Along for the ride: Judson in Elgin named Bicycle Friendly University

With holidays approaching, my annual book reviews offer suggestions for biking gift lists, your own or others. First, however, positive bicycling news: League of American Bicyclists recently awarded official Bicycle Friendly University status to three Illinois institutions on Nov. 13.

Judson University in Elgin became one of 45 U.S. colleges/universities that achieved/renewed BFU bronze level status. Also included this time were Southern Illinois (Edwardsville) and Illinois State University (Normal).

LAB has recognized only 10 other schools in Illinois over the years. Judson did it on its first try. From dorm room bike repair to a thousand-square-foot shop to national recognition, Judson is the first university in west Chicago metro to earn LAB’s bronze status.

John Ashworth, Judson alumnus and Amsterdam native, spearheaded the BFU application, along with a professional cyclist and university president Dr. Gene Crume, Jr. Besides the Judson Bike Shop, they had plenty to reinforce their case: weekly organized rides, mountain biking trips, bike promotion events, campus bike paths and Fox River Trail access.

Shop manager Ashworth relies on a few mechanics to repair, sell and rent to students, as well as to the surrounding Elgin community. They also refurbish used bikes for sale or donation to deserving Elgin residents.

Rentals are available on campus through the Judson Spirit Store and kayak/bike shed (summertime) near the Fox River. Low rental fees — $30 per semester vs. $10 daily — helps Ashworth achieve his goal: clearing bikes from the shop and onto campus.

Ashworth leads weekly Saturday morning rides when school is in session and throughout the summer. No bike? No problem — free loaners keep riders rolling.

Just as COVID accelerated a national bike boom in 2020, it fast-tracked Judson’s bike program. Ashworth recounted how Crume delivered food one Saturday evening to a Wilson Hall student unable to travel home.

Asking if he had a couple minutes to spare, Ashworth showed Crume the first-floor bike setup and pitched the idea of expanding to a bigger campus space. That shifted the bike friendly idea into high gear.

‘Bicycle City’ review

As fellow book reviewer Charlie Saxe of the Skokie Bike Network noted, Dan Piatkowski’s “Bicycle City” (2024) “is a concise read with a fresh enough perspective to capture our interest and, even in these times, offer something both realistic and aspirational.”

Likewise for me, Piatkowski offered thoughtful insights that wedged in my head for days: bikes as transportation vs. toys; e-bikes and EVs as distractions from larger issues; motorists, bikers and pedestrians all sharing guilt as traffic scofflaws.

Titled “Bicycle City,” not “City Bicycle,” the distinction is on purpose. As a planner, Piatkowski views bicycling as a catalyst for urban change, not an end. The bicycle city bridges the car city of the past with a more livable human city of the future.

E-bikes, scooters and cargo bikes can all contribute to a city’s livability. The latter, “gentle giants of the bike world,” have grown in popularity post-pandemic, providing urban freight delivery solutions. E-cargo bikes facilitate navigating cities with kids and those with disabilities, their devices and even service dogs.

As associate professor of land-use and transport planning at Oslo Metropolitan University, Piatkowski draws on academic and professional urban planning expertise, having worked in bike shops, advocacy and messenger service. Though car-free living may be unrealistic, “car-lite urbanism” is possible, and can apply everywhere.

“His thesis is not of a cycling promised land,” Saxe said, “but how, by creating places more conducive to cycling and walking, we can make our cities better places to live for everyone.”

Advocating narrowly for biking won’t get us there. Instead, helping broader coalitions of people understand how biking benefits them directly just may.

‘Made in Asia’ review

Gear head I’m not, yet I thoroughly enjoyed both the mechanical and historical insights Bill McGann’s “Why Your Bike is Made in Asia” (2024) provides about various bike industry developments, and the companies behind them.

McGann’s thesis is that manufacturers’ failure to adapt to changing market issues led to bike production transitioning from the U.S. and Europe to Asia. In supporting his argument, McGann presents a broad range of bike component and manufacturer knowledge gained over his extensive industry career, from mid-1970s shop owner to well-connected wholesaler to author/publisher of cycling books.

Co-reviewer Bill Chalberg, Downers Grove Bicycle Club social coordinator, said readers don’t have to be mechanics or racers to appreciate McGann’s “detailed telling of how European manufacturers failed to listen to requests from American buyers who understood the U.S. customer base. Asian — particularly Japanese — manufacturers did listen and were eager to supply the American market.”

Chalberg cited one of several McGann examples, that of a French freewheel supplier for Schwinn’s Continental and Varsity models. The Maillard freewheels were fouled when ridden hard by their targeted teen riders.

Maillard was willing to replace any freewheels but refused Schwinn’s offer to pay more for a redesign. McGann was sure Maillard knew they had the strongest European freewheel and “probably felt they had Schwinn over a barrel.” Shimano, a Japanese manufacturing company for cycling components, heard about the issue from Schwinn and designed a sealed version, minimizing the problem. Schwinn adopted it.

Such inside stories about companies and individuals make fascinating reading. Yet I still felt a nagging skepticism, not about his overall thesis, but about the confident certainty he brought to his many examples of perceived corporate bumbling and strategic inertia. Still, I’d recommend this one.

• Join the ride. Contact Ralph Banasiak at alongfortheridemail@gmail.com.