• Introduction
  

• Courier service and Bike shop
  

• Business practices
  

• Cycling transport
  

• Sustainable practices
  

• References
  

Introduction:

Natural Cycle

Natural Cycle is a company that seeks to “promote sustainable transportation by increasing access to human powered vehicles, specifically bicycles.” Its beginnings were in 1999 with one person, a vision, and a crescent wrench, multitool, and bicycle. David Geisel wanted to put into practice democratic ideals ignited by his former place of employment, and was one of the founders of this worker co-op that has expanded into four main areas. Many people volunteered their time, and throughout the following years, Natural Cycle expanded from their one-room office and shop (staffed by one person), into a company that has 12 riders in its courier service, and nine workers in the bike shop. 

Four separate businesses:

Natural Cycle Courier is an all-season bicycle courier company that offers “environmentally ethical document and small parcel delivery service” all over the city. Natural Cycleworks is a bike shop designed for commuter cyclists that specializes in custom built wheels. Natural Cycle Distribution is a new distribution company that specializes in the provision of single speed bicycle components to retailers all over Canada. Finally, Prairybike Fabrication is a local bicycle component fabrication and design company that is geared towards meeting transportation needs and preferences of many different types of people.

Location

The courier offices and bike shop are located in the basement of 91 Albert Street in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. The main floor houses the Mondragon Coffee Shop and Bookstore, which specializes in vegan fare (and has a “hungry courier” menu item on its menu), as well as the Junto Library, which is a volunteer-run free library filled with radical and relevant books, as well as lesser known political literature.

Environmental connections

The work that is done through Natural cycle is important because it provides tools for people to experience the city’s environmental processes in a more connected way. Hough (2004) mentions how the infrastructure that keeps us healthy (our needs for energy and clean water, recycling and composting practices, etc) provides a foundation which links people to natural processes. The ‘infrastructure’ mentioned above can be expanded to include our needs for clean air and the health that results from being active. These, in turn, can be linked to explorations of how transportation can be made more sustainable, ensuring continued health through exercise and the cleaning of our air. Because of its low environmental impact and the fact that it is human-powered, the bicycle is a perfect mediator that fosters connections between human activity and the environment.