The Derailer Bicycle collective in Denver Colorado is a very busy place. Before the door even opens a huge crowd gathers outside. There is a sign up sheet for those that would like help from mechanics and within minutes it becomes a waiting list. The shop itself is teeming with mechanics, volunteers and people working on their bikes. It is noisy, chaotic and beautifully productive. There is no doubt that the space is important to the community. It only takes a few minutes to recognise that there are regulars that know where everything is and jump in to lend a hand where they can. The commotion of people wrenching and fixing their steeds does not end in the shop. It spills out into the parking lot where several mobile bike stands are set up. It is apparent that the need for this space is larger than what can be offered but the volunteers are ready, present and ready to assist all comers.

Salt Lake City Bicycle collective.

While I was in Salt Lake City I ran into these two. They have been on the road for over 6 years. I was lucky enough to see a presentaion/slideshow of their trip. It was very inspiring. It definitly re-charged my wander lust and made me want to hop on my bike and not stop going. I still do not really understand why touring never really took of in the US. It is a great way to see the country , you get fit and it is not all that pricy. I feel as though this ties into the lethargy and xenaphipoia that mainstream America can perpetuate. The fast food industry alone is a great example of how car culture and convenience have created its own industry and lifestyle. The success of this industry is proof that this lifestyle dominates in this culture. I have often wondered how the US would function if there were no cars at all. Bicycles as the only form of transportation. Most economies would be localized, protecting the whole from economic heartship. I feel as though I could go on quite a rant about this so I am going to stop while I am ahead. You should definitly check out there site and some of there pictures. http://weltenbummler2003.de/English/Index.htm

Pocatello is a rather small quiet community located in the south east of Idaho. There are a tightly knit group here that have taken on the great responsibility of building a community space. The Greater space goes by the name of the Power house (http://www.myspace.com/powerhousecollective). These folks have actually bought this building and are currently renovating it. Within this 105 year old building is Poky Free Bikes. It is almost more exciting to see smaller projects in smaller town than the more established projects in big cities. These folks are dedicated and passionate about what they are doing. Poky Free Bikes does not require any money consequently they also do not carry any new parts. they are fully volunteer run still manage to exist in a relatively small and economically depressed community. This is a good example of how accesable the creation of these spaces are.

Been hanging out in Boise Idaho for the last few days. I Have met some really nice people here. Been hanging with Jimmy a bunch from the Boise Bicycle Project. He has been really supportive of what I am doing. The space that BBP occupies is an old mission and shelter and a lot of the old signage is still around. The space itself is huge but segmented in to many smaller rooms. Parts and frames are sorted and stack all ove rthe place and because of building set up the space is ver maze like. Before too long the project will have a new space and whie smaller will most likey be more conducive to keeping things in order. Currently the people who volunteer there time her are reluctant to puttign work into teh space they have when they know they will not be there much longer. I had a chance to se the propsed space that they will move into and I think it will serve them well. They are hosting a slew of community bicycle events and seem like they are really putting themselves out there for the community.

2nd Cycle Tacoma Washington. My friend Ben helped to start this project in Tacoma. It is a very young project and it is evident that the people involved have been feeling the growing pains of becoming established. The space they are in is smaller and very cold. The door empties onto an alleyway. Ben explained to me the difficulty of establishing a positive re pore with those in the community. In order to serve the demographic you must first develop a relationship. I was shown the space that they will be moving into, a much larger area, less than a block away, right on the edge of a park. It is a dramatic change and I feel that we agreed that it would much more inviting to people.

A relatively new project; the Bike Farm in Portland Oregon, a welcoming space to learn about building, maintaining and riding bicycles. The People here were really really nice and welcoming. The space is small but the y are working hard to make this project work sustain itself. I Highly recommend visiting and supporting the folks.

Been thinking about the different collectives I have been to and how well they represent the neighborhoods that they are in. While I was in LA it was interesting to see how the demographic of those being served changed between the Shops in the area. Just about to leave San Fran now. The Bike Kitchen here has an amazing space. The location is a little strange but there were definitely plenty of people wrenching and visiting the space.

Been hangin' out in Santa Cruz a bit and checking out the Bike Church. The space is really great and shares a courtyard with a great infoshop/cafe and a couple other very progressive organizations.

Well L.A. is behind me now and I am in Santa Cruz now sitting in a coffee shop. My brain is buzzing from the triple shot mocha that I have just imbibed. The above pictures are from the Bike Oven in LA and the Bike-ro-wave in Santa Monica . Two great places. In the days to come I will be visiting the bike church here in Santa Cruz and then bouncing off to the bay.

Been in LA for two days now. I Tagged along with all the folks from the Bicycle Kitchen yesterday and observed there meeting. These guys really have their act together. It was good to see a decision making process working so well. It is also good to know that slow and sometimes arduous mettings are something that other bicycle collectives must wade trough. I am going to be contacting the Bike Oven as well as a the Bike-ro-wave today to try and do some documenting tomorrow.

Just got back from "TRIKE!TRIKE!" in Phoenix. "TRIKE!TRIKE", is an Arizona state Bicycle collective convergence. We took part in some productive workshops dealing with oppression awareness, community building and consensus decision making. We also got to go on an amazing scavenger hunt that took us around Tempe. Here are some pics.

I finished a frame of my own, it is based on a 1898 Lamplighter. I filleted all the joints and made the dropouts myself. I have ridden it a handful of times and it is really fun. The bike stands a little shorter than 1898 model, but it is still taller than any other tall bicycles I have built.

Here is the giraffe, my buddy ed made it, I got to ride it. He makes many many great things and you should check out his art. Chosen medium ------> the bicycle

Another quick note. . . .

Awhile ago when I was deciding I wanted to do this I was up in Seattle and was lucky enough to check out the Bikery, if you have the chance pop in and see this great project.

http://www.thebikery.org/

OK, so this is the first little note that I am writing on my new blog. At the moment I am still here in Tucson Arizona, I am spending a lot of my time at BICAS (http://www.bicas.org/) and getting geared up for this book project. At first I was only going to be driving to locations to take pictures. I then realized how lame it was to be documenting a culture that is trying to counteract the dominance of the automobile from my truck. Then I was thinking how it also would be difficult to be carrying around Expensive digital equipment and sleeping by the roadside. So I came to a compromise. I will bring my bike with me on my truck. I will go to a location set up camp and use that location as a hub to travel out from for a small group of mini bicycle tours. If a location is incredibly far I will drive to it and set up camp there.