Building the Wheels of Africa

Now this might seem like a shameless ploy to post a huge amount of content but the quality of the discussions surrounding the formation of Wheels of Africa has been really inspiring and I think it gives my foreign readers a feel for some Kenyan-brewed thinking on cycling culture. The following will be extracted from some of the recent e-mail discussions.

As background, these e-mails are following WoA's first event: tree-planting at Kiambu Hospital. 53 cyclists (including six para-cyclists) showed up and wow, we were a force to be reckoned with. Those trees were in the ground before the Calvin Cycle (that's biology) could make one turn.

So, to begin with is Prisca's thanks to all the participants.

Prisca says (actually I can't tell if this is written by Prisca or Raymond despite the signature):

Hi All.

I would like to sincerely thank you all for the enthusiastic turn out for the Eco-challenge on December 12th 2008.

Jeff and Martin: For massing up the troops and bringing them out in large numbers. Thank you Steve for traveling all the way from Nakuru to come and be with us.

ZacK: You get a special mention for disregarding your injuries to come and be part of the team. IC3 and Kenya Para-cyclists: I'm encouraged that you guys have grasped the concept of what "Wheels of Africa" is all about so early in the game and for being part of the team. As the Swahili saying goes, umoja ni nguvu. Cheers guys for you were the first to arrived at the agreed venue and on time. If we hope to advocate for and raise the profile of cycling in Kenya, we have to all come together and show our numerical strength.

Owino(Kaduor) and Stevo Small(Lemash's): The future of WACS is in your hands and I wish to see more of you in all our future events. I was very encouraged by Small's role in escorting Lilian and Nick on our way back. That was awsome young man. Andrew and Stevo Big(Jack's): you played a huge role in escorting some of our members from Kenya para-cycling,

Lilian and Sandy you are our newest members and showed great resolve in venturing out into open roads and enduring the long great distance.
Njoki: For being there and finally taking up the challenge of learning to ride a bike.

Mose: The Maasai clad was a fantastic touch. You showed how we should not take ourselves so seriously to the extent of forgetting that above all else, riding is a fun activity.

Odour: For believing and encouraging his young sibbling to ride along
All those who played the mobile mechs and all those who took time away from their profitable ventures to come and be with us.

I am above all encouraged that this was our first group event and the turn out was impressive - 53!. With the same support and spirit and see most if not all our goals being attained and in a shorter time than earlier envisaged!

Ahsanteni Sana,

Raymond
For: Wheels of Africa


Following this a back and forth discussion on the topic of structuring and managing WoA.

Raymond starts:
Hello guys!
Events of the lst two weeks have been fast and furious! Expectations are suddenly high and most of us are beginning to wonder what we got ourselves into. There was a call for visioning last week. I deliberately stalled on it because:

Vision and mission should first be articulated by the originators and/or can then be amended by any subsequent committee that may be tasked to do the same
The criteria of choosing a think tank tank to carry out such tasks has not been put in place in which case those who may have gone ahead and carried out the tasks risk being perceived as snobs who think they know better than the rest.

On Thursday, we had a rather test text exchange with Pri on LEADERSHIP vs MANAGEMENT. This is where I wish to begin my present argument, which is: Pri and I started off the premise that we were to try get together a group of cyclists that would (probably annually) cycle for worthy cause which in our case was the Children's Cancer Ward in Kenyatta National Hospital. Lawrence (whose contacts I got from the father, who had originally mentioned the idea to), put us through to Odour who in turn put us through to the group at Jack's base which in turn forms the current back-bone of WACC. I have had several individual meetings with several riders to try get the feel of what they may have in mind and how to go about it. The first day that I was invited to Jak's base, I invited Pri and she graciously accepted and finally made it to the meeting despite the many hurdles she had to endure getting there. My insistence on having her come to the meeting and refusal to accompany her was designed to:

Let her experience first hand what she was getting herself into ie who the bedrock of her activities were going to be
what type of people they are.

The who and whats above can be construed to mean many things but to me personally, the who are the vibrant, energetic youths that trying under very difficult circumstances to make meanings of their lives and the bicycle happens to be their tool of choice. The what is that they unemployed and/or in employments that are of meager returns and yet they are extremely intelligent each in their own ways. So, we can talk of the grand plans about Cancer wards or saving the planet through planting trees, but if these things are not at the end of the day, valuable to them, we'll have lost our bedrock/back-bone. Lawrence had lots of misgivings about lots of meetings etc, and I both conquered and disagreed with him. They will be useless if they turn into mere talk shops but useful as a means of fora for feedback and exchange of ideas.

