Cycle Chic Cargo Bike Nicked!!!

And so it was that just before Christmas, the time of goodwill towards our fellow humans, some sods decided to get the bolt cutters to Mr Chic's Kona Xtracycle and ride it away from Kings Cross Parking Station in Sydney.

Not only is it one of a kind and loving built by Mr Chic but it has stunningly, sustainably transported all manner of Sydney Cycle Chic stuff and kids to events across the city and we need it back!

Will we be as lucky as Mikael in Copenhagen and his stolen Bullitt???

If you see it please email me and call Kings Cross Police on 02 8356 0099 who have the report.

What the *#@* is Cycle Chic™?

I've been getting a little feisty over at Sarah Wilson's blog today in response to the replies she received on her post What to Wear On A Bike - Part 2.

Surely we have all earned the right to wear whatever we like, on or off our bicycles without judgement?
Why is it that some women find it necessary to dismiss frocked up female riders as frivolous and silly because they sometimes like to wear dresses and heels while riding?
I wear whatever I would wear normally and get about very well thank you and yes if some days I wear f*$@ off heels, so what?

Over in Copenhagen and indeed many places in the world, women of varying ages ride in all manner of clothes as these photographs from Copenhagen Cycle Chic so beautifully illustrate.

It is in emerging bicycle cultures that we are constantly forced to explain and justify our clothing choices.

Which brings me to that question I am asked so often - "what is cycle chic™?"

When Mikael Colville-Andersen first coined the term back in 2007, he was using it as a way to describe his fellow Copenhageners as they went about their daily business on their bicycles.  Devoid of any "cycling gear", just in regular clothes, doing regular things, a concept that was and still is to some degree, thought of as a little extraordinary.

In Sydney, we do cycle chic our way, we're not Copenhagen after all, but the aim is absolutely the same.

To show how the bicycle can be "an integral, respectable and feasible transport form, free of sports clothes and gear, and how it can play a vital role in increasing the life quality in cities.

... to highlight that bike culture is an effortless pursuit. No lycra needed. No fancy gear. Just get out and ride. Style over Speed. Man or Woman."

    

  

The photograph below is not overtly glamorous. The "photograph that launched a million bicycles" as it has become known, is just a nice spontaneous shot of someone probably heading off to work one day.

As is this - the eminently majestic stylist Catherine Baba on the job in Paris. And frankly, if she can ride in those heels more power to her!!!

So when people say "I want to ride but I don't have anything to wear?", I paraphrase Mikael and say "of course you do, wear what you're wearing right now".

I like this cheeky photograph from Copenhagen Cycle Chic.

So at Sydney Cycle Chic when we get together for a ride, we come as we are.

We don't NEED to dress up to prove a point - or do we?

"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free, untrammelled womanhood." - Susan B. Anthony, American Suffragist, 1896.

Melbourne Cycle Chic

Last time I was in Melbourne it was to hear Mikael from Copenhagen Cycle Chic give his Four Goals for Promoting Urban Cycling talk during the State of Design Festival.  Oh and a little Melbourne Bike Share Protest ride.... fun times for sure.

Little seems to have changed as far as the bike share scheme goes with mandatory helmet law still preventing the "spontaneous" nature of bike hire.  So there were sadly still too many bikes docked unused.  

I did see 3 being ridden and overheard a lady in the 7-11 ask how much the disposable helmets were.

(They didn't have her size though so she left.)

I did, however, notice an awful lot of nice looking bikes, especially around St Kilda and my sources tell me that a certain suburb a little further North is a veritable hotbed of lawless helmet-free bicycle bliss.

I shall leave that for next time..... unless someone wants to send me evidence?? :-)

St Kilda Botanic Gardens

Outside the Prince of Wales Hotel on Fitzroy St - Bands, Bars and Bikes, lovely

Sounds of Summer - Corinne Bailey Rae

I'd completely forgotten about the gorgeous girls on bicycles in this clip until Mikael posted it on Copenhagen Cycle Chic this week.  So as Copenhagen cools down for winter and Sydney warms up watch and enjoy.  I know how I'm planning to spend my Cycle Chic Summer of Love!

