Toronto Gets Its Own Cycle Chic

Mikael Colville-Andersen started the original Copenhagen Cycle Chic to "take back the bike culture by showing how the bicycle once again 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." He has been very effective and influential; If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery than he must be feeling good these days, as yet another city gets a cycle chic site.

As Spacing describes it, Toronto's new 416cyclestyle showcases "images by velotographers Xander N' Dante of trendy, hipsters as they peddle around the city." And nary a helmet to be seen.

Photo by Xander N' Dante

Xander N' Dante describes the site:

From the multicultural flavoured, and kaleidoscope styled streets of the 416 in TORONTO, we span the neighbourhoods and asphalt in search of new aromas and combinations of visual and edible delights. Armed with a crank and a camera we search. Freezing moments in time of the familiar strangers sharing space and riding by.

And after many years of pushing my road bike as fast as I could and complaining about the stupidity of not wearing a helmet, I am beginning to see that Mikael Colville-Andersen has a point. As I ride on my much slower Strida and look around more, I see a lot of people looking very much at home on their bikes, comfortable in their environment. There just seems to be a different attitude than that of the spandex crowd. They seem part of the City instead of fighting against it.

More pictures at 416cyclestyle.