Electric bike riders fresh and seasoned gathered together outside the Small World theatre in Cardigan to share their bike experiences.
The flocking was organised as part of Climate Matters, a day put on by Cardigan XR.
Local resident Rozanna, above, argued with her husband when she told him she wanted an e bike, he said it would be a waste of money
and marched with her to the bike shop. They came out with two bikes, his and hers, and now their three teenage boys also have one each.
She said it has transformed their lives, freed them from the time and expense of ferrying children and themselves in endless car journeys. When they only had pushbikes the dreaded hills put them off.
The cyclists compared their mounts, there were cargo bikes, trailer bikes, foldables, light weight converted bikes, bikes as strong as horses, and as light as gazelles, with costs similarly wide ranging.
Helen is disabled and has to have a light bike she can fold at the flick of a lever, to get on buses. The downside is people can’t
believe a cyclist is physically disabled.
The upside is the freedom and joy.
Helen can maintain her own Chinese made affordable bikes and has ridden them for 20 years.
For Albert and his partner, the bike is a business work horse, they have no car. They travel as a family with mum and toddler in the trailer, or it’s full of local vegetables to turn into preserves, or laden with the jars of kombucha they make, on their way to shops and stalls.
Albert says motorists are not trained to share the road with other users. But it’s everyone’s road. They notice drivers learning from encounters with them, and driving differently next time.
“Learning to drive should include learning to share the road with all its users” suggests Albert.
Many organisations set up stall alongside a day of speakers on climate related topics. Grwp Resilience organised the bike flocking
as part of ‘Kitawake’ – a project to bring affordable green equipment to Wales’ rural economy through a network of trusted suppliers and manufacturers at home and abroad. The hope is to replace a warring destructive global economy with long term collaborative relationships.
There are many resilience organisations working in this part of Wales. They are learning the best ways to collaborate, not duplicate and to make competing activities complementary.
The day of talks was organised by XR Cardigan, which is part of West Wales Climate Coalition – WWCC
