tacomee

I'm currently living in a industrial city of about 100,000 people (Tacoma Washington, USA) It's pretty blue collar with lots of minorities (African Americans, SE Asians, Mexicans) It's a great bike town-- not too big, built on a square grid (plenty of back streets), most roads are at least OK for riding on....


And I'm often the only guy on bike.

Cycling seems to have a real negative image with lower middle class folks and minorities in the USA. Most bike commuters I know are white, educated, often upper class professionals. The factory workers around here drive to work. Never mind that some of these people can't afford insurance, or the car barely runs-- at least it's better than riding a bike. My neighbors keep asking me when I'm going to buy a car, offering to sell me car, telling me that my life will make a turn for the better... and I'll be able to afford a car. The sad truth is that I could afford to buy a car and that I likely have more money then anyone else in the 'hood....becuase I bike everywhere. A trip to Europe every year is less money then the payments some of my redneck friends pay in truck payments alone.

Sometimes I miss living in urban centers and collage towns were cycling is much more accepted--but there was no way I could have ever bought a house there. (I am after all, no different then any of the blue collar people around me, save for riding my bike)

I really don't see myself as too good for this town, or some kind of revolutionary out to make people see the light-- but I wish things would change.

And how did we ever get this way?

Guest

Maybe it has more to do with the people you hang around with?

I mean, if you hang and ride in a community that is one type/income/economic background, you are less likely to see other types of people of other types/income/economic background.

I'm not trying to be unkind, just make an observance about the people you said you knew- .

.

Where else have you been in the USA where you've made this observance about the lack of minoriities on bikes?

Koffee

slvoid

Well just to be fair, he did say he's often the only bike commuter on the road. And if he fits that description that he posted and he's not a minority, then his observation for his area fits.

I mean if I'm the only minority who bikes around his neighborhood in a thong, then technically, I can say that I see very few minorities biking around my neighborhood in nothing but a thong.

svwagner

i share my commute with a pretty good cross-section of my city's population, so i'd have to take issue with the assertion that most bike commuters are white, etc.

even so, way to many low and middle income folks pour money into a vehicle when they could be riding a bike.

the car is a symbol of the so-called "american dream" of prosperity and independence. in all socio-economic classes in this country, not driving and not owning a car is seen as a negative. people assume that if you don't have a car that you're somehow disadvantaged. and, the car is nearly always the first thing that anyone buys after they secure housing (unless, in a demented twist, they are homeless and live in their car).

for most people, being able to drive a car is a milestone that marks the passage to adulthood, at point at which they can leave behind the bicycle that they were taught to treat as a toy.

we compound the issue by not providing decent public transportation in most cities and suburban areas, by poor, low-density urban planning, and by situating way too many of our business where they can only be reached by car (or perhaps only safely reached by car).

Guest

Yes, but he's riding in his neighborhood, or does he ride in all the neighborhoods? I just get the feeling he's riding through his own. To see how much minorities are riding or not, I would think you'd be avidly riding through all of the different neighborhoods, not just your own blue collar one.

Besides, if he's the only one riding out there, that means NO ONE'S riding... black, white, or otherwise, right?

I've taken to riding through the southside, and it's heartening to see full families out on bikes. It seems as though there is a renewed popularity for cycling. But if I stuck to downtown and the north side, minorities are a rarity. Women don't have much of a strong showing either. I was even heartened to see a black woman that I used to pass every morning last year when she was jogging out on the southside of Chicago. We took to shouting hello when we'd first see each other, then when I'd turn and come back, we'd shout "have a great day!". Well, this year, I was was really shocked to see her on a bike for the first time! When she saw me, we started waving and laughing and grinning... I like to think that perhaps she saw me having such a good time on my bike every day with the riding that she decided to go for it and get a bike! Well, at least that is what's going on in my fantasy world!