That brings me back to the criteria of choosing think tank. Once we put modalities in place on how to put it in place, I will have no qualms about it making decisions for the rest of the team otherwise we risk being perceived as the know-it-all that live in ivory towers. Still on the theme of who we are, what we aim to achieve and how to go about it, and this is not something that I'd shared with Pri at the start but I think she later figure it out, is the fundamental issue of what the majority of our members are; jobless and/or in poor returns employs. We can't run away from this glaring fact. They will do anything that is asked of the as was evidenced during Eco but it will be extremely unreasonable to expect them to develop a charitable sense at the expense of personal survival.

What this means, is that whatever form or shape that WACC finally takes, our bedrock members will have to directly benefit from being involved in its day to day running! Pri and myself have already run into personal expenses(the last being the payments for the trees in Kiambu which originally had been passed to as being a donation by the community), booking of venues, etc and I personally asked her to hang on in there but realize that we can't afford to be charitable while even multinationals eg Total that have all the money in the world cannot pay for a few trees to help save the environment.

That said, the main objective of WACC as I saw it from day one was to mainstream the bicycle in all its shapes, size, and color. It is through mainstreaming that we will make it into an industry with economic potential and therefore attain our 2nd and 3rd which are empowering our group of core members and the Cancer project. Pri is already working the Cancer angle and we are devising ways of marketing ourselves with a view of raising funds. The task is daunting but I have no doubt in my mind that it is achievable. MAINSTREAMING will involve:

1.Bridging the gap between different types of bike in the country. If we restrict ourselves to sport-bike, we leave out a huge segment of society
2.Bridging the gender gap and imbalance ie give courage to ladies to come on board and that is why I was excited by the participation of Sandy and Lily in the Eco, and the enthusiasm shown by Pri and Njoki to learn how to ride. That is a huge start for me.
3.Give courage to those that have fear fear in taking out their bikes to open roads because of the fear of Matatus and other motorists. Our aim in this area is to sensitize other road users that we too have a right to share these roads which we are taxed for. Towards this end, I thank you Nick for your courage on Saturday.
4.Most young people ride bikes. Somewhere, somehow they lose the passion along the way (one on the people that responded to Gavin's column said she was taught by her dad as young girl to ride and is excited to be part of a group that will bring back that childhood passion). It will be the mandate of WACC to tap into this huge reservoir and harness it.
5.Make cycling economically viable through lobbying govt for tax breaks for parts and accessories so that more people can own them. We will be required to review the measures in place with a view of determining whether the govt has done enough and/or if it can do more.
6.To make it fun through organizing all sorts of custom made events eg there are those that prefer races, there are those that prefer long tours those that prefer short weekend/adventure rides, those that prefer biking as a form of keeping fit etc. A mechanism of collecting and acting on all this info is crucial.

It is for this regard that I suggest we form divisions(or whatever the politically correct phrase will be) so that people within can actively research and formulate standard operating procedures within their divisions and the liaise with the management div.

The others are:

Racing - follow the calendar events within the country & region, identify talent, train WACC riders, select team, participate in races
Adventure and tours - design adventure circuits, select preferred routes for tours, formulate security & safety measures for participants, accommodation etc
Mechanized - these are the mechanics. Theirs is to run their businesses when not in action but will be called upon during action. From Kiambu I already noted the need of a motorized, mechanized sweep team team during long haul events.
Training and certification. In whatever endeavor our members undergo, we will require a monitoring team to make sure we have the requisite training and certification
Administration & Management
Outreach - this has to figure out ways of reaching our goals of netting all those groups mentioned above(and others not mentioned) and how to go about it. People will not join us if they feel threatened or unsure what they are being asked to join.

Those are my ideas and I ask anybody with dissenting views or any other to join the debate and let us get this phase done with by the end of this week.

Rgds,
Raymond


Nick follows by saying:

Hello great people,

I can't agree more with Raymond's observations at the pace in which our "wheels" are moving. and thanks Ray for the wonderful insights on the club's visioning. I'm particularly impressed of the think tank idea. I think a more viable criteria would be to constitute a panel of say (8) from the diverse portfolio within the club membership. This team will provisionally act as representative of the entire group. Their primary role would be to collate all the ideas from the rest of the cyclists on the visioning/direction/shape, wheels ought to assume. The originators would in this forum/brainstorming sessions act as moderators-not too overbearing nor letting go of what they initially had in mind, but endeavor to steer these ideas into the clubs' ultimate vision.