The Blingtastic Launch of Cycle Chic Kids!

What a wonderful way to roll off the first Cycle Chic Kids event.

Despite the overcast day which may have kept some families away, we managed to sidestep the rain and spent a very happy few hours in Centennial Park creating magic.

It's funny when you organise a kids event, you can never quite tell if it will work - they're funny creatures (never work with kids or animals right?) but when it works ?  Boy it works.

Within five minutes of unpacking the tubs of craft supplies, all 20 or so kids (plus their eager parents...) were into it, up to their little arms in fabric, flowers, ribbons, foil, paper, bells....you name it we had it.

   

It was hard to keep a smile off my face as I snapped away and watched them festoon their bicycles and scooters and tricycles with their finds.  Talk about creative ?  We had a doll in a basket wrapped in paper complete with a foil cupcake in case incase she got hungry.  We had flowers and leaves stuck like peacock feathers from saddles.  Silver starts threaded through spokes.  Space helmets and rocket boosters attached to training wheels....I could go on.

    

The wonderful Paul became No 1 King of Bling and was sweet-talked by all the kids into driving them around (and around) the park in the Gazelle Cabby.  Who doesn't love a ride in a cargo bike, it's the modern equivalent of the bouncy castle I reckon.

And the fun didn't stop with the kids.  Quite a few parents tried out the Cabby and my Velorbis.  Nice to see adults having so much fun with bikes too - it really is infectious.

  

So fun was had by one and all  and plans are already underway for the next one.  BIG plans.  Please make sure you like the facebook page to be kept upto date with details or drop me an email and I'll add you to our new Cycle Chic Kids email group. 

It was impossible to judge a winner out of the kids as they all made such an effort so we decided to award a Basil basket to Hannah who made the longest journey to join us with her Dad.  We loved meeting you both and Mark you have been voted the coolest Dad on two wheels (or three in your case....) - hope you survived the long trip home?

It's been impossible to edit the 300 odd photographs from the day (see the rest on flickr) but the kids speak for themselves, so here the are - some of the first Cycle Chic Kids from Sydney.

    

I am endebted to so many people for helping to make this a success and offering their support.  What a wonderful bicycle community we are a part of.  Without wanting to turn this into an Oscar acceptance speech, permit me to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to (in no particular order):

The Lord Mayor, Clover Moore MP who was due to launch the event but her recent foot injury prevented her from attending.  She has been a great supporter of Sydney Cycle Chic as we are of hers!  Her speech is here.

The entire Cycle Team at City of Sydney who tirelessly give me their help and advice.  Elaena Gardner from BIKESydney for her wisdom and loaning us their Cabby (sorry about all the stickers....). Kathi from Feather Brigade for her crazy craftiness.  The supreme Queen of Craft, Liane Rossler for just being the most creative and generous person I know.  Liz Nield and Lyn Heal from Opera Australia for getting behind me and digging out those pink leaves.  Neroli for being so wonderfully generous.  Miss Sonja for being my fellow cycle chica from the start.  Milou for being calm and keeping me in Gin. Jim for being there and giving me free reign of the UTS faculty guillotine.  The kids and parents at Montessori East for getting into the spirit.

And of course, last but not least, Mikael, the Godfather of Cycle Chic for the cute logo and the Felix's (Sydney and Copenhagen) for inspiring this in the first place.

The Cycle Chic Manifesto

Perhaps you've never read this, perhaps you can recite it by heart ?

Either way, it always makes me smile and on the eve of the next Cycle Chic Sundays Sydney ride it's good to remind ourselves what this cycle chic thing is all about.

So read and enjoy.  Mikael Colville-Andersen wrote it "with a hint of seriousness, a splash of poetry and a dash of playfulness" which is how we choose to take it.

See you all tomorrow for some serious cycle chic fun in Surry Hills!

