How Cycle Chic is the new king?
As you probably have heard; we have a new king! On Tuesday the ceremony of the abdication and the coronation (without a crown though) took place in Amsterdam. Prince Willem-Alexander (also known as ‘Prins Pils = Prince Pilsener’) is now king Willem-Alexander and his Argentinian born wife, Máxima, is Queen Máxima.
For Amsterdam Cycle Chic the first question that arose was of course; how cycle chic are the new king and queen? As a royal couple you usually are very chic, but do they also cycle chic? We found the following pictures of the King and Queen on bikes. What do you think? Quite cycle chic eh?!
The king of the Netherlands cycling in a suit
Dutch Royal family on bikes
Royal family cycling with a cargo bike
Queen Máxima on a bike
The Dutch king and queen on their bikes
King Willem-Alexander as a boy
Tuxedo Tuesday!
Tis the season for parties! Judging by their speed and frantic faces, it looks like these two are definitely late to the party–and might not know the address!
by Meredith
Sunny Sunday!
Hey! Where are you going with that leek?! Come to my house and cook! Where ever this handsome chap is heading, looks like he’ll be sharing a lovely meal.
Any groceries in your bike basket today?
by Meredith
PS. Thanks to Joni for snapping up this pic!
Cruising Sunday
Well hey there pretty lady! She’s got her matching gloves and beanie, and just cruising along on her Old Dutch, carrying some things in her basket and listening to music. This freezing weather isn’t wearing her down at all…it’s almost making her smile!
What made you smile today?
by Meredith
What’s in your basket?
I’m always super impressed by what Amsterdammers carry while peddling a human-powered machine. Weaving through cars, alongside trams, riding with one (or no hands!), talking on their phones, listening to music–and schlepping all kinds of stuff with them at the same time, too. In the past few months we’ve seen people on their bikes carrying planks of wood, sleds, Christmas trees, and of course their babies. And despite the terrible weather, they all make it look so easy breezy.
There are all types of baskets out there. You’ve got the classic crate in wood or plastic. The Albert Heijn winkelmandje is always a nice one to see (how do you steal a shopping basket?!). There’s the removable baskets, too. I’ve seen some nice vintage wire baskets. And the huge wicker baskets that have a handy lid, those are fantastic.
The widespread use of the bike basket, to me, is yet another reminder of how utilitarian the bicycle is for Dutch society, and really for any society. It’s not only a means of transportation; it’s a way of life. It’s so ingrained into daily life that of course (!) we use our bike to get groceries, purchase planks of wood, take our kids sledding, buy Christmas trees, and for anything else we have planned for the day. In fact, it makes no sense to do it any other way.
Do you have a great photo of a bike basket, with something crazy in it? Post it to our Facebook page, we’d love to see it!
by Meredith
Just another rainy day
What happened to all the snow?! I was just getting used to the slip n’ slide riding on the snowy streets. Nevertheless, the terrible wind and rain didn’t stop any Amsterdammers today. It’s almost like nothing can stop these people from riding their bikes!
by Meredith
Sunday sledding
I’ve seen tons of adorable kids on or with their sleds these past few days and I keep thinking…where are they going? If you haven’t noticed, this city is really flat. Like really flat. Where are the hills for sledding?!
by Meredith
Leggy Sunday
Ok, Friday was the darkest and shortest day of the year–it’s looking up from here on out! Nothing better to brighten up your day with a little leg! Add some hi-tops and a Dutch bike, so chic. ♥
xoMeredith
Pink Sunday
Gotta love this bright green bike and bright pink skirt! In the dark of winter, we need bright style like this to make our days last a little longer.
by Meredith
Mr. Sunday
Oh hello there, Mr. Sunday! Where are you pedaling off to with those goodies from de Bijenkorf and AH? Looking super chic in those yellow pants and that 5 o’clock shadow (not too bad for Movember).
by Meredith
Hitchin’ a ride
I think this photo truly captures the strong, independent, and do-it-all mentality of Dutch women. Totally fantastic. You can give a man a ride on the back of your bike, purse on arm, and sport your leopard gloves, too.
It’s not easy giving a ride — and it takes practice. I completely fell over the first time I tried to give a ride. Ended up just sitting on the back like this guy. I’ll keep trying though!
by Meredith
Orange umbrella
After Saturday’s disappointment (the Dutch team lost the first football match in the Euro Cup against Denmark) this cyclist keeps up the good spirit by using his orange umbrella to keep a dry head in rainy Amsterdam. Hopefully it will bring luck to the Dutch tomorrow in the match against Germany!
Cyclist of the Month: Lauren the blogger
This beauty from Amsterdam was caught just before parking her bicycle to grab a take-away soup for dinner. Lauren (26) recently bought a racing bicycle to tour the Dutch flat countryside, a real trend amongst Amsterdam youth. But she just as much loves crossing through town on her Dutch bike with bicycle crate. Now that she finished her masters the summer has begun for her; cycling from park picknicks to work to late night dancing. In the meanwhile she blogs about the hidden treasures of Amsterdam for tourist site Spotted by Locals.
