Wired spots a new trend: the growing popularity of bicycles especially designed for urban commuters.
Some people believe that, right now, a quiet revolution is taking place. In cities like London, San Francisco, Boston and New York, the ranks of bicycle riders are swelling with the rise of a new breed: the urban biker. Traffic snarls, soaring gas prices and worries about global warming have prompted a big boost in cycling, affecting even places like Los Angeles — America’s freeway capital — that have traditionally given bicycles the cold shoulder.
“What’s really happened in the past year is a cultural shift,” says Monica Howe, 31-year-old outreach coordinator for the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. At Interbike 2007, the bicycle industry’s giant annual trade show, the shift toward the urban rider is loudly evident. Fancy road and mountain bikes are clearly no longer king of the roost — or road. It’s the scads of fixed-gear, town, single-speed and other urban bicycles that are drawing the crowds.
Among the leaders of the new trend mentioned in the Wired article: Specialized Bicycles, an American bicycle maker based in suburban San Francisco. The company’s 2008 model lineup includes the Globe Centrum (pictured- click it for a larger version), which is described as a Performance Urban/Utility bicycle that is “altogether perfect for dodging traffic jams while exploring every inch of the city.”
In fact, says Wired, Specialized has a plethora of different models of “city bikes” coming out, some geared for very specific urban environments.
As an avid cyclist - though one who hasn’t had much opportunity to ride lately - I naturally believe it is a wonderful thing that more bikes are becoming more popular. I also find it ironic that China, a country renowned for its reliance on bicycles for urban transportation, rapidly industrializes it is shifting increasingly to the use of cars - and the impact of that may be prompting urban Americans and Europeans increasingly to shift to bicycles.
Here’s what I mean: Currently, about one in 70 Chinese have a car. That’s expected to skyrocket to one in 10 in the next few years, a huge increase that will mean more demand for gasoline - which likely will drive up oil and gasoline prices - and will of course also mean more carbon emissions said to increase global warming.
And what do bicycle makers say is driving increased demand for bicycles here? Higher gasoline prices and worries about global warming.
If you’re looking to get a city bike, or any bike for that matter, don’t turn the irony into a self-perpetuating farce. Don’t buy a Chinese-made bicycle. It only helps their economy - and their auto fleet - grow faster.