Miss Eva's Tour de Chic - Amsterdam, Copenhagen & Oldenburg

Reigning Queen and Founder of Cycle Chic Sundays, Miss Eva, has left her home in sunny California behind to go in search of bicycle heaven on her Tour de Chic through Europe.
And judging by the photographs she is having FAR TOO MUCH FUN in the motherland, meeting up with fellow bicycle bloggers Dave from Portlandize, Marc of Amsterdamize and Mikael of Copenhagen Cycle Chic/Copenhagenize.

Check out her blog for the full story and more photographs.

[photograph via Amsterdamize]

[photograph via Amsterdamize]

[photograph via Amsterdamize]

[photograph via Mikael Colville-Andersen/Copenhagen Cycle Chic]

From Protest to Pinot (and everything in between)

5am Saturday morning, stumble out of bed in dark, shower, dress, throw various chargers into bag, rain in Sydney, cold in Melbourne where I am headed for a day of spontaneous Cycleiciousness.  Layer up with as much cycle chic as I can muster for this hour and out into the taxi waiting to take me to the airport.
9.05am arrive in Melbourne, Skybus it to hotel, check in and dump bags and jump in another taxi to first date of the day - the protest ride.

There's nothing I like more than standing up for what I believe in, a little political unrest does us all good and this was right up my alley.  Mike Rubbo from Sit Up Cycle had organised a ride to draw attention to the mandatory cycle helmet laws and why they will probably be detrimental to the success of the new Melbourne Bike Share scheme.  Of course it will hinder rather than help the scheme be a success, it doesn't take a genius to work that one out so the more attention this gets the better.  Will the laws be repealed as they have been in Mexico City ?
Time will tell.
It was a small but spirited turnout and snapping away in the midst of the crowd surrounded by tv crews was Mikael Colville-Andersen, in town for his much anticipated Four Goals for Promoting Urban Cycling talk as part of the State of Design festival.  He's disarmingly charming, passionate, funny, cheeky as hell and obviously loves his role as Denmark's unofficial roving Bicycle Ambassador.  Who wouldn't ?  He strongly believes in what he is doing as do I and it seems the thousands of fans of his various blogs Copenhagenize, Copenhagen Cycle Chic™ and The Slow Bicycle Movement to name but three.

So pictures were taken, the police did what they had promised to do and booked those who decided to ride helmet-less through the streets of Carlton - the horror - and news coverage was obtained from The Age and ABC.  Apparently we also made the ABC tv news in Melbourne but I've yet to get my hands on a copy of the segment.  With all the lively online commentary over the last few days it would seem the ride was a success.  Great to have been a part of it, now let's see the change hmmm ??

(more pics on flickr)

Next stop on the whirlwind bike tour of Melbourne was a quick trip to Gertrude St, spotted lots of nice stationary bikes (quite a theme of this trip) then off to Fed Square for Mikael's talk.
No doubt that it was illuminating and inspiring (and there's that screwball Danish humour again) and he really has hit the nail on the head.  His ideas so clearly point the way forward for bicycle culture - lessons to be learned whichever continent you are in.
It was however, followed by a rather dull panel discussion but I suppose that's to be expected when it consists of public service types talking about commuter cycling corridors..... WTF??!!
It left me, and I think the ragtag group of bloggers and bicycle advocates I was with a bit cold.  More action and less talk is always my view but hey, call me naive.  Is it not just simply about getting on your bike, as you are, going where you need to go in as fuss free a manner as possible ???

So conference over and off for drinks which turned into dinner and more drinks and well more drinks and stumbling back to the hotel at 2.30am quite a little tipsy.  A rather wonderful day followed by a rather seedy Sunday.  I took solace at the alter that is Rothko before heading back to Sydney, badly hungover but energized for some serious bicycle business.

Great to put faces to my fellow bloggers and tweeters too and meet the lovely Festival ladies on their beautiful bikes !
Tak Mikael for the hangover ;-)