The Bicycle Crate by Maik

We're loving this beautiful bicycle box called The Bike Crate. It's from Danish design company Maik, located in the heart of the Vesterbro neighbourhood of Copenhagen.

Simple, elegant and oh so urban. We approve.

Mads Berg's Iconic Cycling Girl Illustrations

Copenhagen 10, 2010

It's official. Mads Berg now ranks as Cycle Chic's favourite Danish illustrator. We love pretty much everything he does, but we go just a little bit weaker at the knees when we regard his timeless illustrations of that iconic cultural figure - The Cycling Girl. She's as old as the bicycle itself and yet Mads Berg succeeds in reinventing her and adding new layers to the long history of Cycling Girl graphic design. And that's saying something, considering the wealth of material over the past century.

The illustration above is classic Copenhagen and features another icon - the Christiania cargo bike.

Bornholm 10, 2010. Poster/cover illustration for the island of Bornholm.
Here's an illustration for tourism on the Danish island of Bornholm - the Sunshine Island.

A38 Dairies/Arla, campaign illustrations, 2007
We've blogged about this illustration before here on Cycle Chic. A campaign for a yoghurt.

Illustration for packaging on KIMs crisps, 2003.
This is an illustration for some crisps from 2003.


Our new affection for Mads Berg doesn't mean we're giving up on one of the masters of Danish graphic design, Hans Bendix. His post-war posters are still iconic and relevant today. These two examples are tourism posters from the late 1940's.

Check out Mads Berg's website. It's a treasure trove of graphic design. And here's a link to his online shop.

Thanks to Eneko for the link.

Orco Cicli's Hand-painted Frames

Our friends at Italian Orco Cicli weren't content with the art of making bicycles. They took their craft one step further and dug out the paintbrushes to create this porcelan-inspired paint job. Beautiful stuff.

The bike is retro-goodness with a classic grandpa style reminiscent of the 1930's but for heaven's sake raise those handlebars so people can sit up straighter - like their mothers taught them. We've blogged about their other bikes previously here on Cycle Chic.

We're loving the paint job but we wouldn't mind seeing this lovely personalisation on some of their upright models, too.

Cycle Chic Testdrive - Velorbis Leikier

Here's a bicycle that Cycle Chic has been riding around on for a few weeks. It's fun to test drive new bicycles in the ongoing search for cool urban transport. It's an ocean out there, filled with schools of groovy rides.

Taking a bike for a test drive is great, but I don't think you really get a sense of the bicycle by staring at it intently and riding it around the block or on a parking lot or at a bike fair. The best way to test drive a bicycle is to use it for a longer period.

A short test drive places all your focus on the bicycle and is a bit nerdy. Because it's not about the bicycle. It's about you on the bicycle. So here at Cycle Chic we figured we'd test drive bicycles for a longer period. In order to become comfortable with the machine and, in a way, to forget the bicycle.

Once you ride a bicycle around for more than a couple of days, you don't notice it. You're looking around your city, going from A to B. Then it's possible to return to thinking about the ride.

The bicycle featured here is the Velorbis Leikier. It's a co-branding effort between two Danish companies. Lars Leikier is a respected bikesmith, located here in Copenhagen. Together with his business partner he produces that proud workhorse of the Danish cargo bike fleet - the Sorte Jernhest, or Black Iron Horse.

Here's a Sorte Jernhest in action in Copenhagen.
Lars Leikier is inspired by the American choppers from the 50's and 60's and the Leikier is an offshoot of this fascination. On their website it's described as a Stately City Floater [statslig byflyder]. He crafts 15-20 of these bicycles each year in his bikesmithy. Totally con amore.

Now Leikier and classic Danish brand Velorbis have entered into a co-branding of the bicycle. Taking it to the next level. The result can be seen here.

So what's it like to ride? First of all, the bicycle is a real headturner. You can't pedal anonymously through the city on this puppy. Men, women and teenagers notice it and admire it as you roll past.

