Gravel and Changing Leaves west of Boulder

Ambassador C.C.'s "It’s An Uptown Thang!" Ride

DC Brewery Tour- Four Breweries, 15 miles of fun!

Encourage employees to get out of their seats

On August 16, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, the single-largest climate policy investment in U.S. history. While we’ve written extensively (here and here) about how the Inflation Reduction Act neglects to consider bike incentives as climate policy, this bill is still urgently needed. It serves as an initial down payment for federal climate action, with much more work still to be done. 

PeopleForBikes, the bike industry at large and advocates across the nation will continue pushing for a federal electric bicycle tax credit and bike commuter benefit as climate policy and fighting for their inclusion at every possible opportunity. 

For now, we want to shine light on the infrastructure-focused investments in the Inflation Reduction Act that we’ve long advocated for in support of safer, more accessible and more connected biking. 

30C Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit Expansion

- Thanks to bike policy champion Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), one tax provision where e-bikes won is the expansion of the 30C tax credit, which gives qualifying businesses a 30%, up to $30,000, tax credit for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The update in the Inflation Reduction Act will expand the tax credit to support micromobility charging, specifically for “two- and three-wheeled electric vehicles” like electric bicycles, tricycles and scooters. 

- As more Americans choose electric micromobility for transportation, businesses should consider how they can support and encourage this kind of travel by installing secure parking and charging infrastructure. 

- The Inflation Reduction Act will create a new $3 billion program titled “Neighborhood Access and Equity Grants” intended to supplement the $1 billion Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Though slightly different in the details, the programs are designed to support projects in communities divided by highways through rebuilding with equitable mobility infrastructure. Bike lanes, multi-use paths and sidewalks would be eligible projects under this fund. 

- PeopleForBikes advocated for these programs and for increased funding for them alongside a diverse coalition of transportation and equity advocacy groups through IIJA and reconciliation negotiations. 

- The U.S. Forest Service’s Forest Legacy Program (FLP) will get another $700 million from the Inflation Reduction Act, which could go toward trail funding and maintenance as natural climate solutions in private forest land across the nation.

- PeopleForBikes supported this effort as part of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition, though unfortunately funding for urban parks under the FLP was not included in the final reconciliation bill. 

What IS in the Inflation Reduction Act for Bikes?

The Wilderness Act of 1964 immediately protected 9.1 million acres of land in the U.S., including the Bob Marshall Wilderness in Montana, Linville Gorge in North Carolina and Mount Hood in Oregon, among many others. The act is most known for its definition of wilderness: 


"A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.”

While this may be a romantic and murky definition, what it does make clear is that “wilderness” does not include people. The protection of these places is wonderful and necessary, but it narrows access to wilderness away from those who can’t venture far enough to reach it. It creates a binary where there can’t be wild things where there are people. But does it have to be this way? Can wilderness be simple and nearby rather than vast and far away? The Urban Wilderness in Knoxville, Tennessee, challenges this dated definition by playing home to more than 50 miles of trails, all in the middle of a city.

Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness spans multiple parks, historical sites and other public lands, all in the southern part of the city, where the creators saw potential in an area spanning more than 1,000 acres from the Alcoa Highway up to the Tennessee River. The Wilderness connects 10 city parks, three Civil War forts, a large nature center, a climbing crag, a 500-acre wildlife management center, a world class mountain bike park, multiple roads, greenways and private land easements, many connected by the 12-mile South Loop System. The area has revitalized South Knoxville, which now includes nine breweries, multiple restaurants and will soon include a campground specifically made for mountain biking — the Drop Inn. The idea for the Urban Wilderness all began with two organizations and a vision.

Legacy Parks Foundation and the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club (AMBC) began the Urban Wilderness with a map. In 2008, Brian Hand, then president of AMBC, looked at the city from his South Knoxville farmhouse and saw potential. Mountain bikers had already been building trails and riding in the Appalachian foothills of Knoxville. While the legality was often dubious, it gave them an understanding of what local mountain biking could be. The rugged karst geology of the region made it difficult to develop, leaving undeveloped green space across South Knox. Hand started talks with Carol Evans, head of Legacy Parks Foundation, who helped formulate a plan to secure funding and public support. They began with a  fundraising goal of more than $1.5 million for the first round of land buying and were surprised to come up with the money in just eight months during a recession. The continued success  led to the city putting $10 million towards a gateway park and entrance to the trail system.

