Munich Cycle Chic

Help Wanted!

2011-07-06T18:43:00.002+02:00

Hi,
due to my current occupation, this blog does not get the attention it deserves. If you live in Munich and if you are interested in cycling, urban transportation and style: PLEASE HELP by posting here from time to time. We don't have any financial interests this is purely idealistic and fun!

Ich bestehe übrigens nicht auf Englische Posts - irgenwie fällt es mir nur leichter :).

Contact me at: contact(at)munichcyclechic(dot)com

I like! Retrovelo Otto.

2011-05-04T16:11:00.005+02:00

Upcoming events - mark the week of May 16-21st

2011-04-30T16:23:00.005+02:00

Lots going on in bike friendly Munich. As part of the city's 'Radlhauptstadt' campain there are multiple events that you don't want to miss!

16th – 21st May: Bikeshow

Bikes are the heros of this week:

- Discounts and promotions at bikeshops

- Activity-Days:

- Monday: Security trainings with the police, bike-safety-checks

- Tuesday: Transportation-bikes / Cargo-bikes

- Wednesday: Sports and Fun

- Thursday: E-bikes, special bikes for senior citizens

- Friday: Recreation, bike-acrobatics, biketours across Munich

21st May: Munich Cycling Star, Bike Fashion Show, Bikenight

The highlight of the season:

- The „Munich Cycling Star 2011“ will be nominated together with Radio Charivari.

- From Haute Couture to Lifestyle: The masterschool for Fashion & Design teams up with local

fashion designers and presents fashion on and with bikes.

- Bikenight on the ring road, supported by AOK health insurance

Check out the flyer here or go to the radlhauptstadt web site for more info.

This bike made me smile...

2011-03-27T14:26:00.013+02:00

I am sure the owner is quite a character...

And yes the photos I take using Hipstamatic on the iphone are not exactly framed as I wanted them. I keep trying :) (EDIT) Thanks for pointing out the viewfinder mode in hipstamatic. Precision framing helps!

Zip in the city

2011-03-25T17:33:00.006+01:00

May I introduce: the bike that was formerly known as my 'winter' bike. It is a repainted 80's MTB frame, singlespeed with white industries ENO eccentric hub, white industries freewheel, Magura HS33 rim brakes, SON Edelux light and BMX handlebars and crankbrothers 5050 platform pedals. We built it so that nothing would ever freeze. I had Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro on all-winter. Last week-end I managed to finally put Schwalbe Kojaks on for summer. Now my 'winter' bike transformed into my favorite city-zipper. Due to the thighs that I have developed during the winter moving the bike with spikes, I will have to upgrade the chainwheel in front to get a higher gear ratio. The Kojaks just fly like crazy and I find myself pedalling at 90+ rpm all the time :) I have to admit that the bike was inspired by the Retrovelo Otto, which I could not afford to buy just for winter :).

Enough bike porn (for today).

"Call a bike" iPhone app put to the test.

2011-03-23T10:48:00.011+01:00

Finally there was a chance to try out DB's "Call a bike" offering here in Munich. I needed to head to my doctor and was sure that I need to take a taxi home. DB has created a pretty slick App for the iPhone, which can be used to locate and rent the famous rental bikes.

Rental is pretty straight forward: You locate the bike closest to you, walk there (a block in my case) enter the id of the bike, get the opening code, unlock the bike using the code and off you go. To turn it back in the procedure is reversed, you get the lock confirmation code, type it into the app, specify the exact location and you are done. All in all it does not take much longer than unlocking one of my bikes. The 15 min ride to my doc cost around an Euro (the app will report the price straight away) The price drops by the time you rent, but for a short ride this is pretty decent compared to the 2.20€ for the U-Bahn.
Overall pretty cool. The only two things that I did not like so much: the bikes have full suspension, which feels a bit like a Camel ride on tarmac - and after the ride I felt I want to wash my hands (which is a good idea anyways). If you rent a bike and you have a chance, all you co-rental folks will appreciate if you wash your fingers if you had fries before. :) But I am exaggerating here, it wasn't really bad.

I have been to Kaiserslautern yesterday and was quite pleased to see that there are 5 bikes waiting to be taken for a ride in front of the main station, although I did not have a chance to rent one.

Spring (soon)

2011-03-19T23:21:00.002+01:00

Enough of the cold - it should be spring soon, winter is (almost) gone and the new bike season is just starting for everybody.

Here is Florian trucking some new Christiania transporters from storage to his store. Looks like Munich is finally realizing that transport bikes are way cool...

Ha! I almost forgot...

