The rollercoaster of cycling popularity

[Andy in Germany]

I remember someone who worked in war-torn areas saying that if we want to do something to stop wars, we should ride our bikes, because many wars (and the accompanying famine, poverty and migration, et c,) are caused by our 'need' for cheap energy. Historically, governments in oil-rich nations have been able to get away with oppressive policies and human rights abuses (and invading other countries) if they have oil because other governments fear the consequences of standing up to them.
In this context, getting people cycling could be a very helpful step towards reducing all the above-mentioned problems.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I’m curious how differently cycling and open-water swimming have fared. Both grew a lot during Covid. But while open-water swimming continued its grow post-pandemic, cycling didn’t.

Both provide the many benefits of exercising outdoors. Arguably, outdoor swimming is more hassle—travelling to a lake or the sea, and often having to get changed outside.

Sure, a bike costs more than a pair of speedos. But many already own a bike, having bought one during Covid.

What do you think?

Possibly a stronger "in-group" experience? Very few of us cycle together. Being an introvert I view this as an advantage, but I can understand I'm in the minority in that aspect.

Also, the perception of cycling as "dangerous" and lack of infrastructure in the UK, public perception of "cyclists" are probably factors as well.
Coming from Germany I'm also struck by how many bikes sold are basically sport equipment without lights, mudguards or luggage racks that are necessary to make them useful for transport.

 

[Happy_Days]

Possibly a stronger "in-group" experience?

Good point—that’s entirely possible. Open-water swimming has an inclusive, welcoming culture with instant camaraderie for newcomers.

In contrast, road cycling culture can feel like it has various unspoken rules and norms.

Also, the cycling industry’s response to pandemic popularity was increasing prices, reducing accessibility. While cycling doesn’t have to be costly, my friends and colleagues all perceive bikes to be expensive.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

Coming from Germany I'm also struck by how many bikes sold are basically sport equipment without lights, mudguards or luggage racks that are necessary to make them useful for transport.

Because most bikes in the UK are bought for sporting or leisure purposes. Try as you might, you just can't make people "Like" cycling, they either do or they don't and in GB and a lot of other countries most don't. Of my group of regular friends they are all fit and active people, they know I was a lifelong cyclist but riding a bike was never something that they themselves regarded as more than a chore.

The idea that if only we had the right conditions everyone would ditch their cars and start cycling is pie in the sky, more people would ride, but not that many more and a lot of them would ride for sport or leisure and still keep and use their cars.

 

[Oldhippy]

Bike Nation by Peter Walker is worth a read.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Because most bikes in the UK are bought for sporting or leisure purposes. Try as you might, you just can't make people "Like" cycling, they either do or they don't and in GB and a lot of other countries most don't. Of my group of regular friends they are all fit and active people, they know I was a lifelong cyclist but riding a bike was never something that they themselves regarded as more than a chore.

The idea that if only we had the right conditions everyone would ditch their cars and start cycling is pie in the sky, more people would ride, but not that many more and a lot of them would ride for sport or leisure and still keep and use their cars.

I didn't claim it's a black and white situation, however it's noticeable that in German cities and regions, including quite hilly regions, there is a noticeable uptick in cycling where infrastructure was provided. A lot of this is indeed leisure cycling, but in places like Tübingen or Freiburg, load carrying bicycles are now a common form of transport, and many people use them instead of a car.
This is a major factor because the car lobby has spent three generations, very successfully doing what you describe: lobbying for more infrastructure at the expense of everything else; now the utter dominance of the motor vehicle in the UK is presented as "preference" or some sort of wild coincidence. Unfortunately this has not only forced people to "like" driving, it's also foisted this "decision" on everyone else by making cities less liveable, removing alternative options, and forcing society as a whole to bear the cost of motor transport.

 

[brommieinkorea]

Back in the days, 40's through to early 70's there were still quite a few people who cycled to work as most jobs were in their towns. Nowadays jobs have moved out of towns and people are having to commute further distances which makes cycling more difficult. I have worked in places which were 8 or 14 miles away and cycled there when my car was off the road. I managed it but it was a bit of a struggle and not very nice in the wet or the dark. In those days I just wore ordinary clothes, which I basically still do.

Good point—that’s entirely possible. Open-water swimming has an inclusive, welcoming culture with instant camaraderie for newcomers.

In contrast, road cycling culture can feel like it has various unspoken rules and norms.

Also, the cycling industry’s response to pandemic popularity was increasing prices, reducing accessibility. While cycling doesn’t have to be costly, my friends and colleagues all perceive bikes to be expensive.

I've been cycling for over 50 years, just never stopped from being a kid. The bike was how I got around as a kid, and as an adult it's the vehicle that is never out of gas, for the times when I'm out of money.
Swimming is always something that I felt I will possibly need just in case , ferry goes down , ship sinks, airplane experiences a "water landing". Never looked at swimming for leasure, nor as a mode of transport, I suppose if I lived in England, and needed to get to France...... Why ?
Sorry ,just can't see any correlation between any swimming and cycling, the open water thing I guess keeps the bodies off the beach ?

 

[brommieinkorea]

I didn't claim it's a black and white situation, however it's noticeable that in German cities and regions, including quite hilly regions, there is a noticeable uptick in cycling. A lot of this is indeed leisure cycling, but in places like Tübingen or Freiburg, load carrying bicycles are now a common form of transport, and many people use them instead of a car.
This is a major factor because the car lobby has spent three generations, very successfully doing what you describe: lobbying for more infrastructure at the expense of everything else; now the utter dominance of the motor vehicle in the UK is presented as "preference" or some sort of wild coincidence. Unfortunately this has not only forced people to "like" driving, it's also foisted this "decision" on everyone else by making cities less liveable, removing alternative options, and forcing society as a whole to bear the cost of motor transport.

