The sociality of cycling

The act of cycling fulfils basic requirements – to reach a destination, to travel through the natural and built environment, or to maintain health and fitness. Cycling has its own social politics – commonly, as a celebration and manifestation of resistance to the culture of automobility and the domination of the streetscape by polluting vehicles. This chapter explores selected aspects of the social dimensions of cycling. It argues that in the many debates about how to reclaim space for bikes and increase ridership, the “sociality” of cycling and the pleasure of riding a bike also has political ramifications. “Bikespace” is something produced by various communities of cyclists, as well as by bike phenomena and social movements of different forms. Changing culture is key to altering mobility practices toward more active travel, and, sometimes, to the production of new public space, building on cycling networks.