now the time has come for a tribute to the oft-overlooked back rack. Pannier bags are a rare sight in Copenhagen. Grocery-wise, you see far more people dangling two or three shopping bags from the handlebars is easier and quicker.

But the back rack is important as well. It was one of the first things to get dumped when the sports industry in America started branding cycling as a sport, along with kickstands, chain guards and even fenders.

Some people have a little wire basket on the back rack but most just stick their bags under the springloaded thingy.

The back rack has created an arm movement that is second-nature. You'll see it at least once almost every day. Either while riding or at a red light the cyclist's hand will sweep back and check if the bag is still in place. Nobody ever looks, you just know if the bag has slid to the left or right.

Whatever you need to transport, the back rack is there for you. Shopping, your bag, umbrella, groceries, you name it.

For decades the back rack featured a little hook on which you could hang a briefcase, like this gentleman. They are returning now and I use mine when carrying a laptop somewhere.

My daughter turned one last Saturday and I transported one of her presents home on my back rack, with the help of strap and some string.

Cycle Chic Guide to Bike Commuting #2 - Cycle Clothing

Right then. Here we go. The second, long-awaited installment in the Copenhagen Cycle Chic to Bike Commuting. On today's programme: Choosing your cycling clothing. A follow up to Choosing your Bike.

It's not a complicated post, from a Copenhagen perspective. But believe us when we say that we know what you're up against in North America and the UK, among other places.

Just look at the website for The League of American Bicyclists. Click on Clothing Materials. This organisation is, on paper, one of the prominent bicycle advocates for cycling in the US. Under Clothing Materials they highlight five 'fabrics'; Lycra/Spandex, Coolmax [what the fuck is THAT?], wool, goretex, nylon. This is what the 'League' recommends for cyclists. Silly gits.

Seriously, I don't own anything with four of those, except for ski trousers and gloves. I have a handsome longcoat and a couple of sweaters in wool, though. You'd think that this 'League' were slightly more on the ball, wouldn't you? Fuhgetaboutit. Let's ditch this bike geek / sports nerd mentality, leave them in the dust of their mountain bike trail and move on to the issue at hand.

Namely, Selecting Suitable Cycling Clothing for Urban Cycling - Copenhagen Style.


A cyclist shopping for important accessories.


Cyclist trying on newly-purchased cycling boots outside department store.


One of my favourite cycling clothing shops in my neighbourhood. Zornig.


Another favourite cycling clothing specialist - Tiger of Sweden. Although I prefer Day Birger et Mikkelsen at the moment.


Wifealiciousness shopping for cycling clothing one evening in Paris.


Funky cycling clothing at a second-hand shop in Copenhagen. Carmen & Fantasio.


Sale on cycling clothing in the Vesterbro neighbourhood of Copenhagen.


My favourite store for cycling shoes when in Tokyo. Commes des Garcons.

You get the point. And this post doesn't suggest that you MUST dress as we do. Buy your clothes at Walmart for all we care. We're just saying that you already own cycling clothing. Just open your closet. It's NOT difficult. It's normal for millions of people around the world each and every day. Buy the clothes you like. Just don't buy the bike geek hype.

Thankfully, there are good role models [I know, I know... we were the first] who are getting media attention. This article in the New York Post by Kirsten Fleming shows that The Normalisation of Urban Cycling is underway. [Can't believe I just linked to the Post...]


These designs are actually on sale on the internet. To the first one we say, "Bullshit", unless you're referring to John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. To the second we say, "Chic, not Cheek. Choose Style over Speed".

Bike Baskety Goodness

Herewith we present a series of photographs as a Visual Analysis of the Bicycle Basket as a Key Part of our Bicycle Culture.
The written analysis goes like this: Slap 'em on your bike, put stuff in 'em, ride around.

Over at Charlotte's Chic Cyclist blog out of Boston she had a post called "What's in Your Bag?" wherein visitors discussed the contents of their bike bags. It's a good, fun question.

But it made be realise that, as a rule, the bags you see in Copenhagen, transported around by cyclists, are not bike bags. There is nothing bike-related in them. This goes for baskets, too. No bicycle tools or pumps or suchlike 'gear'. Save a pair of lights, perhaps. It's just people's stuff. The same stuff they have if they took the train or the bus. Stuff.

Nor when they hop off their bike do they become 'pedestrian bags' anymore than they are 'shopping bags' if the cyclist - now a pedestrian - walks into a supermarket or designer boutique.

Regarding the baskets in these shots, I love the fact that in this design mecca called Copenhagen, old wicker baskets live on. Some are new, but the design remains unchanged. Just as women 75 years ago carried their belongings in these baskets, the modern Copenhagen woman carries on the tradition. Most are detachable and are carried into shops or supermarkets. They serve a practical purpose and do so with simple, elegant and timeless style.

You do see modern baskets in Goretex-y material now and then but they are rare. A good old wicker basket - or even a wire one - or a wooden beer crate/plastic milk crate on the back rack are still around because they do the job and do it well.


Denmark and Copenhagen are doing fine lately in the global media exposure sweepstakes.
This from the NY Times about Denmark's tackling of the energy crisis. This from the Washington Post today about why the Danes are consistenly ranked as the happiest people on earth.

Cycle Chic Guide to Bike Commuting - #1 Choosing a Bike

We figured a quick guide to bike commuting Copenhagen style might be interesting. We may be wrong, but we're doing it anyway.

