Mikael Chic

In honor of the man who brought us Cycle Chic, here is a little Mikael Chic.

Happy Birthday Mikael and thank you for showing us the beauty of the bicycle!

Cycle Chic Meets Muuse.com

Cycle Chic has teamed up with our friends at Muuse.com to make a film combining Muuse's brilliant fashion with Cycle Chic's eye for bicycles. We headed out to one of the many beaches around Copenhagen last Friday to shoot and here are some of the still photos from the day. Thanks to Velorbis for the bicycles, too.

It was a brilliant day. A little chilly, if you ask us, but our model Maria is a viking and she put on a brave face. We wrapped her in fur and blankets between every take and took good care of her. Most of the shooting featured many of Muuse's creations from their talented designers but we always included some classic Cycle Chic bicycle ridin'. Of course we did. We couldn't live without it.


Muuse.com has also written about the behind the scenes action from the film shoot over at their blog.








It goes without saying that when we did the mobile shots, we used a cargo bike from Nihola. Mikael rode the trike and Theis, the cinematographer, sat in the box.

Right then... we'd better get started editing the film. Keep your eyes on this space. It's coming soon. Well... kind of soon. Soonish.

Knack the Copenhagen Code

The cool Belgian lifestyle magazine supplement Knack Weekend was in Copenhagen recently and Cycle Chic and Copenhagenize feature in the mag. The photographer on the gig, Diego Franssens, took some cracking shots of the world's cycling capital.




To learn about what the man on the right is leaning on, here's an article about it on Copenhagenize.com. It's one of the ways we like to spoil our urban cyclists in this city.


Diego worked his photographic on yours truly, standing with my Bullitt cargo bike. Although I'm not sure if I prefer this other shot.

Stefan over at Belgium Cycle Chic translated some of the quotes:

‘Us Danes like it simple, esthetical and functional. It’s the case for furniture, can-openers and mobility. If the bicycle is the fastest way to get from point A to point B, then we’ll use it.’

His advice to cities who want to promote bicycles: ‘It really is all about spoiling the bicyclists.’

And finally, on the power of the bicycle: ‘It’s a universal thing: everybody learns to ride a bike at some point in his or her youth. It’s a rite de passage, and a beautiful symbol of anarchy and freedom.’

And only because I've been asked to by some readers, here are some fashion details:
Bike: Bullitt by Larry vs Harry.
Coat: Bruuns Bazaar
Shoes: Zara
Jeans: Bertoni
Scarf: No idea.
Underwear: Next
Socks: H&M

Does My Ass Look Big in These Pants?

One rarely gets to see one's self from certain angles. Unless one is photographed by one's friend, AK.
Oh, and I don't really want to know the answer to that question... :-)

Bike Shop Street Party in Copenhagen

You should never judge a party by it's beginnings. The latest Larry vs Harry street party didn't start well for me. Hungover from the night before, I needed to eat some nuggets and a McFeast in order to get rolling again. That's how hungover I was. As a result, the King of Cycle Chic was completely out of service and missed what could have been the Cycle Chic Epic shot of the century. See above. Am I losing my touch?


Things managed to improve, however. Larry vs Harry have started a tradition of hanging out on the sidewalk or in the shop and letting things develop from there. Beers and pizza and loads of banter. Every couple of months or so. For no reason or a good reason. In this case, Ole - on the right - was heading to Sweden after a summer in Copenhagen. He's Norwegian... oh nevermind. It was a good excuse, trust me. It started out casually one Saturday afternoon. Some of the owners of shops on the same block showed up. Beers were bought and off it went.


You never know how it's going to go, these parties. The shop is on the busiest bicycle street in the Western world, so loads of people we know are sure to ride past, stop up, drink a beer, head off again. The numbers ebbed and flowed through the evening. Parties should be organic and this one was.


People came, hung, went. Some stuck around. I think we had the pleasure of entertaining a dozen nationalities. Gin and tonics were bought, along with vodka and red bull. Pizzas were consumed.

The guy who bought my old Bullitt rode past and a Serbian girl hung out.

These two friends were heading off into town and we gave them a beer and a lighter to help them on their way.

More people showed up and it got cosier. The tire was punctured on this woman's Christiania bike so we - okay, Ole - fixed it for her. This girl on the right had a girlfriend on a leash and was asking for directions to where she could catch a number 40 bus. We helped her out (and regret to this day not going to that party...)

We started in the mid-afternoon and went quite late. People who stopped by for a beer earlier, before heading off to dinner, were soon riding home again.

Even the Danish Bicycle Ambassador got in on the act, inflating this girl's tires for her. At some point we ordered mojitos and daquiris from the bar down the street.