Proposed Action Plan

1.Generate draft Mission Statements, Vision and core activities (first meeting)
2.Present proposals to the rest of the team for approvals (2nd meeting)
3.Finalize on the documentations: Vision,Mission, core values, organizational structure (a prerequisite to assigning of designated roles& accountabilities in sync with the structure; this shall form the bedrock of all our operations in WACC)- I have shared with Pri. my blue print on this... (3rd meeting)
4.A well structured calendar of events "
5.Branded logo for the club "
6.The optimal number of divisions (to be informed by the structure)

These are just my insights on the way forward, and I hope we can have at least some concrete inputs by end of the week.

Unfortunately I will not be in a position to attend the Saturday meeting, because we're traveling upcountry for my brother's funeral. hope i will be well represented. However,let's keep chatting and keep the the Wheels of Africa rolling.....

Cheers
Nick


Raymond responds:

Hi Nic!
Bingo!
When we first started out with Pri, she kept insisting that I get to know her first before entrusting her with Wheels. I disagreed with her my argument was that what I knew of her was enough(at least for the moment). At the time I already knew she was in management consultancy. She later brought you along and the results of which is your clear and concise vision of what we are faced with and how to go about it.

We are running a Sports Organization people! FIA, FIFA, WRC, IUC, IOC, etc are all global brands of Sports Management. The bulk of our members at the moment are in their 20s and 30s and have individual obligations. In order to mainstream Cycling in East Africa we have to tap young potential while keeping the older constantly on the road(for varying reasons eg fitness, environment, commuting, sport etc). This will require a huge managerial input and that is why you(Nic),Pri and other professionals in varying fields make a lot of sense for Wheels.

My background is military and therefore I'm more equipped in LEADERSHIP rather than MANAGEMENT. Management requires that we put structures, rules and regulations in place and find the best way to go about enforcing each and every one of these. Leadership on the other hand, is a way of ensuring that the followers feel they have a stake in adhering to the managerial parameters and/or if these are not in place(as is the case with Wheels presently) then the followers feel part of and parcel of the process of putting these in place. It is a delicate balance but is achievable!

As I have repeatedly said, these is a prototype for me. If it works(as it will) I hope to reproduce it in my country and in the process broaden the reach of the bicycle in East Africa which is our fundamental objective.

Raymond.


Then I chipped in about an hour ago:

Hi folks,
I want to join Nick in thanking Raymond for his concise history of Wheels of Africa. And showering my praise on both him and Prisca for taking such an open approach to an idea that they could have easily claimed and protected as theirs. Wheels has had a rapid rise to imminence indeed and it's a ride that we've all felt some thrill at being part of.

I'll try to keep my inputs brief with the hopes of encouraging others to pop in with their own quick comments.

First, on the topic of setting up management structures, I think that Nick's plan is fine and good but I'll just say again that most people don't want to be part of a formal or complex planning process. They want to have opportunities to speak their mind and then see that their ideas are responded to. There is an important balance between maintaining member involvement and turning people off with too much bureaucracy. Personally, I think that people have spoken their piece and would at this point rather be presented with a first draft of a vision than be approached with yet another appeal for input, focus groups, and panels. This organization isn't so big or old that we risk disenfranchising hidden interest groups or have contentious issues at hand. We can easily pick representative and proactive people and put together a vision for presentation to the larger body. As long as the process is open and feedback is responded to, it's going to be better to maintain our momentum and reputation for action than to worry about planning structures and committees. Remember what Zach said about having dreams and never acting on them. WoA has a good thing going. Let's create a vision and stop worrying about committees.

