Cycling in Copenhagen

## **The Basics**

Copenhagen is one of the most cycle
friendly cities you will ever come across. If you live close to or within the
city itself you’ll find it is often the quickest way into and out of the city.
Cycle lanes are very common and you’ll find them on most streets. They are
generally totally separate from the main road, often with a kerb to separate
the lane; failing that a white line.
You’ll find drivers are particularly courteous, giving way to cyclists
at junctions and when on roundabouts.
This is for the simple reason that cyclists have priority over cars on
the road and insurance and laws are in favour of the cyclist in the unfortunate
event of an accident.  Don’t get
complacent though, prepare to stop at junctions etc in case you’ve not been
spotted.

Any bike you ride must also be fitted with **working lights** (front and rear) **a bell** and **reflectors** (front, white and rear, red). You can get fined for not
having these things on your bike.  It
isn’t mandatory to wear a helmet.

If you’re not used to riding a bike in town
back home things can look a little chaotic, but there are a few rules you
should know to get you going:

### **Hand signals.**

Turning left and right is straight forward,
put your arm out in the direction you want to turn, perpendicular to the road.  Keep your eye out for the Copenhagener casual
approach to this, most will point diagonally to the floor rather than straight
out from the shoulder.

The signal you may not be familiar with is
the one for stop. Hold your hand up with your arm bent at the elbow – ‘L’
shaped.  Use this, to avoid near misses,
or more likely, getting shouted at by the locals. The Danes are not shy on
giving advice on the rules!

### **Turning left**

This is likely to be very different to back
home. It is against the law to turn left in the road – i.e. cutting across the
traffic.  If you’re at a T-Junction pull
over to the right and wait for a gap. At crossroads keep to the right and ride
across the junction signalling to stop with your hand up, stop at the corner of
the street you want to ride into and wait with the traffic on the right side
for the green light. Then head off in your new direction.

Check out this video which will explain all
with diagrams! Plus plenty of extras to keep you safe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H42KjIkO8SA

### **Traffic Lights and ‘shark teeth’**

Cyclists are expected to obey traffic
lights as you would when driving. You’ll even spot cycle lane dedicated lights
too to help cycle traffic through busy intersections.  You should always stop for red lights, even
if it doesn’t seem necessary; you can be fined for not obeying the rules and
the police do set up traps where they fine disobedient cyclists!

Watch out also for ‘shark teeth’ marked on
the road or cycle lanes. These mean give way and you’re expected to stop where
you see them.

You can also be fined for riding on
pavements (sidewalks) and pedestrian crossings – dismount!

## **Where to buy a bike**

As with most things in Denmark bikes can be
expensive. Depending on the cycling you want to do you’ll find most bikes
familiar to those you get back home, Mountain bikes, hybrid, commuter, Racer
etc etc. But what may be new are the City bikes.  These are the ‘retro’ looking things that
most of the locals use to commute on. They’re designed to be low maintenance
and easy to ride in normal clothes. Expect to see fully enclosed chains,
baskets, rear racks, skirt guards etc – all designed to make it easy to ride a
bike without having to get dressed up in lycra.

If you go for a city bike one thing you
should look out for are ‘coaster brakes’ sometimes referred to as foot or pedal
brakes.  The tell-tale give away is that
the bike will only have one brake lever on the handle bars.  The brake works by pedalling backwards when
you want to stop.  If you get a bike with
these fitted, then practice before you get into regular cycling. It takes a
while before it becomes intuitive to use these when you need them, and it’s
even easier to use them when you weren’t expecting to!

There are plenty of local bike shops around
that sell bikes. Many of these will also sell decent second hand bikes for
reasonable prices.  Price wise you tend
to get what you pay for (as long as you aren’t converting into your home
currency!).  Higher priced bikes will
come with better quality components. Many bikes are left out in the street in
all weather so the more expensive ones are designed to cope with that – expect
to see internal gears (you’ll spot this by the really ‘fat’ rear hub at the
centre of the back wheel), stainless steel spokes and wheel rims (shiny!),
enclosed chains, and built in dynamo hubs (fat hub at the centre of the front
wheel).  All these features mean the bike
is built to last in the Danish weather. They’re also heavy, so may not be what
you want for longer distance commuting (10km plus).