2011-03-19T22:59:00.004+01:00

...that I started this. :) Last year was quite a busy year and the company I work for was trying to not bore me, which is a gentle formulation of keeping me really busy. That being said, I have recently been given a brand new iphone 4 which has quite an ok camera for blogging and I have realized that I must be doing other things again than work - so I'll post again from time to time.

Here is a photo of my dear Bullitt covered in snow. Luckily I was offered some warm place to keep it warm by Florian - so it is still well an not rusty. It still beams me through the city without issue. It is the only blue one in Munich so far - so if you see me passing by (if you are quick enough) you are very welcome to say hello :).
This has been the first year when I did not stop riding over winter. My dear friend Jan has helped me to build a winter bike: 80's MTB frame, singlespeed w. Magura rim brakes (so nothing freezes) and BMX Handlebar and Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro. I have to say that I can only STRONGLY RECOMMEND riding with spikes in winter. It is pretty noisy on one side but the grip makes you forget about snow and ice totally. Ice Spiker Pro is totally overdone for the city, but they look just downright bad-ass on the MTB frame :). The only problem is that when you stop you have to put your feet down, which on black ice may still be an issue. :)

Radl-Night in Munich!

2010-04-26T13:07:00.008+02:00

As many of you have realized - I have been lazy! Not really though as I am currently being stressed by my allergies going crazy. So I spend the evening indoors with a serious headache rather than joining the Munich bike community outside. Nevertheless I want to link to the event coverage available.
Sueddeutsche.de: More
Münchner Merkur: Read
Abendzeitung: Read
The official page: radlhauptstadt.de and the video on youtube

Velocompany Store - now open!

2010-04-03T17:42:00.006+02:00

After serious renovation the former fur store at Barerstr. 74 has turned into a hotspot for urban mobility. It has been a long way but finally and just in time for spring the store has finally opened! Velocompany has specialized in transport bikes for people with kids and/or other heavy-weight requirements. If you ever dreamed of getting rid of your car - or simply if you finally realize you only need it to drive to the mountains or lakes - here is the place to go. Florian is selling all well known cargo brands from Nihola, Christiana, Workcycles, Winther and most important Larryvsharry. For me the store is just around the corner :) - but I am sure people will come from far to test one of the two wheelers or three wheelers.

Velocompany Store (almost) Open!

2010-02-27T15:42:00.003+01:00

Here you can see Flo finally taking visual ownership of his new store at Barerstr. 74. He is taking over from an fur store that went out of business (yeeah!). I find this is a real good deal, especially as it is located around the corner from where I live! A Milk Plus is already on display :). More can be found here.

How Brooks saddles are made...

2010-02-27T15:31:00.004+01:00

Wired has posted an article about how my favorite saddles are being made. Definitely not made in China! I don't know for sure but I believe the bags they sell are.

What can I say?

2010-02-17T11:01:00.006+01:00

Looks like people like my suggestions regarding security - I wonder if this is a new trend that can be turned into a business model? Freeze your bike to the bike rack - the lock can easily be recycled and be turned into a cup of tea?

Did I say I have enough of winter? Can't wait to get my allergies back :)

Tired of not seeing into the windows on the 1st floor?

2010-02-17T10:43:00.005+01:00

Then these may be the bikes for you. It is probably most convenient if your apartment is on the first floor, too - makes it easier to climb on the bike. You may want to move your door lock to the living-room window. However I promise to call an ambulance if you are having trouble getting off the bike :)

Winter - Still!

2010-02-05T22:20:00.003+01:00

I really don't want to sound like a wimp, but winter this year does not inspire me to post much about biking in Munich. I am sitting on my sofa playing with my new iPhone (yeah!). I thought I had shot a bike with it today - but somehow I messed it up. So no picture right now - but I promise to fix that. :).

(Frozen-)River Cycling

2010-01-19T23:00:00.004+01:00

This isn't Munich - and it is not a typical cycle chic post. But I don't care! My camera is still being repaired, AND it looks like a lot of fun PLUS it is about WINTER. Check out how some crazy Bostonians enjoy the season! Wonder if I should try this in Nymphenburg - at night of course, otherwise I would be hunted down by upset curling players. Probably worth a try...

Winter pitfalls

2010-01-15T11:39:00.017+01:00

Watch out! Always consider what you lock your bike to - it may happen that it turns into a huge ice-cube in the matter of days. (in this case cause by a blocked drainage and melting snow on the roof). At least nobody will steal it, unless the buggers show up with plenty of time and a portable hair dryer or flame-thrower. If you did not plan on cycling in spring and have plenty of time yourself (until summer-maybe) and no urgent need for your bike (aka ice-cube) this may well be acceptable and considered an all natural security reinforcement.