Second, I think there currently is an important underlying debate going on in people's minds that significantly effects what Wheels of Africa is to become. WoA was originally envisioned and is currently perceived of as a cycling CLUB. However, I've expressed verbally (and continue to rebel via the WoA versus WACC acronym) that WoA could grow to be something different than a club. Zach expressed the same thing on Friday when he said that he sees WoA as a MOVEMENT and not a club.
The root of my thinking derives from the vision of what members (and founders) imagine WoA becoming. The scope of our reach (potentially international), the scope of our programing (advocacy, recreation, politics, racing, etc), and the scope of our intended membership (people are saying thousands) puts WoA far beyond the reach of what I'd consider a club. This scope is what worries me when we discuss some of the current plans for programming and organization.
I think we can all agree that one of the greatest joys that we get out of cycling is that it is so multi-faceted... which is what allows it to be the "lifestyle" that so many of us talk about. The thing with a multi-faceted activity is that is not conducive to centralization. And what worries me currently about WoA is the way that it is beginning to imagine itself as the center of cycling in Nairobi. If we say that our goal is to "mainstream" cycling in Kenya, then I think WoA needs to imagine itself as a FACILITATOR rather than an OWNER of cycling culture. Now, I know that everyone would say that we already envision ourselves as facilitators and not owners; so let me clarify. The fact that WoA is becoming a replacement for Eastlands cycling club is a bad sign, that fact that we're talking about having a racing team is a bad sign, the fact that we want to organize weekly rides in different parts of the city is a bad sign. It starts to make WoA look like it wants to be the biggest baddest club that swallows up other clubs like a company pursuing monopoly. The way I perceive the difference between what WoA should become and shouldn't is by asking the question, Do our activities allow people to celebrate cycling in their own way, at their own pace, at their own comfort level, on a small scale, and with their own style (the strength of cycling culture lies in the opportunities for self-expression), or do they try to create order through rules and central management?
So far, I think we have a perfect record. The tree planting was brilliant. There was almost no structure, there was no pace, the tree-planting was the focus and not bicycles, everyone could participate at any level, and the follow-up letter recognized people for their diverse contributions rather than their "success" as cyclists. The only hitch (and this is a friendly critique from my personal perspective) was the effort to try and "organize" the ride to the site through formation riding. I say this because I've seen it so many times, that nothing kills a cycling event like someone trying to implement their vision on top of what other people are doing (which is what causes problems in Critical Mass all the time). If cycling culture is to grow, it can't be about doing cycling "right" but just doing cycling however anyone wants to do it.
This leads me to my distinction between clubs and movements. Clubs are awesome but clubs tend to be about a small number of people who do cycling in a certain way. They're not all-inclusive, nor should they be. They provide opportunities for like-minded people to do their thing without being pulled in every direction. This is what makes them perfect for racing enthusiasts since fitness levels have to closely match in order to facilitate training. It's also why clubs tend to splinter as soon as they get too big. Clubs are also perfect for local rides since local people have their localness in common and because over-sized, bunched up, groups are just impractical and impersonal (remember us stumbling over each other, blocking traffic climbing that hill towards Kiambu Hospital).
Given these factors my vision for WoA is not to try and be a club, but to be that organization that facilitates cycling culture by hosting fun and high profile EVENTS at which many clubs, ride groups, friends, individuals, cults, mechanics, etc. come together to express their joy for cycling in their own way. This is different from WoA having a racing team and showing up to conquer others at competitive event. And this is different from WoA telling people in Dagoretti Corner when and where they should go for a ride, when in reality they could just call a couple friends and not worry about a whole bunch or centralized coordination. Instead WoA can play the "matchmaker" role. It can be the entity in the background that puts people together in the right environment and then let's the sparks fly rather than being the one trying to brew all the magic. With this sort of hands-off, non-controlling approach, WoA can also acquire the people's backing and the government's recognition as an appropriate spokesperson for cycling as a whole. Topics of concern would be infrastructure, reduced import duties, legal recognition, enforcement of traffic code, transparency in the national cycling federation, etc.
I think WoA could also maintain financial independence by operating bicycle-based enterprises. Thus, not only raising critical cash, but also establishing non-motorized transport as an important economic and transportation sector, putting the unemployed youth to work, and demonstrating our savvy as a competent, talented, and GDP-contributing organization.

Ok, so that wasn't the brief communication that it was supposed to be but I hope it is well received nonetheless.

ride on y'all.

-Andrew

The Rise of Kenyan Cycling Culture

Hi readers
Here's the link to the follow-up article from Gavin Bennet at the Nation newspaper. A talented writer and impressive analysis from someone who doesn't spend his time thinking about bikes like the rest of us. I particularly like his use of the term "critical mass". Enjoy.

http://www.nation.co.ke/magazines/lifestyle/-/1214/499086/-/9by936z/-/index.html

Pedal to the mettle

A quick follow-up to my last post. Here's a link to the first of two Daily Nation articles that are to be committed to cycling.

http://www.nation.co.ke/magazines/lifestyle/-/1214/496272/-/9c1ahrz/-/index.html

The Daily Nation is Kenya's most reputable newspaper. It's competition is The Standard which is a bit more sensationalist.