Here are a few links to give you a feel for
what’s out there – watch out for seasonal sales, where bikes are heavily
discounted.

https://www.fribikeshop.dk/

http://www.jupitercykler.dk/

https://heino-cykler.dk/

https://schroeder-cykler.dk/

You can also get bikes in some of the
bigger DIY and motoring stores. These are much cheaper than the ones you’ll
find in the city stores, but they tend to have cheaper components that will
rust quicker in the Danish climate. That said, if you have a place to keep it
out of the rain, or you’re not planning to use it that often then they can be a
good option:

https://www.harald-nyborg.dk/

https://www.thansen.dk/

https://www.biltema.dk/

https://www.johannesfog.dk/designhus/

Finally, you can buy second hand bikes
through Facebook market place and DBA:

https://www.dba.dk/

‘Den Blå Avisen’ (the blue newspaper) is
the closest Denmark has to e-bay.  There
are tons of second hand bikes on here that are worth a look. Check out Facebook
pages for other ex-pats selling bikes when they move on – often great value,
especially for kids bikes. But buyer beware, stolen bikes are on DBA and
facebook.  If you do buy from there then
look for evidence of receipts for the original purchase and sellers that are
prepare to tell you the ‘Frame number’ of the bike.  The police (Politi) have an app you can use
to check if the bike has been reported stolen. You can find this in the usual
places by searching for Politi in the app store, and will give you peace of
mind.

## **Maintenance**

Look after your bike and it will look after
you! If you are going to ride regularly it is well worth getting to know your
bike a little better. There are tons of tutorials on youtube about bike
maintenance and it’s worth looking at the ones that teach you how to adjust
brakes and gears. Brake and gear cables stretch, so if you can’t change gear
cleanly (its noisy, or just doesn’t move from one gear to the other), or you
have to pull your brake levers further than normal to stop; there’s a good
chance they need adjusting. It’s easier to do than you think and will save you
a trip to the bike shop.

Learning to change an inner tube is also a
good idea, especially if you have a ‘normal’ bike rather than a city bike –
getting the wheel off and access to parts is easier. Being able to change a
tube when you have a puncture can save you a long walk home or paying a bike
shop.

If you go in for a city bike, then
maintaining your bike is harder. Ironically all the features that reduce
maintenance, internal gears, enclosed chains, roller brakes etc, make it harder
to work on when you actually do need to fix something or adjust it.  That said, they need less frequent
maintenance anyway – roller brakes (an enclosed – hidden brake near the hub
that use brake levers) need little maintenance, and chains on the better bikes
are designed not to rust.

The main things that you’ll likely end up
needing to deal with is punctures and, occasionally, replacing brake blocks if
you don’t have coaster or roller brakes.
Bike shops will fix punctures for around 200dkk, some of the local bike
shops will fit a new tyre and tube for around 300dkk (dæk og slanger – there’s
a shop on Østerborgade near Svanemøllen that does).

You can avoid your chances of getting
punctures by fitting ‘puncture resistant’ tyres. These are fitted with an extra
layer of material in the rubber to keep the worst of the road debris from
getting through to the inner tube. Look out for Schwalbe tyres with ‘kevlar’ or
smart guard features. Other brands have similar versions. You can also pick up
budget tyres with the same features at Harald Nyborg and THansen (see links
above). These are worth investing in if you want peace of mind.

All the bike shops will be able to do maintenance
and servicing – look out for those with ‘Værksted’ (workshop)
particularly.  So if you aren’t confident
to do it yourself you’ve plenty of options.

If you want to take the plunge and ‘DIY’
check out these on line stores for parts – much cheaper than the high street
shops if you buy enough to offset the cost of postage.

https://www.cykelpartner.dk/hjul-daek-og-slanger\_9795~c.html

https://cykelshoppen.dk

https://hollandbikeshop.com/en-gb/

Harald Nyborg, THansen and Biltema all sell
parts too, they are often cheap no-brand parts that do the job as opposed to
discounted branded stuff that you’ll find in the online shops.  Don’t be put off by that though, they’re
fine.

*Arrggh,*
My tyre needs pumping up!