Evans credited this success to creating support across different user groups in Knoxville. She believes Legacy Parks’ ability to be flexible, communicate often and create the trails incrementally are the biggest factors in the success of the Urban Wilderness. The AMBC created the trails, most being moderate, multi-use trails good for riders of all skill levels. Neighborhoods surrounding the trails have embraced them for everything from birdwatching to hiking to dog walking and, of course, biking. The ability to get out and play before work, during lunch or in the evenings has changed people’s perceptions of the city. Knoxville can now identify and take pride in being an outdoor town, rather than just a college town on the way to the Smoky Mountains. This sense of community is particularly strong among AMBC members.

The AMBC has since grown to three full-time staff and one part-time staff member who maintains the Urban Wilderness. When a fallen log or washed-out berm is called in, it is usually fixed within the week if not the day. AMBC has a humility and blue collar attitude towards the trail system. Executive Director Matthew Kellog said their goal is to be “quietly really good” and they are constantly looking for improvements through their memberships in the Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association (SOBRA) and the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA). The organization supports a free youth development program where kids can race in NICA and USAC races at all levels. A grant from Bell Cycling helped create a women’s cycling group, and a grant from Santa Cruz’s PayDirt program recently went towards multiple new all-weather trails.

The city has seen cycling grow in popularity and become an integral part of Knoxville’s culture. Downtown was closed for a few days in late June 2022 when the USA Road Cycling National Championships zoomed across its historic streets. NICA has held multiple interscholastic races in the Urban Wilderness, and ROAM Fest, a womxn-only mountain bike festival, held one of its stops in Knoxville. The other locations? Mountain bike meccas Fruita, Colorado, and Sedona, Arizona.

The Wilderness has also helped shape the identity of the University of Tennessee. University of Tennessee Outdoor Pursuits (UTOP) Director Josh Elder is an avid mountain biker and whitewater paddler who helps decide where to program university-sponsored trips. He says that UTOP uses the Urban Wilderness for 2-4 hour activities about 12 times per school year. More than guided trips, the ability to give a low-entry introduction to biking through rental mountain bikes has led many students to discover and fall in love with the sport. It’s easy to rent a bike in the morning, ride 15 minutes to the trails, explore the Wilderness and be back in time for afternoon classes. “The Urban Wilderness is a glue that holds things together through accessibility for everyone,” said Elder.

The Urban Wilderness challenges the notion that an experience in nature has to be hard to reach, or has to be devoid of people. Legacy Parks Foundation and AMBC have made a trail system for all. Visitors, who bring in up to $52 million in tourism revenue, or locals, who have a daily opportunity to be outside, can equally enjoy the Urban Wilderness. It has helped create a city where more than half of residents can walk to a city park. Wilderness can co-exist in cities and can enrich them through community, recreation and adaptability. The opportunity to find meaning outside has been ensured in an unlikely place, for whoever wants to come experience it.

The Urban Wilderness Transforming Knoxville

Like many towns across the U.S., a change in the way we do business has led to a loss of jobs, local economies and even pride. Places that once relied on logging or mining are now left without industry and struggling to maintain once-thriving population centers, all while also coming to terms with the need for a more climate-resilient economy. The Lost Sierra region of Northern California — which includes communities in California’s Plumas, Sierra, Butte and Lassen Counties — is no different.

The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS), a nonprofit that builds and maintains multi-use trails in the region, wants to rethink how its towns do business. The organization developed a Trails Master Plan for Connected Communities, funded by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, which puts forth a vision for a recreation-focused lifestyle through community investment, shared stewardship, economic opportunity and new local jobs. 

The project includes building a new 600-plus-mile trail system, dubbed the “Lost Sierra Route,” which will ultimately connect 15 mountain towns that span from Truckee northward to Westwood, near where the Sierra Nevada end and the Cascade Range begins. The landscape is nothing short of spectacular and once completed, is sure to become a destination for outdoor adventurists near and far — and a home for all of the business they tend to bring.

Mountain bikers riding from the town of Quincy pose on Mt. Hough before descending into Taylorsville below for an overnight stay. (Photo credit: Patrick Cavender)

“We’re not trying to replace the logging or mining industry. We still need industry, but we feel like recreation can complement things,” said Greg Williams, executive director of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship. “We create jobs, opportunities, apprenticeships and trainings — we’re trying to retain working families here and retain talent.”

