Bikevibe is a Norwegian based journal documenting cycling culture in cities all over the world. Current issue Bikevibe Helsinki.

As in many cities in northern Europe since decades ago, bicycles seem to be a more constant presence nowadays. As other objects, a bicycle says something about who we are, leaving clues about our way of life and expectations. But cities talk even more, because they talk about people as a community.

We were told by several people we met that we should visit Rcicla whilst in Lisbon, and there was a bit of mysticism about this shop and it’s owner, Vitor.

Any investigation into the motivations of a moderately passionate cyclist would reveal a variety of themes of interest that makes cycling special.

Pedro Gil is a distinctive man. You can tell by looking at him that he might carry a fascination for times long passed. He is dapper, donning simple couture that is reminiscent of what men wore in the 40s or 50s.

Not all bicycles are created the same. Some can become companions for life; others not so much. For Salvador Esteves, the way to judge the character of a bicycle is to talk to it — and see if it replies.

SAYGRRR! is a cycling socks brand that was born in 2017 in the north of Portugal. It combines performance and design with the vast history and innovational legacy of cycling. We develop, produce and test our products while having fun riding our bicycles.

Helsinki to Lisbon – The Trans Europa Express. TDA and its tours around the globe.

On May 14, 1905 the “Velodrome of Palhavã” was inaugurated, bringing a big change to the Laranjeiras Park of the Zoological Garden of Lisbon. It was a chic area of Lisbon during the last years of the monarchy in the early 20th century. The inauguration included the appearance of the king, King Carlos I – the second to last king of Portugal.

Artur Lourenço was born in Lisbon but loves to travel, and doing so by bike, he feels, has no comparison: “You can do more than on foot, but see and experience more than in a car.” It is a passion that he says he will do continue doing his whole life. This combined with his passion for old bikes meet in A Clássica, the event he created in 2018.

Seven is a curious number. Seven deadly sins, seven wonders of the ancient world. Legend has it that the great Greek hero Odysseus founded the city based upon the seven hills, mirroring the seven hills of Rome. He got such pleasure exploring the land that he established the city by using Lisbon’s hills as a landmark.

On a Tuesday evening as darkness fell, a lone fixie rolled off the road and onto the polished, gleaming Praca Dom Pedro IV, otherwise known as Rossio Square.

We all know by now that cyclists and cafes go together like espresso and biscotti, and that any city with a strong cycling scene boasts a least one establishment that acts as the hub for the bike community. Where rides roll out from, the favourite place to end the outing, where to pick up that last-minute essential, the place to pop in to see a familiar face and get a good coffee.

With an average incline of 17% over 265 metres of cobblestones and tramtracks, the Subida à Glória, or Climb to Glory, certainly lives up to its billing. The current record holder is Ricardo Marinheiro with a time of 35.59 seconds, enough to earn him the nickname ‘The Torpedo’, which also sounds fitting.

What do you get when you mix a collective and a repair shop? Cicloficina dos Anjos. A collective founded upon the principal that sharing knowledge and tools for free is crucial in growing the bike community in Lisbon. Situated between the main square of Lisbon, Marquês de Pombal, and Intendente, a neighbourhood that is seeing more and more interest and community investment, Cicloficina dos Anjos is tucked away on a small residential street on the top of one of Lisbon’s hills.

Fernando Pessoa’s poetry on Lisbon’s riverside bike path.

In Marvila, right outside the city center, a blooming creative network of start-ups are thriving for opportunities. We met up with Hester Haars and Laura Vanweydeveld from the creative studio Dayclub, to talk about the struggles of change and how this effects people who commute by bike.

Hegira Cycling is a Portuguese brand that is born with the desire to pedal differently. They believe that in cycling we find a balance in modern life. But they go even further and believe that cycling changes lives. It’s the passion for cycling that led to the focus on design and quality of their equipment, developed to combine performance, experience and style.

Laura Alves is an activist in the real sense of the word - she doesn’t look to exact change by talking, writing to politicians or bemoaning to those around her, but by doing.

Anyone planning a city break and wanting a localised and cost effective travel option might well consider the available cycle hire schemes. As Uber’s Jump bikes are now available in Lisbon, the capital has another alternative to already existing services with their scope and functionality a prime concern for Portuguese General Manager, Francisco Maria Moutinho Da Cruz Vilaca.

As any visitor to Lisbon will attest, the hills and valleys that form the fabric of the city are at once a marvellous landmark of the Portuguese capital and a navigational challenge. This, coupled with the city’s warm climes, combines to make Lisbon an interesting candidate city for establishing a bike sharing system.

Tourism is inescapable in a 2019 Lisbon. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Portugal saw around 6.8 million overseas visitors in 2010. Fast-forward a few years, and Portugal saw 18.2 million visitors, totaling an increase of 168 percent. Last year in 2018 Portuguese tourism met its record high, with the city seeing an influx of 21 million people coming to get a taste of the city.

Untill now, Bikevibe have tried to stay away from political views. But while visiting Lisbon the politicians where erger to talk to us. We went in somewhat skeptical, but came out very positive. In Lisbon they really do care about bettering the cycling facilities.

Eight years ago two architects travelled to Copenhagen. They found themselves in awe by the minimalistic way of living with a bike as a way of transportation. Dedicating themselves to bring this lifestyle with them back to Lisbon they quickly became a part of the sprout of bikeculture in the Portoguese capital. As the community grew, Joana and Gonçalo decided to leave their lives as architects behind to create their very own bag brand; Basho Bags.

North of Lisbon’s city center, situated on a quiet street in the residential part of town is the headquarters of Federação Portuguesa de Cicloturismo e Utilizadores de Bicicleta (the Portuguese Federation of Cyclo-tourism and Bike Users, aka FPCUB). The FPCUB office is modest, proudly celebrating Portuguese cycling history. It’s decorated with artifacts from the past decades, flags and dozens upon dozens of urban cycling photos taken by fellow cyclists. There are stacks of books and boxes filled with a collection of goods in the corner. We were there to meet up with José Caetano.

After witnessing a hit and run between a cyclist and a car three years ago, Miguel decided to portray life on a bike head-on. He invested in a GoPro camera primarily for safety reasons, but a few days later he realized that the content he had recorded could be interesting to share with the public. This was the beginning of the YouTube channel “One Cyclist in Lisbon”.

I’m an activist for better cities, I work to make people’s lives better. My tool is the bicycle, which is a trojan horse for bigger things; our needs to strive as humans.

Inês has been riding fixed gear in Lisbon since the early days. We met up with her by the river to talk about how she got started and what the fixed gear scene in Lisbon is all about.

“A symbol of modernity and change, but also of elegance.”

Nuno Catarino, like many people, learnt to cycle as a child and relished the sense of freedom and adventure that a bike gives to young people when growing up but left it behind when things such as cars, beers and life beyond home called.