“Cycle” versus “Bicycle”
Throughout the Bike Utah website, we strive to use the term “cycle” instead of “bicycle”
unless we are specifically talking about two-wheeled cycles.
“The terms ‘bicycle’ and ‘on two wheels’ are used as by-words for a cycle and the activity of cycling. This immediately excludes anyone who doesn’t ride a two-wheeled cycle, but also reinforces the societal assumption that cycling can only be done on two wheels.”
The activity of cycling can take form through many types of wheeled vehicles, including but not limited to:
Unicycles
Bicycles
Tricycles
Handcycles
Recumbent cycles
Tandem cycles
Wheelchair tandem cycles
E-cycles
Cargo cycles
Trailer cycles
Tag-along cycles
When discussing the activity of cycling, the general population of participants in the activity, and the vehicles they use, we prefer to use inclusive language. Language can be a barrier to cycling for marginalized communities. Some of the traditional vocabulary that has been used in cycling excludes the experience and identity of cyclists that have mobility challenges. This exclusionary language makes it difficult for the needs of mobility-challenged people to be considered in transportation policy, cycling infrastructure, event planning, and more.
This change of word-choice has not yet been learned and implemented by all government, business, and community entities. We hope that our effort to make cycling language more inclusive on our platforms will encourage others to do the same. If you have any questions, concerns, or further suggestions on how we can make mobility language more inclusive, please contact info@bikeutah.org for a discussion.