Waiting for the meltdown...

2010-01-13T15:08:00.006+01:00

This is not exactly bike weather! I tried to take pictures from freezing bikers this morning but my camera decided that it is way too cold to collaborate. Instead I took a picture of the melting snow outside from the warmth of my office window - which I agree is not exactly entertaining. The mid term weather forecast is not yet convincing either - predicting -18C (this is 0F if I am correct) in a week from now. But I am still optimistic that spring will come back at some point... so stay tuned until the end of the break.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T18:07:00.009+01:00

I wish everybody a successful, peaceful and healthy 2010! My cam is still off duty and I am unable to post new pics - otherwise I would have posted some shots of the gang doing riversurfing at the Eisbach here in Munich. These guys are still surfing on at -2 Centigrade (28F). I was actually freezing watching them...

Nevertheless here is something quite cool that I want to share. (Sorry, this is from 2008 - but it is still cool!) The ikea hackers blog (one of my fav blogs) has posted a quite cool Stolmen-Hack that turns a stolmen pole into a bike rack. Quite useful and one of the things I am going to try in order to create more room in our basement. More info and instructions here.

Walking to work! I am not tough enough :)

2009-12-22T15:15:00.003+01:00

We had some decent snow yesterday - and I have to admit that I walked to work and did not bike. In fact I love having a walk when it heavily snows - and it gave me the opportunity to sneak my camera out and take some snapshots. I did not expect too many people on bikes - but to my surprise quite a number of real tough ones were still riding on!

Guess who invented Bike Polo?

2009-12-21T16:11:00.002+01:00

You can find Bikepolo in Munich here. It is as much fun.

X-mas tree shopping

2009-12-15T04:13:00.004+01:00

Getting the tree home by bike is not only the most eco-friendly way of handling x-mas shopping it is the most fun, too. You just need the right bike for it. In this case it is a Nihola which serves that purpose well.

SF Bike Expo Fashio show

2009-12-12T22:52:00.003+01:00

Since my cam is still having a surgery, I thought some nice Retrovelo pics from the SF Bike Expo Fashion show may be entertaining? (not sure I get beaten up by Mikael for the helmets though - if you mind focus on the bikes and the boots :) )

Mobile Boom-boom-pow in action!

2009-12-08T18:34:00.004+01:00

Not exactly boom-boom-pow :) And look, there is Hans cleaning the shop in Copehagen :). Sorry for all the Bullitt posts! I just like them so much and can't wait to get my new one in spring.

The coolest kids trike ever!

2009-12-06T22:12:00.005+01:00

Sorry! This is only a one-of-a-kind and custom made. You can't buy it. But it is definitely inspiring! Found via wired/gadgetlab. Check out more images here.

Mobile Boom-Boom-Pow

2009-12-06T17:10:00.008+01:00

Unfortunately my camera is currently broken - so I can't post new images for a number of weeks. Instead I am checking my link collection for stuff that is worth sharing.
I thought these mobile boom-boxes may be inspiring for more ad-hoc micro-parties in Munich? There is enough time to prepare before the weather becomes appropriate again :).

If you want to get involved in MunichCyleChic then please drop me a mail at to info(at)munichcyclechic(dot)com. I would want this blog to grow - so if you want to contribute, know a topic you would want to have covered here or want to add to the blog yourself let me know!

Signs and wonders! Türkenstrasse is open for cycling in both directions!

2009-12-03T19:07:00.006+01:00

There are days that you will always remember because something happened that you believed is impossible even if hell freezes over. Today is such a day and I am totally delighted because the city of Munich has suddenly opened Türkenstrasse for cycling in both directions (It is a one way for cars though). This is special to me personally because I have been captured by the police 3 times this year and spend total of 50 eur on fees. I had extensive discussions with the police and got instructed that going the wrong way is totally dangerous for cyclers at Türkenstrasse - which never made sense to me as the street is pretty wide and there is plenty of space. Finally as of today it is officially permitted to cycle both ways - which makes me hope that at the end reason prevails (at least sometimes). The referendum on publics smoking rules also passed, so overall it is a good day for Munich. Sometimes there is progress where you don't expect it! I keep my fingers crossed for Copenhagen!

Bullitt vs. Porsche 908 (High Res)

2009-11-28T15:54:00.002+01:00

Florian has sent some high-res images. Check them out.

Bullitt vs. Porsche 908

2009-11-27T20:26:00.007+01:00

Here are some impressions of the Bullitt/Porsche 908 photo shoot that happened close to Munich last week. These are some impressions Florian has captured during the shooting. I guess the final images will appear on the larryvsharry homepage soon. Hans has also posted a photograph in his blog here..

