Get On Your Bikes And Ride: The Tweed Ride brings fancy dress and classy bikes to Reykjavík

I distinctly remember the first time I spotted the Tweed Ride. Sitting in a window seat of a downtown café, I spied a group of bikers pedalling leisurely past, each dressed like characters out of a period drama. Woollen plus fours, impeccable tweed jackets, brogues, voluminous cycling skits and sporting chapeaus glided down Austurstræti, with bicycle bells chiming.

The event I happened to witness was an early iteration of the Reykjavík Tweed Ride, which had been founded by vintage bicycle enthusiasts Jón Gunnar Tynes Ólason and Alexander Schepsky in 2012. The duo would go on to found Reiðhjólaverzlunin Berlin, a Reykjavík bike store specialising in impossibly beautiful city bikes. Under the ownership of Jón Óli Ólafsson since 2018, Berlin has continued to invite fashionable cyclists out for annual rides around town.

Ahead of the 13th iteration of the Reykjavík Tweed Ride on June 8, I caught up with Jón Óli to get a better understanding of what the event is all about.

“The basic aim of it is just to dress up and take out your old bicycles and join us riding around Reykjavík city — slow and nice,” Jón Óli says when asked about the event’s raison d’etre.

Anywhere from 40 to 60 people participate in the Tweed Ride each year, with Jón Óli explaining that it’s a mix of people who have bought bicycles from Berlin and others who just have an old bike laying around that they want to take out for a ride. Though the turnout each year largely depends on the forecast, Jón Óli is quick to boast that it has not rained on the day of the Tweed Ride in all the years he’s been overseeing the event.

As someone who sold his car in 2012 and has travelled almost exclusively by bike since, it’s clear that Jón Óli loves biking and the opportunity to spend a day with other cyclists. “It’s freedom, being able to go wherever I want to,” Jón Óli says of what he loves most about biking. “In some cases, when you’re going a bit further or just out riding, it’s like meditation.”

Cycling, Sipping and Prizes

The Tweed Ride takes participating cyclists on two circuits around central Reykjavík, starting at Hallgrímskirkja and ending at a bar for “high tea.” Those interested can also join other cyclists for dinner — hey, if you’re all dressed up, why not have somewhere to go?

In addition to sharing the joy of riding around town together, the Tweed Ride also furnishes prizes for best dressed cyclists and the most beautiful bicycle, as decided by the participants in a vote. There’s no need to remember everyone’s names, though — each registered rider is given a numbered bib for their bike and a corresponding armband by which to identify them.

The prize for best dressed participants remains shrouded in mystery, but the winner in the most beautiful bike category will win a prize from Berlin. But the prospect of a prize shouldn’t be one’s motivation for participating. The Tweed Ride is all about community and a shared love of riding bikes.

“It’s fun, believe me,” Jón Óli says emphatically. “If you think about it, it’s not often that you dress up, get on an old bike you have and ride around the city centre in slow motion. People will smile at you.”

The Tweed Ride gets underway from Hallgrímskirkja on June 8 at 14:00. Register for the event at tweedride.is