What could be more Big Ring that getting more people and kids on bikes? Not much. Many think the Big Ring only applies to racing. Not true. Many people talk about making the world a better place but only true Big Ringers actually do it. One such person is Jonathan Morrison, Executive Director of the Salt Lake Bicycle Collective. He was kind enough to sit down and answer some questions about what it is he and his crew do to spread the message of the bike everyday:

COTBR: Have you accepted The Big Ring as your personal savior?

JM:  Yes I have.  As a young boy I had a blue and white tricycle with wood blocks on the pedals so I could reach them.  Sitting on that trike a gleeful man flew by on a bicycle and I wanted to follow him.  That moment has shaped my life and ever since I have sought the higher power driving that man.

COTBR: Among the many great things you do in the 801, to me the most Big Ring is your Earn A Bike program.  Can you give some details of that program?

JM: At the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective we believe every kid should have a bike.  However we don’t just give them bikes, we want them to become emotionally invested so they have to earn their two-wheeled freedom.

Through partnerships with after/summer school programs such as YouthCity, YWCA, and South Salt Lake Recreation we bring groups of youths to the Community Bike Shop.  Once there, they embark on a month long task of picking out a donated bike, tearing it apart, rebuilding it from scratch, getting a helmet, lock, and completing a BikeEd safety course.  All under the careful eye of amazing volunteer mechanics, mentors and League Cycling Instructors (LCIs).

When everything is said and done, it is hard to say who smiles bigger, the students or the volunteers.

COTBR: What does The Big Ring mean to you?

JM: To me the Big Ring is not a mechanical gear with 50 something teeth, but a metaphor for a diverse community that keeps growing bigger and bigger.  Everyone is welcomed into the Big Ring.  Either that or I have R.E.M.’s shiny people holding hands song stuck in my head.

COTBR: Are there other programs similar to yours in other cities?

JM: There are roughly 120 known Community Bike Projects throughout the North America and while they are similar at heart to the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective, they differ like hand-built bicycles.  The common themes are environmental; volunteering; re-using bicycles and parts; Earn-a-Bike classes; community bike shops that provide bikes, parts, tools and expertise; Valet Bike Parking; and getting as many people riding as possible.  Simply put, “Butts on Bikes.”  All the Community Bike Projects are all listed in the the Bike Collective Network Directory (www.bikecollectives.org).

COTBR: How could one establish a similar program in their home town?

JM: Aside from contacting a community bike organization and asking them how they did it.  The Bike Collective Network (www.bikecollectives.org) has two great resources including a “wiki ” that contains the collective knowledge of all the organizations that participate, specifically a Bike Collective Starter Kit.  The second is an email listserve called “The Think Tank” that has over 350 members of organizations from across North America exchanging ideas and answering questions.  Another great opportunity is the annual Bike Bike Conference (www.bikebike.org), which will happen this year in San Fransisco where organizations meet and discuss face to face.

COTBR: What Collective achievement are you most proud of?

JM: One could say that the Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective has a lot of things to be proud of, but the most amazing thing we have helped do is create a community.  If you walk into the Community Bike Shop during any open shop night, you will see kids, retirees, mountain bikers, road racers, messengers, hipsters, and everything in between all sharing laughs and helping each other.  That is a special kind of magic we are very proud of.

COTBR: I see so many people riding around town with only one gear on their bike.  Much like sugar was rationed during WWII, is the shortage of gears got anything to do with the war on terrorism?

JM: Single speeds and fixed geared bicycle pre-date gears, so this is just history repeating itself.   Most notably, the latest re-incarnation of single speeds and fixed gears has made bikes affordable again.  The money conscious consumers during WWII would certainly approve.

A single speed is mechanically simple, thus easy to maintain, and best yet — cheap!   Before  cars the bicycle was used more for transportation, after cars they became more of a sport.  With sport came a demand for fancy expensive bicycles, and and the inexpensive quality bicycle took a seat next to the Dodo bird.  That is until now.

So instead of spending a few grand for a “good” bike, you can buy a classic 70′s / 80′s road bike from a thrift store or garage sale; lighten it up by removing the derailers, shifters, and extra gears; shorten the chain; throw on a rear track wheel, and voila!  You are the proud owner of a cool, one of a kind “good” bike — best yet you only spent $100 bucks.

COTBR: What is the one must have piece of equipment for any would be commuter?

JM: While this may seem slightly unconventional at first, hear me out.  I recommend a camera phone.  Why?  Cyclists certainly need to abide by the same rules if we want the same roads and rights, but motorists aren’t innocent either.   A camera phone can capture and report the license plate, vehicle and driver description of dangerous motorist instantly.  I hope you never need it, but providing irrefutable evidence is a must have.

COTBR:  I’d like to get involved with the collective.  What can I do?

JM: Call 801-FAT-BIKE or visit www.slcbikecollective.org to contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Krista Bowers.  She will find out what you want to do and match that with what we need to get done.  Or just show up on a Monday Volunteer Night at the Community Bike Shop from 5 to 9pm at 2312 S. West Temple; Salt Lake City, UT 84115.  You don’t need to know anything, we will teach you!