let's just settle with this loose definition:
one more biker is a group of avid cyclists willing to promote all things cycling to the next generation of bikers.
simple, huh?
so what does that mean?
it means showing whomever will listen that biking should be a way of life. that biking is cool. that biking is fun. that cars and bikes can coexist. that sharing the road is a good thing. more importantly, it means showing kids that there is a freedom to do whatever they want, regardless of where they're from.
there's a new generation of kids out there that believe their mind and feet can take them anywhere. cyclists just know that the mind works better after brisk little ride; and riding is faster than ground-pounding.
who is one more biker?
i dunno. i'm just socializing this idea. i guess it's just me. but i'm looking for some support.
if i had my way, we'd take cycling to them.
it'd be a handful of people from the local racing teams, a handful of messenger riders, and a handful of people from the collectives around atlanta, all showing up in one neighborhood on one particular saturday to fix bikes and teach bike safety to whoever wants to learn. but for now, it's just me... in my neighborhood... typing on a computer... fixing bikes in my spare time... and refurbishing or paying for tubes, tires, brakes, and grease with my spare change.
how would it work?
on a given saturday, we'd organize a fun little mass ride through one particular neighborhood. we'd flyer for the upcoming weekend. and we'd have a great time.
the next weekend, we'd meet at the flyered location and set up shop. we'd have tubes donated from forte. we'd have kids' helmets donated from giro. we'd have both a girls and boys bike donated by trek (or an LBS). and we'd have piles of tools and grease/degreaser/brake pads donated from elsewhere.
we'd set up a gold sprint to entertain the kids...finding the fastest kid in the neighborhood (male and female would get the bikes).
and then maybe, just maybe, we'd have enough time and money left over to have a little BBQ in the local park afterwards.
why would trek, forte, bike, LBS, etc., do this?
have you seen how many cyclists are on twitter? facebook? blogging? the PR value to these companies is insane. and they have plenty of product sitting around... do the math. if forte invests in 20 kids now, and only two take up cycling for life, how many inner tubes is that? i went through 15 tubes last year. alone. how many did you go through?
so what's stopping one more biker?
as much as cycling is an individual sport, it's also a team sport. think about it. when you're riding out with a friend, and you come up on an intersection, you either yell, "car" or "clear". when you're competing, and the guy next to you blows a tube, you give him one of yours... because you've been there.
success is not only measured by what we can achieve, but by what we can prevent. and by going public with this idea, there are now tax burdens, insurance issues, etc. if this is going to be successful, then those questions need to be answered. and on my dime (which isn't much), quickly.
after all, a good cycling lead is quick to point out the hazards in the road to the followers behind.