Koffee

Guest

But let me add... by far, I do think there are more white people commuting. I don't think there's a NEGATIVE image, and that's my real issue more than anything. And I've seen plenty of white people getting into the hummers and SUV's to take that 2 mile ride to work, or they take the bus a stop or two, then get off and walk across the street from the stop and walk into work. The fact of the matter is, cycling is just not as popular in the USA, and it's not often seen as a commuting alternative. I mean, when you get to work, where do you wash? What do you do with your bike? What if you have to carry stuff? What if it rains or snows or is just bad weather? People worry about all that stuff, then choose to take the bus or drive a car instead. I would think the best thing a company can do is support initiatives for encouraging everyone to ride in commuting as much as possible, instead of driving. If they did offer support, perhaps more people, including minorities, would ride. Bike shops could help out too, by offering support to everyone, and selling bikes that were good quality but didn't break the bank too. It's a lot more complicated than asking a simplistic question. However, I do think minorities don't ride, but not for negative reasons as insinuated with the first thread. There are other factors at play here, and some of the factors cross over into other racial and economic groups.

Koffee

slvoid

Wasn't there a thread a while back about tax incentives for biking to work?

DogBoy

Maybe it seems that most commuters are white because white people are in the majority, so even if all races commuted with equal proportion, you could still say "seems like most commuters are white." I live in an area where there are very few minorities, and wouldn't you know it, most of the commuters are white. I think I agree with Koffee that biking is just not considered to be a viable transportation option by a large majority(of all classes/races) in the US.

gilby

Bikers in this town cover the spectrum: Professonals on bikes that cost more than some new cars, college kids of mountain bikes, anarchist kids on their DIY tall bikes, and middle-aged men on children's Huffys. Some people are riding for the love of it, and some are riding because they don't have a choice.

It is very "American" to drive a car. How many of us have had people ask us when we're going to be able to buy a car or tell us where we can get a really good deal on a new/used car? Or gotten a new bike & had your coworkers tell you that you could've gotten a car for that much? And some of us can patiently explain that we don't WANT a stinkin' car; but surely there are others who feel ashamed. How many TV commercials have you seen for bikes? There's the occasional MTB thrown in to a pop commercial, but that's recreational, and it's not selling the bike. Biking isn't exactly glorified in our culture, which is why there are so many people who see biking as a last resort instead of a choice.

TimArchy

I've been commuting for about a year through Atlanta. I';ve thought about it a lot and come to the conclusion that in America, being able to commute and still be fairly sure you'll get where you need to go it a luxury. A lot of people who can barely keep their car running would probably not be able to afford a dependable bike. And if they did trade the car for a bike, they wouldn't be able to go to the laundromat or the grocery store, or at least it would be much more difficult and take a lot more time. It would also take much longer to get to work. If you had to be at work at 7:00am and it was a 20 min drive, you might have to leave your house at 6 or earlier to ride, not to mention the fact that you would be greatly restricted in your choice of jobs by the range that you are willing to ride every day. They wouldn't be able to transport anyone other than themselves. So if they had a family, they would have to have 3 or more bikes and would make it very difficult to get anywhere in an emergency.
Of course this is all assuming that they aren't spending money on a car. If they can barely keep a car running, it would be nearly impossible to have a car and a descent bike.
All of this points out that we, as riders, are taking advantage of our privilege to help better ourselves and the environment. Think of how much more difficult (physically) biking is than driving. Now add onto that the stresses of being poor and in many cases opressed. The stress of knowing that if you are late to work, you'll lose another job that you really need.
Just think of the privilege required to CHOOSE to ride. Knowing, in most cases, that if its raining or too cold, there's always that nice dependable car sitting in the garage. Many people, given the choice in a paycheck to paycheck existence, would choose the dependability and speed of a car. I know I would if i was in their shoes.

520commuter

I agree with the OP. It appears that whites are overly represented when it comes to bicycle commuting, atleast everywhere I have been. If not commuting, I think we can we definitely say that whites dominate the racing seen, far more than their general percentage of the overall population would predict.

abbub

Fort Collins is not exactly a picture of ethnic diversity, unfortunately, in terms of the population. However, the primary ethnicity I see around town aside from caucasions are hispanics, and I see plenty of hispanics riding bikes around town.

Paul L.

Here in Mesa Arizona most of the commuters I see are Mexican Americans. They probably ride out of necessity. Ocassionaly I see a roadie. Now when I get into Tempe (which is the home of ASU) the demographic changes and all I see on bikes are white college kids and universty faculty.

seacycle

I work in Providence and definitely see people of all colors on bikes. Most of the people I see are young, probably because Providence is home to several universities and the minority communities are largely youthful.
As others have pointed out, commuting on a bike might not be the most practical solution for many people. And I wonder if buying and maintaining both a bike and a car might be prohibitively expensive for some.