I've found that the description "Stately City Floater" is a perfect way to decribe riding the Velorbis Leikier. You sit grandly upon the saddle. The design makes your mother proud in the way that you're sitting up straight. I've discovered that it's virtually impossible to ride with two hands. One hand is magically drawn away from the handlebars to hang casually at my side or to glide into a pocket.

You feel like a king on this bicycle. You rise up above your city and survey it from a two-wheeled perch. All desire to go fast is removed from the design - although with 8 gears you can get up to speed if you need to. It is the poster child for the Slow Bicycle Movement. And it looks bloody fantastic, too. Oh, and super easy to find in bike racks filled with hundreds of bikes. It's the tallest bike around.

I like it when you ride a bicycle and just kind of forget about but somewhere, somehow you just feel good on it. If you notice your bicycle too much, it's not necessarily a good thing. It's like holding hands with someone you fancy. It should be natural. You should know exactly how you both like to hold hands and when your fingers intertwine it should feel nice for a moment and then just become natural.


During the Velo-City Conference 2010 I loaned the Velorbis Leikier to my friend Joel, from Ottawa. A good choice. He dressed for the bicycle.

- The Velorbis Leikier is available from Velorbis - www.velorbis.com.
- It retails for 10,000 kroner - $2995 in the States. There are only 15-20 of them hand-made each year at the moment.
- They come in two colours; black and silver.

The verdict? Cycle Chic approves.

The Cycle Chic Zoo - Seat Covers

We're loving these animal themed seat covers for rainy days, designed by Tilo Ahmels in Switzerland. The website is in German [google translate is your friend] but we can see that the covers cost €10.

Really elegant, simplistic design. They have a string so that you can pull them tight and knot them under the saddle.

Moooo-ve over, sister. I'm cycling past.

Even the tin they come in is cool.


Seeing the seat covers reminded us of some similar products spotted in Copenhagen a couple of years back. What a lovely little bicycle accessory to personalise your bicycle and compliment your already funky saddle.

Thanks to Elle for the link.

The Bike Porter Basket

Cycle Chic is lovin' this integrated handlebars/basket from a local company called Copenhagen Parts. It's called the Bike Porter. Bicycle baskets are as common as pedals and chainguards in the Copenhagen bicycle culture and while there is certainly nothing wrong with the fine wicker baskets we've been using for more than a century, it is always brilliant when something rethinks the concept.

Streamlined and functional, simple and elegant. Everything that Danish Design is known for. You attach the Bike Porter in place of your current handlebars and off you go. Our trained eye has figured out that a flat of beer would fit just about right in that basket. An important detail now that summer is upon us and the beaches await.

Check out their website for more info and to see check to see if there's a dealer near you.

CopenhagenParts.

Cycle Chic Approves: Bellaciao Bicycles

My friend Hans put me onto this smashing new German brand called Bellaciao. With their classic, hand-built frames, Bellaciao strides firmly onto the market in style.


Here's one of their Corva Citta' models for ladies. The way the top bar curves upwards to meet the rest of the frame is oh so Italian and Bellaciao makes no secret of their romantic love affair with Italian bicycle design and aesthetics.

Here's another Corva Citta' for ladies, looking lovely in the sunlight. (I see spring everywhere I look at the moment...) The name Bellaciao is undoubtably inspired by the Italian partisan song popular during the Second World War, which makes us even fonder of them. A friend of our Jason McNiff sings a version of the song which we used on our Cycle Chic Goes to Paris video.

And their gentleman's models are also quite smashing. Here's the Corvo Citta' Uomo. Sleek and gorgeous. If there was one parked outside my flat with my name on it, I'd raise the handlebars to sit up a bit straighter (like my mother taught me) but otherwise I'd thoroughly enjoy this sweet ride.

Prices start at €649 and Bellaciao is launching this spring. Keep your eyes peeled. Until then, the bicycles get a nod of approval from Cycle Chic.
http://www.bellaciao.de/

Copenhagen Life Cycle by Biomega

At long last here's the commercial I made for the Danish bike brand Biomega.

