Community Building | Utility Cycling

Austin Nominated for VH1 2010 “Do Something City” Award

Posted on 08. Jul, 2010 by Ted Johnson.

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Austin. As in Texas.
Here in Arizona, we have great empathy for our fellow Wild West state. We often find ourselves inadvertently competing to be America’s political punch line. But when you get down to localities and municipalities, there’s a lot about which we can be proud, especially when it comes to cycling culture, and [...]

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Social Action through Cycling

Posted on 28. Jun, 2010 by Stacey Moses.

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Social action, generally speaking, refers to an act performed by an individual or a group to work towards achieving a goal that is valued by society. Bicycles can be used to support different types of social action, such as charity rides in which a bike ride is the main event in an effort to raise [...]

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Community Building: Cycling Organizations

Posted on 23. Jun, 2010 by Stacey Moses.

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At Utility Cycling, we’ve discussed how bicycles can bring together people of similar interests to create communities of likeminded cyclists, and how bicycles can be used not only for transportation, deliveries and services, but also for social gatherings and social action, and self-expression. There is a utility in all of these activities, whether the goal [...]

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The Ride of Silence: Let the Silence Roar

Posted on 30. May, 2010 by Melanie Meyers.

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Every year, on the third Wednesday of May, thousands of cyclists across the world take to the streets to honor fellow riders who have been injured or killed while cycling. This event is known as the Ride of Silence, and it is a powerful way to use cycling as a statement. We have defined utility [...]

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Bicycle Advocacy Organizations: Consorting with the Locals

Posted on 25. May, 2010 by Stacey Moses.

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On Friday morning, before the sun had made its daily appearance, I was on my way to set up shop at Northern Virginia’s largest Bike to Work Day pit stop in Rosslyn, Virginia. Through my position with a local bicycle retailer, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to represent our company as we [...]

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A Celebration of Bikes: Bike to Work Week

Posted on 13. May, 2010 by Stacey Moses.

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As National Bike Month continues, the main event is upon us: Bike to Work Week. From Monday, May 17th to Friday, May 21st, national bicycle advocacy and local bicycle advocacy organizations host smart cycling classes, challenges, festivities and more to energize committed bicycle commuters and to inspire new or casual bicycle commuters. This week is [...]

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Bicycle Advocacy Organizations: The National Stage

Posted on 30. Apr, 2010 by Stacey Moses.

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In its many forms and functions, utility cycling would not be possible without the support of the bicycle advocacy organizations that exist on both local and national levels. These organizations lobby for improved road and trail conditions as well as educate individuals, businesses and communities about bicycle safety and the benefits of using a bike [...]

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Cyclovia Tucson

Posted on 24. Apr, 2010 by Melanie Meyers.

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This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of getting to participate in the very first Cyclovia Tucson! The Tuscon Cyclovia is part of the Tucson Bike Fest, which takes place throughout the month of April and includes Bike-To-Work Week, a bike commuter challenge, a bike swap, and many other great events. The Tucson Bike Fest [...]

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Group Rides: Casual, Competitive and Colossal

Posted on 22. Apr, 2010 by Stacey Moses.

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When Pierre and Ernest Michaux invented the modern bicycle nearly a century and a half ago, it is unlikely that they envisioned the multiplicity of enterprises for which it would be used. We use bikes to get places more efficiently and more economically, we use them to stay in shape, and we use them to [...]