Four People on Bicycles

Three here.


One here.

Rückenfigur and Suchlike

Once in a while we return, quite happily, to our Rückenfigur phase. Here with a cyclist in typical rain clothes on a rainy day. Complete with shocking pink heels.

The blue bag on her seat is a Copenhagen classic. A basic plastic bag pulled out of your bag to cover your seat if it's been raining. Simple and practical.

The art of rolling gently through a light that just changed green. Autumn is just round the corner and chic long boots are appearing once again as the days cool off.


Thanks to Anisa for sending us this photo from her blog Makool Loves You. Funky grocery bag for urban cycling. Available for purchase at her blog.


And a splash of gentleman cycle chic to round it all off.

Harbourlicious

Went to take a dip in Copenhagen's harbour bath next to the Brygge Bridge. Place was crowded with Copenhageners going home from work - or just going somewhere in the nice afternoon sunshine.









It's my shadow in the bottom right photo. Not very discrete!
The guy with the pink shirt and red helmet is a former colleague, Jacob, a really nice bloke. Just a shame I didn't recognize him until after I'd taken the photo - he was long gone by then :)

Tasting Our Own Medicine

Last week, I was out shooting for this blog when I suddenly noticed a cool guy rushing past on a splendid bike. I hurried to get a pic of him and then it struck me - I recognized him! You might too... Now normally he's the one spotting others and blogging about it, but I got away with taking a pic of Mr Meta Dapper himself without being noticed.




As for me, this is how I look on my bike, camera in hand.

Copenmonday

A purposeful urban stride.

I'm sure their destination will be pleasant, but the journey together is, too.

Dapper chap on the King's New Square.

Three Copenhageners.

Funk is in the new punk.

This Could Be You

In the US, according to the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey:
- 25 percent of all trips are made within a one and a half kilometre [1 mile] of the home.
- 40 percent of all trips are within 3 km [2 miles] of the home.
- 50 percent of the working population commutes 8 km [5 miles] or less to work.

Yet more than 82 percent of trips 8 km [5 miles] or less are made by personal motor vehicle.

The figures are not far off the European averages. Basically, as we've been waffling on about for ages, distances aren't an issue. They are quite accessible. Which is a fantastic point of departure for encouraging people to get onto bikes. Sure, we often hear people say "I live much farther than that from work... so I can't ride my bike..."

Surely there must be ways to divide up the trip. Put a bike rack on your car, find a secure place to park it within cycle striking distance of your work and ride the last leg. Or ride to a train station nearby and take the train part of the way. Get a beat up old bike that nobody wants to steal, in case you're worried about theft.

Suits are no hindrance, even in 28 degree heat, if the distances are as reasonable as stated above. It's Style Over Speed, after all.

Bring a bottle of juice along for the ride.

Another Copenhagen Supermum in action.

And here's a stat that's interesting from the same study at the top:
60 percent of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively. Since "cold starts" create high levels of emissions, shorter car trips are more polluting on a per-mile basis than longer trips.

New York Times & The Guardian
Just a little addendum. We were sent this link to T-Magazine, a supplement of the New York Times about Copenhagen. A shocking lack of bikes, but still cool.

Then there is The Guardian's 'I've Been There' feature - great for collecting readers' tips about traveling to various cities. Here's the Copenhagen intro.

Copenhagen is an aesthetic capital that is content with its laid-back, cool attitude and rather unimpressed with the delusions of grandeur suffered by other European cities. The city centre is a charming labyrinth of cosy streets peppered with trendy cafes and boutiques. The surrounding neighbourhoods are relaxed areas where the Copenhagener can be seen in its natural environment.
[...]
If "big is better" is your thing, then Copenhagen will disappoint. Upon seeing the Little Mermaid statue on her rock on the harbour generations of puzzled tourists have uttered the same remark: "But she’s so SMALL!" Upon hearing this a Copenhagener will merely shrug and remark, "She’s life-size". All with a crooked smile and a twinkle in the eye,

Which would be an ideal motto for Copenhagen. Life-size. An ego to match any other capital but an ego which is wrapped up in a Nordic coolness that makes any visit to the city a calming, groovy and aesthetically appealing experience.

Cycle Chic Goes To Sweden

Zipping across Stora Torg [Large Square] in the Malmö sunshine.

Malmö is Sweden's third largest city and it Sweden's leading bike city. Bikes are an important part of life here, just as they are in dozens and dozens of European cities. While we will go to our grave claiming that Copenhagen is the most stylish capital in Europe, Malmö does have it's flashes of cycle chic.

Most importantly, the citizens have understood, like millions of others around the world, that urban cycling is something to be done in your normal clothes and on normal bikes. There are great segregated bike lanes and infrastructure and bikes abound in bike racks all over the city.

It's the easiest way to get around town.

Bring a friend down to the harbour and have a laugh.

Stylish Swedish Gentleman by the harbour.

High heeled cycling, Malmö style.

Heading to the harbour for some afternoon sunshine.

A hub of fashionable cyclists.

Dapper chap transporting toilet paper.

Cool old school chain guard on a Swedish Crescent bike.

Looks like any Central Station in Northern Europe.

Cycle Chic Pour Homme - Dapperliciousness

Don't worry, the focus of this blog remains intact. We just thought we'd post a couple of cyclists of the male variety to highlight a bit of dapperliciousness.

This chap, above, is a poster child for individual style. Just the fact that he's riding one of the retro 10-speeds, with the curvy handlebars of my distant youth, is retro coolaliciousness. Then there's his clothes, cap and the coloured tape on the bike. What a sight.

And from outside the Hauptbahnhof in Zurich, ubiquity_zh on flickr snapped this dapper gentleman getting ready for the lovely bike lanes of Zurich.