This last Wednesday I had the pleasure of hanging out with the guys at Kickstand magazine in Denver created by Denver Cruiser's mastermind, Brad Evans. It's been inspiring to walk into their office down in the
Sante Fe Arts District just south of Downtown/Colfax Ave exit an enter a
room that is always filled with a new batch of cruisers. This time, an
all white (even down to the tires) city bike from my former home, the
Netherlands, stands out. A beautiful masterpiece of utilitarian beauty.

The hot topic in the office was the "U.N." ride planned that evening for Denver Cruisers. Brad and Tommy talk with glee and show off their top
secret costumes for that evenings ride. As many may know, Governor
Canidate Dan Mae's recently irked cyclists from both the Republican and
Democratic parties when he tried to equate Denver's highly successful
"B-Bike" bike share program to bringing Denver into the United Nation's
(UN) New World Socialist commie order or something to that affect. A
comment that outraged not only many cyclists around the world, made many
Republican party members go "What the hell Dan?", and got him the vote
of many toothless rednecks in trucks worth more than their trailer home.

But I digress.

Guess the point is these guys are very good at having fun on bikes. If you ever get a chance to pick up an issue of Kickstand (We'll be doing the launch party for the next issue
at COS Cruisers in September) you can see they are all about the
"Freewheeling lifestyle". It's a nice contrast to your typical cycling
magazine which can often be a little too much for the average person.
You won't find articles on Italian bicycle shorts, titanium do-dad's, or
carbon fiber frames.

I think the great thing about these guys is they are good at reminding people that it's fun to just grab a bike and go. I am the guy who does have all that other gear, hell
I've built wheels for some pretty big named pros out of carbon at my
last job, I have carbon wheel, ti bits, and such. But at the end of the
day it's nice to be reminded that a slow pedal for fun is ok too. Too
many years of racing corrupted that state of mind.

It's neat to see these guys, who have no bike industry background, tackle the part of the industry that the industry often forgets. It fits so well and it's
neat because really, in the end, this is perfect for them and the crowd
that just wants to have fun. As we talked I learned of a lot of their
long range plans and while I cannot say what they are, they make me
smile. They bring me hope to see more people on bicycles. And well, just
gives me hope for the world.