Bicyle Icicles

Suddenly an icy cold wind swept over Copenhagen from the North Pole, chilling everyone to the bone. Even if the temperature only reached freezing, a brutal wind put turbo on the chill factor. Afterwards the temperature dropped like a rock. Still the bikes kept rolling. Above: cutting through the morning sun in carefree elegance. Below: Keep Calm and Bike!





Yup. There's iciles in that Viking's beard!



Not to disappoint, here's the Authentic Iced Bike.



Happy Cycling!

Bun Bunnies

To get the wind to cooperate with their hair Copenhagen women seem to go for one of three options: Free flowing, ponytail or a brilliantly built bun. Above: Beautiful Silver Crown with glittering stones. Below: Amazing Butterfly Bun.




Half and half with low hanging bun and frizzling free flow.



Elegant, expertly styled topped up bun!



Super combo with wild dreadlocks marshalled by a colorful hairband.



Happy Cycling!

Enter the Headwind

There's a storm warning for Copenhagen and parts of Denmark today. Here's a little prequel. While many parts of Denmark are hilly, the central area of Copenhagen is rather flat. What many people don't understand is that wind is a major factor. On a windy day, cycling into a headwind, it is equal to cycling up a hill with a 6% grade. And hills end. Wind doesn't.

Today, the storm strength winds will transform Copenhagen into the Pyranees. We will, however, just get on with it.















It's nothing new, of course. Wind has always been a factor in Copenhagen, as the vintage photo, above, attests.

Make sure your bike is not free-standing today, unless you have a proper kickstand.

Some people are more prepared for the wind than others.

55.6° N, -15° Windchill

One of our friend's mentioned that we're going to feel a windchill of -15 this week. Luckily, we haven't. But here's what it looks like when it does come.

Copenhagen Summertime

Some of you may have noticed that Mikael hasn't been the one posting the last few blog entries. Because the lucky dog is on holiday in Croatia.  So, while he's gone, we're taking advantage of Copenhagen's own little seaside escape. 

The beach is close, but not central to the city, so bicycles (and the metro) are the most popular way to get there.

Beachside bars with signs that read 'open when the sun is shining', vendors selling fresh green peas and ripe cherries, and gently rotating wind mills create a pretty warm landscape to complement the city's otherwise Nordic Cool attitude. Not bad Copenhagen, not bad at all.

Gone With the Wind

The Wind came by to make fun of Gravity and mess up everyone's hair.

With its invisible hand it shook and played us like dolls.


No one was left untouched.


All the better to smile and laugh at such foolish behaviour.



For surely the joke was on us.


Happy Cycling!

Wait for It

The World's Best Behaved Bicycle Users in Copenhagen like to wait for it.
With a basket.

With a soundtrack.

With a headwind.

With a delightful ensemble.

With complete casualness.

Peek-A-Boo

The Eastern Cold Front reached Denmark this week with record breaking frosty days and nights. Copenhageners continue to bike unabated but its necessary to plan your ride according to length - and the wind direction! I find that anything longer than 10 km needs serious packaging to avoid deep freezing my ears, nose and fingers. So lots of people here have started to play Peek-A-Boo.

Its always a balance if you want to pack you nose in because moist quickly builds up under your scarf if you do.


She was not letting her hand down - no matter what!


Looking cool or maybe just cold.


The ultimate in clam shell inspired wind protection for maximum heat preservation.


Happy cycling!

Grey Eminence

Grey is a color of choice this winter in Copenhagen. Preferably spun in natural wool to underline the understated elegant streak. Easy to accessorize. Black/White, Red/Green. Grey is easy on the eyes and works well with almost everything.

Besides looking good, wool is great for keeping you warm on a cold morning ride. There are a lot of comfortable ride-friendly half-length coats and capes to choose from. Especially lots of Surtout drawn coats - with over-sized buttons to match. Above double lined buttons with dark-grey Grand Beret on top and below single line buttons topped off with a matching grey Beanie Hat.


Perfectly presentable and entirely practical. Top buttons only make for maximum mobility, with a wide overlap to avoid adverse winds creeping in. Oversized scarf and grey bag to go.


Grey poncho. Turquoise dress. Black leggings. All draped in the hazy morning greyness. The large buttons are set over her left shoulder and - another Copenhagen favourite - the mobile phone in her right hand.


Happy Cycling!

I Love the Wind!

We're very pleased here at Cycle Chic to have a new photographer on board. Franz-Michael. While Mikael gets called "The Danish Bicycle Ambassador", it's a pleasure to have a real ambassador in our ranks. Franz-Michael has served Queen and Country as Danish ambassador to various countries including Afghanistan and Japan. In fact, Mikael met Franz-Michael in Tokyo a couple of years ago on Her Majesty's Bicycle Service. Several conversations about photography on various high-speed trains around Japan and here we are. Back in the 'hood with Franz-Michael's view on Cycle Chic. We're looking forward to seeing his regular posts here on the blog.

One of privileges of biking is having the wind first gently comb your hair and then having a gust rearrange it into an unruly mess. Today the winds were strong, and so the heavenly hair dresser decided to disrupt every strand of hair and strip of clothing that was not tied down:

Even a hair band and a pony tail could be unfurled:

This is from another windy day just to show how a scarf impromptu can be used to create an illusion of order while riding:

Casual, alert, fresh in for work - and Thank God its Friday!:

At nighttime it was still blowing hard outside. Her elegantly set Anglo-basque Beret was lifted away like a flying saucer, but she managed to grab it before it flew away: