Interested in learning more about bike-rider culture in DC

[Greenbelt]

@ashleyedokpayi 90539 wrote:

Hello All!

My name is Ashley Edokpayi and I am currently working on a short video journalism project on bike-riding culture. I am a Georgetown University graduate student and I am seeking to learn more about bicyclist culture in the Washington D.C. Area and capture the lives of those who are avid riders daily. I’m looking for one or two individuals who would be open to allowing me to film very short clips (5 mins max) of their daily bike riding routines and to share with me what it is like to be a bicyclist in a busy city. If anyone happens to be interested or would like to reach out to me, please e-mail me at ae488@georgetown.edu ASAP. I am excited to hear from passionate riders and hoping this will be a fun experience. Thank You!

Hi Ashley, I’m not sure there’s a “bike-riding culture” that’s all that distinct at this point. Maybe the real story of the video is that avid daily riders come from all walks of life and ages and occupations these days. It’s not just nutty middle aged guys with beards any more. Well, I’m a nutty middle aged guy with a beard, but my demographic doesn’t particularly dominate the bike commuting scene these days, as you’ll see if you camp out with your camera on the PA Ave cycletrack or the 15th Street cycle track of the R street bike lane etc. -Jeff

[KLizotte]

Hi Ashley, might I suggest that you do a documentary on Phoenix Bikes in Arlington? It is a well-respected non-profit that works with local kids teaching them how to build and maintain bikes and run a business. They do a lot of interesting outreach activities and fund-raisers. The kids would probably get a kick out of being filmed.

There is a similar program just being started in MD but the name escapes me at the moment.

Another option is to focus on the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) which is based in DC and focuses on advocacy efforts in the DC metro area.

[sethpo]

@ashleyedokpayi 90539 wrote:

Hello All!

My name is Ashley Edokpayi and I am currently working on a short video journalism project on bike-riding culture. I am a Georgetown University graduate student and I am seeking to learn more about bicyclist culture in the Washington D.C. Area and capture the lives of those who are avid riders daily. I’m looking for one or two individuals who would be open to allowing me to film very short clips (5 mins max) of their daily bike riding routines and to share with me what it is like to be a bicyclist in a busy city. If anyone happens to be interested or would like to reach out to me, please e-mail me at ae488@georgetown.edu ASAP. I am excited to hear from passionate riders and hoping this will be a fun experience. Thank You!

Maybe consider rolling out to one of the various coffee clubs and introducing yourself in person to some of the various species of #bikedc.

[cvcalhoun]

Dang, we have culture? Who knew?

[Vicegrip]

@cvcalhoun 90555 wrote:

Dang, we have culture? Who knew?

Culture means you might need to wash your bibs a bit more often.

City riding is not just fix gear 20 something’s. Please look at the folks that are riding into and out of the city on bikes they are reducing a list of unwanted things just by riding. Parking traffic noise congestion pollution to name a few. Not high style perhaps but high on positive impact

[Terpfan]

Echoing the other comments, I’m not sure there really is a culture, so-to-speak. I see riders of all ages, races, sizes, genders, affluent, less affluent, etc. But if you’re doing your documentary in Georgetown, I would for one be appreciative if you captured all of the cars blocking the bike lane on 34th in the evening .

[Geoff]

Ashley, I think you’ll find that “bike culture” is exactly the same as mainstream culture, we just ride bikes more.

The suggestions above, like checking out Phoenix Bikes and dropping in on some of the coffee clubs, are probably your best places to start.

[ashleyedokpayi]

@KLizotte 90546 wrote:

Hi Ashley, might I suggest that you do a documentary on Phoenix Bikes in Arlington? It is a well-respected non-profit that works with local kids teaching them how to build and maintain bikes and run a business. They do a lot of interesting outreach activities and fund-raisers. The kids would probably get a kick out of being filmed.

There is a similar program just being started in MD but the name escapes me at the moment.

Another option is to focus on the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) which is based in DC and focuses on advocacy efforts in the DC metro area.

Hi, thank you so much for the suggestions. I’m certainly going to reach out. I have been in contact with WABA as well, but Phoenix Bikes sounds like a great story.

[ashleyedokpayi]

@ashleyedokpayi 90539 wrote:

Hello All!

My name is Ashley Edokpayi and I am currently working on a short video journalism project on bike-riding culture. I am a Georgetown University graduate student and I am seeking to learn more about bicyclist culture in the Washington D.C. Area and capture the lives of those who are avid riders daily. I’m looking for one or two individuals who would be open to allowing me to film very short clips (5 mins max) of their daily bike riding routines and to share with me what it is like to be a bicyclist in a busy city. If anyone happens to be interested or would like to reach out to me, please e-mail me at ae488@georgetown.edu ASAP. I am excited to hear from passionate riders and hoping this will be a fun experience. Thank You!

I think bicyclist “experience” is a better term to use as I begin to speak with more riders instead of bike “culture”…thank you everyone for the feedback!

[rcannon100]

Check out this documentary

[video=youtube_share;mU0oRC_gxys]http://youtu.be/mU0oRC_gxys[/video]

[rcannon100]

This one on Phoenix Bikes

[video=youtube_share;GIL8U5wIN7A]http://youtu.be/GIL8U5wIN7A?list=PLYEftm0KK-t8Jb4Q6pHMCLIjf-z-4IzJy[/video]

[rcannon100]

and this documentary created by Document Arlington

[video=youtube_share;Q9ecctFFo3o]http://youtu.be/Q9ecctFFo3o?list=LLeLT4pZLgK9t-cJuP7O1-_Q[/video]

[rcannon100]

@Greenbelt 90541 wrote:

It’s not just nutty middle aged guys with beards any more. -Jeff

[americancyclo]

@rcannon100 90582 wrote:

This one on Phoenix Bikes

It’d be great to see an updated piece on Phoenix.

Also, anyone else notice that sweet orange Merckx frame in the background?

[Brendan von Buckingham]

I get that some want to reject being labeled as a culture in order to look mainstream and normal, but the mainstream for decades has identified us as a separate class, usually an underclass. It’s our label whether we think so or not. No use running away from that. Use the fact that we’re a class that is discriminated against as a group and fight for our group rights. There’s a culture in there somewhere.

[Author]

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