Bikes made fashionable for college

From the SMU Daily Campus (Texas), 01.17.08:

Bikes get special touch just for SMU
"Our goal is to provide a quality, affordable means of transportation specifically tailored to each college or university community that we are privileged to be working with," Director of Operations for Collegiate Bicycle Company Erik Camp said. "At the heart, it's meant to be a fun product that current, former and prospective university members can be proud of."

For the initial rollout, the company will be offering "beach cruiser" style bikes to the SMU community. "The classic cruiser style bike is a single-speed, coaster brake," Camp said. "These bikes are designed to be easy to use, low-maintenance, comfortable, stylish, affordable and an effective and efficient means for students and faculty alike to commute around campus and town."

SMU is one of 13 schools for which the Collegiate Bicycle Company currently has bicycles in production. Others include Texas A&M, San Diego State and North Carolina State. "Several of our initial schools are located in areas which are known for their large presence on bikes on campus," said Camp. "We are also branching out to schools where people may be pleasantly surprised to see the bikes, and increase and encourage the population to become more bike friendly." (Read more.)

When this story appeared today, I was bothered that the first collegiate branded bicycle wasn't launched at my employer UC Davis--the most bicycling intensive university campus in the U.S. And then a visit to the company's website assured me that Davis isn't neglected, as the Aggie model in the image illustrates.

If bicycling is to become a mainstream form of transportation, then we have to attract a younger demographic away from automobility. A college-branded bicycle might play a part in making cycling "cool."

Image: Collegiate Bicycle Company.
Visit: Buy guide: bikes, Campus Press (Colorado University)
Visit: New Custom Cruisers To Send Gaucho Pride Mobile, Daily Nexus (UCSB)
Visit: Paul Dorn's Bike Commuting Tips Site