In a previous post about Terminology Folly we tried to highlight how, in some countries, the bike industry love it when you buy into their tech-lingo. In Copenhagen it is a much simpler process.

Most of the features shown below are standard issue in Copenhagen and come with every new bike. You may have to piece together your own accessories, but here's the highlights.


In no particular order of importance:

1. Personalise Your Bike
Copenhageners, mostly ladies, have been putting flowers on their baskets for the better part of a century. There are many ways of personalising your bicycle and only the fantasy sets the limit. Stickers, funky bells or horns, colourful baskets. It's up to you.

Flowers you can do yourself and stickers can be bought cheap, but for funky bike bells in North America you have to google kids+bike+accessories to enter the realm of cool bells.
LINKS:
- Bike Bells
[Know other cool links? Leave a comment.]


2. A Bicycle Basket [Cykelkurv]
The all important bicycle accessory, the basket. I'd be interested to see a statistic about the net weight of everything transported in Denmark by bike basket on a daily basis. Handbags, groceries, dogs, oh my.

Many bike baskets are hang on the handlebars and can easily be lifted off and carried into a shop or on a picnic. See the first thumbnail below. This detachable design is sturdy and good for heavy groceries. Copenhageners choose traditional wicker baskets as a rule but there are many cool designs out there. As Wifealiciousness says, she couldn't live without her basket.

LINKS:
- Bespoke, hand-crafted baskets by David Hembrow, shipped worldwide.
- Carrie Bicycle Basket from Sweden.
- Henandhammock.co.uk - Basket made from recycled plastic


3. Back Rack [Bagagebærer]
A handy addition to any bike. You have all that free space right behind your bum, why not use it?

4. Kickstand [Støtteben]
You simply cannot exist in Copenhagen without a kickstand. There are many bike racks, of course, but sometimes you either can't find a parking space or you just need to stand it up, lock the wheel lock and off you go.

5. Gears [Gearer]
This is one issue that gets discussed quite often. Most bikes in Copenhagen have 3 gears. The most irritating sound I know is someone accelerating off the light in one gear and then clickclickclickclickclick, they hop past 78 gears to get to the one they want. Why not just buy a bike with the gears you need?

We often hear that three gears don't fly in hilly cities. Then get five gears. The vast majority of cities in the world can be cycled daily in 3-5 gears. Whenever anybody says, "Yeah, but my city is REALLY hilly", we just politely refer to European cities like Berne, Switzerland, where 25% of the population ride each day through a Alpen landscape. Or hilly Aarhus, Denmark's second city, or Gothenburg, or Trondheim, Norway. 3-5 gears and off you go.

6. The Weight of Your Bicycle
To be honest... who cares. This strange North American fascination with a bicycle's weight has got to be the most irrelevant tech-spec in urban cycling history. It's a hangover from decades of the bicycle being a product of the the sports/hobby industry. Those times are changing now. They can start putting kickstands, fenders, back racks and baskets back on now. We're not out to win the Tour de France. We just want to ride with style over speed to work or down the supermarket, thank you very much.

Just choose a bike that you like. If you have to carry your bike up stairs to your flat, is 5 kilograms REALLY going to make a difference? When you've seen petite Copenhageners lifting their bikes up onto the upper rack of a double-decker bike rack at a train station, you realise that weight is unimportant.

7. Bicycle Bell [cykelklokke]
See #1 for some links. We've included it here because you should check your local traffic code to see if bells are legally required. They are in Copenhagen. Lack of one results in a fine.

8. Bicycle Seat [cykelsaddel]
If you're going to ride your European style bike 100 km a day, go to a sports shop for a sporty saddle. If you're going to pedal around town, get one that is comfy and cool. Brooks England saddles are becoming standard on new bikes in Copenhagen. They're lovely.

LINKS:
- Brooks England.
- Selle Royal.


9. Bike Lights [cykellygter]
#9 is on the wheel near the front fork because so many people in Copenhagen now use Reelights. They're always on and you never have to take them with you. Once again, check your local traffic laws regarding bike lights and reflectors.

In Copenhagen they must be on one hour before sunset until one hour after sunrise. Newspapers have Bicycle Weather for cyclists so you can check the times. See photo below. Here are the Danish bike light laws for your perusal - over at copenhagenize.com.

LINKS:
- Reelight


10. Fenders [skærme]
Once again, a must have in a rainy, windy city. Who on earth wants water or slush sprayed up onto their lovely shoes and trousers/skirt? Front and back fenders, please.

11. Skirt Guard [frakkeskåner]
Standard issue on new bikes. There is no reason to get your skirt oily or dirty. Handy for men who cycle in long coats or trenchcoats - the word for skirtguard in Danish is translated as "Coat Protector".. As an added bonus, if you put a child's seat on the back, the skirt guard protects their footsies from the spokes.

LINKS:
- Make your own skirt guard
- Cambridge Cycle Company UK


12. Chain Guard [kædeskærm]
Another 'can't live without it' accessory in Copenhagen. Why on earth would you pay good money for trousers only to roll them up? And a slash of oil doesn't look good on an ankle in high heels. Cover that chain up.
Hard to get in North America, unfortunately.

LINKS:
- Beautiful antique chain guards
- US - Bike Front
- Canada - The Urbane Cyclist
[Thanks for the links!]


13. Did We Forget Anything You Might Want to Know?
Let us know.
Trouser Clips! This was mentioned in the comments. Sögreni Bikes has a cool design.