If you are out and about and need to pump
up a tyre – maybe a puncture when you’re nearly home and you just need enough
to get you home, or you just need more air – then look out for ‘free air’.
Petrol stations often have dedicated service areas for cycles with air hoses
and water to wash the bike. Look out for air hoses outside bike shops too.  Finally, most S-tog stations have built in
foot pumps on the side of the advertising bill boards near their entrances!

Personally, I always carry a pump and basic
tool set and inner tube in a small seat bag under my seat on my regular
commuter.

## **Winter cycling**

Cycling is an all-weather all-year travel
option in Copenhagen. For many Danes it is their primary form of
transport.  You too can embrace this
lifestyle with the right choice of clothes and the right attitude!

Cycle paths are extremely well maintained
through the winter – often better than the road.  They are swept to remove debris, gritted when
icy and snowploughed when needed!  This means
that you don’t need to stop riding in the winter, but take a little more care
in the rain and when the temperature really drops to avoid slipping. What you
don’t need is studded tyres etc to cope with the change.

That said, after a couple of days of rain
your chances of punctures goes up. It washes all the hidden sharp odds and ends
out of the gutter. Puncture proof tyres are a good investment for Winter if not
all year round.

In winter it is also a good idea to wash
your bike down with fresh water every now and then.  The road salt they use on bike lanes is
really aggressive and your bike will quickly rust if it is exposed and you
don’t wash it off (I’ve had my gears and bike chain rust over the weekend after
riding home on salted roads in the working week!)

## **Locks & Safety**

“If it isn’t locked, it’s half stolen” is
an expression used by my Danish Colleagues. Despite the ‘trust’ culture here
bikes are fair game if they aren’t locked. Don’t be fooled by the hundreds of
bikes you see that aren’t ‘chained’ or D-Locked. Most bikes you see have a
built in lock on the back wheel attached to the frame just below the rear
seat.  These are great, make it easy and
convenient to lock your bike without carrying a heavy lock with you and means
your bike is (reasonably) safe even when there isn’t something to lock it to.
You can buy these in bike shops for around 100dkk for a cheap version and retro
fit them to bikes if yours doesn’t have one. Many bikes for sale in Danish
shops have them already fitted.

That said, if your bike is more expensive,
or particularly fancy (carbon fibre, hipster fixie? Mid to high end mountain
bike or racer?) then you’re wise to invest in a decent quality chain or D-Lock
to use. Lock the bike to something; even a locked bike can be picked up
and put in the back of a van if it is free standing. Watch out for quick
release wheels and seats on expensive bikes – lock them to the frame of your
bike if you can. Wheels and seats can be worth stealing in their own right.

My commuter bike isn’t worth stealing, but
I always lock it to something – I don’t like long walks home…

## **Riding Etiquette**

Simply put, using your hand signals and
keeping to the right will get you moving with minimal fuss.  You will also be expected to fit a bell to
your bike (it’s a legal requirement, along with lights and reflectors) and you
should use it to warn people if you need to overtake.  Also look over your shoulder before you
overtake so you don’t pull out in front of someone.

Loads more tips can be found here:

https://www.donkey.bike/denmark-cycling-rules/

Some of the basics to follow are:

* In Denmark, everyone must drive on the right-hand side of the

 roadway. Never ride your bike against the traffic flow.

* You are not allowed ride your bike in a pedestrian area, on

 sidewalks or on a pedestrian crossing.  If there is no bike path, you
 must ride on the right side of the road, keeping to the right.

* Similarly, bike paths are only for cycling, so if you want to

 walk alongside your bike, you must get off the bike lane.

* If a bus stops at a bus stop, you need to stop and wait

 until the bus doors close. Bus passengers who cross the cycle path in
 or out of the bus have priority, unless there is a bus island on the left
 of the bike path.

* When riding your bike you must always have both feet on the

 pedals and at least one hand on the handlebars.

* You are not allowed to talk on your phone while you cycle.

## **Bikes on the Train**

One of the best things about Copenhagens
cycling infrastructure is being able to take bikes on the trains.  This can fundamentally change how you use your
bike. Raining? No problem, get the train home most of the way. Tired out? Get
to the nearest station and save your legs! Don’t like riding in circles? Go as
far as you can one way and the train back. Limitless options – sort of.

Both the regional trains and S-Tog have
special carriages for travelling with bikes and you’ll find ramps on the stairs
as well as lifts at stations to make it easy to get your bike to the platform.

