Elevation Nation

Click on the photo to see it larger over at Flickr.
"It's all so modest, gentle, dreamy. One is in a new, floating situation and it feels as though you're halfway to becoming a spirit that is about to leave the surface of the earth.

One can see over everyones' heads and because of that one is lifted up in an mood of calm and romantic elevation."
Johannes Wulff -'Paa cykle' - 1930

As ever, it's the comments and the emails we get that make it all worthwhile. We're loving this little community and the people we've met. We've included a number of our favourite bits of feedback in this post. Just simple comments on a post like this one are so wonderful to read:

"Hurray! As one who rides her bike to work in Houston wearing dresses, black suede boots and anything else imaginable, I salute you. Thank you for showing that riding a bike to work doesn't have to be a big deal."

We're not saying that the ONLY way to ride is in stylish clothes - some people prefer it differently - but there are so many people out there who WANT to ride in normal clothes and if we can inspire that, we're content. Thanks for being here, whoever you are.


Another study in that fascinating moment when a cyclist pushes off, propels themself forward, gaining momentum enough to settle into the saddle, feet seeking out the pedals instinctively, accelerating away.

Here's another Acceleration Moment.

And as we can see the cyclist above has been shopping, we remembered this post over at our sister blog about how Cyclists are Better Shoppers than Motorists. Worth a read.

History Repeating Itself

My friend Marie used this in her thesis about bike culture. This cartoon was used in America back in the 1930's, showing how the bicycle was seen as a way of kickstarting the American economy after the Depression. "Back to Prosperity!" "That Buy-cycle you're hearing so much about." "Circulating dollars."

While America isn't currently in a Depression, the dollar continues to fall and oil dependency is a big issue, not to mention environmental concerns. So it seems quite appropriate that this cartoon gets a revival.

And while we're on the History Repeating Itself subject:

Mrs Harcourt Williamson wrote this in The Complete Cyclist in 1897:
"The whole secret of a woman looking well on her bicycle lies in the cut and hang of her skirt." The best skirt of all, in her opinion, was made on the same lines as a habit, fitting the figure perfectly and cunningly stretched and shrunk. Once the skirt was successfully negotiated, the rest of the attire was simple:
"After all, however, the skirt is the thing, and once having this perfect, there is no reason why one should not wear an elaborate blouse and really smart hat on a fine day".

Indeed, Mrs Harcourt Williamson. Mr Colville-Andersen agrees with you. If only you knew how visionary your words were and how appropriate they are to this new generation of cycle chicsters.
Plucked from "The History of the Bicycle", by John Woodeforde, 1970.

Terminology Folly

Waltzing around the cycle blogosphere it seems odd that so much terminology has spawned regarding what is, in fact, a simple pursuit.

Is it a result of the decades old tendency in North America and other non-bike culture countries to nerdify cycling because it has primarily been viewed as a sport or a hobby for closed groups of "enthusiasts" - and not a reasonable and basic form of transport? Perhaps.

Let's straighten things out, shall we? What you see in the photo above, taken in Copenhagen, is something we call a "cyclist".

Not a "bicycle commuter", nor a "utility cyclist". Certainly not a "lightweight, open air, self-powered traffic vehicle user". It's a cyclist.

The Copenhagener above is not "commuting" - or at least she doesn't call it that. She's not going for a "bike ride" or "making a bold statement about her personal convictions regarding reduction of Co2 levels and sustainable transport methods in urban centers".

She's just going to work. On her bike.

And that's what she's riding. A bike. A "cykel" in Danish.

She doesn't call it "my city bikes" or "my Alternative Transport Vehicle" or "my Dutch bike" [whatever THAT is... not even the Dutch call them Dutch bikes, not to mention tens of millions of Chinese] - it's just her bike.

When she bought her bike at her local bike shop she didn't have a "fitting" at the "full service workshop and showroom". She probably walked into the shop and said, "I need a bike". The chap working there probably shrugged, glanced her up and down and said, "you'll be needing a 52cm".
"I like the black one, over there..."
"That's a 52cm"
"Great. How much?"

And off she went with her new bike. He didn't offer her any fancy, expensive "bike gear" or "accessories" and he didn't try to dazzle and confuse her with inaccessible, nerdy technerd babble in order to make more money. He doesn't even have "cycle clothes" in his shop. He assumes she has clothes in her closet at home. A wooly hat for winter. A summer dress for... well... summer. She needed a bike. He owned a bike shop. It was over in 20 minutes. Although he probably adjusted her seat for her.

The bike she chose was a black one. Probably a good, reliable Danish brand like Kildemoes or Taarnby. It certainly wasn't a "TerraTurbo Urban Warrior X9000". It was just a bike. What it is called isn't important to her. Just the fact that it works.

She doesn't know how much it weighs. Nobody she knows or has ever met could tell you how much their bike weighs. Likewise, she doesn't know how far she rides each day. It isn't interesting. She rides at a good pace, not too fast to cause a sweat, and the ride is nice enough. She likes the fresh air and she often sees friends on the bike lanes. She loves crossing The Lakes and seeing the transformation from season to season. That will suffice.

She doesn't wake up and make a decision to "commute by bike to work today". It's just a part of her day. She just walks out of her flat and gets on her bike. If it has a puncture, she'll walk it down to the local bike shop to get it repaired and then take the bus or train to work. Picking it up in the afternoon.

She isn't an activist, doesn't belong to a cycling organisation with a long acronym and she doesn't even think about the fact that she lives in something called a "bike culture".

She's just a cyclist. Riding her bike to work.
She'll be doing the same tomorrow.

If other cities had more of these kinds of cyclists, they'd find that a "bike culture" would be achieved a lot more quickly.

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!

Cyclopornography Film - Copenhagen Bike Ride

Finally... we got around to slapping a Gorillapod - flexible camera tripod - onto one of our bikes. Setting the film function to 'time lapse' and hitting the bike lanes.

It's a simple, funky little film. A journey from my place to the City Hall Square and back again another way. Just a quick 6-7 km journey in the lovely winter sunshine.

On bike lanes the entire way. It's worth noting that I rode in the afternoon. During rush hour you'd see hundreds more bikes. We'll try to get out one day to capture this Copenhagen phenonemon.

Until then, enjoy this one.