Chicago Bike Blog

It's not about the stuff, Part IV

I have a confession to make. "It's not about the stuff" is not my own quote. I stole it from Tim Parr, the founder of Swobo, whom I heard interviewed on cycling.tv at Interbike. In general, I found cycling.tv to be a bit of an annoyance at the show, as its monitors, distributed throughout the convention hall, seemed to be speaking to no one. Yet, somehow, I found one speaking directly to me.
"It's not about the stuff" is a philosophy to which I have always adhered. As bicycle shop owners, we are necessarily in the business of STUFF (as is Tim: he does own a bicycle STUFF company, which has been getting some publicity for their pared down line of urban bikes). We know on which side our bread is buttered, and that without the stuff, well, you know, we wouldn't be here.
Yet, it is not the stuff that gets people on bikes. We've had great bike stuff for years, and only recently have we experienced an appreciable surge in people actually using bikes to get from one place to another in this country.
People will not ride bikes more, because there are more bikes to ride (except in the developing world). People will not commute more, because manufacturers are making more "commuter bikes" (what is a commuter bike, anyway?). People will ride more if we can create a bike culture.
How is bike culture created? Well, products, fashions and trends are definitely a part of it. But just as bicycle messengers existed long before bike messenger bags, let alone messenger fashions, came into vogue, so have bike commuters. Companies like Tim's (and there are scores of others) have been preaching bike commuting for years. Advocacy groups and volunteers have logged in thousands of hours of often under-appreciated work to create facilities, pass laws, and change public outlook on bicycling. Activists and Critical Massers have created happenings and increased the visibility and profile of urban cyclists, and raised their standing in the world of fashion. And forward thinking bike shops, like our own Rapid Transit here in Wicker park, have done the nuts-and-bolts work of turning people into cyclists every day of the year, by offering encouragement, advice, and - yes - a little bit of stuff to enhance your commute.
But it is never about the stuff. To my way of looking, you, the bike commuter are just as much, if not more, a legitimate cyclist as an "elite racer", even if you get around on an old three-speed. It is people: people riding bikes everyday, in everyday clothes, doing everyday things as part of their everyday lives that create bike culture. Not the stuff.

It's not about the stuff, Part III

If some people think it's hard to give up the car for a two-mile bike trip, they should take a look at the Wounded Warrior Project and their Soldier Ride.
A group of veterans recovering from serious wounds sustained in Iraq and Afghanistan completed a 300-mile Desert Challenge Soldier Ride last Thursday, as they rode their fleet of hand cycles, recumbent trikes and other specially adapted human-powered vehicles through the Interbike exhibit hall.
Wounded Warriors Project, a non-profit advocacy group, initially provide the recovering veterans with needed basics, including clothing, toiletries and calling cards. Later, they offer several programs to help with the recovery and encourage participation in various sports activities, with cycling among them. Many Wounded Warrior members later go on to help and mentor more recently wounded veterans.
The group works to create awareness of wounded soldiers' issues, and build support for its projects to raise financial and moral aid to veterans. Their appearance at Interbike, and the other five rides the group will complete this year, was part of that mission: to raise funds and equipment donations needed to continue enhancing the lives of wounded veterans.

It's not about the stuff, Part II

Trying to do some good a little closer to home is Clif Bar, an energy food company with their Two-Mile Challenge program.
The company converted a 1959 GMC bus into something of a shrine celebrating bicycle commuting. The biodiesel-powered vehicle will travel to a number of college campuses, festivals and farmer's markets (mostly, alas, west of the Rockies), preaching the gospel of using the bicycle for transportation.

The premise is quite simple. According to widely quoted statistics, about 40% of all urban trips in the US are two miles or less. 90% of these trips are by car. 60% of pollutions from automobiles happens within the first few minutes of operation. Thus, Clif Bar's mission is to convert those unnecessary short car trips to bicycle trips.
Clif Bar has set up a website, where people will be able to map out a 2-mile radius of their address, and identify routes to services within that area, including grocery stores, cafes, bike shops, etc. In addition, the bus features displays about the use of bicycles around the world, a variety of ways to include the bicycle in your daily life, ways to customize your bike for commuting, and challenge cards that allow interested participants to commit to the cycling challenge at the level that's reasonable and comfortable.
To enhance the program, Clif Bar plans to donate $25,000 worth of bike gear to campuses to help jumpstart new bike programs, or bolster existing ones.
I love the idea of this program, and the only regret I have is that it seems to be largely confined to western states, including Arizona, California and Oregon, that already have fairly extensive bike commuting networks and participation. However, the Two-Mile Challenge website is open to anyone in the US, so we encourage you to map out your route today.

