Editor's Statement
Community bike events can be a good litmus test of the health of the entire scene, with year-to-year growth on display for all to witness. In the case of the 2010 BikePGH Bikefest fundraiser party (pictured above) one couldn’t help but notice the difference between it and the inaugural 2005 event. “Back in the day” said event was certainly a different beast, held in a warehouse space shared with Free Ride, our local recycled bike cooperative, and accompanied by punk rock and a crowd of urban cycling misfits that spilled into the dark parking lot. I remember sweeping the floor beforehand, filling Nalgene bottles with beer, and the high-fives that went around when the cash box reached $1000 on the evening. The five years since have seen an explosion of growth in urban cycling across the land, including here at home. The party has grown, the scene has changed. Where once things flew under the radar, today city councilpersons pay the door fee to get into the party along with hundreds of others from across the bike world.
New shops have opened and prospered, public bike facilities have been put in place, Free Ride has placed thousands of bikes on the street through their volunteer wrenching programs. The day-to-day progress can seem frustratingly slow and full of hurdles, but looking back to that first Bikefest party and where we stand today, the growth is impressive. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but as urban cycling continues to grow in scope and popularity it may only be a relatively few short years until we all look back on the “good old days” and hope to never return to the days of knowing every face at the party and every bike on the street.
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Riding in Chicago's underground. Photo by Brad Quartuccio