With wildfires increasing every year, the project also seeks to strike a balance between fuel management, recreation, healthy watersheds and public education. Williams is Northern Sierra Miwok and telling the story of his Indigenous ancestors, as well as others like the Washoe and Maidu, is another important part of the equation, not only to honor the original stewards of the land but also to draw inspiration from the less-extractive ways they continue to interact with it. 

A longtime bicyclist and former shop owner, Williams founded SBTS in 2003 after a big winter left a lot of trees down and trails damaged. With the Forest Service losing a good deal of its funding, Williams and a group of volunteers took the initiative to take care of the trails. Since then, the organization’s employees and volunteers have built more than 120 miles of trail, maintained more than 1,479 miles and collectively contributed well over 100,000 hours of labor to the surrounding National Forest lands. There are currently 66 full-time and seasonal employees, 24 of which are high school students from throughout the region. 

Employees and volunteers have worked on everything from garden-variety singletrack to wilderness portions of the Pacific Crest Trail to ADA-compliant paths to multi-use flow trails. The Connected Communities Project, which is slated for a summer 2030 completion date, will include the creation and maintenance of multi-purpose trails that allow for all dirt trail travelers, including eMTB and traditional mountain bikes, hikers and trail runners, equestrians, hunters, fishermen and, of course, wildlife. When possible, the trails will be ADA accessible.

“We're not saying no to any trail user that can fit on a trail,” said Williams. “It’s about inclusion, equity, diversity and access — not just in people but how they recreate.”

The trail will include mainstreet connections in the 15 mountain communities it serves, as well as traverse the headwaters of the Yuba and Feather Rivers, critical watersheds that supply more than 65% of California’s drinking water. The master plan also includes designated recreation zones, or areas that are on Forest Service land close to commercial centers. These areas will provide close access to trails for locals, helping them avoid having to drive to trailheads, as well as convenient downtown parking for visitors, which will help generate business.

The recreation zones were the result of community feedback from some 16 town hall meetings, 100 virtual meetings and in-person park sessions, complete with big dry-erase boards and maps where residents could draw in their dream plans. SBTS also opened up an online public survey and solicited takers using kiosks and booklets strategically placed at gas stations and businesses. All in all, the nonprofit got almost 1,200 people throughout the region to take the survey and some 800 took the time to draw on the maps to showcase their vision. 

It was through that public process that SBTS was able to gain support from other organizations, including the Forest Service, individual cities, counties and members of Congress. A strong partnership with the Forest Service is particularly important, as all of the proposed trails are susceptible to an environmental review. Importantly, SBTS is sure to always contract with local folks — whether that be biologists, hydrologists, archeologists or trail builders — in order to support the local economy and help build investment in the network.

Kelly Tan of Taylorsville provides input to members of the Sierra Buttes Trails Stewardship on the Lost Sierra Route. 

“We want this project to be like a recipe book — a national model for how communities can engage with land managers,” said Williams. “At every step of the way, we're documenting the pitfalls we’ve experienced and some of the really great things we did, and we'll be sharing throughout the nation how we did it. Hopefully, we can save people some grief and also inspire them to take it to another level.”

As part of that commitment to being open and transparent about the project, Williams is scheduled to speak at PeopleForBikes’ Electric Mountain Bike Summit on September 15, 2022, in Olympic Valley, California. For Williams and SBTS, allowing eMTBs on the trail system is an important part of keeping it inclusive and accessible to everyone. Like many things pertaining to good trail use, education is key and that’s why good signage, maps and informational kiosks are a key component of the Connected Communities master plan. Industry partners, shop owners and land managers all also have a role to play in making sure e-bikes are used responsibly.

“We want people to be able to ride e-bikes up here and we’ve been working with the National Forest and our industry partners to get bikes up here and take land managers out,” said Williams. “We want to give them an experience riding so as they’re making decisions, they have a good understanding of what an e-bike is.”

The Connected Communities project has a long list of industry partners, including Shimano, Santa Cruz Bicycles and Fox, but SBTS always welcomes more support. While the project has received the green light and secured some $2.6 million in grant funding to date, it will require an estimated $40 million total over the next eight years. For a team that’s committed to building trails — and doing so in a way that’s low-maintenance and won’t require a lot of additional money down the road — fundraising, while necessary, can be exhausting. For a volunteer-driven nonprofit, that time is better spent on outreach, education and trail building.

“To bring an economy to towns that desperately need it, $40 million isn’t that much,” said Williams. “Especially when you consider all of our programs, how many people we reach and the jobs and opportunities we create.”

