I got a bike!

It's such a cool feeling to be a copenhagen cyclist!

  I got my new bike yesterday at the train station.  The bike-to-person ratio in copenhagen is 3:1, so as you can imagine there are lots of abandoned bikes.  Every now and then the police go around the central public places and tag bikes that have been there for a while.  If they're not picked up within a month or so they get an orange sticker.  Post stickering if they're still not picked up they get collected and brought to the dump or auctioned off at the politi (police) headquarters.  Orange sticker, no lock, and it's yours.  What a beautiful system.

Today I bought a lock and adjusted the seat, tomorrow I'll buy a basket and then I'll be ready to go.  My bike is a bit sporty.  Some kind of racing/road bike, so it's taking a little getting used to.  

And I'm sure the frame is way too big for me, but luckily I have unusually long arms, so it's not so bad.  

Because so many people ride bikes here (30% of the city commutes daily by bicycle), the bike lanes are really well developed and extensive.  On most streets the bike lane is between the parked cars and the sidewalk and is wide enough for two bikes to ride side by side.  There isn't a helmet law, but there is a light law (you must have a light on your bike after dark) which I think is pretty cool.

Can't wait to explore more!