Humber by Hipstamatic

Hanging out at my mom's house on the Chesapeake Bay, nice weekend retreat for me and my daughter. My mom was reading this blog and saying she wanted to dust off her old bike that's been mostly collecting dust for the last fifteen years. So I checked it out and it's this cool Humber 3-speed, an amazing citizen-cycle. According to Wikipedia, Humber was an English brand taken over by Raleigh in the 1930s, up until the 70s.

I'm going to test ride it tomorrow. What sort of things go invisibly bad in a bike that sits that long unused in a basement?

Watch the furniture, though

Good item today over on Copenhagenize, about a campaign by that city's health department. Good way to address the reflexive fear some people have about getting on a bike.

You're Safer on the Bicycle Than on the Sofa

As noted in the post - "Appropriate message in a city saturated with cycling. In Emerging Bicycle Cultures, it is always better to highlight the basic facts that appeal to homo sapiens, like A2Bism and quicker transport through our cities. With all that said, this is an important poster in that finally SOMEONE is countering all the negative branding that cycling is suffering..."

I'd say Washington DC is an Emerging Bicycle Culture. Or rather, there is an existing old-guard bike culture dominated by pant straps, helmets, toe-clips, spandex, courier-types, off-roaders, etc. All the stuff that has its own logic but can be off-putting to those considering biking as a practical, elegant, everyday means of getting around.

Within that are tender shoots of citizen cycling, cycle chic (or whatever you want to call it) visible here and there, that just need a little care and watering.

City, zen, cycling

'Cycle chic' - of the great and well-known Copenhagen bike and street fashion blog - has the luxury of being a descriptive term, celebrating what already exists in spades there. Here it would function more as a directive, or a desperate plea, and I wouldn't presume to ask Washingtonians to cycle chic(-ly). People here often dress well, but fashion is not really a DC strength. I do think we're capable of a kind of cosmopolitan civility. I don't think our hardworking and sometimes wonkish masses would rally around 'chic'.

Electra Amsterdam

In DC it sometimes seems that the pool of people who have already self-selected as 'bike people' has nearly topped out, and riders tend to fall into certain categories. Rogue bike couriers. Distance/speed bikers hunched over in spandex. Mountain bikers. Weekend leisure cyclists. Serious and/or 'earthy' commuters with pant legs strapped, an excess of reflectors, orange flags, and granola in their fanny pack. Nothing wrong with any of that. Just listing some of the stereotypes.

So, how to vastly increase the number of people on bikes on a daily basis, as part of the city fabric? It has to appeal to the masses, as basic urban transport.

The city is trying to do its part, with more and better bike lanes and infrastructure. But in many ways it starts with a certain riding mentality and the bicycles themselves - slower, with a more upright sitting position; chainguard, fenders, rear skirt all mean you show up unsplattered on rainy days; staying out of the thick of traffic means a helmet is not as necessary (more on that to be sure).

So you can hop on and go, without special clothes or an alternative lifestyle. Ride as you are. Ride in heels or a suit. Ride chic(ly) if that's you. Don't wear a helmet, or do. Take your time. Try to generally follow traffic laws, and be civil as a way to defuse the anti-bikers. Think of yourself as part of a graceful, heightened, aesthetic (yes!) urban experience. Turning the North American negative connotations of 'urban' upside down, reclaiming the beauty of civilized city life.

Citizen Cycling. Better biking, better cities.