BMX

Nothing could have prepared the world for what BMX would bring to the bicycle scene!
One of the most influencial bicycle movements, bmx brought a following to a whole new form of riding. Kids started out imitating their favorite motorcross stars and soon began replicating what they were doing on bicycles. This than grew into a market for a whole new kind of bike and a whole new kind of riding.
BMX recently has become an olympic sport and is completed around the world!

"joe kid on a sting-ray" is a new film about the history of BMX. Where it started to where its going!

naked bike ride

World Naked Bike Ride is an international clothing-optional bike ride in which participants plan, meet and ride together in mass on human powered transport to protest world dependency on oil and to celebrate the power and individuality of human bodies.

The dress code motto is "Bare as you Dare". Bike and body are are a huge part of the ride. Its left up to the creativity and expression of the riders.

There is even a from of Critical Mass occasionally called Critical ASS described as a form of political protest when nudity and mass riders unite!

Critical Mass

Critical Mass is a bicycle ride that is held on the last Friday of every month in over 300 cities around the world. It was founded in 92' in SF with the idea to spread the good word about sharing roads with riders and to help bring attention to how unfriendly the streets can be for riders.

Rides range from a dozen or so riders to THOUSANDS! Each location where there is a ride can have a totally different feel and reason to the ride. Some are random..the only organization is the day, time and meet up ...and then the ride is random from there. Other rides have a set goal for the ride with specific jobs for some riders, locations to stop, and a way to block traffic.

The leaderless organization has created quite a stir from civic groups, the police, and politicians.

There have been instances of violence, arrests, and police brutality. Fights between motorists and riders are probably the most common. Here in WA there was an instance where a motorist who was impatience and upset by the blocked traffic he rammed through some of the riders injuring a handful and then he himself was beaten with bike locks in retaliation.

In the end the ride no matter what brings attention to how there needs to be more awareness to riders and their safety!

black label bike club

The bicycle culture around the world has tended to be white and privileged. This is starting to change as the economic sitations around the world change. Here in the USA there is a newER underground bike movement that is getting a bit of attention...wanted or not.

The Black Label Bike Club is a group that started in Minneapolis, Minnesota by two men: Jacob Houle and Per Hanson. This small group has expanded to chapters across the country and even a nomadic chapter known as "Nowhere".

This group is thought to be the origion of tall bike jousting and lent to the growing popularity of tall bike culture. In 2005, this group was followed around by a film crew who created the movie entitled "B.I.K.E.". I have probably watched this film more than any other. One part of me loves the film because it exposes something I have interest in and also hate it because it also exposes me to ideas I do not share with the group.

bicycles for the physically challenged

All people have obstacles that challenge them in their lives. Being able to ride a bike is a challenge for some...from missing or wounded limbs to the ability to move like most people...these challenges can be overcome in order to have the ability to ride a bike. From people around the world to people here in my town of Olympia WA...there are many who face this challenge and tackle it!

fixed gear/fixie

One of the biggest things in the bike world right now is the fixed gear bike or 'fixie'. There is hot debate on if this is just a fad or something more. A fixed gear bike is a bike where the rear cog is a fixed/non moving single speed....meaning that when you pedal forward you move forward...when you pedal backward...you move backward. Most importantly is that when the wheels are moving....YOUR FEET ARE MOVING!

There is some choice on what size cog and chain ring you use. This ratio can affect a bit of how easy or hard it is to do inclines. However, fixed gear riding is not for the faint of heart...and in most cases brakes are also something the riders go without.

This style stems from bicycle racing and then the influences bicycle messenger scene. Now this is more popular with everyday riders and novice riders...which seems to be where the hot debate is stemming from!

No matter how you feel about fixies and no brakes the appearance of the bike is simple and beautiful!

United bicycle institute

www.bikeschool.com
One of the funnest things I have been lucky enough to do is attend this school! I went for the introduction to bicycle maintenance class. One week of nothing but eat, breath, dream, work all on bikes! I arrived on a Sunday evening to the bicycle hostel; which happened to just be 2 buildings down from the school. There were about 9 of us sharing a two room dorm style apt, all going to the school. We would all wake up at the crack of dawn, some of us would share breakfast and then we would head off to the school. Class started at 7am sharp!

We would start out the day talking about the previous days work....ask questions and then move onto the new days lesson. They would use a model bike in the classroom setting...and then we would work on our own bikes or supplied bikes if we liked. We stripped our bikes down completely and built them back up over the course of the week! It was great to see how things worked and how to fix them. It was also interesting to see the 'what if's'. Each class ended at around 5pm but if we chose...we could stay until 7pm with one of the mechanics to work more on our own bikes. I always opted for this because when else do you have this kind of opportunity

There were 4 teachers and always at least 2 in the class at all times. There was plenty of hands on work along with help if needed. The ratio of teacher to student ranged from 1 to 7...to about 1 to 4. Never was I made to feel like I was suppose to know something or belittled for not knowing. They encouraged questions and would always have or GET the answer for us. All the teachers have worked in the industry from being bike riding professions to being pro team mechanics. ALL OF THEM LOVE BICYCLES!

I hope to return and complete all the courses they offer. The class I took with room and board was about a grand. This class being the cheapest and the most expensive would be the two week titanium frame building class which is over 3 grand plus room and board. They also have small clinic classes for those who are doing the long haul of several of the classes at once.

Anyone thinking about doing this should! Its great fun and there is always lots to learn!