This is absolutely the case. In the USA the motor lobby is somewhat more powerful, to the point that the automobile has become a sacred cow. Here, if you arrive somewhere by bike you are viewed as either a pauper or leasure cyclist. I've had people driving beater cars worth half what my bike was worth, give me money because I was using a bike to go to the store. Gasoline is $4.00 a gallon and the average 'Merican would rather ride in the back of his buddy's pickup truck than take a bicycle. It's all rather sad.

 

[Happy_Days]

Sorry ,just can't see any correlation between any swimming and cycling, the open water thing I guess keeps the bodies off the beach ?

There’s no correlation between the two.

I was comparing the continued growth of open-water swimming versus cycling having lower growth in the UK. I wondered about the two because both grew considerably in Britain during the pandemic. But cycling has plateaued or shrunk since Covid, whereas open-water has maintained its momentum. I was merely wondering why. Could cycling (the industry, clubs or cycling community) learn anything from this?

 

[FishFright]

Do e-bikes count as cyclists ? And owners who solely own one because they’re cheap (Compared to purchasing and owning a car). And require less effort to use than a standard bicycle. Particularly helpful if you’re grossly overweight, immobile etc. And perhaps much easier to store (?) and faster than a Mobility Scooter.

If so - Lowestoft is proliferated with Cyclists these days……. 🤦‍♂️🙄

Better than them being drivers , surely ?

 

[Gunk]

There’s no correlation between the two.

I was comparing the continued growth of open-water swimming versus cycling having lower growth in the UK. I wondered about the two because both grew considerably in Britain during the pandemic. But cycling has plateaued or shrunk since Covid, whereas open-water has maintained its momentum. I was merely wondering why. Could cycling (the industry, clubs or cycling community) learn anything from this?

Perhaps they should be promoting Triathlon, and inventing a better system for getting your cycling shoes on when your feet are sopping wet with dry grass and stones stuck to them.

 

[Happy_Days]

Oddly, while open-water swimming has been growing, triathlon has been shrinking. I suspect it’s the cost: triathlons aren’t cheap to organise, and their prices have increased significantly.

The two cultures are also different, despite the overlap in participants. Perhaps there’s something about different sports’ cultures that also impacts their participation levels.

 

[All uphill]

While cycling doesn’t have to be costly, my friends and colleagues all perceive bikes to be expensive.

They are expensive until you frame a bike as an alternative to a car. That idea is not going to fly for the majority of people, but I hope I give my neighbours a nudge in that direction by example.

 

[katiewlx]

Good point—that’s entirely possible. Open-water swimming has an inclusive, welcoming culture with instant camaraderie for newcomers.

In contrast, road cycling culture can feel like it has various unspoken rules and norms.

Also, the cycling industry’s response to pandemic popularity was increasing prices, reducing accessibility. While cycling doesn’t have to be costly, my friends and colleagues all perceive bikes to be expensive.

I think you could make the same case for both really, how is open water swimming that inclusive? because how do you get into it in the first place and find others who like it, its not like they post little notices on church notice boards, meet at the old duck pond before noon for our special meeting, its always seemed to be a word of mouth existence, friend of a friend who knows someone who does i. So thats never felt that inclusive a culture to me. And there are the same hang ups with cycling, how confident or good a swimmer do you have to be etc etc.

for me cycling is really accessible, you just need a bike to start, as most of us just did when we were kids, theres a whole lot of stuff cycling world markets at you that you might think you need, and it might put off newcomers who think they need it, but the reality is you dont, you just need a bike that works and the motivation to ride it somewhere.

and the perceived expensive bike thing annoys the proverbial t**s off me, because its completely untrue, but we hit this all the time trying to promote cycling at work, people who dont cycle we ask them how much a bike should cost and theyre always its 2k-5k, and your like no, you can buy a decent bike to ride to work on for between £500-800, there are much cheaper bikes too but theyre not so fun to ride.

but it never seems to get them out of that mindset that cycling they need to spend 5k on a bike and special kit and stuff to ride to work

 

[katiewlx]

Because most bikes in the UK are bought for sporting or leisure purposes. Try as you might, you just can't make people "Like" cycling, they either do or they don't and in GB and a lot of other countries most don't. Of my group of regular friends they are all fit and active people, they know I was a lifelong cyclist but riding a bike was never something that they themselves regarded as more than a chore.

The idea that if only we had the right conditions everyone would ditch their cars and start cycling is pie in the sky, more people would ride, but not that many more and a lot of them would ride for sport or leisure and still keep and use their cars.

yet Id highlight that in London has over the past 20 years or so created the right conditions for cycling to boom, and for someone like me who seems to spend all their time battling for tiny scraps of improvements where I live, which might at most be a shared pavement, to go there see the infra and in some parts like I was around Tower Hill on CS3, and like I couldnt cross the road even though there were no vehicles for once in the way, but because there was just a constant stream of cyclists, it was amazing, and then to see the waves of cyclists come off Southwark or London Bridge when the lights changed, it was like is there a sportive happening, is this just the normal now ?

and then everywhere and I dont know why it took Lime bikes to kickstart this as hire bikes have been around since 2010, but it felt like for every 3 vehicles there was at least 1 bicycle, more often a green hire bike, and at all times of the day, and half of the people riding them were definitely not lifelong cyclists at all, most of them had just hopped on a bike from whatever or wherever theyd been as it was just a quick easy way to get to where they wanted to, and clearly felt safe given alot of the protected lanes they had, but even when they had to share roads with vehicles I didnt notice a drop off as such.

if we could just copy that and spread it around a few more cities/towns in the country. we dont need everyone to ride bikes, just 10% would be a massive change for the better