Resilient Ideas: Bike As You Are

Photo by Dorothy Brackett

Any pedestrian who’s felt the backdraft from a herd of athletic cyclists at rush hour may feel that bike commuting is an extreme sport. But bicycles are ordinary transportation in many parts of the world, where people of all ages carry what they need strapped to a rack or hanging from the handlebars.

An emerging trend is the resourceful American cyclist, who adapts to whatever weather nature offers and plans around the lack of bike-friendly infrastructure. Community is emerging through “come as you are” cycling blogs, even when “as you are” is in a skirt and pumps, and on the way to the office. One example is letsgorideabike.com, with cycling advocates Trisha and Dottie encouraging bicycle transportation for those averse to lycra, competition, and racing handlebars. The movement is linked by an appreciation of going at your own pace and being in it for the long haul. Shown here, Chicagoan Dottie Brackett demonstrating snow tires during her winter commute along Lake Michigan.

 

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Valerie Schloredt wrote this article for A Resilient Community, the Fall 2010 issue of YES! Magazine.  Valerie is associate editor at YES! Magazine.

 

More Resilient Ideas

A Hand-Built Home		Low-Impact Urban Living		Bike As You Are		Return of the Mercantile		Processing Food Where the Food Is
Beekeeping on City Rooftops		Reclaim, Repair, Rebuild		Making Fruit Public		Get Off the Grid		Sunshine on the Menu

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10 Resilient Ideas are part of A Resilient Community, the Fall 2010 issue of YES! Magazine.