One Street News

January 2011

Vol. 4, Issue 1

1. Over 200 Ugandan Women Learn Bicycling & Repair
2. Resources – 20’s Plenty for Us
3. Hot Topics – Trashing the Bicycle Movement
4. Supporter Spotlight – Uganda Trip Funders

Over 200 Ugandan Women Learn Bicycling & Repair

By: Sue Knaup, Executive Director

I returned just five days ago, but the images of colorfully wrapped women shooting across the village schoolyard on bicycles still dominate my thoughts. I can still hear the eruption of laughter from hundreds of women waiting their turn as the current rider crashes into the grass at the bottom of the hill. I spent nearly two weeks in that village in southeastern Uganda basking in that laughter and the determination on the faces of those multitudes of women as they took on bicycling and repairing bicycles for the first time in their lives. This trip was just part of One Street’s ongoing work with our Social Bike Business program partners, Ride 4 a Woman (R4W). Through my visit and their ongoing, extensive programs to empower local women, R4W is breaking the cultural barriers to women riding bicycles and learning mechanical skills. Read more in our recent press release about the trip and please pass it on to others. 

Resources – 20’s Plenty for Us

Bicycle advocates often spend years fighting for one piece of road improvement for bicyclists. This new campaign in the UK is going at it in a more holistic fashion—citywide speed limit reductions. Take a look at our featured home page Inspiration and you too will be chanting 20’s Plenty for Us!  

Hot Topics – Trashing the Bicycle Movement

By: Sue Knaup, Executive Director

My recent trip to Uganda and ongoing work with Ride 4 a Woman (R4W) there has amplified One Street’s concern about the junk bicycles and bike parts that are flooding the market. In the U.S. and Europe this concern is very real, but at least quality bikes and parts can be found fairly easily. In Uganda, the vast majority of new bikes and parts I came across were absolute garbage, worthless junk direct from the factory—pedals that didn’t turn, stems with welds that drifted from the joint, tubes that burst with the first puff of air. 

Local consensus was that most of the bicycle dealers in Uganda had discovered that people were just as likely to buy a flashy looking junk bike or part that doesn’t last one ride as they were to buy a quality part. So there was no reason to cut into profit margins selling quality parts. Of even greater concern is that when the bike or part breaks on the first ride, that buyer loses interest in bicycling.

With our market-driven mindset, what does this say about the state of the bicycle movement? As the general public around the world shifts bicycling into the same category as throwaway toys and plastic backyard pools, we as leaders in the bicycle movement must take notice. If the mainstream no longer sees bicycling as something of value to their health, their quality of life, and their freedom of travel, even our most brilliant promotional campaigns will land on deaf ears. 

The growing sales of junk bikes and parts are only a symptom of something much more daunting. Where does this chicken or egg start? How can we curb its influence? One Street’s Social Bike Business program is taking it on through our long-term strategy of local manufacture. Local organizations are also chipping away at it by developing the bicycle culture in their communities along with the expectation for quality bicycles and parts.

But until people stop buying junk bicycles and parts, this trashing of the bicycle movement will continue. If you have ideas for stopping this trend, please email them to me at: sue{at}onestreet.org. Also, if you know of any trustworthy bicycle and parts wholesalers in African, please let me know. We are eager to help R4W secure an account with such a reputable wholesaler and circumvent the deluge of junk. 

Supporter Spotlight – Uganda Trip Funders