What is advisable when you want to start or continuing pedaling when after moving to an other country to work?

Leave a reply

It is normal that some doubts appear when moving to a different country. Some of them are related to biking.

It is logical that different countries follow alternative justices over using a bicycle daily, so the first tip is to take into account the local laws regarding it. Receiving a fine for not knowing the local law when pedaling is discouraged.

Next, choosing your future bike (if you did not bring it with you) is essential and for that take a look at the bicycles that local bikers drive. For instance, if the city/country is hilly, ebikes and mountain bikes use to be preferred. If in a flat city, a city bike is usually acceptable. Buying a first hand or thrift bicycle depends on your economic situation. However, never buy a bike without bill as it could be robbed and thus you would contribute to bicycle thefts.

Another tip is to look at local bikers: how they ride, where they go, what garment they wear regarding local climate. This allows you to anticipate the best behavior while riding.

Finally, if you want to meet bikers and make friends, one of the best ways is to participate in the Critical Mass.

Bike activism matters

Leave a reply

I distinguish two steps in bike activism depending on the urban biking moment. Firstly, bike activism is essential when there are few bicyclers on a city. The main action of them is just ride their bikes as most people tend not to try something new unless some other people have done it before. So, if pedestrians see bikers pedaling happily, they are more prone to do the same. After checking they can do it, more people want to enjoy bicycles. If parents ride bikes, children want to do it also. If children pedal, parents would do the same. It is a snowball. Secondary actions of bike activists at this point are fighting for infrastructures such as segregated bike lines, secure bike parking and urban design pro-biking. Many different actions can be done to convince politicians of the biking benefits. At the same time, motor vehicles drivers are being accustomed to bicycles.

Secondly, the final step starts when the number of displacements by bikes is a majority. Few countries have reached it at this moment, located in central and northern Europe. One can realize it when bicycle traffic stuck and use of motor vehicles in cities is less than 20%. They are societies in which a great majority of inhabitants are in favor of less pollutant ways of transport, and bikes above all. The impact of bike activists is less visual as almost everybody uses bicycles. Still, this type of activism is appreciated and its actions mutate into more specific issues. Examples are workshops on how to face social disasters, bike tourism (outside cities) promotion, non-competing sports events, bike concerts and bike leisure in general encouragement, among others.

To me, the natural, logical progression from step one to step two is something in which the majority of countries around the globe are immersed. We do not stop. Thanks to all bike activists!

How useful are cargo bikes in natural disasters and wars?

Leave a reply

The bicycle characteristics are ideal when natural disasters impact human livings. As I exposed when writing about bicycles after the DANA in Valencia (Spain), in 2024, bikes and above all cargo bikes are narrower than cars and transport first needed food to where is needed.

The concern about climate change, natural disasters and even wars has created initiates to share ideas regarding it. One example is the Kollapscamp in Wittstock (Germany). Contrary to what the name suggest, it is not a pessimistic camp for bikes. This event attracted 900 people to contribute to a platform to learn and share ideas about how bicycles can help overcome natural disasters and social crisis through workshops and talks. It also promoted strong, self sufficient communities without centralized nets, psychology, social organization and logistics.

Previously, as back as 2012, some tests have been done. For instance, the Disaster Relief Trials (DRT) in Portland (USA) consisted in bike cargo tests as a drill for using this type of bicycle to bring food aid to a catastrophic area. They evaluated how good are cargo bikes in transporting water or assisting in paths full of mackerel. They concluded that non-electric bikes are the best as the good management of energy is not needed in such scenarios.

The Tolocar project, promoted by the XYZ Cargo in Hamburg, has suggested to reinforce the supply routes with cargo bikes in Chernígov (Ukraine). XYZ proposes modular systems to adapt cargo bikes in few time.

What does a hotel need to be biketourism friendly?

Leave a reply

As there are more and more bikers, bike tourism has increased over the last years. This alternative way of making tourism allows enjoying places from a calmer perspective, being in close contact with local populations in a higher degree and protecting environment in comparison with the traditional tourism. Even today the number of hotels prepared for bike tourism is still narrow because they were not built to taken into account bikers.

Some tips to make hotels biketourism friendly are the follows. These hotels have to have a specific space, indoor or outdoor, for bicycles. It should be large enough as to allow this way of transport plus the saddlebags. If outdoor, it has to be secure, i.e. be closed, have a robust, unique door wide enough for bikes and if possible CCTVs with banners to avoid thefts. The hall should be large in order to allow all bicyclers and their luggage since bike tourists can pedal in big groups. As for the room, it is enough to have a bed, a wardrobe and a bathroom. Not surprisingly, the bathroom should have a shower tray as taking a shower rejuvenate a body after pedaling many kilometers. It is advisable to count with a green area within the limits of the hotel for such bike tourists who prefer camping instead of sleeping in a room. Finally, the hotel menu should consist in energetic food due to the fact that bikers will burn the total calorie intake during the next bike tourism day.