Today we decided to rent some bikes from our hotel and go for a ride around town. These were typical Copenhagen city bikes, NOT like anything we are used to riding. They are made out of lead, and would really rather sit still than actually take you anywhere. You get on and the bike just kind of goes “Oh, really?”.
We did eventually get moving, but then had some trouble figuring out the gears. We finally figured out that you have to stop pedaling to get the gears to shift (all 3 of them). Unfortunately we only figured that out AFTER climbing the only hill in Copenhagen.
Bikes here are a preferred means of transport, which means they are everywhere. One thing we noticed is that in addition to mostly being upright cruisers, most of the bikes are beat to hell. I suspect that the majority, at least in the city, are parked outside on the street at night, which means they take a lot of weather abuse, and also means you want to have a beat bike so nobody steals it. Many are cheap bikes to start with – I noticed that the grocery store down the street sells bikes along with the cucumbers.
Many streets have a special lane just for bikes between the street and the sidewalk. This does mean that as a pedestrian you have to learn to watch out for bikes as well as cars before you step off the sidewalk, and DON’T mistake the bike way for a sidewalk or you’ll get cussed out good, if not run over. Tami had to yank me back more than once to keep me from getting killed. Of course I’m not exactly the most observant person. (What Mike fails to mention here is that these bike lanes are a bit like a freeway. You can’t just stop in the middle of them or make sudden changes or turns. He nearly got me run over by the oncoming hoard of cyclists when he made a sudden decision to stop at yet another cycle shop and did not give me but a half second of warning. The cursing was in Danish, though, so I have no idea what they were all saying.We survived. -T)
There are also quite a variety of bikes. In the picture above as well as here are what back home is known as a “Dutch bike”. No idea what they call them here. Cool idea, but I would not want to have one someplace hilly. Even empty that’s got to add some real weight. (And yes, there are two different people on bikes in that picture.)
-M
Helmets?
Many cyclists here, many ill-equipped (no helmet, hauling stuff — sometimes steering with one hand, earbud-wearing, etc.) Like: traumatic brain injuries waiting to happen. Many also chug around, I presume using their one gear.
Pondering getting a bike. But when would I find the time to use it?
Most riders here are helmetless as well. About the only people you see with helmets are the serious cyclists (real bikes, bike clothes, etc.) We felt naked without our helmets.