Bicycle culture
Bicycle culture can refer to a mainstream culture that supports the use of bicycles or to a subculture. Although "bike culture" is often used to refer to various forms of associated fashion, it is erroneous to call fashion in and of itself a culture.[1]
Cycling culture refers to cities and countries which support a large percentage of
A city with a strong bicycle culture usually has a well-developed
Advocacy and activism subcultures
In some cities and countries,
Cycling advocacy often aims to improve community bike infrastructure, including aspects such as bike lanes, parking facilities, and access to public transportation.
Within the cycling community, activism may take many forms, and may include creative and practical approaches.[4] These include bike-related music, bike-related films, international exchange of hospitality (Warm Showers), organized bike rides (often noncompetitive—i.e. Critical Mass and World Naked Bike Ride), art bikes displays, printed-word materials (such as blogs, zines and magazines, stickers, and spoke cards), and the publication and distribution of books (such as: Thomas Stevens's Around the World on a Bicycle, Mark Twain's essay "Taming the Bicycle" and H. G. Wells's novel The Wheels of Chance). There are hundreds of bicycle cooperatives offering spaces for cyclists to replace their own bikes and socialise.
Examples
Many cities contain
San Jose Bike Party is another example of a large monthly social ride that regularly exceeds a thousand riders. It occurs on third Fridays of each month after the evening commute. Typically there are two regroup points allowing slower riders to catch up, which include music and food trucks.[5][6]
Mainstream bike cultures
Cycling is the norm in countries like the Netherlands and Denmark. In Denmark, 16 percent of all trips are made by bike—and as much as 50 percent of urban populations cycle to work and school.[7][8] In the Netherlands, 63 percent of Amsterdam residents ride their bikes every day.[9] Strong cycling infrastructure helps encourage cycling in these cities, and so cycling is the fastest, most convenient way to get from one place to another.
Mainstream bike cultures are characterized by notions of function over form. In mainstream bike cultures, there is less of a differentiation between cyclists and the rest of the population. People of all demographics cycle regularly, and most are less concerned about cycling attire and bike performance. It is not uncommon to see people cycle in business attire or on an old rusty bike.
See also
- Cycling mobility
- Cyclability
- Bicycle Film Festival
- Bicycle-friendly
- Car-free movement
- Critical Mass
- International Cycling Film Festival
- Cycling in Denmark
- Cycling in the Netherlands
- History of cycling
- List of films about bicycles and cycling
- Cycling infrastructure
- Cycle touring
- Utility cycling
- Mamil
References
- ^ Snob, Bike (2009). Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling [Hardcover].
- ^ League of American Bicyclists (2013), Where We Ride: Analysis of bicycling in American cities (PDF), archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-05-25
- ^ "Great Plains Trails Network | Jogging, Biking, Walking, Horseback Riding Trails | Lincoln". Gptn.org. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
- ^ Furness, Zack (2010). One Less Car: Bicycling and the Politics of Automobility.
- San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
- ^ Grobelny, Kasia; Goode, Lauren (2014-04-21). "San Jose Bike Party is not your typical Silicon Valley cycling group". SF Gate/San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-08-15.
- ^ "Facts about Cycling in Denmark - Cycling Embassy of Denmark". Cycling Embassy of Denmark. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
- ^ "Copenhageners love their bikes - The official website of Denmark". denmark.dk. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
- ^ "Cycling facts and figures | I amsterdam". www.iamsterdam.com. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
Further reading
- "Cyclists Go Glam Into the Night: For the Bike-to-Work Generation, a Move to Fashionable High-Tech Clothing", New York Times, 23 October 2014
- "An American in Denmark: Close encounters with European bicycle culture," Grist, August 5, 2013
- "Spin cycle: Copenhagen's rise, fall, and rise again to cycling supremacy." Grist, August 7, 2013
- "Riding lessons for U.S. cities from one of Europe's bike capitals." Grist, August 9, 2013
- Zack Furness, One Less Car: Bicycling and the Politics of Automobility. Temple University Press, 2010.