Biomega's classic Danish design bicycles, iconic Cycling Girls and the city that Biomega calls home: Copenhagen. Work with this holy urban trinity and your work is half-done before you start.

There are two different bicycles in the film. The 'Amsterdam' from Biomega's classic line and the Puma Pico, from their upcoming series for Puma. They're launching in Europe and the rest of the world shortly.

We're selling bicycles, of course, but we're also selling urban cycling as lifestyle, as practical transport and as a social tool for city life.

Cycling has been effortless and gorgeous for over 120 years and will be for centuries to come.

Copenhagen. Life. Cycle. by Biomega
Director: Mikael Colville-Andersen
Photographer: Theis Mortensen
Composer: Cycle Chic's own Lars D. Terkelsen
for Copenhagenize Consulting.

Copenhagen Gentlemen

Copenhagen gent waiting at a red light. Read all about the specially-designed railing he is holding onto. It's how we spoil cyclists in Copenhagen.

A gentleman on a late model Raleigh bicycle. See the lovely models available in Denmark here.

The world needs more dapper hats.

Cycle Chic Inspiration

Who doesn't like to be an inspiration? Thanks so much to Wytze, who sent us a mail. He has completed his graduation project which involved designing a ladies bicycle.

I just wanted to let you know your blog inspired me during my graduation project. As a tribute I made this picture I attached. Thank you for all your nice fotographs, they reminded me to focus on style not only on features.
Wytze


Thanks so much, Wytze. And what a groovy bicycle you've designed. It's viewable here in the Graduation Project - The Movie! :-)

Swiss Style In More Ways Than One

A Swiss designer by the name of Thomas Neeser converts bicycles into design icons. He started his work as his diploma project from the Zürich University of Art and Design and now people bring their old bikes to him to have them morphed into something even more lovely, like the bicycle above featuring the Swiss model Zoe Scarlett.


We blogged about the bicycles over at Copenhagenize.com and reserved the Cycle Chic shots for you on this blog.

Read about the bicycles here or visit Thomas' website - in German - at www.fretsche.ch.

Cycle Chic Guide #6: Safe Bicycles

The Cycle Chic Guide to Safe Bicycles is really quite a simple concept. It all starts in our childhoods when our mothers taught us to sit up straight. All we need to do is apply this simple advice to riding bicycles.

The invention of the so-called 'Safety' Bicycle around 130 years ago was a revelation and and revolution. It provided easy and effective urban mobility for the masses and the masses were quick to hop on board.

Prior to the invention of the Safety bicycle, bikes were the domain of the sub-cultural upper classes who got their kicks on the contraptions by racing them and trying to outdo each other in daredevil stunts. Calling the design of the bicycle that we still use today the 'Safety' bicycle was simply a marketing move aimed at distancing the bicycle from the speedfreaks and 'daredevils' in order to sell bicycles to women and men in the other classes.

If all this sounds familiar it's because we are currently revisiting this pivotal point in bicycle history once again. In many Emerging Bicycle Cultures the male-dominated adrenaline crowd have had decades to brand cycling as a sport or adrenaline-based recreational activity, with little or no opposition to their marketing.

Now, fortunately, we are all very aware of the importance of urban mobility, creating liveable cities and using the bicycle as a tool to re-establish bicycle culture in urban centres around the world - and harvesting all the fruits that this move entails. These are exciting times for urban cycling.

Bicycle advert from the late 1800's.
So, is the upright Safety bicycle safe? Yes, it is. There is a very good reason that it has been the most popular bicycle on the planet for more than a century. If you morphed all the bicycles in the world right now into one bicycle, you'd end up with an upright model. It would probably be black, with three speeds and a chainguard/skirtguard and coaster brakes.

