Scandi Running Part 3: An American From LA Reviews Danish Bicycles

Rain, shine, or ice... Copenhagen is a biking city.

To see how I got here, also check out my review of British Airways World Traveller Plus

Yep.  This is happening. At this point, I think the only time I actually ride a bike is when I'm in Denmark, or someplace similar.  So clearly, you need my review of this.... because I am a super expert.

I’ve been to Denmark 4 times now, and each time I have to rent a bike.  To be in Copenhagen without a bike is like being in Los Angeles without a car, or in Boston without feet.  It’s not done, or it shouldn’t be done.  You won’t see the city as it should be, or as much as should be seen.  You also won’t understand the struggle of finding bike parking, or getting caught in bike land rush hour.  Or just… learning how to make a left turn.



No bikes, just Orstedsparken in the sunshine.

So, anyhow… The first time we came to Copenhagen we rented from a shady place around the corner from our hotel in Centrum.  There were extenuating circumstances at work, namely that we needed bikes and didn’t’ want to cough up the US $35 a day per bike the Radisson wanted.  There are any number of more or less reputable independent rental places in Copenhagen, but what I’m really here to talk about are the two most prevalent bike share companies in the city.

Since our first time there a few new options for people visiting Copenhagen and needing transportation and flexibility. 

First up- Bycyklen

Byckylen is Copenhagen’s take on the citybike model that’s popping up all over.  There are stations all over the city, and they’re easy to find. 



Bycyklen bikes at a docking station.

You can pay as you go, or buy a block of minutes in advance.  I opted to buy a block of 300 minutes for the year, since this let me be flexible and not buy hours at a time.  It turned out to be great, as like I said, Copenhagen is small and you simply don’t need too many minutes to get where you’re going.  A full weekend of cycling only used up maybe 60 minutes of use.

Pros:

-The bikes are quazi-motorized.  This is honestly a super fun way to roll around the city.  If you use the ‘countryside’ or ‘hill climb’ settings, the barest of pedaling will shoot you forward up to 25kph and in short order you’ll realize just how small Copenhagen is.  I can’t overemphasize how fun this is. 

-They are also e-bikes, and sport an android tablet with navigation that can guide you around the city and help you find pick up and drop off locations. 

The cons:

-They’re heavy, due to the motor and whatnot, so I can imagine trying to take one on and off trains and such could be a pain.

-You have to pay for ‘parking’- the bike’s minutes are ticking down even if you’re not riding when it’s not in a docking station.  This results in planning a bit around going docking station to docking station so you don’t run your minutes down too fast.  This wasn’t a big deal since there were so many stations, but if you’re thinking of taking one a bit out of the metro area, you will burn through your subscription. 

Now….I was all good with using Bcyklen for all three of my planned weekends here, and the 300 minutes was going to be plenty to get me through.  However, when I got to town none of the bikes were working!!  I checked in with the company and they, go figure, were hacked the exact night before I arrived.  Their entire network was down, and no bikes could be removed from any docking station.  Massive fail.  From what Twitter tells me, they were up and running again the day after I left.  Of course.

But, like I said, in Copenhagen you need a bike so I had to go to plan b, which brings me to...

Donkey Republic

Now, I remember seeing these pop up on Google Maps last year when I was in Denmark with family and not really getting that this was a bike share, rather than a chain of rental shops.  What it is is a service more akin to the LimeBikes now scattered around the US.  The major difference is that, as Scandinavia tends to be, it's more organized.  The bikes can only be picked up and returned to designated spots, which have bike racks, so they don't clutter up the city.



Bright orange and simple Donkey Republic bike

How it works is you download the app, set up and account, and then can reserve, check out and return the bright orange bikes throughout the city. 

Pros:

-You rent by the day, not the hour or minute, so there's not that rush to return the bike to a docking station.

-Simple app and simple operation.

-Reasonably priced daily rate.

Cons:

-They actually could be hard to find.  You do need to reserve one before you set out to the pick up location, or someone else may get to it first.  Once you reserve it, that bike has a number on it and will only unlock with your code on the app once you get into Bluetooth range.

-No fun motorized zipping around the city like with Bycyklen.  The bikes didn't really seem to have gears much either, so you actually have to pedal.

The bikes are numbered, so you know which one you reserved.

Either way, it's a good idea to look into these services before you go if you're planning on using them.  Make sure there are docking stations/pick up points near where you're staying and the attractions you want to check out.  All in all, it's great that Copenhagen has let these companies set up shop in the city, since they can be a great and less pricey option for people staying there for a limited time.  I'm looking forward to one more weekend doing just that in October when I wrap up my three weekends of Scandi Running!

~CruisingAltitude

The Scandi Run: Preview

Photo from my accommodations.  Adorable, yes?

I never mileage run to Europe.  Not kidding.  I have been to Asia, South America, Africa, you name it.... but never Europe.  There's a few reasons for this historically, most having to do with it simply not being far away enough to make sense, and Oneworld not having the most hub cities there. 

This is not to say I don't jump at the chance to go, it just tends to be a destination I get to by using my miles, not on account of earning them, and I try to stay awhile.

