Game-Changing Projects for Berlin’s Future

Game-Changing Projects for Berlin’s Future

Germans are famous for their grumpiness – and sometimes it feels like the new expats are adapting it quicker than they would admit themselves. While gentrification is a real issue, we cannot stay entirely focused on that, because that leaves us with no time to support new initiatives with the potential to have a really positive impact on our city. Today, we are presenting 5 such ideas from the minds of our local visionaries – the future may not be as dim as you’ve thought!

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The Six Day Berlin Bike Race at Velodrom

The Six Day Berlin Bike Race at Velodrom

Sponsored

Lycra, lights, DJs, sweat and slings. This could be another night at Berghain, but instead we find ourselves at the Velodrom at the 107th Six Day Berlin race– the world’s oldest six-day bike race- thanks to the kind invitation of GASAG who is one of the sponsors of the event. Do you want to experience it as well? We have tickets for you to win!

Berlin is a city of bikers. We use bikes to get around town and to work more so than most people in other large cities. And, most of us have a close relationship with bikes. They can be a fashion accessory. They get you where you need to go. And, they are generally more reliable than the last person you talked to on Tinder (just don’t park it near Kotti, otherwise it will also disappear).

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A Bike Tour through Kreuzberg with a Barista

A Bike Tour through Kreuzberg with a Barista

photo: Urte Kaunas

There are so many stories written about Berlin: a city of inspiration, creativity, lost and found spirit, art and music, crazy dance floor love fairytales and never ending discoveries. In the end, every story reflects its personal angle and puts a different color pallet to fill the page. Berlin is made of many different routes – so let’s ride.

Getting into the streets by a city bike, having a cup of beautiful coffee on the way, observing the people in the streets, having spontaneous chats and exploring the local cafes and restaurants sounds like a perfect idyll of a day in Berlin.

For our brand new guide we got together with the charming Edoardo, head barista of Refinery High End Coffee in Mitte and Kreuzberg, and teamed up with Creme Cycles and the bikecitizens app to create a bike tour that unites the spirits of Berlin, delicious coffee and beautiful bikes.

Our tour starts in the most beloved and diverse districts of Berlin: “Kreuzberg is purely bizarre: you never know what to expect from the people, it’s ever changing and there is always something odd to discover,” says Edo before we start our tour…

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A Guide to Berlin Bike Shops

A Guide to Berlin Bike Shops

photo: Standert Bicycles Pop Up Week

A lot of things that are popular in Berlin are fun, but some of them are probably not the kind of thing your doctor would advise you to do. With one exception. We love biking! Although the basic biking know-how in Berlin is comprised not only of beautiful routes, nice places to hang out with fellow riders, but also a bunch of rules to keep your bike safe from being stolen, it’s the favorite pastime for a lot of us. With the Berliner Fahrradschau coming up this weekend, we wanted to give you a little heads-up in terms of the great bike shops that continue to promote this healthy hobby all year round. Read on…

Berlin – A City of Contrasts

Berlin – A City of Contrasts

photo: Bianca Vola / CC

It must have been a billion eyes by now that have seen Berlin. Every day, millions of people experience the city in a completely different way. The uniqueness in commonality is distinguished, a city like Berlin holds up millions of different heads and hearts that pretty much want the same thing from life in a different form. They all come together in the capital, and flow like a stream up into the night, down in the morning.

For the many visitors coming to Berlin, the city must paint a completely different picture than for the locals. And also the visitor, each and every one them, is taking to the city what he previously experienced, merging it with the city and everyone in it.

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How to Cycle in Style in the Rain

How to Cycle in Style in the Rain

Berliners really like to cycle, no matter the temperature you will always see people using their bikes in the city. Obviously they will be less in the Winter, but not gone completely. The only time you will encounter them much less is when it rains. And well, let’s face it, it can rain quite a lot here in Berlin, and always when it’s most inconvenient.

I personally don’t like to use the bike when I know it might rain later that day. Simply because I don’t want to be burdened with a raincoat that I have to carry around with me. These coats never look very good and they will become annoying at some point once the rain is over and you have to carry that big wet piece of clothing around with you.