Why is the upright bicycle safe? First of all, have a look at the two girls in the photo at the top. Look at their posture. Not only pleasing their mothers, it is elegant. But more than that, this upright posture means that their centre of gravity is in much the same spot as it is when they are walking. Homo sapiens have been around for about 200,000 years and prior to that, other upright-walking species have spent around 2 million years evolving this all-important centre of gravity to near-perfection. In other words, our centre of gravity is quite handy in helping us get around. In addition, it is something that we use every single day in almost every move we make. We're quite good at using it.

Look at the people on bicycles in this shot and compare their posture with the pedestrians in the background. There is little difference. All the centres of gravity are pretty much the same.

Compare this to the riding position on, for example, racing bikes. The upper body is pitched forward, which causes the centre of gravity to shift. In this position the point is dangling in mid-air somewhere over the crossbar. Just think about braking sharply. Your body must battle to keep the weight of your upper body from chucking you forward, which is unnatural for homo sapiens. In an upright position, your body knows how to readjust itself for this sudden stopping motion, much like when you stop suddenly when walking or jogging.

The racing position is great for people who... well... race or who like to go fast. Works perfectly for them, which is super. If you look at established bicycle cultures, the majority of people don't wish to adhere to this way of riding, prefering to merely use the bicycle as a quick and easy tool for getting around and wearing the clothes they have in the closets to do so. Not surprisingly, the upright bicycle is more often than not their vehicle of choice.

To illustrate the relaxed and natural upright position, here's a little film from Copenhagen. The majority of the people on bicycles in the film are using this safe, natural posture, on bicycles built for this purpose. This upright posture also raises you up above the cars, making you more visible on the urban landscape, instead of being hidden amongst the traffic, crouched over.

Acceleration

Acceleration on upright bicycles is also much easier, simply because your centre of gravity remains, largely, the same. You just stand up and assume even more of a walking posture.


Even if you have to lean a bit forward to accelerate a bit quicker the leaning forward motion is still not over-exaggerated, allowing you to maintain that all-important centre of gravity instead of tilting it into a more unstable position.

Shoulder Checking

Much the same physics applies to the simple but important task of keeping an eye on what's around you, including traffic. Walking down the street and turning your head to see if the bus is coming is not far removed from sitting upright on a bicycle and turning your head to perform a shoulder check. Your balance is stable.

Try sitting at a table and lean over it, as though you were on a racing bicycle. Then try to perform a shoulder check. Odds are you'll be mostly checking your shoulder, as opposed to the traffic. If you want to get a clearer view, you'll have to shift your centre of gravity to the side. Rather unnatural for humans, not to mention unstable. Sure, you could look under your arm, like racing cyclists do, but then you're removing your vision almost completely from what's ahead of you. Not advisable.

While you're at the table, leaning over, try looking straight ahead. Your neck is not in a comfortable position the way you have to keep it lifted up. This isn't a problem you'll have when you're sitting up straight.

All of this is basic physics and we don't need a PhD to understand it. There is, however, a number of scientific studies showing that upright bicycles with step-through frames are integral in reducing accidents. Marc at Amsterdamize posted a piece about the healthy posture. And a ten-year study of bicycle accidents featuring elderly cyclists in Sweden by Ulf Björnstig at Umeå University resulted in him advocating step-through frames and lower seat heights. April Streeter over at Treehugger did a piece about this: Swedes Conclude: Girls' Bikes Safer

Besides the safety aspects of the upright bicycle, the design encourages you to have a look around your city when you ride, instead of speeding off. You'll notice more on your daily ride and, indirectly, feel more of a part of your city. This sense of community is a fantastic bonus.

Interesting, the rapid growth in sales of bicycles that feature "Easy Boarding", or a frame that makes it even easier to get on or off the bicycle, is an indication that the upright bicycle is experiencing yet another renaissance. Originally designed for the elderly, these easy boarding models are quickly going mainstream, thanks to their ultra low frame.

By way of illustration, the Danish brand MBK Cykler has this Queen Shopping model.