HereNT

Not many, but I've seen a lot with pro bikers hyping a car - why is that?

I agree with your observations on minneapolis - there are a lot of people riding out here. Most of the people that I see that I know are commuting on my route are minorities though. I see a lotof Mexicans that are on their way to work as I ride home. I often feel bad for them, riding the x-mart bike that is too small for them because that's really the only way for them to get to work.

I see a lot of them that are sitting on the front steps of their apartment building waiting for a ride to work too - the next step for them is an x-mart bike.... that's a little more freedom. But I don't think a lot of them view a better bike as the next step after the bike. It's a car (or more often, a van) because that lets them help out their freinds and be the person picking up the people that can't even afford the x-mart bike. Most of the people I see in my neighborhood do a lot more carpooling than people in the burbs do - they want a car to help out their freinds and family...

520commuter

ok then, if you remove those that ride for necessity, whites are definitely more dominant as bicycle commuters than any other race. There are plenty of low income people of all races that ride crappy x-mart bikes because they have too. A lot of these people end up moving up to crappy cars though as soon as possible. Those that ride simply by choice (no economics involved) seem to be overly caucasian.

If looking at only the middle class (those that can afford working cars AND working bikes), whites are overly represented as bicycle commuters. Even if you assume that the middle class is dominated by whites, the percentage of white commuters seems greater than their overall population percentage.

Why this is I don't know. Maybe because of the lily white racing scene?

mjw16

I agree that whites are probably the most highly represented demographic when it comes to bicycle commuting and serious enthusiasts followed by the opposite end of the spectrum: the working poor (to include people who've lost their driving privilages). Middle and upper class America is all about the car: the image and prestige, the compulsion to own an expensive car and show it off. People have lost sight of other factors in their drive to keep up with the jones's and this is a significant contributing factor in our nation's obesity epidemic (among other things). Attendant with that is the likliehood that many of us are fortunate enough to have the choice to commute by bike. We may hold positions that allow us a little more flexibility than others (flexible schedules, parking facilities, locker rooms, etc) and can very likely afford to pay a little more for a bike capable of practical commuting. Commuting is also, very likely, a logical extension of our interest in our hobby. It is also likely a hobby of those with increased means (like most of my many hobbies: diving, photography, shooting, golf, etc--expensive). Just as obesity statistics seem to correlate with socio-economic class, people of increased incomes are also likely to take more of an active interest in their health whereas many working poor are working several jobs just to get by and have little interest or time for "recreational" riding. I think that one indication of this socio-economic factor is the price of the bike and gear a rider may have. If you'll notice, most serious riders and commuters are on bikes that many people can't afford. Conversly, most of the "Wal Mart" type bikes are ridden by those who, I would surmise, have less financial means. I would also guess that wealthier people have the luxury of living closer to where they work, allowing them a reasonable commute, and the poor may have to travel many more miles or hold jobs that require trips to multiple sites throughout the day (construction, etc) thus making bicycle commuting impractical. I think that there are a lot of other factors (too numerous to discuss now) that contribute to this theory. I'm not being judgemental either, I remember the days when I rode cheapy bikes and feel fortunate that I'm currently able to afford to ride as a commuter or enthusiast. I'm just happy to see others riding, whatever they're on.

Dahon.Steve

I happen to believe this "American Dream" is the cause of millions of bankruptcies (1.6M in 2003 alone) each year. It's also the reason why Americans save so little because most of what's left after paying the rent/mortgage must be used for motor transportation.

It's all an illusion folks. I was never able to save when owning a motor vehicle but have become debt free once the car was taken to the junker. Yet, there are millions that choose to live in crappy apartments but drive nice cars. At the same time, there are millions that live in nice homes but drive crappy cars.

We all make decisions on where and how we want to live. My brother moved to a town where there is no public transport so he had to buy two cars. I moved from a town that had good public transport to one that has excellant bus and lightrail service. It's a choice you have to make on what you want to do with your money. This is a free country and you can move right next to a commuter rail line. There are lightrail lines being built all the time and relocating next to one can easily replace one car if not both!

AndrewP

I also see plenty of affluent commuters on Xmart bikes - you dont have to be poor to be suckered by low prices.

Dahon.Steve

In the New York Metro area, I notice many Mexicans using Walmart bikes for transportation. I used to feel sad for them but it's better to see them on bikes than to watch those that walk on the Turnpike by foot to work!