Stilrad Vernissage

2009-11-26T21:33:00.005+01:00

Drinks, fingerfood and some really pretty bikes. Had some fun at Stilrad tonight although I had to leave early. Also discovered that my Camera's autofocus doesn't do it's job any more - will have to pass my cam to service - meaning no photos for a short while...

How easy is it to steal a bike? An example from NYC

2009-11-23T23:17:00.003+01:00

This movie is eye opening - and scary! Get a bike ensurance baby! And maybe call the police in case you see somebody using the tools covered in this movie on a bike lock close to you :)

Vernissage at Stilrad

2009-11-22T19:44:00.002+01:00

Stilrad is throwing a vernissage this Thursday at 6pm. Vernissage is an appropriate term considering how they present their bikes - it also expresses what you can expect in terms of quality and price of the artwork on display. Very pretty bikes - but they are not for small budget. Vernissage also means that I would expect at least some free drinks? You can register on their website. I will definitely check it out if I recover in time - and report back with pictures.

Everything you always wanted to know about bikes - But did not dare to ask.

2009-11-20T10:28:00.000+01:00

Wiki on bikes inspired by Sheldon Brown, who passed away this year Feb 3rd.
(via radpropaganda)

Flu

2009-11-19T20:43:00.002+01:00

When you're forced to stay home all there is to do is watch others ride their bikes. I am sure my neighbors believe I am kind of strange...

Sunny afternoon in Schwabing

2009-11-19T17:51:00.000+01:00

A sunny day - although I have to admit that my quest for smiling people was not successful today :). Inhabitants of Copenhagen rightly complain about 3 hours of sunshine in Nov so far. We are much better off! Aren't we? Hey and regarding the picture quality - I am still practicing !

Bikepolo Munich - New web-site

2009-11-16T13:06:00.001+01:00

The Munich Bike Polo Aficionados have got a new web site. Check it out - and try it out. During Winter they play at the Bauhaus parking lot every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. It is a lot of fun! As far as I know they are in process of setting up a Verein - so join and support them!

Munich Rikscha Service

2009-11-15T16:59:00.000+01:00

Well - there are days when you don't want to work out yourself. Starting from Marienplatz you can hire a rikscha to take you around in the city, to a beergarden or to the english garden. In my experience the drivers are a lot nicer than your average taxi driver and they will happily provide background info in every building or site you pass by. Even if you are from Munich this is quite interesting and entertaining! Check it out: München Rikscha Service.

Bike Routing Portal for Munich on Muenchen.de

2009-11-14T21:08:00.001+01:00

The City of Munich is taking support for bikers seriously enough to dedicate parts of its online presence to bikers. Muenchen.de is the cities online presence and features a whole section to bike mobility. There is even a route planning tool for bikers, that allows to set the route characteristics (like green routes). Compared to other routing tools the graphics are not as clean and response times are a bit slow - but hey - A ROUTING TOOL FOR BIKERS! Who is going to complain?

Bullitt stolen in Munich

2009-11-14T00:26:00.000+01:00

My Bluebird (see previous post) has recently been stolen from the yard behind our house in Schwabing - I am not sure there is another Bluebird currently in Munich, so if you see one, please let me know. And watch your bikes! According to the police high value bikes get frequently cleared from backyards at night in downtown Munich. If you leave your bike outside you must have a) a good lock b) an insurance. And check out the small print - I have recently heard a story where an insurance did not pay because for a bike that was stolen at night - and bike theft at night was excluded from the contract! Great isn't it? I had my insurance sitting on my desk and did not post it in time - bummer! The Bullitt was almost new...

Larryvsharry - Bullitts available in Munich!

2009-11-13T23:57:00.001+01:00

You may have already spotted one of the few Bullitts around so far in Munich. The Bullitt is a great Cargo bike by Copenhagen's Larryvsharry. It looks pretty cool, definitely turns heads and carries pretty much everything you would ever like to carry by bike. (Beers, kids, grill, IKEA boxes, luggage,...) With 22kg it is much more lightweight than you would think Because of the low center of gravity it is really stable especially in turns. Including the rider it will carry 180!kg. Running on two wheels it is pretty easy to ride - it takes definitely less effort than going with a trailer or a 3-wheeler. Bullitts are available in Munich now through Velo|Company. Florian has assembled a great choice of different cargo-bikes including the Bullitt line. He is currently looking for a store located in the city center. We will let you know once he has settled down and the location is clear!

Tribute to the original!

2009-11-13T23:21:00.000+01:00

The first post in this blog *must* refer to the original Copenhagen Cycle Chic. Tribute to one of the greatest web sites on bike culture there is!