A Different Type Of Bike

I have ridden many types of bicycles in my life- Canadian bikes all- but I have never ridden an Icelandic bicycle. (I guess this means I have another entry for Dottie and Trisha's Summer Games!)We signed up for a tour of Reykjavik with Reykjavik Bike Tours and I was tickled to find that they also name their bikes.: good Icelandic names like Helga, Kristjan, Guðmunder, and Magnus.
Kristen and Sigriður are common names in my grandmother's family tree and Sigriður was my ride for our tour.
The guide, Stefan, was very knowledgable about the history of Iceland as well as the current political and financial situation and we heard many amusing stories.
There were only three of us on the tour, a very pleasant young man from Boston, and the Geek and I.
Despite the fact it was the one rainy evening on our visit, we had a very good time.
At the end of the ride, we adjourned to a nearby cafe for some wonderfully hot lobster soup. Fully warmed, we walked back to our guesthouse with a greater understanding of the city.

Reykjavik Bike Culture

Reykjavik is trying hard to make itself a bike-friendly city. Sharrow are used in many places, and their frequency increases on places like corners and right hand turns where the lanes split to remind you a cyclist may be present.

Bicycles are rarely locked to anything. A cable lock through a wheel so they can't just be ridden off is the norm. Bicycle in private yards don't seem to be locked at all.
Many bikes have front baskets, or child seats, or both.
And some are just pretty.

Very Determined

We saw many cyclists riding the Ring Road in Iceland. Most bicycles were loaded with front and rear panniers and packs on the rear rack. I have no idea if their goal was to ride the entire ring road, or if they each had a separate destination in mind.
We also saw one unicyclist as he walked his bike up a 10% grade, near Vik I think, but I was too slow to photograph him, or notice many details. We saw him again the next day as we returned to Reykjavik. He was a little further down the road and cars thankfully were giving him a wide berth as he wobbled along with a full pack on his back. Alas, still no picture, but you have to admire his spunk. This road would be challenging enough on two wheels, never mind one.