Cycling makes you happy.

Cyclists already know this and many other studies have shown that cycling helps to boost levels of seratonin and the extra sunlight will help vitamin D intake which both make you happier. The infographic above shows the correlation between bicycle sales in a country and the Satisfaction with Life score for that nation too. With the exception of the French, who never seemed to be satisfied, the more bicycles sold makes for a happier nation. 


Now it could be Denmark's strong social values, progressive tax model, fantastic welfare system and beautiful residents but I reckon it's probably all the cycling they do.

Monocle - Designer Bikes

Monocle, a great magazine based out of London has got a video on their site talking about the importance of great design in bicycle culture and the manufacture of bikes. Its a great little video and mentions a firm called Biomega who approach the design of a cycle from the viewpoint of 'furniture for locomotion'. They have a great range of bikes including the Bamboo shown above. Based in Copenhagen, where else?, they aim to make urban-landscape-changing bikes. With a goal of 'creating a paradigm shift in the way society imagines transportation'.


Big goal, I hope they can do it. 

Stylish cycling

If you ask most people to describe cycling and specifically cycling to work I bet most of them won't use the word stylish in their answer. The majority of people in the UK and definitely in my home town of Birmingham see cycling as dangerous, sweaty, expensive or just too difficult. However, I believe cycling is a fantastic way to get to work, in the main its stress free, safe and enjoyable and more people should do it. In fact the more people who cycle the safer it gets.

On my cycle to work every day I pass many people riding to work in a wide range of outfits but the majority are wearing day glow colours on a hybrid or mountain bike with a few in the dreaded Lycra on their expensive road bikes. The emphasis seems to be placed on over the top safety gear and functionality and this is another issue that will scare a lot of people off. No one seems to think you can cycle to work and still be stylish but this isn't the case, just check out this flickr group. This blog isn't breaking new ground really, sites like Cycle Chic show how easy it is to look stylish and be practical but this message needs to be spread further.

The picture above was taken in a small city in Denmark called Aarhaus, literally bikes as far as the eye can see and there were plenty more bike racks like it in the city. We Brits have a great history of cycling and played a huge role in their development, now we need to take to our bikes once more. It's good for you, good for the environment and best of all fun, so get out there and make the roads safer for everyone.

Hopefully this blog will inspire you to get back on your bike or if you all ready do cycle just provide some nice things to look at for your bike. Hope you enjoy it.