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Vacuum Cleaner Culture

When I travel around with various lectures I tend to open with a crash course in understanding Copenhagen's bicycle culture. I explain how my friends and colleagues get a kick out of the demand for me to travel around the world talking about something as dull and everyday as 'bicycle culture'. I call it Vacuum Cleaner Culture. I have even made a logo to explain this . We all have a vacuum cleaner, we've all learned how to use it and we all use it. But we don't go around thinking about our vaccum in the course of a day. Only when the bag is full do we roll our eyes and sigh. Kind of like when our tire is flat/chain is loose and we chuck our bike into the bike shop. We don't have a 'stable' of vacuum cleaners. We don't buy vacuum cleaning clothes from our LVS or wave at other 'avid' vacuum cleaning 'enthusiasts' on the street. The relationship to our bicycles is the same as to our vacuum cleaners. They're both merely incredib...

Traffic Calming with Bicycle Parking

The City put in a traffic calming measure on this street next to Saint Hans Square in the Nørrebro neighbourhood. It was a perfect opportunity to plant some bike racks on the raised curb sections. This area is a hotbed of bars, cafés and restaurants so both the narrowed street and the bike racks are fantastic details. I also enjoy the symbolism of a car being forced to slow down and navigate past long rows of bicycles. It's like a sandwich.

Polite Bicycle Warning

How lovely and polite, this tag placed on a bicycle at Copenhagen International Airport. "Undesirable Bicycle Parking With respect for the free passage of passengers and the emergency services, we ask you to please place your bicycle in the established bicycle racks in the future." And on another part of the bicycle was this tag: "Is this bicycle in use? Remove this tag before 16.05.2010 so we can see that it is in use. Otherwise the bicycle will be removed by the police."

Mobile Bike Workshop in Copenhagen

There are very few things that can't be done by bicycle in Copenhagen. We often blog about the various cargo bike variations in this city. Meet Jacob - aka The Bikeman . He's a bike mechanic with a rolling workshop. He has everything he needs in his cargo box, including a portable stand for suspending bikes. He'll go anywhere you need him to on his Bullitt in the city centre. Jacob also has arrangements with various companies. He comes out during work hours and the employees can go down and get their bikes adjusted, tuned, de-squeaked, whatever you need. No need to sacrifice your bicycle for a day by chucking it into a bikeshop. Brilliant. The professional bikeshop comes to you. If you're in Copenhagen and need to get a hold of The Bikeman , ring 28 40 35 67.

Bicycle Sales 1896-1944

An interesting historical document. The number of bicycle sold by Husqvarna Weapons Factory from 1896-1944. Funny... a weapon manufacturer selling bicycles. But Husqvarna was founded in 1689 and focused on weapons from the start. Over the course of a few centuries they branched out to produce bicycles, but also sewing machines, kitchen equipment, motorcycles and chainsaws. Interestingly, sales peaked during both world wars.

The Bicycle Fiets the Hell out of Driving

Displacement activity. Playing around with t-shirt designs. A Danish t-shirt with a Dutch word. Viva l'Europe. Available on a t-shirt from the Cycle Chic/Copenhagenize online boutique . Oh, and a canvas shopping/tote bag . Oh, and a coffee mug . And with this I step firmly into the wasp's nest. Buzz.

Invading Urban Space - Repel the Invasion!

Git yer roll of quarters ready, pilgrims! It's time to try and get that hiscore in [Urban] Space Invaders. Sent to Copenhagenize by Antoine, in New Zealand. The dapper, two-wheeled host with the most of Bike Friendly North Shore . Check out their Flickr photostream for some NZ shots .

Puncture Repairs Banned in Denmark

Vintage tire repair box. You'll be excused for thinking that May 25th is the Danish version of April 1st. The press last week featured articles about The Danish Working Environment Authority's [Arbejdstilsynet] new rules regarding working conditions in bicycle shops. Bike mechanics are now required to wear gloves and masks when repairing punctures using the vulcanized rubber glue for sticking patches on tubes. In addition, they're required to install a ventilation system in their bike shops. These rules will effectively kill off the possibility of getting a puncture repaired in Denmark. Sure, many people can fix flats themselves. However, many local bike shops [I have 22 bike shops to choose from within a 1 km radius of my flat], earn a fair chunk of their income repairing flats. I always chuck my bike into the shop to have it done. It costs 50 kroner [$10] and if I'm on my way to a meeting, I don't fancy getting my hands dirty or risk getting oil on my suit. It...

Police Target Bicycles This Week in Copenhagen

It reads "Remember. Stop for red". I've never stopped for red here, unless pedestrians are crossing. Sue me. The police in Copenhagen don't often bother cyclists. When they do, they're kind enough to announce it in advance. This week is "Go After Cyclists" week. The police will be focusing on cyclists in the traffic in the hope of filling some quotas. Funny thing is, I don't recall ever seeing a "Go After Pedestrians" week. And I certainly don't see any long-term concerted effort to "Go After Motorists", which would save lives. But hey... Here's a blogpost from a while back about a previous, symbolic 'bike raid week' in the Danish capital in 2007. So, if you're riding around the city this week, chill. Wait until next week to navigate along your " Desire Lines " and experiment with the anthropolgical mapmaking of your personal urban mobility routes. Save your rolling casually across zebra crossings, t...

Segways Illegal in Copenhagen

Update: Segways are now legal. But only because the people of Copenhagen need something to laugh at. And that handful of Americans a day looking so hilariously out of place on their dork machines in the world's best city for cycling - and a walkable city - are just the ticket. Seriously. We mock you. Segways look like something out of a cancelled Jetsons episode and should never have evolved from a drawing on paper to a working model. The Danish police don't seem to fancy them either. They're cracking down on Segways in Copenhagen. A company Segway Tours CPH have been running Segway tours of the city. 399 kroner, according to their website. They've been running the tours for a year or so. (You can rent a bike and get a guided tour with Bike With Mike for only 260 kroner , enjoying a wider radius of sightseeing and fitting in with the local population instead of sticking out like a sore, geektech thumb) But Segways are illegal in Denmark. They're not appr...