Danske Bike Chic
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Riding in Style. Photo: Copenhagen Cycle Chic
It’s particularly hard not to feel inadequate in Copenhagen. Not only is everyone taller, leaner, fitter and better looking than you, they also have a great sense of style. Their clothes are stylish, their homes are stylish, their shops are stylish. Even the street kiosks that sell pølser, a type of Danish hot dog, look stylish. (Hell, even the bloody sausages look like they might have been designed by Arne Jacobsen.)
So, only a city like Copenhagen could provide enough material for a site like Copenhagen Cycle Chic, post after post of lean, fit, good-looking Danes peddling effortlessly through the city on sleek, curved, and very retro-looking bicycles, seemingly without a care in the world. Even their baskets and trailers, and the sub zero temperatures, don’t seem to slow them down.
8 Comments
January 8th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Not to mention they have the ability to snap photos while biking. Chanel has a gorgeous new bike, but like other New Yorkers, I’ll stick to my less fashionable model.
January 8th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I’ve recently got over my wonder and awe of chic Danish cyclers. When I took up my two-wheeled lifestyle last spring I had a vision of free-wheeling my way around town in flowing skirts, just like the Danish ladies. I’d carry a baguette in my bicycle basket, with some colourful fruit and veg and maybe some fresh-cut flowers.
But I live in Coventry, not Copenhagen. And the winter is well and truly upon us. I was on the verge of seeking medical help after arriving home in Arctic conditions last week.
And you’ll notice from the picture, the Danes have cycle lanes well and truly sussed. EVERYONE cycles so there’s power in numbers, meaning they don’t have to clad themselves in luminous vests and flashing lights just to have a chance of staying alive. I, on the other hand, look like a cycling Christmas tree and still get “friendly nudges” from passing cars.
There’s no magic behind Copenhagen’s cycle chic. It’s easy to be chic when you’ve got the right conditions. In Coventry, however, it’s impossible.
(I plan to post a photo of myself in full Christmas tree gear as soon as possible to support this.)
January 8th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
And on a completely unrelated matter, I’d love to hear your take on this little conundrum…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/07/kidney-divorce-new-york
January 8th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I think the guy’s potty. Though there is a more sympathetic piece in the New York Post.
January 8th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
I went on one of these Vélib’ bicycles in Paris, though I wasn’t quite as chic looking as this:
http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/2009/01/cycling-chic-in-winter.html
I looked a right dog’s dinner on mine, wobbling all over the place. I crapped my pants the second I hit an intersection and promptly returned the damned thing. These people are crazy.
January 9th, 2009 at 3:56 am
You’re more than right. While there are fashionable people in every city on the planet, Copenhagen has raised the bar. A sense of fashion, design and style are fed into babies with their mother’s milk. Riding around Copenhagen is an amazing experience. High heels and skirts on every second cyclist despite the below zero temperatures. Chaps in suits and handsome longcoats with their briefcase dangling on the back rack.
Sure, you can build bicycle infrastructure, but a sense of style in such a large percentage of the population is a cultural thing.
January 9th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Great post. And the new color scheme is better!
January 9th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I hope you will also note the uppercase/lowercase post titles.