Bike-To-Brown

Introduction

We are a loose conglomeration of cyclists who are interested in all of the many aspects of using a bicycle to get to work. Our main focus is to be a resource for those in the Brown community who ride a bike for transportation at least sometimes, or are interested in trying it someday. While our focus is on Brown, we welcome anyone from Rhode Island or South Eastern Massachusetts, as we are well aware that bicycle commuter resources in these areas are scarce. The majority of our activity centers around our active e-mail discussion group. We use the email medium as a way to discuss bicycle commuting and organize related activities, such as:

1. Brown-bag demo/discussion sessions to demonstrate bicycle maintenance and present bicycling topics
2. Representing bicycle transportation at Brown University transportation and wellness events, as well as to the general non-bicycling public
3. Influencing transportation policy and facilities at Brown, in Providence, or at larger scales

Bike-To-Brown members maintain associations with the Brown Cycling Club, the RI Department of Transportation, RIPTA, the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen, the Greenways Alliance of Rhode Island, RISD, local bike shops, and other organizations that are connected with bike transportation in some way.

You don’t have to ride on two wheels all that often, and you certainly don’t need to be an expert cyclist already. Heck, you don’t even need to own a bike. You may think cycling is a great idea, just not for you. We can help you there! Or, you may even think cyclists don’t belong on the road. We might try to change your mind on that, but we’ll be gentle, we promise.

We are just starting to build some good momentum as a group, and we hope you’ll join our e-mail discussion list if you have any interest in the idea of riding your bike to work. On our list, you can expect to find some lively and informative discussions about really using that humble and beautiful two-wheeled machine with the human engine.

We’ll also be adding new content on this website when we’re able. If it were 1996, we’d have little flashing Under Construction icons all over the place. But it’s the 21st century now, so we’ll just tell you that there will be new stuff here sometimes, and it should be worth your while to check back now and then.

Between this site, our list, and meetings and events that we plan in the Not-So-Distant future, we can provide guidance on equipment and clothing, skills for riding in traffic, route planning, and amenities to make bike commuting easier. Most importantly, we provide some answers to “Why should I ride a bike to work, anyway?” and “For Pete’s sake, how could I possibly actually do that?”

Please contact us any time at all with your questions, comments, rants, or suggestions. We’d love to hear from you.