The Ginger Ninjas - the band of Xtracycle founder Kipchoge Spencer - are touring from California to Mexico. Nothing special so far. That's what bands do all the time. Bob did this with his band and Uli is doing it now. But both of us never did it like this: The whole tour is human powered! No buses or Nightliners, no planes, no motorcycles around the arena before soundcheck, just legs man - just legs powering bikes.
The band has everything they need on an armada of Xtracycles! All instruments, amps, clothing, bivouac ... even the band are on the bikes. The guys even have their own power plant on the bikes. Four specially prepared bikes provide the electricity for the show, all they need is four people pedaling. Sounds unbelievable doesn't it? Convince yourself by watching the video below:
Video: On the road with the Ginger Ninjas
So what, you ask? The idea of the pleasant revolution is more than just having a ball with your friends riding bikes and making music. The pleasant revolution is a platform for a vision, it's a way of thinking and living! When industrialization turned people into egocentric monsters most of them turned their conscience off. They no longer cared about the environment , they wanted more and faster and bigger and never thought about the damage that did to the nature we so love and need. These days, everyone is talking about global warming, about how bad things are going to get if we don’t change; and yet hardly anyone will talk about what the necessary changes are. Every single person could help: Consume less, produce less Co2 (get rid of your car and use bikes, trains, buses etc.), throw away less. Buy only stuff you really need. ( >> The Power Of USED)
Video: Xtracycle in action
These are the reasons for the pleasant revolution tour ... and these are the reasons for products like the Xtracycle getting more and more interest! When the Ginger Ninjas can haul their whole equipment with their bikes you can run your weekly errands with a bike, can't you? The Xtracycle gives you the opportunity to transport almost everything with your bike - doesn't matter how long or how heavy your stuff is.
From the Sierra Nevada through the suburban wastelands and urban decay of southern California, over the world’s busiest border crossing, across the wilderness and austere beauty of Baja, into the heart of megapolitan Mexico City, and down to the land of mystic pyramids, the Ninjas will play shows, record music with local musicians, and advocate for a leapfrog-style transition to sustainable transportation. Again: There are no sag-wagons nor buses hauling their gear.
The Ginger Ninjas come with the message that bikes are an essential and beautiful part of a sustainable transportation system and that Mexico still has the opportunity to skip US-style development and our suburbanized cult of the car.
USED thinks: Music and bicycle lifestyle fit perfectly together. Both are symbols of humanity, togetherness, ingenuousness and intelligence. They are both practical and inspiring works of art. They show us a better world and how we can achieve it without killing people for oil and wasting resources, because we can. Join us in the jungle.