Wheels of Africa

Such a wonderful experience I had today, perhaps it's a fitting time to break out of my long lapse from blogging with you all. Of course there is so much to tell from the last months captured in notes and ruminations stashed in dusty corners throughout my computer, I sincerely hope I can begin sharing it again with my lingering audience.

Today I attended a meeting of the fledgling club Wheels of Africa while tucked beneath a tree overlooking a pond of peddle-boats (how fitting) in Nairboi's beautiful and massive downtown park. Thirty cyclists occupied their piece of grass and outlined in their incredible, humble Kenyan eloquence, full of analogies, morals, and truisms, their passion for cycling and the ways it has shaped their lives. Facing a group familiar to me almost exclusively from competitive cycling events, I was stunned and my heart soared as each and every one described cycling as a lifestyle with a deepness that would impress even the most dedicated Western cycling evangelist. Having arrived early ( in Kenya that's 15 after the scheduled start time) I had a chance to talk to Raymond, the group's founder, and his recruited management consultant cum co-organizer, ________ (her name is currently escaping me). They outlined for me the themes that had emerged from their first gathering and I shared my reservations about my observed fixation on competition amongst Kenyan cyclist. As the a sea of logo spattered cycling jerseys swelled, I braced myself for the fallout of imported American commercial cycling literature and culture. That is bikes as toys, bikes for competition, bikes as status symbols, bikes for anything but that for which they are best: LIFESTYLE. But instead of being knocked flat by my fears, I came to find this incredible undercurrent of complex understanding that a bicycle is truly a vehicle for citizenship. The same sense of citizenship that has been gripping the American cycling movement and is now sanctified by the phrase “yes we can”, is glowing brightly in Kenya. I now know that here too the bicycle is worn as the global citizen's badge of honor standing resolutely against the tides of self-serving politics and institutionalized injustice. To these Kenyans cycling was youth empowerment, livelihoods, a national transportation agenda, environmental stewardship, an undeveloped economic sector, a public health solution... it is everything but training schedules and gram counting. Their slogan: Redefining mobility.

Now, a lot of hot talk can quickly find itself untethered and drifting inevitably towards that overflowing scrap yard of good ideas with no champions. Its a place that Nairobi's cyclists know well and something that was articulated during a recap of previous attempts at cyclist solidarity in the city. I myself, having ridden the highs and lows of group organizing, have little patience for big ideas without stalwart leadership but here too, I couldn't have been more impressed. Raymond, heading up the leadership department, sprang gracefully into introductions, transitioned smoothly into ground rules, and rounded out nicely with his first initiatives on behalf of the organization. These include 1) recruiting the full support of the chief of police to engage his force in a cycling rights to the road workshop and 2) convincing the writer of the Sunday column Motoring (that's right) in one of the country's top newspapers to do a feature on cycling and Wheels of Africa. Not bad for a couple weeks on the job.

I'm delighted to report that I will be using my graphics skills in the marketing department for the group logo and first run on t-shirts. I'm even more delighted to say that I'll be catalyzing Nairobi's first Critical Mass on December 19^th at 4pm (avoiding the holiday difficulties on the 26^th). Come and join us! On the 16^th we'll be joining Eco-Challenge to plant trees with youngsters at a school on the outskirts of the city.

Two members are just starting a mobile repair shop. There is talk of leading a cycling trails development initiative as a component of a forest reclamation project within the city limits (maybe IMBA would like to help us with that). Particularly brilliant, someone suggested that we initiate a club touring tradition as a sort of international forum for cyclists. And, taking it a step further, support the tours with club gear allowing the tours to stake camp wherever they travel while also accommodating the many cyclists who can't afford hotel rooms.

I can hardly restrain my anticipation for the 19^th and the opportunity to put Nairobi's cycling network to the test. I believe we could have 200 people for CM's debut. I also now have a new grand vision for Worldbike, the Kibera workshop (now up and running by the way), and Wheels of Africa. Here it is. The greatest challenge that this club is going to face is that most cyclists in Kenya have no money. Club membership fees will be almost non-existent and the ability of people to participate even in very low cost events will always be an issue causing contention. In other words, Wheels of Africa needs a funding source if its going to succeed. Raymond has already beautifully detailed his reluctance to play the donor game and outlined his vision of using mobile bicycle-mounted advertising as a revenue source. This is an idea that I discussed with George Njuki (my veteran cyclist friend mentioned in previous posts) a couple months back and which has been circling in conversations within the context of Worldbike's project ever since. George and I were also hot on the idea of using pedicabs as a means of employing the youth. My vision now is to use the Kibera workshop to build the rickshaws and mobile billboards that are owned and operated by Wheels of Africa and driven by youth. The proceeds would fund the operations of Wheels of Africa while a placard mounted on each vehicle would provide an unmatched opportunity for club publicity. Because Wheels of Africa is a citizen organization, passengers will have even greater incentive to utilize their services. Finally, in order to retain drivers and promote discipline, the group can use an earn-a-bike incentive program that will provide bikes to responsible and committed drivers.

