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A bicycle will do an equivalent of 1560 passenger miles per gallon; that is, A bike is an amplifier of human ability to travel on a road. A bike will enable you to go about 3 times further than you would have if you had walked. I know of no other machine that makes humans so much more efficient. You, Bike Friday, are at the cutting edge of efficient transportation. - Dennis Workman, "stuck in the dust farmer from downunder", and a friend of Bike Friday. |
 We're not called Green Gear Cycling Inc for nothing. Co-founders Alan and Hanz Scholz have always maintained that working towards a gentler, greener planet is necessary for the long term survival of the human race, and that a folding bicycle can go a long way to help replace our dependency on oil. Here, the Scholz family - founders of Bike Friday - take a moment away from their busy production line to tell you where Bike Friday is headed. And we hope you'll join the fold! - LC |
 April 2007: Bike Friday launches the tikitTM As we read the papers and listen to our customers, we feel we must change the overall direction of Bike Friday. We are focusing the company more on helping people cope with high gas prices and the high cost of personal transportation; on global warming and our national obesity epidemic. Originally, we succeeded in creating a way for cyclists to take fine custom bikes with them to far-off places. In doing that, we realized that our folding bikes can solve transport problems more critical than vacation air travel. Everyday problems - our customers told us so! We feel very strongly about this. It's our living and our way of life. At Bike Friday we are trying every day to waste less energy and contribute less to global warming. Alan rides his bike to work every day, year round. Hanz commutes nearly as often, despite living a good few miles out in the country. Hanz is installing a full solar photo voltaic system in his home. Alan's daughter Hanna Scholz (Bike Friday Marketing Manager) lives car-free; she walks or rides her bike to work every day. She has installed a full solar photo voltaic system to run her house. Every Bike Friday employee who has been at the company for 6 months or more owns a Bike Friday. 8 out of the 31 employees walk or ride to work every day. Alan and Hanz are initiating an incentive program to encourage the rest of the Bike Friday employees. They are rewarded if they ride their Bike Fridays or use public transit to get to work. Bike Friday also runs on 100% wind power for all its electricity needs. Many utilities offer alternatives now, so check with yours. Come visit us in Eugene - see if all of the above is true. We are dedicated to doing our share to live lightly on the earth and to giving you a leg up if you have the same ambition. To live active, productive lives, most of us must travel to many places daily. Since the bicycle is the all-time most energy-efficient travel machine, we can solve many of our daily transport problems - with the right bicycle package - one that is made for the individual rider. Lots of BF owners, many of whom bought their bikes for vacation air travel, love their Fridays so much they are now using them for daily transportation. Below you will see links to articles describing a few of them, plus other reading to help you picture yourself using your own bike for more of your daily travel. So what can you do? Be ready, educate yourself, and see "An Inconvenient Truth" if you haven't yet. Our road is ahead of us. One that is clear of carbon emissions, with two giant bicycle lanes on either side! Best in cycling, Alan, Hanz, Hanna Scholz, and The Bike Friday Team |
 THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE MISSION Bike Friday wins Mayor's Sustainability Award Founder's Letter, Spring 2007 Alan Scholz updates the fold Bike Friday History Where it all began and more awards |
Personal Transit Solutions on a Friday Commuting: Monday to Friday on a Friday Commuting is easier on two small wheels Ride out the Recession Saving time, money and the planet on a Friday A tikit® to ride the bus Bike Friday partners with Eugene Lane Transit District This little tikit® went to market Bike Friday collaborates with a local a grocer and bike shop to bring the message to the masses Unfolding a Commute Solution Ann Maver's tikit® to ride (courtesy of the Sierra Club) Personal Mobility Solutions on a Friday Some challenging issues solved with a Friday A Smartcar Solution: 2 Bike Fridays fit in the trunk of a SmartCar Carfree and Carefree: Two (or three) small wheels and not looking back Divorce Your Trunk Haul stuff with two fit legs instead of one lazy foot Toting and Towing Carry your Friday when it's not carrying you Airport Flying with your Friday Bike Friday Advocacy and Partnerships Hopenhagen on a Friday UN Climate Change Ambassador David Kroodsma 5 Quick Questions for Gil Penalosa Bicycling advocate has a tikit to change the world Lights! Camera! Fold! BF and Enno Roosink star in a Canadian PBS documentary on Commuting A tikit® to ride the bus Bike Friday partners with Eugene Lane Transit District This little tikit® went to market Bike Friday collaborates with a local a grocer and bike shop to bring the message to the masses Burn Carbs Not Hydrocarbs A sustainability symposium for a greener, saner planet Amtrak All folding bikes officially allowed on Amtrak - rejoice! The tikit® on Trial Testing a folder with New York's toughest gatekeepers It fits in a Japanese train locker Easy as ichi, ni, san ... |
The tikit® in action World's fastest fold with the Famous Friday ride Hopenhagen on a Friday UN Climate Change Ambassador David Kroodsma Just the tikit® Bike Friday's solution to the global oil problem A tikit® to ride the bus Bike Friday partners with Eugene Lane Transit District This little tikit® went to market Bike Friday collaborates with a local a grocer and bike shop to bring the message to the masses Grocery shopping with a tikit® it's the cart and car in one To the Capitol and back on a Friday Little Person Dan commutes on a Bantam Pocket Rocket The sleeper train to Brisbane with a companion that folds 9th Avenue Separated Bike Lane in New York City A sign of things to come Why the tikit® why now Alan Scholz, Bike Friday co-founder Cycle2City A new-breed bicycle commuter facility, for those who are yet to fold ... It's a bailout bike! Just for fun April 2007: Bike Friday launches the tikitTM Our solution to the global oil problem |
BF co-founder Hanz Scholz with 4-year old turbo booster - daughter Gretta Scholz. Piling the kids in this eco-friendly 'back seat' instils an early appreciation of the laws of energy - it has a cost!
 Local voices, global message - letter to the Editor of the Eugene Register-Guard Cycling, walking solve problems In the June 12 Register-Guard, one could easily connect the dots linking articles on rising energy prices, childhood obesity and the inability of officials to think outside of traditional solutions to these problems. Until politicians have answers, individuals must be first responders by converting the 40 percent of car trips that are two miles or less to alternatives that do not contribute to global warming, cost virtually nothing, and improve health. The answer for such short trips is to walk or bike when possible, a pleasant alternative as we enter into the summer months. It has been estimated that if Americans between ages 10 and 74 walked or biked just a half hour a day instead of driving, we could cut carbon dioxide by 32 million tons, save 3.25 billion gallons of gas and shed 1.5 billion pounds of fat. At $4 a gallon, that’s $13 billion saved in fuel costs alone while reducing obesity-related health problems among children and adults. More people are walking and biking already. And we know that when biking, one needs to wear a helmet and obey traffic laws. The recent cycling-related tragedy should encourage people to learn safe cycling practices, not scare people into cars. An elegant solution is one that solves a problem with least effort and complexity. Cycling and walking are elegant solutions that will immediately address rising health and energy costs with no environmental impact. That’s a prescription for personal and planetary health we cannot afford to ignore. Greg Hoard, Chairman Pictured: World renowned Bicycle Advocate Gil Penalosa talks about biking and walking for life and his Bike Friday tikit |
 READY TO JUMP OFF THE CARBON EXPRESS? Let a Bike Friday Travel Systems Consultant show you how - call 800-777-0258 (USA/Canada) CORPORATIONS Our special Friday deal for you and your employees Pictured: Bike Friday's Carbon Express tikit® |
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