It’s that impact that’s gotten most folks in the region on board. Pushback, in general, has been minimal and tends to dissipate once people realize the ways a recreation-based economy can help keep grocery stores and restaurants open, as well as motivate future generations to stay in place. After all, hikers and bikers aren’t the worst sorts of visitors, having an innate desire to protect the places where they play. Although there are sure to be some pressure points, the ultimate goal is a region with diversified recreation opportunities that connect communities and provide economic stability. A place where all people, especially youth, can learn about the environment and where climate resiliency is top of mind. 

“What we’re trying to create is multigenerational pride and a workplace for people to be able to come back to and raise their kids, and this is our chance, through recreation,” said Williams. “I’m confident that Connected Communities will be built in such a way that it’s going to change people’s lives — this will last, generation after generation.”

“Bicycles have the ability to create transformative experiences for people and allow all of us to connect differently with the land and communities that we travel through,” said Nora Dye, founder and collaborator of the California Field School. “They allow for a totally different understanding of the world and our place in it.”

The California Field School (CFS), a youth bicycling organization committed to creating life-changing experiences and educational opportunities for high school students, uses the bicycle as a tool for teaching youth about history, the environment, community and social justice as they explore their home state. Through multi-day adventure bicycle tours along the Northern California coast and Freewheel, a bike club for girls and gender non-conforming youth, the school works with high school students from Oakland to create empowering experiences using the bike. 

In addition to monthly rides to teach fundamental bicycling skills — such as navigating traffic and public transit with a bike, basic bike maintenance and carrying gear — CFS embarks on summer bike tours, dubbed California’s Changing Coast.  “We took 25 students on a 320-mile ride from Humboldt County through the Redwoods along the coast, ending up in San Francisco,” said Dye, describing a 12-day trip that took place in May 2019. “It's a really powerful tool for teaching and for learning.”

CFS also uses the bike as a tool for education and health through Freewheel, their monthly bike rides for girls and gender non-conforming high school youth in Oakland and the greater Bay Area. In 2022, CFS’s Freewheel program received a $15,000 Outride Fund award. 


 Follow California Field School on Instagram to see more pictures from their group rides. 

“During our monthly rides, participants will learn about the social and ecological histories of the land and watersheds they bike through and engage with local indigenous women leaders and women of color working towards social and environmental justice in their communities,” said Dye. “As Freewheel participants learn about the ecological restoration efforts of these local groups, they will participate in those efforts through service projects over the course of the school year.” 

Bike rides help show youth what they are capable of achieving, teaching them strength and resilience in the face of adversity. “At the beginning, everyone is hesitant, everyone is a little nervous riding in groups. On the first day, several of my students lost their balance while stopping,” said Nina Portugal, volunteer at CFS. “Having that experience of pushing yourself — asking, ‘Where are my limits? How do I know when I’ve gotten there?’ — is such a profound practice to have in your life.” 

According to Portugal, the Oakland-based CFS students are already resilient, having faced a lot of hardship in their day-to-day lives. Bicycling, and experiencing adversity in a different type of environment, can teach youth how to navigate barriers and hardships as they come. Plus, in addition to helping students identify their inner strength, the school’s bike rides help youth cultivate a connection to each other as well as the landscapes and ecosystems they move through.  

“There's something really special about doing a trip with peers from your school who you maybe were not friends with prior,” said Portugal, noting how easily a group of 25 youth can become a tight-knit family. “[Riding together] is a touchpoint — they have this experience and knowledge of what they can do and get through.” 

In addition to building relationships with each other, the CFS model helps students build relationships with mentors and teachers in their community. The act of riding together helps open up space to build caring relationships, community and respect. 

“So many of them would come to see me all the time during lunch and after school through the connection we made on the bike ride,” said Portugal. “[They would] talk about what’s bothering them or what was happening and we’d always come back to the bike ride.” 

Bike rides also afford the opportunity to have conversations about California’s environmental and indigenous history. “We really try to ground our trips in thinking about the Indigenous people who were here first and how they were mistreated by the folks who arrived later, as well as the ways that people have related to the environment,” said Dye. “We talk about how we got to where we are today, really understanding both what's beautiful about our modern culture and society and the things that are challenging.” 