I couldn't have been more impressed with the turnout at this first meeting and couldn't be more excited to share with you of the coming developments stemming from what I hope has been a historic moment. To be continued....

More designs.

Over the last couple months I've been so lucky as to have been contacted by numerous people interested in being involved in the project's design process. This post is intended to show some of my more recent thinking and to aid in those ongoing e-mail conversations. I hope it is likewise of interest to the masses particularly those shadowy home-builders who stealthily pass through this site without leaving a trace. If you can't read the text in the drawings, don't worry, just check them out in higher res here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27342523@N06/sets/72157607517597124/

Trailer Hitch:
Emphasis is on ease of construction combined with rapid hitching and unhitching. The hitch is inspired in part by that used by the Center for Appropriate Transport (http://catoregon.qwestoffice.net/hpm/hauler.htm)
Rickshaw with Gears:
This one is fun because it would be super easy to build in the U.S. using go-kart parts. You can get axles and sprockets and brakes from any go-kart dealer though the sprocket "blanks" here (http://www.jackssmallengines.com/gokart_alumsprkt_40f.cfm) would be the best. And you can get bearing pillow blocks from the likes of Northern Tool. Spoked wheels would be the only challenge and you might have to use ones intended for ATVs. Here in Nairobi there are some 64 spoke rickshaw wheels with robust hubs so I'm in good shape. The real key to this design is the introduction of gears (so simple) because that is the major concern expressed when rickshaws are discussed amongst bicycle taxi drivers. With the second leading cause of death in Uganda (second to malaria) being accidents on motorcycle "boda boda" taxis, these might have a place in the transportation mix. Then again, the attraction of the motorbikes is rapid transit through congested streets which these might not be able to provide. Regardless, they do have a major market opportunity as the connecting link between public transit stops and people's doorsteps or transport within local communities. They are also cheaper and more pleasant to ride than the local buses i.e. don't involve sitting on top of other people with your knees somewhere behind your head. My design is built off of a standard mountain bike.
Tadpole:
A tadpole is a tricycle with the twin wheels in the front instead of back thus giving it a big head with a narrow tail and its name. Inspired by Smarty Hardy (http://www.smartyhardy.com/integrated_sh.htm), I've been thinking a lot about suspension as a way to reduce stresses on the frame and wheels on vehicles carrying heavy loads on very rough roads. The following is a design for independent suspension on a tadpole using a simple trailing arm design. I would love to get a chance to try out my idea for homemade shock absorbers. Also included is a design for a simple center pivot. Usually people use headset bearings and a long "head tube" for this purpose, but I thought this would be easier and cheaper to manufacture.
Longtails:
The following are some pretty self-explanatory design for longtails built off of traditional mountain bikes. One is suspended, the other not. With the wheel way in the back, I'd be a little worried about fork failure under heavy loads ie. be careful if you build one of these. Building a truss on the fork Jeff Jones-style would be one remedy... but then you might just break the head tube or the down tube.
Again, to see higher res versions of these drawings, along with other designs and project photos, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/27342523@N06/sets/72157607517597124/

Doing us a favor.

Thank you to all my faithful readers... those faithful enough to stop back in after more than a month without the addition of fresh content. I left you all wading in my musings of bike design and application. Seeing as the past month has carried me down from the lofty sanctuary of planning to the dusty streets of implementation, I owe everyone an update on the ever-humbling experience of converting development theory into practice.

Somewhere back in the sands of time I mentioned our community partner in the Kibera slum, Soweto Youth Group (SYG). Since early July myself and our hired community mobilization specialist, Patrick Analo (left), have been engaging with this group. SYG was founded in 1999 as a gathering of youth engaging in recreational sports and was officially registered as a community-based organization (CBO) in 2003. In 2004 they attracted their first NGO attention and have since become a hub for non-profit activities and a key representative of the Soweto East community (shown as the highlighted corner of Kibera in on the map). As a result of previous partnerships with non-profits, SYG is currently engaged in a small door-to-door trash collection business. The goal of this project (the half that's located in Kibera) is to expand this enterprise both for the provision of sanitation services to the community as well as to provide income generation for SYG and its members. As Worldbike, naturally part of this expansion is supposed to involve the deployment of non-motorized transportation.

