BIPOC Outdoor + Cycling Businesses and Orgs
Hi All,
For at least 11 years I existed as a women’s cycling advocate and blogger; or what is now known today as an “influencer”. Much of my work done on the blog was critiquing city planning, cycling culture, advocating, offering diy tips, and providing a community where none existed for women of color. I also did product reviews that aligned with my values. I was gifted but never offered cash compensation, the industry is incredibly behind on this. Needless to say, I did a lot of free labor and worked tirelessly to make cycling more accessible to WOC and plus-sized women. This work helped me to meet a lot of small business owners, WTF and BIPOC folk in the cycling community, and learn the struggles of gear accessibility and what our communities need: cycling products and brands BY US, FOR US.
Every year around the holidays, mainstream cycling media outlets put together the latest gear, tech, and kit roundups to buy. Time and time again, the familiar discomforts rise up in conspicuous consumption, white athletes, influencers, and brands again centering whiteness and ignoring BIPOC owned brands and influencers. Promoting products in ways that are not consistent with Black, Indigenous, and other people of color counterparts who were doing the best work as influencers and brands.
This says to me, that the oppression of white supremacy also means that despite their significant contributions to creative work in cycling and outdoor spaces, BIPOC+WTF owned brands, makers, athletes, and influencers, aren't being amplified at the same rate. I crave a cycling community that more fully represents the range of people, products, leaders, and brands that I know already exists—one that doesn’t deny the talent and lived experiences of BIPOC+WTF creatives.
Because of our experiences as BIPOC, the ongoing frustrations around the lack of representation in the cycling community, also means that I am committed to making all my personal, fashion, and cycling purchases exclusively from sustainable and ethical BIPOC makers and brands.
We still live in a world where so many of us are not allowed the dignity of being our whole selves in the spaces we occupy. I want to be part of creating a space, especially where BIPOC can be our full selves, centered, and celebrated. I want to deepen my commitment to what ethical products mean to me, which is amplifying the work of BIPOC innovators and creatives who have been doing this work for many years. Finally, I want all of this to result in putting money directly into the hands of BIPOC makers and creatives.
My hope is that the work of Cyclista Zine can be a small offering toward the collective efforts of BIPOC to take up space to celebrate, heal, and transform. Ultimately, it was born out of love—love for honoring my ancestors, love for BIPOC communities, love for equity, and the right to be whole people, wherever, and whoever we are.
So supporting BIPOC brands on any day of the year is a fantastic way to financially support businesses and allow the companies to thrive, hire BIPOC, and create more role models that challenge the idea of who can be a "cyclist", “outdoors person” and "business leader."
How + where you spend your money is also a huge part of gender and racial justice. We should all do everything possible to allocate our dollars to support BIPOC owned business, particularly BIWOC run. Here's my incomplete and growing list of bike shops and gears brands, owned and operation by and for BIPOC's.
A Quick Brown Fox, Representation Matters swag, Podcast and more by Ayesha McGowan
Back in the Frame - book by Jools Walker
Bicycle/Race: Transportation, Culture, & Resistance book by Adonia Lugo
"Brown Bike Girl" bicycle advocacy consulting by Courtney Williams
Crust Bikes, bike shop Belmar, NJ
dziltaah adventures, Navajo BikePacking adventures
Gears For Queers, book
Gladys Bikes, bike shop Portland, OR
EleVen by Venus Williams, activewear
Free Range Cycles, bike shop Seattle, WA
Hard Knox Bikes, bike shop Oakland, CA
Intrinsic Provisions, outdoor retailer,
London Bike Kitchen, bike shop London, UK
Natives Outdoors, gear, retail
New Bo Bo Bicycle, bike shop, New York, NY
People For Mobility Justice org
Seirus Innovation, outdoor wear retail
Sun And Air, bike shop Brooklyn, NY
Rich City Rides, bike shop Richmond, CA
TreadBike Shop, bike shop New York, NY
If it's books or zines you are looking to buy or groups to support our website resources page has a list of our recommendations, find em here https://www.cyclistazine.com/resources