Naturally, other important topics — including the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, gender inequity and more — also feature prominently as conversation topics. “We are in a time of huge consequences,” said Dye.  “It's so incumbent on those of us who are older to be creating opportunities for young people to see and understand the way that the world works and how all these systems work together. If anything is going to help us confront the climate crisis successfully, it's going to be the ingenuity and the efforts of this next generation.” 

A concrete example of CFS’ commitment to empowering youth in the face of challenges is its response to the COVID-19 pandemic: The school put together a bike library where students could rent bicycles for a month-long period, offering youth a way to get outside and continue to be active. The positive impacts of bicycling on the mental, physical and emotional health of youth in the face of the pandemic are well documented.  

“As we have seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people turned to cycling, not only for transportation but also for the joy, freedom and the physical and mental health benefits that come with it,” said Esther Walker, cognitive science Ph.D and research program manager at the nonprofit Outride. 

Riding Bikes Is Good For Youth and Research Proves It



Throughout all of its programming, the questions CFS asks youth help establish a connection between bicycling and the world around them. They include:

— How does the bicycle touch your physical, mental and emotional health? 

— How does the bicycle put you in touch with yourself as well as the other animals and ecosystems around you? 

— How does the bicycle bring you creativity and connection? 

By encouraging reflection and portraying the bicycle as a tool for transformation, CFS offers youth a way of coping in an ever-changing, often difficult world.

“It’s like one of our young women wrote in a short poem,” said Portugal. “‘You face every uphill and downhill and that’s such a part of life.’” 

Interested in learning from and connecting with organizations working to build community, improve health, and empower youth through bikes? The 6th Annual Outride Summit is taking place virtually October 25-26, 2022. Last year, Outride brought together more than 600 community organizers, researchers, educators, youth and community champions from 41 states and nations around the world. Learn more and register today.


Oakland Youth Are Biking Towards a Better Future

New, retroactive Section 301 tariff exclusions mark a big win for the bike industry.

On March 23, 2022, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced new, retroactive Section 301 tariff exclusions, including nearly every eligible bike product exclusion we pursued as an industry. 

The exclusions will be in effect for products imported between Oct. 12, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2022. We estimate these exclusions cover products worth more than $600 million in annual import value. This action could save the bike industry at least $160 million in duty payments, likely more. 

Bicycle products covered by this exclusion reinstatement include the following items. Applicable Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) subheadings are provided for clarity:

- Kids’ bikes - less than 20" wheels, classified in HTS 8712.00.1510.

- Kids’ and BMX bikes - 20" wheels, classified in HTS 8712.00.1520.

- Kids’ and BMX bikes - 24" wheels, classified in HTS 8712.00.1550.

- Electric motorcycles of 1,000 watts or less, classified in HTS 8711.60.0050 or 8711.60.0090 (this applies to many electric bicycles).

- Certain adult bicycles with a drive belt and hub gearing, classified in HTS 8712.00.2500.

- Certain adult single-speed bicycles, classified in HTS 8712.00.2500.

- Certain adult bicycles equipped with three-speeds and coaster brakes, classified in HTS 8712.00.3500.

- Carbon fiber bicycle frames valued at $600 or less, classified in HTS 8714.91.3000.

- Certain helmets, classified in HTS 6506.10.6045.

- Certain bicycle trailers, classified in HTS 8716.40.0000.

- Certain messenger bags, backpacks, hydration packs and duffel bags, classified in HTS 4202.12.8130, 4202.92.0400, 4202.92.3120, 4202.92.3131.

We encourage you to check with your trade counsel and customs broker to verify the eligibility of your products

All but one eligible product for the bicycle industry were reinstated: saddles, unfortunately, were not included in this round. This announcement is the result of a concerted effort by PeopleForBikes and the bike industry dating back to the beginning of Section 301 tariffs. 

PeopleForBikes called for sweeping Section 301 relief in our 2021 Trade Agenda and maintained constant pressure on Capitol Hill, conveying the importance of this issue to our industry. Alongside many bike companies, we maximized opportunities through USTR’s various administrative processes. This result would not be possible without years of united work and engagement at every step of the exclusion process.

PeopleForBikes will continue to fight for the extension of these exclusions and full tariff relief for the bike industry. Stay updated on our trade and tariff page and on Twitter @pfbpolicy for the latest breaking policy news. 

USTR Announces Long-Sought Tariff Relief for Bikes

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What IS in the Inflation Reduction Act for Bikes?

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Oakland Youth Are Biking Towards a Better Future

USTR Announces Long-Sought Tariff Relief for Bikes