How Dope Pedalers Changed Atlanta Cycling | Conversate with Bear

Bear and Ashley are back for a special episode of Conversate with Bear, diving deeper into Atlanta’s cycling community with Jay Reid, founder of Dope Pedalers.

What started with six Walmart bikes and a few friends riding the Atlanta Beltline grew into hundreds of cyclists showing up every Tuesday and a movement that has reached far beyond Atlanta.

Jay Reid takes Bear and Ashley back to the beginning of Dope Pedalers, from discovering cycling and getting dropped on his first rides to building a community that welcomes beginners, serious road cyclists, fixed gear riders, and everybody in between. He also talks about his days working around Bad Boy Entertainment, how those lessons in marketing and promotion helped him build the Dope Pedalers brand, and why cycling became about much more than bikes.

The conversation gets into the barriers that keep people out of cycling, “bike snobbery,” the forgotten history of Black cyclists like Major Taylor, and why making cycling accessible matters. Jay Reid also explains how the cycling community can create an economic ecosystem where people support businesses, nonprofits, neighborhoods, and each other.

Ashley shares the humbling reality of being a new cyclist, including a 25 mile ride that landed her in the emergency room from dehydration and the group ride that taught her how much she still has to learn. Bear reflects on how Atlanta’s cycling community supported Bear Strong and helped provide essential items to thousands of families.

And, of course, they talk bikes. Fixed gears, $7,000 road bikes, Walmart bikes, hydration, getting dropped by an 84 year old woman, One Love, the Five Boro Bike Tour, and why Jay Reid believes there really is a ride for everybody.

Because for Dope Pedalers, cycling is about fitness, mental health, community, economic empowerment and bringing people together.

“The bike is the solution.”

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