I'm fascinated by the growing Slow Food movement which started in Italy in 1989 and I can certainly understand its popularity.
"Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world."
As with all good, timely ideas, the concept has really taken off. Inevitably, the concept of Slow has spawned other offshoots.
- Slow Fish
- Slow Company
- Slow Design
- Slow Retail
- Slow Planet
- Slow Cities [Cittaslow]
- The World Institute of Slowness
- Slow Travel
To name but a few.
So why not start a bicycle-friendly version of the movement?
The Slow Bike Movement - no, make that the Slow BICYCLE movement - the very word 'bike' is a speeded up version of the original.
The very cool Icelandic artist múm anticipated this inevitable Slow Bicycle movement by creating the anthem.
Here's a logo you can slap on whatever you want to slap it on.
29 comments:
This logo would be nice on a T-Shirt.
Brilliant! Only you could spearhead such an idea!
My partner always notes that the people who seem most happy and pleased whilst cycling here are the ones who are riding cruisers and thus are not speeding in and out of cars and past other cyclists at a breakneck pace.
He has ridden my upright bike a few times and it always makes him laugh because he feels like he should have a big smile plastered across his face and be whistling on it. (His bike has drop handlebars and is fast!)
It is bike-to-work week here in Chicago but I'm unsure what kind of overall effect it has on cycling here. I like your idea better!
I love leisurely cycling and taking in all the details of the world around you!
Also now I've got the song Slow Life by Super Furry Animals in my head! That's cute that Mum made a song called Slow Bicycle!
Hot! Drunk and In Charge is officially joining the Slow Bicycle Movement.
Excellent! I love this.
Excellent! I love this.
Suggestion: Upload the "Slow Bicycle" badge to your Flickr account and slap a CC license on it for quick and easy hotlinking.
you forgot slowfood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_food)
bye
slapped it on my page. thanks so much for the permission!
I've been trying to figure out the best way to make a patch for my bag "Does this look like a race?"
I like this even better. Less antagonistic. Duly blogged!
You know - I think I know what the motto of the slow cycling movement should be....
Grok.
(anyone?)
I grok "grok." It was part of the required Usenet lexicon back in the day.
Here in the desert, "The Land of Manana", people joke that manana doesn't really mean tomorrow so much as it means not today. How about Manana as a motto?
Or how about this, Paul Simon's song "Feeling Groovy" started out 'slow down, you're moving too fast'> Groovy might make a decent motto.
Nothing wrong with grok though.
Yes - t-shirts and stickers please!
Spot on! Bakfiets.co.uk has signed up.
I agree, brilliant!
This makes me think of an older fellow I once knew who pedaled his 3-speed around town while smoking a pipe. Very serene.
In the spirit of collaboration, why not
Feeling Grokky?
It kind of grows on you. At least it's growing on me.
Just a thought...
Martin
"Feeling grokky"? Umm.... Tribalism like this is the antithesis of grok.
Love your blog, live in Copenhagen and use my bicycle all the time. For me it's "the faster the better" though when I bike :) I'm fine with the Slow Bicycle Movement as long as you all remember to stay on the right side of the bike path :)
I love my heavy clunky single speed cruiser bicycle with coaster brakes and balloon tires. I'm going grocery shopping, not competing in the Tour de France.
Although I'm European, I leave in Seattle, supposably one of the bike friendliest cities in the U.S. We are far from achieving Slow Cycling, in the US. The road infrastucture is way too aggressive and you have to be a true bike militant to ride in the streets. I'm considering going back home...
anonymous European... Take me with you....
Heck, I've been there for years; it took me a while, but I finally realized that I am not a fast rider. It doesn't matter what bike I'm on, my subconcious imposes a psychological speed limit - I get up to a certain speed, and that's it, even if I still feel strong. On the level, on a light road bike, I top out at about 18 mph. Of course, I normally ride my lovely cargo bike (the Dreadnought), so the top speed is much lower, and cruising speed allows me to see the scenery as I breeze along. I get passed a lot, and that's just fine. Slow your roll and smile! Val
oh goodness.
i've created a monster!
a slow-moving, aesthetically-pleasing, philosophically-minded monster, but a monster all the same... :-)
i've been busy these days with guests from abroad but i'll follow up on this and make some more graphics and add designs to the shop. i'll post accordingly when things are done.
glad you all fancy the idea!
Jennifer, I'll join you as co-ambassador here in Chicago.
It's time to slow it down (and style it up).
Love the idea! The slow bicycle movement yes! only you could have started this I agree ;)
As the rider of the slowest bike in Portland, OR off which the city's slowest coffee is brewed, I took the liberty to print out a sticker from the new SBM logo.
Viva la Slow!
The Old Bike Blog is on board! Thanks for the terrific rallying cry.
Love it! My hubby and I are definitely in ....
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