It's not about the stuff, Part I

Yes, the Interbike Expo is mostly about stuff: lots of it. Rows and rows of socks, bags, lights, shoes, helmets, jerseys, wheels, tires, derailleurs, and, of course, bikes.
Amid the stuff, there are some people trying to do some good around the world.
An industry group working under the slogan "One Goal, Many Solutions" is uniting smaller groups who bring aid to impoverished countries through the use of bicycles.
World Bicycle Relief involves partners from leading bicycle industry players, and other relief groups. This organization provides bicycles to areas of the world affected by natural disasters and extreme poverty. Bicycles have direct impact on communities' access to healthcare, education and jobs, empower families and communities by providing basic, sustainable and autonomous transportation. This particular group supplied bikes to people affected by the tsunami that hit southeast Asia in 2004. They have also published the results of a economic impact study they conducted on the post-tsunami Sri Lankan project. According to Bicycle retailer & Industry News, an industry publication, this is the first economic impact study that evaluates how the use of bicycle helps stimulate the local economy.
Project Rwanda is the brainchild of Tom Ritchey, of Ritchey Bicycles. In addition to the group's on-going projects, including the Wooden Bike Classic, and Team Rwanda, Ritchey's specially designed Coffee Bike was developed to help people in Rwanda enter and affectively compete in the growing coffee market in that country, by enabling them to transport beans faster over greater distances.

Other projects participating in the "One Goal, Many Solutions" conference were:
Australian Goodwill Bicycles Abroad collects unwanted bicycles in Australia, and distributes them to developing countries.
Bicycle Sponsorship Project & Workshop helps find donors to finance bikes for people in need in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa.
Bicycles For Humanity raises funds and collects bicycles around the world to send to countries in need.
Bicycling Empowerment Network works to provide low-cost bicycles, and develop bike path networks in order to improve access to education, employment and healthcare in Africa.
Bikes For The World collects unwanted bikes in the US, and helps distribute them to people in need in developing countries and in the Washington DC area. It also helps develop self-sustaining bike repair operations in those areas.
Bikes Not Bombs uses recycled bikes to promote concrete alternatives to war and environmental destruction both in the countries of the global south, and in low income areas of Boston.
BikeTown Africa a collaboration between Bicycling Magazine, Kona Bikes and Bristol-Myers Squibb to use bicycles to help deliver healthcare and medication to people in Africa affected by HIV.
ecoTruk and Funk Cycles provides heavy-duty load carrying bicycles to people in need, in order to enhance access to local economies, ad provide sustainable transport.
Institute For Transportation and Development Policy was founded to provide sustainable and socially equitable transportation worldwide.
Jole Rider donates bikes to secondary schools in Africa, and distributes them to teachers and students with the longest walking distances to and from school.
Pedals For Progress has distributed over 100,000 discarded bikes from overburdened landfills in affluent countries to people in need around the world, and is actively promoting the development of bicycle repair businesses in developing countries.
Re-Cycle East recycles unwanted bikes in Britain to send to people in need of transport in African countries.
Sister Shops partners bike shops in the US with start-up shops in developing countries to provide start-up resources, training and mentoring.
Wheels4Life is a charity founded by stunt biking legend Hans Rey to help deliver bikes to people in developing countries in need of transport, including healthcare workers.
Working Bikes Cooperative is a Chicago organization that diverts bicycles from the waste stream and repairs them for resale and charity. They have donated thousands of bicycles to developing countries throughout the world, and donated over 500 bikes and wheelchairs to city programs, refugees and day camps in the Chicago area.
WorldBike brings together bicycle designers, industry leaders and development professionals to help provide transportation solutions and economic opportunities for the world's poor by delivering load-carrying bicycles to areas in need.