Cycle Chic – The Book
Mr. Cycle Chic and founder of the entire Cycle Chic Republic, Mikael Colville-Anderson, made a book full of pictures of chic cyclists from all over the world. It is called ‘Cycle Chic’ and published by Thames & Hudson.
Rainy Cycle Chic
If I can bicycle, I bicycle
With colourful images Mikael takes you around the globe and shows you how people enjoy cycling through their cities and look fashionable at the same time. There are pictures from his Copenhagen and from our Amsterdam, but also from many other cities from all over the world.
Budapest
Paris and London
Dublin
Amsterdam
Wanna see more?
- Order the Cycle Chic book
- Check out the original Cycle Chic blog by Mikael: Copenhagen Cycle Chic
Cyclist of the month…the resigned Prime Minister
Yesterday the Dutch cabinet resigned. After weeks of talks between the ruling parties, the party leaders couldn’t agree on austerity measures.
So? What does that have to do with cycling you might ask? Hardly anything to be honest. Only that the prime minister, Mark Rutte, always used his (ladies) bike to go to and from the meetings. That’s why we make him the Cyclist of the Month. That is at least one thing he can be proud of this week!
“The greenest bike is red”
“The colour we use most is red, because we like our bikes to stand out. Not only because they are cool looking, unique, retro style bicycles, but we hope that people that cycle them want to make a statement. A statement of sustainability. That is why in Amsterdam the greenest bike is red.”
We are talking to one of the founders of Roetz bikes, Tiemen ter Hoeven. 
After having worked at a big consultancy firm for years Tiemen found his calling: starting a bicycle brand of sustainable bicycles. Roetz bikes are green and social: “We select the best steel frames from bicycles that are not used anymore and turn them into new, fancy looking bikes. All the parts we use are as sustainable as possible and many parts are of recycled material, like the crates made out of pallets from the Amsterdam harbour. We get the used frames from the city council and they are reproduced for us in a sheltered workshop.”
Roetz is a young and quickly growing business. Last August they sold their first bicycle and now their bikes are sold through 35 dealers in the Netherlands.
- Are you a bicycle dealer (in the Netherlands or somewhere else) interested in selling Roetz bikes? Contact Mark or Tiemen
- Check out Roetz’ website
- Follow Roetz on Facebook
Three kids, one mum (2)
In Amsterdam you see many parents cycling with their kids. With one or two kids it is easy enough, but cycling on one bike with three kids is quite a balancing act. Especially when it is not a cargo bike. Our friends from Hungary managed to capture this on film:
The Amsterdam Cycle Chic team spotted this mum. Cycling with two of her kids on her bike (one sitting backwards) and her third child on her own bicycle in Amsterdam City Centre.
This is not the first time we post images of one mum cycling with three kids, check out our other post.
A window view
Through a window of a house on a canal we shot pictures of these typical Amsterdam scenes. It was one of the first sunny and warm days of the year. Cyclists looked so small from high above.
Father and Daughter (2)
‘Father and Daughter’ is a short Dutch animation film by Michaël Dudok De Wit. The story is about a father and daughter cycling together through wide Dutch landscapes. One day the father says goodbye to his young daughter and leaves. As the landscapes live through their seasons so the girl lives through hers. She becomes a young woman, has a family and in time she becomes old. Within her there is always a deep longing for her father.
The short film was produced in 2000 and won the 2000 Academy Award for Animated Short Film.
The story is a bit sad, but very beautiful, that’s why we want to share it with you.
If the video left you with a sad feeling then check out the post about fathers and daughters cycling together we posted a few weeks ago. Pics of happy cyclists in Amsterdam.
Jump on the back of my bike
Jump on the back, on the back of my bike
And I don’t know where we’re going, and I don’t care about that
Jump on the back of my bike and we will leave together
And I don’t know where we’re going, but that doesn’t matter because I know the way
These are freely translated the lyrics of a popular song called Bagagedrager (rear carrier). Check out the video clip full of trendy Dutch bikes.
In the video you see guys impressing girls with their bicycles. The song is about how nice and romantic it is to cycle together on one bike. This video is also the perfect illustration of the Dutch trend of having a ladies’ bike as a man. What do you need a crossbar for anyhow?
Green bike
green bike by Aude
This man on his fancy green Dutch bike probably regrets forgetting his gloves on this cold winter day in Amsterdam.
Snow cycling and ice skating
For the first time since 1997 it is possible to ice skate on Amsterdam’s canals. Tonight there will be a ice-skate-disco party and tomorrow a race at the Keizersgracht. So we all get on our bike, cycle through the snow to the canals and start ice skating! (We also tried ice-cycling but will need some more practice to learn that properly…)