I was in the burbs the other day and visited a shopping mall that I used to go by car. I waited by the bus stop (located far away from the door) to see who would get on and off and to my amazment, minorities, poor whites, teenagers and the elderly where the ones using public transportation. It was sad watching most of these passengers who could have gotten to the mall by bicycle choosing a system that takes an hour waiting time if you miss the bus. I was trying to tell several of them that I came to the mall by bicyle 25 miles away! I told them they should do the same but it all fell on deaf ears. They don't understand that a bicycle would liberate them from bus schedules forever and maybe even from having to pay for motor transport the rest of their lives.

Seanholio

I'm in full agreement with Steve, here. A year ago, I was driving a V8 Dakota alone to work at 15mpg. My gas bill was typically $200/mo, plus a $500/mo vehicle payment. Already up to my eyeballs in debt after my divorce, I was barely able to make ends meet, even with my then-fiancee's substancial income. In March, after much debate, we agreed to sell my truck, leaving only her smaller, more-efficient truck, and buy me a recumbent bicycle.

Over the past 5 months, we've completely turned the financial situation around. Most of the creditors have been paid off without any kind of intervention by a collector or debt management service. Soon, we will have the remaining two creditors paid off, and her truck will be paid off by the end of the year. If one of us loses our job, now, the income of one will provide enough for us. Once the remaining debts are paid off, we will be able to stuff money into savings until we decide to put a down payment on a house. If I play my cards right, I'll be getting a thrift-store bike this winter, and adding a FreeRadical from XtraCycle for my winter commute and for shopping.

Even better, I've worked my commute down from 50 minutes to 40, increased my health and fitness dramatically, and now need a belt for my 38"-waist jeans. This would have been much more difficult had I been bull stubborn and hung onto my truck.

I've traded in the unending, and ultimately unwinnable, competition with the Jones for the daily competition against myself. From a situation where I can't ever truly win, since there are no criteria for victory, to a situation where I am racing against my own clock, and setting my own criteria, I always win.

I know.. I'm preaching to the choir. Good luck, Semper Fi, Carry on.

gilby

Interesting...we view owning a motor vehicle as a selfish use of natural resources; yet from a different cultural perspective, where sharing resources is more natural, a bike--which limits usage to just one person--becomes the more individualistic possession.

tacomee

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Here are a couple of other observations I've had about my hometown.

Yeah, there are Mexicans riding around on wally world bikes... and the richer Mexicans in cars laugh at them. Cycling isn't a choice around here, it what happens when you're totally broke, your car dies or Johnie Law takes away your license. I see a guy riding a bike down by the tideflats at 6 am, (an industral area) I think D.U.I. Lots of folks still believe that I don't have a license and say stuff like "How much are the fines you need to pay off before you can drive again?" I always laugh at this. A bike is a sign of hard luck

I've noticed the Whiteness of cycling all over the West Coast, not just here.

Needing money for using a bike for transportation is a myth. The USA is awash in old bikes that can bought for under $20. I have a couple in the garage right now. All that is really needed is the gumption to petal. I've had a crappy car AND a crappy tenspeed before-- it's a good setup, becuase one of them is likely not to be broken down and get you where you're going.

Last off all, I have hope for this city seeing the light about cycling again. 50 years ago guys riding to work at the pickle works or box factory was really common. To this day there are dirt trails down by the RR tracks that take you straight there. Bikes, street cars and just plain walking built this town. I think it's high time we got back to our roots.

Outside of town there are huge suburbs of homes costing 250k and up. There are no back streets and cycling is dangerous. It's a land of big houses, garages full of pricey toys and long commutes. These places are completely lost to cycling forever.

latortilla

bikes can take you where you need to go
they are cheaper and easier to maintain than cars
riding is also a good source of exercise as well as transportation

however
you can't take someone else for a ride
and you still don't have as much room/flexibility for groceries, etc
even with panniers

i prefer to bike whenever possible
but sometimes i still need a car

ollo_ollo

"Yet, there are millions that choose to live in crappy apartments but drive nice cars. At the same time, there are millions that live in nice homes but drive crappy cars"
This is very true, but where I live, the planners seem to want everyone to live in crappy apartments and ride public transit. Quite a few sparks when public policy clashes with the American(automobile) Dream. The best solution is still a bicycle and a nice home supplemented with a single auto.