Biria in the States sell some fine looking 'easy boarding' bicycle models, too.

In earlier Cycle Chic guides we have offered up some opinions that relate to this post:
- Cycle Chic's Top 10 Gorgeous Bicycles
- Cycle Chic Guide: Gentlemen Prefer Bicycles
- Cycle Chic Guide to Choosing a Bicycle

And remember... Style over Speed is actually the greatest safety slogan in the history of cycling. Take it easy and enjoy the ride.

Design-o-rama

Copenhagen Design Week is in full swing. A design week in a design capital offers up a slough of interesting lectures and events about sustainability, design and architecture.

I'll be getting around to some of them on one of my two bicycles. The Velorbis Scrap Deluxe, above, as seen with our newish Opera House in the background.


Then there's the Bullitt from Larry vs Harry, which I use to pick up my kids from daycare and school.

Both bicycles are fine examples of modern Danish bicycle design.

If you're in town, be sure to check out the Copenhagen X website in Danish, or English or their daily blog in Danish. All URLs where you can get the lowdown on sustainability, design and architecture in The Sustainable City.

Design Ecology! Neo-Green Marketing Strategy

If you're interested in marketing, green issues and design [and can read German] there's a splendid book available called Design Ecology! - Neo-Green Marketing Strategy. Written by Jutta Nachwey and Judith Mair, the book covers the new wave of sustainable and enivironmental marketing here in the new millenium.

The Pitch
"Ecology and sustainability are moving increasingly into the focus of corporate communications. The old visual cliches of the eco-design have been exhausted. Communicating "Corporate Green" is important to many companies. With modern visual language and stylistic diversity, they have changed tactics to fit the modern world.

Design Ecology! presents 70 international brands, from small "self-made" labels to global brands, which exemplify the growing need for sustainability and enivironmental friendliness and the interest in social and ethical issues. All through communication and design strategies and listening to audience needs."

I'm pretty thrilled that Copenhagen Cycle Chic was chosen to be included in the book. The backbone of the blog is the photography, of course, but it has been fun developing a marketing strategy and visual identity. It's a rather unfinished work but a little design recognition warms the heart. And it's always fun to read a review of the design and the blog.

"Director Mikael Colville-Andersen refers to his streetstyle blog as 'Bike Advocacy' The photos, which incidentally are taken on the way to work, kindergarten or the supermarket, focus on the especially chic Copenhagen women on their bicycles.

Over 500,000 citizens cycle each day in the Nordic metropolis and clandestine bicycle capital of the world. Colville-Andersen exploits the wholly unpretentious and yet stylish coolness factor of the bicycle.

It is not a lyrca-clad Lance Armstrong imitation but rather cycling as a 'way of life'. Cozy, trendy and environmentally friendly.

One sees lively ladies in skirts and dresses with waving hair, high heels and together with her boyfriend, a dog in the basket or a child on the back. On an obesity list of 108 countries, Denmark tops the list with the fewest overweight people. Germany is at 61! If you ride to work each day, over a week the calories you have burned is the same as fasting for one day.

The blog has an historical angle, too, like the bicycle's role in the suffragette movement and it links to other witty sites like British Cycle Club 'Tweed', Fahrradsozialismus and there are guest photos of cool bicycle fashion from Berlin, Portland and Amsterdam.

The Cycle Chic concept is mainly communicated through photography and although the photos are often similar, devoted fans are never bored thanks to the diversity of the shots, different angles and the involvement of the urban environment. The main point of the flood of images: Cycling is a cult.

Mikael Colville-Andersen designed the logo [font: Gill Sans] and the entire blog, where he also uses Helvetica Condensed Bold. Since the photos are the primary focus, the logo should be simple and elegant, but as unobtrusive as possible. Nevertheless it is concise enough to be used in different variations on stickers, posters and t-shirts or on a mousepad featuring the Cycle Chic manifesto."

The book Design Ecology! is available on Amazon.de [Germany].