The Berlin-based fashion label Chance of Rain by Antoniya Ivanova is offering a smart solution here. Her garments combine style with functionality and make the life of cyclists in Berlin a lot easier. Not only does she use breathable and water repellent high-tech textiles for her jackets, coats and capes, she also incorporates reflecting stripes to ensure the safety of the cyclist in the dark. There are a lot of details in her pieces that show that she put a lot of time and evaluation in the usefulness of the pieces, and on top the designs look really cool and timeless.

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The Bearded Gentleman Guide for Berlin

The Bearded Gentleman Guide for Berlin

Even though the fashion world is currently trying to rush this trend out of the door as fast as they can, you can’t deny that the reality is quite a different one: Beards are still going strong! With the rise of the bearded hipster and the “Lumbersexual” the beard has become the subject of trends in the past decade, and of course trends come and go. But to be honest, beards have been there before these trends, not just in the hip metropolises of the world, but also in many other cities and cultures. And I think they will survive the passing of trends and will hopefully remain in many men’s faces!

In Berlin apparently 53% of men are wearing some kind of beard. 33,5% are sporting a full beard which is my personal favorite, not only for my own face, but also for other men. In fact I believe that every man looks better with a beard, only few men actually look good without one. The grooming brand Braun has now released the results of a survey they conveyed in major cities of Europe. They show similarly high numbers for beards in London, Milan, and Barcelona. With 63% beards Istanbul is actually the most beardy city and with 48% beards Paris makes the end of the ranking.

So, Berlin is not the winner of the beard race, as I would have guessed, but we are still a big player in the field. Of course a beard alone is not enough for a good style. While nicely groomed and trimmed facial hair is a good start we also need some clothes, design and other items that go along with it. To celebrate a little bit the ongoing appreciation of beards in Berlin we selected some of the nicest shops and places that we think somehow relate to the lifestyle of bearded men. Dive in and enjoy our Bearded Gentleman Guide for Berlin after the jump.

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The 10 best Bike Routes in Berlin

The 10 best Bike Routes in Berlin

photo: Sandra Semburg

Germany is a biking nation. Probably everyone you would randomly ask on the street has a bunch of personal and emotional stories to tell you connected with their bikes. Regardless of the weather or personal fitness biking through the city is the most  beloved way of transportation in Berlin. But besides practical reasons, biking can be quite some fun if you know the good streets and bike lanes and avoid busy and narrow boardwalks. What brings biking pleasure to a new level? Having a great bike which is adapted to the needs of the urban dweller. We gathered some shops where you can finde a good bike for your needs in this article. When you found the right bike I would suggest you to use it not only in the city but also to get out of the city.  I collected some great biking spots and routes for you to explore the city on your beloved bike. Since I am not a bike-expert I asked my friends who are doing Komoot to help me out a little bit. Komoot is a great bike app that helps you create the perfect bike tour for your needs. This is how I could put together some really great places to have your summer bike adventure. Read on…

I Heart Bikes

I Heart Bikes

In cities such as Berlin and Buenos Aires the best way to get around town is by bike. I love biking! Especially in Spring and Summer this is so much better then going by subway (long waits for the train) or car (endless search for a parking space). Here in Berlin most points of interest are so easy to reach by bike,  the streets are not so steep and the traffic is relatively safe.

In Buenos Aires it’s almost the same, you only have longer distances, which is one disadvantage of bikes. If you go for more than 20 minutes you might arrive a little sweaty. That’s why I find the idea of an electrical bike incredibly practical. smart has developed such a bike and with their Facebook App I LIKE EBIKE you can get the chance to win their brand new smart ebike. With it you can easily take longer trips, for instance to Teufelsberg, Spreewald or the nearby lakes of Berlin. And in Buenos Aires I would be able to go from San Telmo to Palermo without being completely breathless when I arrive. Find out how to win the bike after the jump along with some impressions of bikes in Berlin and Buenos Aires.

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