Saturday Certainly

Pure brilliance from my mate Lars, who is one of the top film composers in the land when not photographing on his way to work.


One of our esteemed readers sent us this link to a book titled Romancing The Dead. I know nothing about the book - I just like the Cycle Chic on the cover. Fits well into the It's Not Just Us category.

We're pleased to have been translated, in part, into Czech! My mate Hynek is offering up the Five Senses Series for Czech readers. Nice one. Thanks, Hynek!

Couple of Things

This couple, complete with a kid at the front of the chap's bike, were ready for green.


It's been a while since we've had a little "It's Not Just Us" post - wherein we show that The Cycling Girl - Cykelpigen - is still an integral and iconic part of Danish culture after over a century. Here's a cover of a book called Pregnancy and Exercise and what better photo on the cover than a pregant woman on a bicycle.

Oriental Cycle Chic

After two months in Malaysia working for the Danish version of 'Expedition Robinson' ('Survivor' in the US), I (Marie) am glad to be back 'n' blogging!

Like many other Asian countries, Malaysia is full of cars everywhere, and urban infrastructure is a nightmare. But on the little island of Besar where the production crew was located, bikes were crucial to get around. All kinds of small errands were done by bike, and if you met someone you knew on the way, you just hopped off and joined them by foot.
Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that this year's crews were from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland and Belgium - countries with a considerable tradition of cycle chic?

To illustrate, here are two prop girls carrying a sewing machine and an ironing board while chatting gently in the sun.


The carpenters were eager cyclists, always heading somewhere with cases of skulls or coconut leaves on their back racks.


I only spotted a few Malaysians on bikes. However, these muslim chicks in the small harbour town of Mersing seemed to enjoy themselves..


When standing in front of the world's highest twin towers, Kuala Lumpur's Petronas Towers, there's no reason not to spread the message!

For more global cycle chic sticker statements see our previous post on the matter.

Resting on her Florals

A little Sunday hint of the summerliciousness to come.


I've posted about Lego has immortalised us in Legoland, but here's the ultimate accolade. A Lego version of yours truly. Perfect except for the hat. I'm not a fisherman.

We have some new postcards for your perusal over at the Copenhagen Cycle Chic Boutique.

Saturday Guest Photos

Another splendid photo from Derek at Bikerubbish.com, documenting, as ever, the shockingly chic bikes and ladies in his life.

We've made the acquaintence of a girl with the charmingly-named bike chic website Riding Pretty, from California. What a pleasant place to visit. She sent us this photo from her blog. We recommend a visit.

Another splash of style.

This is one of the only lycra photos you'll ever see on this blog. Taken by a French acquaintance, Guillaume Reguer, it's a great unicycle shot. Sorry about the lycra. Seriously. Really sorry. It won't happen again.


Once again, it's not just us.

Quintessential Danishness [and a wallpaper]

It's hard to explain if you've never been here but this shot is textbook Danishness.

Not Copenhagenness - a modern European capital with all the trimmings - but the whole essence of Danishness. That national sensation that exists just under the skin. A national-romantic and idealistic image of what a nation is, sure, but it is almost always makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Each country with a long history has their own, unique and simple sensation. This photo is, for me, quintessential Danishliciousness. Stormy seas and wind turbines are Danishness, too. As are the bike lanes on this blog. But this shot is special - because of the rolling wheatfields and the sea - but mostly because of the bike and the girl on the bike.

Made better by the fact that it's Wifealiciousness on that bike, in that wheat field, heading towards that sea in the background.

Taken on the 'Sunshine Island' - Bornholm, just south-east of Sweden in the Baltic Sea.

And I think it appropriate to remember that Danish women and men have been cycling daily down this lane since bicycles were invented.


Monday is Wallpaper Day
Or so I declared last week.

1024x768

1680x1050.

Like-minded Individuals

I've made the acquaintence of many like-minded individuals through this blog and now I'm met one close to home. I was contacted by Marie, a fellow Copenhagener, and we met to discuss our passion for Copenhagen bike culture.