The platform has a bike symbol painted on
the ground to show you where the carriage will stop to take the guess work out
of getting the correct ‘Vogn’ (carriage).  Look out for the green sign with a bike on the
train door when getting on.  To keep
things moving at stations they use one door for taking the bike on and one for
taking them off – green sign for on, red for off.  On the S-Tog carriages you’ll find bike racks
to put the bike in and drop down seats so you can sit next to or opposite your
bike.  They even have dedicated slots for
Mountain bikes that will take wider tyres.

On the regional trains there doesn’t tend
to be racks, but drop down seats with a retractable hook that you pull out and
hook onto the frame of your bike to hold it in place.

You can also take bikes on the Metro system
but this is only at certain times – check before you travel – I wouldn’t advise
it at any time, the trains are small!
Nørreport station also prohibits bikes on the platform at peak times
(rush hour – 0700-0900 and 1530-1730) as it is a very busy station, so again
check before you travel.  The times for
Nørreport are posted next to the entrance door to the cycle carriage, in case
you forget!

Tickets – You don’t need a ticket on the
S-Tog, but you do need one for the Metro and the regional trains. You can buy
these on the platform and sometimes at 7-elevens in smaller stations.’

See here for more information:

https://www.dsb.dk/find-produkter-og-services/cykelbillet/

## **Where to practice riding**

If you’re teaching your kids to ride a
bike, or want to get them (and you!) familiar with riding on the right hand
side of the road then head down to the trafiklegepladsen (traffic play-square)
at Fælledparken.  This is a street
accurate mini road layout of cycle lanes, traffic lights, gas stations and
zebra crossings aimed to get kids familiar with riding on the road. If you go
in the week you can even borrow bikes for them to learn – both balance bikes
and normal pedal bikes, free of charge in some cases (at the time of writing).
There is also a formal school where they will teach kids to ride; It’s well
worth a visit:

https://www.kk.dk/trafiklegepladsen

## **Riding with kids**

Children seem to be born on a bike in
Copenhagen, and it is normal to see primary aged children riding to school on
the cycle lanes around the cities, but before they’re ready for that carrying
children on bikes is a very normal thing to do.
This is all perfectly legal as long as there is a proper child seat for
them to go in. There are plenty of options, the most traditional being a bike
seat over the rear luggage rack, but you will also see dedicated seats on the
handle bars or on the cross bar between the seat and handlebars. If you go down
this route, then seek proper advice from one of the local shops.

You will also see trailers attached to the
rear of bikes two. These are handy if you need to carry two children or more
stuff!  Trailers often come up on DBA
etc.

Whilst these are good options, if you are
planning to carry older children (5 onwards), or more than one then the better
option is a cargo bike.  You will see
cargo bikes everywhere in Copenhagen.
They come in two types, either the traditional ‘box’ bike with three
wheels, or the two wheeled version known as the ‘Long John’. If you go down
this route then expect to pay around 4000dkk for a reasonable second hand cargo
bike.  The Danish brands are at least
10000dkk new.

You can even rent them if you want to see
what they’re like, for example:

https://becopenhagen.dk/product/rent-a-family-cargo-bike-in-copenhagen/

The main brands to watch out for are:

Christiania (the most common and probably
original) https://www.christianiacykler.dk/

Trio bike : https://triobike.com/en/

Nihola: http://www.nihola.com/products/family.html

Winther: https://www.wintherbikes.com/

Butchers and Bicycles: https://www.butchersandbicycles.com/

Johnny Loco: https://johnnyloco.com/

Larry vs Harry ‘Bullitt’: http://www.larryvsharry.com/

If you are serious about using a cargo bike
as an option to get the kids to and from school then consider getting the
e-bike versions of any of the bikes above.
This is an electric motor that assists you as you pedal and completely
transforms the utility of these bikes.
The ease of pedalling with the motor fitted means they become a true
replacement for a second car.  They’re
great without the motor but with two kids, bags and other odds and ends they
get heavy.  Ride one of these loaded into
the typical Danish head wind and you’ll wish it had the electric motor!!

Buying one of these is an investment – and
there isn’t room to go into details here, so ask parents you see who have them
around the school for tips on what to look for and advice on where and what to
buy.