This summer, Faraday had the pleasure of working with Marketing intern Sam Borsos – a student at Loyola Marymount studying Communications. It was an action-packed summer of writing (particularly for this Faraday Bicycles Blog) and riding. And after a few rides around San Francisco, Sam realized she had forgotten how fun riding a bicycle is, and questioned why she forgot about it in the first place. Below are Sam's thoughts on her experience, which we found pretty universal.
Thanks for a great summer Sam, and good luck at LMU!
Let me first say that I'm not much a of a bike person. As a college student, thinking back, one of the last times I consistently rode a bike was in elementary school. I rode it everywhere – to school, to the park, to friends' houses, or just for a spin around the neighborhood. Then, for whatever reason, I stopped. But now, after working in the electric bike industry, I've fallen in love with biking all over again. What I want to know is this: why do we stop biking in the first place?
So many people are probably like me. After you learn to walk and talk, one of the next big milestones as a kid is learning to ride a bike. The first time you ride is a rush. Eventually, the training wheels come off and you discover the thrill of getting places faster and more fun. But years later, your bike is barely ridden, and starts to collect dust in the garage. You find yourself mostly driving and walking places. Why?
Here's my take on this conundrum.
Another reason is practicality. When you're a kid, you bike places close to your house and around the neighborhood. But as an adult, you're probably trying to use your bike for transportation, like the commute to work or to get through the city. Biking in urban cities can be uninviting due to poor bike infrastructure. With fewer bike lanes and roads too bumpy for biking, commuting to work suddenly becomes the battle of bikes vs. cars.
Lastly, people just forget about biking all together. I definitely did. It's like playing soccer: everyone plays as a kid, whether it be on a team, in PE or just with friends. And while some people keep playing later in life, most people don't. Biking is the same way; we all learned to ride as kids, but tend to associate it with being a childhood activity, and don't consider picking it up again later in life.
So, what's the point of all this? Well, I got to rediscover my love of bikes this summer, so I think anyone can. One thing I love about electric bikes especially, like our Faradays, is that they make you feel like a kid again. They address all the reasons that people don't bike their way into adulthood: the uncool factor, the practicality, and just plain forgetting. They're beautifully designed making them undeniably cool, are practical for biking in urban cities due to the pedal assist, and make you remember exactly why you loved to bike as a kid.
Even though I don't describe myself as a bike person, I think more people should make room for bikes in their adult lives. They're fun, they get you active and outdoors, and they're great for the environment. If you haven't tried riding a Faraday yet, I highly recommend it because it's changed my perspective on what bikes should be like for adults: a bike you love and ride daily, instead of something that just collects dust. One of our favorite sayings at Faraday is, "Ride the cool bike, because it's the one you're going to ride." I couldn't agree more.