Polo!

For all you bike polo afficionados in Chicago, here is something for you in merino wool from Earth Wind & Rider, modeled by Chris:

Visiting our vendors: Kona

We had fun visiting with Kona and trying on their fashions:

This meeting was less business and more fun, as our regular rep Kevin has just become a dad (congrats!), and we were pretty much just being silly with Angie, who subbed for him.
However, we did find a couple of new items that we think our Rapid Transit customers will like back in Chicago.
First, the Ute, a workhorse urban lugging bike, using an extended rear triangle, with a rigid board, capable of carrying four pannier bags. At $800, it comes with two, but you can get more from Kona, or use ones you already have. We will definitely have some of these in the store, and may even get one for ourselves for those big grocery trips. The only problem is, I think our kids will want to ride on the back of it, and I think that's a no-no (except maybe just around the block...)

Another bike we liked is the Sutra, which Kona also enhanced with greater carrying capacity, by including both front and rear carrying racks in its $1200 price tag (hey, that's a hundred bucks worth of racks, not including installation). A great steel road bike for both city riding and touring.

Visiting our vendors: Electra

This morning we spent a lot of time with our vendors, including Electra. Electra has a great talent for creating fashion-forward yet functional, attractively priced bikes. The types of bikes they offer are increasingly suited for urban travel. Although we have been surprised how many people in Chicago (and specifically in Wicker Park)  love riding around on Electra's wild cruisers, the company, and we, both know that many people are looking for something a little more subtle and classic. So they do both. These are not bikes for breaking speed records, but they are both attractive and comfortable. Many of their bikes feature "flat foot technology", which makes them very user-friendly. Electra has taken some pains this year to correct some technical shortcomings on many of their bikes, and, according to what we were told, all bikes are now equipped with double-walled rims, and sealed cartridge bearings in the bottom bracket.

Cool stuff seen here and there

Here is a handful of other products that caught our eye at Interbike.

For canine owners, there is finally a bona fide dog trailer, thanks to Chariot Carriers:

Earth, Wind and Rider has a tempting selection of merino wool cycling jerseys in an array of gorgeous colors and styles:

Remember Timbuk 2 bags in their heyday? Well, a couple of their former staff members cut loose to start Rickshaw Bagworks, a promising and environmentally-minded line of bike bags:

Not that I would advocate using this in city traffic, but this little wireless, ipod compatible speaker from Cy-Fi lets you bring your tunes with you what you ride on a path or trail:

Dream On

Now that bike commuting has gone mainstream, manufacturers are pumping all sorts of money into their design. Many booths at Interbike prominently feature sexy, decked out urban "commuters" for bicycle retailers to drool over.
For example, there is the Seven Cycles Custom Verve commuter:

This beauty is constructed out of Seven's Integrity 325 straight gauge titanium tubing, features disc brakes, 9-speed internal hub (but can be set up as a single-speed or derailleur bike), and has an eco-friendly look enhanced by Full Wood fenders by Rivercity Bicycles, Brooks honey leather saddle, cork grips and a custom titanium front rack made entirely out of recycled materials. Suggested use: hardcore commuter. Estimated price, as built, $4800 NOT including the front rack.

Chicago commuters, how would you like to ride something like this through Humboldt Park?

Burley "Piccolo" is back

We are thrilled to report that Burley Design Coop has resurrected the Piccolo trailer cycle in a beautiful red color:

The Piccolo, like similar products available from other manufacturers, make it possible to instantly convert any adult bike to a child-friendly tandem. The child who has outgrown a conventional trailer, but is not yet able to keep up with an adult on an independent bike, can pedal along or coast on a trailer cycle. What makes the Piccolo different from the competitors is the attachment system. While other trailer cycles attach to the seatpost of an adult bike, Burley provides a proprietary rear rack that attaches to the parent's bike, and the trailer securely attaches to the rack. This form of attachment makes for better tracking and less side to side swivel. The rack also makes it possible to attach the trailer to a non-traditional bike, such as a recumbent.
The multi-speed Piccolo will retail for around $299, and the single-speed version for about $239.