Currently the SYG enterprise has about 250 customers each of whom pay 20 Kenyan shillings (0.30 USD) per collection. The waste is collected from buckets that the group has distributed to customers and is carried by hand to a sorting site where it is sorted into organics, recyclables, and trash. Because the business is fairly new and the amount of trash produced per customer is so low, none of the collected material has yet been transferred out of the hands of SYG. The organics (the majority of the material) are transferred to the group's composting site from which the intended, though not secured, destination is farmers.

While household collection will continue to grow, the majority of the intended business expansion is to be comprised of trash collection from community dumping sites. UN-Habitat has built eight public toilets in Soweto East each of which is soon to also act as a dumping point for household waste. SYG will be in the business of collecting and sorting this material and ultimately disposing of it to the proper handlers. Additionally we are exploring the possibilities of collection within the communities surrounding Soweto East. The intention is that non-motorized vehicles are to play a key role in transportation of all this material. Here's a thematically related link to a business in the U.S. (http://www.faircompanies.com/main.aspx?uc=multidet&tipus=flv&id=230). That's the light at the end of the tunnel and I will talk more about the business plan in a future post.

On the ground, the first step has been to develop entrepreneurship and a non-motorized transport committees within SYG and to begin trainings in business operation and bicycle mechanics/design. While the trainings were to be largely focused on development of these two committees, they were made open to other members of the youth group. Naturally, the intention was to be inclusive, to build broader group capacity, and to give individuals skill sets that they could use in their personal lives. It seemed so simple...

Here are the two problems. First, members of SYG are extremely busy. Most are in their twenties, many are married, many have children, many have jobs, and most are poor. Therefore almost everyone has daily responsibilities and for some those include daily sustenance. Second, members of SYG (and any community that has familiarity with NGOs) are acutely attuned to the possibility of free handouts. The unspoken code is that any time members of a community organization gather within the boundaries of an NGO project they are to be paid for their time. That includes being paid to attend entrepreneurship trainings (for which most people would spend hundreds of dollars of their own money). The attitude that recipients are doing a favor to their providers simply by taking what is offered can feel like a real slap in the face. “It's like giving someone food and then paying them to eat it,” the feeling was recently summarized to Patrick and I.

Additionally, those payments can function to create motivations that ultimately undermine projects. While an NGO might have visions of jump starting a sustainable community improvement project, those collectivist sentiments might be supplanted in the minds of participants by visions of pay checks and nothing more. The result is often a project that collapses as soon as the NGO departs and the cash cow runs dry. The difficulty in Kibera is in separating the true need for financial assistance from the dishonest ploys for handouts. In the end we've decided not to pay for attendance under the premise that personal sacrifice begets true commitment. And that without commitment no one will care whether the ship we call the project sinks or floats. This has created major waves in the group's natural rhythm. Attendance in both courses has dropped from 18 down to six over the period of three classes and even those six have not regularly attended the preceding two classes. And while the training impact has been decreasing, the energy spent trying to sooth hostilities over the lack of payment have increased to the point of rendering project progress almost impossible.

Yesterday, however, hopefully represented the turning point as we begin to direct energies away from the inclusiveness of the trainings and refocus on the project objectives of planning and growing the trash collection enterprise. The trainings, it was decided, should revert back to what they were always meant to be: opportunities for those who were willing to put in the time now for their personal growth and prosperity in the long-term. It's only a shame that so few have taken up the opportunity after we worked so hard to structure the course topics around espoused interests, timed the classes to only consume 2.5 hours on a Saturday morning, and promised to act as personal mentors and networkers to anyone sojourning into individual enterprise. In the end, Patrick can only give so many inspirational speeches and I listen to the case for “motivating” class participants before it becomes incumbent upon the individuals to act by their own volition.

Today Patrick and I will tour the public toilet facilities with our partners from the UN, the engineer from another NGO, and members from SYG to discuss the construction of access roads that are passable by cargo bikes (either three-wheelers or trailers). Right now many of the collection sites are accessible only by the narrow twisting pathways/drainages that are the Kibera thoroughfares. As much as Worldbike loves to design bikes, a project like this boldly highlights the fact that design always takes the back seat to the challenges of application.

Bicycle enterprise.

