Signals, Philosophy and Italian Style

She'll be turning shortly.

In Praise of the Bicycle - A little cyclophilosophy in a book by Marc Augé. Available in French.

"This ode to the bicycle passes three moments: the myth, the epic poem and utopia. The bicycle has a mythical dimension which is at the same time individual and collective. The bicycle, after taking some blows, has returned due to city policy and its image is the object of a renewal of enthusiasm

One can begin to dream and trace the large features of the utopian city of tomorrow when public transport and the bicycle would be the only means of transport and where peace, equality and clean air would reign after the collapse of the oil tycoons. One can dream of a world where the requirements of cyclists dictate political action.

The bicycle teaches us to compose with time and space. It makes us rediscover the principle of reality in a world invaded by fiction and images. Cycling is humanism and it again opens the door to the dream of the future."

Classic Italian Cyclostyle
We can't resist a little plug for L'Eroica, a classic and classy old school Italian affair that celebrates the days gone by when bicycle racers were stylish gentlemen who rode grueling routes and stopped for an espresso and a cognac en route. A far cry from today's lycra louts.

Racing on classic bikes and in classic cycling clothes, L'Eroica is a cyclotouristic rally that has been around since 1997. In short, it's "For bicycle fanatics. For red wine fanatics. For breathtaking panoramas fanatics." l'Eroica. 05 ottobre 2008 in Chianti. Andiamo.

Two Sunday Photos & A Stolen Bike

In the morning traffic she rode along sipping a chocolate milk.

There is nothing quite so wonderful to see as cyclists who feel secure on the bike lanes of Copenhagen. Indeed, a majority of Copenhageners say, when polled, that they feel safe in the traffic on their bikes.

Our mate Nikolas, in Washington D.C. sent us this story from the local news. The management at the city's Union Station removed a woman's bicycle because it was ugly and they thought it was abandoned. Here's the link - watch the video on the right column.

Nikolas asked if our authorities have ever confiscated a working bicycle just because it was ugly and rusty.

Firstly, well over half the bikes in Copenhagen are ugly and rusty. They are mere workhorses. Nobody would dream of removing it for this reason. With that said, there are thousands of bikes that are gathered up each year, but not unless they are absolutley sure they are abandoned.

Rusty, clunky old bikes are the standard here. There is something aesthetically pleasing about rusty old bikes.



Indeed, if you forgot your bike somewhere, you can count on nature taking it back.

Nikolas said, "This begs the question, can one be Cycle Chic with an ugly bicycle?"

Absolutely, we say. We have earlier tracked a Copenhagen trend concering old bikes. For some reason, women who wear shoes by Louboutin often ride an old, beat up Raleigh. These old bikes are an integral part of our bike culture and they're not going away anytime soon.

Lux

The Nordic summer has unique qualities that are difficult to explain. After long, dark winters, the world opens up and the light embraces you. You are giddy. The light is the defining factor. Light illumination is measured in units called Lux.

On a moonless, overcast night you get about 0.0001 lux. The lighting in an average family living room is about 50 lux. The Nordic winter - overcast, snow, rain and with a sunset, in Copenhagen anyway, at around 15:30 in mid-December - is not generous in it's distribution of lux. Rarely does it rise above about 400 lux.

On a sunny, summer's day, on the other hand, your body and mind is splashed with upwards of 100,000 lux. What a shock in the first sunny days of spring. It triggers that feeling of a rush and it increases your energy levels and even your sexual desire. It's quite a difference between winter and summer. I love the Copenhagen summer, needless to say.


Copenhageners at a stop light near the city hall square, on the bike lane.

Le Flâneur et al

Take two to tango at a red light in Copenhagen.

Copenhagener with a new plant in the process of transporting it home.

A different angle on cycling in Copenhagen.

Thanks to a friend, Nicole, in Paris, I have been suddenly presented with a definition of myself. In a word... Moi je suis un flâneur. In more than one word, via Wikipedia:

The flâneur's tendency toward detached but aesthetically attuned observation has brought the term into the literature of photography, particularly street photography. The street photographer is seen as one modern extension of the urban observer described by nineteenth century journalist Victor Fournel before the advent of the hand-held camera:

This man is a roving and impassioned daguerreotype that preserves the least traces, and on which are reproduced, with their changing reflections, the course of things, the movement of the city, the multiple physiognomy of the public spirit, the confessions, antipathies, and admirations of the crowd. ( from "Ce qu'on voit dans les rues de Paris", "What one sees on the streets of Paris")

The most notable application of flâneur to street photography probably comes from Susan Sontag in her 1977 essay, On Photography. She describes how, since the development of hand-held cameras in the early 20th century, the camera has become the tool of the flâneur:

The photographer is an armed version of the solitary walker reconnoitering, stalking, cruising the urban inferno, the voyeuristic stroller who discovers the city as a landscape of voluptuous extremes. Adept of the joys of watching, connoisseur of empathy, the flâneur finds the world 'picturesque.'

Bird's Eye View & Turning Signals

The blue, blue bike lanes of Copenhagen go with any colour.


He's not part of the traffic. He IS the traffic.


Are we turning?


She's turning.

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".

A Hub of Copenhagen Cyclists

We coined this phrase a while back, for fun. There is a long line of interesting names for animal flocks in English like:
- A leash of greyhounds
- A gaggle of geese
- An exaltation of larks
- A shrewdness of apes
- A troop of kangaroos
- A parliament of owls
- A siege of herons
- A crash of rhinoceri

Val - The King of Kargo Bikes in Seattle - and I played a little game in the comments about what else we could come up with.

He brought two great ones to the table:
- A pallet of cargo bikes
- A lounge of recumbents

I came up with:
- A cove of beach cruisers
- A sweat of racing bikes
- A posture of Dutch/Danish bikes
- A load of Xtra cycles

Let's play! Any other amusing ideas? Post a comment. Ooh! I have one!
- A elevation of high-heeled Copenhagen cyclists...

UPDATE!
This just in on the comments page:
Jason brilliantly proposes these:

A tower of tall bikes
A cog of fixed gear bikes
A trick of BMXers
A basket of townies
A cubby of folding bikes
A tred of mountain bikes
A convoy on commuter bikes
A union of unicycles

Steve proposes:
A bank of velodrome bikes.

Keep them coming!

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE CYCLE CHIC:

A warm morning smile at the photographer chap taking photos/filming footage of the rush hour.


Are you exceptionally slow if a violin player overtakes you? Perhaps. Do you care? Unlikely.