She wrote her thesis from the University of Copenhagen last year called "The Modest Democracy of Daily Life - An analysis of the bicycle as a symbol of Danishness".

For those who understand Danish, there is an interview with her on Danish Broadcasting's website. Click on the name Marie Kåstrup to hear it.

The thesis makes for fascinating reading. The short of the long is that we are now collaborating on a book about Danish bike culture and it's all very exciting. Not to mention odd that it hasn't been done before. Working title: 'Cykelkultur' - I don't need to translate that, do I? :-)

But despite the lack of books on the subject, she confirmed what I had long suspected: that Denmark has more songs, literature and poems dedicated to the bicycle than any other country. Not even our happy, singing, poetic Dutch friends to the south can compete.

And indeed, the concept of "cykelpigen" - or "the cycling girl" was well established from early on and it remains an iconic symbol of Danishness even today [this blog, for example]. "A unique front figure for the democratic bike culture", as Marie writes in her thesis. "She is, all at once, a modest, charming and everyday representation of Danishness."

Poets and writers and songwriters have sung the praises of the Copenhagen cycling and cyclists for over 120 years.

In his famous documentary from 1935 simply called 'Danmark', Poul Henningsen filmed cycles in the city, including these 'young cycle ladies' and wrote the final song in the film - "Cykelsang" wherein he mentions 'Sweet shoes on pedals [...] Cycle girls... lovely girls!'. Here's a still from the film of a cyclist in a summer dress pedalling through the landscape:


And here is a hastily made Short visual history of Danish cycling:



More to follow, along with the usual content... don't worry.

The Retrovelo Balloon Bike

We just posted another 'Bikes We Like' bit over at Copenhagen Bike Culture Blog, this time about Retrovelo and their fantastic Balloon bikes. We thought it fitting to post a photo from their groovy catalogue here. Read all about why we love them - here.

Denmark Land of Smiles and Peace, Apparently

Retro tourism poster from the 1950's [we think] promoting Denmark as a tourist destination. Using that quintessential icon of Danishness - Woman on Bike. Once again, once again... it's not just us. We are merely continuing a century long tradition with this blog. The child's seat in the artwork is still in use today. Great to have the kid up front as opposed to sitting on a plastic contraption behind you.

'The Spirit of the Wheel', above, was one of the many images celebrating the bicycle's liberating quality back in the bicycle boom at the end of the 1800's.

Ironically the artwork is from the cover of the New York magazine 'Truth' back on 22 August 1896. Something went horribly wrong 'over there' between then and now.:-)

And while we're on this retro journey, here's a film still from Hitchcock's 'Topaz', filmed in Copenhagen and, not surprisingly, featuring a girl on a bike.

An Unbelievable Sight

You won't believe this. There I was waiting for the light to change on the bike lane on the corner of Gothersgade and Nørre Farimagsgade in central Copenhagen, minding my own damn business during the snowstorm and suddenly this Copenhagener rolls up beside me on her shiny bike.

I quickly pulled out my little IXUS and snapped this shot of her... see the snowy background... I was lucky to get any focus at all in the low light... and then she sped off to her cocktail party.

I'm just pleased as punch I was quick enough to record the experience for you. It's all true. The whole story. Really. I just hope she didn't get too chilly, what with that stiff northerly roaring down from Norway. But then again she was wearing gloves, so she was prepared for any weather.

[thanks to a lovely lady in Sweden for forwarding this photo to us!]

Bikes are Vogue

Yet another little post wherein we highlight the fact that it's not just us.

Not just us who are fascinated by cycle chic in all its manifestations. We just happen to live in a city that excels at it.

Here's something from an issue of Vogue from back in '06 where they show how bikes have been used in their photoshoots for decades.

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.

Vintage Bike Poster Screensaver

By popular demand we thought we'd whip up another screensaver. We do like the graphic arts, and we thought it fitting to include historic bike posters featuring the ancestral cyclists that inspired Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

Back in the day it was the impeccably stylish French and Italians who had the last word on chic posters advocating bike brands and usage. What a splendid array of vintage girls on bikes.

The screensaver is 1024x768.