The following are my thoughts on bicycle-based enterprise thus far. I also encourage you to visit flickr (http://flickr.com/photos/27342523@N06/sets/72157606002071374/) where I've posted my version of a “Worldbike” and will soon post other miscellaneous component designs. At flickr you can use the comment function to start a discussion of the designs. I'm certainly asking for feedback and even some direct advice on things like low-cost suspension. Pipe up bike designers!

The first step in beginning any enterprise is identifying an opportunity. Therefore it is important to identify the categories of opportunity that utility bicycles present. I see two categories: the first being load carrying, the second being mobile services. As a load carrier, a bicycle is often the right combination of purchase cost, carrying capacity, upkeep expense, size, agility, and speed for the task at hand. The opportunity in the second category is the bike's ability to add value to traditional services by making those services mobile (think ice cream carts, paperboys, and mini-mart corner stores). In places where cheap and easy transport is less taken for granted as it is in wealthy parts of the U.S., services that come to you instead of you going them have increased value. Here in Nairobi for example there are traveling knife sharpeners, vegetable vendors every 10 meters, butchers, furniture makers, and cyber cafes on every corner. In an environment like this “going” shopping almost becomes obsolete.

One of the bicycles designed by our predecessor Practical Action working in Kibera with Soweto Youth Group two years ago was a mobile food kiosk (pictured). Outfitted with a stove, this bike could, for example, deliver hot food to multiple construction sites during the time sensitive window of the lunch hour whereas someone on foot would have a more limited market (this is the same principle employed by the mobile milkman of old). The “Worldbike” I've designed also brings portability to services that require power. I've imagined a portable knife sharpener, battery charger, food sheller, food grinder (like peanuts), a lathe and/or drill dress that can travel to the work site, a blender (a la www.bikeblender.com), a juicer, a sewing machine, a washing machine, (apply your creativity here).

One of the things revealed in surveys that were conducted amongst purchasers of the Worldbike Bigga Boda in Kisumu, is that the bikes tended not to be employed in a single specialized service. For example they might have been used in the morning to deliver bread, in the afternoon to carry passengers, and in the evening to pick up the kids from school and run errands for the family. As a result I concluded that a bicycle with a diversity of applications will produce the most value. My Worldbike design is intended to fulfill that most common employment of a bicycle which is transport while at very little extra cost making the bicycle also upgradeable to a capable power source. In this way I imagine the bicycle creating value for its owner all day long. Again, start the discussion here:

http://flickr.com/photos/27342523@N06/sets/72157606002071374/

Frame Layout:

1. SideLoaders: Talking with members of the youth group about their trash collection business I learned an important lesson. Currently the group hauls mixed waste to their collection site and then sorts it for compostable material, recyclables, and landfill-bound waste. When I asked why they give themselves that messy sorting job versus asking the households to sort the material, it was explained that house space is too valuable to take up with multiple trash buckets. When asked about leaving the buckets outside, I was told they would get stolen. This helped drive home the fact that a bicycle used by a poor person needs to be stowable which means that it needs to fold into a small package. Bikes that are also narrow (hence the attraction of the two-wheeled design) fit better through crowded streets and tight neighborhoods. I'm far from the first person to be attracted to the folding design as can be seen from the following old photos showing Worldbike founder Ross Evans in South Africa with a side-loading bike. My design however seeks to eliminate the interference caused by the chains that support the platform.

2. Kickstand: A solid centerstand kickstand is a must for any cargo bike as a stable platform is needed for loading and unloading and simply for keeping a laden bike upright. Here I took inspiration from the black mamba kickstand design. On my bike, the kickstand is also critical for lifting the rear wheel when using the bike as a power source.

3. Implement Rack: The top rack is a standard platform for load carrying but can dually be used for implement mounting and as a stable bench top. The following pictures show how to attach a pulley to the spokes with two pieces of tire and plate steel thus converting any wheel into a drivewheel/flywheel.
   

4. Secondary Seat Tube: In order to use the bike as a power source, the rider needs to be able to turn around and access the rear of the bike while pedaling. Simply moving the seatpost to an alternative position allows for this. Correspondingly, moving the handlebars or another t-shaped bar to the seat tube provides the needed hand support.

The one problem with building one-off load-hauling bikes like this in Kenya is the availability of strong wheels and forks. A connection I made last week to an Indian importer might provide a source for small quantities but the general rule of thumb is that if you want parts from India or China the minimum quantities start at 100,000 units. Realistically, if a bike like this is to make a real impact then it needs to be mass produced in China where all the specs can be met, materials are cheap, and productivity is high.