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| Snipped from Honda's video on their upcoming e-mtb |
Many times I have feelings which find expression in other people's words. Such is the case with a recent discovery of video content on Instagram from a U.K. company called Starling Cycles. . I'm not sure who the gent is that takes the time to do these social media posts for Starling. I imagine it is the head of the company, I do not know. But he's got some good, thought-provoking statements and this particular Instagram post is well worth listening to.
His point is essentially we don't need all these new bicycles. And it isn't just on the boutique, high-end, or mainstream brands that this is true. It is really evident on the low end. The amount of straight-up "bicycle shaped garbage" we recycle at the collective is amazing to me. The bikes were never meant to be repaired, last long, or give any joy in usage. They exist only for the reason of monetary extraction from the poorer folks to the richer folks. That's it. That is the story of big-box cycling.
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| This is why we should be cycling: To build community and have FUN. |
Performance is all you ever hear about in the brand messaging, media coverage, and event coverage. Where is the "FUN" at?
How about we think more about that and how being together doing the cycling thing is a good time. Less about grams, weight, and weird clothing would go miles with getting more people on "real" bicycles. The major appealing thing for the youth when it comes to scooters and mopeds powered by electricity is (a) they can be themselves - No weird accoutrements required, and (b), it's easy. Just hop on and go.
That used to be under the purview of "real" cycling. I used to grab my bicycle when I was young and just pedal to wherever the day took me. No weird shoes to wear. No helmets, (Yes, this is a hindrance to cycling) No focus on performing a certain way. We rode to get together, go places, have some fun. These kids today are doing the exact same thing, but just not on bicycles. Why? Because bicycles they can afford are complete garbage or the bicycles that would work are far too expensive. Plus there is all this helmet, jersey, shoe weirdness, and the kids do not want it.
This doesn't exist in the e-world, and as a bonus, they don't have to get sweaty to go someplace. It's easy. The parents don't have to drag the kids around by car to wherever either.
The future of cycling is bleak because the industry is missing the points which would draw in the youth. And now? With electrified easy transpo, you are going to be hard pressed to get kids to go back to pedaling, unless some drastic thing happens in the near future to change the availability of those devices.
I don't know about where you live, but this is the reality where I am.
Just my personal opinion: It seems most Americans would rather use a motor than pedal and would rather go faster than slower. If fun were a priority then Americans would be buying a lot more than the 8 to 9 thousand Mazda Miatas sold here each year (compared to 8 to 9 million SUVs). I expect unassisted bikes will be available for a long time but will be increasingly difficult to ride in the sea of unregulated motorcycles we call e-bikes.
ReplyDeleteFWIW I always cycle with a helmet and SPD shoes but those are by no means required. In my area helmets are common but spandex and shoes with cleats are not.
So over the past few weeks, I have seen a kid with an eMoto, and then 1-4 other kids on their BMX bikes tooling around. I guess if some hybrid of getting kids outside on bikes or just outside and away from a screen I am all for it. Personally, I would rather see them with fishing poles and some tents, going off to camp along the stream for the weekend. But I can not have it all.
ReplyDeleteSome kids in this generation that have started off on ebikes will never go back to pedaling.
ReplyDeleteHere in the Surrey Hills (in the UK) I cycle with a guy who has two Starling bikes, he went to Uni with the founder (though I don't know him personally). They are lovely steel bikes for sure. I would agree that people are poorly served with down market bikes every way you look at it.
ReplyDeleteIt's also true that e-powered options are a problem everywhere, even having visited the Netherlands this year you can see both delivery riders and youngsters favouring electric help. But their bike culture is deeply embedded and these things can very much co-exist.
If speed was everything we'd all be riding TdF road bikes and that's clearly not the case.
I think the biggest weakness is the bike industry is very small compared to both the car industry and the companies that make electric devices - the electric motor maker Avinox for example dwarfs Trek and Specialized by market cap (James Huang's thoughts on Avinox are an interesting read)
The result is no voice for bike promotion as a whole, and no voice for advocating for bike infrastructure and culture (which is the game changer that beats all else). It's further hindered by individual bike manufacturers working against each other to grab a slice of the tiny pie.
If I were trying to change this, I'd be trying to get a multi-channel sustained long-term campaign of advocacy and aspirational promotion based on health, fitness and lifestyle benefits, paid for by an industry body. Easier said than done but the alternative is retreat into a narrow hobby niche.