But, as they say, we live in interesting times.  As I tried to lay out some time ago, when AA switched the system up and effectively ruined mileage running for long distances on low fares, it was a choice of giving up or getting creative.  Guess which one I (and my friends I've met along the way) went with??

(I'm now going to go on about how this actually works, rather than random facts about airports, and hijinks I stumbled into in random cities.  If you're not interested in this, I suggest jumping down about 3 paragraphs where I'll get back to my thoughts on 36 hours freezing to death in Denmark in March)

The new strategy to still earn plenty of miles is to stalk the deals for cheap fares in premium cabins of other Oneworld airlines.  This usually means business class on Qatar, or premium economy on British Airways, and occasionally Cathay Pacific.  The further bit of intrigue, is that these deals almost never originate in the US.  So to take advantage, one has to first get to the city of departure.  What this further means (if you're still reading this at all) is that it's in your best interest to buy more than one of the deals when you find them at a time so you only have to get one 'positioning flight' per year, or per deal.

Let's put the plan into context, shall we?  This year, there have been some premium economy deals on BA out of most all of the Scandinavian countries to the US, and specifically, to LAX which is clearly convenient for me in particular.  To further sweeten the deal, there have on occasion been some crazy cheap economy deals on AA from LAX to various European cities, including....Scandinavia.  You see where I'm going with this?

The deal has been good from Stockholm, Copenhagen, Oslo, and on occasion Helsinki, which all adds up to it getting coined (yes, by me) the 'Scandi run' since the destinations are interchangeable, more or less, for the same prices and miles earned.

100% Denmark- bikes, bricks & spires.  Nothing's overly tall in Copenhagen, so it's nicknamed the city of spires as they're the defining feature of the skyline, if you can even really call it that.

What it all adds up to for me this year, is flying out to Copenhagen on AA in March, and then 'returning' on that ticket in October, and flying back and forth on BA premium economy tickets on scattered weekends in between all year.  3 weekends, to be exact, though I'm thinking of adding one more at the end, and then flying back on an award ticket.  We'll see.

So.... this all results in my getting to say I GET TO GO TO DENMARK 3 TIMES.  Sure, each time is only for about 2 nights, and I have to brave 12+ hours of slightly more comfortable economy to get there, but after 16+ hours in coach to Hong Kong a few weeks ago, I'm feeling pretty bulletproof.  I'm honestly more worried about how in the heck to pack light on a mileage run for actual winter conditions.  I'm quickly realizing that all my other runs were to hot, and many times insanely hot, climates. 



A particularly famous spire- Christianborg

My outbound flight is on AA (the first half of the 'positioning flight') and so I'm playing the upgrade game to Heathrow.  After a stopover for some food and a shower at the excellent lounges there, I'll make the quick hop to CPH and take the metro into town. 

Copenhagen is extremely easy to get around on public transportation, just about anywhere you want to go.  I had initially thought of staying by the airport in the AC Sky Bella hotel in Orestad, which is a newer, planned area of Copenhagen by the Kastrup airport, but after realizing it is really only a 15 minute train into town, and I could save 50% by booking an Airbnb in the center of the city, my choice was easy.

Christianshavn

I'm now staying in Christenshavn, which is a truly adorable part of the city on a series of canals, in a flat with my hosts Magnus and Mikkel.  Awesome.  It's central to many attractions, full of cafes and bars, and you can walk/bike just about anywhere in a few minutes. 

This, however, also brings up the fact that on arrival I'll likely have to answer the age-old question of why I'm in Denmark in the first place, and further, why I'm only there for about 36 hours before turning around and going right back where I came from.  It may surprise you, but many people find this just a tiny bit strange.  Hotels don't ask, but I get the feeling that my host(s) just might.

I've thought from time to time about coming up with a reusable story to explain myself, other than having to dig into the whole logic (or illogic) of mileage running.  But what to say?  Most business travelers don't come into town just for a Sunday, of all things.  They also don't stay up late/get up early to stay on their home timezone, and they definitely don't wander in looking very much like they've just spent 15 hours in economy and somehow still are enjoying their lives.

In any event, it's a work in progress.  I'll let you know.

I expect there may be snow on all of this when I get there.

For more details of things to do in Copenhagen, we're currently writing up our adventures from the Summer over at Baby Flyer Blog.  On these shorter, colder, trips, I'll probably try to get to some favorite places like Honen & Aegget and Den Vandrette in Nyhavn for tradition's sake, but other than that I'm looking forward to playing my one real day in town by ear.  I have no delusions of elaborate castle tours, or getting a table at Noma.  That's not what mileage runs are all about.  Get there, see a thing or two, chat with some locals, and get safely back home again.

My flight out on Monday is plenty early (7am!) which with the time change is about.... 11 at night back home?  You can't think too hard about these things, just get to the plane.  The return flight from London this time around is on BA's, and the world's, largest passenger jet, the a380.  They're smooth and modern, and I was able to preselect a good seat without paying extra on account of the Oneworld Emerald status I'm flying so far to keep up.  I do have the potential option to try for an upgrade by using some Amex points, but I think this time around I'll let it go and see.  It's only 12 hours, anyway.  Easy.

So, that's the Scandi run in a nutshell.  I hope it goes as I think it will in my head, seeing as how I'm doing it at least three times this year.  Wish me luck.

~CruisingAltitude