Bike commuting is how I met my friends I ride with, but it isn’t the only thing that ties us together. It’s everything else in between: our shared ideals, lived experiences, frustrations, and dreams for a more people-centric city. As we continue riding on bikes, despite the uncertainty for our lives on the road, we enjoy each other’s company, uplift and grow with each other.

As we end Pride Month, World Bicycle Month, and Independence Month, I’m sharing our story, and how we show up for the city, and one another, with our bikes.

All of us started biking as kids, with Sarah pedaling as young as three years old. Gerry got FOMO before it was even a thing and her parents got her a bike. My cycling origin story can be found in one of my earlier blog posts. But we all started bike commuting as adults after a long pause from cycling.

“After high school I stopped,” Gerry started, “And only got back into it in 2021, after my dad passed away. It was a sort of freedom and healing journey, to be able to do something for myself after a long time of being responsible for other people and things. Over time, it’s become less about reclaiming my freedom and more about exploring, showing up for the bike community and its various advocacies, and meeting people who love cycling and forming friendships from there.”

Meanwhile, Sarah approached it as a personal challenge.

“[I] started in late 2015 by biking to nearby places (MOA, CCP) and eventually got enough experience to map out a bike-to-work route. I prefer biking alone, but joining active mobility advocacy groups in 2022 helped shift some of my admittedly toxic bike commuter attitudes, such as ‘real bike commuters don’t need bike lanes or any other protection’.”

For me, like Gerry, going back to cycling and, in turn, choosing bike commuting, became less about reclaiming my freedom and more about being present. It’s always been a personal promise of mine to never abandon the people I choose to be in my life, to be there for them in silence, in joy, and in crisis. It’s much easier for me to reach my barkada by bike—empathy on two wheels.

And that’s how we all met, and why we continue to show up for each other.

As we settled into our cycling habits, our relationship with mobility evolved, too, including how we view e-bikes. Sarah and I had our first foray into e-cycling with the Fiido L3+ for Popcycle’s Amazing Commute – Women’s Month episode. Gerry’s tested some Fiido e-bikes as well, and she can see herself owning one in the near future, especially because she and her partner, Leica, live along a car sewer.

“I live in an area where traffic is horrendous and you’d have to climb hills to go anywhere else, so I would normally need to psych myself up to do errands by bike. But with an e-bike, any sort of ride–whether for fun or for a purpose–I’d be more willing and happier to get on the saddle and ride out.”

Sarah, on the other hand, isn’t in the market for an e-bike just yet, but sees their value. “E-bikes can open up worlds for people who are curious enough to try them out,” she said.

I’m one of those who see the importance of having an e-bike, especially the Fiido C11 (or C11 Pro). Commuting has been more fun with an e-bike, despite the hassles of “sharing the road” with careless drivers. Owning one balances the stable: I have an endurance bike for athletic performance, a touring bike for adventure and exploration around the Philippines, and soon, an e-bike for daily commutes. They all complement each other.

But whether we use e-bikes or manual bikes, we admit that cycling is a great way to get around. “The city shrinks on a bike!” Sarah said, “It’s amazing how much closer places are when you’re riding.”

On the other hand, Gerry has observed the attitudes of car owners or drivers while commuting. “I notice how awful motorists are at driving.” But even then, she sees places and moments that we’d otherwise ignore when in a car. She knows her place, and that’s on the road, with everyone else.

“In a way, it’s also an act of rebellion that says I and my chosen form of transport have every right to be here, riding with the big dogs, claiming the streets, despite lack of protection for vulnerable road users, despite motorists who look down on us.

“It frees me of a dependency on Grab, or other forms of transport where I’m not in control. I can go where I want, when I want, as fast or as slow as I want. It’s my form of meditation, but also my adrenaline rush.”

Sarah is happy to just be bikin’. “I’m happy biking because I know I’ve got the skills and experience to get where I need to go. I like joining community and protest rides, seeing friends and like-minded folks. I’m happy to bike around the CBD and show people there are alternative ways of getting around.

“It represents the kind of independence I want to keep building, especially as I get older. I want to be as mobile and as able for as long as possible. I want to condition my body in a way that honors it, too. Our bodies are amazing!”

At the heart of bike commuting, we honor ourselves, our community, and each other. And beyond commuting, it’s how we ride through life: together, in motion.

The Fiido C11, Fiido Titan, and Fiido C700 are available at Popcycle Venice Grand Canal, Greenhills, and Sct. Rallos QC. For lendouts and other inquiries, follow and contact them on Facebook and Instagram!