Some of the most fun people left way too early but we soldiered on. Later we ended up at a badasse street party, where I took these photos in this earlier post.

Thank goodness Larry and Harry don't have these parties every weekend, but we're all looking forward to the next one.

Cycle Chic Interview

On my recent visit to Melbourne for the State of Design Festival, the good people from Inframe.tv shoved me into a chair at Denmark House and engaged me in a chat about Cycle Chic. The origins and the philosophy and all that.

Bicycle Paparazzi

Honestly. You simply can't move around this city without getting photographed on a bicycle.

In this case it was a friend and photographer, Nicolai, who was doing the clandestine shooting.

That's Hans from Larry vs Harry on the pink Bullitt cargo bike.

And some Cycle Chic guy in the hat.
Photography by Nicolai Perjesi

Gant Rugger City Bike - Cycle Chic Testdrive

What with all the clothing brands that have launched bicycles over the past couple of years I figured it was time to try one. And there was one, in particular, that I really, really wanted to try out.

Iconic American clothing company Gant have been doing East Coast prep since 1949 and when they decided to launch a bicycle, they did so in style. To roll in harmony with their Rugger clothing line, they chose to launch the Gant Rugger City Bike and went for a walk down memory lane to choose the style and form. The result is a retro dream that looks like almost every gentlemens' bicycle back in the 1920's and 1930's. Just have a look at the bicycles in this newspaper cartoon from Copenhagen, 1938 to see how mainstream this design used to be.


In order to get a real sense of the bicycle I did what I like to do. Ride it for a couple of weeks. I quickly dubbed it my café bicycle. Perfect for summer in Copenhagen and heading off to meetings at Bang & Jensen café or locations in the city centre. I took off the fenders because I like the look of it with those big balloon tires as bookends to the black, mat frame. They'll come on again when autumn arrives.

The bike is a real headturner - a Cycle Chic prerequisite of course - and as recently as this morning when heading out of a supermarket a chap nodded approvingly and said, "that's a fine bicycle!". Such is life riding this bike around Copenhagen. People comment on it all over the city. Young hipsters, elderly ladies and everyone inbetween.

One fine little detail is that the bike is numbered, like any other piece of artwork. I acquired number 593 out of 648. Sure, number 001 would be cooler, but it's still a cool gimmick having a numbered bicycle.


Just parking it on the sidewalk to take photos of it draws glances from people cycling past.


Riding it about the city gives me a retro rush. A direct, aesthetic connection to a pre-war Copenhagen when the bicycle reigned supreme. Like in this travelogue from 1937 in Copenhagen. It's a cool, easy ride and the balloon tires are brilliant for city life. It's a one-speed perfectly adjusted for every urban speed. Not too fast, not too slow. Just right.


The Gant Rugger is perfect for modern urban living and compliments any shopfront - whether tragically hip or refreshingly rundown.

The little bag that accompanies the bicycle contains an extra pair of Brooks handlebar grips should you fancy another style, a bottle of paint for fixing scratches, black tools to match the bicycle, a white reflector ready to mount, care instructions for the Brooks saddle and grips as well as an 'instruction manual' for the bike. Don't see the latter when you buy a bicycle in Copenhagen so that was... um... interesting.

All in all, The Gant Rugger is wicked cool. Here in Denmark they retail for 7000 kroner at the Gant flagship shop on Østergade. That's $1250 USD. Although prices will certainly vary depending on where you buy the machine.

Cycle Chic approves.

Dublin Cycle Chic - The Movie

The Velo-City 2010 conference has ended and life returns to normal. I now have time to catch up on some important stuff. Here's a little film made by Dublin City Council about the Dublin Cycle Chic fashion show ten days ago in the Irish capital.

What a town. What a cycling town! Dublin was once one of the great cycling cities of the world. She's well on her way to returning. The bicycle is back and the fact that the City Council and National government supported our Cycle Chic event, along with the Royal Danish embassy is a fantastic, promising sign.

There was also a nice article in the Irish Times about the event.

WIN A BIOMEGA BICYCLE!
At the event we launched another photo competition. Upload your best Cycle Chic photos to the Dublin Cycle Chic Flickr group and on July 31, 2010 we'll pick the best one and reward the Cycle Chicness with a Boston bicycle from iconic Danish bike brand Biomega.

More México Cycle Chic on Reforma

Here's some more photos from my Sunday ride down Reforma boulevard in Mexico City last week.

Classic Cycle Chic Mexicana style.

A potpourri of bicycle action.

A cool conversation in town, heading towards Reforma.

Four girlfriends on rental bikes enjoying the day on two wheels.